Category: Qigong

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong

Posted on by metbaseball

About a week ago, I participated in a free Zoom workshop offered by Energy Arts, a Colorado-based company that offers instruction in meditation, qigong, tai chi, and bagua, all with a Taoist focus.

The workshop was on Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, a form of qigong that has been shown to be of value to people with medical problems; however, its benefits are not limited to that group.

Qigong, also spelled chi kung, is pronounced chee-gung. It means “energy workout.”

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong contains only seven movements. They are done slowly, mindfully, and precisely. In this video, Paul Cavel, a senior Energy Arts instructor, demonstrates the form.

Don’t be deceived by the slowness of the movements. In the workshop, Craig Barnes did three sets of the form, doing each movement 20 times. If you do not think that is a good workout, you either have never done it or are not doing it correctly.

In his webpage titled “What is Qigong?” Bruce Frantzis, the founder of Energy Arts, defines it as

a form of gentle exercise composed of movements that are repeated a number of times, often stretching the body, increasing fluid movement (blood, synovial and lymph) and building awareness of how the body moves through space.

One thing that differentiates qigong from both exercises people in the Western world do is that it is not just an external (physical) exercise.

Frantzis writes,

When you practice and learn a qigong exercise movement there are both external movements and internal movements. These internal movements, or flows, in China are called neigong, or ‘internal power’. These internal neigong movements make qigong a superior health and wellness practice.

Need more evidence that qigong works?

According to Frantzis, “qigong has been proven in China by its beneficial impact on the health of millions of people over thousands of years.” No Western exercise can match that claim.

For more information about Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, view this video narrated by Frantzis. Besides a demonstration, it offers background information on Dragon and Tiger.

Exercise Can Both Improve and Protect Your Health

Posted on by metbaseball

My parents walked, weather permitting, for at least 30 minutes even when in their eighties. But that was not their only exercise. My mother continued her tai chi lessons, attending William C. C. Chen’s class in New York and my father would go to a gym.

They were convinced that exercise was a life-extender. They were right.

“Regular physical activity can actually slow the aging process on a cellular level and potentially add years to your life,” according to an article by Michelle Crouch on the AARP website.

Exercise can more. It can help both improve and protect your health.

Thus, it is even more important now when a pandemic threatens all of us and the federal government’s response has been haphazard and the medical system is being overwhelmed by too many patients and too few supplies. As a result, each of us needs to assume more responsibility for our health.

A tweet by Dr. Howard Luks highlighted the connection between exercise and the immune system:

The above tweet links to an article Dr. Luks wrote in which he said, “Exercise is the best medicine. Aside from social isolation and masks, it is also possible that it’s your best strategy to minimize the risk of having severe issues with COVID19.”

But which exercise?

Given that many Americans are abiding by the “shelter in place” guideline, that reduces the number of viable exercises.

One form of exercise not widely known in the United States is one that many more Americans should consider doing. It can be done at home. No equipment, special clothing, or athletic ability is required.

It is called qigong — pronounced chee-gung.

On his website, Bruce Frantzis, one of the leading qigong practitioners and authors in the world, describes qigong this way:

Qigong (alternatively spelled chi gung or chi kung) is a form of gentle exercise composed of movements that are repeated a number of times, often stretching the body, increasing fluid movement (blood, synovial and lymph) and building awareness of how the body moves through space.

There are many different types of qigong. Some that Master Frantzis teaches are Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, Heaven and Earth Qigong, and Gods Playing in the Clouds Qigong.

In this video, Paul Cavel demonstrates Heaven and Earth Qigong.

In my next post, I will continue this talk.