Important Guidance for the Solar Eclipse: What You Should Know

Greetings YOQI community!

This Wednesday, October 2nd, we will experience a powerful cosmic event: an annular solar eclipse, also known as the "Ring of Fire." As many of you have asked me what Qigong practices are appropriate for this time, I want to share an important piece of guidance: it’s not an optimal time for energy work.

During an eclipse, yin and yang are not stable. The ancient texts of Daoist alchemy warn us to avoid Qigong and internal alchemy practices during extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and lightening storms as well as eclipses.

In Thailand, where I have lived for over 20 years, villagers traditionally bang on pots and pans during an eclipse to scatter negative energy and scare away evil spirits that may come around. While this may seem like a superstition, it has roots in Vedic Astrology. The eclipse brings a profound energetic transition, and for the hour during an eclipse, especially if it’s visible to you, it is best to avoid doing Qigong or any form of energy cultivation. It’s also not a good time to make big decisions or take risks.

Instead, I encourage you to stay home, center your energy, and wait until the eclipse has passed. Afterward, it’s a wonderful time to do Qigong to reset and balance your energy - such as the Daily Qigong Routine or the Five Element Flow for Abundance.

However, during the eclipse, there’s still something positive you can focus on: peace. When the forces of yin and yang—the sun and moon—are in such extreme movement, there is a lot of energy flowing, both negative and positive. This is a perfect moment to embrace peace and focus on positive energy. Here's what you can do instead:

• Take Time to Rest: The eclipse is a time for stillness. It’s the perfect moment to simply observe without trying to manipulate or cultivate your energy.

• Stay Grounded: Focus on grounding activities that help you stay centered, such as relaxing in nature, drinking plenty of water, and simply being in the present moment.

• Focus on loving kindness and peace: When energy is shifting and other dimensions are open, chanting the Metta Meditation is a powerful way to protect your energy and contribute to peace on the planet. Here is the Buddhist Metta Mantra to radiate universal kindness to all beings:

Let’s use this enhanced moment of energetic transition to cultivate peace within ourselves and share that peace with the world around us.

After the eclipse, return to your Qigong practice to restore balance and harmony.

Wishing you peace,
Marisa

LET NATURE GUIDE YOUR QIGONG PRACTICE

When someone asks me what Qigong practices I do, my answer is always the same: I practice according to the seasons!

The basic principle of Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine is to align your energy with nature. Every animal instinctually knows how to adapt to the seasons and maximize their Qi. Winter is a time to conserve and nourish, Spring is a time to move and grow, Summer is a time to sing and express, Late Summer is to balance and harvest and Autumn is a time to let go and prepare.

Each season offers us a gift of Qi that we can tune into and cultivate within ourselves. For example, the energy of Spring is rising yang Qi. The element is Wood, which has the characteristic of growth, resiliency and direction. The organ that is most active during Spring is the liver. Therefore, during Spring the best Qigong exercises balance the rising and falling action of Qi, expands the Qi in all directions, support the liver and cultivate growth.

A great way to choose practice according to the season is to use the Jié Qì calendar. Seasonal energy revolves around the four great shifts of Yin and Yang that create one solar calendar year: the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. Connecting these four days are 24 terms that the Chinese call Jié Qì. Jié Qì were created by the farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities. This precise seasonal calendar sets the dates of the seasons and holidays.

WHEN DOES LATE SUMMER BEGIN AND END?

The Jie Qi calendar is organized according to the cycles of Yin and Yang. In the Jie Qi calendar, Autumn officially begins on August 7th and peaks on the Autumn Equinox. This period is called the Old Tiger of Autumn, or Late Summer. Late Summer is a time when the weather is unpredictable. Days can be hot and humid, and nights fluxuate between very hot to cold. The dates of late Summer season depend on the latitude, longitute and altitude of where you live. In high altitudes and latitudes, like the High Tatra mountains of Slovakia, Late Summer can be very short and autumn can arrive in August. While in other places, like Southern California, late summer lasts until the end of September. The Autumn Equinox marks the peak of transition from yang to yin. The day after the Autumn Equinox, Yin energy begins its full rise and dominance and signs of autumn begin to appear - the smell of the air changes, evenings become cold and the leaves turn the first shades of yellow and begin to fall.

WHEN DOES WINTER END AND SPRING BEGIN?

Many people also ask when to begin Qigong practices for Spring. According to the Jie Qi, Spring begins February 4th. But in many places, it is still snowing and cold. Therefore, like the transition from Summer to Autumn, February is a transitional time. Although it is not formally ruled by the Earth Element as Late Summer is, it is still a good time to focus on Earth centered Qigong practices and nourishing the Spleen, Stomach and Lower Dantian. This will give you a strong foundation and Earth Element to balance the upcoming rising Wood energy.

Choosing routines according to seasonal cycles keeps our Qigong practice exciting and fun! There are over 300 Qigong Flow movements in the YOQI system and there is no way you can do all of them in week, and you don’t need to. That’s why I developed the YOQI system of the Six Phases of Qi Flow. Each YOQI seasonal routine applies the traditional system of energy regulation to the seasons. Simply click on the SEASONAL ROUTINES category in the video on demand library and choose the seasonal series that applies to your hemisphere.

If you live near the equator or in the tropics you may not experience drastic seasons, but you can still practice according to the cycles of energy. Often in the tropics, the rainy season period of Late Summer lasts longer than other seasons, which means that you need to focus more on balancing the Late Summer Series that focuses on the Earth Element, the spleen and stomach. My advice is to still follow the Jie Qi Calendar according to your hemisphere and listen to your body and nature. You know what works if you feel good!

PRACTICE THE SPRING SERIES ON DEMAND! CLICK HERE

Video On Demand Winter Practice Guide

“The three months of winter denote closing and storage. Water freezes and the earth breaks open. Do not disturb the yang: go to bed early and rise late. "
-Su Wen Chapter 2

The darkest days of the year are upon us and we are counting down to the end of the year! With such a life changing year coming to a close, this winter is a special one. While Autumn energy supports our ability to let go, winter supports our ability to nourish the spirit. Right now, every moment is a supreme opportunity to align our spirit with the new waves of cosmic energy that are coming in through relaxation and surrender.

The Chinese character for the word winter is an image of the sun locked up and stored in an upside down bottle. (see character on the right) This is a clever way to show us that the energy of winter is closing and storage. All of nature is in a state of stillness and hibernation. Winter is defined as the the end of the seasons; it is the darkest, coldest, most yin time of the year. Therefore, it's the best time of year to conserve our energy and nourish our qi. Qigong practices for winter emphasize stillness and inward reflection, sleeping longer hours or taking naps, nourishing our qi and maintaining internal warmth throughout the organs especially in the lower dantian, our internal furnace. The YOQI Winter Series contains a variety of these seasonal practices to attune your energy with winter.

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Physically, winter qigong practices focus on the organs of the water element: the kidneys and bladder.

In the Five Element Phases of Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter expresses the water element. In your body, the water element particularly affects your kidneys, bladder, fluids and brain. The kidneys are considered the energy batteries of the body. They store the yuan qi, the precious gift of innate qi that we inherited from our parents. They also store the reserve qi, jing qi, which effects our general energy and sexual potency. When our kidney energy is weak the whole body becomes weak and we cannot actualize our full potential or will power. The kidneys also regulate the water element, our body fluids and the blood.

Because the kidneys are so critical to our state of vitality, there are thousands of qigong practices that focus on cleansing, nourishing and refining the kidney qi. In the winter the qigong classics suggest that we pay extra attention to conserve our energy and use nourishing life qigong practices that focus on the kidneys (called Yang Sheng). All of our WINTER SERIES practices combine effective nourishing life qigong techniques to support the kidney and bladder with focus on purging, tonifying, circulating and complete routines.

Emotionally our qigong will focus on transforming fear or fright into trust and tranquility.

Can you imagine what it was like for the ancient people to survive the winter season? It was a time of danger, scarcity and death. Even today with our modern luxuries, those who live in remote locations are familiar with the trials of snowstorms and the priority of warmth and resources. Therefore, the natural emotion that resonates with winter is fear or fright.

One of the unique principles of Taoist wisdom is that emotions are not stored in the mind, they are stored in the organs and tissues of our body. In particular, the emotions of fear and fright are stored in the kidneys. As we work with the kidneys in this season's routines, we will be naturally transforming fear into trust and tranquility. As a result of this transformation, the emotional virtue or spirit of the kidneys that arises is zhi, meaning will power. When our will power is in a state of optimal balance we  have a natural sense of confidence that we project into the world to promote peace and connection. This seasons QIGONG FLOW FOR HEALTHY CONFIDENCE is a fun and dynamic routine that empowers our zhi, the emotional virtue of winter.

Energetically, winter supports your ability to reflect inward and cultivate awareness.

In Yin and Yang theory, winter is called the time of “Great Yin” (tai yin 太陰). Yin denotes darkness, while yang is light. Winter teaches us to become still and awaken the awareness of our senses.

One of the best practices to attune your energy with the yin energy of winter is meditation. This season’s Guided Qigong + Meditation to Awaken Awareness is a strategic series of awareness exercises that are designed to bring forth your true nature. This meditation is inspired by the Buddhist Heart Sutra, Xin Jin.

There is a saying in Chinese medicine: “When there is no movement there is pain. Create movement and there is no pain.” (不通則痛, 通則不痛).
 
The weather pattern and pathogen associated with winter is cold (han 寒). Cold creates Yin, which is actually a lack of movement. The polar opposite of Yin is Yang (summer season). Yang represents the full expression of movement.

When Qi moves into an extreme Yin state at a particular place in the body or particular time, the result is pain. Therefore, pain is a disease that expresses the Yin nature of winter. Pain and stiffness are the result of a lack of movement in the Qi, the meridian channels, the blood, the fluids and tissues.  So, while we focus on conserving Qi in winter, we must also be careful that our energy does not become cold. The ideal is to be still and internally warm at the same time. We instinctively do this in the winter by staying inside, lighting a fire, sleeping in a warm cozy bed and wearing warm clothing.

Since pain is a disease of stagnation and Yin, the treatment is to move and stay warm. Outdoor exercise is fine because warmth occurs, but sweating and becoming wet outdoors in the winter is to be avoided. If you do some outdoor exercise in winter, make sure to dry off and stay warm upon completion. Ice bathing has become a popular practice this winter, but according to Chinese Medicine if your Qi is weak, a cold plunge will result in a flu. So, choose carefully.

The YOQI Winter Series Qigong Flow to Purge is an invigorating routine designed to move stagnation, warm the internal organs (especially the kidneys) move the blood and warm the Qi in the lower dantian. We’ll also use a technique called Pai Da (拍打), body hitting, to stimulate blood circulation and open key acupressure points on the kidney and bladder meridians, creating warmth and internal flow.

When should I choose to do a purging routine?

Winter Purging routines are great practices on days when you feel extra tension in the body, stress, emotional imbalance, fear, cold hands and feet, lethargic, or have stiffness in the muscles and joints. Winter purging is also great practice to strengthen the Wei Qi field, to prevent cold and flu.

To tonify means to strengthen, support and nourish your Qi. In Chinese this is called Yang Qi Fa (nourishing qi method). Because the kidneys store our reserve Qi, called jing (life essence), and winter corresponds to the kidneys, now is an important time to "nourish the storage" and give extra support to the kidneys and the blood.

The energy point on the body for nourishing the kidneys is the ming men or life gate. The ming men is like a switch that regulates the flow of vital qi through the body and balances the kidney yin and kidney yang energy. The ming men and the lower dantian are closely related: any exercise that builds the energy of the dantian also strengthens the ming men. Therefore, our tonification exercises this season are slower and gentle meditative movements that focus on building internal energy in the lower dantian and ming men. A nap or still seated meditation after this practice is highly recommended.

When should I choose to do a tonification routine?
Most everyone can benefit from tonification qigong. Those who should be careful with

tonification are those who are in an acute stage of a flu, virus or disease. There are specific tonification exercises for diseases such as cancer that focus in on specific organs and these should be prescribed through personal consultation with a medical qigong doctor.

The element of winter is water. Water has the tendency to sink downwards, expressing closing and storage. Recent studies on bio-electricity pose the theory that qi is conducted through the water-gel substance that connects our tissues, called fascia. When our body is fluid and water flows, we are healthy and full of Qi. If our internal waterways become stagnant, illness arises. Circulation qigong use flowing movements, breath and mental intention to nourish the tissues, energize organs, recycle internal energy, refine the qi and irrigate the meridian pathways. An interesting side effect you may notice after qigong and meditation is an increase of saliva in the mouth. This is a good sign of water Qi circulation!
 
The energy in our bodies flows through numerous channels called meridians. The meridians can also be likened to rivers. The mother of all rivers is called the Central Meridian (Zhong Mai).  It is the main conduit of energy in our energy system. The Central Meridian channel runs through the core of your body from the crown of the head through the pelvic floor to the earth. 

When energy flows freely through the Central Meridian all its tributaries benefit. In our Winter Series Circulate routine, we focus on circulating Qi through the Central Meridian. Then we will direct the flow through the kidney and bladder meridians. The routine finishes with the Small Heavenly Circuit, moving energy through the Du Mai and Ren Mai.
 
When should I choose to do a circulation routine?
 
Circulation routines are a more advanced form of Qigong practice that use the mind to guide the Qi. Choose winter circulation practices when you have an ample amount of qi and are ready to raise and refine your frequency. In other words, circulate when you feel good and have fun doing it! Your body should be internally cleansed and balanced before circulating energy.  If you feel tired or weak, it is not a time to circulate Qi, it is better to tonify first.

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COMPLETE ROUTINE: QIGONG FLOW FOR HAPPY KIDNEYS

The complete routine video focus for your practice this month is Qigong Flow for Happy Kidneys. This routine uses specific qigong exercises that focus on the kidneys and the principle of effortless flow to harmonize your energy with the water element of winter.

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NEW VIDEO LIBRARY ADDITIONS THROUGHOUT WINTER SEASONAL PERIOD

Winter Series: Qigong Flow to Purge and Cleanse
Winter Series: Qigong Flow to Tonify
Winter Series: Qigong Flow to Circulate
Winter Series: Qigong Flow Complete Routine
Winter Series: Bare Awareness Meditation
 Qigong Flow for Happy Kidneys
 Seated Qigong Flow for Happy Kidneys  
Evening Qigong to Relax and Unwind
Qigong Flow for Vitality
Qigong Flow for Healthy Confidence
Self-Massage for Winter
 Qigong Flow for Immune System Support
Qigong Flow for the Winter Solstice
Qigong Flow for Improved Vagal TonYin Yoga for Happy Kidneys
Self Care Series: Tuning your Meridian Clock
Qigong Flow for a Happy Lower Back

Yin Yoga for Happy Kidneys
Self Care Series: Tuning your Meridian Clock

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DESIGNING YOUR WINTER PRACTICE

Choosing a routine for your day is a great way to use your intuition and listen to your body. The Seasonal Series routines are designed to be alternated throughout the week as you wish. Although each routine has a focus denoted by a colored spiral (purge, tonify, circulate, complete routine, or meditate) each routine is also its own complete practice that contains warm ups, main focus exercises and a closing to integrate and center the qi. There is no need to layer the videos and do all of them in one day. It's best to choose one per day and then rest. If you feel like you want to do a longer complete routine there many options in the library: Winter Complete Routine, Vitality Flow, Qigong Flow for Healthy Confidence and Qigong Flow for Happy Kidneys.
 
In honor of the conserving nature of the winter season, after each practice I suggest that you immediately take a 5 to 10 minute nap, or longer, to nourish your qi and allow the body to process the energy work. Then when you wake up you will feel refreshed and revitalized!

Read The 4 Keys to a Qigong Practice blog post here.

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With consistent dedication and skillful effort, your qi and inner light shall blossom….
 
May the life force be with you!
Marisa

WHAT IS THE CENTRAL MERIDIAN?

The Central Meridian is the core channel of the human energy system. It is your direct link to Source Energy. In yoga it’s called the Shuhumna and in Chinese it is called Zhong Mai.

Zhong means center and Mai is a channel or pathway. You will also hear it called the Taiji Pole. Tai means greatest and Ji means polarity. So the Central Meridian connects you to the greatest polarity of Heaven and Earth. Its structure is a line of energy that runs through the core axis of the body from the crown of the head down through the perineum. The end points of the Central Meridian open like inverted funnels that extend the channel beyond the crown of the head into the sky and below the feet deep into the core of the Earth.

TheCentral Meridian serves multiple functions:

1.      It serves as a conduit between the external forces of Heaven and Earth.

2.      It harmonizes the internal forces of the Three Dantian inside the body.

3.      It serves as a protective shield.

4.      It holds your purpose in alignment with Heaven and Earth.

The Central Meridian consists mostly of points that run along the Kidney Meridian as well as the Ren Mai and an emergence point at Stomach 30. There are also sub branches that run from the Lower Dantian out the legs through the soles of the feet, as well as through the chest and arms.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinical point of view, the Central Meridian supports the Stomach and Kidney Meridians and is the main highway to transport the Jing Essence and blood to the uterus. It can be used to help regulate the blood and can help with impotence, gynecological issues, asthma, and excess Lung Qi.

In Qigong we view the Central Meridian as the main highway of Qi where energy traffic flows up and down the center of your body. When it is open and aligned with Heaven and Earth, we feel empowered and connected with purpose in life.

The Central Meridian is the first meridian to form in a fetus. Children have very open Central Meridians but in adulthood, most people do not hold it in alignment with Heaven and Earth continuously. In addition, many people have weak, broken and even fragmented Central Meridian due to trauma and overwork. If the energy in this channel is blocked or weak, one may feel unfulfilled in life and without purpose. Since this energy feeds all the meridians, a weak Central Meridian also results in fatigue.

Through Qigong you can learn to awaken your Central Meridian, charge it with energy and align your Central Meridian with the forces of Heaven and Earth and fulfill your human role as a conduit of light. This is done through a specific sequence of breathing exercises and Qigong movements that promote flow through the spine. Over 20 years of training with multiple Qigong masters I put together a potent routine for beginners to open their Central Meridian. Practice the video on demand here! Remember when it comes to circulation and refining Qi, consistent practice over time is the key!

If you are interested in taking your Qigong and Neidan practice deeper, or would like to share these practices with others check out the YOQI Module 1 Qigong Fundamentals training course here

INNER SMILE WITH SELF MASSAGE

Summer is the season of expansion and joy. During summer the heart energy is dominant and the fire element peaks. This makes it the optimal time to express joy and cultivate self love. The essential Qigong practice to do this is the Inner Smile!

The Inner Smile is the active ingredient in a Qigong practice. What is unique about the Inner Smile is that you not only smile with your mouth, but you will also smile with your organs!

Why the organs? Your vital organs are the foundation of your life and vitality. In school you are taught that the organs carry out specific functions and you can’t live without them. But what you are not taught is that there is a profound connection between your organs and emotions, your consciousness and your spirit. The organs not only serve the body's vital functions; they are reservoirs of intelligence and life force energy. In Chinese each organ is the residence of a spirit, that is an aspect of your consciousness. The master spirit is the heart, called Shen. The heart is emperor that guides all the spirits. Learning how to regulate your organs and communicate with them is a skill that will enhance your Qigong practice and transform your health.

INNER SMILE POWER

Smiling is very powerful. The physical act of smiling sends a message to the brain to release feel-good chemicals called endorphins into the blood stream. When these chemicals are released, the nervous system calms down and stimulates the relaxation response in the body. In the relaxed state, the organs function at their optimal state, the heartbeat begins to slow down, blood pressure decreases, the mind becomes calm, and we feel safe. On the emotional level the inner smile activates uncondi­tional love in our heart. Through love you open the door to communicate with your organs and find out what is there.

The first time I tried to smile at my liver, it was numb. There was nothing there. This was curious. I had no problem connecting to my other organs, but the liver was almost invisible. With a lot of patience and some waves of frustration and anger, eventually I felt something stir. When my liver finally smiled back at me, I cried. It was like meeting a precious part of myself that I had neglected and abused my whole life. All I could do was ask my liver for forgiveness. "I am so sorry for not appreciating you and taking care of you.” When my liver spirit responded, a feeling of deep relaxation and ease pervaded my body. I had transformed years of anger into kindness. The virtue of forgiveness and kindness later blossomed in many of my spiritual practices, revealing past lives and visions that created dramatic shifts in my life story.

Once you meet your organs, they are your friends for life and have many messages to share with you. The secret is that this process of transformation is not achieved through force. The beauty of the Inner Smile Meditation is that it uses the attitude of non-resistance to create change. It's about becoming aware of what is there, accepting what is there, and then expanding the space to open beyond it.

The Inner Smile practice follows the Generative Cycle of the Five Elements from the heart to the spleen, to the lungs and the kidneys, and finishes with the liver. In this way we are moving energy through the natural cycle of creation which is very tonifying for the body.

Each organ resonates with a specific emotional vibration, virtue and elemental phase of energy. Because emotions are frequencies, when we change the frequency in the organ we can change the charge of the emotion. We can transform negative emotions and cultivate virtues. Virtues are more than just positive emotions. Virtues are refined vibrations that nourish and feed the organs. In a Qigong practice, cultivating virtuous energy improves the quality of our Qi. So during this practice I will guide you to connect to your organs, identify the emotional frequency stored in the organ and then transform it with the smiling energy and light.

For example, the virtue of the spleen spirit is trust. By cultivating trust in oneself and in life, worry is transformed, and the spleen spirit, the Yi, is relaxed and nourished. When our organ spirits are happy, Qi flows smoothly, the aura is magnetic, we are protected, and we perceive life's challenges with wisdom. But if we neglect to cultivate our virtues, then over time the spirits of the organs can "flee” or wander around attaching to external desires and we lose touch with our True Nature. So many people these days have lost touch with their spirits. Learning how to communicate with your vital organs is a wonderful way to bring the spirit of life back to the world.

I encourage you to make this practice part of your life. It is a preventative practice as well as a spiritual practice. By preventive practice I mean that we do not wait until disease arises to begin healing. We can connect to our organs and know if something is out of balance or blocked and if we can’t make the transformation on our own we can seek help before its too late. I know so many people that have gotten cancer and it was too late. By spiritual practice I mean that our organs are resovoirs of Qi and blood and have a spiritual connection to the universe. So as you progress in this practice, a whole new level of energetic understanding will open to you.

 I learned the Inner Smile from Grandmaster Mantak Chia of the Universal Healing Tao School. But in this version of the Inner Smile, I am going to share with you the way I do it, which adds self-massage. I found that combining the smiling energy with loving touch and energy circulation is a powerful way to clear stagnation makes it much easier to open a deep connection with your organs. The key to this practice is that you really connect your mind awareness with the organs. the more you do it, the stronger the connection becomes.

The meditation can be done seated in a chair, sitting on the floor or laying down if you are not feeling well. The beauty of this practice is that anyone can do it- any age, or health condition. If you are healthy is can prevent illness. If you are sick, it will support healing. 

PRACTICE NOW, ON DEMAND! CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

Video On Demand Summer Practice Guide

“The three months of Summer denote opulence and blossoming. Qi interacts with heaven and earth and the myriad of beings bloom and bear fruit.”
-The Great Treatise on Regulating the Spirit with the Four Seasons (四氣調神大論)

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Happy Summer Qi Friends!

Everything in the Universe is energy, and energy takes two fundamental forms: Yin and Yang. The five seasons shift between these two states throughout the year. On June 21st, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will experience the Summer Solstice, when the Yang energy is strongest. For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the Winter Solstice, when Yin energy is strongest. Wherever you are in the world, it is a powerful time to attune your energy and flow with nature. This season the YOQI Video Library contains a variety of fun and spiritually charged routines that will activate, balance and attune you to summer’s vibration.

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THE ENERGY OF SUMMER: EXPANSION

The Chinese character for the word summer, xia 夏, is an image of a man standing under the scorching sun. Summer is the Great Yang (Tai Yang 太陽) when the days are longest, and the nights are shortest. The consistent heat of summer ripens the fruits of our hearts, creating the sweetest and juiciest energy of the year: joy and love.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, summer is the peak of nature’s expansion, so it is the best time for us to express the most yang aspect of ourselves. It's the time to live life to the fullest, nourish our spirit and dare to go places we have not gone before. Summer's sunshine invites us to go outside and to be more active through movement and play. While in winter we should sleep more to nourish yin, in summer we can get away with less sleep (still remembering to always tend to the needs of our individual state of health). Dynamic relaxation, joyful flow and laughing qigong are beautiful characteristics of summer qigong practices.
 
Energetically, summer is also a powerful time for transforming energy. The element of summer is Fire. In our body, Fire connects to the Heart Fire, or Imperial Fire, that resonates the human force of unconditional love and acceptance. Therefore, many qigong practices for summer come from Spiritual Qigong traditions that focus on internal alchemy; the process of transforming and refining our vibration to its highest potential.

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A QIGONG PRACTICE FOR SUMMER

Physically, summer qigong practices focus on the organs of the fire element: the heart and small intestine.

The Heart is a major pump that ensures a constant circulation of oxygen rich blood to all parts of the body. The average Heart beats 100,000 times per day and pumps about 7,200 liters (1,900 gallons) of blood! Every cell must relax and contract in a precise rhythm for the heart to keep us alive. One tiny hiccup can disrupt the electrical signals, causing a Heart attack or stroke. The relaxation, rhythmic movements, and patience cultivated through Qigong are all beneficial to regulate the physical aspects of the heart.

Although the element of the Heart is Fire, too much Fire or Heat disturbs the Heart. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, when heat collects in one area of the body this is called “fire poison", otherwise known as inflammation. Summer, being the hottest time of the year, has its own two pathogens called Summer Heat and Summer Damp Heat. The symptoms of Summer Heat are dizziness, confusion, lack of sweating after profuse sweating, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle cramps, and fainting. Summer Damp Heat symptoms include nausea or vomiting, poor appetite, stuffy chest, heavy or fatigued limbs, and diarrhea. In extremely hot Summer weather it is important to dress lightly, drink lots of fluids and take care not to physically overexert yourself. Practice Qigong early in the morning or later in the evening.

The YOQI Summer Qigong Flow to Purge video focuses on specific exercises that clear Summer heat, calm emotional heat and move the Qi in the blood. The Qigong Flow to Tonify, Qigong Flow to Circulate and Qigong Flow in Love are designed to regulate the Heart fire, nourish the blood, and balance Yin and Yang. The complete routines that balance the Heart fire are Qigong Flow for a Happy Heart and Qigong Flow to Activate the Three Treasures.

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Emotionally our practice will focus on the emotions of summer: transforming impatience or hatred into acceptance and compassion.

The heart is the emperor and rules the kingdom of our emotions. While each organ in the body resonates with a particular emotion, the heart is always affected first. In Chinese language, the heart is such a powerful aspect of our being that it is recognized as having it’s own consciousness called the heart mind (xin nian). The heart mind perceives situations based on feeling and emotion (in contrast to the conscious mind, yi nian, that perceives based on logic and wisdom). As we have learned in The Six Healing Sounds practice video, the five primary emotions are anger, hatred, worry, grief, and fear. Hatred is the most volatile emotion that resonates in the heart. Hatred and impatience create heat and a violent movement that causes energy to rise and leak out. Qigong flows that balance the heart transform anger or impatience into love and joy. For this the Six Healing Sounds Seated Meditation, Yin Yoga for Emotional Balance, and Guided Inner Smile Audio Meditation are all practices designed to regulate the heart consciousness.

When negative emotions are transformed into positive virtues, the Heart becomes a cauldron of spiritual alchemy and healing. As the positive virtues combine in the heart center they are further refined into the ultimate spiritual energy, compassion. Compassion is a vibration that exudes a quality of magnetism: it touches others and is reflected to the person expressing the emotion. Qigong Flow for a Happy Heart, Summer Qigong Flow to Circulate and Qigong Flow in Love are designed to balance and cultivate the virtues of the Heart.

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Energetically, Summer supports your ability to transform and transmute your vibration.

The heart is located in a very auspicious part of the body: the chest. The heart center is the energy center of love, called the middle dantian, while the physical heart organ is the home of the small spirit, called the shen. The spiritual goal of the heart spirit is Eternal Happiness through meaningful and intimate connections with the world.

The word spirit has many meanings in Chinese, as it does in English. In this context we can describe two aspects of Shen (神): the large Shen that resides at the upper dantian and guides our higher Self, and the small shen that resides in the heart organ. The large Shen and the small shen are intimately connected. The Large Shen is the all-knowing and unconditionally loving self. It is the connection to the source, which is limitless and formless. The small shen is conscious awareness and has the responsibility to make sure that the Large Spirit connects properly with the world of time and space. It’s like a bridge between our formless self and the world around us. When the heart spirit is balanced we express appropriate behavior, respect and care for others, are helpful and thoughtful at the right moment. When heart spirit disturbed there can be symptoms of insomnia, lack of enthusiasm, disconnection, loneliness, situational anxiety, and inappropriate behavior.

Surrounding the physical Heart at the center of the chest is a reservoir of Qi, called the Middle Dantian or Heart Center. A Dantian is an area in the body where Qi gathers, is refined, transformed, and stored. The energy generated here is the vibration of love and compassion. When the Middle Dantian is weak or stagnant we feel irritated, unfulfilled, rejected, hypersensitive, shy, disturbed, lonely and miserable. When the Middle Dantian fire is strong and radiant we feel loving, compassionate, awake, patient, understanding and are open to love and be loved. Compassion means “with passion”. The compassion frequency fuels us to experience life in every possible reality, to accept ourselves and all beings with pure love and awareness.

The Middle Dantian is the gateway between the physical realm and spiritual realm and the process of refining energy through the Middle Dantian is called internal alchemy (Nei Dan). Alchemy is to transform one frequency of energy into another frequency. According to the Dao, we are refining our energy to return back to it’s original frequency that vibrates with the Original Source of unity consciousness.

The energy of summer supports full expression and transformation of the heart spirit and middle dantian. This season’s program introduces spiritual qigong practices that focus on internal alchemy. They are Qigong Flow to Activate the Three Treasures, Three Three Fires, Six Directions and Microcosmic Orbit, and Yin yoga and the Microcosmic Orbit.

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FEATURED VIDEO FOR Summer: QIGONG FLOW FOR HAPPY HEART

The suggested complete routine for your practice this month is Qigong Flow for Happy Heart. This qigong flow routine is designed to purify, nourish and balance the heart and small intestine. The exercises work with the fire element to detoxify impurities and ignite our internal power and move through a process of internal alchemy by uniting fire and water, ultimately invoking our sense of compassion and wisdom. Enjoy the scenery of the ancient Buddhist temple ruins in Ayuthaya, Thailand.

DESIGNING YOUR SUMMER PRACTICE

This seasons QiBLOG post features the four keys to a powerful qigong practice.

1. Harmonize your routine with the season
2. Emphasize practices that address your state of qi
3. Practice quality over quantity
4. Practice consistently over time

Read the full blog post here.

You will find that all the videos added to the library this season address these four keys. So, I suggest that you focus on mastering the exercises in these specific routines this season, practicing quality over quantity. With consistent dedication and skillful effort, your qi and inner light shall blossom….
 
May the life force be with you!
Marisa

The Three Treasures

How does your connection to Source influence your life? How do you nourish your life force to optimize your vitality? How can you expand this energy to experience the full potential of your heart? And what if you could raise this energy up and illuminate your brain?

The latest YOQI Qigong Flow in the Video on Demand Library is a spiritual qigong method designed to activate your most precious treasures from within: Vitality, Love and Wisdom.

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THE THREE TREASURES:
JING, QI & SHEN

The Three Treasures are the essence of who you are.

The Taoists believe that the Universe is a great conduit of energy. The source of this energy is called the Primordial Force (Yuan Qi). This boundless source of energy pervades all things and continuously nourishes the Universe. Since we are part of the Universe, this force also exists within us as distinct energies called The Three Treasures: Jing, Qi and Shen.
 

JING- THE TREASURE OF VITALITY

Jing is life essence. It is the source of your precious Vitality Qi that nourishes the body. The more Jing you have, the longer and healthier life you live. The Original Jing (Yuan Jing) is passed down from your parents, through sperm and egg, at the time of conception. The amount and quality of Original Jing varies from person to person, directly influencing your health, hormones and stamina throughout life. Some classic texts say that you cannot increase the amount of Jing you were born with, but you can conserve its quantity and improve its quality. The Taoists believe that through Qigong you can replenish its quantity. Jing gives you the power to act in the world, procreate and maintain a high level of productivity without burning out. When Jing is nourished and balanced the body is healthy, energetic, and self-confident,

QI- THE TREASURE OF LOVE

Qi is life force energy that animates the whole Universe. The amount and quality of Qi we have derives from two sources: Prenatal Qi and Postnatal Qi. Prenatal Qi is a highly concentrated universal energy that is dormant unless it is cultivated. It is stored in the kidneys. Like Jing, we cannot increase the amount of Prenatal Qi we are born with, but we can enhance its quality through breath, movement, and conservation. Post-natal Qi is the life force energy that is acquired through food, air and love. 

In the body, Qi creates movement and releases blockages. It's flow affects your mood state and is related to emotions. Because Qi is the link between Jing and Shen, it is the source of human potential: Love Qi. When Love Qi is activated and balanced the emotions are calm, you feel generous and have plenty of energy to care for yourself and others. Love Qi gives you the power to connect meaningfully to the world; to give love and be loved.

SHEN- THE TREASURE OF WISDOM

Shen is spirit, the most subtle and pure form of awareness and is related to the brain. It is the source of Wisdom Qi. Shen is the cosmic GPS that guides your sense of what serves your highest good. It is also the control tower of Qi, that regulates the five spirits of the vital organs. Shen can be cultivated in the body (through meditation and mind training) and channeled directly from from the Universe. When the Wisdom Qi is activated and balanced you feel nourished and connected to the Universe. Wisdom Qi gives you the power to be guided with insight and intuition.

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In summary, if we use the metaphor of a car, Jing is the vehicle. It is the essence of our body's growth and physical structure. Qi is the gasoline, it is the energy that fuels our body. Shen is the GPS, it is the wisdom that guides us to make decisions based on our highest good and the good of all beings. In order to move on our journey through life, we need all three aspects of our car to run efficiently and work together. Not only that, the higher octane the fuel and the more efficient the GPS routing, the more potential we have on our journey of awakening.

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HOW TO ACCESS THE THREE TREASURES

Jing, Qi and Shen are stored in special areas of the body called Dantian. Dantian means elixir field. An elixir is the essence of a substance and a field is a place where things take root and grow for nourishment. So dantian are the fertile fields of your inner landscape where the essence of your being is rooted and grows. Through the Three Treasures practice you will be able to boost the energy levels of your dantian and access the full expression of your Three Treasure’s potential.

There are three dantian:

1. The Upper Dantian at the mid eyebrow center in the brain; it is the elixir field of Shen.

2. The Middle Dantian at the heart center; it is the elixir field of Qi.

3. The Lower Dantian located below the naval in front of the spine; it is the elixir field of Jing.

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ACTIVATING THE THREE TREASURES

The method of the Three Treasures Qigong Flow is to first activate the Three Treasures in each Dantian so that they are strong and spinning. Once the Three Treasures are awakened and in a healthy state of flow, the surplus energy stored within each dantian can flow up and down the Central Meridian channel to begin the process of integration and transformation. The integration of the Three Treasures is the fruit of a Qigong practice. When they are integrated, the essences of Vitality, Love and Wisdom are available to embody your greatest potential.

It takes some training to tame the body, emotions and mind, but the Qi is within you, waiting to be cultivated. Even one moment of awareness can tap into a wellspring of Source energy. Why? Because you were born with it. The whole Universe is within you. So now, let’s move some qi!

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MEDITATION FOR SPRING: METTA MEDITATION

Spring is the season of growth and is ruled by the wood element. Wood has a rising quality of energy that penetrates the earth and expands to the sun. The organs associated with Wood are the Liver and Gall Bladder. This means that Spring is the most optimal time of year to balance the Liver Qi and strengthen the wood element.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Liver is affected by the emotional of anger Nu 怒. Anger, and its more subtle aspect frustration, are Yang frequencies. Yang is a rising movement of energy. When wood rises too fast this is called excess and generates heat.  Anger causes the Qi to rise to the head; the face becomes red, the eyes bulge and the mind is overactive. The heat from anger can damage the Liver, blood and bile. Since the Liver rules the blood, stagnation in the flow of Liver qi can also cause menstrual cramps and irregular menstruation. Anger is considered the most damaging emotion because of it also harms the Heart, blood, and Qi. Therefore in Spring, it is advised to calm the Liver and prevent anger by cultivating states of kindness and good will.

A free Spring 2021 gift of qi for all video on demand susbcribers! subscribe here and get it free too

AVAILABLE ON MARCH 21ST, 2021

purchase the Metta Meditation here

This season I am pleased to share the YOQI Metta Meditation. Metta is one of the four sublime states in Buddhism and is therefore a powerful frequency of alchemy. For those who have excess Liver Qi, it is a purging practice. For those who have deficiency, it is a healing and protecting practice.  Metta meditation can be practiced anywhere, anytime. You can use this meditation in traffic jams, in public spaces and silently among friends. As you extend your loving kindness, even for a minute or two, people will immediately feel a transformation in the environment. This is the power of loving kindness. The more you practice, the more it will grow like the universal tree of life, filling your being with peace and protection.

WHAT IS THE METTA?

Metta meditation comes from the Buddhist tradition of radiating Universal Kindness towards oneself and others. It can be used daily to raise the frequency on the planet and invoke protection. It is also helpful if you tend to feel anger and frustration or have negative thoughts and reactions towards others.

I learned Metta in Thailand during my training in the Buddhist lineage of Vipassana (Insight Meditation).  At immersions, the guided Metta Meditation session was my favorite moment of the day. Wherever I was in my practice, whether I was frustrated or calm, tired or energized, Metta Meditation tuned me into the sublime state of perfect peace. Later, when the Taoist Master Mantak Chia guided us through the Inner Smile at his Qigong trainings, I saw a powerful parallel between the two practices. Therefore the YOQI version of the Metta Meditation that we will do today follows the traditional Buddhist method of radiating loving kindness and uses the Inner Smile as the means to arouse the Metta state.

The Metta Meditation is a discourse of the Buddha written in the Karaniya Metta Sutta. This story was first told to me by my meditation master Ajarn Helen Jandamit. The story goes thus:

While the Buddha was staying at Savatthi a large group of monks came together for their annual rainy season retreat at the base of the Himalayas. But the deities that lived in the forest were not pleased with the monks being there, so they began to harass the monks and distract them so they would leave. The monks could not meditate in such conditions and went to the Buddha to ask for advice. Instead of telling them to move locations, the Buddha taught them the Karaniya Metta Sutta and urged the monks to return to the forest and recite the Sutta as a meditation and for protection. When the deities heard the monks chanting they were so entrained by the high vibration of loving kindness, they welcomed them to stay and meditate in peace.

This story contains some beautiful messages. The first is that we do not live on this planet alone, we live in relationship. Even if we leave society to live alone in the forest there are also spirits and animals that live there too! And just as some spirits and animals in the forest may not like our presence, in society there are also humans that may not be compatible with our presence - or we may not like theirs. The Buddha taught that the way to live in harmony is through Metta.

 The Pali word Metta means kindness, friendliness or good will. It is often translated as loving kindness, but this is not accurate. Metta does not need to be endearing or intimate, although it can be if the relationship warrants such a connection. Metta also does not mean that we are responsible to take care of the person or make sure they are happy. Metta is simply the sincere wish for happiness and well-being, As the Buddhist monk Thanissaro Bhikku explains, “Metta recognizes that people will become truly happy not as a result of your caring for them but as a result of their own skillful actions, and that the happiness of self-reliance is greater than any happiness that comes from dependency….In this way Metta is an attitude that you can express for everyone without fear of being hypocritical or unrealistic.”

 I like the translation of Metta as ‘good will’. In the Taoist tradition, will power is our motivation and drive - it is energy. Our will power is generated by the kidneys or water element. Water is the mother of wood. Just like winter nourishes the seeds that grow in spring, water nourishes wood to grow. Therefore our will power comes from the kidneys and our kindness takes action and rises through the Liver.

 When we send good will we are directing our energy towards goodness and positivity that all beings be happy and free from suffering. Therefore, Metta is a frequency of energy that we can tap into within ourselves. The Buddha called this sublime state of being Brahmavihara, the realm of creation. Through daily cultivation, the high vibration of Metta can pervade the motivation for everything in your life. Committing to this attitude also ensures that you do not harm others and as a result you are protected by the light of this positive energy.

 But what if we come across injustice or someone who is doing harm? Should we be kind to evil? In the Karaniya Sutta it is interesting that the Buddha did not tell the monks to leave the forest and find another location. Rather he told them to go back and radiate Metta. The moral is that when we are in a negative situation whether we are in public or at home, the Buddha advises that we do not run away from it, but rather face it with  good will. This does not mean that you should stay in a situation that is harmful, especially if your intuition is guiding you to leave. But the Buddha does propose a radical idea. If others are doing harm with their words or actions the Buddha says:

“Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic, with a mind of goodwill, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading these people with an awareness imbued with goodwill and, beginning with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with goodwill — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.”— MN 21

Thanissaro Bhikku explains that by doing this, “You make your mind as expansive as the River Ganges or as large as the earth — in other words, larger than the harm those people are doing or threatening to do to you….When you can maintain this enlarged state of mind in the face of pain, the harm that others can do to you doesn't seem so overwhelming, and you're less likely to respond in unskillful ways. You provide protection — both for yourself and for others — against any unskillful things you otherwise might be tempted to do. The Buddha explicitly recommends developing thoughts of Metta in two situations where it's especially important — and especially difficult — to maintain skillful motivation: when others are hurting you, and when you realize that you've hurt others. You should be devoted to cultivating and protecting your goodwill to make sure that your virtuous intentions don't harm anyone.”

 THE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS TO GENERATE METTA

The Buddha explains that the optimal conditions in which to cultivate Metta are living a simple, uncomplicated life and following basic moral precepts. Living a simple life and uncomplicated life is a common theme of both Buddhist and Taoist sages. The more projects we take on, the more fortune, material things and fame we seek, the more we put ourselves in situations of stress and adversity. When our emotions and energy are balanced it is much easier to cultivate high vibrational states. In addition, the moral precepts of Buddhism are designed to support our practice. They are to avoid killing, stealing, lying, abusing sense pleasures and using intoxicants. While it is obvious that if we want to cultivate kindness, we should avoid doing harm to ourselves and others, many people are unaware of how the media and entertainment industry promotes subconscious messages of unskillful behavior that works against all the precepts.

METTA MEDITATION METHOD

 So what is the meditation that the Buddha taught the monks? How do we do it? The Buddha emphasized three important aspects that make up a Metta meditation practice:  

·        AROUSING THE METTA STATE WITHIN

·        A MEDITATION OBJECT - WHICH IN THIS CASE IS THE PERSON RECEIVING METTA.

·        A METHOD FOR RADIATING METTĀ OUTWARDS IN ALL DIRECTIONS

AROUSING THE METTA STATE WITHIN

The first step is to arouse the state of Metta within ourselves. There are many options and you can choose which one suits you. The first is to visualize any positive mental image that arouses kindness within you. For this we will be using the Inner Smile meditation. Smiling sends a message to the brain that you are safe and happy and opens our heart.

The second device to arouse the Metta state within is to remember a time when you were kind to someone or someone was kind to you. This will automatically generate the feeling and frequency of Metta in your heart. You can use this device anytime throughout the meditation if you feel like your mind has drifted or you lost the connection.

The third way is the use of an intentional affirmation that focuses on generating mettā like repeating a mantra or phrase such as good will, good will, good will. The intentional affirmation that is commonly said in Pali is: sukhino vā khemino hontu; English: "May all beings be happy and safe" or “May all beings be happy, may all beings be peaceful, may all beings be free from suffering, may all beings protect their happiness”.

In the Metta meditation will be using all three of these methods - visualization, reflection and all repetition of mantra - to help you arouse positive emotional feelings. In your own practice you can use all of them or the one that works best for you. Also with practice over time, you can let go of the visualizations and just sit and focus on the feeling of Metta itself. Keep the mind fixed on the feeling. If it strays, gently bring it back to the systematic guided meditation method to bring back or strengthen the feeling.

THE MEANS TO DEVELOP THE OBJECT OF METTA IS BY DIRECTING THE INTENTION TO THE OBJECT

Once we have aroused the Metta state, we will focus the energy on an object such as a person, animal, or nature. The way I was taught Metta Meditation in Thailand is to begin with sending Metta to oneself, then someone you respect, then family members and loved ones, then neutral people, and finally to your enemies or someone whom you feel negativity.

This is the way I was taught in Thailand:

·        Metta begins by developing loving kindness and acceptance towards yourself. We can only give what we have cultivated within. If you feel any resistance that indicates feelings of unworthiness, this is showing you where you need to focus your practice.

·        The Second object of the meditation is a someone that you respect, such as a spiritual teacher or someone who you hold in high virtue. This helps to anchor your belief in the existence of Metta in the external world.

·        The third object of the meditation is your daily beloved, a close family member, mother, father or best friend. You can send to one or to all one by one. In Thai tradition we always begin this step with the our mother and father. Asians have a deep respect for their ancestors regardless of their relationship issues. But in the west, many people have not resolved the trauma in their relationships with their parents. I encourage people to take the Eastern perspective, that regardless of any harm experienced with ones parents, we can’t escape the fact that we carry the Jing Qi of our parents, the DNA, and there is no way to deny that we are made of their energy. If we carry the lineage of our parents, how can we truly accept ourselves if we don’t accept our parents? The practice of Metta towards our parents can bring a cathartic release and healing without ever having to see them in person and even if they are deceased.

·        The fourth object of the meditation is a neutral person, which is somebody you know who you have no special feelings towards, for example, the bank teller or check out girl at the grocery store.

·        The fifth object of the meditation is a hostile person that you are currently having difficulty with or have not resolved some negative issue from the past. The Buddha teaches us that a mind filled with ill will and hatred is a mind entangled with suffering. It serves no benefit to hold onto grudges and anger towards others, and this step is also very healing.

RADIATING METTĀ OUTWARDS IN ALL DIRECTIONS

The last phase of the meditation is to radiate mettā outwards. This involves systematically projecting Metta in all directions NSEW, and all dimensions high and low, seen and unseen. We will begin with our home, surrounding nature, town, city, country, continent, all countries, mother earth and the universe. This is done without any discrimination of good or evil. Always finish the meditation by bringing your awareness back into your physical body.

As you become more proficient in the meditation, the vibration of Metta will create a resonant frequency with the universal wave of Metta and can result in a very powerful charge in your aura. At this point the view of subject object duality fades away and it is possible to merge with the field of Metta all around you. Metta meditation was my favorite part of the meditation retreats in Thailand with Ajarn Helen because of her ability to create this resonant frequency in the space. The experience I had each time was pretty much the same- I could feel when the frequency arrived because the air would suddenly become thick and charged with a wave of magnetism, then I would get goodbumps, my heart would open and a voice in my head would bow down and say “thank you thank you thank you” as if I was receiving a blessing. Each time was a reminder to me how powerful we are when we fully surrender and accept ourselves and others.

 APPLYING METTA IN DAILY LIFE

The Buddha advises us to stay determined to practice this form of mindfulness, keeping in mind our wish that all beings be happy and to make sure that it pervades the motivation for everything we do. He also says to protect and cherish Metta like a mother would care for her child. Metta is not just another popular meditation or something nice to do. It is a Brahmavihara, a vibration of the realm of the Gods! Metta is Universal – it is Kindness for all, without judgement or discrimination. Imagine how this world can be when all of humanity shares, promotes and takes action to protect the value of Universal Goodness like a mother protects her child. The first step begins with ourselves. As you practice, if there are feelings of frustration or irritation, allow this to be part of the practice and be kind to yourself. whatever arises it's important to accept the emotions with the same loving kindness, to be patient and allow all that arises to be met with friendliness. So are you ready to take a journey into the light of Metta?

The Metta Meditation is free for all Video on Demand Subscribers during the month of March and April 2021. If you are not a subscriber you can subscribe here and get it free! Or purchase the meditation program here *AVAILABLE ON MARCH 21ST, 2021

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REFERENCES

Good Will, translation of Sn 1.8 by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Qigong to Boost the Immune System

With the Covid 19 virus pandemic, understanding the Immune System has become an important topic of healthcare and selfcare. The Immune System is an intelligent matrix of biological structures and processes that protects your body against pathogens like bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the strength of your Immune System depends on the strength of your vitality and life force energy, called Qi. Qigong is a selfcare practice designed to enhance your vitality Qi and effectively boost your Immune System.

The Immune System has evolved over thousands of years to keep you alive on planet earth. The key players in the system are white blood cells that circulate through the blood and line the mucus membranes, tissues and digestive track. White blood cells are produced in the bone marrow and are part of the lymphatic system. These cells are your paramedics, soldiers, military intelligence, and special forces. Whenever you get a cut, infection or virus they rush to the site and eliminate the invader. Specialized cells, called T-lymphocytes (T-cells), release antibodies (immunoglobins) that eliminate foreign invaders and micro toxins. These special forces record the information of every germ they have ever defeated so they can recognize them if they return. T-cells are developed in the Thymus gland.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong have successfully supported the Immune System and treated illness for thousands of years. Rather than view pathogens as something we need to kill with antibiotics, Chinese medicine takes a preventative approach that supports the Immune System to function at an optimal level.

From the Daoist point of view, your Immune System is synonymous with your state of Qi, life force energy. There are many different types of Qi. Healthy Qi is called Zheng Qi and Pathogenic Qi is called Xie Qi. In TCM these two polarities of Qi are not viewed as good Qi or bad Qi, they are just different types of Qi - both have a purpose here on earth. The problem is not the Qi, but how you maintain balance between the Qi in your body. If Zheng Qi is weak then Xie Qi can invade the body. If Zheng Qi is strong then Xie Qi will not be able to invade the body. People with strong vitality have a strong Immune System army and a stronger response to viral infection. Even if a pathogen is strong, if your immune system is strong you will not get any disease, or at least you will heal faster. A strong Immune System can fend off pathogens, especially viruses and infections, with its own antibodies and antibiotics can be avoided.

Taking care of the Immune System is a lot like taking care of an army. Lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, lack of movement, stress, toxic air and poor conditions, such as long term exposure to cold weather, compromises the Immune System and weakens an army. All forms of Qigong support the Immune System because it stimulates the relaxation response, promotes blood and Qi flow, and regulates the breath. Placing sustained awareness on the body in a skillful way shines light on the cells and tissues which promotes vitality and healing.

 In TCM there three basic ways to keep the Immune System strong which I call the Three B’s: Balanced Digestion, Balanced Hormones and Balanced Emotions.

Balanced Digestion

The Digestive System is made up of the Stomach, Spleen, Pancreas, Liver, Gallbladder, Small Intestine and Large Intestine. We acquire Qi from the food we eat and the air we breathe. How we assimilate nutrients and Qi essence from these sources depends on the healthy function of the digestive system and lungs. In Chinese Medicine the Spleen is the mother energy behind the digestive process. The Spleen transforms nutritive Qi, filters the blood, removes microbes and destroys old or damaged red blood cells. It also creates antibodies and lymphocytes that man your Immune System army. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the Spleen plays an important role in producing Wei Qi, your energetic Immune System called Defensive Qi. Wei Qi is formed from the combination of Postnatal Qi (food and air essence) and Original Qi. Postnatal Qi is transformed by the Spleen and Stomach and the Lungs.

Original Qi (Yuan Qi) is derived from the Kidney essence (Jing Qi) and is converted into Qi in the Lower Dantian. This mixture of nutritious Qi ascends to the Middle Burner at the chest where it is further transformed into Wei Qi. From the chest the Lungs diffuse the Wei Qi around the muscles, tissues and surface of the skin to create a protective shield against pathogens.

The balance of microbiota in the gut also affects the health of Spleen and digestive organs. When there is an imbalance of microbiota, digestion is weak and the Immune System becomes weak. It’s important to eliminate every day and support your microbiota with healthy flora. The most common symptom of Spleen imbalance is dampness which causes Qi stagnation and blockage. Therefore YOQI Qigong Flows that Purge the Spleen and Stomach, and Tonify the Lungs and Large Intestine are key exercises to support your immune army of defense.

Balanced Hormones:

The Immune System and our hormones influence one other. Immune cells synthesize, store and secrete hormones, which are identical with the hormones of the endocrine glands (1). Therefor, any kind of Endocrine System imbalance will tend to make the Immune System deficient. The Endocrine System is controlled by the Limbic System in the brain and is affected by chronic stress and insomnia. The Liver also plays an important role in hormone function.

In Chinese medicine the neuro-endocrine system is controlled by your life essence called Jing Qi that is stored in the Kidneys. The Kidneys rule the bones and marrow which produce your immune system army: white blood cells. Endocrine system balance is regulated by the Triple Burner meridian. Therefore Qigong exercises that support the Kidneys, increase the quality of Jing Qi and Yuan Qi, as well as balance the Triple Burner are key to support a healthy Immune System.  

 Balanced Emotions:

In the Dao emotional imbalance and mood swings are a waste of vitality and are signs of the beginning of illness. Chronic stress and negative emotions cause a release of chemicals that weaken the Immune System function. Energetically, the frequency of negative emotions overheats the organs and creates Qi stagnation. From the Qigong perspective, the root of emotional imbalance is spiritual imbalance. The home of our spirit (called the Shen) is the heart organ. Qigong practices for emotional balance focus on releasing negative emotions with sound, calming the Heart Spirit and re-organizing the energy field through the Three Dantian.

QIGONG FLOW TO BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM SERIES

The YOQI Qigong Flow to Boost the Immune System Series contains a selection of routines that focus on the “Three B’s”. The two core routines are Immune System Support and Immune System Defense. Both routine ends with flows that promote emotional balance and create coherence between your body, mind, and spirit. There are also two bonus tracks to strengthen you Wei Qi called Body Patting and Embrace the Tree.

IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPORT FLOW

This sequence is designed for long term Immune System support and hormone balance. If we compare the Immune System to your internal army of defense, this routine is designed to fortify your army supply and build up your reserves. To do this, the routine focuses on hormonal balance and the neuroendocrine system. It uses Qigong techniques nourish the bone marrow, tonify the kidneys and balance the triple warmer. The Immune System Support Flow is also helpful for those who have internal Qi deficiency like chronic fatigue or adrenal burnout, as well as chronic lung weakness and respiratory conditions. It's great to nourish your hormones, sexual energy, fertility and longevity. Since this is long term Immune System support, this routine should be used consistently over time and can be used all year round. Available in long and short form. DVD available here

CLICK HERE TO PRACTICE NOW

IMMUNE SYSTEM DEFENSE FLOW

This routine helps to stimulate the Immune System defense function. It is useful for short term prevention, like when you feel your immune system is weak (you get sick often), your energy is low, or you are exposed to external pathogens. If we compare the Immune System to your internal army of defense, this routine is designed train your army and prepare them to be ready when you need them. To do this, the Immune System Defense Flow focuses on the Stomach, Spleen, Lungs and Large Intestine. These exercises are designed to clear Spleen Damp and strengthen your Lung Qi and Wei Qi.  As a result, the routine is also helpful if you have poor digestion or constipation. The end of the routine contains special Qigong Flow movements to balance the spirit through the Three Dantian and Central Meridian. Available in long and short form. DVD available here

CLICK HERE TO PRACTICE NOW

BODY PATTING TO BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

In Chinese, Body Tapping is called Pai Da. Pai Da is an ancient form of self-massage that improves circulation and strengthens your Wei Qi. Wei Qi is a protective shield of energy that surrounds your muscles, fascia and skin. The Wei Qi supports your Immune System that protects you from colds, flus and viruses. Since the Wei Qi surrounds your skin, one of the best techniques to enhance this protective shield is by patting the body. Since body patting is both purging and tonifying, this sequence can be done any time of day. You can do it before or after any routine in the VOD library, and you can also pair is with your other favorite activities including meditation. It is a wonderful way clear pathogenic Qi, harvest the good Qi and invigorate your body.

CLICK HERE TO PRACTICE NOW

EMBRACE THE TREE

Standing meditation is one of the most ancient and important practices in Qigong. The original standing postures were used by Daoists as health and longevity methods. In recent centuries martial artists developed standing for superior fighting skills, but nowadays even martial artists use standing meditation for the health benefits. Standing meditation may be one of the most challenging practices because we are holding a posture for a long time, but the benefits are many. Through the practice of standing, you will develop stamina, posture, bone density, clear Qi stagnation, clear the mind, promote blood circulation, and build you Wei Qi. The posture that we will be using is the classic Cheng Bao posture, called Embrace the Tree. As we will be holding the posture for 15 minutes, I suggest that you start with 5 minutes a day and slowly build up you stamina to the full 15 minute session. Standing can be practiced alone or in combination with other Qigong routines.

Practice the Qigong Flow to Boost the Immune System Series on the YOQI Video on Demand Library. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe and get access to over 75 Qigong Flow videos and the library is always growing! Click on any video in the library to subscribe and start today. Cancel any time.

REFERENCES

(1)   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25261940/ Csaba G. Hormones in the immune system and their possible role. A critical review - PubMed

BONE BREATHING QIGONG

Recently, I visited an ancient forest in Poland called Ojcow. It is a fertile valley surrounded by stone formations that are full of cave complexes. Inside these caves, archeologists discovered the bones and tools of our Neanderthal relatives that date back to 115,000 years old. This included teeth and a Neanderthal child that had been digested by a bird. Only the bones of his hand remain.

Your bones tell your life story. They show your gender, age, height, lifestyle, and structure.  While you are alive your skeleton holds you up, enables mobility and protects your organs. The bones are made up of living cells and minerals that form a porous sponge like connective tissue. The inside of the bones are filled with bloody marrow. This marrow produces the red and white blood cells that are crucial to sustain your blood, tissues and immune system. In Chinese medicine the bone marrow is connected to the kidneys and sexual essence, which determines the quality and length of your life. The stronger your bones, the longer you live. And when you die, even 115,000 years later, your bones will remain.

purchase the bone breathing meditation here

Daoists have long understood the power of Qi and cosmic energy that is conducted through the bones. Since humans are considered a conduit of energy between heaven and earth, and the bones hold our structure upright, they play a significant role in how we conduct energy. In Qigong, the bones can absorb energy from nature, the earth, and universe as well as transmute this energy through the body. But as we age, if we don’t take care of our bones, they naturally dry out and degenerate. The masters found that through breathing and meditation they could regenerate the bones and improve their resonance and function. They learned how to draw the external forces of energy in through their fingertips and the toes and how to circulate it throughout the bones to improve health and raise the frequency of the energy body. This practice is called Bone Marrow Internal Alchemy or Bone Breathing. Bone Breathing has many benefits: Bone Breathing Purges the bones of old negative energy, it strengthens the bones, it increases the red blood cells and white blood cells and spiritually Bone Breathing raises your vibrational frequency. Let’s briefly look at each one.

1.       Bone Breathing purges the bones of old energy

The bones are the most Yin aspect of our anatomy, they are the densest and deepest layer of our Qi. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the bones and marrow are ruled by the kidneys. The kidneys store and generate our life essence, called prenatal Qi. The bones are an extension of this precious essence. In our development the kidney essence enables the production of bone marrow which in turn produces the bones, teeth, spinal cord, brain, blood and hair. The life essence is like your energetic DNA – it is the blueprint that forms the basis of all the tissues and carries the genetic imprint of your ancestors. The vibration that we carry in our bones not only reflects our early life experiences, it holds the memories from thousands of generations. Bone Breathing takes us into the deepest and hidden part of our body, where we store old pain. Therefore the first part of bone breathing is to clear the bones of stagnant energy, heaviness, pain or trauma. When the bones are cleared of this heavy energy, they resonate like tuning forks with the natural vibration of the Universe.

 2.       Bone Breathing strengthen the bones, blood and immune system

As babies our bones are filled with red marrow, but as we age the marrow is replaced with fatty yellow marrow. Fatty marrow creates stagnation. Bone Breathing helps to clear this fatty marrow to improve blood and Qi circulation, thus strengthening our life force and slow down the aging process. The breath is the life force. When we breath with the bones, we are channeling Qi in and around the bone structure. This nourishes the bones and helps them regenerate red bone marrow which supports the blood and Qi. The bone marrow produces red and white blood cells. Red blood cells are your principal means of delivering oxygen to the tissues and organs while eliminating carbon dioxide. White blood cells are the cells of the immune system that protect the body against viruses, pathogens and disease. Bone Marrow Qigong is designed to increase the red and white blood cells, thus strengthening your immune system.

3.       Raises your vibration and increase internal power

Bones may seem dense, but they are actually a living energetic matrix that have the ability to generate electric energy called the piezo-electric effect. During the piezo electric effect, electric pulses send a signal to the bone cells to remodel themselves so they can regulate mineral content as well as heal from injury and every day stress. While the bones don’t change much in shape they are constantly remodeling and transforming like crystals. The Daoists understood our bones to be antennas that broadcast information from the universe. The upright alignment of our skeleton between heaven and earth is a perfect conduit of energy. As we clear and charge the bones with Qi, the bones naturally conduct the energy of the universe through the body. This energy flows through the spinal cord and Penetrating Meridian (Chong Mai) to nourish the brain and awaken our Upper Dantian, to refine the Shen, leading ultimately to Enlightenment.

METHOD

So how do we breath with our bones? There are two kinds of breaths, the gross breath that we take through the nose and the subtle breath that enters our body through our skin and hair. The skin contains millions of tiny pores and hairs that transmit qi between you and the environment. During Bone Breathing we will be using this subtle breath, and draw the qi through the skin into the fingertips and toes. From here we will guide the qi up the bones further and further with each breath. The bones need to be purged and cleansed first and then you can raise their vibration. So following the YOQI system of Qi Flow, first we will attune to the bones, then purge them, tonify them and finally circulate. The growth phase of bone breathing is called Bone Packing or compression which is the level 2 practice of Bone Breathing.

Bone Breathing is a powerful practice that can bring transformation on a deep level. Because we are working with the hidden aspect of ourselves, it requires concentration and awareness. In order to guide the Qi, the emotions must be calm and the mind must be focused. I suggest that you do the meditation at least 3 times without giving up. The first time can be challenging because will be just learning the method of Bone Breathing. The second time you will be able to practice the method and the third time you will be able to let go of trying and feel the Qi. A sign of progress is that you can feel your bones! As the Qi circulates you may also feel warmth, heaviness or tingling in your bones. The more you dive into this practice, I suggest you take time to meditate afterwards or take a nap and assimilate the energy. Bone breathing is a wonderful practice to do in the winter. Winter is the most yin time of year and the bones are the most yin aspect of our body. In winter we have sayings like, being chilled to the bone, or drink some warm tea to warm your bones. So bone breathing is great to do in Autumn and Winter, but it can also be added in your personal practice all year round. Now find a warm and peaceful place and let’s get started, let’s move some Qi!

Click here to purchase the YOQI Bone Breathing Meditation

Click here to practice Qigong Flow for Healthy Bones and Bone Marrow in YOQI on demand

Bone Breathing is featured in the Immune System Support video here

DESIGNING YOUR PERSONAL QIGONG PRACTICE

HOW TO USE THE YOQI VIDEO ON DEMAND LIBRARY

“Health and well-being can be achieved only by remaining centered in spirit, guarding against the leakage of energy, promoting the constant flow of qi and blood, maintaining harmonious balance of yin and yang, adapting to the changing of the seasonal and yearly macrocosmic influences and nourishing one’s self preventively. This is the way to a long and happy life.” -The Neijing Suwen, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine.

The first time you open the YOQI Video on Demand Library it may seem a bit overwhelming. You might say to yourself, “There are so many different practices to choose in here, where do I begin?” In the blog post titled FOUR KEYS TO A POWERFUL QIGONG PRACTICE we talked about what kind of qigong practice will give you the most benefit. In this post we are going to dive deeper and look at specific ways to choose a daily, weekly or monthly practice that will actualize your health and spiritual goals.

Over the last 20 years, I have learned hundreds of qigong and yoga exercises that include warm ups, stretches, flows, self-massage, breathing methods, external qigong movements, internal energy moving meditations, visualizations, chants, and mudras. Even within one qigong form, for example the famous Ba Duan Jin, there can be twenty different variations. With thousands of options, there is not enough time for even the most skilled qigong masters to practice so many exercises in one week or even a year, and there is no need to.

A useful way to view yoga and qigong practices is to imagine having different tools in your energetic tool box. The key is to know which tool to use at the appropriate time to create the energetic outcome you wish to achieve. Life is a frequency match. Our beliefs and life experiences hold a charge that we carry in our body. The core philosophy of YOQI is whatever energy and beliefs we carry within us will attract and manifest that kind of energy around us. Things like optimal health, vitality, abundance, wisdom and love are not things that we acquire, they are a state of being. Your individual goals will determine what level you need to immerse yourself in a practice. For example, if your goal is health and longevity, then the practices you choose will be different from if you wish to move deeper towards stages of awakening the energy system. Therefore, the first question to ask yourself is, “What kind of energy do I want to create in my life today?” The way to answer this question is as an affirmation:

THE KIND OF ENERGY I INTEND TO CREATE IN MY LIFE IS __________________________

Some examples of answers are: self-healing, optimal health, anti-aging longevity, more energy, a pain free and mobile body, a deeper connection to people and nature, sexual intimacy, freedom, abundance, trust, inner peace, balance, unconditional love, happiness that is not dependent on external conditions, intuitive wisdom, internal alchemy or complete awakening. While there are so many beautiful answers, choose the one that resonates with your heart the most.

Once you have indulged in what you would like to manifest in your life, it’s time to come back to the present moment and feel where you are at right now. Therefore, the next question is to ask, “What is the state of my energy right now?”

For thousands of years Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine have developed systems of diagnosis to answer this question. The baseline of measurement in Eastern Energy Medicine is a state of balance, called homeostasis in the west. Health is a state of integration and harmony with things around us. When we are tuned to our body, mind and spirit we know how to bring ourselves into a state of balance quickly rather than waiting until it is too late. A fast way to self-diagnose the state of your energy today is to take the YOQI Qi Test. Is your qi strong and balanced, excessive, deficient or stagnant? Take the test and find out here.

After you take the test, fill in the blank below:

THE STATE OF MY ENERGY RIGHT NOW IS __________________________ (stagnant, deficient, excessive or balanced)

Now that you have decided the kind of energy you want to create and the state of your energy today, it is time to choose a practice schedule for the day, week, month or season. There are three ways to choose practices from the library:

1. ALIGN YOUR ENERGY WITH THE SEASONS
2. ADDRESS A SPECIFIC PHYSICAL OR PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL IMBALANCE
3. DESIGN AN INTENSIVE YOQI TRAINING PROGRAM

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ALIGN YOUR ENERGY WITH THE SEASONS

The simplest and natural way to practice qigong is to align your energy with the seasons. The good news is that this is how the YOQI library is designed. If it is Spring, then do the videos in the Spring Series. When it is Summer, do the Summer Series etc. These videos are organized to appear first every season (according to the western hemisphere).

Every YOQI Seasonal Series is made up of a routine that addresses the state of your energy: Qigong Flow to Purge, Qigong Flow to tonify, Qigong Flow to Circulate, a Complete Seasonal Routine, a Yin Yoga routine and a Seated Meditation. This way you can choose routines based on the state of your energy while aligning your energy with each season.

Another cool thing about the seasonal selection of YOQI practices is that every routine within one seasonal series works with a key principle for that season and element. For example, a key principle of Spring is spirals. All the routines in the Spring Series feature spiral movements to purge, tonify or circulate. Summer practices focus on internal alchemy, Late-Summer practices focus on holding postures, Autumn focuses on going with the flow, and Winter focuses on nourishing qi. This focus helps fine tune your qigong practice and makes all the routines within the season complement each other.

If you have taken the qi test, you will have a good idea of the state of your energy and what kind of qigong practice in each Seasonal Series will help you achieve balance: Purge, Tonify, Circulate or a Complete Routine:

1. PURGE: There is a saying in Chinese that goes, “Don’t put clean water in a dirty glass.” In otherwords, we don’t want to circulate or mix clean qi in a dirty body. Purging exercises are used to cleanse the body of acquired qi and to release qi stagnation. We commonly acquire qi that doesn’t serve us from toxins in food, medications, air pollution, negative emotions, trauma, low energy situations, electromagnetic radiation (especially if you fly a lot). The ultimate purge is to let go of all attachments. Nearly everyone can benefit from purging exercises. Choose purging practices when you feel chronic stress, tension, stagnation, heaviness, overheated, anxious, toxic, negative, or simply for preventive maintenance. Those who should not do purging qigong are those who have weak or deficient qi. If you feel exhausted, purging might make you feel even worse so it is more appropriate to tonify. Note that heaviness is a different kind of energetic exhaustion that is due to accumulated energy which means it’s a good time to purge. Purging can also be used during a cold or flu to clear mucus and accumulated heat, but avoid purging if the Qi is very weak. Another time not to purge is during the first few days of menstruation. Since the body is already detoxing and loosing a lot of qi in the blood, there is no need to push the body to extremes with more purging. But of course this depends on the individual; if the menstrual period is smooth and painless, light purging is ok. Do not purge during pregnancy. Purging exercises can be done any time of the month but are best supported by nature during the waning moon.
   
   Examples of purging exercises: Body tapping/hitting (Pai Da), The Six Healing Sounds, Shaking, Drawing Down the Heavens to Cleanse, YOQI Qigong to Purge routines, yoga kriya, yang yoga, fasting. Key words: Letting go, purify, cleanse, release.
   

2. TONIFY: Another quote from the Nei Jing Su Wen is, “Don’t wait to dig a well after you are already thirsty.” There are many enjoyable things we can do to prevent illness and create optimal health. Tonification is one of them. To tonify means to strengthen. Tonification qigong exercises nourish the organs, smooth the flow of qi through the meridians and fortify the qi in the lower dantian. It also means to activate or increase qi, especially in the energy centers and meridians, like the lower dantian. Most everyone can benefit from tonification qigong. Choose tonification routines when you feel tired, are recovering from surgery or illness, in the winter, and as a general maintenance to increase your life force energy for longevity. Those who should be careful with tonification are those who are in an acute stage of a flu, virus or disease. There are specific tonification exercises for diseases such as cancer that focus on specific organs and these should be prescribed through personal consultation with a medical qigong doctor. Tonification exercises can be done any time of the month but are best supported by nature during the waxing moon.
   
   Examples of tonification exercises: YOQI Qigong to Tonify routines, Inner Smile meditation, Yin Massage, Yang Qi Fa nourishing qi, Spiral Flows, Iron Shirt, color visualization, yin yoga, herbs, nutrition, body conditioning. Key words: Strengthen, recharge, rejuvenate, nourish.

3. CIRCULATE: Once you have built up an ample amount of qi in the body it is time to spread this qi through the system in a balanced and skillful way. Circulation qigong exercises irrigate the meridian pathways, nourish the tissues, energize organs, recycle energy, build internal power and strength. Circulation qigong transforms one type of energy into another type. Like a water wheel generates electricity, when we circulate the qi, it charges up your organs and energy system, refines the qi and raises your vibration. Choose circulation routines when you want to calm down, or when you feel healthy and wish to increase your life force energy and raise your vibration. Circulation qigong flows may be the most fun, but they are an advanced form of practice and require that our state of health be in a stable condition. Before circulating is important to cleanse the body and make sure that there is an ample amount of qi in the lower dantian. For most people doing a few purging and tonification exercises are a sufficient way to prepare the body for circulation. Circulation exercises can be done any time of the month but are best supported by nature during the full moon.
   
   Examples of circulation exercises: Progressive looping flows, the Microcosmic Orbit (Small circulation of light meditation), working with a qi ball, and YOQI Qigong to Circulate routines. Key words: regulate, refine, transform.

   Every YOQI video contains a colored spiral symbol to help guide you to find the practices the correspond to Purge, Tonify Circulate or Complete Routine.

PURGE

Cleanse Qi

TONIFY

Nourish and build Qi

CIRCULATE + REFINE

COMPLETE ROUTINE

Raise your vibration, refine and maintain Qi

Cleanse, nourish, circulate, refine and store Qi

DESIGNING YOUR PERSONAL PRACTICE TO ALIGN YOUR ENERGY WITH THE SEASONS

Now we can put all this together and design a training schedule. In general, a weekly or monthly program can be designed with:

• 1 Purging Routine (yellow spiral)

• 1 Dynamic Qigong Flow (blue, purple or green spiral)

• 1 Yin Yoga routine

• 1 Seated Meditation or Essential Practice.

This diversity of yin and yang, standing and sitting, creates a well-balanced personal practice.

Next, out of these four videos, choose which video will be your main practice. If the test shows that you need to focus on purging, then purging would be the main practice. If you are balanced, you can choose a dynamic flow or you may want to focus on developing your qigong skills by using an Essential Practice or a special feature form like the Yi Jin Jing or The Three Forces Standing Meditation. Then depending on how many days you have to practice in a week, you can spread out the videos through the week. For some it may only be three days a week. For others who have more time, more. Stick to the same 4 videos for at least 3 weeks. Three months (one seasonal cycle) is a great time period to practice the seasonal routines consistently for optimal benefit. You don’t need to do every routine offered in one season.

Here is a sample of a weekly program for someone who chooses purging as their main practice in the Spring:

*Note that all newcomers to the library should start with the 3- Part Dantian Activation Series as basic training.

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ADDRESS A SPECIFIC PHYSICAL OR PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL IMBALANCE

Some of you may be going through a specific growth period, challenge or health condition. In this case you can choose practices that work specifically on the imbalance. The key is not to address too many things at one time. Choose the most dominant or current condition you would like to transform. Some examples are lower back pain, allergies, digestive issues, menstrual pain, adrenal burnout, depression, anxiety, insomnia, loss or death, or a broken heart.

The library is organized by season because this is the most natural way to align your practices to the rhythm of nature throughout the year. It is beneficial to focus on the quality of energy of your current season because that is what nature is supporting most. But this does not mean that you cannot practice the Autumn Series in Spring or the Winter Series in Summer. In qigong and Chinese medicine, each season corresponds to an organ pair and emotional state. For example, Autumn rules the lungs and large intestine while Spring rules the liver and gall bladder. (see chart below) All five elements work together to balance each other. So it is not going to do harm to do seasonal routines in other seasons, for example Autumn in Spring, especially when focusing on organ health. In Spring if you feel that your lung qi is weak, or you feel sadness and depression, the Autumn practices can be beneficial because the metal element is weak and needs balance. In winter if your kidneys feel cold and sluggish, then you can add fire practices of Summer. In Summer if you feel hyperactive or too excited, you can add the water of winter to cool and balance. Qigong Flow for a Happy Spleen is the most popular video in the library because so many people have chronic digestive issues!

This table of correspondences chart is a simple guide to choose practices based on the seasonal organs, emotional states and quality of energy you that you would like to address.

DESIGNING YOUR PERSONAL PRACTICE TO ADDRESS A SPECIFIC PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL IMBALANCE

Here is an example of a weekly practice for someone who is suffering from a double dose of depression and anxiety (fear):

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DESIGNING AN INTENSIVE YOQI TRAINING PROGRAM

The last way to choose practices from the library is to design an intensive training program. Your individual goals will determine what level you need to immerse yourself in a practice. For example, if your goal is health and longevity, then the practices you choose will be quite different from if you wish to move deeper towards stages of awakening the energy system.

Let’s go back to the first affirmation.

THE KIND OF ENERGY I WANT TO CREATE IN MY LIFE IS __________________________

Based on the energy you would like to create, if your answer is related to self-healing, emotional balance, mental calm, boosting the immune system, and preventing disease then refer back to the first two ways to choose practices from the library (Align your Energy with the Seasons or Address a Specific Physical or Psycho-emotional State). If your answer is related to Spiritual Awakening, and you wish to explore the Taoist alchemy practices then you can design a training program that focuses on refining your internal energy. These practices are often called Spiritual Qigong or Neigong. Neigong training initially begins by working with the physical body to create a strong and healthy container. So in that way it follows similar principles as above. Once the physical body is prepared, one moves into the energy body, and then the consciousness body. Classically this is called transforming jing to qi to shen, or working with the Three Treasures. A key pathway to refine jing to qi to shen is the Microcosmic Orbit.

Here is an example of a weekly practice for beginner’s internal energy training:

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CONCLUSION

In conclusion there are three ways to design your personal practice:

1. ALIGN YOUR ENERGY WITH THE SEASONS

2. ADDRESS A SPECIFIC PHYSICAL OR PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL IMBALANCE

3. DESIGN AN INTENSIVE YOQI TRAINING PROGRAM

#1 and #2 both promote and maintain optimal health and vitality through self-healing, emotional balance, mental calm, boosting the immune system, and preventing disease. #3 focuses on Spiritual Awakening of the energy system through the process of integrating all aspects of the self by refining jing into qi into shen. Although the exercises, techniques and practices may differ, often the effects of one promote the other; self-healing practices lead to spiritual insights, while spiritual practices generate healing and full body transformation. As the sages say, all paths lead to the same goal; awakening your true nature. It’s my pleasure to be your guide to health and happiness through the path of light that is qigong.

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List of videos titles in the YOQI Video on Demand Library according to Category

There are three categories of practices in the YOQI Video Library. These key words are tagged inside the description of each video.

• Qigong for Health and Longevity

• Qigong for Spiritual Awakening (Neigong)

• Essential Practices

QIGONG FOR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

Spring Series Anxiety Relief Long form
Spring Series Anxiety Relief short form
Spring Series Qigong Flow to Purge
Spring Series Qigong Flow to Tonify
Spring Series Qigong Flow to Circulate
Spring Series New Perspectives
Spring Series 6 Healing Sounds
Spring Series 6 Healing sounds EMDR
Spring Series Energy System Reboot
Spring Series Happy Liver
Spring Series Yi Jin Jing Long form
Spring Series Yi Jin Jing Short form
Summer Series Qigong Flow to Purge
Summer Series Qigong Flow to Tonify
Summer Series Qigong Flow to Circulate
Summer Series: Qigong Flow for a Happy Heart
Late Summer Series Happy Spleen and Stomach
Winter Series Qigong Flow to Purge
Winter Series Qigong Flow to Tonify
Winter Series Qigong Flow to Circulate
Winter Series Confidence Flow
Winter Series Vitality Flow
Autumn Series Qigong Flow to Purge
Autumn Series Qigong Flow to Tonify
Autumn Series Qigong Flow to Circulate
Autumn Series Meditation to Let Go
Qigong Flow for Happy Lungs
YOQI Morning Energize Routine
Qigong + Yoga Morning Energize

QIGONG FOR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (NEIGONG)

Dantian Activation 1
Dantian Activation 2
Dantian Activation 3
Three Treasures Qigong Flow
Yin Yoga & The Microcosmic Orbit
3 Fires and Six Directions
Standing Qigong Flow for Meditation

ESSENTIAL PRACTICES

Dantian Activation 1
Dantian Activation 2
Dantian Activation 3
Energy System Reboot
Three Forces Standing Meditation
Yin Yoga & The Microcosmic Orbit

Video On Demand Spring Practice Guide

“The three months of Spring denote breaking open the old to create the new.
Heaven and Earth together generate life and the Ten Thousand things begin to flourish.”
-The Great Treatise on Regulating the Spirit with the Four Seasons (四氣調神大論)

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Happy Spring Qi Friends! 快乐的春天

The Chinese character for the word spring, chūn 春, is an image of the sun underneath a tree with grass on top. (See ancient pictograph on the right.)

The character speaks clearly: Spring is yang (the sun), it's the element of growth (wood), and it brings life (grass).

In Traditional Chinese Medicine and qigong, spring is considered the beginning of the cycle of the seasons. We welcome this time of year when nature is born again after the dark yin phase of winter. Days become longer and Mother Earth gives birth to the fragrant aromas of fresh grasses and flowers.

Spring's rising yang energy supports expansion and growth, so its a good time for us to assume the movement of yang within ourselves. While in winter we should sleep more, in spring we should be more active, focus on goals, start new projects, and encourage other people on their journeys. Physically, spring is a great time to renew the body through detoxification and to strengthening the tendons and connective tissues. Energetically, it's a time to reboot our energy system so that we can restart the seasonal cycle with a clear mind. Spiritually, spring is a special time to expand our vision, shift into new perspectives and focus on manifesting our highest potential. 

Many qigong practices for spring come from dragon forms that use spirals to stretch the tendons and detoxify the liver. Most of these forms were developed through martial arts lineages that focused on creating a firm and flexible body. This season the YOQI Video Library contains a super charged variety of seasonal practices that will detoxify, spiral, reboot and attune you to spring's generous energy.

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A QIGONG PRACTICE FOR SPRING

Physically, spring qigong practices focus on the organs of the wood element: the liver and gall bladder.

The liver is the main organ responsible for processing toxins in the body. One of the liver’s main jobs is to filter toxic wastes from the bloodstream. Another task is to produce many of the alkaline enzymes upon which immune response and other vital functions depend. If the blood is constantly polluted by excess acid residues from a poor diet, alcohol and drugs, or excessive stress, the liver eventually gets overloaded with acid wastes and becomes deeply congested with toxic debris. This results in qi stagnation, chronic tension, joint pain, headaches, physical weakness, painful menstruation to name a few. Therefore, most qigong for the liver emphasize detoxification and purging rather than tonification or circulation. This season's  SPRING PURGE, TONIFY AND CIRCULATE qigong routines use spirals and swimming dragon forms to cleanse the liver and cultivate resiliency, the energy of the wood element. Other videos this season that support the liver are Qigong Flow for a Happy Liver, Pai Da for Cleaning, Pai Da with Six Healing Sounds, Qigong Flow for Stress and Anxiety, Yi Jin Jing and Jade  Woman Qigong.

Emotionally our qigong will focus on the emotions of spring: transforming anger or frustration into forgiveness and kindness

Our internal organs are reservoirs of energy. In the Taoist healing tradition, both positive and negative emotions are associated with them. The liver resonates with the emotional vibrations of anger and frustration. Most of us know intuitively that if we are carrying around stress, anger, grief and emotional trauma it has a direct effect on our body. Over time, the accumulation of too much anger creates heat in the liver, resulting in stagnation and impedes our potential. One of the most powerful tools to transform negative emotions is vibration. The Six Healing Sounds Qigong is a vibrational healing method that dates back to 4th century. It is a foundational YOQI practice we use to transform negative emotions into positive virtues. This season's video library selection introduces the complete Six Healing Sounds Method, and integrates it into a variety of practices: Pai Da hitting with the Six Healing Sounds, Seated Six Healing Sounds Qigong for Emotional Balance and Qigong Flow for Anxiety and Stress Relief.

Energetically, spring supports your ability to expand your visions and see new perspectives.

The energy of spring supports growth, expansion, vision and creativity. In Taoist metaphysics, these virtues resonate with the spirit of the liver, called the Hun. The Hun spirit shines through our eyes and gives us the energy to put things into perspective; to see the big picture. So spring a good time to break free from old programs, open to new ideas and set our Hun free. It's also a prime time to take new ideas and make them into practical plans. In this season's Qigong Flow for New Perspectives we explore the ability to focus on specific goals then relax and let things unfold naturally, at the same time. This standing flow is meant to be paired with the Energy Reboot Meditation, a powerful seated qigong that uses Dantian Activation and Meridian Tapping to realign your energy system and break free from patterned behaviors. Through this process of actualizing the Hun, we come realize that the largest perspective includes the highest good of all beings.

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FEATURED VIDEO FOR SPRING: QIGONG FLOW FOR HAPPY LIVER

The suggested complete routine for your practice this month is Qigong Flow for Happy Liver (38 minutes) and is offered in both English and Spanish. This qigong flow routine is designed to purify, nourish and balance the liver and gall bladder. Inspired by the Swimming Dragon style of qigong the routine uses spirals and twists to release tension, detoxify the liver, nourish the tendons and get the qi flowing. Enjoy the scenery of the Northern California Redwoods.

VIDEO LIBRARY PROGRAM FOR SPRING

Qigong Flow for Happy Happy Liver
YOQI RESOURCE SERIES: Dantian Activation
Energy System Reboot meditation
Yi Jin Jing (Muscle & Tendon Changing classic form)
Spring Qigong to Purge and Detoxify
Spring Qigong to Tonify
Spring Qigong to Circulate
6 Healing Sounds Meditation practice
Qigong Flow for New Perspectives
Hitting (Pai Da) to Detoxify
Hitting (Pai Da) with the 6 Healing Sounds
Qigong Flow for Stress & Anxiety
Jade Woman Qigong Form

Note: These videos will appear at the top of the library status throughout the spring season.

DESIGNING YOUR SPRING PRACTICE

This seasons QiBLOG post features the four keys to a powerful qigong practice.

1. Harmonize your routine with the season
2. Emphasize practices that address your state of qi
3. Practice quality over quantity
4. Practice consistently over time

Read the full blog post here.

You will find that all the videos added to the library this season address these four keys. So, I suggest that you focus on mastering the exercises in these specific routines this season, practicing quality over quantity. With consistent dedication and skillful effort, your qi and inner light shall blossom….
 
May the life force be with you!
Marisa

FOUR KEYS TO A POWERFUL QIGONG PRACTICE

Qigong is a very new term for a very old practice. The roots of Chinese energy cultivation extend back over three thousand years. They can be traced to the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, and found flowering in the writings of Master Lao Tzu. Originally, qigong was known as Yang Sheng, a vague term which means ‘nourishing life’ and masters still call qigong exercises by this name today. At the same time, Chinese culture values systemization. In the last century qigong has been classified into four branches: medical qigong, martial qigong, spiritual qigong and philosophical qigong. There’s also terms such as nei gong (internal cultivation), wai gong (external cultivation) and shen gong (soul cultivation). With such an extensive history and multitude of applications, it’s no wonder that there are 100’s of styles of qigong and over 10,000 different qigong exercises.

So, the most common question people ask me is, “What kind of qigong routine should I practice to gain the most benefit for my body?”

Here is what I have gathered from my personal exploration and studies with some of the world’s leading qigong masters:

1.   Harmonize your routine with the seasons

One of the main goals of a qigong practice is to align our energy with the energy of nature. When we are in harmony with nature, we are in harmony with our true nature. A simple way to do this is to choose qigong practices that correspond to the five seasons: autumn, winter, spring, summer and late summer.

The five seasons are a result of the alignment of the earth’s magnetic poles within the orbit of the sun. They are Mother Earth’s expression of our interdependent connection to the greater Universe. All phenomena, from atoms and molecules to planets and stars, are composed of energy. We too are energy beings. Each of us has our own unique rhythm; we pulse, vibrate and resonate with the world around us. The Taoists observed and organized patterns of energy into interconnected rhythms called the Five Elemental Phases. Each season is associated with a different elemental aspect of nature—Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth — and corresponds to the five vital organs, five body systems, five emotions as well as colors, sounds, food, herbs and much more.  

Seasonal energy runs in cycles, creating patterns of that are stronger and weaker at certain times of year. Therefore, we can use seasonal energy as a special time to support and focus our qi cultivation practice. For example, summer is the peak of yang or expanding energy. It’s time to express ourselves, nourish the heart, radiate love and enjoy the light. Summer's polar opposite, winter, is the peak of yin or sinking energy. Animals hibernate and nature is quiet. It’s a special time for introspection, cultivating inner peace and focusing on who we are. The dominant organ of winter, the kidneys is an important organ for conserving life force energy and reproduction. In the spring yang begins to rise from yin, it’s the energy of rising and growth. This is the time to cultivate your creativity and start new projects as well as detoxify  the liver. In autumn, energy in nature solidifies and we too begin to descend. It’s a powerful time to let go of the past, clean out the garage and breathe deeply into the lungs. The fifth season, late summer, is a special phase of energy that is the earth element. It is the energy of stability that supports the harvest period. Late summer is a wonderful time for qigong practices that nourish the stomach-spleen organ pair and to center our energy.

Often our internal energy is disconnected from the external energy. That’s why in autumn people tend to get allergies or get sick; resistance to change and letting go are showing up. This is partly an effect of modern lifestyles. Before we discovered how to turn the lights on, humankind co-depended on the cycle of farming. Now most of us don’t grow our own food, and many people suffer from insomnia and rely on caffeine to make it through the day. In this state of dis-harmony we can pick up acquired energy more easily, get thrown off emotionally by life’s challenges and weaken the body’s systems. This can easily be rebalanced when we align our intention with the energy of the season to optimize our health and true being.

Here is a simplified table of seasonal correspondences:

Lastly, it’s important to remember that the rhythms of the Five Elemental Phases also interact within you every day throughout the year.  There is no fixed rule that you must practice specific qigong that corresponds to the season. The point of this illustration is that the energy of nature is always here to support your practice. A good place to start is to ask yourself, “Am I in flow with nature today? Could I expand my connection to nature even deeper?”

You can find the YOQI seasonal routines here

2.   Emphasize practices that address your state of qi (purge, tonify, circulate)

The first level of qigong practice is to develop a healthy body. Even in average healthy people there can be some imbalances in the energy system because we do not have control over the toxins in our environment, food sources, accidents and other external factors that put stress on the body. If we respond quickly, we can resolve minor health challenges before they become major illness, often by simply working with our energy and giving the body, mind and spirit what it needs. Therefore, it’s helpful to emphasize practices that address the state of your qi.

Qigong practices are designed to nourish our life force energy for self-healing and to promote longevity. The original Taoists were very interested in immortality, or prolonging life. And not only in this physical body, but in the astral body as well! The result of their experiments with alchemy contributed to the brilliant system of Traditional Chinese Medicine today. The branch of qigong that addresses health issues is called medical qigong. Medical qigong not only focuses on curing dis-ease but on preventing dis-ease from arising and then creating a surplus of energy for optimal health. When our qi is strong we make different decisions from when our qi is depleted. When our qi is depleted, our survival instincts kick in. But when we have a surplus of qi we become more resourceful and can tap into our full potential. We can move more qi, connect deeply to others and share qi to help others.

Every YOQI video contains a colored spiral symbol to help guide you to find the practices that optimize the state of your energy right now. They are Purge & Tonify, Circulate & Refine and Complete Routine. Here is a brief definition of each:

PURGE: Clear and cleanse out toxins, stagnation, tension, stress, mental agitation, emotional disharmony, and repressed emotions
TONIFY: Nourish and strengthen the qi in the meridians, organs, glands, immune system, and seal energy leaks.
CIRCULATE: Irrigate the meridian pathways, infuse tissues with energy, energize organs, recycle energy,  build internal power and strength.
REFINE: Transform one type of energy into another type (for example transform depression into inspiration). Raise the vibrational frequency.
COMPLETE ROUTINE: All the above included in routine

You can test the state of your qi here!

3.   Practice Quality over Quantity

When I first added yoga to my daily meditation and qigong practice I became overwhelmed with practices. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to do it all. Also, different masters had given me different practices and told me not to do others. Which practices should I do? I discovered the answer at a meditation retreat when my mind was in a state of complete surrender. One morning I stood on the mat with no plan. The mind was still. I stood in pure awareness and began to move. The qi moved itself. The mind moved the qi and my practice took on a new level of quality. I realized it was not about how much I did every day, it was how I did it.

Quality of practice refers to quality of awareness. Without mindfulness, qigong is just energy exercises. It still works, but not optimally. To optimize and maximize your practice, skillful attention and right attitude are required. Right attitude includes joy. Joy is an attitude of the heart, which is an important aspect of mindfulness that is often overlooked. The alchemy of awareness combined with an open heart infuses our practice with a power packed high quality frequency.
 

Another aspect of quality over quantity is to consider how many exercises to do in a practice, and how often. A qigong master once said to me “American’s love to mix practices”. It’s true, we do. He was referring to what is called energy soup. Mixing too many qigong practices can result in a mix up of energies that leads to a range of experiences from brilliant to ineffective to counterproductive. For thousands of years qigong masters have mixed and designed routines based on specific principles to generate a desired energetic outcome. In medical qigong traditions, a doctor will prescribe 1-3 qigong exercises to be performed up to 3 times your age per day! In Martial Qigong one taijichuan form can contain 72 movements. Your daily qigong practice can range from one exercise and a meditation to thirty movements in a full program. Therefor, you don’t need to practice thirty exercises every day to receive full benefit. Nor should you interchange different programs every day of the week. Qigong cross-fit training usually results an energy soup, unless its specifically prescribed by a qigong master. It’s best to stick to one prescription, program or theme until the desired result is accomplished and then move on to the next. For example, if you are purging, focus on purging until you feel clear. If you need to build up your energy center, do centering practices until the lower dantian is warm and full. If you would like to focus on seasonal energy, then follow the YOQI seasonal program guide. This is also why great teacher is very helpful. A teacher will help you focus on the practices that are most important to maximize your efforts. Ultimately, we are our own best masters, and the intuition brought about through awareness will help you discern what practices are working or not working for you. So will the results.

4.   Practice consistently over time

The Buddha said, the mind has the tendency to bend to that which we place our attention. All forms of mastery, from Olympic gymnastics to learning Chinese have one thing in common: repetition. Energy cultivation works the same way. A fifteen-minute practice every day is more beneficial than one hour per week. One hour a day is also very good!

Through consistent practice, the energy body becomes entrained to the patterns we are programming in the system. Healthy qi moves in specific rhythms and patterns in and around the body. For example, figure eights and spirals can be found throughout nature moving tornados, forming seashells and our DNA. When we become stressed or disrupted these spiral patterns become disrupted. We can also get locked into unhealthy negative patterns. The longer we wait to address imbalances, the more entrained they become. So patient, consistent practice over time is the key to unwind, unlock, restore and revitalize!

Ultimately, the goal of qigong is to refine our energy into a body of light - free from environmental, biological and acquired conditioning - and return to our authentic nature. The process to refine qi is not achieved through force, but rather through a gradual process of nature’s unfolding. Qi is moving inside you already, you don’t have to create something that’s not there. It takes time for the body to digest increasingly higher frequencies and high-grade energies. As your qi refines so does your ability to transform negative states into higher virtuous states of compassion, generosity, wisdom, courage. Through consistent dedication to this work, we peel back the layers of the mind and transform a selfish outlook into a deeper connection to all of life.

Would you like access to a video library of qigong, yoga and energy routines designed to guide you through the seasons and move your practice to the next level? To learn more about how you can subscribe to the YOQI video library click here.

May all being be happy, may all beings be peaceful, may all beings be free from suffering. Amituofo!