Dancing Qigong This Spring

by Karen Steinbrecher

We dance and practice Qigong to lead us back to balance.  As we flow from winter into the green of Spring, seeds are sprouting to new life. We practice and dance movements that align our bodies to the organs. In TCM ( Traditional Chinese Medicine) that represent the Wood element Spring.  When we practice Qigong we work upon aligning body, mind and spirit, to balance Yin (Earth) and Yang (Heaven). 

The organs associated with the Wood element are the Liver (the Yin organ), and the Gall Bladder (the Yang organ).  Here, at the Resiliency Center, we practice various movements that align with our organs and their functions to help us move towards balance.  For example, the Liver filters and detoxifies the blood, and makes substances soluble for the transportation and excretion process of the kidneys.  This governs the free flow of Qi [energy that animates all life] which in turn ensures a smoother flow of emotions, blood, bile and water.  The Gall Bladder eliminates toxins in the body, emulsifies fats and regulates cholesterol levels.

We dance and practice various movements that align with the above-mentioned organs.  For example, we practice “Turning a Wheel of Light” for the Liver and for the Gall Bladder meridian, we dance “Bird’s Flight” as well as other flowing and stretching movements.

To experience the healing power of QiGong, you need to have in your mind a clear vision of what is happening to you.  In classical Chinese this would be called a vision of Heaven (Yang) and Earth (Yin).  In many ways, it is the same portrait of the cosmos as revealed by contemporary scientists. Following this thought on the balance of Yin and Yang- Heaven and Earth- the Qigong movement and breathing exercises help us to  return this energy to alignment.  When this balance is achieved, stress is reduced, and this helps us to increase the effectiveness of our immune system to ward off illness.  Research indicates that regular Qigong practice can help eliminate some types of chronic pain, reduce the need for medication, shorten postoperative recovery time, and even help to control diabetes.

Practicing Qigong can bring you back in touch with yourself; it enables you to let go of the increasing pressures and fast pace of life.  Think “green” this Spring and let go of stress as you dance QiGong. Here at the Resiliency Center there are several excellent therapists who practice  various types of support and can provide the help you may need to return to balance.  QiGong is led by Karen Steinbrecher who teaches classes on Thursdays @ 2 P.M. and 6:15 P.M. for 55 minutes.  Cost is $10.00

Tai Chi or QiGong: WHICH Should I Study? - by Karen Steinbrecher

As a practitioner of QiGong for over 14 years and as a practitioner and teacher here at the Resiliency Center, I must admit that I resonate to the practice of QiGong.  I love QiGong as many of you know; it is my way of life.  Yet I would like to explain some differences between QiGong and Tai Chi.   Some people prefer Yoga; some prefer Pilates; some prefer Tai Chi, and I prefer QiGong. It is all GOOD.

Tai Chi has increased in popularity and often appears in the background for advertisements of unrelated products.  It is recommended for seniors and by the American Arthritis Society, which has its own simplified version.  Many health clubs and martial arts studios offer Tai Chi classes.

Tai Chi is a Chinese art designed to protect oneself from unarmed and armed attacks and illnesses.  It is both a martial art and a method for preventing and treating illnesses.   The movements are choreographed to be practiced in a specific order.  You may find more information about its history and concepts through Google and also in the article  “Are You Really Learning Tai Chi and is it Effective for Stress?” by Martin Eisen in the Yang Sheng Journal [Insert link to http://yang-sheng.com/?p=1612].

QiGong, pronounced  ‘Chee Kung’ is not as well-known as Tai Chi and is frequently given as an auxiliary exercise before or after doing Tai Chi. In Chinese,  “Gong” means work or hard task.  “Qi” can be translated as life energy.  When you practice, dance QiGong, you practice, learn to control the flow of Qi through your body by using breath, movement and meditation.  It is a Chinese practice and discipline that is at least 5000 years old.  Depending upon the goal of the practitioner, the main divisions of modern Qigong (there are thousands of different practices) are Spiritual, Medical, Martial and Athletic.  And yes, there is an overlap between the divisions.

Medical Qigong is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine  (TCM).  TCM theory says that the health is the result of smooth, unblocked, not stagnate Qi circulation.  When Qi does not flow smoothly, it may be stagnant or blocked, and that can cause a problem or a deficiency in any part of the body. Disease can be a result of poor Qi circulation.  Once the flow of Qi is balanced, the body tends to heal itself.

Qi cultivation facilitates and supports health and the quality of life.  Practicing Qigong can empower the body through Qi cultivation for healing and health; it helps to train the body to produce within, the internal elixir.  This means to produce the effective corresponding medicine within the body.  According to Master Zhongli Quan, “the best medicine can be produced by internal Qi cultivation, with greater balance and harmony of the internal organs.”

While I am not a certified Medical QiGong practitioner, I lead people to discover the joy of the flowing healing movements of QiGong, as a way to take charge of your health, so that you can work in harmony with your Primary Medical Doctor.  Qi cultivation is the heart of QiGong practice.   It helps us to cope with stress and the energy imbalances that happen during daily life, towards achieving an optimal state, one with greater balance and harmony that will allow the healing of chronic health conditions towards joy.

I am thankful for the blessings and rewards that QiGong practice has enabled me to experience.  Come join me so that I may share this experience and practice with you.

Qi Dao, Yi Dao.  Where the Qi flows, the Mind goes.

Karen Steinbrecher  leads QiGong here at the Resiliency Center every Thursday  in the Open Workspace at 2:00 pm and 6:15 pm.  The class lasts for 50 -55 minutes for a charge of $10.00/class.

BLOSSOM into SPRING with the Dance of QIGONG

BLOSSOM into SPRING with the Dance of QIGONG

Karen Steinbrecher    QiGong Practitioner   

Did you experience Spring fever in the first few weeks last month?

Although the premature warm weather gave us a Spring preview with blossoms on the shrubs and trees and bulbs in bloom, now we are officially in Spring, which in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is associated with the Wood element. There is a sparkle in the air, we are ready to play baseball, watch the butterflies flutter with light-hearted images of young lovers and love bursting all around us.

Practicing, dancing Qigong, we can transition and follow the Seasonal changes with grace, as we adjust our bodies and unblock our meridians to align body, mind, and spirit to find peace and harmony towards optimum health.  Qigong is more than a set of flowing movements, it is an attitude that works to restructure one’s perspective on life, leading to balance and harmony with the world around us.

In every culture sages are revered for their ability to live in harmony with Nature and with themselves.  The outward reflects the inward.  It was the great, ancient sages, the Taoists, who discovered the acupuncture meridians, the principles of Qigong, as well as the healing qualities of herbs.    The ancient Taoists of China saw living according to the Tao, the Natural Way, as both sociological and ecological, the dance of life as being all-encompassing. Taoist Qigong traditionally emphasizes the body, for nature and the physical world are sacred.  In Taoist philosophy and TCM medicine, Spring is a time to cleanse, nourish, and support the Liver and Gall bladder. Inspired by the Wood element, envision a young tree as a pale seedling beginning to push through the winter-hardened earth, reaching for the warmth and light of the Sun.   This is how insistent your own life force becomes during this point in our year’s cycle.

Taoist Qigong alludes to a cosmic order of sorts, following the rhythms of nature, that  we see in the world around us as well as the rhythms we feel inside ourselves.

Spring is also a time of ‘emergency,’ where one’s life force pushes forward unexpectedly and in potent ways.  Any suppressed feelings or intentions clamor to come forth.  It is no surprise then that the emotion most associated with the liver is Anger.  Just as it’s not uncommon for a woman in childbirth to lash out in anger during the throes of labor, one may find the exhaustive work of your own ‘birthings’ brings you to a similar emotional pitch.  If you use Qigong to move energy through your liver and break up stagnation, you will find that you can transform anger into kindness and forgiveness, beginning with forgiveness of self.  This is empowering, a rebirth to joy and love.

With Qigong practice we follow the TCM practice of the 5 Seasons. The Wood element    focus is upon the Liver and the Gall Bladder.  We dance, practice flowing movements that help us to detoxify, let go.  Here at the Resiliency Center we practice Zhang Fu, movements that correlate with our organs.  What is Zhang Fu?  Zhang = Yin organ, Fu = Yang organ, Yin being the Liver, Gall Bladder being the Yang.   The TCM functions of the Liver govern the free flow of Qi which in turn will ensure the harmonious flow of emotions, blood, and water; it also governs the tendons and ligaments.  Liver function is reflected in the nail, known as the “free & easy wanderer ~ Alchemist.”  It opens into the eyes -the sense of sight.  The Gall Bladder, Yang, eliminates toxins in the body, emulsifies fats, and regulates cholesterol levels. Practicing these special movements enables us to flow into Spring.  

From an ancient Taoist monk, Huang Di Nei Jing:

     “Heavenly Qi moves down to meet the rising Earth Qi.   As a result living creatures bloom and bear fruit”

Qigong is about blending and using the Powers of the Universe to become more whole as humans.  Let us be thankful.  Life is a beautiful journey, a dance.  Be happy. Enjoy and learn from life itself.  Come dance Qigong with me!

Karen Steinbrecher      Qigong   Practitioner at the Resiliency Center       $10.00/class

contact: 215-836-7184   karensteinbrecher@msn.com  Thursdays @ 2 P.M. and 6:15 P.M