Awakening Chi

ENGAGE WITH AGE

My older friends seem to be walking with greater difficulty, coping with balance issues, and grappling with various medical issues. Many have tried to learn Taijiquan and other Taoist arts, but they have found the process daunting. This has motivated me to share simpler methods for maintaining lifelong wellness. The classes are designed to be easy and without the demand for acquiring complicated routines.

The classes will feature Little Exercises that people can mix and match according to their needs. Taoist breathing methods, seated and standing meditation, and seated restorative exercises will show calming and healthy approaches anyone can do. Two sets of qigong—seated and standing Eight Pieces of Brocade will provide complete classical sets.

For a flyer with the complete curriculum and schedule, click here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bd59sqlg9m0vcjkg1og05/Engage-...

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Classes will be held at 11:00 AM–12:00 PM Pacific time. A Zoom invitation with password will be sent on the Friday before each weekend. Any reference materials will be attached to the invitations. A link to a video recording will be sent after each class. The videos remain available for at least a year after the conclusion of the series.

Register before February 2 for a 20% discount!

To register:
https://www.dengmingdao.com/engage

A NEW ONLINE SERIES: HEALING BODY, MIND, & SPIRIT

My next online class will feature Xingyiquan, Standing Meditation, and the Marrow Washing Classic Qigong.

Distinguishing between external and internal systems is a way of categorizing Chinese martial arts. External Styles include Shaolin, Chaquan, Huaquan, Piguaquan, and a host of forms patterned after animals. Taijiquan, Baguazhang, and Xingyiquan are the major internal styles.

Among those three styles, Xingyiquan concentrates on power, strength, forward movement, drawing energy from internal organs, building energy, and securing the mind-body link through standing meditation. Xingyiquan is also excellent at resolving health problems using an indirect but thorough approach. You might say that instead of treating symptoms, it focuses on root causes.

When I was studying with my master years ago, someone came to him with psychological problems. My master listened but didn’t discuss the difficulties directly. He taught the person Xingyiquan and they recovered. Another came to him who was physically weak. Again, my master taught them Xingyiquan and the student’s legs swiftly became stronger. Another said that they felt a schism between mind and body. Again, the solution was Xingyiquan.
Why did that work?

Xingyi, means form (body) and mind. Quan, means fist and designates a martial art system. Xingyi unifies the body and mind. It is based on the Five Phases (Wuxing), the theoretical basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Practicing Xingyiquan cultivates the energy of the lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, and spleen; balances emotions; builds a powerful body; and unifies the mind.

Xingyiquan is mainly allied to Standing Meditation (Zhanzhuang). We’ll study how that builds internal energy and strong concentration. The most famous proponent of this practice was Wang Xiangzhai (1885–1963). He learned from the famous Xingyiquan master, Guo Yunshen (1829–898), dubbed Divine Crushing Fist. Wang was also a good healer, so he inspired the combination of martial arts and recovery.

Bodhidharma’s Marrow Washing Classic is a traditional qigong set. It‘s designed to make a person stronger, circulate energy, improve balance, and increase coordination. This set was detailed in my book Scholar Warrior. The Marrow Washing Classic is a companion to the Muscle Change Classic. Both are believed to have been created by Bodhidharma (fifth or sixth century) and they represent the Buddhist style of qigong.

Whether you are interested in healing, strengthening, or understanding more about traditional Chinese martial arts, you’ll benefit from the internal arts!

Here’s what you’ll learn in this ten-week series:

• Warm-ups and stretches
• The Five Movements of Xingyiquan
• Simplified Linking Form (combining all five movements)
• The Marrow Washing Classic Qigong
• Standing Meditation

Please download the flyer here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ylyxsvjlo3vsxzfb6l578/Xingyi-flyer_1-3.pdf?rlkey=lh3evi2zd25dtc1im77pm085z&dl=0

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Cost is $180 until September 15, 2023; $200 until September 21, 2023.

Classes will be held at 10:50 AM–12:00 PM Pacific time. A Zoom invitation with a password will be sent on the Friday prior to each weekend. Any reference materials will be attached to the invitations. A link to a video recording will be sent after each class. The videos remain available for at least a year after the conclusion of the series. (No class on November 26.)

Registration is easy: https://www.dengmingdao.com/xingyiquan/

Deng Ming-Dao
November 5, 2018
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A PRACTICE?
What does it mean to have a practice? It means we have the ability to remake ourselves. We don’t have to be defined by others, or by accident, or even by wealth and opportunity. We have a method, and we use it. We do what few other people are willing to do—to make many small acts each day that build into massive change. That’s how we safeguard our health and our sanity.
What does it mean to have a practice? It means that we understand that there are no quick changes. That the only way to have a chance of moving with the seasons, with circumstance, and with aging, is to make many gradual alterations. That takes patience and it takes perseverance. That steady effort is all we really need.
What does it mean to have a practice? It means that we clear our minds, that we participate in each day, that we adjust cheerfully and quickly to any changes in our lives, that we manage to continue our practice even as we answer all our other obligations.
What does it mean to have a practice? It means we are fully centered in ourselves. We are seldom overwhelmed or shocked—because we have constantly oriented ourselves each day.
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Figures in Landscape Setting
Ren Xiong (1827–1857)
Album of twelve leaves: ink and color on paper
BAMPFA