Living Healthy NC

Sign up now for the new Qigong Wellness Program

2009-08-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

The first Qigong workshop taking place Saturday, August 22 at the North Raleigh Community Church will focus on Qigong Fundamentals 1. This will be an excellent introduction to the world of Qigong and Tai Chi, and is also suitable for those with experience. For those that start in August I will be inviting you to join in a special online web conference with Sifu David Chin on August 13. Sifu Chin is the Grandmaster of Hop Gar Kung Fu and Sin Tien Wuji Tai Chi Qigong. He is an incredible source of knowledge and his words always contain pearls of wisdom. We will be studying many aspects of his wonderful Qigong sytem in my workshops. You will not want to miss his web conference!

New Monthly Qigong Wellness Membership Program!

2009-07-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Announcing the new Qigong Wellness Monthly Membership Program

I am very excited to be offering a brand new way to study Qigong beginning in August. I have created a very affordable Monthly Membership program that will be filled with benefits for the members. The goal is to teach students the art of Qigong in a systematic order so they are able to go deeper and deeper in their studies.

I feel this approach will be far superior to a once a week ongoing class, which can only touch the very surface of what Qigong has to offer. Intuitively, re-starting a regular once-per-week class did not feel correct to me, and so through inner reflection and consulting the I Ching I came up with this new approach. The style of Qigong we will be studying is my own creation, which I have named "Shen Ti".

Shen Ti Qigong is a blend of all the knowledge I have gained in my studies of Qigong, which began in 1999. Roughly translated "Shen Ti" means health or the human body. You must first have a healthy body before progressing to deeper levels of practice. Through the practice of Shen Ti Qigong my students will slowly learn how to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual health.

The Monthly Membership Program will work as follows:

Week One - A workshop will be held the first Saturday of each month focused on a specific aspect of Qigong.

Week Two - An email will be sent out reinforcing aspects of the workshop. Other topics on health, diet, Taoism, and the practice of Qigong may be included as well.

Week Three - An hour long class will be held one evening from 6-7 p.m. to encourage and support your Qigong practice.

Week Four - The last week of the month will be designated to one of the following activities:
A) Discussing an aspect of Taoism or Qigong via an online chat
B) Completing a reading or listening assignment to improve your understanding of important concepts related to our practice.

Extras:
From time to time I will invite a guest speaker to attend our class, so we can benefit from their offering. It is important to have a core practice, but we can always add a new dimension to our practice through the insights of various teachers. I also plan to offer at least one weekend Qigong retreat per year.

For students that are interested I will be offering Shen Ti Qigong Certifications. These certifications are designed to let me know you have a basic understanding of each level of material.

Check the website or sign up on my mailing list to receive details on the starting date for the program!

Wishing you all abundant Qi!

Summer in the Triangle

2009-06-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area of North Carolina offers abundant opportunities to get out and commune with nature. It is usually a much different experience practicing Qigong outdoors as opposed to only practicing indoors. Ideally it is best to practice barefoot amidst a number of large trees. This is the easiest way to connect with Earth and nature Qi.

It is important to remember that Qigong should bring about an awareness that pervades everything we do. You should feel more connected in all your activities. I encourage you all to walk through the grass barefoot and enjoy the feeling of the rich texture on your feet. Think back to the simple joy of being a child and running through the grass, dirt, or sand. Wearing shoes all the time can disconnect you from one of the largest sources of energy available. The varied surfaces in nature such as grass, pebbles, sand, sticks, mud, all can have a therapeutic affect upon the feet. The one manmade surface to avoid barefoot is concrete. If you leave a car battery sitting directly on concrete it will actually drain the power from the battery. Imagine what it might do to us!

Of course it is not necessary to do a Qigong form to feel the energy of nature. Just get out and enjoy the parks, lakes, rivers, or greenway trails. Clear your mind of all the toxic junk and enjoy what our wonderful area of the country has to offer.

Wishing you all abundant Qi!

New Qigong Workshop Coming Soon

2009-06-12T10:17:00.001-07:00

It has been quite a while since my last post, but I do have some things in development. I am planning a new series of workshops in the Triangle Region, with the first one beginning in July. It will be simply titled "Qigong Fundamentals One" and will cover the essential groundwork for a student. The workshop is suitable for people brand new to Qigong as well as experienced students.

Some of the things we will cover in the workshop include:

Shamanic shaking practice
Ridding the body of sick Qi
Gathering Qi from the three sources
Joint lubrication exercises
Waking the organs
Alleviating stagnation
Wuji posture
Wisdom Fire standing post meditation
Taiji walk

Be sure to sign up on my mailing to find out the date of this workshop and more to come. I plan to offer workshops in locations convenient to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and

Wishing everyone abundant Qi!

How to differentiate Tai Chi from Qigong

2009-01-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

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.

The Divine Performing Arts & The Dangers of Falun Dafa

2009-01-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

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 8 Pieces of Brocade

2008-12-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

The 8 Pieces of Brocade is a short Qigong form I often use in both workshops and classes throughout the Triangle region of North Carolina. At Meadowmont in Chapel Hill we often use this form as a warm-up, as it offers many wonderful health benefits such as balancing the five essential organs, as well as providing us with some stretching.

I am posting this outline mostly as an aid for my previous students that enjoyed this form, so they can refer to it. I will certainly be teaching it as part of a workshop in 2009 in Cary, Raleigh, Durham, or other areas close to the Triangle.

The 8 Pieces of Brocade
Ba Duan Jin
Shaolin Version

Stand in Wuji posture

Opening:
• Raise the palms to join the Qi together
• Raise the palms slowly just like lifting the Sun
• Join the hands at the point of the Bahui
• Drop the hands to the chest and exhale slowly to regulate the internal organs
• Release hands to your sides. Draw the hands back up to the level of the lower dan tian and hold in position with palms facing up. (Men should have left hand on top of right, women right hand on top of left).

Form 1 (8 times)
Uphold Heaven with the hands to alleviate the Sanjoa
Lift all your Qi out to the world. Bring hands to bahui point

The sanjiao
In Chinese the sanjiao means the three cavities. The xin-heart and the fei-lung are in the upper jiao (the chest), and they transport qi and blood to all parts of the body in order to nourish the body. The pi-spleen and stomach are in the middle jiao (the epiastrium) and they digest and absorb food. The shen-kidney and bladder are in the lower jiao (the hypogastrium) and they control water metabolism and the storage and excretion of water. The sanjiao is also sometimes called the triple warmer organ. This is because the three body cavities are intended to control the body temperature.

Join the fingers and raise arms slowly above the head with palms facing up (inhaling). Stretch the arms and body. Let hands descend to rest on top of your head or bahui point (exhaling).

On final movement stretch arms above the head (inhaling) and release the arms to your side (exhaling). Return hands to lower dan tian position (palms facing up at lower dan tian).

This exercise helps harmonize the Earth element (spleen & stomach)

Form 2 (8 times)
Draw the bow to shoot the hawk – lungs

Step out with your right foot to widen your stance. Sweep your right arm across your body and begin shifting your weight into your right leg as your right arm begins to pull the imaginary bow string. Your left arm should extend to your left side with the first and middle fingers extended (sword fingers). You are aiming up into the sky. Switch sides by beginning to sweep the left arm across your body and shift your weight into your left leg. Pull the bow string with your left arm and extend the right. Inhale when opening & expanding, exhale when switching sides & contracting.

Close by stepping your right foot back in to shoulder-width distance. Inhale and draw your arms up on both sides. Exhale and wash down the front of your body. Return palms to lower dan tian position.

This exercise harmonizes the metal element (lungs).

Form 3 (8 times)
Separate Yin & Yang – Harmonize the spleen & stomach
Raise left hand overhead with palm up and fingers pointing inwards while pressing right hand downward with palm facing the floor and fingers pointing forward. The right hand should be slightly behind the body when fully extended. Switch and raise the right palm above the head while pushing the left palm towards the ground. Inhale when separating & stretching, exhale when contracting and switching hand positions.

On the final repetition inhale with right hand up and left hand down, exhale in position. Inhale and raise the left arm above the head, exhale while washing both hands down to the sides. Return palms to lower dan tian position.

Form 4 (8 times)
Looking backward for the prevention of consumption (tuberculosis)

Step out to the right to slightly widen your stance. Drop both hands down in front of the left leg. Sweep both arms up on the right, above the head, and down the left side (while inhaling). Twist the upper part of your body until you are facing backwards, place the left hand on the right hip and the right hand on the left hip (exhale).

Gently unwind until you are facing forward and both hands are in front of the right leg. Sweep both arms up on the left, above the head, and down the left side (while inhaling). Twist the upper part of your body until you are facing backwards, place the left hand on the right hip and the right hand on the left hip (exhale).

After the final repetition, inhale while raising the arms extended to each side. Exhale and wash down the front of the body. Return palms to lower dan tian position.

Form 5 (8 times)
Holding the fists tightly and staring with angry eyes to increase strength and eliminate anger. Practice slowly & with willpower. The punching hand passes over the hand pulling the Qi back in towards the body

Step out with your right foot to widen your stance. Curl your hands into fists and hold them at the hips. Glare as if angry. Punch with the left hand and exhale loudly through the mouth. Relax the hands and eyes, and begin drawing the left hand back towards the body (gathering Qi). Inhale as the left hand continues to pull back. Clench the fists and punch with the right hand while exhaling loudly. (My preferred method is to do four punches with each hand to the front and then four punches with each hand to the left and right sides).

After the final repetition step back in until the feet are shoulder-width apart. Inhale while raising the arms extended to each side. Exhale and wash down the front of the body. Return palms to lower dan tian position.

This exercise harmonizes the wood element or liver.

Form 6 (8 times)
Jump with toes to prevent all kinds of illness

Interlock your fingers and place the back of your hands over your kidney area (lower back). Inhale and come up as high as you can on your toes. Exhale, drop and allow your feet to bounce lightly. The hands slide down the back when coming up on the toes, and slide up the back when the heels drop to the floor. Rubbing the back aids the kidneys.

Inhale and draw your hands up the front of your body, exhale and wash down with the arms extended out to the sides. Return palms to lower dan tian position.

Form 7 (8 times)
Shake the head and wave the tail to rid the heart of excess fire
Step out with your right foot to widen your stance. Rest your hands on your thighs with the fingers on the inside of your legs. Inhale and rise up slightly in the center position. Stretch the left and lower your head towards the floor while rotating across and coming up on the right side. Reverse and do the opposite way.

After the final repetition step back in until the feet are shoulder-width apart. Inhale while raising the arms extended to each side. Exhale and wash down the front of the body. Return palms to lower dan tian position.

This exercise harmonizes the fire element or heart.

Form 8 (8 times)
Hold the knees with two hands to strengthen the kidneys
Join the fingers together and inhale while drawing your hands up to just below your chin. Exhale and stretch towards the toes (only stretch 70% to begin). Repeat this movement 4 times stretching a little deeper each time. Place your hands above the knees. Inhale and come half way up. Look straight ahead and try to keep the back straight. Exhale and stretch. Repeat 4 times.

Inhale and draw both hands up the front center of your body. Exhale while washing both hands down to the sides.

CLOSING

• Raise the palms to join the Qi together
• Raise the palms slowly just like lifting the Sun
• Join the hands at the point of the Bahui
• Drop the hands to the chest and exhale slowly to regulate the internal organs
• Slowly lower the hands to the level of the lower dan tian and rest your palms on your lower abdomen. For men have your right hand resting on top of your left hand. For women have left hand on top of right. Focus your attention on your lower dan tian area and deepen your breathing. Attempt to remain in this position until you feel warmth being generated in the lower dan tian area.

2008-12-27T17:09:00.001-08:00

Hello all,

In this blog I will be posting various tips on healthy living, especially for those of us living in the Triangle area of North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all surrounding communities). My first post is simply a reprint of my last newsletter. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter on the homepage to be kept informed of the latest workshops and classes being offered throughout the Triangle region of North Carolina.

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Over the last year as I took on a larger role with UNC Wellness I found it difficult to make workshops available and start new ongoing classes. Now that I have settled in to my role as a manager, I feel confident I will be able to offer many more classes in 2009. In fact, I have some rather lofty goals in mind for the coming year.

Before I get into what the future holds let me talk briefly about the present. I am personally using the end of the calendar year to focus on self-cultivation. This is the time of the year when it is necessary to build energy or Qi in order to remain healthy during the colder winter months, when we are more prone to get ill. Often we do just the opposite, as the Holiday season can also be a very hectic time of year for people.

It was during a recent workshop I attended with the amazing Master Zhongxian Wu that reinforced this concept for me. He announced that he would be using the remainder of this year to focus on self-cultivation, and I suddenly recalled how my original Qigong teacher, Master Binhui He, had also stressed the importance of extra practice this time of year to remain healthy. No matter what your level of practice or discipline at the moment, this is an important lesson to keep in mind. So as you think about all you need to do before the Holidays really arrive, give yourself a present by staying mindful of your own health.