Thursday, January 15, 2009
How to differentiate Tai Chi from Qigong
True Taijiquan should have a martial arts aspect to it. Taiji evolved as a
martial arts branch of Qigong after all. Remove the self-defense applications
from it, andyou may be practicing Qigong, but certainly not Taijiquan.
Unfortunately, the majority of Taiji teachers that I have come across
in America are lacking the knowledge of how to apply this art
properly. What is even more shocking to me is the number of Taijiquan
teachers that have no understanding of Qi! The forms will be empty
and at best you will be receiving some physical benefit from the
movements. My first piece of advice is find a good teacher. They do
exist, but are hard to find!
To be considered Qigong there are 3 things that must be present.
Breathing, intention, and movement. If you are not doing all of these
things you are not practicing Qigong. So if you are just meditating
you are not practicing Qigong. If you are just breathing you are not
practicing Qigong. If you are just moving you are not practicing
Qigong. All 3 things must be present. Allow me to explain a bit further.
Any one of the 3 elements can be big or small, internal or external.
If we are doing a movement form such as the 8 Pieces it is easy to
spot the fact that we are moving. We should also be mindful to
breathe naturally whether the breath is coordinated with the movement
or not. Finally we should have an intention. Our intention can be as
simple as "I am practicing Qigong". Every time our mind is distracted
we remind ourselves that we are just practicing Qigong and nothing
else. This keeps the monkey mind from wandering and keeps us present
in the moment. We can also use our intention to benefit our organs as
we learn the form more.
We can also practice meditation or standing post and make it Qigong.
First, we can have a focus on our breathing. Focus can be light or
strong depending on our intention. If we have the intention of
starting a fire in our lower belly, we will need to have a strong
intention and strong wind (breath). Strong wind is created through
very relaxed breathing though, not forced breathing. Finally we need
to have movement. When we are standing or sitting the movement will
occur more internally than externally. Externally we may still have
the movement of our lower belly, but we will have internal movement as
well as the Qi flows between our lower dan tian and mingmen.
So no matter what you practice just try to make sure that breathing,
intention and movement are present. Try to find the movement in your
stillness and the stillness in your movement.
martial arts branch of Qigong after all. Remove the self-defense applications
from it, andyou may be practicing Qigong, but certainly not Taijiquan.
Unfortunately, the majority of Taiji teachers that I have come across
in America are lacking the knowledge of how to apply this art
properly. What is even more shocking to me is the number of Taijiquan
teachers that have no understanding of Qi! The forms will be empty
and at best you will be receiving some physical benefit from the
movements. My first piece of advice is find a good teacher. They do
exist, but are hard to find!
To be considered Qigong there are 3 things that must be present.
Breathing, intention, and movement. If you are not doing all of these
things you are not practicing Qigong. So if you are just meditating
you are not practicing Qigong. If you are just breathing you are not
practicing Qigong. If you are just moving you are not practicing
Qigong. All 3 things must be present. Allow me to explain a bit further.
Any one of the 3 elements can be big or small, internal or external.
If we are doing a movement form such as the 8 Pieces it is easy to
spot the fact that we are moving. We should also be mindful to
breathe naturally whether the breath is coordinated with the movement
or not. Finally we should have an intention. Our intention can be as
simple as "I am practicing Qigong". Every time our mind is distracted
we remind ourselves that we are just practicing Qigong and nothing
else. This keeps the monkey mind from wandering and keeps us present
in the moment. We can also use our intention to benefit our organs as
we learn the form more.
We can also practice meditation or standing post and make it Qigong.
First, we can have a focus on our breathing. Focus can be light or
strong depending on our intention. If we have the intention of
starting a fire in our lower belly, we will need to have a strong
intention and strong wind (breath). Strong wind is created through
very relaxed breathing though, not forced breathing. Finally we need
to have movement. When we are standing or sitting the movement will
occur more internally than externally. Externally we may still have
the movement of our lower belly, but we will have internal movement as
well as the Qi flows between our lower dan tian and mingmen.
So no matter what you practice just try to make sure that breathing,
intention and movement are present. Try to find the movement in your
stillness and the stillness in your movement.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Divine Performing Arts & The Dangers of Falun Dafa
When I bought my wife and I tickets to attend The "Divine Performing Arts" show at the new Durham Performing Arts Center, I had anticipated seeing a display of Chinese history displayed through vibrant Classical Chinese dance. I certainly never expected it would lead to me writing a warning about the dangers of practicing a style of Qigong known as Falun Dafa or Falun Gong.
The dances were quite colorful and rather beautiful to watch, but as the performances moved along I began to feel like I was being initiated into the doctrines of Falun Gong. A majority of the dances revolved around the theme of Falon Dafa and the wondrous good it can do for humanity. To someone with true knowledge of this particular art form, it was a disturbing prospect to say the least.
Let me preface my explanation of Falun Dafa, by saying that I am not in the habit of trying to belittle other styles of Qigong or any movement therapy for that matter. On the contrary, I feel that there are many wonderful forms of self-healing that offer different paths to the same destination. The one exception I have found is none other than Falun Gong. This style is particularly dangerous, and was created by someone seeking fame and fortune only. There are Falun groups forming all across America, as evidenced by the groups that practice in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, which are located in my region of the country. There are currently three touring companies of "Divine Performing Arts" promoting the amazing good that Falun can bring to all of us. Read on to discover why this is such a scary prospect to me...
The main reason I originally knew about Falun Dafa, and that it should be avoided, is due to my original Qigong teacher, Master Binhui He. Master He told of how Li Hongzhi portrayed himself as a true Qigong Master with extraordinary abilities such as being able to fly and walk through walls. Master He joked and said Li Hongzhi could not even levitate himself one inch off the ground let alone fly. Li Hongzhi is what is known as a "false master". Someone who portrays himself as a Master of Qigong, but is nothing more than a charlatan out to defraud people of their money.
The worst part is not that many people threw away their money attending his classes and buying his books, but that some students hallucinated due to the bad practice and threw themselves off of buildings believing they could fly just like their teacher. Qigong is a very powerful tool when it reaches the emotional and spiritual levels, and should be practiced under the guidance of a good teacher. When practiced properly there is no danger of mind deviations, as students understand how to deal with whatever happens to them during a practice session. Li Hongzhi's Falun Gong was powerful enough to alter people's minds, but sadly he did not have the understanding to guide them properly. In fact, his portrayal as someone with extraordinary abilities led his students down an extremely dangrous path.
I agree 100% with my teacher, Master He, that Li Hongzhi should be persecuted for his fakery which resulted in innocent deaths, but other students of Falun were simply misled and should not be punished. The Chinese government went too far by trying to persecute practitioners and forbid the practice of Falun Dafa.
Falun Dafa has spread like wildfire not just in China, but in the U.S. and other countries as well. It has all the bearings of a cult, and may be the largest cult in the World today. You will find many websites promoting the art or reputing the dangers of the art, so I will let you be your own judge and follow your own intuition. I have made it fairly clear about my own feelings.
Here is a link to an article about Sima Nan, a man who set out to expose the truth about Li Hongzhi - click here.
Wishing you abundant Qi,
Jeff Simonton
www.qigongwellness.com
The dances were quite colorful and rather beautiful to watch, but as the performances moved along I began to feel like I was being initiated into the doctrines of Falun Gong. A majority of the dances revolved around the theme of Falon Dafa and the wondrous good it can do for humanity. To someone with true knowledge of this particular art form, it was a disturbing prospect to say the least.
Let me preface my explanation of Falun Dafa, by saying that I am not in the habit of trying to belittle other styles of Qigong or any movement therapy for that matter. On the contrary, I feel that there are many wonderful forms of self-healing that offer different paths to the same destination. The one exception I have found is none other than Falun Gong. This style is particularly dangerous, and was created by someone seeking fame and fortune only. There are Falun groups forming all across America, as evidenced by the groups that practice in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, which are located in my region of the country. There are currently three touring companies of "Divine Performing Arts" promoting the amazing good that Falun can bring to all of us. Read on to discover why this is such a scary prospect to me...
The main reason I originally knew about Falun Dafa, and that it should be avoided, is due to my original Qigong teacher, Master Binhui He. Master He told of how Li Hongzhi portrayed himself as a true Qigong Master with extraordinary abilities such as being able to fly and walk through walls. Master He joked and said Li Hongzhi could not even levitate himself one inch off the ground let alone fly. Li Hongzhi is what is known as a "false master". Someone who portrays himself as a Master of Qigong, but is nothing more than a charlatan out to defraud people of their money.
The worst part is not that many people threw away their money attending his classes and buying his books, but that some students hallucinated due to the bad practice and threw themselves off of buildings believing they could fly just like their teacher. Qigong is a very powerful tool when it reaches the emotional and spiritual levels, and should be practiced under the guidance of a good teacher. When practiced properly there is no danger of mind deviations, as students understand how to deal with whatever happens to them during a practice session. Li Hongzhi's Falun Gong was powerful enough to alter people's minds, but sadly he did not have the understanding to guide them properly. In fact, his portrayal as someone with extraordinary abilities led his students down an extremely dangrous path.
I agree 100% with my teacher, Master He, that Li Hongzhi should be persecuted for his fakery which resulted in innocent deaths, but other students of Falun were simply misled and should not be punished. The Chinese government went too far by trying to persecute practitioners and forbid the practice of Falun Dafa.
Falun Dafa has spread like wildfire not just in China, but in the U.S. and other countries as well. It has all the bearings of a cult, and may be the largest cult in the World today. You will find many websites promoting the art or reputing the dangers of the art, so I will let you be your own judge and follow your own intuition. I have made it fairly clear about my own feelings.
Here is a link to an article about Sima Nan, a man who set out to expose the truth about Li Hongzhi - click here.
Wishing you abundant Qi,
Jeff Simonton
www.qigongwellness.com
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]