April 24, 2023
Last year, in honor of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching wrote Is it Tai Chi or Taiji? For this year, he continues in that same spirit with an exploration of Chinese translation and romanization with Qigong.
April 10, 2023
If you have a response to emergencies planned out in advance, your reaction and resolution will be much quicker, giving you more time to relax and enjoy yourself once everything is dealt with. Besides, that’s why we take vacations in the first place, isn’t it—to relax?
April 3, 2023
The 18 Luohan relies on the Microcosmic Orbit as a well-trodden path to get your energy flowing.
March 27, 2023
When you’re preparing for a trip away, the first step in identifying potential problems begins in the planning phase. Proper planning requires more than just picking a vacation spot and packing a bag. It requires some in-depth research and preparation.
March 20, 2023
The physical body is like a machine and Qì is like electricity. Only when the machine is in good condition and the power supply is sufficient will the machine be able to perform at peak potential.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”—Bruce Lee
Remind your clients, that it is impossible to know when the natural results will arise and that patience and perseverance, in cultivation of wellbeing, is the recognized best practice for catalyzing the intended good result.”
One of my favorite teachers, Master Zhu Hui from Tian Tai Mountain in eastern China told me, “A person who makes wise use of the Three Intentional Corrections a few times a day will resolve their pains, cure their diseases, and achieve longevity.”
Awareness is your ability to be cognizant of the environment and events going on around you.”
The emphasis on the spiritual life, rather than the material, is one of the major differences between Eastern and the Western cultures. An example of this is in the maintenance of health, where the West emphasizes the physical body more, while the East tends to also treat the person’s spiritual and mental health.
There are many Chinese people, especially martial artists, who mistakenly believe that the Yìjīnjīng is Iron Shirt and Golden Bell Cover training. I will try to clear up the confusion.
Any activity that is able to improve the qi circulation in our body can be called qigong.
The first step towards enlightenment is to establish a strong will, without which you will not finish the training.
Dr. Yang states that there are four methods of building up Qi in the body, physical stimulation, mental stimulation, energizing the Shén and others.
“…if you can control your consciousness without falling asleep, you can build up a better sensitivity for energy correspondence with the outside world. This is one of the desired states in meditation practice.”
In a nutshell, Qigong exercises help people to balance Yin and Yang energies within the physical body as well as the spiritual body. Dr. Yang successfully uses words, diagrams, and photos to elucidate this process.
One of the major purposes of Qìgōng is to increase the Essence-Qì conversion and use this Qì to nourish your body.
It has been proven that Yìjīnjīng training is one of the most effective ways to change the quality of the physical body.
If you compare the routes of the blood circulatory system, the nervous system, and the lymphatic system with the course of the Qì channels, you will see that there is a great deal of correspondence.
In Qìgōng we say “Where the mind goes, energy flows.” Or more traditionally, the “Yi leads the Qì”; your intention leads your energy. You can think of your intention as your core consciousness merged with, or “riding on”, your most subtle energy. How do you “lead Qì to the palms”? Bring your mind to the palms, and energy increases there.
Before we can have useful discussions about situational awareness and personal safety, both teens and parents must be willing and able to recognize their flaws.
Martial arts, combat sports, and self-defense are different realms, and, while interconnected, they are not entirely the same.
There are countless kung fu forms across innumerable schools and lineages, but sometimes different schools share the same form. While reviewing the Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu Complete Collection, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching discovered some overlapping forms between his Northern Shaolin tradition and YMAA’s curriculum and discusses the shared roots and divergences.
The meaning of our lives is to understand nature and untie all its mysteries. It is a long and timeless journey to reach the final goal of enlightenment. However, it is why we are here.
Using strangles and chokes is serious business and is not for the immature. It’s better to tap out than pass out.