About Qi Gong
Qi Gong is a set of exercises from a standing or seated position that have been in existence for thousands of years. There are hundreds of different Qi Gong sets.
Qi Gong sets are completed slowly, with coordinated breathwork and can range from very simple basic movements to very deep meditative practices.
After teaching me the first Qi Gong set and other kung fu in his system, my teacher refused to teach me any Tai Chi for 3.5 years until certain requirements were met, such was the importance of our Qi Gong to prepare the body for Tai Chi practice.
In our system we do not use the imagination in any way to generate feelings. My teacher would say we are ‘scientists’, using what we physically have to explore this work and improve our health, not making things up in the mind.
With the common side effects of:
Building strength in the legs
Producing feelings of calm
Getting our minds in our bodies and out of our heads
Learning to drop the tailbone (sit on the stool) which will be used in the Tai Chi form practice too
Improve coordination
Stretch out and relax the muscles
Lengthen the tendons
Pump the lymphatic system
Regulate blood pressure
The use of the Qi Gong sets in our system are used specifically to:
Students at later levels in the system, Level 3: Earth, tend to be more stretched out and relaxed (some have said taller!) and certainly experience the Yin Qi of feeling ‘magnetised’ to the floor during standing work and can apply the ‘internal compass points’ which is simply my teacher’s analogy for more advanced classical teaching.
The good news is that, for many students, Level One: Water is enough, with those initial benefits getting richer as they practice.
“Thoroughly enjoyed the course. Very clear instruction with a lot of background detail which increased ability to learn and remember moves. Robert very patient and knowledgeable.”
— Kay Porter