Qigong, Neidan & Tao Meditation
7-week Sunday Series
My main offerings are the Sunday evening Qigong and Tao Practice courses. The core practices are the foundation methods of Universal Healing Tao, of which I am a Senior Instructor. Each course centers on one or more of those practices:
Microcosmic Orbit & Qi Energy Work
6 Healing Sounds & Emotional Digestion/Cultivation
Inner Smile Meditation
Qigong Sets and Supportive Tao Practices
Along with these, each course includes some sort of physical practice such as the 8 Brocades, Iron Shirt Qigong, Kuan Yin Qigong, Mystical Warrior Qigong, Shamanic Shaking, etc. as well as other ideas and practices so that you receive a deep understanding of the practice and the path. Scroll down for descriptions of the upcoming course and previous courses to get a better idea of what I teach.
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Video of missed classes with an optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom”
SPRING SERIES:
QIGONG & NEIGONG TO WELCOME
SPRING & THE WOOD ELEMENT
Free Introduction February 5 ~ 7:00-8:30pm
12-week series February 11 – April 28~ 7:00-8:30pm
(On Zoom)
The Yin of Winter is followed by the Yang of Spring. It is the time of opening when everything in the world begins to grow, sending out shoots and buds. The time to return to activity after having hibernated over winter.
We are shifting to a longer, 12-week format to better move with the seasons and include Qigong and Neigong practices that take advantage of the seasonal energies and support practices that balance, heal and strengthen us. This longer format will allow us to spend more time with the core practices and go deeper into ‘owning’ them and our cultivations.
The Free Introductory Class offers both a “taste” of the upcoming series and a practice drawn from the curriculum. It is not simply a “sales pitch”, and you are welcome to join even if you cannot attend the series.
The “Five Elements” is a core idea of Chinese Medicine and a “Lens” for viewing our Health, our Emotional Life, and our Spirit in a fundamentally different way than western medicine or psychology. It’s used in Feng Shui to choreograph the energies of our home, in Diet to nourish ourselves better. It shapes the passage of time through the seasons of the year and manifests the cardinal directions. There’s even more, but you get the idea: We can use the Five Elements as our guide to bringing a deep and vibrant understanding of our body, our self, and the world.
Our Springtime cycle will ground (or reground) us in the Five Elements with an emphasis on the expansive Wood Element. While we will use them in meditations and qigong to cultivate our inner balance and resilience, they’ll also guide us in honoring and connecting with what the Earth shares:
Our core inner work will bring the Five Elements to our physical, mental-emotional, and spirit bodies with Sound, Visualization and Movement. Week by week we’ll learn the basics and details of a beautiful portfolio of practices that can carry us through our life.
Our core Qigong will be Eight Brocades. We’ll take advantage of having more classes to learn two versions of Ba Duan Jin, the 12th century “Eight Brocades” qigong. We will begin with a more contemplative, gentle version and move into the more dynamic Shaolin version… a practice pair to take us from the quiet of Winter, through Spring, and into the beginning of Summer.
Alongside these meditative and Qigong practices, we will use ritual and other means to explore the other-than-human (and “other-than-me”). The Waters, the Mountains, the Plants, and the vast variety of “other-than-human” life. We’ll turn the Five Elements outward to connect with Elemental Phenomena: going to the trees, the waters, the dirt/earth… connecting to the energy and spirit of those things. We will cultivate emitting our energies into personal talisman-objects (one for each Element) that can be used to focus or even recharge us.
FIVE ELEMENTS PRACTICES:
SIX SOUNDS PRACTICE (Liu Zi Jue- referenced as early as 580 CE): In the Six Healing Sounds MEDITATION, we will sit with the parts of our mental-emotional body we usually avoid, then use sound, color, and breath to invite them to transform…
-FIVE SPIRITS MEDITATION is a variation of Liu Zi Jue that connects to the Spirit of each Organ and honors our Heart for being the Center and Interpreter of our experiences.
FIVE ELEMENT QIGONG (from Mt Emei Shamanic Qigong) A short and elegant form. Between the three practices, we’ll work with our Physical, Mental-Emotional and Shen-Spirit bodies.
-TU GU NA XIN (Exhaling the Old and Drawing in the New) is a BREATH PRACTICE that calls on the Elements and Seasons to help us purge stale and take in fresh Qi to strengthen and refresh our energy system.
SPRINGTIME QIGONG:
BA DUAN JIN:Two versions of the 12th Century Eight Brocades Qigong. A contemplative Yin form and a dynamic Shaolin form.
SPROUT QIGONG and other “small” practices to warm up and support the main practices.
HONORING THE EARTH. It is important to expand our focus beyond ourselves… to the Earth and the other-than-human residents surrounding us. We’ll use the Five Elements as a guide and support our efforts with aligned animist ideas and rituals.
Sounds like a lot! But we’ll lay the groundwork for the practices and ideas in the free-intro and Class 1. In Classes 2-6, we’ll focus on one element each class, while we repeat and deepen the movement practices.
12 Sundays: February 11-April 28
7:00 – 8:30pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
Tuition: $310
Free Intro Class: February 5
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Privately posted videos of all Classes
–Abundant written materials provide background and support.
–Class Videos:Private Links emailed to participants on Monday/Tuesday. Allowing you to view missed classes and use them for practice on your own. Access is permanent.
–Missed Class ‘Catch-up’:Optional 15-minute zoom for Q&A etc.
October 27-29
Autumn Retreat at Sky Lake Lodge
Our first New York event in person in quite a while. One October 27 there is a partial eclipse. On October 28th is the Full Moon. What an auspicious time to gather! Click this link to the Retreat Information Page to learn about what we’ll do together:
https://tiger-heart-tao.com/autumn-retreat/
WINTER PRACTICES:
QIGONG & NEIGONG FOR STRENGTH, WARMTH & RESILIENCE
Free Introduction November 19 ~ 7:00-8:30pm (on Zoom)7-week series December 3 – January 21~ 7:00-8:30pm (on Zoom)
{No class on November 26 or December 24}
WINTER is the Elemental Season of STILLNESS, of the NORTH, the NIGHT, the COLD and the WATER…It is the time when much of the natural world turns inward and when we can become chilled and depleted if we don’t attend to our energetic, emotional and physical care. The good news is that it’s not hard to do and it can be engaging and fun.
In this 7-week series we will learn (or refine and expand) the foundation Qi circulation practices of MICROCOSMIC ORBIT, the THRUSTING CHANNEL and BELT CHANNEL circulations and how to apply them to NOURISH and PROTECT our ENERGY, our KIDNEYS, and WATER ELEMENT QI — all of which are especially challenged in WINTERTIME. We will also investigate the practices of THE THREE FIRES and STEAMING of the CALDRON and the ORGANS to take the foundations even deeper.Along with these Inner Alchemy practices, we will practice the Shamanic Movement Practice MYSTICAL WARRIOR QIGONG (“Mystical Warrior” is a name given to the Celestial Animals of the North… Connected to Winter and Water).
With these practices that resist the tendencies of Winter, we will also embrace what this time offers: Sitting in moments of quiet and stillness during or after our active practice to align with Winter’s stillness.The November 19th Free Introductory Class offers both a “taste” of the series and a 75-minute practice drawn from the curriculum. It is not a “sales pitch” for the series and you are welcome to join even if you cannot attend the series.The Core Practice: Microcosmic Orbit, Thrusting Channels, Belt ChannelsMovement Qigong: Mystical Warrior Qigong“Smaller” Practices: Shorter Practices to strengthen Kidneys, Water Element and resilience and connect with Winter’s quiet.Alchemical Practice: Steaming of the Caldron and Organs, Three FiresIn Week One, we will connect (or reconnect) to the Microcosmic Orbit practice. In Weeks 2-6, we will deepen our connection and understanding of the core practices and their attributes within our body and self. Our last class will be dedicated to rooting in what we’ve learned and ways to practice on our own.
November 19: 7:00-8:15pm (EST/GMT -5)
Free Intro Class Video: Link sent to all registrants the Monday after class.
7-Week Series on Sundays:
December 3 – January 21: 7:00-8:30pm (EST/GMT -5)
{No Class on November 26 or December 24}
Fee: $180
Class Materials: emailed prior to Class.
Class video: Private Links emailed to participants on Monday/Tuesday. Allowing you to view missed classes and use them for practice on your own. Access is permanent.
Missed Class ‘Catch-up’: You have the option of scheduling a 15-minute zoom with me after viewing the video.
SKILLFUL PLAY:
Taoist Dream & Qi Cultivation
August 13 -September 24
7:00 – 8:30pm
Image: “Taoist Dream” by Yangsen-Cao
“One of the greatest insights [ancient Taoists] gained exploring the connection between dreams and energy practices was that dreams are experiences taking place at the level of the subtle bodies. In other words, as a person begins to fall asleep and the senses gradually disconnect from the physical world, they turn inward… Every time we place the head on the pillow and fall asleep our consciousness focuses its gaze upon a dimension which is not limited by time or space… The practices developed by the ancient Taoists around dream state were designed to tap into the inexhaustible reservoir of possibilities that transcending time and space offers. One essential notion they got rid of was the ordinary belief that dreams are fantasies with no basis on reality…” –Juan Li
In this series we will learn the Taoist Dream Practice which is gentle and enjoyable… and more about cultivating a connection with that subtle reality. We’ll dream over the weeks of our series together, “inviting the dreams” and recording and tracking them as we’re able.
Part of our journey will clarify “where, possibly, do dreams come from?” Or, “Where am I when I dream?” There are many ideas about this… perhaps there are many locations or origins… or perhaps they’re all the same vast non-ordinary reality called by different names.
In our zoom gatherings, we’ll move through ritual skills in relation to dreamwork and energy work in a safe, grounded framework delivered in an open and experiential context, rooted in informative guided drop-in/meditations and rituals and ‘homework’ that deepens our skill and understanding.
Our weekly meetings will open with a responsive teaching, followed by small breakout groups to share recent dreams, then we’ll rejoin the whole group to meditatively “re-entering” the dream.
We will close class with internal energy circulation methods, centering on The Microcosmic Orbit (the lower body, the full orbit, the orbit extending beyond our physical body). Closing with the Orbit will recenter and solidify our energies and awareness. Beginners will be supported in learning these methods and experienced students will be able to go deeper and into more detail. Others may be added if they feel aligned.
6 weekly 90 minute classes on Zoom. Recorded and privately posted so you have permanent access.
Free Introduction Class: August 13 (7:00-8:30pm)
6-Week Series: August 20-September 24 (7:00-8:30pm)
Tuition: $155
TAO BODY: SELF-HEALING PRACTICES
& OPENING TO SUMMER
Free Introduction: June 18
7-Week Course: June 25 – August 6
7:00 – 8:30pm
In this series we’ll delve into Shamanic, Traditional and Contemporary Qigong practices such as “Sprout Qigong” and the 5 Qi Needles, and shorter Qigong forming a “Summer Morning” practice.
Along with this we’ll learn accessible ways to release stress and balance energy issues using pressure points and Chi Nei Tsang (abdominal massage), including a prone/lying version of the 5 Yin Organ Qigong, to form an evening practice. Handout materials, guided audio and posted video will support your learning during the 7-week series.
If you’d like to attend the free introduction, but the time is inconvenient, I will send the intro video link to all registrants, and you can view it at your convenience.
Free Introduction Class : June 18 : 7:00-8:15pm
7-Week Series : June 25 – August 6 : 7:00-8:30pm
$180
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Class Videos permanently available with an optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom” for any missed class.
TAO BODY:
STRENGTHENING QIGONG
& SELF-HEALING PRACTICES
Free Introduction: April 16, 2023
7-Week Course: April 23 – June 4
7:00 – 8:30pm
This class centers on a collection of practices that balance Qi Strengthening with purging of stale Qi, softening and enhancing the Circulations (of Qi, of Lymph, of our Bicameral Brain.
We’ll learn the 8 “Iron Shirt” postures that bring structure and resilience; and take it further with Tendon and Bone practices. To balance these, we’ll also do a Qigong practice called “The Circulation Set” as well as Medical Qigong practices that help clear stagnant energies, attract fresh vitality (Qi) and simple, accessible ways to release stress and energy issues using pressure points and self-massage.
Free Introduction Class : April 16 : 7:00-8:15pm
7-Week Series : April 23 – June 4 : 7:00-8:30pm
$180
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Video of classes (with lifetime access)
–Optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom” when you miss class and work from the video.
FIVE ELEMENTS: WORKING WITH OUR EMOTIONS & HONORING THE EARTH
Free Introduction: February 5 2023
7-Week Course: Feb 12 – March 26
7:00 – 8:30pm
In this 7-week series we will reground in the Five Elements and the Six Healing Sounds practice, and open our mind and heart to their outward forms as well.
The Free Introductory Class offers both a “taste” of the series and a practice drawn from the curriculum. It is not simply a “sales pitch” for the series and you are welcome to join even if you cannot attend the series.
The “Five Elements” is a core idea of Chinese Medicine and a “Lens” for viewing our Health, our Emotional Life, and our Spirit in a fundamentally different way. It’s used in Feng Shui to choreograph the energies of our home, in Diet to nourish ourselves better. It shapes the passage of time through the seasons of the year and influences the cardinal directions. There’s even more, but you get the idea: We can use the Five Elements as our guide to bringing a deep and vibrant understanding of our body, our self and the world.
We can use the Five Elements as a lens to understand and embrace all aspects of our existence (yes, they’re that ‘big’). While we use them in meditations and qigong to cultivate our inner balance and resilience, they’ll also guide us in honoring and connecting with what the Earth shares: The Waters, the Mountains, the Plants and “other-than-human” lives.
In this 7-week series our Core Practices will bring the Five Elements to our physical, mental-emotional, and spirit bodies with Sound, Visualization and Movement. Week by week we’ll learn the basics and details of a beautiful portfolio of practices that can carry us through our life.
Along side our Inner Practices, we will use meditative ritual and other means to explore the other-than-human (and “other-than-me”) Elemental Phenomena: going to the trees, the waters, the dirt/earth… connecting to the energy and spirit of those things. We will cultivate emitting our energies into personal talisman-objects (one for each Element) that can be used to focus or even recharge us.
Our 7th class will be dedicated to rooting in what we’ve learned and exploring ways to practice on our own.
PRACTICES:
-SIX SOUNDS PRACTICE (Liu Zi Jue- referenced as early as 580 CE): In the Six Healing Sounds MEDITATION, we will sit with the parts of our mental-emotional body we usually avoid, then use sound, color, and breath to invite them to transform…
-FIVE SPIRITS MEDITATION is a variation of Liu Zi Jue that connects to the Spirit of each Organ and honors our Heart for being the Center and Interpreter of our experiences.
-FIVE YIN ORGAN QIGONG (from Medical Qigong) uses the sounds and visioning of the SIX HEALING SOUNDS to support and transform our physical organs and body
FIVE ELEMENT QIGONG (from Mt Emei Shamanic Qigong) A short and elegant form. Between the three practices, we’ll work with our Physical, Mental-Emotional and Shen-Spirit bodies.
-TU GU NA XIN (Exhaling the Old and Drawing in the New) is a BREATH PRACTICE that calls on the Elements and Seasons to help us purge stale and take in fresh Qi to strengthen and refresh our energy system.
7:00 – 8:30pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
February 12 – March 26, 2023
Tuition: $180
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Privately posted videos of all Classes
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–An optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom” when you miss a class.
Free Intro: Sunday December 4 (7-8:15pm)
the 7-week Series:
December 11-January 22
(7:00-8:30pm Eastern Daylight Time)
Qi Energy & the Spaces of our Body, our Homes, the Planet & the Solar System
I would like to share one more series cultivating our life force (Qi) before returning to the 5 Elements practices (that will begin the end of January).
When thinking about “Inner” and “Outer” –as in Inner and Outer Resources of the last series—we worked with the idea of energy in a space (inner, outer). Using the lens of spaces and how we cultivate and connect with them is a powerful way to shift our experience and practice.
The spaces of Qi range from micro and cellular, to bodily interiors, to domestic and architectural, to landscape and the planet and outward to the solar system and the cosmos. All have their own Qi. And all need their Qi to flow and be “alive” …Just as stagnation of Qi in the Liver can cause dysfunction or illness, stagnation of Qi in a place or region also inhibits life and vitality. Just as we experienced in the self-healing practices, the Qi in a space can be cultivated, calmed or healed. And while it’s unlikely that we can “heal the Moon or Jupiter” we can reach for them in meditation and bring their Qi into our bodies and spaces.
Winter is the season of the Water Element, Night, and the Receptivity of Tao Yin. Let’s use the force of Winter and Water to deepen and strengthen our Qi-Cultivating practices and our awareness of the spaces inside us, those we inhabit, and those we can connect with.
The Spaces of our Body:
After reconnecting with the Microcosmic Orbit as the central cultivation of Inner Qi, we will extend the Orbit to our fingers and toes to unite our limbs with our core. We’ll use the Extended Orbit to penetrate the Earth and grow our roots and grounding and reach upward from the Crown to strengthen our access to Heavenly Yang Qi.
We will work with the Belt Channels and Wei Qi Field to clarify our edges physically, and energetically, including our boundaries.
The Spaces we Inhabit:
The Qi outside us is very influential. We will revisit “Drawing the Circle” and then expand creating safe spaces to clearing the energy of our rooms and homes, using very simple Feng Shui ideas. We will expand our experience of these spaces using the Qigong 8 Mudra in 8 Directions.
We will use Kuan Yin Qigong movement in two ways: to further feel our domestic space, and then sink into the imagery to expand to the sea, mountains, and the night sky.
The Larger Spaces:
The night sky—our main “cosmic” space practices will be “Expanding to the 6 Directions” and Shivani Goodman’s “Moon Meditation”. If there’s time, we may go out further to practice “Star Stepping” or the “5 Elemental Planets” meditations.
Our Practices:
{We will bring Winter into our Practice
more directly with our Qigong}
Microcosmic Orbit and its Variations
Moon Meditation
Star and Planet Practices
Kwan Yin Standing Qigong (the main movement practice)
8 Mudra in 8 Directions
Stand as if in Water
Kidney Breathing
Turtle & Water Buffalo
Sunday October 30
(7:00-8:30pm Eastern Daylight Time)
Special Class~
Qigong & Neidan with the Thinning Veil
In cultures all over the world, October 31st-November 1st is seen as a time when the veils between worlds is thinnest. What those ‘worlds’ are differs, but we instinctively feel the coming of the winter and the dark (in the Northern Hemisphere). Let’s take advantage of that moment to meditate and breathe… To invite our guides and our supporting Qi-energies. We will open with simple movement and will close with a simple ritual.
Location: Zoom
Fee: $26
Free Intro: Sunday August 21 (7-8:15pm)
the 7-week Series: August 28-October 9
(7:00-8:30pm Eastern Daylight Time)
Following your Path:
Visioning, Ritual & I Ching to
Deepen Inner & Outer Resources
We are all supported on so many levels, from so many directions, but when we forget this, or can’t access it, we feel isolated, unsupported and we even grieve. Cultivating these connections of emotion, energy and spirit goes against our culture’s aggrandizing of individuality and self-sufficiency, but the exploration is worth it.
In this series, we will explore seemingly disparate practices and tools to connect us more deeply to ourselves and reach outward to weave ourselves into the energies of the earth and other spheres.
Internal Energy Practice is our essential foundation. Without cultivating our Qi and balancing it, how can we grow outward and vision our path? We will focus on growing, centering and balancing our energy body with the Microcosmic Orbit and then add Embryonic Breathing to connect our Path to our Spirit. Later in the series we will bring in energetic methods to protect ourselves as well.
Previously, I have shared ways to expand our practices outward using the 5 Elements as a framework. In this series, we will use the Energy Work practices as our framework.
Ritual is, simply, about bringing what is inside your heart outward to the material world through object and action. It can be a repetition that gives structure to your day; it can be a way to step out of that daily life and reconnect to memory and ancestors; it can even be a way to crack open our human self-involvement to deeply honor other-than-humans that we share the planet with. This last form is possibly the most powerful and will be our main focus.
Visioning is a way to make emotionally and intellectually “visible” what we desire and then refine it into a path and direction. It can focus our next few months, or the rest of our life. It’s often a practical thing, but when combined with meditation and ritual it can be sacred too. Visioning with a heart connection builds our “Inner Guide”. This will be the kind of visioning we will use.
I Ching is a way to cultivate connection to ask for support from what we might call our “Outer Guides.” It’s often used as an off-handed way to “predict the future.” This is like going to a feast and only sneaking the crackers. We’ll explore multiple methods for “casting a hexagram” but more valuable will be spending time with the feeling and meaning of the Trigrams, or Forces, that combine into hexagrams.
Qigong. In every series, we include Qigong to bring ease and openness to our physical body and cultivate connection among the physical, emotional and energy bodies. Given the full curriculum of this series, we will include Qigong movement each week, but will not try to deeply learn a whole Qigong set this time.
Italy Retreat October 15-21
Annual TaoZen Retreat in Italy is back!
Get out of your “Daily Small You”
and Expand into a More Spacious and Open Way of Being
with
Tenshin Ranman Taichi & the Three Treasures Practice
Join Masahiro Ouchi, founder of TaoZen Life Practice and an original Senior Instructor of Universal Healing Tao (and my teacher for 20 years) for a week of taichi, inner practice, wonderful food and deep community… This year we’re gathering at Sabaudia, one hour south of Rome. You’ll find much more information when you click the button below: What we’ll practice, What we’ll eat and Where we’ll stay…
We had to suspend our Italy retreats for the last two years. We are so very happy to begin again!
An “early bird” fee and tuition reduction is offered if you join before August 21.
Taoist Self-Healing & Qigong
Free Introduction: June 19
7-Week Course: June 26 – August 7
7:00 – 8:30pm
In Qigong we focus a lot on “healing” but what we’re really doing is cultivating a strong, energetic, creative, and ease-ful life.
We know that we will run into difficulties, but Qigong and Tao practices not only heal issues and injuries, they help us avoid many of them by growing our resilience and strength; they lead us to be centered and calm and have the clarity to view our difficulties with curiosity, compassion, and realism.
Continuing the last series, Self-Healing and Strengthening practices, we will carry on with some of the practices we did last time, and shift others:
Our Physical Practices:
–We’ll use Heart Drumming to release stagnation and tension and stress.
–We’ll stay with the Eight Brocades but move into the Shaolin version for its strength cultivation.
–We’ll continue the self-care methods of acupressure and abdominal massage.
–But we will also learn some methods to help fall and stay asleep better.
Healing Meditation Practices:
–We will end class with deep relaxation and healing light meditations: Both from Shivani Goodman and from Mantak Chia’s “Cosmic Healing.”
Inquiry Prompts Between Classes:
In addition, we’ll add the element of inquiry to gently investigate what feels most in need of healing… especially at the levels of stress and anxiety.
TAO BODY: SELF-HEALING PRACTICES & STRENGTHENING QIGONG
Free Introduction: April 17
7-Week Course: April 24 – June 5
7:00 – 8:30pm
This series offers a collection of practices we’ll learn more deeply over the 7 classes. We’ll delve into old, Shamanic Qigong practices such as “Heart Drumming”, traditional Qigong such as the Shaolin version of the Eight Brocades and the strengthening stillness of Iron Shirt Qigong… Along with this we’ll learn simple, accessible ways to release stress and energy issues using pressure points and abdominal massage (Chi Nei Tsang)… handout materials, guided audio and posted video will support your learning during the 7-week series.
If you’d like to attend the free introduction, but the time is inconvenient, I will send the intro video link to all registrants and you can view it at your convenience.
Free Introduction Class : April 17 : 7:00-8:15pm
7-Week Series : April 25 – June 5 : 7:00-8:30pm
$180
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Video of missed classes with an optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom”
WINTER PRACTICES: QIGONG & NEIGONG FOR STRENGTH, WARMTH & RESILIENCE
Free Introduction December 26 ~ 7:00-8:15pm (on Zoom)7-week series January 2 – February 6 ~ 7:00-8:30pm (on Zoom)
WINTER is the Elemental Season of STILLNESS, of the NORTH, the NIGHT, the COLD and the WATER…It is the time when much of the natural world turns inward and when we can become chilled and depleted if we don’t attend to our energetic, emotional and physical care. The good news is that it’s not hard to do and it can be engaging and fun.
In this 7-week series we will learn (or reconnect with and refine) the foundation Qi circulation practices of MICROCOSMIC ORBIT, the THRUSTING CHANNEL and BELT CHANNEL circulations and how to apply them to NOURISH and PROTECT our ENERGY, our KIDNEYS, and WATER ELEMENT QI — all of which are especially challenged in WINTERTIME. We will also investigate the practices of THE THREE FIRES and STEAMING of the CALDRON and the ORGANS to take the foundations even deeper.Along with these Inner Alchemy practices, we will practice the Shamanic Movement Practice MYSTICAL WARRIOR QIGONG (“Mystical Warrior” is a name given to the Celestial Animals of the North… Connected to Winter and Water).
With these practices that resist the tendencies of Winter, we will also embrace what this time offers: Sitting in moments of quiet and stillness during or after our active practice to align with Winter’s stillness.The Dec. 26 Free Introductory Class offers both a “taste” of the series and a 75-minute practice drawn from the curriculum. It is not a “sales pitch” for the series and you are welcome to join even if you cannot attend the series.The Core Practice: Microcosmic Orbit, Thrusting Channels, Belt ChannelsMovement Qigong: Mystical Warrior Qigong“Smaller” Practices: Shorter Practices to strengthen Kidneys, Water Element and resilience and connect with Winter’s quiet.Alchemical Practice: Steaming of the Caldron and Organs, Three FiresIn Week One, we will connect (or reconnect) to the Microcosmic Orbit practice. In Weeks 2-6, we will deepen our connection and understanding of the core practices and their attributes within our body and self. Our last class will be dedicated to rooting in what we’ve learned and ways to practice on our own.
December 26: 7:00-8:15pm (EST/GMT -5)
Free Intro Class Video: Link sent to all registrants the Monday after class.
7-Week Series on Sundays:
January 2 – February 6: 7:00-8:30pm (EST/GMT -5)
Fee: $180
Class Materials: emailed on Wednesday.
Guided Audio/Video: (when relevant) links sent by mid-week after the Class.
Class video: Links emailed to anyone missing class on Monday. You have the option of scheduling a 15-minute zoom with me after viewing the video.
FIVE ELEMENTS: WORKING WITH OUR EMOTIONS & HONORING THE EARTH
Free Introduction: October 31
7-Week Course: Nov 7 – Dec 19
7:00 – 8:30pm
In this 7-week series we will reground in the Five Elements and the Six Healing Sounds practice, and open our mind and heart to their outward forms as well.
The Free Introductory Class offers both a “taste” of the series and a practice drawn from the curriculum. It is not simply a “sales pitch” for the series and you are welcome to join even if you cannot attend the series.
The Core Practice: Liu Zi Jue / Six Healing Sounds
Movement Qigong: Kuan Yin Standing Qigong
“Smaller” Practices: Breath Practices to strengthen Lungs, Metal Element and resilience.
Alchemical Practice: Practices/Rituals to honor and connect with the Earth.
In Week One, we will connect (or reconnect) to the Six Healing Sounds practice. In Weeks 2-6, we will focus on one Element each class to deepen our connection and understanding of the emotion, wisdom, energetics and other attributes within our body and self. Along side our inner practice, we will use meditative ritual and other means to explore the other-than-human (and other-than-me) Elemental phenomena: going to the trees, the waters, the dirt/earth… connecting to the energy and spirit of those things. Our last class will be dedicated to rooting in what we’ve learned and possible ways to practice on our own.
THE SIX HEALING SOUNDS (“Liu Zi Jue” – referenced as early as 580 CE): In this Universal Healing Tao version of the Six Healing Sounds, we will sit with the parts of our mental-emotional body we usually avoid, and use sound, color, and breath to invite them to transform into the higher vibrating “wisdoms” of the Elemental energies. This practice offers a deeply different way to experience, honor and digest our emotions that can bring powerful transformation.
KUAN YIN QIGONG (from Shenzhen Gong Qigong. Contemporary, from 1990s) Kuan Yin Qigong moves life force energy throughout your body, feeds your spirit and transforms your connection to the natural world and night skies in a fluid, intuitive way. Kuan Yin Qigong is a contemporary form created by Li Jun Feng, a Wushu teacher, a coach of the championship Women’s Beijing Wushu Team, an ex-Kung Fu actor and founder of Sheng Zhen, an international meditation and qigong organization.
AUTUMN QI STRENGTHENING Along with these deep and beautiful practices, we will acknowledge the autumn time and attend to our lungs and building Qi strength to prepare for the onset of Winter. We will use shorter practices such as Tu Gu Na Xin (Exhaling the Old and Drawing in the New); Triangle, Square and Round Breathing; Dragon and Tiger Breathing and other qigong that enrich our practices.
EXPANDING THE ELEMENTS OUTWARD We can use the Five Elements as a lens to understand and embrace all aspects of our existence (yes, they’re that ‘big’). While we use them to cultivate our inner balance and resilience, they’ll also guide us in honoring and connecting with what the Earth shares: The Waters, the Mountains, the Plants and “other-than-human” lives. We’ll bring modest ritual and simple awareness to aspects of our Earth reflected in each of the Five Elements.
7:00 – 8:30pm (Eastern US Time)
November 7 through December 19
Tuition: $180
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Video of missed classes with an optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom” when you miss a class.
FIRE & WATER:
The Practices of Yin and Yang
Free Introduction: August 29
7-Week Course: September 12 – October 24
{skipping Labor Day Weekend}
7:00 – 8:30pm
Yang is all around us… The U.S. in the 21st Century runs on the external, goal and production drive of Yang energy. It’s Yin that we need to know, but Yin is subtle and evasive; unfolding over time. This series will let us understand the cadence and relationship of Yin to Yang and Yang to Yin through our body, breath and the flow of Qi and Elemental Energies.
Just trying really hard to “be Yin” doesn’t work. We need to cultivate our awareness and experience of Yin by repeating and deepening varied practices. Each of the practices in this series will offer a different way of moving into Yin… and into Yang.
Fire and Water are two of the Five Elements, but they have a special presence because they are such clear manifestations of Yang and Yin. Water’s soft sinking and patient power show us Yin. Fire’s fast-moving, bright wildness shows us Yang. When we call on them in our meditations and Qigong, we nourish our Yin water and vitalize our Yang fire as we connect to them in the Earth.
Each series offers a core, foundation practice, a movement Qigong and a variety of “smaller” practices that add color and depth. We close the series with more advanced variations. In this series:
The Core Practice: Microcosmic Orbit (going deeper with the Yin and Yang of it).
Movement Qigong: BaDuanJin/8 Brocades- the gentler version, focusing on Yin and Yang movements.
“Smaller” Practices: Ocean & Fire Qigong; Heaven & Earth Qigong; Turtle and Water Buffalo (from Iron Shirt); Embryonic Breathing; and I Chuan Standing Meditation. (a tentative list, subject to change).
Alchemical Practice: Lesser Kan and Li Meditation
Beginners and more experienced practitioners are both most welcome. Feel free to email any questions or concerns.
INCLUDED IN ALL COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Video of missed classes with an optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom”
SKILLFUL PLAY:
Taoist Dream & Qi Cultivation Practice
Free Introduction: June 27
7-Week Course: July 11 through August 22
7:00 – 8:30pm
“One of the greatest insights [ancient Taoists] gained exploring the connection between dreams and energy practices was that dreams are experiences taking place at the level of the subtle bodies. In other words, as a person begins to fall asleep and the senses gradually disconnect from the physical world, they turn inward… Every time we place the head on the pillow and fall asleep our consciousness focuses its gaze upon a dimension which is not limited by time or space… In dream we have all experienced how in the fraction of an instant we can change from walking to flying across the landscape or being here and then on the other side of the moon. The practices developed by the ancient Taoists around dream state were designed to tap into the inexhaustible reservoir of possibilities that transcending time and space offers. One essential notion they got rid of was the ordinary belief that dreams are fantasies with no basis on reality...” –Juan Li
In this series we will learn the Taoist Dream Practice which is gentle and enjoyable… and more about cultivating openness to that part of you and subtle reality than forcing your way to lucid dreaming or enlightenment. We’ll dream as a group over the weeks of our series together, “inviting the dreams” and journaling when able. Along with our sleep-time practice, we will cultivate our Qi (life force energy), using internal energy circulation methods. Some of the methods we will work with: Thrusting Channel Practice (both the linear and organ-following paths); The Microcosmic Orbit (the lower body, the full orbit, the orbit extending beyond our physical body); Sleep Bridging Practices such as Bone Breathing and the Nine Turns. Beginners will be supported in learning these methods and experienced students will be able to go deeper and into more detail. Others may be added if they feel aligned. As has evolved lately, the last class will include more alchemical applications of the practices.
SIX SOUNDS & FIVE ELEMENTS,
IN OUR BODIES & OVER THE EARTH
Free Introduction: May 2
7-Week Course: May 9 through June 20
7:00 – 8:30pm
Free Introduction ~ May 2 ~ 7:00-8:30pm
In this 7-week series we will reground in the Five Elements and the Six Healing Sounds practice, and open our mind and heart to their outward forms as well.
In Week One, we will connect (or reconnect) to the Six Healing Sounds and 8 Brocades Qigong. In Weeks 2-6, we will focus on one Element each class to deepen our connection and understanding of the emotion, wisdom, energetics and other attributes within our body and self. Along side our inner practice, we will use meditative ritual and other means to explore the other-than-human (and other-than-me) Elemental phenomena: going to the trees, the waters, the dirt/earth… connecting to the energy and spirit of those things. Our last class will be dedicated to rooting in what we’ve learned and possible ways to practice on our own.
SIX SOUNDS PRACTICE (Liu Zi Jue- referenced as early as 580 CE): In the Six Healing Sounds, we will sit with the parts of our mental emotional body we usually avoid, then use sound, color, and breath to invite them to transform…
EIGHT BROCADES QIGONG (Ba Duan Jin- Traced back as early as 1200 CE): The Eight Brocades dates from 1200 CE… and is practiced in many lovely variations. We will use the Shaolin Eight Brocades, an elegant form that brings centered strength as it settled stress and tension.
TU GU NA XIN (Exhaling the Old and Drawing in the New): A short and wonderful way to connect to the Elements and Seasons wile purging stale Qi and taking in fresh Qi. Short and accessible, it’s a great Qigong to add to your practice portfolio.
And as in all Sunday Series, we will also learn short, supporting practices to warm up and enrich the core practices.
7:00 – 8:30pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
May 9 through June 20
Tuition: $180
INCLUDED IN ALL OUR COURSES:
–Guided audio of practices when applicable;
–Abundant written materials provide background and support your practice.
–Video of missed classes with an optional 15-minute “Q&A catch-up zoom” is also possible.
QIGONG MOVEMENT & YOUR TAO BODY:
BADUANJIN {8 BROCADES} & KWAN YIN QIGONG
Sundays 7:00-8:30pm {new time!}
Free Introduction: March 7
7-Week Course: March 15-April 25
This course focuses on two beautiful, complementary sequences that move your physical body in coordination with the breath and mind: Authentic Qigong. We will go deeper into what the “Physical Body” is in Tao and how we can cultivate its Health, Strength & Ease.
Qigong is known to offer deep benefits, while being gentle and accessible:
~Clearing Qi stagnation
~Drawing in fresh Qi & vitality
~Allowing it to settle in and be absorbed or stored
~Clearing mental and emotional stress
~Releasing held tension from muscles and tendons
~Loosening habits of posture and movement
~Better sleep, rest and recovery
~Shifting stuck issues and fostering healing
~And simply increasing your resilience, clarity and pleasure
8 BROCADES dates as far back as 800BCE… yes, almost 3000 years ago. This set of 8 standing movements is easy to learn, but offers many layers to be explored and so is quintessentially a “Classical Qigong”. KWAN YIN QIGONG is a beautiful counterpart: It’s only 20-30 years old, full of sweeping open movements and inspiring visualizations of nature: the moon, the stars, the ocean. Created by Li Jun Feng, it is also accessible, but offers depth. Although I often include Kwan Yin in class, this will be the first time I will teach the details and refinements of Kwan Yin.
In addition to our main forms, we will also continue the supporting practices of SHAMANIC SHAKING: HEART DRUMMING, various small “warm up” Qigong, and end class with short TAO MEDITATION.
Registration is required for the Free Introduction. Register here:
Register for the 7-Week Course:
Questions before registering for either one? Contact me:
CULTIVATING YOUR QI:
CULTIVATING SKILL WITH YOUR QI ENERGY
Free Introduction: January 3
7-Week Course: January 10-February 21
6:00-7:30pm (Sundays)
EMOTIONAL WISDOM:
GOING DEEPER WITH THE 5 ELEMENTS
Free Introduction: November 1
7 Week Course: Nov 8-Dec. 20
6:00-7:30pm (Sundays)
This course offers deeply different ways to live your emotions: digesting and honoring them, not avoiding them or becoming overwhelmed. We do this using ancient practices central to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong and Taoism.
So often creative, sensitive urbanites can feel overwhelmed, confused, anxious or stuck in their emotions. These practices bring you a more grounded, spacious inner life so you can enjoy your vibrant feelings rather than managing, medicating or running from them.
These 7 weekly classes build on he first “Emotional Wisdom” course but beginners are also welcome. We will add to the core practices, abdominal massage and basic “5 Element Diet” guidance to support robust digestion. We will also look at ways to expand our balanced energies into our environment with Feng Shui. And we will go into practices for protection, sleep and deeper organ work.
The SIX HEALING SOUNDS uses simple movements and sounds, along with vibrant visualization to deeply connect with the energies of your emotions to honor them and begin shifting and transforming them. The FIVE YIN ORGAN QIGONG clears stale Qi energy (and emotion) and draws in vitality into your body. Along with these powerful practices we will dig into the nature of the Five Elements and how they manifest in the seasons, directions and our relationships. We will also learn short ‘in the moment’ practices to help daily stresses. FIVE ELEMENT DIET uses food as sustenance and medicine… FENG SHUI is the art of working with the Qi of your environment so that it is vibrant and supportive. (both of these bear extended study, but we will “open the doors” to their basic concepts).
EMOTIONAL WISDOM & THE 5 ELEMENTS
Free Introduction: August 30
7 Week Course: Sept 13-Oct 25
This course brings creative, sensitive urbanites who sometimes feel overwhelmed, confused, anxious or stuck in their emotions into a more grounded, spacious inner life so you can enjoy your vibrant feelings rather than managing, medicating or running from them. In 7 weekly classes you learn a deeply different way of understanding, experiencing and digesting emotions using body and mind practices that are accessible, enjoyable, yet deep and transformative.
The SIX HEALING SOUNDS uses simple movements and sounds, along with vibrant visualization to deeply connect with the energies of your emotions to honor them and begin shifting and transforming them. The FIVE YIN ORGAN QIGONG clears stale Qi energy (and emotion) and draws in vitality into your body. Along with these powerful practices we will dig into the nature of the Five Elements and how they manifest in the seasons, directions and our relationships. We will also learn short ‘in the moment’ practices to help daily stresses.
Tuition: $175
“Summer Course:
Cultivating your Relationship to your Qi Energy”
Free Introduction: June 28
7 Week Course: July 12 – August 23
~ 6:00-7:30pm ~
Registration is required for the class, please use this link:
https://calendly.com/mirandamaher/free-intro-summer-sunday-course
Course fee: $175
To Register for the course:
https://calendly.com/mirandamaher/summer-course-jul-12-aug-23
Get in touch with any questions or concerns by sending an email to: Miranda@Tiger-Heart-Tao.com
We will continue working with our Qi Energy. We will repeat the basics from May-June’s Abundant Balance Course (so if you didn’t attend a previous “Abundant Balance” course, you won’t be lost). We will go deeper with the energy circulations, groundings and cultivations… and take them further.
These practices are key to the Taoist tradition and contemporary path. They are used to center and balance yourself daily and to cultivate inner alchemy over time. Plus they are beautiful and enjoyable.
Abundant Balance: Working with your Qi Energy
7-Week Course: Sundays: May 10-June 21: 6:00-7:30pm (Virtual/Online)
Some of the things we will be doing:
–Getting and staying “Grounded” –connected to the Earth, to your center… and cultivating natural, strong boundaries.
–Cultivating a connection to your life force energy so you can support and vitalize yourself before bigger imbalances grow.
–releasing stagnation and murky qi (sitting in front of a pc all day?)
–gathering fresh, vitalizing qi using breath, visualizing and movement
–refining and balancing qi so it can most effectively balance and strengthen you.
–Avoid losing Qi or getting overwhelmed… Enjoy every day!
–Learning traditional ‘time-tested’ energy practices and tools that change the way you relate to your body, your relationships, and the spaces you inhabit.
SHAKING brings you to your center and connects you to the earth as you release old Qi, stress and negativity, “clearing space” for fresh life force. The MICROCOSMIC ORBIT moves you deep into your inner landscape. By guiding your Qi along internal pathways, you grow your energetic resources, balance your Yin and Yang energies as you settle and center your mind and heart. The fluid movements and nature imagery of KUAN YIN QIGONG move Qi throughout your body, feed your spirit and transform your connection to the natural world and night skies. These main practices will be supplemented by others, such as THE GOLDEN BALL, 8 BROCADES and STAR STEPPING or MOON MEDITATION.
March 8 – April 19: Heaven: Nature: Earth
Join me to work on your “Qi Strength” and connection to the Earth beginning March 8… It’s a powerful way to strengthen our immune system and release tension and stress. Too often “regular people” skip this transformative Qigong set because it comes from martial arts. But we all need strong, well-aligned bones.. A deep grounding and connection to the earth… and well-defined, healthy boundaries. Here are some ‘snippets’ from a Lee Holden blog post about Heaven, Nature and Earth… about Shen, Qi and Jing… and Iron Shirt:
In Iron Shirt Qi Gong, we learn how to connect the three forces of heaven, earth, and nature. By doing so, we allow our physical, mental, and emotional energies to all work together for the greater good of our entire being. Energetically, this means that you experience a fluid flow of vital energy circulating throughout your body, emotions, and thoughts.
In our body, “Heaven” energy is referred to as Shen. Shen is our spiritual consciousness that connects us to the wisdom of the universe. It allows us to see beyond the individuality that typically separates us from each other and the world.
“Earth energy” is the physical essence of who you are. Just as the dirt and soil holds the oceans, plants, and creatures. Without the physiological matter of your body, you wouldn’t be able to experience our thoughts or feelings. For humans, this earth energy is “Jing Qi,” an essential part of who you are.
“Nature” is everything that exists between Heaven (Shen) and Earth (Jing). It includes all of the plants and creatures that inhabit our planet. Within humans, nature energy is where spiritual and physical forces coalesce—emotion.
If you think about it, emotions are the combination of physiological desires with spiritual awareness. Of course, these energies don’t always naturally align with one another. We are weaker when our mind, body, and spirit are out of alignment. Qigong practice creates harmony among all parts of who we are.
By learning standing posture practices from Iron Shirt, we cease our futile battle with gravity, conserve precious energy and protect our joints against unnecessary stress. Energetically, harmonizing with the earth allows us to cultivate its gifts for health and vitality.
Free Introduction: March 1
7 week course: March 8 – April 19
6:00-7:30pm
LOCATION:
327 7th Street, Buzzer 1, 2nd Floor
(Center for Anti-violence Ed.)
Park Slope Brooklyn
Near: 4th Ave & 9th Street F/R/G
JANUARY 5/JANUARY 12 – February 16
“Emotional Wisdom: Working with the 5 Elements & your Emotional Energies”
Free Intro: January 5 6:00-7:30pm
Course: January 12 – February 16, also 6:00-7:30pm
DECEMBER 15, 22 and 29/
Three Stand-Alone Classes:
During the holidays when schedules are crazy, we’re holding 3 individual classes. Feel free to register for any or all of them.
The variety of Qigong and Inner practices on the Taoist path can be confusing or even off-putting. Join us for three full and varied practices… Each comprehensive and transformative if enjoyed over time. You will also receive handouts and a practice guide to continue your explorations at home.
