Qi Gong means energy or breath work and is part of Chinese philosophical, medical and martial culture.
There are many different types of Qi gong, but in our association we teach methods primarily associated with promoting good health, as passed down from our teacher Dr Li Li Qun, a Qi gong doctor and high level martial artist from Shanghai.
The Qi gong syllabus
Our Qi gong syllabus starts with the Eternal Spring, a series of movements that begin simply and add more complex ideas as the form progresses. Then each movement creates waves or currents of awareness that help to open the body in certain ways.
Physically this restores freedom to the structure of the body, such as the facia, tendons and musculature. Improving muscle tone, postural alignment and the function of the internal organs.
Also by restoring abdominal breath the body is properly oxygenated and the mind becomes more present and calm.
Indeed, this type of simple moving Qi gong is performed in the same way as Tai chi and both use the same technology, in that it is movement, connected by the breath and guided by the minds intent. Therefore, the only difference is that in Qi gong the movements are designed to benefit the health of the body in some way, where as in Tai chi all the movements have a martial meaning, and good health is the by-product.
Altogether the Eternal Spring is the primary method we use to teach Qi Gong, and from there, there are many other methods that develop the ability and sensitivity of the practitioner.
And there are more medical methods that work directly on acupuncture points or internal organs, or Qi absorption methods where Qi is gathered from the external environment, and finally there are traditional sitting meditation practises.
Testimonials
“Learning and practising qi gong has been a gateway to many positive changes in my life. It is a profoundly powerful moving meditation.”
B.B. 58 years old
“Doing the self strengthening QiGong practice Jeremy taught me was a game changer – I was having a very low morning but after doing it, the whole day was better.”
K.L. 25 years old
Beginners Qi Gong
These classes will begin working through the Eternal spring movements.
You can see Jeremy’s teacher, Michael Acton performing them here.
We go slowly and spend several minutes repeating each movement with instruction on how to move your body, use your awareness and combine your breathing.
My goal is to enable the student to explore the ‘Qi Gong state’, which is what Jeremy calls the physical and mental freedom that comes from being very relaxed, very present and very comfortable with the movement being performed.
By creating this experience of physical and mental comfort when we practice, Qi Gong becomes a way we can heal ourselves, restore our physicality, our mental calm and nourish our spirit. It becomes a precious resource that we can rely on in our lives to restore balance on a daily basis.
So the goal of the beginners class is to help people develop this process within themselves.