MIT Qigong Training from Monday, April 11

Date: 4-12-11
From: Jim <info@apricotforesthall.com>
Subject: Training

Great work out last night!
Here is the schedule for last nights Qigong session:

10 Gather Qi

5/5 Crane Post (L&R)

5/5 Universal 1/2 Body (L&R)

5 Turning Cow

20 Universal Post

5 Seal & Wash

***

Next week is our Charity Stand-A-Thon. 1.5 hours of standing!
We will have a full house so please arrive a few minutes early.
Class will start at 7:00 p.m. sharp!!!

http://web.mit.edu/qigong/Children.html

Jim Roselando: The Root of Yang Sheng Qigong

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Auto-Respond 46
Fr: Jim Roselando, Boston, USA
Re: The Root of Yang Sheng Qigong

Hello again,

     There are many ways to affect ones energy level! Our art is called: Yiquan (mind boxing) as the Mind is the key aspect for regulating ones physical well being. Since our method of cultivation is based on Mind cultivation, we need to understand the benefits of Non-Attachment. An active mind will cause all sorts of issues.  Examples:

                           Anger makes energy rise

                           Worry makes energy low

                           Over-thinking makes the energy knot

                           Grief makes energy vanish

                           Fear makes energy descend

                           Shock disorients the energy

                           etc..

     In Yiquan Qigong we follow the maxim of: Use silence to lead action. Non-attachment is the road to silence, and it is being mindful of the posture, relaxation and breathing that is essential as they are our "loose guidelines" to keep us developing. Awareness of these three elements will gradually change the frequency from chaotic to calm. A calm mind, body and breath will give birth to vitality & energy!  

Greetz from Boston, USA

Peace,

Jim Roselando

www.ApricotForestHall.com

Harmony and Unity of Whole Body

Notes from Master Wang XiangZhai

No matter which posture you practice, whole body must be relaxed. After assuming posture, you shouldn't change it. All joints should be slightly bent. You should put your attention to relax of body, but it means the state of relaxed but not slack; tense, but not stiff. Which means that basis for relax is keeping harmony and unity of whole body. In martial art it is called "three internal harmonies and three external harmonies." 

Internal: harmony of heart and intention, intention and energy, energy and force. 

External: harmony of palms and feet, elbows and knees, shoulders and hips. 

Inside body empty agility; outside body balance and roundness. Intention for use, body as basis, non-movement for harmony, unity of form and intention. Getting intention from form, intention is born from form, form is following intention. External and internal are one. Only by practicing long time you can master the spirit of these principles.

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.  

***

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

Qigong as a Treatment for Neck Pain

http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/pb/18785

Qigong Comparable to Exercise for Treating Neck Pain Similar effect regarding neck pain, disability, and quality of life; superior to no treatment In patients with chronic neck pain, Qigong is comparable to exercise therapy and superior to no treatment, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Spine. WEDNESDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with chronic neck pain, Qigong is comparable to exercise therapy and superior to no treatment, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Spine. Daniel Rendant, M.D., from the Charité University Medical Center in Berlin, and colleagues compared Qigong to exercise therapy and no treatment in 123 patients, aged 20 to 60 years, with chronic neck pain. Participants with a visual analog scale (VAS) greater than or equal to 40 mm, who had neck pain for an average of 3.2 years, were randomized to three groups: Qigong, 18 sessions of exercise therapy over six months, or waiting list (no treatment). The participants completed standardized questionnaires assessing their quality of life, neck pain (VAS), and disability at baseline, and after three and six months. The investigators found a statistically significant difference between the Qigong and waiting list groups after six months (VAS mean difference, −14 mm). The mean improvement of patients in the exercise group and in the Qigong group was comparable (difference between groups, −0.7 mm) and there was no statistically significant difference between the two. Qigong was found to be superior to no treatment and comparable to exercise therapy in respect to neck pain, disability, and quality of life. "In this study, Qigong was more effective than no treatment in adults between 20 and 60 years of age with chronic neck pain," the authors write.

Feeling of Real Qi (zhen qi)

Relax and Calming Qigong
By Wang Peisheng and Chen Guanhua

What is the qi in qigong? It sometimes refers to the air we breathe, sometimes to the universal qi, or to the original vital energy (yuanqi). But there is also a special and important type of qi, which we can feel when practicing qigong. It is sometimes called "real qi" (zhen qi). After practicing qigong for a certain period of time, most people can feel that the acupoint on which their attention is concentrated becomes warm and expansive. This sensation is called "feeling of qi." Along with a rise in your qigong level, a feeling of qi will develop, and this feeling of qi will gradually build and eventually be felt throughout your body. As a result, your original vital energy or yuanqi can be recovered, your chronic diseases cured, and your health improved. It is not known what causes the feeling of qi. Perhaps it has some unknown connection with the air you breathe and the universal qi.