Prepare for Anything

There are two ideas here: Prepare for the unexpected and the expected. Practice enough Qigong so that you can handle whatever unexpected splats or splashes may come at you in life. Also prepare for anticipated times of busyness.

Pre-Manage Your Qi

In a conversation about this topic the other day, a student of mine reflected that “a challenge is just Qi to be managed.” This makes sense to me. When you can, manage that Qi ahead of time, that is to the good.

Prepare for the Unexpected

Qigong can help you deal with the requirements of life, but sometimes life asks much of you. It makes sense to front-load your Qigong: Do more than you usually do so you have plenty of energy for those busier or boggier times that sometimes descend upon you. Front-load your Qigong so you can deal with the stress and activities of your life with strength. If strained, busy or traumatic times come into your life, it is difficult then to step back and do a bunch of Qigong. When heavy events and hefty emotions take up your time and energy and focus, it is best to have a full reserve of Qi—a full tank. But if your tank is empty, strong responses are harder to come by.

Prepare for the Expected

You can plan ahead also. If a big project, busy time, or problem looms in the near future—step up your Qigong practice in advance.

Front-Load Before Traveling

Recently I front-loaded some Qigong before a trip. I was on my way to Florida—an all-day long air journey from Washington State. I didn’t know if I would be able to complete a Qigong practice that I am trying to do every day for a while. Besides various other Qigong, Taiji and Xin Yi exercises I tend to do, I was in the midst of a 100-day practice of three Wild Goose Qigong sequences (Bagua Palms, Soft Palms, and The Second 64.) 100-day practices are a great method for deepening the understanding and ability of the chosen form or exercise, and a good way to ensure the benefits are accrued.

Space Enough, Time, and Courage

These Wild Goose Sequences—especially the long form known as the Second 64—take considerable space to perform. I didn’t know how easy it would be to run through them as I would mostly be in cars, airports and airplanes on the travel day. Maybe I’m a little chicken about practicing such involved, unusual moves in public airport spaces.

A Special Rule

Wanting to continue my 100-days in a row process, I made a new rule for myself: If I could go through my required sequences four additional times the day before the trip, my daily string of success still held. The extra reps would catapult me past the inactive day. Or, to use another metaphor, the one plus four repetitions would be a bridge of Qi that connected the practice days. Or perhaps more of a running jump over a chasm to land on the feet, and keep walking.

Two plus Two is Too Much

I read once that at one point in his life, the famous Aikido master Koichi Tohei disciplined himself to two hours of breathing practice everyday. If he missed a day, he made all of it up the next day, doing four hours of breathing. This is a great idea if you can make it happen.

Front-Load Before Meetings

I once met a British Columbia man at a Qigong retreat who had a business harvesting shellfish. He said that fairly frequently he had stress-inducing meetings with suppliers, governmental authorities, fellow fishermen, and customers. He found that by practicing Qigong breathing practices on the way to these meetings he was able to get through these verbal sparring matches still relaxed.

Three Hours Reading, “Everyday”

Chiropractor and success teacher John Demartini’s most important daily practice is to read non-fiction books for three hours. Sometimes on an especially busy day he doesn’t get his 3 hours in. He finds time for catching up on his requisite reading later, such as when air-traveling. Airports and airplanes are ideal opportunities for reading.

Catching Up Adds Up

These are examples of catching up that display great commitment and discipline. I haven’t had much success with catching up on dropped tasks or late projects. That is one reason I like to get more Qigong done ahead of time.

Always Overestimate Travel Time

My travel time to Florida was longer than expected. One of the flights I was on was delayed one and half hours because of an electrical problem. The heater in one of the cargo bays would not work, which meant that the two pets sitting in that compartment would have gotten very, very cold at 30,000 feet. While that problem was worked out, I read and studied the workbook of the seminar I was going to (I was repeating it.) I touched down in West Palm Beach later than I had anticipated.

A Long Day and a Successful One

After a long day that began at 3:20 a.m.—and the disorientation of settling into a new locale—I could have done my 100-day Qigong practice. I could have found a flat, open space to practice in. But it was dark now, and dinner beckoned. I didn’t know my way around. The little motel area I was staying in didn’t appear to have a big enough area to practice these forms in. I was satisfied though. I felt at ease about it because I had front-loaded the day before. I had managed some breathing and stretching along the airways and planned to get back on track the next day with my full practice . Which I did.

Progress, Not Perfection

Qigong is not about perfection, for there is always more to work on, play with, go for. Qigong is about the process. Progress is made in health and life clarity by engaging in the process in a regular, and (I believe) gentle, disciplined practice. By my special-case front-load rules, I am still making progress on this particular 100-day practice configuration. If I don’t miss any more days, I complete it on June 30. I’m already thinking about and getting excited about what my next 100-day focus will be. Maybe the complex sequence Plum Blossom Stepping.

The Last Day

Incidentally, on the last evening and morning of my trip there was a magnificent thunderstorm. The skies poured and poured–as they will in some tropical places. I was not able, in this terrific downpour, to go outside and practice in the park on the last morning.

So I moved all of the furniture our of the apartment living room to create enough space to get my Wild Goose Qigong discipline in. The glass table was an especially heavy and awkward piece of furniture. It took some clever manipulating to transport without scratching the floor. Witht he space open, I managed to get my practice done; though it took some scrunching of steps and intermediate shifting of positioning within the Second 64 form.  

A Note on Terminology

The term “front-load” doesn’t seem to be listed as recognized term in any discipline but finance, but I like it for this Qigong usage. “Preload” is a more widespread term, with a wide variety of meanings, including to stretch the heart’s ventricle, to drink booze before going out to drink more booze, and to have already included software in some gizmo. Since I was calming my heart down, doing it soberly, and performing naturally, “pre-load” didn’t fit.

Monthly Wild Goose Qigong Workshops

Once a month on Saturdays, Robert Bates will be teaching 2-hour Wild Goose Qigong Workshops. The workshops will be for both beginners and continuing students. Everyone will work on the First 64 form. Continuing students then can stay with the First 64 practice or work on Spiral, Soft Palms, or Slapping Healthy.

Time: 10:00 to 12:00

Dates: February 20, March 20, April 17, May 15 and June 19

Cost: $80 for the 5-class series or $20 per class

Location: Robert’s Healing Studio: 1095 E. Axton Road, Bellingham, WA 98226

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gain Greater Health and Have Fun Doing it

Wild Goose Qigong exercises are Chinese longevity exercises that originated in the Taoist tradition in the Kunlun mountains of Western China, many centuries ago. Long a secret, Wild Goose Qigong became widely practiced in China in the last few decades. The exercises represent the daily routine of a wild goose—a bird of longevity and high energy. Wild Goose Qigong is effective at helping treat disease, increase energy, improve mental clarity and brain functions, and maintain general fitness.

The Fabulous, Famous, Fantastic “First 64”

The “First 64” is one of the most well known Qigong sequences in the world. It is usually the one first taught in the Wild Goose system. It consists of 64 named moves of great variety that are performed in succession along a specific stepping pattern, much like a Tai Chi Sequence is done. Each of the moves has particular benefits for health, wellness, and healing. The movements flow together in a flowing, active tapestry. The “First 64” is a lot of fun to practice and has many unexpected and unusual moves. The form includes turning, twisting, stretching, leg strengthening, balance building, and spinal strengthening. There are moves to eliminate old, stuck and toxic energy from your body and fill yourself with fresh new energy.

These classes are moderately vigorous and will include warming up, stretching, Qigong drills, and instruction in the profound and fun movements of the of the long sequences.

Sequences

A Qigong sequence is a series of movements put together into an artistic form. I often call these forms, but many people use the word “form” for a single exercise or a set. I’m playing with the word “Sequence” as a more accurate, separate descriptor.

In a Sequence–or form–one exercises follows another in an arranged order. Sequences usually cover some ground with different types of steps, arm movements and torso movements. These patterned forms usually face all directions within the series of moves.

Forms are Artistic Patterns

Forms–or Sequences–can be seen as patterns performed on the ground, in time, and in the space around you.

Sequential forms are a more advanced way of practicing than Single Exercises or Sets (though not necessarily better.)

Sequences are like books or encylcopedias of skills and knowledge. Often Sets are created by taking and adapting movements from forms into successive drills. I have done this with the Primordial Qigong Sequence, creating the exercise Set I call the Delightful Dozen out of it.

Whereas the Delightful Dozen faces one direction and calls for about a dozen repetitions of each exercise; Primordial Qigong faces each of the cardinal directions eight times in a circling sequence and with varying numbers of repetitions for each sequential movement within the form.

In the formal sequence of Primordial Qigong, each exercise has it’s own number of reps to do—between 1 and 10 reps—before  flowing into the next exercise

Other examples of Sequences include much of the system of Wild Goose Qigong, including The First 64, The Second 64, Soft Palms, Spiral, etc…

Yang Style TaiJi (Tai Chi)

Every system of Tai Chi (at least 6 different major systems out there) has it’s short and long forms as a major part of their training. The Yang Style of Tai Chi Chuan, for instance, has a widely taught beginner form of 24 movements; the intermediate  20 minute (or so) long 108 movements form; and another, rarely seen, more complex, 108 move form.

New Frame Chen Style Tai Chi Form

In my Chen Style Tai Chi class with Bob Lau we practice something called the New Frame. This very long and complicated form (which I have a long way to go to really understand in a significant way) is made of 83 moves. However, most moves have several sequential components to them, so 83 is a but a method of naming. There seem to me to be about 250 separate moves. “Whew.” I’m currently learning a Sequence called Spiral Taiji from my internal arts teacher Bob Lau.

Advantage of Sequences

An advantage of working with Sequences is that they force you to be present and fully conscious as you are training. Spacing out and not paying attention leads to missing your next steps and getting lost. Sequences are a magnificent as moving meditations.

With the differing numbers done of exercises, the exact sequences, the steps being taken and directions to face, sequential forms are masterful ways of training your memory.

Sequences also encourage a the building of artful skill. Forms add a tapestry of artistic color and nuance to Qigong.

And they are fun!

Fast Versus Slow

I perform the set quite fast in the video. Faster Wild Goose practice tends to activate more Yang energy and eliminate more stagnant Qi than doing it more slowly. (And the rain was coming any minute as I was filmed.)

Performing at a slower pace is also a wonderful way to practice this form.

I do the form (as best as I can emulate) in the style of Paul Li, my most recent teacher of Wild Goose Qigong.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Famous, Fun System of Exercise

Wild Goose Qigong is an intricate system of many movements done in the general style of Wild Geese. It is a famous system in China and getting more known here in the West all the time. It is great fun to practice.

There is so much just in this one form. There are

• Many point-charging movements
• Snap releases of Toxic Qi
• Stretches
• Qi Channel flow-increase movements
• Qi absorption techniques
• Organ regulating methods
• Brain and nervous system regulating
• Rooting stances to build a strong foundation
• Kidney charging for building the body’s energy
• Lung opening moves
• and more

Arms of the Goose

Notice how the arms are usually kept bent, like wings. This helps the Qi flow strongly through the arms.

Shimmering Hands

The special shaking hand motion is called Shimmering Hands. As far as I know this motion is unique to Wild Goose Qigong. Fast shimmering can break loose stagnations, open blockages, and build a more balanced nervous system. It can also be used to rapidly and repeatedly bring in new Qi and release old Qi.

I will be teaching the First 64 on alternating weeks throughout the fall.

I’ve done healing work with people who have been struck by lightning. Their bodies tend to be super-over-sensitive to any input and easily go into chaos instead of integration. It can be difficult to fully heal from even a peripheral lightning strike. I suggest avoiding lighting if it arises above you.

The Lightning Crouch position shown on the Cliff Mass blog post is remarkably similar to a to move in Wild Goose Qigong called “Return Qi and Fall Asleep. ” This is the penultimate move of the major form, The First 64. I’m not sure of the significance of this. I do know that Wild Goose Qigong was developed in the high Kunlun Mountains of Western China–where presumably there were many storms.

Over my years of practicing, observing and reading about Qigong I have often observed that Qigong and Tai Chi are difficult for beginners to understand. Many forms are simply too advanced or unusual for the average Westerner to grok.

The underlying methodologies are often hidden to the uninitiated, and often not even spoken of.

Knowing what you are doing, what you are trying to accomplish, why you are doing that and how to go about it are crucial to getting the greatest benefit from your practice.

Cracking the Qigong Code

I want to crack open the secretiveness and confusing-ness; to make the subtle motions and sublime notions of Qigong come to the light of easy awareness.

Once you understand and can imbue the principles of movement in the exercises you begin to see how they apply in other venues and avenues of your life. You see how applicable the principles, philosophy and foundational movements are in multiplying ways.

One of the main uses and meanings of the Five Flows Qigong set is that it is an introduction to many other Qigong exercises. The principles and movements are a foundation for many, many other exercises in the great pantheon of Qigong.

Slap Yourself Resilient

I read an article today in a Dragondoor.com catalog about a man who survived a car accident unscathed. His car was broadsided by a pickup truck speeding some 50 miles per hour. Though the side of his car was smashed and was spun around 360  degrees, he had no repercussions that he could notice at all. No headache, muscles soreness, neck stiffness-nothing.

This man-Stephen Berwick-has developed a Qigong system for systematic self-hitting called True Strength Yang. The self-hitting can be seen as an extension of the idea that I introduce in the Five Flows exercise Outer Qi Shower.

He attributes his amazing escape from even nominal injury to his practice of this art, one he developed from old Kung Fu principles.

Self-Hitting is an Advanced Art

Though there is some self-hitting history in the West, it is not usual.  Self-hitting practices are common and quite developed into many varieties in the Orient.

Healthy self-hitting has many benefits. It helps loosen stagnations and toxins from the muscles and cells, bring blood flow to the skin, and generally wake up your internal systems. You can slap or tap muscles, organs, acupuncture points, etc.

Slap like a Wise Goose

There is a wonderful and quick Wild Goose Qigong form called Healthy Slapping Gong that uses 9 sets of 9 pinpoint taps to wake up some 60 pairs or single acupuncture points. When I practice this short form I notice a sense of fullness, rightness, and openness in my body, breathing, and energy flows.

I was told that the famous Wild Goose master Yang Mei Jun used self-tapping extensively. She was said to be tapping herself all the time in her older years, keeping her energetic juices flowing. (This would have been in her late 90’s and early 100’s.  She died at 106.)

Slap with Sticks and Wires

The Universal Tao School of Qigong uses bamboo sticks and wire hitters to slap. Two bamboo (or rattan) sticks taped together are used to send percussive vibrations into the tissues. The wire hitters are 100 small wire rods set in a handle. Self-hitting with the wire rod is said to be able to set free deep stagnations in the bones, while strengthening the bones and other tissues.

[Safety Note: Always avoid tapping the joints with any kind of tool or with any but the lightest of force.]

Tap Gently

My recommendation is to be gentle with your slaps. But there are schools of thought that encourage more vigorous slapping. Stephen’s Berwick’s methodology is on the harder end of the spectrum to build strength, toughness and resiliency. It apparently saved him from serious injury. Don’t do any of this kind more vigorous slapping without a qualified instructor guiding you.

Study and Practice Qigong Principles

My main point of this post is to encourage you to learn and use Qigong principles, which are based on our natural way of being, doing, and attaining. Qigong principles are a fascinating and functional study that will serve you well the rest of your life.

Know principles and exercises that apply them. This will widen and clarify your perspective when learning other exercises.

For instance, The Five Flows Qigong exercise Outer Qi Shower is a harbinger and doorway to all of the slapping methodologies above; and many more. Practicing it will help you understand more later than you would have otherwise.

You will have a doorway to understanding that give you more ability to use what you learn, and learn it well.

It is a superb and pleasant exercise to experience on it’s own.
It leaves you feeling tingly and ringingly alive.

Commit to Qigong

I decided to commit to a daily practice for 100 days. This is called a 100-day discipline. It is astonishing how difficult it can be to just do something everyday. 6 minutes, all I needed. I practiced other Qigong during this time, and much Taiji; but I really wanted to get that 100 days in on that specific form. Below is my struggle to attain a crumb self-mastery.

Attempt 1: I began my 100 day discipline with The First 64 on January 21, 2009. I lasted five days before I forgot to do it on the sixth day.

Attempt 2: I started again. This time I made 31 days in a row, but then was sick one day. Maybe I should have been doing more Qigong to prevent the short illness.

Attempt 3: I assayed another attempt beginning on February 28. I got 31 days in a row again, then forgot to practice the form on the 32^nd day. Damn!

Attempt 4: Alright, mistakes happen. I started over. I made 27 days this time before I sashayed away.

Attempt 5: For my next attempt, beginning on April 1 of 2009, I made it 39 days before the memory gremlin averted my focus on the goal. Thirty-nine, that’s good, but kind of lame too.

Attempt 6: June 12 to 13. 2 days. Kind of lost my oomph.

It’s not like I’m trying to climb Annapurna or something. It’s just a little form. A toy mountain.

My Haplessness Continued

Attempt 7: June 15. 1 day. Really lost my oomph. Maybe it is an Everest.

Attempt 8: June 17 to 19. 3 days. I’m starting to think I’m pathetic.

Attempt 9: June 22. to July 8. 17 Days. A little better.

Attempt 10: July 10 to 26. 17 days again.

Attempt 11: July 28-30.  3 days.

I’m not Robert the Bruce making 7 attempts to free Scotland.
At this point I said to hell with it. I practiced the form now and then in August and early September but I didn’t keep track of it or try for any records.

One More Try

I was looking at the calendar one day and realized that if I started anew, refreshed and with renewed intent, I could finish by Christmas (December 25.)

Attempt 12: Sept 14 to Dec 22. 100 days. Yeah!

I am a dedicated Qigong person and this was a tough battle, the battle of competing habits. I am sure that anyone reading this could do a better job that I did, and get their 100 days in with a lot fewer than 12 tries.

Renewing the Habit

Well, I could do better. On January 1, 2009 I decided to begin a new 100 day discipline. This time it would be two forms every day: “First 64″ and one called “Spiral.” Today, I completed my 100 day discipline of this coupled practice. I had no false starts, being able to remember to practice and actually practicing both forms each day.

I found they were more in my consciousness in each day. It was easier to remember if I got the practice in yet. On a few days I didn’t really feel like doing the forms, but did anyway for the sake of my 100-day discipline, for my bid for perfect attendance upon this health-building practice. One day I had to practice gingerly, as my left toe had just suffered a smashing.

And Onward

I got each practice in and I’m already 33 days into my next 100 days. I started performing the Second 64 each day after getting some refinement coaching from Paul Li on March 9. I’ve been practicing each of these forms three forms daily since then.

Practice is the First Principle

The first principle of qigong, as I see it, is to practice. More fully, the principle is: practice everyday. Doing some Qigong isn’t so tough; it’s getting into that daily habit that is hard.

Anybody Could Do This

The form we practiced yesterday takes 2 minutes to do. It took four hours to learn, for there are some intricate moves and internal understanding to teach. But going through it once takes 1/720th of a day to do. Anybody could commit to 2 minutes a day. Do this everyday for 100 days and you’ve made steps toward real accomplishment.

Start Small

If you have been unsuccessful as getting a practice going, it means you are trying to do too much for your current level of self-discipline. Start smaller. Here’s what you do: Take a short form or one exercise and just do that everyday. Write reminders to yourself. Mark it on your calendar every time you get that one practice in. You can always do more on any given day; but at least do that little amount.

As little as 200 Minutes to Start

That little daily practice will have some health effect on you, for it is Qigong. It will have a bigger effect psychologically. Once you have done something for 100 days in a row (taking 200 minutes total), it is much easier to practice something else, something more involved, for another 100 days. Maybe this time you do the short form 3 times or do a whole set of Qigong exercises.

Grow Your Practice

By building a daily habit, it will be easier to grow into more time with Qigong. For most people 20 or 30 minutes everyday is a good goal to eventually reach.

Taught be Robert B. Bates, DC, MMQ

Date:                      Sunday, April 5, 2009
Time:                     10:00 to 2:00
Cost:                      $60
Location:               Robert Bates’ Healing Space
Street:                   1095 E. Axton Road
Near:                      Bellingham, WA 98226
To Sign Up:           Contact Robert

wild-goose-8-pullling-waist-PDF

Have (Moderately Intricate) Fun

8-Pulling Waist (strange name, I know) is, for Wild Goose Qigong, a simple form. It is a set with a number of fun movements to play with. 8-Pulling Waist consists of 16 moves that take less than two minutes to perform. Some people like to do the form three times in a row for greater effect.

A Great Introduction to Wild Goose Qigong

Gather Qi from all Directions

If you have never done any Wild Goose Qigong-that complex, fun, multi-marvelous system of sophisticated fitness exercises-8-Pulling Waist is a good place to start. You can get a taste of Wild Goose Qigong in this short workshop, while learning something that is good for your health. 8-Pulling Waist introduces circle walking, yin-yang hands, twining hands, sword finger stimulation, infinity motions of the abdomen and more.

Better Digestion

I have found the 8-Pulling Waist form to be an excellent method for moving stagnant Qi in the digestive system. It stimulates appropriate points and meridians energetically, and engages in motions designed to free up restrictions in and around the internal organs. By improving the mobility of the internal organs, the organs actually work better.

Twist to Massage the Organs

Gain Greater Health and Have Fun Doing it

Wild Goose Qigong exercises are Chinese longevity exercises that originated in the Kunlun mountains of Western China, many centuries ago. Long a secret, Wild Goose Qigong became widely practiced in China in recent decades. The exercises represent the daily routine of a wild goose-a bird of longevity and high energy-and are effective at helping treat disease, increase energy, improve mental clarity and brain functions, and maintain general fitness.

Balance the Energy