[May 2022] Ask Sifu Anthony

On this version of Ask Sifu Anthony, you’ll discover questions concerning the variety of repetitions in qigong, practising qigong underneath irritating circumstances, practising tai chi and qigong collectively, neigong vs. qigong, qigong for insomnia, and a timeline for future Flowing Zen tasks!

I consider that college students ought to have the ability to get the solutions that they want. That’s why I work so arduous answering questions in our Fb group, inside my on-line packages, in our webinars, and right here on the weblog.

Seeing different college students asks questions that you just might need requested your self – after which studying the solutions – helps too! This helps us all to really feel linked to a worldwide qigong neighborhood. It additionally helps those that are too introverted or too shy to ask a query.

Query 1: Asandra

Though I don’t know your particular model or observe, I studied with Qigong academics for 9 yrs in California & have been practising a complete of 11 yrs. My query is: I observe 5 to 7 days every week and labored as much as 36 repetitions for every motion. I typically do a complete of 9 actions so most likely just like what you educate. What number of repetitions do you advise for every motion?

Hello Asandra. Initially, congrats on practising qigong 5-7 days per week. That’s great! Sustain the great work.

The best way that I educate is sort of completely different than what you’ve described. The guts of my methodology known as the 5-Part Routine, which is described in my e book and in addition taught within the bonus course that comes with it.

The precise qigong actions go in Part 2 and make up simply 1/fifth of this routine. With the 5-Part Routine, we don’t fear concerning the variety of repetitions. As a substitute, we dedicate a tough period of time to your entire routine, after which divide that among the many phases. Remember the fact that these are tough estimates. For instance:

What number of actions can we do in Part 2? Sometimes, I counsel the next:

• Newbies ought to select 1-3 favourite qigong patterns.
• Intermediate college students ought to select 1-6 favourite qigong patterns.
• Superior college students ought to select 1-12 favourite qigong patterns.

So for those who’re a newbie, you’re doing 1-3 actions in roughly 5 minutes. For those who’ve been practising for a 12 months or two, you then’re doing 1-6 actions in 10 minutes. And so forth.

However how can we cut up the time? It depends upon the qigong sample. Some patterns may be executed for a number of minutes, like Lifting The Sky or Hugging Tree. Others are too difficult to do for greater than a minute or two, like Iron Bull Ploughs Discipline.

For those who’re utilizing one in every of my guided meditations, then I time the transitions for you and inform you when to vary. However with expertise, you’ll uncover which workouts you get pleasure from doing a bit longer or a bit shorter. Over time, you’ll develop a pure really feel for every session with out the necessity to depend repetitions.

Qigong faculties that don’t use the 5-Part Routine will usually want:

1. extra patterns per session
2. extra repetitions per session

Why do they want extra patterns? As a result of they don’t observe a uncommon method known as Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow (FBSW) in Part 3 that circulates the power freely by the meridians. As a result of they don’t observe FBSW, they should depend on the qigong actions (Part 2) for circulation, which isn’t as environment friendly.

Why do they want extra repetitions? As a result of they don’t take sufficient time to enter right into a Zen mind-set (Part 1). As a substitute, they depend on the qigong actions to slowly get them right into a meditative state. Once more, that is much less environment friendly.

Query 2: Mark

Howdy, I’ve just lately been scammed out of my life financial savings and labored up large money owed. Whole quantity being £79,000. Is there something I can do with coping with my stress and emotional wrestle and ache that I’m feeling? My time is so restricted so I don’t have a lot obtainable. Any recommendation could be nice.

Oh god, that’s terrible Mark. That should be extremely irritating. I’m sorry that you just’re going by this.

Proper now, your Monkey Thoughts might be obsessive about the previous and the longer term. It most likely rushes from ideas of being scammed and the issues you possibly can have executed in another way, to worrying concerning the future. This back-and-forth between the previous and the longer term is a part of why you’re experiencing a lot emotional wrestle and ache.

Mindfulness is the answer, and qigong is a superb approach to observe mindfulness whereas additionally getting well being advantages. Out of your submission, I do know that you just’re in your 30s, you’re comparatively wholesome, and also you haven’t but discovered the 5-Part Routine. With this information in thoughts, I feel we have now a transparent path to go.

Learn my e book, be taught the 5-Part Routine, after which start to implement it. This can be a small funding of time with a probably large return over the rest of your life. The worth of this funding is unattainable to calculate, however I can say with confidence that it’s price way over £79,000.

When you end the e book, all you’ll want is about 15-20 minutes per day to begin feeling the results. I want you luck on this journey!

Query 3: Amy

Ought to I separate my lessons, Tai Chi & Qigong or combine the humanities collectively? I’m at the moment solely educating Tai Chi. As soon as I’ve gotten your 101 class underneath my belt, then I’ll have sufficient to go ahead with extra Qigong. Thanks to your assist.

Hello Amy. In my view, tai chi ought to by no means be taught separate from qigong. With out some ability within the cultivation and manipulation of qi, tai chi is only a unusual, slow-motion dance. It can nonetheless deliver you some advantages, however these can be about the identical as going for a stroll or studying to bop.

Nonetheless, lots of the so-called “heat up” workouts which are taught in tai chi faculties are sometimes simply qigong workouts in disguise. Do you will have your college students rotate their knees, or swing their hips, earlier than doing the tai chi kind? In that case, these are each qigong patterns!

If we’re not cautious, then qigong can even turn into a slow-motion dance with out a lot power cultivation. The hot button is to show it as an inner artwork. If you wish to know what that appears like, then my e book is a superb alternative.

You don’t want to attend for the 101 to reopen in January. As a substitute, you may be a part of the 201 when it reopens in June. However first, learn the e book and undergo the free mini-course that comes with it. That can get you up to the mark for the 201!

Query 4: Steve

Qigong is predicated on bodily varieties labored in a relaxed mind-set and physique. It appears to clean the passage of qi by the physique. Neigong appears extra alchemical: a way of opening your orbits and extraordinary meridians, and sublimating jing to qi and so on. My query is, how is it that the Neigong strategies I’ve been taught appear virtually equivalent to these of qigong, however with an emphasis on ‘feeling’ your qi? Or are my assumptions all incorrect?

Hello Steve. That is actually only a matter of semantics. The reply to your query depends upon how a selected instructor defines neigong and qigong. Let’s have a look at the 2 phrases:

neigong
內 (interior ) 功 (cultivation)

qigong
氣 (qi) 功 (cultivation)

As you may see, the 2nd character (gong) is similar for each phrases. In each circumstances, we’re speaking about cultivating a ability over time by private observe.

However qigong is a extra trendy time period. Since 1949, it has been used as an umbrella time period for a lot of completely different qi cultivation arts. I actually use it as an umbrella as properly. For instance, I name the Small Universe (Xiao Zhou Tian, 小周天) qigong quite than neigong. But when something qualifies as neigong, it’s the Small Universe.

Some academics use qigong to check with dynamic qigong workouts, like Lifting The Sky and reserve neigong for extra quiescent workouts with much less apparent motion, just like the Small Universe. Once more, that is simply semantics.

I can’t actually criticize academics for utilizing completely different phrases. For instance, Lifting The Sky and the Small Universe are fairly completely different although they each fall underneath the umbrella of qigong. So if academics need to name one in every of them qigong and one in every of them neigong, that’s their prerogative.

As an apart, I feel that Lifting The Sky is extra helpful for normal individuals. The Small Universe is highly effective and complex, but it surely takes years to grasp. For a newbie who simply desires to be more healthy and transfer their physique extra, the concept of sitting cross-legged whereas imagining a stream of power that they will’t even really feel go round a loop of meridians that they don’t perceive isn’t very useful. On this sense, it doesn’t matter whether or not we name it qigong or neigong; the important thing right here is pedagogy.

Query 5: Tanya

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