10 Steps to Zhan Zhuang by Wikihow

From Wikihow

This posture is the most common of all the tai chi (taiji) and qigong (chi-gung) postures, and is often used as a separate exercise to increase leg strength, concentration, deep breathing and chi (qi) flow.  The stance is used in standing meditation and is known as the Zhan Zhuang or Embrace the tree posture.

Bill Gallagher PT, CMT, CYT 

1 Stand with the feet about shoulder width apart.

2 Turn the toes in so the outside of the feet are parallel.

3 Sit back to bend the knees and fold in the hip joints to go into a shallow squat (up to a 45 degree bend in the knee).

4 If you tend to be "knock-kneed" (valgus), gently roll the knees out a bit without moving the feet. This will tend to lift the arch. Don't allow the big toes to lose contact with the floor. If you are bow-legged (varus), gently roll the knees in.

5 Release the lower back to allow the coccyx (tailbone) to hang down.

6 As your tailbone hangs down, lengthen the back of your skull up.

7 Hold arms as if embracing a tree with elbows hanging down

8 Sink the shoulders down.

9 Use inhalation to expand body and exhalation to release unnecessary tension down into the ground using the bones as conduits.

10 Hold. Most teachers recommend building up to a minimum of 20 minutes, but beginners may feel fatigued far earlier, and it is advisable to practice caution.

Applying the Empty Mind

by Adam Wallace

Qi Magazine - Issue 88

Fall 2008

The concept of ‘empty mind’ is realised through deep relaxation, attained spontaneously or through training (meditation). It means to be fully aware of the presentand surroundings and forget the self, which removes all hindrance to physical possibilities.

My first experience of this occurred before I had even heard of the concept, before beginning my journey into martial arts and Qigong. It actually occurred during my driving test over twenty years ago now. As a learner I never felt nervous or caused drama on the road but within one minute of being in the car with the invigilator I made a cardinal error. Following his instruction to make a right turn out of the test centre I put my foot down on the accelerator and turned the steering wheel too leisurely, resulting in the car mounting the kerb (on his side no less!). I did not dare to look at his face. In my mind I had already failed so the weight of worry and feeling of apprehension lifted away and the mind became a blank slate.

As he continued to issue his list of commands in a monotone I performed them perfectly, like an automaton.We returned to the test centreafter three-quarters of an hour (which felt like an eternity) and as we came to a complete stop the instructor closed his file and said, “Mr. Wallace……you have passed”. I responded, “You’re joking, right?”, nonplussed, believing him to possess some sadistic sense of humour. (I discovered later that instructors allow errors in the first five minutes due to ‘test nerves’.)

In 1998, I entered into a Pushing Hands competition for the Wenxian International Taijiquan competition. In the evening before the opening, I learned that my randomly picked opponent was the Chen family member who had been my training partner in my previous week’s stay in Chenjiagou (Chen Village). I felt deflated, knowing he was one of the top athletes under Master Chen Bing and Grandmaster Chen Xiaoxing. He was more skilled and losing to him in the firstr ound would mean my early exit from the tournament (or so I thought at the time as the rules had not been adequately translated).

This began to eat away at me, causing my Qi to literally disperse. At breakfast I had to force myself to eat and felt uneasy. After lunch I returned to my room with butterflies in my stomach, awaiting the moment of truth. Instead of resting in bed I began practising Zhan Zhuang (Standing Pole) and after half an hour I sat down to meditate. By the time I arrived at the stadium I felt transformed and invigorated. My mind was so calm (a contrast to the competitors that go to great lengths ‘psyching themselves up’), my Qi was stable (adrenaline under control) and fully restored, and I felt deeply centred. Gone were all the doubts and insecurities. At the end of a very close match I was declared the winner, all due to‘empty mind’.

Othertimes when empty mind practice has come in handy is when I train jumping. There is a wall in the park where I used to practice that reached my waist level. A few times, to challenge myself, I would jump onto it from a stationary position; difficult enough even with a running start. Each time I would stand facing the wall considering the height and pondering clearing the distance too much, I would prevent myself from doing it as if my feet were nailed or glued to the ground.

Whenever I would finally stop thinking and say to myself, “Just do it”, I always succeeded.When it comes to physical training and Qi it does not do to overintellectualise what is happening internally. It is more important to feel the experience rather than think or try to make sense of it. Some people find the idea of ‘No Mind’ hard to get around. It seems like a paradox. It is important for the skill taught to be absorbed by the body and not to remain only in the head. Consciousness of self is the greatest impediment to the execution of physical actions. 

Most accidents occur and chances are missed because of pensiveness and hesitation to act, or else in acting rashly or emotionally. In combat, when an opponent commits to launching an attack he creates an opening and becomes vulnerable for a split-second. This window of opportunity, the potential to counterattack, must be ‘felt’ instinctively. There is no time to think because by the time the eyes see it and the brain sends the message to the limbs to counterattack, the opportunity is lost. The opponent would have returned to a defensive position or retreated out of range (closing the ‘window’) or renewed his attack, presenting a whole new set of problems to solve and answer.

The mind, unchecked, creates irrational and unwarranted fears, self doubt and anxiety. In this situation it can literally become our own worst enemy. It creates barriers, physically (between us and our bodies and achieving our goals) and subtly (between us and other people and nature.) The ‘empty mind’ enables us to see things without prejudice, as they really are, and enables us to achieve far more physically than we might think possible.

Stance in Strategy

From The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

Adopt a stance with the head erect, neither hanging down, nor looking up, nor twisted. Your forehead and the space between your eyes should not be wrinkled. Do not roll your eyes nor allow them to blink, but slightly narrow them. With your features composed, keep the line of your nose straight with a feeling of slightly flaring your nostrils. Hold the line of the rear of the neck straight: instill vigor into your hairline, and in the same way from the shoulders down through your entire body. Lower both shoulders and, without the buttocks jutting out, put strength into your legs from the knees to the tops of your toes. Brace you abdomen so that you do not bend at the hips. Wedge your companion sword in your belt against your abdomen, so that your belt is not slack - this is called "wedging in."

In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. You must research this well.

Quiet your Senses with Meditation

Qi Magazine - Issue 85 (December 2007)

Michael Tse

Meditation is very important for good health. No one can be really healthy if they cannot shut down their minds and be calm and relaxed. Many problems and illnesses begin with stress and tension. If you watch the behaviour of someone who is stressed and under tension, you will see that they are always active and cannot sit or stand still.

Even when people have some personal leisure time they listen to music and are doing things all the time. They are like a machine that is always being used and never turned off. Obviously it will eventually break down, so how can someone like that not become ill? Nowadays people do not understand that calmness and relaxation are important. Most people think that in their spare time they can listen to music, read the newspaper, do the crossword or Sudoku puzzle or watch TV and that these things will help them to relax and recharge their energy after a hard day’s work. This is wrong.

Three thousand years ago in China and India people already discovered the secret and method for longevity. It is all based on the senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. All these senses use a lot of energy, so if we want to live longer we must learn how to shut them down. The method to do this is meditation.

Eye Sense

Whenever we use our eyes, either for watching TV, reading a book or playing agame, we are using energy. The longer we do it the more tired we will become and the older we will look. If you look at highly academic people like university professors, they spend a lot of time researching and reading from books or are working on the computer. They use so much energy and in the end they look tired and older. However, their hard work is for a purpose and brings them success, so for them, it is worth it. Nowadays, though, people will spend hours and hours on the internet for fun or looking up useless information and the energy they use is just wasted.

Hearing Sense

Our hearing also uses energy, although it is not as must as your eyesight. Over-using our hearing can damage the kidneys as in Chinese medicine the kidneys are related to the ears. Today people listen to loud music all the time, so you can imagine how damaged their hearing gets.When they are older they will definitely need a hearing aid and I feel sad for them. Also it means that these people need excitement, something to stimulate them. Without this excitement they find life boring. This is also sad. We should not be partying all the time as this will damage our heart by making it beat too fast. If this is the case, then we cannot be healthy because we cannot sit down and be calm. Then we will continually lose our Qi all the time.

Aside from this, when they are older, people will have to talk loudly to them. Then they will complain that their hearing is weak all because they have damaged it with overuse when they were younger.

Smell Sense

The sense of smell also has a big effect on the body. Many people like to smell nice fragrant scents. However, we can also over–use oursense of smell . If we surround ourselves all the time with pleasant, strong smells, then some of us can lose our sense of smell so that we cannot smell the scent of a simple flower. This is because we have over-stimulated our senses and this makes us feel under stress and hyper-active. Then our sense of smell becomes weak. If we can calm down and relax, then the sense of smell can come back. Our sense of smell is very important. Everything around us has a different smell:- our homes, our offices and even the country we live in has a different smell. A good smell means that the energy in that area is good. If the smell is bad then obviously the energy is bad. This can cause the people who live or work there to be healthy or unhealthy depending on whether it is good or bad energy. It also affects their luck.

Today many people talk about Feng Shui, but most of the time they only talk about or know very low-level knowledge.They only talk about external decoration but how many really understand the internal things and the energy of Feng Shui? Smell plays a big part, so we should not overuse our sense ofsmell. The more perfume we use the more our sense of smell will decline.

Taste Sense

We use our tongue to taste food. People love tasty food and many people enjoy sweets and candy. However, this is not good for the body. What we eat plays a big part in our health. In Chinese medicine we also relate to our internal organs and sour relates to the liver, bitter relates to the heart, sweet relates to the spleen, spicy relates to the lungs and salty relates to the kidneys.

Other tastes are a mixture of these five. If we only like food with one of these tastes or hate certain other tastes, then this can cause an imbalance. For example, sweet tastes are good for the spleen, but the spleen is also related to the stomach and and so if we take a lot of sweet then it will affect the stomach and if we take just a little, then it can be good for the stomach. Anything we overdo can cause a problem. Anything too strong will have an effect and weaken something else. So we should not just concentrate on certain tastes but try and take all kinds but not in excess. Sometimes we do not like bitter tastes but we should still take some.

Most people who live longer lives eat very simply and do not eat unusual food or very highly nutritious food. This minimises the amount they need to use their taste buds and so it does not exhaust the internal organs.

Touch Sense

The sense of touch is also very important. Many people like the feel of fine fabrics, like silks and linens. Also people like the feel of wood in good furniture like beds and tables. This sense excites the mind so that it cannot be calm. This contact stimulates the nerves and sometimes these can be overused, especially if we over-indulge ourselves. This too means we will lose Qi.

To save our Qi we should keep our sense of touch or feeling calm and then our Qi can settle back to the Dantian. We should not let our Qi run around our body too vigorously. In order to save Qi we must let it settle and calm down, as if nothing has happened to the body. Although everything in the body is still functioning, the heart is still beating and we are still breathing, we should slow things as much as possible.

Four Postures of Meditation

Remember, meditation is not about moving the Qi. Physical movement helps us to circulate the Qi, to use our Qi in the right way and get rid of negative Qi. During meditation we should shut down the five senses so we can settle and collect more Qi. This increases our longevity.

For practising meditation there are four postures: One is standing and we call this Zhan Zhuang, the second way is sitting in a chair, the third is sitting in lotusposition, which, in Chinese, we call Pan Xi. The fourth method is lying down, which we call ErGong. Standing, sitting and lying are all different physically but all have the same principle which is to settle the Qi and store it in the Dantian.

Zhan Zhuang

When we do Zhan Zhuang there are different levels:- high position, middle position and a low position. Lower is more difficult and higher is easier.When we stand in a lower stance we call this Ma Bo Zhan, which means horse stance standing position. This demands a lot of leg strength and so it is not easy to do for long. However, nomatter which position we choose to stand in, we need to keep the body in a line. The top of the head at the Bai Hui pointshould be vertically in line with the Yongquan points on thesoles of the feet.  

In the high and middle positions the Huiyin point between the legs also lines up with the Baihui point. This we can see if we check our posture from the side. About the hands,we can hold these in various positions and use different gestures, such as at the Middle Dantian or the Lower Dantian.These areas connect with the areas of the Qi. Different gestures involve the palms and the Laogong Points or the shape of the fingers and this directs the Qi to go a different way at first.However, if we stay for long enough, then the feeling is thesame for all of them. The will be Qi is strong and runs all overthe body following the proper channels.

In the low position we should try and keep the thighsparallel to the ground. In this position the Huiyin point will notline up with the Baihui and Yongquan. This low stance willdevelop the lower legs more, particularly the calves. The feetshould be shoulder width apart, the eyes should be open, but not focused. We should keep the mouth closed naturally andbreathe in and out through the nose.

Generally, when we practise the low stance we will notstay for too long and when we are tired we should stand upand change to a mid or high position. When we feel strongagain we can go back down again. So we can repeat low, highand middle stance for quite a long time. Generally, peoplecan stand one to two minutes in the low posture and somemore senior students five to seven minutes. The low stancewill not make you heavy and stiff but actually the opposite, asit makes you feel lighter. In Chinese we say, “Light Gong (XingGong) training is based on heavy training.” This standing exercise can also help a lot of leg and knee problems.

The height of the middle position can vary, but the Baihui, Huiyin and Yongquan points must line up vertically together. The feet can be wider than the shoulders. The eyes and breathing are the same as in the low position. The eyes must be open because in this exercise there is a lot of Qi that needs to be released out through them. We do not focus so it means we are not using our eyes to see. Again, the hand positions and gestures can vary, for example, Laogong points facing each other or facing the ground, etc. It has the same meaning as the low stance.

Sitting Meditation

When meditating sitting on a chair, we should not lean back against the back of the chair like we do when watching TV. We should sit forward towards the edge of the chair and inthis way we minimise how much contact we have with thechair. There are many ways and gestures we can use for thehands. You might just place your hands on your thighs so that the Laogong points touch the Liangqiu points or form a hand gesture which is also fine. The feet should rest on the floor and the knees and toes should line up vertically, but the feet must be flat on the floor.

Lying Meditation

The last way of meditation is lying down. The most common way is to lie on your back and rest your hands on your Dantian, this means that the Laogong points cover the Dantian. The head should be raised up a little using a pillowso that the head is higher the feet. This allows the Qi toflow down to the Dantian and to the feet. The downside of this position is that it is easy to fall asleep, so generally I donot do much lying meditation. Another way is to lie on yourside and put one hand close to your head and the other hand on your thigh. This creates a Taiji symbol with the body.

All these four ways to do meditation are the same inthat they allow us to calm down, shut down our senses andstore our Qi. However, standing positions develop the bones and lotus position concentrates the Qi in the upper body more which is why the legs feel numb because the circulation ha sbeen blocked somewhat. In the end, no matter which one we do, we need to be patient and relax the body. The longer we can meditate the better we will get and the more we will enjoy its benefits in the future.

Qigong in the News: find the right kind of meditation

The right kind of meditation for you; Mantra, mindfulness, zen, and qigong visualization are different ways to relax

New research suggests you could be missing out on all the health benefits of meditation by simply starting out with a technique not well matched to your personal tastes.

NY Daily News : Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 11:32 AM

Did you give meditation a chance and decide it's not your cup of tea? New research suggests you could be missing out on all the health benefits of meditation by simply starting out with a technique not well matched to your personal tastes.

Adam Burke, director of San Francisco State University's Institute for Holistic Health Studies, suggests trying another method to see which one is best suited to you.

"If someone is exposed to a particular technique through the media or a health care provider, they might assume because it's popular, it's the best for everyone," he said. "But that's like saying because a pink dress or a blue sport coat is popular this year, it's going to look good on everybody. In truth, different people like different things."

Burke and colleagues recently conducted a study of college students new to meditation and their preferences among four meditation techniques -- mantra, mindfulness, zen, and qigong visualization.

The participants learned all four different techniques, with 31 percent rating mantra as their preferred choice and another 31 percent choosing mindfulness. However, 22 percent said zen was their favorite, and 15 percent voted for qigong. Participants who opted for mantra and mindfulness said they thought the techniques were easier to practice, more calming, and less complex.

Partly accounting for the differences in tastes, the researchers note, is age, with older participants opting for zen, while younger participants preferred mindfulness. The results of the study appear in the July 7 issue of the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.

Another type of mindfulness meditation known as integrative body-mind training (which focuses on breathing and posture awareness) has recently been a hot topic in the media with a new study that found that the technique can have a positive physical effect on the brain, boosting connectivity and efficiency. The study appears in the June issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Meditation shopping? While it may seem strange, it is perhaps the best approach to finding a technique that works for you, at least according to a new study from San Francisco State University's Institute for Holistic Health Studies.

Published on July 7 in the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, the findings reveal that by finding a form of meditation that works for you, you are less likely to quit. The result of sticking with it? Research-backed benefits of reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and help with addiction problems.

While meditation styles vary, you'll want a comfortable, quiet room, perhaps a cushion to sit on, and anywhere from five to 20 minutes for beginners.

Here are a few traditional seated meditation techniques used in the study that you may want to try:

Vipassana (or mindfulness) - This meditation dates back to the times of Gautama Buddha and translates to "seeing deeply." You can start out by breath awareness and then advance to stages of being mindful of your perceptions and thoughts at any time, regardless of what you are doing. Some people attend 10-day Vipassana retreats, or "bootcamps," to delve deeper into the practice.

Mantra - This style involves the repetition of a word, phrase, or sound, or repeatedly envisioning a specific image. In the San Francisco State University study, participants imagined a ball of light in the area of their heart. For sounds or words, basically every sound-vibration you can think of is a potential mantra, but one of the most popular ones is Om.

Zen - Zen is similar to mindfulness in its focus on presence of mind, but it involves a more general awareness, rather than a focus on something specific. The practice typically asks you to silently focus on breathing and posture with eyes open in a quiet place and to dismiss any thoughts that pop into your head, essentially "thinking nothing."

Qigong visualization - This Taoist practice utilizes several techniques to help restore health and balance to the body, including the Inner Smile, visualizing "smile-energy" penetrating your internal organs; Moon on Lake, visualizing the moon's reflection on a lake; and Holding Heaven in the Palm of Your Hand, imagining the energy of the galaxy in the palm of your hand. Other simpler techniques, such as those used in the study, involve imagining a beam of light running along the spine.

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Or you can join us FOR FREE at MIT every Monday for soft natural Yiquan Qigong taught by Coach Jim Roselando from ApricotForestHall. All the benefits of meditation, yoga, and taiji in one simple exercise!! 

Tonight, we meet in the basement of the prestigious Kresge Auditorium from 7-8pm. See you there! To join our email list for updates on locations and special events, click here: http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/qigong

Relax - Practice

Qi Magazine | Issue 75 | March 2005

by Helen Massy

When we start to relax we notice how tense we are. How and when these tensions crept in is an individual matter – partly hereditary, social conditioning or self-imposed attitudes. All these tensions arise out of a sense of need to protect or defend this ‘island’ that we call ‘me’. Undoing the tensions can feel scary. We may feel vulnerable, off-balance and yet gradually freer and more comfortable with ourselves. The things that upset or disturb us, causing us to become tense or defensive, are good teachers. They show us where our beliefs need reassessing.

There can be a sense of safety in being good at things: survival of the fittest, top of the class, praise, accolade, prestige. Yet what happens when this is threatened, if we become ill or fall out of favour? Can we take it in our stride or do we react with fear, anxiety or anger?

Why not just relax and enjoy life, whatever our level? It is so much more important to feel at ease and comfortable with ourselves and our imperfections. There is no need to strive to be different or better than others, just to be ourselves – natural and at ease. This is possible at times, though for some people these times are rare. Which is why we have developed practices like Qigong, Taiji Quan and meditation to bring our awareness into the present, so that we can appreciate our daily lives and live them to the full.

We can notice our ways, habits, thoughts, preferences and beliefs and see through the illusions that we construct about our lives. Gradually we understand that the defences we hold so close to us actually limit our vision. And there is no way we can speed up the process by more ‘doing’.

I do not advocate that we give up practice or that we practise less often, simply that we watch for those subtle thoughts and tensions that diminish our sense of self and set us on the path of striving. Such thoughts pull us out of the present and relaxed awareness. We know in our hearts when enough is enough and also when we are driven to practice through tension, rather than choosing to practise and develop our skills at a natural pace. Being happy with ourselves as we are (and others too) brings us right into the present. Then we can relax and find inner freedom. This is translated into trust in the moment, where gravity can work with the body to create a sense of buoyancy. There is no need to fight or struggle to hold ourselves upright. Instead, we can yield to the pull of gravity and let the Earth give us support. Then we can open to our surroundings and the Heaven Qi around us. The resultant posture is one of confidence and expanded awareness in the present. In terms of meridians, the Stomach meridian takes energy down to the Earth and the Spleen meridian, in turn, gives lift to the body. We also take in energy through breathing (Lung meridian) and as we breathe out, we can let go of the moment, thoughts, ideas etc (Large Intestine meridian). Other meridians are involved of course, but my studies of Movement Shiatsu with Bill Palmer, interpreting Traditional Chinese Medicine from a Western perspective, show that these are the main ones for the embodiment of grounded confidence and an open mind or radiance. 

It does not matter about the theory as much as practising, to discover for ourselves the benefits of letting go, so that we can be present, relaxed and aware, poised for action. Then our actions reveal more about us as we interact with others and so the process continues. And there is no one way to do this! We each have our own approach to life and so we need to understand how to harmonise and to find inner peace and tranquillity. No one can do it for us. The responsibility is always ours – to see through our beliefs and conditioning and to find real peace and harmony with all life.

Contribute to our Global Standing Gallery!

MIT QIGONG GLOBAL STANDING GALLERY
Send your pictures to: qi@mit.edu

Thank you to all of our readers who have shared their Qigong practice from around the world!! Traveling this summer? Please send pictures of your favorite Qigong pose from an exotic location! Or send us a picture from your favorite peaceful local practice spot! Most recent additions to our gallery are from Pondicherry, India and the Roof of Africa, Ethiopa (seen below).

Sean || Ethiopia

"The definite highlight was our second night, where we made camp at this kind of sun-burnt alpine plain, at around 3600m. I can't imagine a more Dali-esque landscape: smooth hills covered in short, dry yellow grass; the occasional rocky outcrop, a few lonely cacti standing watch - right down to the occasional skinny horse grazing at dead grass, ribs showing. And looking beyond all this, mountains descending to the horizon below. Then began an epic march up to the yellow hills overlooking our campsite. But the crowning moment was unquestionably making it to the other side of the mountain top, revealing a biblical view of the canyons and mountains below. Yes! This was the opportunity I had been waiting for!  The sun was setting; the sky a rarefied azure; no sound but for mountain winds. On this peak - literally the roof of Africa - I stood and watched the sun set on the cradle of humanity as if from above. A single eagle soared above the sun, effortlessly gliding on ethereal thermals. I felt I needed to be on my knees, paying silent homage to the scene." 

Seek Fullness of Spirit and Intention

Notes from Master Wang XiangZhai

Although the principles are simple and easy, for a beginner it is not easy to understand them. What is important is spirit, and not seeking superficial form. Mind should embrace the whole and the internal. A part should not disturb the unity of the whole. External movement should not spoil internal harmony. Whole body should be naturally relaxed and light, you should keep pleasant mood, as if taking a pleasant bath in the great bathroom of nature. To achieve this, before starting exercise you should calm mind, get rid of disturbing thoughts. You should also put attention to four external attributes and five demands. 

Four external attributes: straight head, straight sight, posture of dignity, calm voice. 

Five demands: respect, carefulness, intention, truth, harmony. 

You should be respectful towards people and all matters. You should express your intentions truly. You shouldn't be rude toward anyone or anything, you shouldnít harm anyone. These are demands for character and external behavior of practitioner. He/she should keep the attitude and feelings like those of children toward parents, of parents toward children. When talking about exercises, you should seek fullness of spirit and intention, not resemblance of form. This is the basic demand of training.

Jim Roselando: Nourishing Qi

Date: 4-4-11

From: Jim "info@apricotforesthall.com"

Subject: Nourishing Qi

Hello,

     I am looking forward to a great Qigong session tonight with everyone.  As always, our Qigong training is absolutely FREE, so come exercise and unite your mind, body and breath @ MIT every Monday with us.  Our Qigong will provide the deepest therapy for your entire being!  

Some notes on Qi from Master WXZ:

Although nourishing and training the Qi originate from the same fountainhead of Qi, yet the study of the stillness and movement of one's nature and life, and the skills of formness and formlessness each have their differences. The art of nourishing the Qi does not diverge from one's nature, the art of training the Qi does not diverge from one's life, the spirit is namely one's nature, the Qi is namely one's life, so nourishing the Qi must start from considering one's primordial nature. The Tao of one's nature and life cannot be expressed in words.  Moreover, the Tao is beyond words, what can be expressed in words is not the Tao. Thus Mencius said: Difficult to say! Nowadays what is difficult to say is said by force, but one's nature and the Tao are void.  Voidness is the fountainhead of heaven and earth, and origin of the myriad things.  So when you want to nourish Qi and cultivate life you must calm your mind and spirit, for mind is the monarch fire and movement is the ministerial fire.  When the monarch fire does not produce, then Qi and thoughts will be quiet naturally, when there are no thoughts, then the spirit will be quiet, when the spirit is quiet, the mind will be calm. Thus it is said; "All the germinating thoughts are like fire. When the myriad reasons are quiet, only then is Truth produced. Letting the Qi be unobstructed leads to nimbleness, the anima will be full, and the spirit will live naturally".  Movement comes from immobility and an act comes from inaction.  

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Time: 7:00-8:00

Location: Student Center/Room 306

Cost: Free Free Free

We are only a few short weeks away from the MIT Charity "Stand-A-Thon"!  All donations go directly to the Boston Children Hospital! This event is a win win situation for all who attend.  The kids at the BCH win thanks to our donations and our bodies win from the work out!  Reserve your spot today!
http://web.mit.edu/qigong/Children.html

Peace,

Jim Roselando