Issue 51 - Tse Qigong Centre

Cover: Master Michael TseQi Magazine is published by the Tse QigongCentre. Its aim is to bring you information notreadily available in the West.Editor:Deputy Editor:Assistants:Michael TseDarryl MoyDavid DrennanSarah BloomfieldJohn HayesShahriar SepangiRick CharlesProof Reading: Yvonne DixonMike StensonMarketing/Distribution: Jessica BlackwellSubscriptions: Jayne RowlandsSweden:Barbro OlssonConsultants (Listed in alphabetical order):Columnists:Grandmaster Chan Chi HoGrandmaster Chen Xiao WangGrandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Yang MeijunGlen GosslingJ. Reynolds NelsonDr. Shulan TangTse Sihn KeiAdam WallaceReaders may contact any of our contributors c/oQi Magazine.We encourage all our readers to contribute articles, lettersor questions for possible inclusion in future issues ofQi Magazine.Articles appearing in Qi Magazine do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the editor. Adverts appearing in themagazine are not necessarily endorsed by it or the editor.Exercises appearing in Qi Magazine are for referencepurposes only. Thus anyone wishing to study should seekqualified tuition.Michael Tse 2000.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without thewritten permission of Michael Tse.Advertising: Qi Magazine has proved to be an effectiveway of reaching a wide variety of people. All enquirieswelcome.For UK call: 0161 929 4485For USA call: Jessica Blackwell (425) 823 0199Subscription: Costs per year:UK£20 inc p&p.USA$35 inc p&pEurope £25 (airmail) inc p&p.Worldwide £30 (airmail) inc p&p.For UK/Europe/WorldwidePlease send payment in Pounds Sterling. Payment can beby Credit Card or Cheque, drawn on UK bank, payable toQi Magazine:Qi MagazinePO Box 59 Altrincham, WA15 8FS, UKTel:0161 9294485 Fax:0161 9294489email: tse@qimagazine.comFor USA/CanadaPlease send payment in US Dollars. Payment can be byCredit Card or Check payable to Qi Magazine:Qi MagazinePO Box 2697, Kirkland WA 98083Tel:(425) 823 0199 / 1800 TSE GONGFax:(520) 441 6578email tse@wildgooseqigong.comhttp://www.qimagazine.comISSN 1358-3778When I travel back to China, I am oftenimpressed by something that you do notsee people doing in the West.On one occasion, I went to a smallrestaurant in Wuhan (Wuhan is in themiddle of China). The restaurant wasquite private, but not very clean, not likerestaurants in the West, which aredecorated nicely and have nice furniture.In China, even if you do not have muchmoney, you can still run your ownb u s i n e s sand attractcustomers.You can seeall differentsorts of businesses, big businessesdealing with many people andsmall ones dealing with only a fewpeople who do not have muchincome. I always find these smallones more interesting. Did youknow you can find manyinteresting and useful things inthese small shops that you will notfind in the big stores?In the restaurant, you could seethat the people coming in were locals andthat they knew the restaurant very well.Some even knew the owner, a lady in herthirties, very well. They sat down andwere very comfortable and chatted withthe waitress, just like they were one ofthe family.When theyordered thewaitress wentdirectly to thekitchen and givetheir order and youcould even see thefire light as shecame out. All thefood was cookedfreshly when thecustomer orderedit.The thing Isaw that impressedme a lot happenedwhen some customersorderedsome fish. A youngwaitress, who wasabout 18 years old,went over to thefish tank which was right in front of theentrance of the restaurant and caughtthe fish with her bare hands! First sheput her hand in the tank, which hadaround six or seven fish and was half fullof water and just plucked out a fish withno difficulty at all. She held the fish inone hand and then caught another in herother hand! You could see she had donethis many times everyday and it wasnothing special to her.“Nature gives us food,clothes and aplace to liveon this planet”After she had caught the fish, shethrew them to the ground with somestrength in order to stun them so theycould be taken to the kitchen withoutthem moving around.I was impressed that the girl couldcatch the fish with her bare hands andCONTINUED ON PAGE 8Qi Magazine 1

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.3 PO Box9. Silk Reeling– Walking to the SideThis is the second part of the Silk Reeling articles and discusses therelationship of hands and body position to walking.by Glen Gossling10. Irritable Bowel Syndrome and TCMToday’s fast paced society means that there is more stress and worry.Because of this, our digestion often suffers, with women more likely tosuffer than men.by Shulan Tang12. Qigong Hitting Point TherapyDiscover eight methods for stimulating Qi in the body for healingillness or injury.by Zhu Fei, translated by Michael Tse14. Feng Shui – Mountains, Lakes and RiversSpecial land formations in nature have their own intrinsic energy whichcan affect the people living around them in many ways, some positiveand some even negative.by Michael Tse16. Soulful WarriorOne man’s trek through the internal maze of Taijiquan and how he islearning to apply its principles in his practise, work and play.by Andrew Wilkes20. Swimming Dragon QigongThis is the first lesson on the Swimming Dragon form exercises whichwill be continued over the next year. Swimming Dragon is good forstrengthening the kidneys and helping with backache.by Michael Tse24. Book ReviewMichael Tse’s Wild Goose Qigong 1st 64 now available, includingmany new illustrations.by Jessica Blackwell29. Chinese Fable30. Tse Qigong Centre AnniversaryThis issue marks the ten year anniversary of the Tse Qigong Centreand Qi Magazine. There is an introduction by Michael Tse and JohnHayes with numerous photos from the last decade.10th Anniversary 10th Anniversary 10th Anniversary37. Hand MadeDid you know that each of our fingers relates to one of the five majorinternal organs in our body. These in turn connect with each of theFive Elements which can tell us more about our health condition.by Michael Tse, Issue 26, Qi Magazine, 199638. Relaxed & StrongMany people confuse relaxed with weak but Chinese have a differentview.by Michael Tse, reprint of Issue 28, Qi Magazine, 199640. The Chinese Family TreeWhen we study traditional Chinese martial arts and skill, it is properto address our teacher by a Chinese title of respect.by Martin Lavelle, Issue 9, Qi Magazine, 199342. Challenge Your QiChinese people say, ‘A fish needs to change its pool, otherwise it willnever grow big’. See how Dayan Gong challenges us to grow strongerand healthier.by Michael Tse, Issue 27, Qi Magazine, 199610th Anniversary 10th Anniversary 10th Anniversary 10 th Anniversary44. The Incurable DiseaseEducation is not just in the classroom. It is also learning how to behavein public and become a better person in society.by Darryl Moy, Issue 7, Qi Magazine, 199346. Qigong BreathingWe must breathe to live but how do we breathe to live better? Learnrelaxation and Dantian breathing techniques to make you strongerand healthier.by Michael Tse, reprint of Issue 11, Qi Magazine, 1994.48. Mind Over MatterThe mind can be used in many different ways, but for Qigong themost important thing is to understand the training methods.by Amy Thanawalla, Issue 14, Qi Magazine, 199450. Chen Warm UpMany people ask whether warm up exercises should be done beforebeginning practise. Here we learn how we should warm up and why.by Michael Tse, Issue 25, Qi Magazine, 199652. Instructor InsightEach issue we will feature two instructors of the Tse Qigong Centre asa regular part of Qi Magazine.53. Sweet Egg Flower SoupA simple recipe which nourishes the internal body.54. Qigong: The Third Branch of Chinese MedicineA good doctor treats not only the symptoms of a disease but the cause.Even better is finding a way of preventing disease before it happens.by Marti Lee Kennedy, Lac, OMD.56. Giving and Saving FaceFace is particularly an Asian concept which means giving a personspace, respect, sparing embarrassment and allowing them their dignity.by Darryl Moy58. Grounded and RootedBeing “grounded” and “rooted” are terms that we often see. But whatdoes it mean and is there anything more to it?by Tse Sihn Kei60. Centring Through StillnessMeditation is practised by millions of people around the world. Itteaches not you to not only relax and calm the mind, but it also allowsyour energy to settle.by Adam Wallace61. Questions and AnswersWhen you are learning anything, you need to ask questions. Not onlydo the answers help you, but they can also help your fellow students.They may also help to stimulate the teachers own knowledge.by J. Reynolds Nelson62. Palm Reading: The Man LineContinuing our series on the lines of the palm, we look at the differenttypes of Man Line and what they tell about a person’s nature.by Michael Tse

POBox POBox POBox...News, views and your letters and questions answeredHard TimesWhen I was giving a talk about mynew book Qi Journeys, Iexplained the principles ofQigong and left people to ask questions.There was a young man of about 25years of age who asked: ” I would like togo to China to study Qigong, can youtell me what the situation is there now?”I knew people had heard news ofFalun Gong being banned in China.However, today even other styles ofQigong have been affected. Manypeople have been forced to stoppractising their Qigong forms and musthide to practise.We all want to know what the situationis in China.Qigong was introduced to thepublic in 1978 and the majority of peopleenjoyed it and benefited from it. Seriousdamage had been caused by Mao ZeDong’s Cultural Revolution between1965 and 1975. During those ten yearsthe country lost its culture, peoplebecame very poor and visitors returningto China saw the fall in the standard ofliving. After Mao died and the Gang ofFour was arrested, Deng Xiao Pingbecame leader of China. He knew Chinahad to change so he opened theeconomy and preserved what Chineseculture had not been lost. People wereallowed to practise religions such asBuddhism and Daoism, and also allowedonce more to practise Chinese Wushu,Feng Shui, Yijing (I Ching)and Qigong. In the1980s inparticular a lot ofQigong mastersopened their skillsto help sickpeople. At that“TheGovernmentstarted to useforce to stopthem.”time QigongMaster Yin Xin gave a lot of lectures allover China. He proved that Qigong couldcure many diseases and gave a lot ofscientific demonstrations. He reportedthat his Qi could change the moleculesin water, It seemed Qigong could doanything.However, Master Yin Xin wasinvited to Hong Kong University to carryout scientific research on his Qi, but hethis time he was to fail. People’senthusiasm cooled and they began todoubt the power of Qigong.Fortunately many peoplecontinued to benefit from Qigongpractice, including people with heart andkidney disease, other chronic diseasesand Cancer.When students of Falun Gonggathered in Beijing, though, the ChineseGovernment felt threatened by them, soin the end they arrested members of theFalun Gong organisation. They did notwant to be challenged again as they hadbeen by students on Tiananmen Square.The Chinese Government treatedthis protest seriously because they wereafraid they might not be able to handlethe situation. They used force and triedto find out any damaging informationabout Falun Gong. They checked out thebackground of the leader, Li Hong Zhi,and found out details in his history todestroy his image.Because Falun Gong has beendeclared illegal there is more sensitivityabout anything related to Qigong, andany religions and superstitions arebanned.When we visit China now, thereis hardly any Qigong to see in the parks.We will see moreTaijiquan ordancing becausethese are notrelated to religionor Qigong. Evensome Qigongmagazines suchas, Chinese Qigong,Qigongand PhysicalTraining, andQigong andScience, are notbeing publishedany longer inChina, which is apity.As I see it,people in China will still practise Qigongif they find they benefit from it, but badthings will go away by themselves.Whatever the ChineseGovernment does and whether FalunGong is right or wrong, people will makethe decision for themselves. I believe timewill prove everything.by Michael TseQi Magazine 3

Question of MedicineDear Mr. Tse,I understand that TraditionalChinese Medicine (TCM) has a verydifferent view of the human body and itsfunction from that of orthodox westernmedicine (OWM). I would like thereforeyour opinion in TCM terms as to whatmay cause the following two problemswhich I suffer.The first my G.P. refers to asAllergic (or Perennial) Rhinitis, and mysymptoms are a cough to clear catarrh orsaliva, which I’ve had for 20 years now,and a stuffy nose most of the time. Duringsummer for the last 12 years, I also oftenget hayfever, which may result in mywaking during the night feeling wheezy,with a tickly cough and feeling as thoughmy lungs are full of feathers.The second is claustrophobia, amorbid fear of enclosed spaces. I fearbeing trapped and isolated, though it reallyonly affects me if I can’t see outwith myimmediate environment, such as in lifts. Iwonder why it should be so severe andchronic, as opposed to a normal fearanyone might have if they considered thatit may be possible to get stuck in a lift,and which would soon passwithout any likely recurrence.Lastly, I would alsolike your opinion on anothercondition I’ve heard of whichpsychologists call ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder, wherepeople experience dreadfulworrying thoughts which theyfind it difficult to dismiss, andwhich seem to hang aroundin their heads like a bad tuneyou find yourself whistling. These are theobsessions, and to relieve the anxiety theycause, people carry out ritualisticbehaviours, sometimes bearing no relationto the content of the obsessions, such asrepeating actions a certain number oftimes. It seems almost like a sort ofsuperstition, but with the severity of aphobia. May I also ask, is there as yet anyscientific evidence in OWM terms that Qiexists, or to explain how acupunctureworks?Yours Sincerely,AMDear AM,You have asked many questionsabout different conditions and causes.Traditional Chinese Medicine theory isover 2000 years old. It can be said to bevery simple but also very profound. It isbased upon the theory of balancebetween Yin and Yang and that of theFive Elements . The five elements relateto wood, water, fire, earth and metal.Each of these fiveelements relatesto one of ourorgans. Woodrelates to the liver.Water relates tothe kidneys. Firerelates to theheart. Earthrelates to thespleen and metalrelates to thelungs.In turn,each of these five“If someone has weakkidneys, they mayexperience back acheand ringing in the ears.”elements and five organs has its ownemotion to which it relates. That is whythe Chinese believe that going too far withthe emotions can result in damage to theorgans. For instance, over thinking candamage the spleen and its related organ,the stomach. Over sadness can damagethe lungs and fearfulness can damage thekidneys. When we understand therelationship between the organs and ouremotions, we can then begin tounderstand how physical problems canaffect the mind and how mind can affectthe body.When someone is easilyfrightened, then this is a sign that thekidneys are weak. If someone has weakkidneys, they may experience back ache,ringing in the ears, dizziness or bedwetting. They may have sexual problemssuch as seminal emission or impotence,constant tiredness, a lack of focus andwill to complete a task. That person mayyawn a lot and have dark shadows orpuffy eyes and in severe cases, theforehead will be dark. So if someone iseasily frightened of things like the darkor going outside, then they shouldconcentrate on making their kidneysstronger. Exercise and the right diet willhelp. Of course, as my students will tellyou, Qigong is the best!It is the same for what you calledcompulsive disorder. When the mind is notgrounded, a person canhave too muchimagination and thinking.When we do not haveenough fresh air andcontact with nature andwe do not have enoughexercise balanced withmeditation, then the braincan become unbalanced.Maybe that person wantsto stop thinking aboutsomething but finds they cannot. They aremissing the balance.As for sinus problems, sometimesit is the weather which can affects orperhaps even an infection. But it can alsomean there is general imbalance in thebody and the way the Qi and blood flow.Rubbing the face, like we do when wefinish meditation, can help stimulate theorgans and the many Qi points on theface and help make the circulation better.Qi Magazine 4

Sometimes Western medicineconcentrates too much on every smalldetail. Actually, we should look for thecause of the problem, not just thesymptoms. If a person is starving, theymay easily have other illnesses as well.We can give them food to eat and sendthem away, but what about their nextmeal. If where they live has no food,then the problems will still come back.Just like taking an aspirin to get rid ofa headache. Actually we forget that thebottle says pain reliever. Taking it willonly help disguise the pain. Sometimesit is better to let the body take care ofthings naturally.Chinese medicine uses herbsand acupuncture, treating illness at itsdifferent stages. Their function is thesame as in Qigong and that is to makethe Qi and the blood flow freely. Whenthe flow of these is restricted, then therewill be illness. However, even with these,you need to strengthen the Qi after thetreatment. Otherwise, these also willonly be temporary solutions. I met ayoung man in his twenties who, whileplaying sports, injured both his kneesand back. So before he was even thirtyyears old, he had surgery on his kneeand back. When he tried to do Qigong,he found suddenly that he was very stiff.Even simple movements like moving upand down or moving his waist in acircle, he could not do. Even to turn hishead to look over his shoulder was verydifficult.I have always said, even if theorange is a little bit rotten, give it to mewhole, then I can help fix it and makeit better. But once you have surgery, youcut a lot of nerves and make it difficultfor the Qi to pass through that area.Instead, if we move that area more,rubbing it gently and doing as muchmovement as feels comfortable, thenwe may find that it will recovernaturally. Everyday that we live, we aregetting older. The older we get, thenthe more problems we can have.That is why we practise Qigong.Qigong can help the body restorebalance to the organs and make thechannels open so Qi and blood canflow. Qigong can also help the bodystore Qi, like putting something awayfor a rainy day, so that if we do get ill,then we can recover more quickly. Allit takes is more practice.Yours sincerely,Michael TseElementsof Wing ChunMr. Tse,I would like to start by saying thatI have just finished your book withGrandmaster Ip Chun, and I thought itwas wonderful. You find very few booksthese days that take the time to breakthings down in the manner that you andyour team did. Itseems that mostbooks want tocram theknowledge of awhole art into abook, and by doingso leave out keyelements.I’d like tointroduce myself,if I may. I amtwenty-seven yearsold. I currentlystudy Wing Chunin Columbus, OH.I have somequestions that I’dlike to ask, if youhave the time toanswer them. Iknow that you’rebusy, and any timethat you would taketo answer themwould be greatlyappreciated.1) I haven’t begunto learn Siu LimTao yet, I’mcurrently workingon a “box stepping” pattern. I haven’t seenmention of this pattern in your book orany other. Should I question the validityof what is being taught to me? I don’tmake a lot of money, and what I do spendon training I’d like to learn what I set outto learn. I have only been studying for amonth, however.2) Do you know anything about the WingChun (they spell it Ving Tsun) museum inDayton, Ohio? It’s only an hour or so awayfrom me, and if the training that I’mreceiving now is not valid, why not drivethe distance to learn true Wing Chun?3) I’ve seen a lot of criticism of WingChun’s self defence aspect recently, andI’m wondering. Are there too many peoplethat learn the motions of the art, and thenthink that they can figure out theprinciples? I think it is truly the greatestMartial Art around. I don’t like to see orhear it debased in any way.I apologize for the length of thisletter, I just have so many questions. Onceagain let me thank youfor your book withGrandmaster Ip Chun.I found it veryinformative.Thank you foryour time,CV, Columbus, OhioDear CV,I have not heardof box stepping, but itdoes not mean that itis not part of WingChun. Some peoplewill create a certaintype of training to helpyou develop the WingChun skill better. Aslong as it is not againstthe Wing Chunprinciple of the“If it helps yourWing Chun training,it is alright.”centreline. So if you find this helps on yourWing Chun training, then I would think itis alright. If you find it is nothing to dowith Wing Chun, then you have toconsider by yourself.In regard to the Wing ChunMuseum, it is organised by Sifu Moy Yatand my Sifu, Ip Chun, has visited there. Iam sorry that I have never been, but Iheard that it is quite nice. Sifu Moy Yat isthe student of Grandmaster Ip Man.Personally, I have not heard anyparticular criticism of Wing Chun otherthan people debating what is the originalWing Chun. Wing Chun has a fourhundred year history, since the QingQi Magazine 5

John Hayes is BackAfter a prolonged break fromteaching, from the begining of October JohnHayes will be teaching in Wimbledon onceagain. John is one of Michael Tse’s mostsenior students and has been with his teacherfor well over ten years. Although he has notbeen teaching a regular class, John has alwaysbeen very active supporting the Tse QigongCentre, teaching courses and is always readyto lend a helping hand and a word ofwisdom. John will be teaching Qigong andWing Chun. He can be contacted on:0208 942 2682.dynasty. It has been passed down for somany generations and so the skill hasbeen proven to be very useful. Otherwise,it would not survive. Today, Wing Chun isone of the most popular martial arts.People who study it, must find it usefuland very good. When something becomesvery popular, it is easy to cause jealously,either from other styles or from inside theWing Chun family. This is very natural.When we study martial arts, it does notmatter what others think, as long as youfind it fit and good for yourself. Even twopeople who study together with the sameteacher, they will have different opinionsof the same skill. Personally, I think it isvery useful so that the skill can becomebetter and better for the future. However,whatever develops, should not be outsideof the Wing Chun principle of straightline.Yours sincerely,Michael TseQ&Afrom ClassesQ. I notice that some teachers arecalled masters, some grandmasters, someSifu. Please can you explain when someoneis called grandmaster and when to callsomeone master or Sifu?A. Sifu (pronounced see-foo) is aChinese term which means teachingfather. This is what we should call ourteacher as a sign of showing our respect.Someone said to me once that he thoughtthat only someone who had studied witha teacher a long time and who was aQi Magazine 6close student was allowed to call theteacher, ‘Sifu’. However, this is not so. Ifyou call your teacher Sifu, they will bevery happy. Even though it may feelstrange at first, later you find that you feelgood for this as well. It shows you knowhow to behave for Chinese culture.Often in thewest, people willuse the term master in the same way asthe Chinese use the term, Sifu.Grandmaster equals Sigong (whichmeans teaching grandfather and ispronounced see-gong). Sometimes thistoo is confused as people will callsomeone Grandmaster just because theyare older. Actually, this is not reallycorrect. You should call your teacheraccording to what their relationship is toyou. Your teacher is your Sifu. Yourteacher’s teacher is your Sigong.So if you were referring to yourgrand teacher in conversation, you wouldnot use their name. Instead you woulduse their surname with their title, forinstance, “Yang Sigong” or “Ip Sigong”.But if you were talking to them directly,then you would only call them Sigong.This is the proper Chinese way.Q. What is the origin of WingChun? I heard that it is a snake and cranebased system.A. As for Wing Chun being asnake and crane based system, as I know,this is only a story. All of Wing Chunmovements are based upon handtechnique and position. There are noanimal names, positions or attitudes ofanimals that are involved in the wholesystem.Q. What happens to the gallbladder channel when the gall bladder isremoved?A. When an organ has beenremoved from the body, in the case ofyour question the gall bladder, then theother organs, other channels and vessels,will work harder or develop new ways ofcoping with the functions that this organwas supposed to do. The channels andorgans are different although they willconnect with that organ. In this case, itwill be the liver which in TCM theoryconnects with the gall bladder.“When somethingis very popular, it is easyto cause jealousy”Acupoint QuestionsDear Sifu Tse,I have some questions about someacupressure points in the lower back. Ifsomeone was attacked at BL (BladderChannel) 51 (Huangmen) and also at BL52 (Zishi) and that person survives, thencould you tell me how long they wouldneed to recover. Could you also tell whatconsequences it has for the will and themind of the attacked one.Yours sincerely,UL, USADear ULThank you for your letter. Inregard to someone being attacked in the

lower back region, it depends on howdeeply the attack went. It could take fromone week to one month to recover,depending upon the person. TheBalancing Gong exercise ‘BeautifulWoman Turns the Waist’ would be veryhelpful for recovery as it will bring warmthand energy to this area to help healing.It will also strengthen the kidneys to speedrecovery. As for their state of mind, itwould depend again on the person. Inanything, it is best to keep a positiveoutlook on things and try toovercome our difficulties asthis will make us stronger inthe future. Qigong not onlyhelps the body to recoverfrom injury and illness, but itmakes the mind stronger andmore balanced. In this waywe can recover from thingsmuch better.Yours sincerely,Michael TseSpeeding UpDear Master Tse,I have been studyingWing Chun for three years. Ihave mailed you before as youmight remember because Ithink the book you wrote isawesome! How is the second bookcoming? I can not wait until you can buyit!Well, I’m German but right nowI’m an exchange student in Wisconsin. SoI have to practise Wing Chun by myselfand could use some advice from you. Myfirst question is: I have been lifting weightsduring my year abroad and I want to knowif I can continue that or if that is not goodfor my Wing Chun. Sometimes I think mymuscles put too much power in my TaanSau and makes it kind of stiff and not asrelaxed. Maybe you could give me anadvice for that.My second question is how I canimprove my speed? It would be nice if youTalking Books inBellinghamOn 30 June in Bellingham, Washington, Michael Tse was invited to presenthis new book, Qi Journeys at Village Books bookstore. It turned out to be a packedevening with people squeezing into every last corner. At the end of the talk, thefloor was opened up for any questions on Qigong. There were lots of good commentsand questions asked, to include,‘What is the difference betweenQigong and Taijiquan?’, ‘Howmany times should we practiseour Qigong exercises?’ and ‘IsQigong healing magic?’ andseveral more.The next day, there was anintroductory Qigong seminar inwhich there were more questionsasked and more exerciseslearned. Held in the historicalFairhaven Library, it was anenjoyable weekend and good tohave more people becomeQigong friends. There will beanother seminar taught at thelibrary on 23 September as therewas so much interest.could give me some advice because I knowthat you and your team have a greatknowledge about Wing Chun. Please helpme find out how my arms can be morerelaxed, and how I can improve my speed.Thanks for listeningM, WisconsinDear M,Thank you for your email. In thewest, there are so many people doingweight training. Personally, I do not findthat it is very fit for Wing Chun training,but many people consider how can theyget power for punching and kicking Ifthey do not train weights. Actually, a lotIf there is anything you want to discuss, if there is anything you want to share withothers, any news or any announcements you would like to make, send them to us. Wealso welcome articles (800 - 1000 words in length) on topics appropriate. Please sendthem to Qi Magazine.Readers in the UK can write to:PO Box 59,Altrincham WA15 8FS. UK.email tse@qimagazine.comReaders in the USA can write to:PO Box 2697,Kirkland, WA 98083. USA.email tse@wildgooseqigong.comof western people never understand theconcept of Qi. Qi and strength are equalto each other. If you have more Qi, youhave more strength.In Wing Chun training, we trainthe stance for more power. The longer thatyou stand, the more power you will get.Standing develops your root (your legs)power. Root stronger, the punch will bemore powerful. This is how Wing Chundeveloped the one-inch punch. Forinstance, very big trees, do you know howdeep their roots are? Stronger roots alsomeans stronger bones. When the musclesare strong, this is only external. When youtrain only the muscles, It is very easy toinjure yourself. Another thing thathappens is that you lose your flexibilityand your sensitivity. That is not very goodfor Chi Sau. So my suggestion is that youpractise longer doing Siu Lim Tao insteadof weight training. The longer and sloweryou can do, even one or two hours, thebetter your Wing Chun skill will develop.Yours sincerely,Michael TseQi Magazine 7

make it look so easy. In the West, thereare not many people who can catch byjust pulling them out of a fish tank withtheir bare hands and I am sure there arethose who would not like even do it.Secondly, I was impressed thateven in such a poor country like China,the people eat fresh food, like fish, meat“If you eatmeat, someanimals haveto be killed.”and vegetables and do not eat frozenfood and old meat.I can understand that people inthe West do not like to see animals beingkilled, but unless you are vegetarian, ifyou eat meat, some animals have to bekilled so the meat can arrive at thesupermarket. This meat has been deadfor many days. Basically this means weare eating old meat which has been deadfor quite a while, sometime so long thatit needs to be frozen.If you have ever eaten fresh meatand fish, you will know that the taste isvery different and also that it is muchhealthier for you.Did you know that one reason wehave so many different kinds of incurablediseases is because our immune systemsare lower as we do not eat properly andour normal diets are too artificial? Naturegives us food, clothes and a place to liveon this planet, but we are never satisfied.We always want more and more and inthe end we suffer for our cleverness andeven endanger our own lives. We causemany problems and diseases which arenot necessary.Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.com

Continuing our look at the basic elements that make up ChenTaijiquan. Last time we looked at the first Silk Reeling Exercise. Now wetake a look at a walking exerciseHeng Kai Bu - Walking to the SideThis is the moving version of ZhengMian Chan Si and also concentrateson the first Dantian movement. Topractise this you usually start from ZhengMian Chan Si. As you move to the fourthposition bring your left foot up alongsidethe right. Then allow your hand to dropto waist level.Frame 1Hand position: lefthand on waist, righthand palm forward,positioned slightly tothe right of the body atwaist height, fingerspointing right.Direction: thebody faces forwards,shoulders and hips aresquare.Weight: your weightshould be slightly morein your left leg to theproportion of 60% –70%. The feet aretogether.Qi: at waist.In this frame the right hand is halfway between being yin and yang. Tomove to the next frame slide your rightfoot out to the right and allow the righthand to twine forwardin front of the lowerabdomen.Frame 2Hand position: lefthand on waist, righthand forward in front ofabdomen, palm up,fingers pointingforwards. Make surethat the armpit remainsslightly open.Direction: the bodyfaces forwards,shoulders and hipsare square.Frame 1Frame 2Weight: your weight should be in yourleft leg to the proportion of 60% - 70%.Qi: at Dantian.In this frame your righthand is at its most yin. To moveto the next frame turn the bodyslightly to the left and allow theright hand to spiral upwards infront of the bodyuntil it is in frontof the throat.Frame 3Frame 3H a n dposition: lefthand on waist,right handroughly in frontof the throat,palm facingdown fingerspointing left. The elbowshould be slightly lowerthan the shoulder and thearm should be curved withthe elbow benta little morethan 90 degrees.Direction: the body shouldbe turned slightly towards theleft, up to 45 degrees. Hipsand shoulders are also at thisangle but thefeet remain unturned.Weight: thisremains in theleft leg.Qi: rising upthe back to Frame 4roughly betweenuppershoulder blades.In this frame theright hand has moved fromthe most yin part of the cycleand is half way to becomingfully yang. To move to the final frametransfer the weight from the left leg tothe right, allowing thebody to turn as youmove and drawing theleft foot up until it isnext to the right foot.The right hand twinesoutward, forward andto the right in a smootharc.Frame 4Hand position: lefthand on waist, righthand extended to theright, palm forward,fingers pointing left,arm curved.Direction: the bodyfaces forward,shoulders and hips are square.Weight: your weight should be in yourright leg to the proportion of 60%. Thefeet are together.Qi: at right hand.In this frame theright hand is yang. Tomove back to the firstframe just allow theright hand to drop towaist height with thehand turning out untilthe fingers point rightwhile slightlytransferring the weightinto the left foot.Heng Kai Bushould be practised bymaking several steps tothe right and then backto the left. The aim is forthe movements to become smooth andflowingto be continued...by Glenn Gosslingemail: Glenn@qimagazine.comChen TaijiquanQi Magazine 9

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most commongastrointestinal problems.Irritable BowelSyndrome and TCMTraditional Chinese MedicineSigns and SymptomsIt is characterised bycolic abdominal pain and anincreased frequency of bowelmovement, accompanied bybloated and swollen abdomen,and general fatigue anddepression. Women are usuallyafflicted by this condition aboutthree times as commonly asmen. It often flares up during astressful time. IBS really is notdangerous, but sufferers canexperience real discomfort andinconvenience in their daily life.For instance, some suffererscan’t drive long distances oreven go shopping. Some cannot watch a football match ora race because the excitementmay cause increased frequentbowel movements.What causes IBS?In terms of Chinesemedicine, irritable bowelsyndrome mainly results fromthe dysfunction of the spleenand stomach, whose purpose isto digest food, to transformfood into food essence andthen to transport the food essence toother parts of the body. When the spleenand stomach fail to function well, themost common result is retention ofdampness in the digestive system, whichwill further affect the normal functioningof the whole digestive system, includingthe liver. IBS is one possible pathologicalresult.Chinese herbal medicine usuallytreats IBS very effectively. However, eachindividual patient is treated with adifferent prescription according to themain treatment principles based onsyndrome differentiation. Here are somecommon syndromes:Cold-dampnessCold-dampness is usually a directresult of dysfunction of the spleen andstomach. The condition is manifested byfrequent bowel movements with looseor watery or even spray like stools, windin the stomach, bloated abdomen, poorappetite, white greasy tongue coatingand soft and slow pulse.Huo Xian Zheng Qi Shui iscommonly used to expel cold andeliminate dampness.Damp-heatIf the patient has a constitutionprone to excessive heat or if they preferto eat spicy food, cold-dampness maytransform to damp-heat. It usuallymanifests by frequent bowel movementswith smelling stools and a burningsensation, abdominal pain, thirst, andred tongue with a yellowish greasycoating.It can be treated with Ge GengQin Lian Tang to clear away excessiveheat and dampness.Food retentionWhen food can not be digestedproperly due to dysfunction of the spleenand stomach, it stays in the intestinesand leads to food retention. Apart fromfrequent bowel movement, withundigested food in the stool, there areother manifestations such as abdominalpain, which is usually relieved afterdischarging the bowel. Also fullness ofthe stomach, belching with acidregurgitation, poor appetite, thick andgreasy tongue coating and slipperypulse.Food retention should be treatedwith Bao He Wan to resolve the retainedfood and restore normal digestivefunction.Stagnation of the liver QiThe liver will misfunction if oneis depressed or stressed, or when thespleen and stomach can not functionwell. This condition is often termed asstagnation of the liver Qi. It ischaracterised by general tightness in thechest and tenderness around rib regionson top of frequent bowel movement. Thepatient is usually emotional and likes tosigh a lot.Tong Xie Yao Fang is a suitableremedy for this condition to soothe theliver and harmonise the spleen.Deficiency of the spleen and stomachDeficiency of the spleen andstomach is a result of chronic dysfunctionof the spleen and stomach. This conditionQi Magazine 10

could be a bit serious. It is marked byfrequent bowel movement with veryloose stools, tiredness, nausea,abdominal fullness, pale complexion, oreven no appetite. Also pale tongue withwhite coating, and thin and weak pulse.Taking greasy or cold food can easilyaggravate thecondition.The treatmentstrategy should be totonify the spleen andregulate the stomachwith Shen Ling BaiZhu San.Deficiency ofthe kidney yangWhen thekidney yang is affected, a furtherdevelopment from deficiency of thespleen yang, it means the worst of theIBS conditions, since the kidney yang isone of the congenital foundations of thebody. The condition is serious, but notdangerous, and responds well totreatment. It is usually manifested by aloose bowel at midnight or in the earlymorning with acute abdominal pain, coldlimbs, weakness in the lower back andknees, and pale tongue with whitishcoating, deep and thin pulse.Si Shen Wan is commonly used towarm the kidney yang and to strengthenthe spleen Qi.Case analysis:A 50-year-old lady has sufferedfrom IBS, specifically deficiency of thekidney yang, for over 10 years. She hadto go to toilet to discharge the bowelsover 20 times during the daytime. Withthis problem, she could not manage todrive for a long distance or go shopping.An even worse thing was that she had toget up 5 - 6 times a night to have a bowelmovement, so her sleeping was badlyaffected. She felt tired all the time.She was treated with Chineseherbal medicine after visiting one ofShiZhen’s clinics. The prescription shehad is Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan. After takingthe medicine for one week the number“IBS mainly results fromthe dysfunction of thespleen and stomach”of bowelm o v e m e n t swas reducedby half. Afteranother threeweeks oft r e a t m e n t ,with a slightmodificationto theprescription,the conditionwas completely under control.Afterwards, she was prescribed anotherremedy named Huo Xian Zheng Qi Shui,which is good to expel cold and eliminatedampness. So in just over a month shecould do whatever she liked, evenarrange a holiday abroad. Just one tubeof this herbal liquid could stop herurgency to rush to toiletby Shulan Tangemail: Shulan@qimagazine.comTse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 11

Qigong Hitting PointsEight MethodsQigong hitting points is one of the old Chinese martial art skills. Qigong is not just for health;you also can use it with the fighting skill.In ancient times, Chinese people discovered theacupuncture points and channels system inside our body.They understood that this acupuncture system related toour health and even our life. So Chinese people usedthese acupuncture points not only for medicine, but theyalso used them for fighting in battles as well. However, it wasparticularly the healing side that developed. It was found thatby using these points, they had good results for treating thepatients. The following eight methods I am going to introduceare very effective and useful.Before we start I am going to explain about Qi. Qi isthe main energy for our life and without it we all will die. WhenQi cannot flow, it will become stagnant. When this happens, itwill become negative Qi which will harm the body. Thereforewe need to release the negative Qi first and then we can gatherfresh Qi to bring to the problem areas. In the first exercise, weform sword fingers by putting the index and middle fingerstogether. Next you should find the problem area, such as neck,stomach and back pain etc., on the patient and point the swordfingers at this area. Now, imagine the Qi coming out fromyour Dantian where it is located below the navel. Imagine itpassing through the body and out through your sword fingers.The Qi will transmit out from the fingers to the problem areasof the patients. When you turn the sword fingers in a clockwisedirection, it means you are gathering Qi to that area. If youturn your sword fingers in an anti-clockwise direction, it meansyou are releasing the Qi from the area. In the most cases werelease negative Qi first and than gather Qi later. It is just likepouring the old tea from the teapot before making fresh tea.Of course, you will empty out the old instead of making newtea on top of old leaves.Fig 1Pointing & pressing methodFig. 1 - Place your palm on thepatient’s problem area, with theLaogong point touching the area.You must not press too hard, just letthe patient feel comfortable.Imagine the Qi transmitting outfrom your body to the patient’s body.Fig. 3 - Touch withthe middle fingeron the patient’sproblem area.Imagine the Qicoming out fromyour body to thepatient.Fig. 4 - Close the palm into a loose fist, pressing the secondsection of the middle finger onto the patient’s problem area.Put your Qi and mind on the area, along with a certain strengthbut not hurting the patient.Tapping methodFig 3 Fig 4Fig 5Fig 6 Fig 7Shaking methodFig. 5 - Using one palm, twopalms or the fingers, placethem on the patient’s problemarea and using Qitransmission, slightly shakeand stimulate this area.Fig. 6 - Tapping the patient’sproblem area with fingers.Fig. 7 - Tapping the patient’sproblem area with fingertips.Fig. 8 - Tapping the patient’sproblem area with thepalms as well as Laogongpoints.Fig. 9 - Tapping the patient’sproblem area with loosefists.Fig 2Fig.2 - Touch with sword fingers theproblem area of the patient andimagine the Qi transmitting outfrom your body to the patient.Fig 8 Fig 9Qi Magazine 12

Slapping methodFig. 10 - Firstly we close all fivefingers while still keeping ahollow inside the palm. When weslap the problem areas, we canuse slapping with either thefingers or the whole palm. If weuse the palm, we do it gently andobserve the patient’s response,because some of them cannottake too much strength. Others,however, can take more strengthand will even have a betterfeeling with this as well. Weshould only use slapping for pain in the muscle and joints andat the back. This is because some areas are very sensitive andnot good for slapping too hard. When we use the slappingmethod, we should balance all different areas, not justconcentrate on one area because it can easily cause pain onthat spot. Usually we slap that area 10-15 times and then moveonto another area. Most patients will be alright for this.Gripping methodFig.11a & 11b - Using all yourfingers, grip the patient’smuscle where they feelproblems. During gripping,do not use too much energybecause you might hurt themwithout noticing. When youuse the gripping method, youshould sometimes griploosely and sometimes gripmore hard. It all depends onhow the patient responds.Rubbing methodFig. 12,13 & 14 - You canuse your fingers, palms,elbows and even steppingwith your feet to rubcertain areas of a patient’sbody. This is becausecertain areas need morepressure but some areasdo not need that muchpressure. When you rub thebody, make sure you observeyour patient’s response. Do notjust do your own thing withoutnoticing them. During rubbing,you do it with continuousrhythm, not sometimes hard,sometimes soft in anunexpected manner.Fig 12Fig 10Fig 11a & 11bFig 14Fig13Fig 15Fig 16Fig 17Rotating methodPushing methodYou can use the palms andfingers to push the channelsand acupuncture points tokeep the circulation of Qistimulated. Sometimes youpush in clockwise oranticlockwise direction.Sometimes you do it slowly,sometimes do it fast.Fig. 15 - Push with fingers ina clockwise or anti-clockwisedirection on the head, face,back and limbs. Sometimesyou can follow the channelsand acupuncture points topush.Fig. 16. & 17 - Push with thepalms on the same areabefore that we havementioned and this will helpthe circulation of the blood.Fig. 18 - Use the muscle on the palmsor rotate on the back of the palm. Do itgently and softly, controlling the energyFig 18as you are rotating. Do not hit andstrike in case you will hurt the patients.On the shoulders and back you can rotate slightly harder, buton the chest and stomach you need to rotate gently.“Qi is the mainenergy for ourlife and without itwe all will die.”Those above Qigong hitting points eight methods needa lot practice and experience. Otherwise they are justtechniques. If you understand Chinese Medicine principle, thiswill be useful for treatment. At the end you will find it veryuseful for healingby Zhu Fei, translated by Michael TseQi Magazine 13

Last issue we started to look at how mountains and their energyaffected the Feng Shui of a house and the implications for those living there.This issue we continue to look at their energy and how other physicalfeatures can also affect you.Mountains , Lakes & RiversFeng ShuiIf a house has two small mountains,one at the front and one at the back,we look at the house as beingprotected by them. This means that thishouse can bring in money and securityfor the people who live there. Fig 1.If a house has a high mountain tothe West and a low mountain to the East,then the people who live there can besuccessful in their own businesses. Fig 2.If a house has very flatsurroundings, then it means this housewill have more people coming to it. Sothose who live there might have morechildren. This house will also slowly bringin more money.If a house has a lake or a pool tothe Southeast, then it means the peoplewho live in that house will have a lot ofchildren and visitors. However, most ofthem will not stay in the house and willjust come and go. Also those peopleliving there will have to be careful of legalmaters. Fig 3.If a house has mountains at thefront and the back then this house is verybalanced. If the left and right also has apool or lake, then this is a very goodhouse. The people who live there willhave a lot of money and be very healthy.Fig 4.If a house has rivers on both sidesand two balanced mountains, one at theFig 5Fig 1Fig 3Fig 2Fig 4“In the beginningeverything will appearsmooth, but in the endthe people living herewill lose everything.”Qi Magazine 14

front and one at the back, then this isvery good for the children and for money.Fig 5.If a house has a river running fromthe Southeast to the South, and thehouse faces North, then the people livingthere will have good fortune in thebeginning, but will lose everything in theend. Fig 6.If a house has a lake or pool tothe Northwest, then this is not very good.In the beginning everything will appearsmooth, but in the end the people livinghere will lose everything. Fig 7.If a house has a mountain behindit, then this means the people living therewill have good support and children andmoney will keep on coming to them.Fig 8.If a house has a mountain at thefront, then everything is blocked and nogood energy will come in to the peopleliving there. So again, in the end theywill lose everything. Fig 9.If a house sits in the middle of aforest with a lot of trees in front andbehind, then it means the people wholive there will be lonely, lose theirconfidence and become ill. Fig 10.If a house has gravestones at thefront and at the back, it means the peopleliving there also live in a grave. This willbring them illness and financialproblems. Fig 11.If a house has a gravestone to theright, then this house will be haunted andhave lot of problems with burglaries.Fig 12.If the front of a house is longeron the left than the right or even longeron the right than the left, then this is stilla good house, if the back is balanced andeven. If it is, then it can being the peopleliving there good health and money.Fig 13If a house has a small hill at itsNortheast corner, it is still a good house.It will bring good finances. Fig 14by Michael TseFig 6 Fig 7Fig 8Fig 9 Fig 10 Fig 11Fig 12 Fig 13 Fig 14Qi Magazine 15

“Taijiquan balathey phyintellectual,TheSoulfulWarriorIstarted studying yoga back in the late 1960s at the ageof nineteen. The late 1960s were an interesting time inAmerica. While a large number of my friends wereexperimenting with mind-altering drugs, I was doing whatamounts to Qi studies with yoga. My yoga practice ledme to Hindu scriptures and from the Baghavad Gita I movedon to Lao Tzu and Zen Buddhism among others. I was lookingfor words to explain the mind-altering reality I was experiencingin my yoga practice. The fact is that mystical experiences donot translate into words very well. Lao Tzu says, “The personwho knows does not speak; the person who speaks does notknow.” This has some relevance to Taijiquan. The essence ofQi Magazine 16

Taijiquan is found in Taijiquan practice. There is no amount oftalk that can replace direct experience of the art.Occasionally, as I do the Taijiquan slow set, it has causedme to look at Taijiquan in terms of the path of life metaphor. Ican get entirely lost in the practicalaspects of the form to the pointthat I forget the next step. Thereis something radically nonlinearhappening in the Taijiquanform. This is very good for me.As a computer analyst, Ispend most of my day tryingto straighten out one thing orthe other. I don’t think‘straightened out’ is the naturalstate for most systems. SometimesI think the whole of Westernculture’s search for meaning involveslooking for, or creating, somethinglinear. However, there are other waysto deal with the path of life besides‘straightening it out.’For Westerners, the concept ofbalance is pretty simple. Either something has physical balanceor it doesn’t. The Taoist idea of balance is somewhat larger inits scope. On page four of Master Da Liu’s book TaijiquanCh’uan and Meditation, he says, “On the largest scale, heavenis Yang, while earth is Yin. Day is Yang, while night is Yin.Bright and clear weather is Yang; dark and stormy weather isYin. On the scale of living things, male is Yang, the female Yin.Spirit is Yang, body is Yin.”A recent study on senior citizens and Taijiquan reportedthat seniors who do Taijiquan have better balance than thosewho don’t. This finding may have surprised some physicaltherapy practitioners, but I don’t think it surprised any Taijiquanpeople. Taijiquan is verymuch about balance. One ofthe main moves, repeatedover and over again, is to siton one leg, extend thesecond leg, move the handsto the desired position, thenstep forward onto the secondleg, shifting the body’sweight to the second leg. Aperson who stands on oneleg with knee bent willdevelop better balance.Adding movement of thesecond leg and arms requiresa great deal of attention and a great amount of balance. It isan exaggeration, but just a very slight exaggeration, to saythat Taijiquan is completely about balance.The balance point in the slow set is one type ofbalance. The balance point in the fast set is another type ofbalance. There are Taijiquan forms that combine slow and fastmovements. There are two-person, three-person, and fourpersonforms. Each Taijiquan weapon (sword, broadsword, fan,and staff) all have a different balance point. The more TaijiquanI learn, the more I learn about balance.Taijiquan balance extends beyond the physicalinto emotional, intellectual, and spiritual levels. My teachertells his classes that the Taijiquan practitioner does notrespond to an attack with the flight-or-fight mechanism.Instead we are supposed to respond by relaxing. As werelax we are supposed to listen through thephysical contact of the attack for theenergy expressed in the attack. As weunderstand the nature of the attack,we can decide how to respond. If Iam fearful of being hit, I will notbe able to use my Taijiquantraining to deal with the attack.The ideal state is to beemotionally, intellectually,and spiritually neutral whilein a state of physicalbalance.In thistraining I seeanother metaphorthat can beapplied directlyto my life. It ispretty ridiculousto think I couldtake a Taijiquansword to workand use it todeal with officepolitics (nomatter howmuch I mightwant to takethat action.) Onthe other hand,I can take thebalance lessonslearned formTaijiquan towork anddirectly applythem. If I am under verbal attack at work, I need to maintainmy inner balance and listen to the attack, to understand thesource of the emotional energy released in my direction. AfterI understand, I have the opportunity to decide how to respond.The alternative of responding in kind to an attack withoutthinking does not meet my needs. I want the opportunity to beable to decide how to respond after I understand the situation.I’m trying to lead a virtuous life. It is like walking atightrope while people are pushing and pulling on me. It isabsolutely necessary that I maintain my physical, mental,emotional balance while I strive to reach my goal. Taijiquan isQi Magazine 17

helping me become theperson I want to be byproviding me with apractical mechanism tobecome profoundlybalanced.Twenty-FirstCentury BattlesIt does not seem honest totalk about becoming asoulful warrior withoutobserving that there areplenty of real, physicalbattles being fought todayaround the world. Blood isbeing shed in Bosnia, EastTimor, and various placesin the Middle East, SouthAfrica, and South America.I believe Taijiquan can helpsomeone become a bettersoldier. I can easilyunderstand why someonewould feel called to fightin one of these conflicts.For the majority ofTaijiquan practitioners,physical violence is not aregular part of our lives.The absence of physicalviolence does not meanthat battles are not stillbeing fought.In my work there isa continuing discussion ofhow computer resourcesare going to be used tomeet the company ’sbusiness requirements.This discussion issometimes calm,sometimes heated, andsometimes so radical that people leaveone company and go to work for another.The heated and radical discussions disturbme. I avoid conflict when I can. Heated,radical discussions are occasionally partof everyone’s life at work. Conflict cannotalways be avoided. When conflict comes,I use Taijiquan internals to listen,understand, and then decide how torespond. The normal set of reactions toverbal conflict is the same as for physicalconflict - I find the Taijiquan reaction toverbal conflict to be a product of myTaijiquan practice. The more I practice Taijiquan, the more likelyit is that I will produce the Taijiquan response rather than thefight or flight response. My experience is that the Taijiquanresponse produced a superior solution to the problem underdiscussion. The Taijiquan response is rational and it is moreaccommodating of unusual, divergent, yet useful opinions.Every majorsocial change hascome through theheroic action of aperson with a vision ofhow the world could bemade better. In thiscentury the peoplewho worked in the civilrights movement, thewomen’s movementand the ecologymovement have allexhibited the warrior’stenacity in overcomingi n s u r m o u n t a b l eobstacles. The soulfulwarrior wants to be ahero.In ConclusionMy Taijiquanpractice provides mewith wonderfulspiritual benefits.Some of the Qi work inTaijiquan very closelymatches the pranyamicsystem used by theyogis. The Taijiquanform reminds me in avery practical way thatI should not expect mylife journey to be alinear progressionfrom point A to point B.I need the sense ofmental, physical, andemotional balance thatcomes from practising.Taijiquan helps me to“Conflict cannot alwaysbe avoided. When it comes,I use Taijiquan internals todecide how to respond.”fight the modern battles I am confronted with on a daily basis.In conclusion it all comes back to Lao Tzu. “The personwho knows does not speak; the person who speaks does notknow.” It’s time for me to stop talking and go back to practisingTaijiquanby Andrew WilkesQi Magazine 18

Swimming Dragon GongThe Dragon is a symbol of China, as we see very often in many Chinese stories. SwimmingDragon Gong is one Qigong form from Kunlun System. It is very dynamic and challenging, and themovements imitate a dragons behaviour.Usually we practise this formafter we have done the DayanQigong 1 st and 2 nd 64,because it is a very strong anddynamic Qigong form. I knowsome beginners find it difficult, but if theyhave finished the Dayan Qigong 1 st and2 nd 64, their bodies are more used to pickup the movements and will be moreflexible. When they are going to studythe Swimming Dragon Gong, then theywill find it more easy to learn.Swimming Dragon Gong isworking for our kidneys, spine, and brainbalance and for preventing stroke. Manypeople find they cannot focus when theyare reading books and newspapers,because they have weak kidneys; alsothe weak kidneys can make us tired andlose eyesight as well.Also some people have adeformed spine because they were notcareful of their posture while they weregrowing up, or because when they areworking or their jobs are in a veryuncomfortable position. Of course someproblems come from birth. By practisingSwimming Dragon Gong you can helpto improve your spine. This is becausethere are a lot of spine rotationmovements, which can help your spinework and become more flexible.Sometimes, although your spine is stilldeformed, the pain will go or ease. Aslong as our Qi is flowing along our bodyas well as the problem parts of the body,than we can still get good health and notworry about the problem getting worse.Because practising Qigong maintains thebody, we have enough Qi to supply thewhole body. Over the following issues weare going to learn Swimming DragonGong as we have been learning the 1 stand 2 nd 64 Dayan Qigong.Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3Fig 4 Fig 5Relaxing Position (not shown)iiiStand still with both feet at shoulderwidth, all the muscle and jointsrelaxed. Baihui and Wuiyin points onstraight line.Lift up both hands from both sides ofthe body to over the top of the headas if you are collecting the Qi fromnature.iii Drop both hands in front of your bodyfrom the face to the Dantian alongFig 6the Ren Mai. Do this three times.iv Bring both hands from Dantian to theback of your hips. Let the Laogongpoints point to Huantiao points. Withchest slightly lifted up. Then the Qihupoints will be opened.v This position and movement are forrelaxing the body and bring the Qi toDantian before we are going to startthe whole form.Qi Magazine 20

Fig 7 Fig 8 Fig 9Fig 10Fig 10 back Fig 11 Fig 12 Fig 13Deep Breath with Qii Bring both hands to your liver andspleen area, and then rotate themfrom inside out three times. (Figures1 & 2 - see page 20)These movements are giving Qi to liverand spleen from Laogong points.Stretch Wings to Absorb QiiiiSpread both hands to both sides overyour head from both organs; the backis slightly leaning backwards, like theDayan Gong 1 st 64 movement butthere is no need to stand on your toes.After fully extending both arms, bringboth hands back to the Dantian withthe body leaning forwards (Figures 3& 4). Repeat the entire movement atotal three times.This part is working for the lungs asyou are spreading the arms. As you bendforwards this works the kidneys. The lastmovement “Deep Breath with Qi” and thismovement, stimulate the four majororgans, liver, spleen, lungs and kidney.These are like four directions left, right,up and down. Your whole body will bebalanced out.Sink Qi to Dantian on One Legi Turn the left hand Hegu point to facethe Dantian, the fingers should facedownwards.ii Lift up the left hand from the Dantianto Sky Eye with Hegu point goingalong the Ren Mai.iii Then turn the left palm to face out,meanwhile turning the right palm toface the Dantian.v Drop the left arm down to the leftside, at the end the left hand reachesthe Mingmen point and touches itwith left Hegu point. Circle the rightarm up from the right side to the SkyviEye so the right Laogong point facesit but does not touch. At the sametime shift your weight to the right legand bend the right knee. Put the leftleg behind the right foot but place noweight on it, just let the toes touchthe ground. Make sure you do allthese three movements at the sametime.At the end slowly drop the right handto the Dantian along the Ren Mai(figures 5 to 10).This movement is following the Taijiprinciple, as you are moving. You can seethe left hand dropping, as your right handlifting up. It is like a Taiji symbol turning,at the end all the Qi will settle down toDantian; meanwhile you are opening theRen Mai. When you are standing on oneleg you will feel more warm, this is becauseall your weight on one leg, so the Qi willQi Magazine 21

Fig 14Fig 15 Fig 16Fig 17Fig 18Fig 19 Fig 20Fig 21Fig 22 Fig 23 Fig 24 Fig 25Qi Magazine 22

Fig 26 Fig 27Fig 28 Fig 29Fig 30rise up from your kidneys, thereforepractising Swimming Dragon Gong willmake you feel warmer, maybe even sweatas well. During practise if we sweat it isgood for releasing negative Qi from thebody; and also helps to release excess fatfrom the body.Fostering Qi in a Circlei Drop your left heel on the groundletting your weight rest on it.ii Step to the right side with the rightfoot; so the left foot and right footare apart.iii Lift up the left hand from theMingmen point, and then bring it overto the Sky Eye so the Laogong pointfaces it. At the same time shift yourweight to the right foot.ivvviLift up the right hand to the right sidefrom the Dantian to the Sky Eye; atthe same time you drop the left handfrom Sky Eye to the Dantian along theRen Mai. This forms two circles. Whenthe right hand Laogong point facesthe Sky Eye, the left hand Laogongpoint faces the Dantian. Meanwhileyou shift the left foot behind the rightfoot with the toes on the ground, butwith no weight on them.Drop the left heel again as beforeletting the weight rest on it; andrepeat the movements again totalthree times - six steps. Every timewhen you move the left arm you movethe right foot, move the right arm youthen move left foot until you finish onthe sixth step.You will end up with the right handLaogong point facing the Sky Eye andleft Laogong point facing the Dantian;the weight on the right foot and theleft foot will be behind right with toeson the ground.vii After finishing the six steps you startto walk back to where you came fromusing similar movements; howeverthis time you walk back with the lefthand and leg together, and right handand right leg together.viii Step the left foot to the left side butkeep the weight on the right foot. Liftup the left hand to the left side fromthe Dantian, at the same time dropthe right arm from the Sky Eye to theDantian along the Ren Mai. Your righthand Laogong point reaches theDantian and the left hand alsoreaches to the Sky Eye, then you shiftixxthe weight to the left leg and bringthe right foot behind the left foot withtoes on the ground, with no weighton them.Drop the right heel on the groundwith the weight on it, meanwhile liftup the right hand to the right sidefrom the Dantian. The Left hand willstart to drop from the Sky Eye to theDantian along the Ren Mai. Repeatthe last movement again for a totalof six steps.At the sixth step you will end up withall the weight on left foot, right footbehind with toes on the ground butno weight on them. When the lefthand Laogong point reaches to theDantian it just stays there and theright hand also reaches to the SkyEye. It then drops to the Dantian withleft hand together and stay in frontof the Dantian.This part of the movement is forgathering the Qi to Dantian through theRen Mai. In the Daoist terms it is called“collecting the medicine”. When we aremoving the hands we should not stop themuntil we have completely finished both sideswalking from right to left and from left backto right. This helps the Qi keep going toflow along the channels and stores in theDantian. Six steps are related with theancient Chinese Hoto numbers. 1 and 6 arerelated to the kidneys; therefore we walksix steps. Always keep your weight on oneleg, the Qi will be stronger in your root,which are your legs and it is also good forthe balance of the brainto be continued....by Michael TseQi Magazine 23

To Value MoneyTo Value More Money Than MoreLifeThan Lifeflood. The people who had been in the boat began to swimback to shore. One of the men, even though he was kickingand pulling strongly with his arms, seemed to make littleheadway.His fellows shouted out to him, “Why are you who are abetter swimmer than all of us are so lagging behind?”The man answered that he had a thousand coins tiedaround his waist and that this was hampering him.The others urged him to throw the coins away. However,he made no answer, other than to shake his head, despite hisbeing in difficulty.There was a village lying on the edge of China’s Yangtze riverand so the people there were good swimmers, most makingtheir living on the river.One day, the river suddenly swelled. There was a boatwhich was in the middle of the river and it capsized in theThe other villagers soon reached the shore and shoutedout to him, “Take off the coins, you fool! What is the use ofmoney if you are drowning.”Still the man refused to answer as he continued tostruggle. A few moments later he drownedAnonymous Chinese storyTse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 29

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialCelebrating theTSE QIGONG CENTRE10 TH ANNIVERSARYIbegan the Tse Qigong Centre in September 1990 as away of bringing those skills that I had studied, Wing Chun,Qigong, Shaolin and Taijiquan, together under oneumbrella. I also began Qi Magazine at the same time sothat those people studying would have some resourcewhere they could learn more about traditional Chinese culture.At that time it was little more than a small booklet, but overthe years it has grown into a proper magazine that is nowdistributed in many countries. It has also allowed me tointroduce my teachers to many more people and share theirfascinating stories.For myself, I can hardly believe that time has passed soquickly and those ten years seem like yesterday. I neverimagined that the Tse Qigong Centre would grow like it has,now having a Centre in America and many students all overthe world, many of them instructors themselves. I see somestudents who have been with me from the beginning, for overten years and many more who have been studying with me forfive, six even seven years. I feel myself very lucky and knowthat it is not many teachers who has that kind of loyal student.Just this last month we held our fifth annual Wild GooseQigong Instructors in which there were sixty students for thefour day residential course. Some people may not think that alot of people, but I have seen these group double over the lastfive years. This year we had students not only from the UK butalso from America, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and Germany.For myself and everyone else there on the course, itwas a fantastic time. Looking around as everyone was practisingTo celebrate a decade of the Tse QigongCentre and Qi Magazine, the followingpages feature a selection of articles frompast issues of Qi Magazine.The past ten years producing QiMagazine have been very rewarding forall involved. However, we could nothave made it this far without thecontinual support of all our readers andcontributors. So may we take thisopportunity to thank each and every oneof you.Here’s to the next ten years!Qi Magazine 30and polishingtheir formsand beingtested, I felthumbled and alsosatisfied that the skillsmy teacher has taught mewould continue to pass on. Ican see the next generationblossoming and soon it will bethe third generation to beginpassing on the Wild Gooseskill. Already, there is a thirdgeneration who are studyingand who call me Tai Sigong. Ifeel so happy when I see newstudents tasting Qigong and martial arts for the first time andsee them become healthier through their studies.I cannot count exactly how many students I have taughtover these last ten years, but I can estimate, that from classes,seminars, demonstrations and workshops that I have taughtover 10,000 people. Some of these people do not stay andthis is quite natural. But many have stayed and I have seenthem develop not only their skill level, but their human potential.For me, the most important thing is the heart. I teach mystudents skill but this is not the most important thing.I find that those people who come and then go, theyonly want one thing and that is to collect skill. For me, theymiss the best part…being part of a family. I have heard manystudents say they come to class not only because of learningQigong or martial arts, but because they feel that they belong.In class or seminars, they can open themselves and talk aboutwhat they are doing and the people there will understand.How many times have you tried to explain to someone aboutQigong or martial arts and they do not understand. Maybethey even joke about it or put you down. They cannotunderstand the hours that you spend practising and how itdevelops your health, your heart and your human potential.But your fellow students and your teacher understands.Everyone is working together with a common goal.I see my students and my grand students are so happywhen they all come together. There is laughter and so muchhappiness. So for me, the Tse Qigong Centre is more than amartial art or Qigong centre. It is a family. This year’sDemonstration is a celebration of the Tse Qigong Centre familyand is opportunity for us to share with you traditional Chineseskillby Michael Tse

Tse Qigong CentreGrowing FromStrong RootsThe year 2000, and the month of Septemberin particular, sees the Tse Qigong Centrecelebrating its tenth anniversary, suchlandmarks in time give rise to thoughts ofpreceding years and afford opportunity tolook to the future, a moment frozen in time to checkthings out!The centre was founded by Michael Tse after afew years in England and some travelling and teachingin Europe. There was a wide desire to study authenticChinese skill but fairly limited access to good teaching.The skills, as presented and taught were often divorcedfrom their cultural context and as a consequence muchof value was missing. The motivation was to providea focus and resource for people wanting to learn. Thiscould eventually lead to a network of qualified teacherswho could pass on the skills.It is a fact that much of the knowledge ofancient China has disappeared and with eachgeneration the danger of more disappearing wasgrowing. Against this background Yang Meijun theinheritor of the Dayan Qigong school took the decisionto open her skills to certain people outside her familyto ensure their survival. Michael Tse was one of thesepeople. Indeed Michael’s teachers are all at the topof their respective arts and as such have the definitiveword on the skills they pass on. All actively promote,educate and demonstrate their abilities whenever theycan. All teach skills handed down over manygenerations through the family line. All valuecommunication and education highly.So the root from which the centre was conceivedhas grown and continues to develop is strong anddeep. The skills have stood the test of time andalthough stemming from antiquity have relevancetoday. For anything to survive it needs to adapt tochanging circumstances and different environmentalinfluences. Qigong in essence is simple but applicationrequires a divestment of sophistication, a release ofexpectation and the ability to put aside thoughts ofresult and reward. Try taking a job with theseguidelines! Therein lies the paradox, the very thingthat makes such a simple thing difficult - patience,continuity and practice - will bring the best results. Italk of high ideals but it can be enjoyed on many levels.It synthesises many things not found elsewhere inphysical activity.Michael Tse demonstrating Qitransmission in 1990Chinese New Year in Leicester Square,London, 1991Qigong seminar at the Old GPO,Manchester in 1991ManchesterHealing Day 1992Qi Magazine 3110th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialMartin Lavelle demonstratingNew Frame Chen Taiji 1994Michael Tse Performs ChildWorships Buddha 1994Qi Magazine 32John Hayespractising DamoStaff for ademonstrationin 1993Mind Body SpiritFestival 1993Grandmaster Ip Chun demonstrating ChiSau with Chi Man Tang in 1994Grandmaster Yang Meijun andMichael Tse in China 1993Norwich Taijiquanseminar with JulianWilde and students1993Darryl Moy doing blindfolded ChiSau with Carl Shaw 1994But this piece should be about thecentre. Ten years ago there were a fewwho joined and studied; some havemoved on, some have stayed. Nowclasses are available in many parts of theworld. I can’t go through the names ofall the teachers but there are many. Thecentre today comprises many activitiesincluding seminars, residential courses,classes, a magazine, more teachers, twobooks with another on the way, a video,meditation tapes, book distribution, ageneral office and more recently awebsite. Indeed all the tools of moderncommunication. Did I mention adaptingto changing circumstances andenvironmental influences?With the quality of content and thededication in evidence the centre looksset for further healthy development. WeTeaching Qigong in Canada 1994

New York Seminar 1995John Hayes and Jessica Blackwell fight itout Wing Chun Pole style 1993Martin Rooney strongstomach Hard QigongLevel 3 1997Francis Eales & JohnSheilds Wild GooseInstructors Course 1997StefanEekenulv testhis teachersback 1996David Edge gettingto grips with theWing Chun PoleWing ChunResidential 1997Michaelteaching at theChinese CentreNew York 1995The first Wild GooseResidential Course at WyeCollege 1996Nashville seminar 1996Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang showing alighter side to Chen Taijiquan 1997NashvilleSeminar1996Qi Magazine 3310th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialDerek May & JessicaBlackwell Wing ChunResidential Course 1998Mike Baker & Simon BedfordHard Qigong Level IIPoles are useful thingsWing Chun ResidentialCourse 1998Grandmaster Yang’sBirthday 1998Dinner in a Beijing Restaurant - Sylvia Royle,QiShahriar MagazineSepangi 34 and John Hayes with Sifu 1998Peter Walfisz “Where did that comefrom?” Wing Chun seminar withGrandmaster Ip Chun 1997Rick Charles and Luc JacobsWing Chun Residential Course 1998Teaching a workshop at theGMEX Centre Manchester 1999Hard Qigong Level II 1998Meeting Grandmaster Yang MeijunBalancing Gong InstructorsCourse 1998

Wild Goose 1st 64 Residential Course 1998Michael Tse pushing handswith his teacherGrandmaster ChenXiaowang 1999Enjoying the moment 2000Grandmaster Wu Chun YuenHelen Massyreceives hercertificate: WildGoose InstructorsCourse 1999Lee Masters Wild GooseInstructors Course 2000have a family of teachers with a common source. The need forpeople to have quality time out to develop intuitive skills andpreserve health and sanity has never been greater. We canoffer help in this area! The challenge is matching ancient skilland modern society.I think many people value the skill and culture of theEast and China in particular. A wealth of knowledge fromKirkland WA seminar 1999Last Stand Wing ChunResidential Course 2000Glenn Gossling wieldingthe Big Knife 1999Sifu’s strong stance 2000Julian Wilde & AdamWallace 2000Taking A breather Wild GooseInstructors Course 2000another time and place. The Tse Qigong Centre is a resourcefor the curious to view experience and develop these skills toexchange aspects of their own lives. The connection with theroot is still as strong so another ten years will be no problem.Time enough to explore further. If you are curious don’t missthis chance!by John HayesQi Magazine 3510th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialDarryl Moy & Peter Walfiszhaving a laugh Wild GooseInstructors Course 2000Chi Man Tang & Andy Priest Wing ChunResidential Course 2000Qi Magazine 36Seminars 2001London:Spontaneous QigongWing Chun Self Defence & Chi SauChen Taijiquan Self Deafens Applications &Pushing Hands5 Element Qigong HealingWing Chun Instructor CourseChen Instructor CourseCotton PalmHealthy Living Gong Part II, Instructor CourseJade Pillar Part IWild Goose 1 st 64 Residential CourseWild Goose Instructor CourseTriple Crossing Spiral Gong Residential CourseKidney Nourishing GongWing Chun Baat Jam DoChen Conference SwordXing Sau Part IXing Sau Part IIPulling Waist GongManchester7 Star Opening GongWing Chun Self Defence & Chi SauRaphaelBernardWing ChunResidentialCourse 2000Sifu Michael Tse and his Wild Goose Instructors 2000Chen Taijiquan Self Deafens Applications &Pushing HandsSlapping Healthy Gong Part ISlapping Healthy Gong Part IISpontaneous QigongPulling Waist GongWing Chun Baat Jam DoChen Conference SwordBirminghamDamo Staff Final PartUSAPulling Waist Gong5 Element Qigong HealingKidney Nourishing GongHealthy Slapping GongWild Goose Qigong 1 st 64 Residential CourseJade Pillar GongBalancing Gong Instructor CourseHealthy Living Gong Part I Instructor CourseWing Chun Self Deafens & Chi Sau19 Movement Chen Style TaijiquanConnectedSteps 2nd64 WildGooseQigong2000

Hand MadeQigong offers many different ways to make yourself healthy. Some of thesetechniques are very complex while others are very simple. Simple or complicated, theyall follow the same principles of gathering fresh Qi and eliminating negative Qi.During your daily routine, working, travelling, eating,drinking and coming into contact with other people,you will more or less take in negative Qi.Perhaps your working environment is not so good.You might have to sit with the air conditioning on, orthe central heating on full with no fresh air and only artificialventilation. As the air comes out of a machine and is indoors itwill not be so fresh. The more you breathe in the more it willmake you tired and sleepy and if you are under stress at work,how can you have enough energy to do your job?Travelling from placeto place can also make yousmall intestinetired. Your body has to getliverused to different time and gall bladderdifferent places. This takesyour Qi and makes your bodycreate negative Qi.Eating the wrong food,too much artificial food, junkfood, can also make yourbody create negative Qi andis particularly bad for yourstomach and spleen. Drinkingtoo many artificial drinks orgoing out to the pub anddrinking too much beer andwine is not good. In fact too spleenmuch of any alcoholic drinkcan take your Qi, make youfeel dizzy and weak and canalso create negative Qi.Meeting a lot of sickpeople or people with bad stomachtempers can also take your Qiand make you feel tired.So throughout yourday it is actually very easy totake in negative Qi and ifyour body is well balanced it can also create negative Qi.Actually, no matter how healthy you are, if you do not refreshyour Qi, it becomes slow and old inside your body, and then itcan turn into negative Qi. So you have to practise your Qigongto keep your internal Qi fresh, take in good air and get rid ofthe negative Qi.The Qi in your body is like water in a river. It needs tokeep flowing and cannot stay in the same place, otherwise itwill become dead water and then the fish and other watercreatures will not be able to live there. The water needs to flowregularly so that the fish can get more air to live. So your Qineeds to flow like the water to stay fresh. You need to bring inQi from the outside of the body to the internal organs, thenyou will be healthy and strong.When we practise Dayan Qigong we shake the fingersand arms. This is like the Wild Goose shaking or fluttering itswings. Actually, these movements help to smooth all thechannels in the hands. Also the fingers are connected to theinternal organs. The thumb connects to the spleen and thestomach, the index finger connects to the liver and gall bladder,the middle finger connects to the heart and small intestine,the ring finger connects with the lungs and large intestine andthe little finger connects with the kidneys and urinary bladder.These connections are not related to the system oflarge intestineheartlungunrinarybladderacupuncture channels, they areconnected through the principle ofthe Five Elements.When we find there is aproblem with the fingers, such as achange in colour, nails are a badshape with white spots, this meansthat this organ has a problem. Ourpalms and fingers are like the leaveson a tree. If anything should gowrong with the root (your body),then it will show in the leaves, whichwill not look good, even ‘unhappy’.The same is true for your hair and skin,they too can tell us about the inside of thekidneysbody. The outer body can only look good ifthe inside is good. If the inside is bad, nomatter how much make-up you use, you willnot look good and natural. When the inside isreally healthy then the outside willautomatically look good, no matter what age.Dayan Qigong emphasises flutteringthe hands to help smooth the Qi along thefingers and stimulate the internal bodywhich will then become good and healthy.At the same time we aregathering and releasing Qi. When thehand moves up, we take in Qi and when it goes down werelease Qi. So the whole of Dayan Gong is very goodfor healthby Michael TseThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine Issue 26,July/August 1996.Qi Magazine 3710th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialQi Magazine 38Relaxed

Qigong is a very practical way of making yourself healthier. As long as youfollow your teacher as he or she helps and guides you, you cannot avoid thebenefits. This may sound simple, but in practise, following your teacher can bequite tricky. So what is the best way to go about it?When practising Dayan Qigong it is very importantto relax your body. You do not have to move exactlylike your teacher. Your teacher can move verybeautifully because he or she has practised a lot.The more you practise the more you can let go and you do nothave to concentrate on remembering the movements. Youbecome one with them and they come very naturally. Whenyou reach this level you can enjoy the exercise more and gathermore Qi from the air.Many of us miss the point of the exercise and try to copythe teacher’s exact movements. Your teacher moves this waybecause he/she has practised longer and knows more thanyou do.This is why you study with him. You are not there to tryto copy him exactly. We are all different, with different shapesand heights and very individual and because of this we cannotmove exactly the same. It is like your handwriting, we can allwrite the word Qi and it will look different from everyone else’s,but it is still the same word. So this is the sort of thing you donot need to worry about.But why do we need to learn if everybody is different.Some might say, ”we can just move on our own, do our ownQigong then we do not need a teacher. Just relax and move.”Yes! You can do this, but if you do this then you are notdoing Dayan Qigong. This type of movement is actuallyconnected to another type of Qigong, ’Spontaneous Qigong’.This is a verycommon type ofQigong. All youneed to do ismove your bodyas your Qiflows. This is agood type ofQigong, butyou cannot do itfor too long asit might causeyour Qi to“The more youpractise, the moreyou can let go”become toostrong. A lot of Qi can be stored, but it cannot be too ’hot’ ortoo stimulating. If this happens it can be very hard to control,therefore some people can have problems when they practiseSpontaneous Qigong.& StrongDayan Qigong is different to Spontaneous Qigong.Spontaneous Qigong is good because it is easy to do and itcan rid us of a lot of negative energy. However, it cannot gatherenough positive Qi as it is too soft and too open. It does notclose up your body and does not have any physically demandingmovements. In places, Dayan Qigong can be quite physical.You need quite strong legs and a flexible body (althoughthis is built up as you practise more). You cannot be too weak,otherwise your Qi will not be strong.When you practise Dayan Qigong, first you need to relaxand second you need some strength. You cannot be as looseand ’floppy’ as when you are doingSpontaneous Qigong. For SpontaneousQigong you don’t need any strength at all.Dayan Qigong allows the body torelax and at the same time makes your bodyfit and strong. This is how it creates more Qiand also develops the bone. Therefore,Dayan Qigong is more difficult.After a long time practising you willfind yourself flexible, relaxed and wellgrounded with strong legs. These are thebasic elements to health, a relaxed body,strong legs and strong bonesby Michael TseThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine issue 28,October/November1996.Qi Magazine 3910th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialThe ChineseFamily TreeUnderstanding and coming to terms withan ancient and hidden tradition.Much like any normal family tree, the Chinese familytree refers to chronological lists of people, stemmingfrom common beginnings. It differs because thefamily members are not necessarily tied by blood,but instead by the passing on of skills. So for example a person’steacher becomes their father (or mother), and a person’s studentbecomes their son (or daughter). More important than thetree itself, is the mentality and tradition that it symbolises. Tofully understand this and its impact upon class life, we need totake a look at its origins.Many of today’s Chinese martial art and Qigong skillshave a strong basis in the cultural heritage of China. Culturalcornerstones like the Book of Changes, the Yellow Emperor’sClassic of Internal Medicine, or the Canons of Boxing, formpart of most systems, many of which have evolved from withinChina’s large family clans. At some time in the past many ofthem have influenced each other, but most have stayed withinthe families that founded them. New skills would usually bewelcomed by a family, but it was not common for skills to leaveeasily. The military secrets of their day, these skills might havebeen used to the disadvantage of their original owners. Somealso felt that teaching others would be disrespectful to theirancestors, who had paid dearly to acquire these arts.When masters were prepared to teach, this way ofthinking continued. To the Chinese mind, everyone wantingto do well in a school must be thought of as close friends offamily, the school’s knowledge. Like anything that is valuable,people who have it are reluctant to part with it easily. With askill or information the problem is worse, because it is easy forsomeone to teach something wrong or incompletely. Thestudent would probably never know, and even if the studentwas told, he (or she) would be difficult to convince and coulddo little about it except to hope for better, complain or leave.The only real way around this problem was for theteacher to like and trust the students as he (or she) would his(her) own family. A father teaches his family all his skills, buthe might hold something back from his ordinary student togive his family an advantage. This is why the family ethic wasso important, and the most believable inheritors of a style arerelated by blood. Money, favours or friendship would not alwayshave been enough. As a result, when a teacher was givenmoney, it was usually treated as a way of showing respect andconcern, rather than a wage.The past decade has seen changes in such oldestablished values, with a shift towards more openness. ChinaQi Magazine 40now sees commercial potential in skills it once tried to extinguishand has sited training centres at some of its more famouslandmarks, such as the Shaolin Temple and the Chen Village.These centres are increasingly trying to entice foreign students,and China is investing great effort into getting or maintaininga lead in these fields. A higher number of highly skilled Asianteachers than ever before are currently teaching in the west,and more things than ever before are being offered. The needsof the world are changing and these ancient skills have adifferent place in people’s lives. A father no longer needs tohoard his skills for his family’s survival, and many Asian youthsare rejecting old traditions in favour of a more western way oflike. An eventual increase in access to these skills, coupledwith a greener more harmonistic outlook in society, must finallyresult in a higher level of public awareness. In turn thisawareness must eventually make it harder for frauds or teacherswho would hold back their skill to continue to flourish.Despite a relaxing of Chinese attitudes, the family treeethic is a factor in most teachers’ thinking. How much of afactor depends upon the teacher and the subject, but theseethics are not confined to Chinese teachers. These are humanissues, centring around factors like greed, self-interest andfriendship. Anyone looking for a teacher should be mindful ofthis.Perhaps the greatest use for the family tree has been asa quality guide for people searching for a skill. Reputablemasters maintain it is impossible to learn a skill from books orvideos alone, and that the only way to learn correctly is topersevere with a good teacher. Therefore, schools that claimto teach authentic Chinese arts must have been taught at somepoint from an acknowledged source, they must be on someone’sfamily tree. Otherwise it is almost inevitable that something iswrong.Of course, there can still be problems in a class thatdoes have a heritage, but many of these can be answered byexamining the history more closely.Consider, for example, the teacher’s ancestry. Are anyancestors well known and respected? Will they vouch for theclass? Have they written any books or articles? Are any ofthem Chinese? Do any other teachers vouch for them?Then, how about the teacher’s relationship with his (orher) teacher. How did the teacher learn this skill, was it on aone week course somewhere, or was it over a period of time?Does the teacher’s teacher acknowledge him (or her) as a goodstudent, and is there a letter of endorsement, a certificate or apicture of them sat down together? The most important issueis acknowledgement. When a teacher openly acknowledges astudent, he is guaranteeing the student with his (or her) ownreputation. If the student is disgraced, then this reflects on the

whole family. So no teacher would want toacknowledge a bad or incapable student.A photograph of a teacher sat down with astudent is a traditional method ofacknowledgement.If the teacher has taught for morethan several years, then there should besome good senior student. Perhaps not asgood as the teacher, but good enough toteach, and sure of their facts. Looking atsenior students is like looking at the future,like looking at what you might become. Ifthere are not many senior students, thenwhy not? Perhaps the teacher isn’t willingor able to teach, or perhaps the seniors haveleft because the teacher has tried to exploitthem in some way? Perhaps the teacherlikes to beat students up, or perhaps it is acombination of many things, ask people andfind out why.All the time one should notconcentrate too heavily upon one’s own skilljudgements, and rely mainly upon the crossreferencedevidence of other people’ssituations and attitudes. Reasoning in thisway can tell more about a teacher and hisclass than one’s own comparisons of skill,because it is impossible to judge a skill whichone does not have, particularly a high levelor internal skill. These by definition, can beelusive to indoor students.Objectivity can also be a big problemfor people with previous experience,because all good students take pride in whatthey’ve learnt and, also, in their teachers.It is difficult to admit to oneself thatsomething or someone else could be better.Even when one makes the effort to lookaround in a so-called open-minded fashion,it often happens that all we really hope todo is to grin smugly to ourselves in a selfcontentedand superior manner, watchingother people struggle for nothing. In otherwords, to vindicate all the hard work thatwe’ve done and our faith in our teachers.Whether we stay put in a class orcontinually hunt around for better, is a matter for ourselves todecide. Much must depend upon what we hope to get out of aclass and what we are prepared to put in to it. But, whereverone looks, the best of any class is found in its heart, and to getto the heart takes time, patience and persistenceby Martin LavelleThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine issue 9,July/August 1993.Throughout the Chinese Systems, be they Qigong or Gong Fu, traditionally therelationship between teacher and student was very close.This tradition was deeply ingrained in days gone by and is still true in some casestoday. However, in many cases, the term ‘Sifu’ has lost a great deal of its originalsignificance.The tree is presented here with all the significant names and relationships.Elder UncleSIBAYounger UncleSISUKElder BrotherSIHINGYounger BrotherSIDAIFounder of styleSIJOSkill Great GrandfatherTAI SIGONGTeacher’s teacher’s teacherSkill GrandfatherSIGONGTeacher’s teacherSkill FatherSIFUTeacherYouSonTODAIStudentGrand SonTOSHUNStudent’s studentGreat GrandstudentTO SUKStudent’s student’s studentElder AuntieSIBAYounger AuntieSISUKElder SisterSITSEYounger sisterSIMOIQi Magazine 4110th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialChallengeYour QiQi Magazine 42Only the strongest survive. This isone of the laws of nature. We must allfollow nature otherwise one day ourtime will be over. However, we cannotjust follow it, since it is always trying totest us. This is one of the naturalchallenges of life. More than ever,mankind has the power to overcomenature, though much of the time doesnot follow it. We have created our ownlives, but we have also created our ownproblems - another challenge.Nowadays, when you look around at people yousee a lot of them walking around on their toes,their shoulders up, heads dropped, the wholebody is almost curved and their internal organswill be deformed. How can they be healthy?Society is becoming tenser and everyday life is very busy. Eachperson has to either work very hard or has no work at all, andthis is not so balanced. We need to fix our time for workingand for relaxing.Most people, when they relax either watch television,listen to loud, heavy music or go out for a drink. However, this

means that they are still using their energy. When they workthey use energy and when they relax they use energy! Howcan they have enough? This is the reason they feel tired and sothey need more stimulation to keep them going, to build uptheir energy. So they listen to heavy music, watch exciting films,read books while at the same time listening to their walkmans.They cannot settle their minds and sink their Qi. Their Qi isalways high up in their heads, making them think too much.Sometimes your see people on the streets who reallydo not know where they are and what they are doing. Theywander along bumping into people and even lampposts. Whensome people are out driving their cars they do not pay attentionto what they are doing, which is very dangerous. This is allbecause the Qi does not sink down to the Dantian, it is all highup in their heads. If they close their eyes, they cannot stopthinking. They are like a battery that keeps running, eventuallyit will run out, so how can they be healthy? When they arerunning low they take vitamins, medicines, special diets whereyou cannot eat this type of food and drink that kind of drink –what a life!Sometimes, if you are too strict on yourself you will createmore problems because you will stop your Qi flowing. Everybodyneeds certain challenges to make them strong. If you are alwaysnurtured and taken care of you will never grow. Chinese peoplesay, “a fish needs to change its pool, otherwise it will not growbig.”Qi needs to be developed in many ways and in manydifferent positions. In the practice of Dayan Gong there aresome very unusual movements that you might never have comeacross before. For example, the 14th and 18th movements ofthe First 64, In these movements you have to bend forwardsand twist your toes – a very unusual movement. It imitates the“Everybody needscertain challengesto make themstrong.”Wild Goose scratching its leg, and it connects the Qi of thehand with the leg channels. At the same time, the back rotatesto make the waist more supple and the kidneys strong.Beginners can find these movements difficult, but after a fewlessons they can manage it. They have challenged their Qiand developed it. The 46th and 47th movements (Rotating theBall) of the First 64 is very definitely a challenge: here youhave to move your hands, one clockwise the other anticlockwise,while at the same time moving your fingers and your waist.There is so much to do and it takes a lot of co-ordination.However, eventually people manage to do it. The more theypractise it the more the body becomes balanced, their coordinationimproves and they are not so stiff.The 59th movement (Looking for Food) is physically hardfor some people. It involves a lot of bending where you haveto be relaxed and supple, not stiff and tense, otherwise youcannot do it. This is a challenge.In fact, the whole of Dayan Gong is challenging yourbody. It makes you more relaxed and supple, and makes yourQi strong - like a wild goose. Now you will be healthy andstrong enough to face and withstand many difficulties.Difficulties are a fact of life. Life is not about avoiding this andavoiding thatby Michael TseThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine, issue 27August/September1996.Qi Magazine 4310th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialTheIncurableDisease“Some people just do notknow how to set aboutlearning the skills they sodesperately seek.”Qi Magazine 44People do the strangest things.Sometimes it is due to a lack of educationbut often it is due to an appreciation of whatis around them.Irecently witnessed an incident that set methinking and reinforced some thoughtsthat have been with me for some time.Basically a guy came to a class with theintention of finding out what was being taught.When he left, he went away having managed to offendthe teacher and disrupt the class, not to mentionembarrass himself. I find I am unable to condemn thisindividual because I honestly believe that he didn’t knowwhat he had done. The actual detail of what was saidand done are not the important thing here but what ismore important is the principle behind them. Of coursecoming to a class to find out what is going on is no badthing, in fact it is a wise thing to do. The problem is -some people just do not know how to set about learningthe skills they so desperately seek.These skills are ’Human Skills’, more importantly, theyare valuable skills and any good teacher will treat them assuch. So remember: just as you have a right to choose a teacher,the teacher has a right to choose his students. The onus is onyou to prove yourself not the other way round, because it isyou who wants to learn. Just because you have gone out ofyour way to find a good teacher does not mean that he willwant to teach you. The only way to learn is to show that youare trustworthy. I remember how long it took my Dad to trustme with his car. But now that he does trust me he will lend mehis new car with hardly a second thought. So to get the keysyou have to prove yourself. So how do you go about ’proving’yourself? When you first approach a teacher be humble, butdon’t mistake humility for submissiveness and spiritlessness.Be polite and more importantly be honest. Then if you make amistake everyone will know it was an honest mistake and howcan anyone hold an honest mistake against you. If you do makea mistake apologise first, but don’t demand an explanation, ortry to make excuses for yourself. Think about it for yourself. Ifeveryone else can see your mistakethen it can’t be that hard to see. Themore time you spend in that classthe more you will understand whatis acceptable and what is not.If you have studied elsewherethen inform the teacher ofthis and explain that you wish todevelop your skill further, but leavewhat you have learnt outside. Don’tpresume to make or ask forcomparisons and don’t make anyassumptions because then you willonly sound arrogant and insinuatethat you are an expert. You can

impress many people if you show that you are open in thisway. But if you are still studying with someone else don’t besurprised if you are sent away to ask your teacher’s permission.‘You must empty your cup before you can drink fresh tea.’Along with your past knowledge leave your ego outside.When you walk into someone else’s class, it is as if you arewalking into their house. You don’t put your feet up on thecoffee table. You must follow the rules or you will be asked toleave. Be polite and tread carefully. Don’t try to impress othersas having just walked in the door, you are the ’junior’.You see ’Human Skills’ require a relationship to be builtup before you can really learn. If you treat the skill as just ahobby then don’t expect to learn everything, and if you expectto learn everything don’t be surprised when you don’t. Goodteachers are very careful who they teach and what they teachthem. If you appear to be in a rush, have unrealistic ambitionsthen you may not learn to a high level. What you will learn willbe good, but you may never even know what else there was tolearn. A Chinese saying states ’If you can pass on yourknowledge, then pass it on, else better you take it with you tothe grave.’ Therefore a teacher would rather his skill was lostthan teach those not fit to learn it.If you do succeed and eventually become a ’senior’,then you are still not ’home and dry.’ Now you have moreresponsibility on your shoulders. You need to make sure that“Be humble, bepolite and moreimportantly behonest.”you practise, and represent yourself correctly, as now you alsorepresent your teacher, and his teachers before him. It is notonly yourself you will embarrass. Just because you are ’senior’remember you can still learn from those less experienced thanyou. You still need to show that you are ’open’ and honestbecause if you make a mistake it is even more serious.Everyone has an ego. The important thing is how youhandle it. Some think it is so important and hold it up for all tosee. After a while they find they can’t put it down even if theywanted to. Others keep it in their pocket and only take it outnow and again. This is one difference between a stupid manand a wise man. One knows when to put his ego away andwhen to take it out, the other does not. A friend of mine oncesaid ‘There’s only one incurable disease: stupidity!’ At the timeI thought his comment was very funny, now if he is right then Ifind that it’s a little sad.I don’t profess to know the ’way to study’, but I’ve seenmany ways not toby Darryl MoyThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine Issue 7Febuary/March1993.Qi Magazine 4510th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialQigong BreathingEverybody knows how to breathe. But how many people really understandthe breathing practice within Qigong. This is very important because withoutthe correct breathing techniques we cannot develop our Qi.Breathe in, breathe out - inhale, exhale. We all dothis every second, none of us can stop, otherwise wewill die. During the breathing process the air comesin through the nose, passes down to the lungs andthen the oxygen goes on to all the different parts ofthe body. This maintains the body and particularly the functionsof the organs: heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, liver and eventhe brain. We know breathing is very important. How could wedo it better so that we can get more energy – Qi.The first step we should take is to find the best air wecan. Technique is important, but the air is more important. Itdoes not matter if you have the best breathing techniques ifthe air you are taking in is polluted. You will still become ill -the air will harm you! So find a place with plenty of fresh air,when you are indoors, open the windows. Fresh air is whereour energy comes from. Many people like to concentrate ontechnique; if they miss fresh air; it is as if they have a beautifulcar with a good engine but no petrol.The Chinese say, “In a purified place people will be inhigh spirits”. Thus those who live or are born in a place withgood energy will be healthy and intelligent, they may becomegreat people in the future. On the other hand, a great personmust live in a place with good energy. Therefore, Chinese peopleare very concerned about the environment they live in and areeven buried in. They all know about Feng Shui (Geomancy) –the energy of the environment.Just being in a place with good environmental influencescan give you a lot of energy; even if you do not know anyQigong breathing techniques, you will benefit greatly and tendto relax. We are all very sensitive to our surroundings. It canaffect our health and our emotions. For example, in a noisyplace you cannot concentrate, cannot think – so you will notget any new ideas. In a quiet place you can relax and openyour mind. Here you can solve many problems, because it is agood place.So, now we have the petrol, we need to learn how todrive...In the beginning you should relax your body. Allow allthe joints, muscles and face to relax and the mind to becomecalm. Now your body’s functions will become normal. There isno tension and no distractions. Then slightly concentrate onyour Dantian, your centre just below your navel, because thisis where your energy is stored.Different people describe the location of the Dantian indifferent ways. Some say at the Qihai point (an acupuncturepoint on the Ren Channel), some say one and a half cun oreven three cuns below the navel. Actually, the Dantian is anarea, not a point. So we do not need to be so strict about itsexact location. ‘Dan’ means ‘essence of energy’ or ‘crystal’.Qi Magazine 46‘Tian’ means ‘field’. A field is not a point, it is an area. Thus theDantian is an area.When the Dantian is open it can store a lot of energy.This makes you healthy, strong and lets you live a long life. Themore active you are, the more energy you will use and thisreduces your life. Take for example a dog. Dogs breathe veryquickly, using the mouth more than the nose. They are veryactive and fast – very yang. Thus they only live for about fifteenyears, twenty at the most. A turtle for example, does not breathewith its nose alone. It uses its internal body, its abdomen. Eachbreath takes about two minutes. It moves slowly and quietly –very yin. So on average they live for two hundred years! Peopleare the same. If you go running, circuit training, weight trainingthen these exercises can make you big, but they do not giveyou energy. Quiet, slow, gentle – these ways can help you storeenergy.The Dantian is an area not a point

When you breathe you should not just use your chest -your lungs - you should use your abdomen. The abdomen isdeeper than the chest. When you breathe the breathing isdeeper, longer, more internal. This way the Qi goes directly toyour Dantian and strongly affects the internal organs,particularly the kidneys, lungs and heart. In fact, you breathewith the Dantian.The Breathing MethodsThe first breathing method you should use is ‘natural breathing’.Forget everything (including your abdomen and the way itmoves as you breathe). Just relax and concentrate on yourDantian. Slowly you will find your breathing getting deeperand deeper.“You will find all your channelsare clear, and you feelcomfortable and warm. Just letyour Qi flow naturally”Correct breathing is very important for Qigong and MeditationThen you can move on to other breathing techniques.One is ‘normal breathing’. Unlike natural breathing, normalbreathing places more emphasis on the Dantian. As you breathein your abdomen expands, so your Dantian expands. As youbreathe out you contract your abdomen, so your Dantian movesin. This emphasising stimulates the Dantian making it warm.After practising ‘normal breathing’ for a time we canmove on to a slightly higher level technique- ‘reverse breathing’.This also works with the abdomen, but as you breathe in youpull in your abdomen and as you breathe out you expand yourabdomen. This is more difficult than normal breathing it is alsostronger - it is like turning up the fire to make the room warm.Finally, having practised for long enough you will findthat relaxation is the most important thing. When you breatheyou must relax your whole body. Start with natural breathingthen move on tonormal andreverse breathing.These breathingmethods aregood for theDantian. Theymake it moresensitive and ableto collect moreQi. However,because they arestronger youcannot use themall the time. Justuse them tostimulate your Dantian, then let go and breathe naturally,otherwise you will become too yang – too hot, like when youbum the toast. This will cause the heart to beat quickly andbuild up the pressure in your veins. You will not be able tosleep and you will suffer from stress.The correct way to use either normal or reverse breathingis to count twenty-four breaths (inhale and exhale beingcounted as one) and then go back to natural breathing. This isenough to stimulate your Dantian. This allows your Qi to comeback to the Dantian. You will find all your channels are clear,and you feel comfortable and warm. Just let your Qi flownaturally.In fact, if you are relaxed enough your breathing willspontaneously change to normal and reverse breathingnaturally – it is no longer fixed. At that moment you are at onewith nature, your body will be so relaxed that you will forget itcompletely, you will not even notice your breathing. Leteverything go and your body will eventually become part ofthe universe – reach the state of TaoThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine Issue 11December/January1994.by Michael TseQi Magazine 4710th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialMind Over MatterThe use of the mind in Qigong is a very controversialtopic. Some teachings emphasise it and other do not. However,much of this debate could be over a misunderstanding of theChinese concept of “the mind”.There is a lot of debate in Qigong circles about the use ofthe mind in training and in Qigong practice in general.Various systems advertise the use of the mind to moveenergy through the microcosmic orbit (Ren and Du channels),or to guide energy through the acupuncture meridians toremove blockages. The opening of the Ren and Du Channelsto form the energy circuit known as the “small circulation” isone of the fundamental principles of Qigong practice. Manypopular systems (particularly in the West) advocate focusingone’s thoughts on variousacupuncture points along thisroute, sometimes working onone point for days, weeks oreven months until it is felt to“open”. Likewise, “MeridianMeditation” practices involvethe practitioners learning thelocation of the variousacupuncture channels andthen mentally guiding theenergy through the channels,until energy can be sensedflowing within them.One the other hand, many Qigong systems, the KunlunDayan Qigong Systems included, are opposed to this methodof using through to induce energy flow. Does this mean thatsome Qigong systems believe in mind over matter and somedo not? And what is really meant by the concept of “mind” inQigong philosophy? – Let us examine this point.In the West, we understand “using the mind” to meanusing the intellect or using the powers of consciously applymental control. So we think that we can mentally direct energy.Is this true?There is a Qigong saying “Qi follows Yi” translated as“Energy follows intention”. Many people take this to meanthat by thinking we can make energy go where we want it togo. However, in Chinese the concept of “Mind” can be referredto as “emotional mind” (Hsin), or “Wisdom Mind” (Yi). Both ofthose minds generate intentions or ideas. But not all intentionsor ideas stay around in your consciousness long enough tobecome thoughts. One Qigong master has described thephenomenon by saying that Bioelectric Energy (Qi) travels fasterthan thought. So by the time your thought reaches say, thenext acupuncture point on the meridian the Qi has gone beyondit. By concentrating on that point you may CAUSE energy toartificially build up, stagnate and form a blockage.Alternatively, people concentrate too hard on theDantien point only to find a stuffy, congested feeling emergingsometimes with pains in the chest. Many practitioners havesuffered from “side effects” from Qigong practice as a result ofmisunderstanding what amounts to mental force blocking thespontaneous flow of energy.Qi Magazine 48“Practitioners havesuffered from “sideeffects” as a result ofmisunderstanding”.On the other hand there isample medical evidence to showthat thought does indeed havephysiological effects. Grief isshown to affect the white bloodcells count, anger produces achange in stomach timing andstress is linked to hypertension andheart disease and so on. Here it ismore appropriate to say the mindat work if the “emotional mind”(Hsin) that has ordered a reaction to some thinking that wasgenerated by an idea. Yi refers more to a detached, calmmind, which is why it is referred to as wisdom mind. Yi isintention that does not interfere with natural functioning. Sobefore Yi can lead Qi, Yi must predominate over Hsin.What does all this mean in practical terms? Can wepractice Qigong without using the mind? Surely if we don’tconcentrate on what we are doing we will become distractedand achieve nothing.The key to understandingall of this can be found withcertain Taoist concepts.Traditionally, Qigong was nottaught to disbelievers of Taoismbecause Qigong was consideredto be a way of attaining theultimate state: The state of nothought or nothingness. In otherwords it involved the ideas ofgiving up pre-conceptions, ofgiving up “achievements”; theidea of giving up end-gaining.These concepts may be all veryfine but a bit high-minded and profound for the majority of uswho practice Qigong simply for health. Still, we cannot denythat to practice something properly we need to understand itsprinciples.So we need to regulate the emotional mind, cam downits over activity and set ourselves free from fixed ideas aboutwhere our energy will go and how we will build it up. Then wecan avoid getting sensations caused by Qi flow, and body andmind will be balanced. It is only when we don’t try to forcethings or expect things in our own Qigong practice will ourmind be relaxed and truly concentrated.When the mind is at peace the true condition of internalenergy can be accurately judged and Qi will begin to flow.Yang Meijun, inheritor of the Dayan Qigong system, despiteknowing more than 70 Qigong forms says that once youunderstand the principles behind Qigong, the best way is reallyvery simpleby Amy ThanawallaThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine issue 14,June/July 1994.

10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary SpecialChen TaijiWarming UpWarming up before you do any vigorousexercise is very important. However, it is alsoimportant for something like Taijiquan. In fact,a good warm up can be as beneficial as theexercise you are about to do.Whenever I start my Taijiquan class the students allgo through a warm-up. This is to makes it easierfor them to do the form since the body becomesloose and warm. Many people who have learnt thewarm- ups like to do them everyday or before any otherexercise they do. They find that it is very effective and warmsup the whole body.Beginners might find the warm-ups hard at first becauseone part of them trains the legs quite a lot. When they are notused to it they find it a bit hard. Many people think Taijiquan“The warm-ups Ido are internaltraining for thebody and buildthe power of thefoundation.”should be relaxed and slow, but this is not true for ChenTaijiquan. I remember when my teacher, Chen Xiao Wang, firstcame over to the UK, he performed at a demonstration andscared the audience because he used a lot of power and didsome parts very fast, with a lot of stamping. This is unusual toother forms of Taijiquan, although not to Chen because it isquite concerned with the martial side as well as the healthside.The warm-ups I do are internal training for the bodyand build the power of the foundation as well as stretch theQi Magazine 50body. You need this foundation when you do Chen Taijiquan.The warm-ups I teach in the class came from my old teachersMaster Feng Man Yin and Master So King Lai combined togetherwith some other traditional Kung Fu training. The practice isvery energetic and the Qi goes up to my head and clears a lotof internal channels. The warm-up is already very strong.Later, I studied with Master Chen Xiao Wang. The warmupwe do with him is simple and relaxed. It trains the Chan SiJin (spiral energy) and you learn how to use the waist and tostep.When you warm-up you should start at the waist, moveto the legs, arms, shoulders and neck. The waist is the mostimportant part of the entire body. If your waist is stiff and weakit will make your movements tense and they will not flow.Therefore when we warm-up we twist the waist left and right,side to side, up and down. We work every angle and this helpsto heal any waist problems.Next comes stretching the legs. You bend forward, legsstraight and toes forward to loosen the tension in the legs. Youthen squat down on one leg, with the other straight out to theside and the feet square. This is to loosen any tension in thelegs and you need to do this because in the Yi Lu (Chen TaijiForm) you have to sit on the floor with one leg straight and the

Fig 1Then comes the shoulders and arms (see Fig 2). Thesebecome stiff very easily, particularly nowadays because peoplesit at desks all day. Their postures can easily be wrong and thisputs tension on the whole upper body. Therefore the shouldersand neck are the first parts to become tense before other partsof the body have a problem.However, we do not warm up the neck or shouldersuntil last, as they are easy to twist or hurt. When you wake upin the morning, your circulation is not that good, especially ifyou went to bed the night before very tired and then nextmorning jump straight out of bed. So it is not good to warm upyour neck first. Better to warm up other parts and leave this tothe end. Another reason for warming up in this order is thatthe Qi begins at your centre, so strengthening the waist willbuild up your foundation and make it easier for you later.Afterwards there are stretching exercises with kickingand walking. These are to develop good posture as they correctFig 2your hips and your spine and this can help to bring up your Qiand help with your form.The main aim when practising the kicks is keeping yourback straight. It does not matter how high you can kick becausewe are not training to kick, we are training the posture.At the end is the Chen Taijiquan internal training, whichis usually done in quite a low stance. It trains the Chan Si Jinand the training covers the outside, inside, the front and theback. Although it is done in a low stance the most importantthing is how straight you can keep your back.`“You should start atthe waist, move to thelegs, arms, shouldersand neck.”While you are doing it you will find a lot of Qi going upto your head which will clear your mind of tension and canhelp make your body and head lighter, then you will never getheadaches. This is the main part of the warm-up, the internaltraining.Practising the Taijiquan warm-ups builds a goodfoundation. It makes it easier to do the form, particularly ChenStyle Taijiquanby Michael TseThis article firstappeared in QiMagazine issue 25,April/May 1996.Qi Magazine 5110th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special 10th Anniversary Special

Instructor InsightJulian Wilde: NorwichHi, my name is Julian Wilde and I teach Taiji and Qigong in the Norwich area. I’ll be 50 nextbirthday but my practice keeps me healthy and hopefully more supple and energetic thanmost people of my age. I haven’t started saving up for plastic surgery just yet!I first met Tse Sifu in 1990. He had not been in the UK long. I had been learning theYang style of Taiji for about three years and was also practising the 24-step form. I wasspeaking to the late Danny Connor on the phone about his books and videos and he asked ifI would like to invite a Qigong master to Norwich. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I invitedSifu back several times after that and I remember learning the Chen short form in just twoafternoons one June weekend in 1991. It felt great at the time, but I hate to think what itlooked like. Happily a mutual affection and respect seemed to spring up between myself andSifu from those early days and he asked me to start teaching. I was reluctant at first and on atleast two or three occasions tried to “give away” the Qigong class to someone else. However,Sifu was having none of it and told me to carry on. I’m glad I listened to him.Norwich is a nice place to live and train, and the whole area is saturated with so-calledalternative activities. You could climb onto any roof-top in Norwich, turn round three timesand spit. You’d be bound to hit a Taiji teacher! I train every morning for about an hour, doingalternate days of Taiji and Qigong forms. The hard Qigong has taken a back seat latelybecause of a niggling hand injury, but I’m healing fine and will have to shunt some trainingabout soon to make room for the huffing, puffing, gagging, groaning and retching again. I’mcurrently learning the Chen Pau Choi with my “big brother” Martin and looking to start anotherhigh-level Qigong form soon. I travel to London to train with Glenn and Shahriar about everysix weeks- they are very supportive. The rest of my time is mainly taken up with meditationand Buddhist studies - another very important part of my daily routines.I currently have about 40 students, and the relationships we form together throughtalking, our practice, and mutual growth is a precious part of my life. I hold four classes aJulian Wilde is qualified to teachLevel 1 of the Dayan Qigong syllabusand Chen style Taijiquan. He can becontacted on 01603 465189week, teaching Taiji and Qigong. As I am now self-employed I hope to expand on that number in the near future. I take mypractice very seriously and I expect a good standard from myself and my students. I hope it shows!I consider myself very fortunate to have such role-models as Tse Sifu, Chen Sigong and Ajahn Sumedho in my life.I hope I do not disgrace themGill Hughes: Milton KeynesGill Hughes is qualified to teachHealthy Living Gong part 1,Balancing Gong and Taiji Qigong.She can be contacted on01908 310611I ‘discovered’ Tai Chi and Qigong 14 years ago. When the last of my three childrenbecame five and went to school, I decided to do something for myself. I found an eveningclass with a strange- sounding name, which offered to help me remain ‘calm but alert’!I’ve always been drawn to the humour of Chinese folk tales, so I went along, and on thefirst evening I was not disappointed: I was hooked.My first impressions were of how much I enjoyed it; how I could apply it in mylife; how it made me laugh because of how much it mirrored life. My teachers helpedme notice, in my stances, was I committed or not, perhaps over-committed? Did I alwaysneed to be first? Or last? Was I afraid to be open? Did I want to be closed? I began to beaware of my body – its potential, its limitations. I began to test my stamina.And I began to notice my breathing - something I’d never done before! I findthere are subtleties that come with good posture, like improved confidence, courage.And with movements that are natural - spirals and circles, never stiff or disconnected –my life is smoother now. Mine, and those around me!Working with Michael has encouraged me, originally by asking why I wanted tobe a teacher, to always look in my heart for the answers. It’s a rare quality. He is clear onthe importance of following Qigong with meditation, and his insistence on balancingactive with passive has really helped, not only to store my energy (for later!), but also torealise the importance of stillness.I’ve learned through Tai chi and Qigong to lift my spirits (and therefore thosearound me); to stand my ground; and last but not least, to be centred. That ultimatelythere is an equanimity, a peace within – within all movement - that is unchanging. Andit reminds me that all is wellQi Magazine 52

Sweet Egg Flower SoupThroughout history, Chinese have used eggs for theirhealing properties. Eggs are good for the brain and internal organsand are very nourishing to the body. This soup is a sweet soupthat helps clear fire from the body and is particularly good for usein the summertime. It also helps aid the urinary system.30g (1 oz) flour4 cups water125g (4 oz) sugar1 egg1. Sift flour into a small bowl and slowly add in ½ cupwater in a steady stream. Stir quickly in one direction until glutenis formed and can be picked up with a pair of chopsticks. Pouranother ½ cup of water and soak the gluten for 15 minutes withoutmoving the bowl.2. Bring remaining water to a boil in saucepan. Stirthe gluten batter into the water until smooth. Slowly pour thegluten batter into the boiling water. Add the sugar, reduce heatto low and continue to simmer for ten minutes. Beat the egg andtrickle it into the saucepan while stirring the soup with chopsticks.The soup should be smooth with small flecks of the egg uniformlythroughoutTse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 53

During ancient times, Chinese doctors werepaid once at the end of the year, and that dependedupon whether or not the patient stayed healthythroughout the entire year. This is the beauty ofChinese medicine. Its emphasis is on thepreservation of good health as opposed to remedialcare.Qigong:The Third Branch ofChinese MedicineThe classic Chinese medical text, known in the Westas the “Yellow Emperor’s Classic on InternalMedicine” or the Nei Ching, considers the treatmentof disease after it has already arisen as the “lowestlevel of healthcare treatment.” This is whyelucidating the essential principles of good health from severalvantage points such as climate, diet, emotions, and physiologyare the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).TCM’s approach towards healthcare and treatmentdiffers greatly from the West’s. Where Western thinking abouthealthcare and treatment is very linear (A causes B), TCM’sthinking is holistic. TCM considers the whole person. It seeksto understand a patient’s overall pattern of health through theuse of various diagnostic methods that paint a picture of theinternal body. Once the imbalance or disharmony is found,acupuncture points are selected for treatment and herbs mightbe recommended to help recreate harmony and balance inthe body. Recommendations might also be made about Qigongmovements to do to sustain that balance. Today, both Westernand Chinese researchers are utilizing technology and Westernscientific methods to analyse and better understand thefoundations of TCM, thus benefiting both healthcareapproaches.Chinese medicine is all about balance. If we look closelyat the English word disease, we find two parts: dis-ease. Easehas been lost. Using a specific constellation of diagnosticmethods, the main task for doctors of TCM is to determinewhere imbalances exist within a patient and to regulate theflow of Qi in the body so ease can be restored.Qi is the electrical energy that flows through a networkof meridians (or pathways) that interconnect all the systems ofthe body. The Qi flowing along 12 major meridians connectsthe vital organs to the surface of the skin, the sensory organs,and the spinal cord. Disharmony or disease is apt to occur whenthe natural flow of Qi is blocked.There are three branches of Chinese medicine:acupuncture, herbs, and Qigong. Althougheach discipline has a different approach,all three are based upon the sameprinciples: Yin/Yang Theory, 5-ElementTheory, Meridian Theory, Qi and BloodTheory, and Organ Theory. Acupunctureregulates the flow of Qi and blood, Chineseherbs treat the body nutritionally, andQigong—the oldest branch of Chinesemedicine, from which the earliestunderstandings of Chinese medicine werederived—regulates and harmonizes thebody, mind, and spirit. It is the process ofintegrating and connecting the body–mind–Qi Magazine 54

spirit that is so vital and important in maintaining one’s healthand immune system.damp obstruction and wind are given to relieve swelling andpain.AcupunctureAcupuncture utilizes several techniques, primarily the insertionof fine stainless steel needles into specific points located onmeridians. This practice produces a physiological effect viathe specific channels through which Qi and blood flows. Theselection of points creates different responses. For instance,pain (according to TCM) is caused by an obstruction in theenergy or blood flow. Chronic pain comes from a deficiencyof Qi, so we insert needles in the tonifying points along one ofthe twelve regular meridians (that begin or end on your fingersor toes), and/or one of the two meridians of the microcosmicorbit (i.e., the Conception Vessel and the Governing Vessel).Acute pain is caused by an excess of Qi in the meridians. Wetherefore select specific acupuncture points that sedate energyand relieve pain. Every acupuncture point has its own set ofindications and specific effects on the flow of energy in thebody.Yin/Yang Theory focuses on the nature of balance. Thistheory has been exemplified in the circular, black and whitesymbol that many people have become familiar with. Thesymbol itself conveys two key concepts in Yin/Yang Theory.Overall, this symbol portrays the fluid nature of opposites (thelarge black and white areas in the symbol) unified to make awhole (the circle). The speck of white embedded in the centreof the black, and the speck of black embedded in the centre ofthe white portions of the larger symbol reminds us that thereare no absolutes. Everything in life is constantly changing.There is no light without shadow. Furthermore, there is arelationship thatneeds to beexpressed: the“This approach isabout balance,harmony, andhomoeostasis.”brighter the light thedarker the shadow.In Yin/YangTheory Yin is theinactive, Yang is theactive. Feminineenergy, the moon, theearth, the dark, thecold, self-reflectiveinward attention, andinward energy areYin. Male energy, the sun, the sky (the heavens), the bright,the hot, and outward flowing energy is Yang. They arecomplementary, constantly moving, and transforming into eachother. One cannot exist without the other. Yin/Yang Theoryattempts to explain everything in life and nature in terms of itsrelationship to the balance between polar opposites. How doesYin/Yang Theory apply to acupuncture diagnosis and treatment?It is the art of knowing when to tonify (add energy) and whento sedate (take an excess energy away). This approach is aboutbalance, harmony, and homoeostasis.Chinese HerbsChinese herbs are used as food to nourish the body or (in thecase of an excess condition) to remove obstructions or blockedenergy. Herbs have different qualities. Some are warming,some are cooling. Some herbs are given to remove dampnessin the body. For instance, arthritis is often caused by too muchdampness and wind in the joints. So herbs that remove theQigongQigong is the cornerstone of TCM and until fairly recently (inthe 1960s), it was one of China’s best kept secrets. Againreferring to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine…Qigong creates balance by stimulating the flow of Qi throughthe meridians, thus preventing illness from manifesting in thebody. Qigong is a daily practice ofmovements that systematically moveblood and Qi throughout all the systemsof the body.There are more than 600 styles ofQigong taught throughout the worldtoday, each producing varying levels ofbenefit. Dayan Qigong (“Wild Goose”Qigong) is one of the oldest traditions ofQigong practice. Dayan Qigong stands out as an importantdiscipline because it is a well thought through practice that isitself balanced in its approach. Rather than focusing on onlyone or two systems of the body, Dayan Qigong works to createbalance throughout the entire body. This practice includesflowing movement (embodied in two 64-movement forms, Sets1 and 2); acupressure massage; and various styles ofmeditation.Dayan Qigong theory and practices have been preservedlike a precious gift to us through the dedication of a highlyesteemed master/apprentice lineage that spans 1,800 years.Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, now 105 years of age and stillteaching, is a living legend as the 27th generation inheritor ofthe entire body of Dayan Qigong knowledge. She is the lastof the grandmasters trained in this ancient master/apprenticetraditionby Marti Lee Kennedy, Lac, OMDQi Magazine 55

Giving face is a very common thing. It is easy to do, but is italso easy to make people lose face. Because of this, it is alwaysbetter to give someone face, as one day, they may save yours.Giving & Saving FaceWing Chun KuenWhen I began training Wing Chunthere was one Sihing (seniorbrother) who helped me in theclass. At first when he taught me it wasvery exciting as he was very fast, powerfuland practical. He would show metechniques and tell me to pull this handharder or push hard here or there. Onone occasion he told me to pull his handdown as hard as I could and he was thatstrong my feet left the ground! I came tothe conclusion that the way he did thingswas not quite right. However wheneverhe showed me anything I would try mybest to do it.At the beginning I would often gohome with bruises on my arms and Iwould be exhausted but I would thinkcarefully about what I had learnt andcompare it to the principles that Sifualways talked aboutand the lessons he gave. Like trying tosolve a puzzle.I thought I was missing somethingand perhaps I needed to train more. Butthe more I trained the more I realisedthat the way he did things relied moreon strength rather than sensitivity andskill. Even though I had these thoughts,whenever and whatever he showed me Istill tried to do.Now I suppose some of you arewandering why I never said anything ordisagreed with him?There are a couple of reasons.Back then I was quite shy and to behonest did not talk too much anyway.Secondly, he was more senior than I was.He was teaching me honestly and thethings he was showing me were thethings he was doing. He never tried totrick me and believed in what he wasteaching me. To disagree with him wouldhave been ungrateful very disrespectfulboth to him and to my Sifu. It was notmy place to tell him he was wrong and Icould always see how Sifu did it.Eventually he drifted away fromclass as the general standard got higher.I guess his failing was being unable tolet go and remould his thinking and hismethods, to change and grow with therest of us.I often think back to those daysand I am glad he was there. Though histechniques were crude they had theirvalue. Sifu taught me how to look at“Your seniors want toget things right evenmore than you do.”things and how to understand the bigpicture. So whenever my Sihing showedme anything I would use these eyes tolook at it and this mind to break it down.This helped me to learn and think formyself. I hope we will meet again oneday and sit down and talk about the olddays.Perhaps you will find yourself in asituation where you do not agree withone of your seniors. But before you sayanything to embarrass them you shouldrealise that your seniors want to getthings right even more than you do. Theyknow they may not be right and are notSifu. But more importantly they are nottrying to mislead you and are teachingyou from the heart and for that youshould thank themby Darryl Moyemail: Darryl@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 56

Life TrainingBeing rooted or grounded meansthat the energy in our body iscentred and is at the Dantian. TheDantian is the storehouse of our energyand is located at the area below ournavals. The Dantian connects with theacupuncture point, Qihai, but its locationis actually in the area around the Qihaipoint. The Dantian can grow larger asmore Qi is stored there. Sometimes itfeels like there is a resilient rubber ballwhen we press in this area. Thisis a good and shows thatthe body has stored a lotof Qi.Another areaof the body which isvital to developinginternal energy, arethe legs. When wepractise martial arts,the legs are the rootsof all power. If thelegs are weak, then nomatter how strong theupper body, you still willnot have the power tocarry through a strongpunch. These applies to allmartial arts, whether it beWing Chun, Taijiquan, Xingyi,Bagua or others.In the past, traditional,high quality skill was muchharder to obtain. If a teacher didnot like you, they would not teachyou or accept you to be their student. Youhad to prove yourself worthy of the skillas a person because good teachers didnot want their family skill changed ordamaged. So often, in the beginning, ajunior student would learn very slowly.Sometimes they would practise horsestance, called Ma Bo, to help them traintheir legs and build up their internalenergy. This kind of training also createdmore patience and discipline. If a studentcould make it past this bitter test ofstanding in low horse stance for a longtime, then it meant you could withstanddifficulties and be a stronger person forWhen practising the martial arts, you will often hear the words,‘rooted’ and ‘grounded’ being used in relation to stances or energy. Whatdo they mean and do they only apply to martial arts or can they alsoapply to Qigong and other aspects of life outside of practise?Grounded & Rootedit. However, if a student only wanted tolearn high level forms and specialtechniques, it showed that they onlywanted to have the sweet and take thebest part.Many people do not think aboutQigong developing the legs, but Qigongalso has its difficult parts. There are manypositions in Wild Goose Qigong, forinstance, that require the practitioner tosink the weight on the back leg whilestepping forward or raising the arms.There are squatting postures andstretching postures whiletwisting the toes.Other forms likeSwimming Dragonrequire standing onone leg and movingfrom a low stance to ahigh stance smoothly.Even some of thesimple Qigongexercises, like HealthyLiving Gong, requirestanding one leg. This“The bamboo treeis symbolic of awise person.”also helps to improvebalance in the brain as well ascoordination in the body and strengthenthe legs.From a Qigong point of view,when the energy is not centred at theDantian, then the body will be out ofharmony. The person may be overlyanxious and think too much and not beable to focus on any one thing for verylong. When the legs are strong, they arelike the roots of the tree, they can supportus and draw nourishment from the earth.Strong legs connect with our kidneyswhich in turn connect with the our back.Our back is like the trunk of a tree andshould be flexible to movein any direction. If a tree istoo stiff, even the wind canbreak it. All of this makesthe whole body lighter andmore flexible. The bambootree is symbolic of a wise person inChinese culture. They can bend to anysituation and not harm themselves bybecoming angry or distressed whenthings change.Being grounded also refers to aperson’s nature. If a person is grounded,then we consider them to be calm, wiseand settled in their behaviour. If someonenever knows what they want and arealways wanting to try different thingsinstead of developing themselves in onearea, then they are not grounded. Thesepeople are like pigeons. If they thinksomeone has thrown something tasty onthe ground, they will make a rush to tryand grab at it, often leaving what theyalready had in their mouths in the firstplace.I knew of a student who nearlyevery time hecame to class, heasked when hecould learn one ofthe moreadvanced forms inthe system. Hewas not happy tocarry on with thesyllabus and let hisbody and skilldevelop naturally. He also missed thepoint of growing naturally with hissurroundings. There were many otherstudents far more senior than him in theclass. Do you think it would have beenfair to them if the teacher taught thejunior student something that others whohad been to class every week for manyyears had not even learned? If you aretoo greedy for skill, you will never learnto taste and appreciate what you arebeing taught at that moment. If youpractise more, this will help youto be stronger both physically andemotionallyby Tse Sihn Keiemail: Sihnkei@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 58

Qi MattersCentring Through StillnessAnimals know how to conserve andreplenish Qi, and meditateinstinctively. We, on the other hand,have lost the ability to relax naturally andonly understand television, computergames, reading, or imbibing, all of whichexpend Qi, so we have to relearn thissurvival skill.Meditation is Qigong; it is a yin(passive) method. Movement is a yang(active) method. Both are necessary toachieve balance. Physical exercisewithout meditation creates yang in thebody i.e. heat, hyperactivity etc. whilemeditation alone makes the body veryyin, cold, and stiff. Movement opens theacupuncture points and channelsto receive and gather fresh Qiand release the stale whilemeditation stores Qi.Meditation is thebalance betweenconsciousness andunconsciousness. It is aboutexisting in the presentmoment - neither dwellingon the past nor worryingabout the future, and‘internalising’ the sensationsof the heart beating, Qipassing throughout the body,and the Dantian opening andclosing.The body should berelaxed before you begin.Commence by letting theQi sink down to theDantian, consciouslyrelaxing the top of thehead, then the face andneck, shoulders, upperarms, lower arms, andhands, then the chest andupper back, stomach and lower back,waist, hips, thighs, lower legs, and feet.Repeat this procedure three times andswallow the saliva as it collects in themouth.Concentrate the mind lightly onone thing (the Lower Dantian - yourcentre) to forget the other 999 thoughts.Women with heavy menstrual flowshould concentrate at the Middle Dantianinstead during their cycle. Learn to ‘letThe Chinese character for meditation means ‘sitting still and doingnothing’ while the Western term implies contemplation, an act of doing‘something’.go’ of everything. Forget the time andwhere you are, your work, possessions,even family and friends, anything whichdisturbs your mind. Eventually you forgeteven the Dantian and return to thePrenatal state where the Ren and Duchannels connect (Small Heavenly Cycleis formed). Breathing with the lungs stopsand is accomplished using the Dantianand skin. In this state you are balancedwith nature, in perfect health, and it isnot unusual to see different colours withthe ‘Sky-eye’. These are the energiesfrom the internal organs. You may seeshapes and blurred images which later“The mind is like awild horse, whichneeds to be tamed.”become clearer and you may see peopleor places, and events. These ‘messages’are received through the Baihui andShenting points on the crown of the head.It is difficult to empty the mind inthe beginning. Training the mind requiresdiscipline as with physical training.Nobody runs a marathon on the firstattempt. It must be undertaken gradually.When thoughts arise think them through,acknowledge how trivial most of themare, then forget them and return to theDantian. Try ten minutes in the beginningthen increase each session until you cancomfortably do twenty minutes or more.It takes at least ten minutes for the mindto begin to come to relax. Thirty minutesis good but actually there is no limit. Thelonger you can do it the greater the effectand the higher your level. The mind islike a wild horse, which needs to betamed. A good rider controls his steedbut a bad rider is controlled by theanimal. If the thoughts cannot besubdued the will is weak and mind isunbalanced.There are essentially threemeditation postures. Sitting, can be doneon a chair or in lotus posture (which locksthe Qi in the upper body, nourishing theinternal organs). Standing meditation ismore physical so if the body is weak thisis preferable. Lying meditation shouldreally only be practised if you are sick orbedridden, otherwise you tend to fallasleep.Many people find meditationdifficult because of back pain. Thisindicates blocked Qi and a weakDantian: A strong Dantian supports theback. You can lean against the back of achair for support but shouldn’t becometoo dependant this. Allow the back tobecome stronger naturally. Each time youwill be able to sit a little longeruntil eventually there is no painand you have healed yourself !Some styles of Qigongadvocate complex visualisationsand guiding Qi duringmeditation but this is not thenatural way. It does not allowthe mind to settle and becomeempty, and can cause sideeffects.Even sleeping expends energy.Anxiety dreams or nightmares leave usexhausted. Insomniacs take sleeping pillsto calm the mind, but this is no solution.Meditation before bed at night preparesyou for sleep. The more you meditate theless sleep and food you need as yougather Qi from natureby Adam Wallaceemail: Adam@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 60

In the past, as well as today, questions and answer sessionshave consistently played an integral part of the teaching environment.Questions & AnswersStudents of the great Masters of thepast regularly had the opportunityto ask questions about theirtraining. Chen Wei Ming’s famous book126 Questions on Tai Chi Ch’uan recordsfor posterity questions asked of YangCheng Fu over many such sessions.Cheng Man Ch’ing often took questionsin his class and included a section in someof his books setting these out.How teachers, past and present,incorporated the question and answersession into their teaching style has beenas diverse as their personalities. Thegreat Master, Marshal Ho, always beganhis teaching session by callingfor questions. Others insistedstudents waited until the endof the session before voicingtheir questions. GrandmasterWang Hao Da welcomesstudent’s questions at anypoint during his instruction.Some Masters took noquestions during class time butarranged special sessions forquestions or gaveconversational answers overtea.The importance of questions bystudents cannot be over emphasised.Questions are an indication of thestudent’s interest in the teachers’ syllabusand presentational style. Moreover theyare a mark of the student’s level ofcomprehension of the materialpresented. They show that the studenthas incorporated the teachings andresearch in a way that they are able toverbalize and demonstrate that they havebeen thinking over the informationalongside their practice.Questions are of similarimportance for the development ofteachers and aspiring Masters. Thechallenge of questions helps teachers toverbalize their knowledge in a coherentand more communicative way. It furtherhelps them to organize their thoughts toalign their syllabus of instruction with theneeds and abilities of their students. Ithelps them to be more flexible in theirinstruction and teach in harmony withthose that seek them out rather than tomaintain too rigid an agenda.Good teachers are those thatunderstand the abilities andcomprehension levels of theirstudents and present the materialat a level that their students canrise to.Answers, apart from theindividual questions, are theteacher’s realm, their stockand trade. It is their purview toadd to purely technicalinformation detail of a multidimensionalcharacter withwhich to challenge the“The student maybe unable orunwilling to hearthe message”individual or members of the class togreater evolution than the mere questionitself voiced. Answers often take on aspiritual dimension in their multi-facetedchallenge to the student’s question.From the student’s perspectiveanswers may speak directly in responseto their question on a technical level orcontain some hidden meaning. In thiscase it is hoped that they perceive theunderlying dimensions and contemplatethe answer for some time. Occasionallythe student may ask questions repeatedlyand receive answers, which they areunable or unwilling to hear, untilnecessary changes take place.Rarely the student may be unableor unwilling to hear the message theteacher is communicating to the studentvia their answer and discontinue theirpursuit of their studies altogether. Thisunfortunate situation is due to characterfaults within the student, which theteacher may be trying to correct.Occasionally we hear of teacherswho refuse completely to take questionsf r o mtheir students. There are alsothose teachers who discouragestudents from asking questionsby replying in sarcastic orabusive ways, attempting tohumiliate the student in front ofthe class. These arequestionable practices at bestand indicate that the teacher has someflaw of character or knowledge, whichthey are trying to disguise.In the past, as well as today,questions and answer sessions haveconsistently played an integral part of theteaching environment. The nature of howthese sessions were handled has beenas diverse as the individuals hosting theclasses. Regardless of personalityhowever the material revealed cameabout as a result of students’ individualquestions and helped not just them butmany members of the class. ThoseMasters and teachers generous enoughto share their knowledge have likewisebenefited from question and answersession and are able to continue theirdevelopment.This method of instruction, bothtraditional and modern, works to createa self-perpetuating environment whereharmony, understanding, and growth,flourish for the benefit of allby J. Reynolds Nelsonemail: JRN@qimagazine.comInternal MattersQi Magazine 61