Aligning Classes with the Seasons of the Year
Sunday Series
Each series begins on the Sunday closest to the “season begins” date (see below) and is 12 weeks long. The Equinox or Solstice falls at the halfway point, and the series end a week or two before the next season starts.
We still have free classes that introduce the practices of the next series, but with longer series, there are necessarily fewer of them.
Because there will be only four series in a year, I’m open to people jumping in after the beginning, but it will be on a case-by-case basis to ensure you benefit best and the flow of the class is uninterrupted.
Tuesday Qigong Practice: Zoom and In-Person Classes
On April 23, a Tuesday evening class will begin that forcuses on an hour-long practice, focused on the forms from the Sunday Series. The class will meet every Tuesday, with one of the meetings in person here in Brooklyn and the other 3 on zoom. If this interests you, visit the class page for more information and the attendance/registration options.
This offering will also run on a seasonal (12-week) pattern and offer a free class at the beginning of each series.
If you’re not on our email list, send a request to mrndmhr at g…..c.m and I’ll add you to the newsletter list. You can also send any questions or concerns to the same address.
The Seasons in Tao
In China the year is divided up into 13-week sections, one for each of the four seasons. We know about the Equinox and Solstice, but the Tao year has many seasonal days:
Spring
Start of Spring – Feb. 4
Rain Water – Feb. 19
(The amount of rainfall increases)
Insects Awaken – Mar. 5
(Insects awakened by spring thunder)
Spring Equinox – Mar. 20
Pure Brightness – Apr. 4
(Warm, bright, everywhere gets green)
Grain Rain – Apr. 19
(Rainfall increases helping grain crops)
Summer
Start of Summer – May 5
Grain Full – May 20
(Grains get plump but aren’t ripe yet)
Grain in Ear – Jun. 5
(Wheat ripens, the busy season starts)
Summer Solstice – Jun. 21
Slight Heat – Jul. 6
(The hottest days are yet to come)
Great heat – Jul. 22
(The hottest days begin)
Autumn
Start of Autumn – Aug. 7
The End of Heat – Aug. 22
(The hot summer is coming to an end)
White Dew – Sep. 7
(Cooler and dew appears in the morning)
Autumn Equinox – Sep. 22
Cold Dew – Oct. 8
(The dew becomes frost)
Frost Descent – Oct. 23
(Frost appears as temps descend)
Winter
Start of Winter – Nov. 7
Light Snow – Nov. 22
(It snows but can’t accumulate)
Heavy Snow – Dec. 6
(It begins to snow heavily)
Winter Solstice – Dec. 21
Lesser Cold – Jan. 5, 2025
(It’s cold, but more cold will come)
Greater Cold – Jan. 20, 2025
(The coldest time of a year)