Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday Night Qigong: January 27, 2014

MIT Qigong with Coach Roselando

Warmup
10min Dr. Ma Li Tang's Gathering Qi
10min Zhang Zhuang #6
10min Zhang Zhuang #8
5min Gathering Qi
5min Dragon Post Left
5min Dragon Post Right
5min Leg Qi
5min Gathering Qi
Seal/Wash

Warriors of Stillness: Movement not yet released

From Warriors of Stillness 3: http://warriorsofstillness.com
by Jan Diepersloot

Though posture is often thought of as stillness as opposed to movement, actually our posture must be considered a type of movement also. In other words, the stillness we are talking about is not the stillness of death as opposed to the movement of life. It is not the comparative stillness of plants as opposed to the movements of animals. It is not the (relative) stillness of sleep, not the stillness of couch potato TV-watching, not the stillness of paralysis, not the stillness of passed out stupor, nor any other stillness in which the machinery for movement and its controlling mechanism have been fully or partially shut down. No, the stillness we cultivate in our standing (postural) meditation entails readiness, a stillness that is pregnant with possibilities for movement. It is the stillness of a deer ready to bolt and flee, the stillness of the tiger ready to pounce. The stillness we are talking about, in other words is movement not yet released. It is the stillness of potential movement as opposed to actual movement. In this stillness, awareness enables us to respond to the environment rather than react to it. 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Warriors of Stillness 3: Masters of Perception

Over the next weeks, we will be sharing short excerpts from Jan Diepersloot's Warriors of Stillness III. The book can be purchased from: http://warriorsofstillness.com We highly recommend all three books in the series and they can be purchased together as a Trilogy Set for $75 - a great deal. Enjoy!

The primary principles internal martial artists follow to cultivate robust health in the qi state are proper posture, proper breath and proper mindset. In the internal martial arts, the rules of posture are governed by the pivotal concept of zhongding, or central equilibrium, and consist of the optimal re-alignment of the spine in the vertical plane. 

Within this proper postural framework, internal martial artists utilize mindful breathing practices to transform typical (and usually restricted) breathing patterns into full and free natural breathing. As this process unfolds over time, the tensions that stiffen and harden us, both physically and mentally, progressively dissolve. The resulting state of relaxation is called song by the Chinese, and denotes a state of alert relaxation that is ready for immediate action. 

Proper breath and proper posture create the foundation for optimally efficient movement of torso and limbs. The rules for movement, like posture, also are dictated by the constraints of central equilibrium. The fundamental components, or basic grammar, of movement are the horizontal, vertical and rotational movements of the body's central vertical axis in space. These three elemental movements combine to create an infinite number of possible movements. 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Debiasing the Mind Through Meditation

Debiasing the Mind Through Meditation

Mindfulness and the Sunk-Cost Bias

  1. Andrew C. Hafenbrack1
  2. Zoe Kinias1
  3. Sigal G. Barsade2
  1. 1Department of Organisational Behaviour, INSEAD
  2. 2Management Department, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  1. Andrew C. Hafenbrack, Department of Organisational Behaviour, INSEAD, 1 Ayer Rajah Ave., Singapore 138676, Singapore E-mail: andrew.hafenbrack@insead.edu
From: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/12/06/0956797613503853

Abstract from The Harvard Business Review:  A Little Meditating Helps You Make Better Business Decisions
Research participants who had spent just 15 minutes in “mindfulness” meditation, focusing on their breathing, were 77% more likely than others to resist what’s known as the “sunk-cost bias,” the tendency to stick with a less-than-optimal strategy merely because a lot of money has been sunk into it, says a team led by Andrew C. Hafenbrack of Insead business school in France. In a fictional scenario, the participants had to decide whether to buy a highly efficient $10,000 machine shortly after spending $200,000 on equipment that was much less efficient (and couldn’t be sold). Meditation’s impact on the sunk-cost bias may have to do with its ability to improve mood and decrease people’s focus on the future and past, the researchers suggest.






MIT Qigong Club - Special Event


MIT Qigong Club

"Special Event"

***

Emei Qigong Seminar Info

Master Sifu Fu Wei Zhong

Date: May 10-11, 2014


Time: 9:00-5:00

Location: MIT Cambridge

Cost: $300.00 ($200.00 'one day')


***

Emei Qigong lineage holder, Master Fu Wei Zhong, will be coming to Boston for a veryspecial weekend seminar.  Master Fu will be teaching the Heaven & Earth sets which are the foundation of the Emei 12 Zhuang's. Master Fu will also be teaching Emei's 'Heaven Pounding Breathing' which was passed down from the martial arts aspects of Emei.

Master Fu has not taught Emei 12 Zhuang Qigong in the USA for many years. Don't miss this opportunity to train with a living legend.

*We will be limiting this event to 20 serious practitioners. Please contact me for more info and reserve your spot today!


Info on the Heaven & Earth sets:


The 12 Forms begins with the Heaven & Earth Forms. The primary application of Heaven & Earth Forms is in the ascending and descending of the qi in the Ren & Du meridians.

In the practice of the Heaven Form, the practitioner experience the ascending of the qi, and the main effect is in supporting the qi and the yang energy.

In the practice of the Earth Form, the practitioner experience the descending of the qi, and the main effect is in supporting the ying energy and suppressing the yang. When Heaven & Earth Forms are practiced together, the qi of the Heaven and Earth mingled within the body, and the flow of qi achieved a state of balance. The Heaven & Earth Forms are the foundation for all the other Forms.


Info on Master Sifu Fu Wei Zhong:


The importance of Post Standing (Zhan Zhuang)


Advice from 'old Taiji Sifu':
"You must practice Post Standing (Zhan Zhuang). No matter which Chinese martial art you study, Post Standing is considered fundamental practice. In ancient times, students had to practice standing for one or two years before they were allowed to learn any forms. That is why each generation produced outstanding martial artists. Society and people's way of thinking have changed, making adapting to these requirements difficult...If you skip the fundamentals, your form will remain undeveloped and you will be ridiculed by experts." 

Monday Qigong with Coach Roselando

Monday, January 20th, 2013
Warmup
5min small vibrations
5min gathering qi
10min Dr. Mi Li Tang's gathering qi
5min dragon post left
5min dragon post right
5min shi li left
5min shi li right
20min Mr. Ma post
Seal/wash
Warmdown

Happy Martin Luther King Day!!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Happy New Year!!

Monday, January 7, 2014

Warm up
10min Dr. Ma Li Tang's breathing
5min left crane
5min right crane
5min gathering qi
3min left dragon post
3min right dragon post
20min universal post
3min gathering qi
seal/wuji/wash

Join us next Monday for another evening of Qigong with Coach Jim Roselando!