Introduction

The Body is the most profound operating system. It is self-sufficient, self-healing, self-knowing, and self-operating. To understand how the system works, to listen to its alarms and warnings, to maintain its service and not ignore or fight against it is vital. Qigong and all other healing arts aim to learn how to flow with life, to employ the body’s own healing system to obtain its balance and most of all, to allow the body to manifest its most mysterious performance.

Traditional Chinese medicine and the Chinese way of nurturing life is based on the principle of supporting the normal and expelling the Pathogenic.

Yi Gong

Yi Gong is one of the highest Taoist Maoshan esoteric practices. Its system includes two aspects, spiritual and physical. The spiritual aspects have not been revealed to the public. The physical aspects include three levels, the spontaneous adjustment, celestial master points the way, and great water fall.

Awareness is the core of Yi Gong practice. Practicing Yi Gong without awareness is not Yi Gong. If you learn the practice and do not develop your awareness, you have lost the essence of Yi Gong.

Yi is mind. Gong is work, skill, method, effort, efficacy, and achievement. Yi Gong is mind training. It is techniques for awareness development. Through skillful techniques and cultivation of one’s mind, one is capable of reaching self-awakening. Self-healing or the appearance of supernatural powers is side-effects along with the body and mind’s awakening. They are not the ultimate goal for Yi Gong. Nevertheless, training one’s mind is a path to self-awakening. Yi Gong is a process of studying, practicing and harvesting. Realization is the result of that cultivation and self-awakening. Words cannot convey the knowing, the cognition, Gnosis or prajñå.

Lecture Contents include

Chinese cosmology
The five agents (or elements) principle and their correspondence with Qigong practice
Health related aspects: Body, Qi and Blood, and Channels
Time, Channels (meridians) and organ’s correspondences and relationship with Qigong practice
Correlation of Emotion and Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong
Proper diet plays a role in health
The function and benefits of Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong

Ten Essential Qigong Exercises

This is the essence and foundation for energy establishment. These ten graceful movements are formulated with breathing as the core, like a mala (prayer bead necklace) that links all beads together. All movements from top to bottom are aimed at warming up and opening the joints, so that energy can flow through the entire body freely.

Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong

Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong is a Taoist practice for exploration of body, mind and spirit. To know the body, you will experience four elements associated with the body, that is earth (solidity - muscle, bones, tendons, etc), water (liquid - blood, lymph, etc), fire (heat - temperature), and wind or air (movement – breath, Qi) and how to keep them in balance by awakening your self-healing system. Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong is the first level of the Yi gong system. It is spontaneous, formless and supports the spiritual development of one’s great potential.

Crucial Points for Practicing Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong

Maintain your awareness all the time through your practice;
Empty your mind;
Do not interfere or guide your movement when your body is spontaneously moving;
Do not intentionally long for anything to happen;
Allow body healing to occur on its own sequence and schedule;
If there is anything that causes you concern for losing your balance, open your eyes slowly or remind yourself to slowdown your movements and then mention don’t move.
Be natural and at peace with yourself;
Take enough time for the ending and let the body harmonize itself.

The Benefits of Practicing Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong

Detoxification
Improve blood circulation and release blockages
Increase energy and Increase Immunity
Develop balance, awareness and intuition
Restore vitality and enhance health
Promote longevity and general wellbeing

Contra-indications for Spontaneous Adjustment Qigong:

Spontaneous adjustment Qigong has great healing power, but it is not suited for everyone, especially not for those who have psychiatric problems. Practice with guidance from an experienced teacher is highly recommended.

Opening Channels Exercises

Specially targeted on opening the Bladder channel, which is the biggest detoxifying channel in the body. The function of some of these movements is to massage the organs and strengthen the liver.

Tapping Qigong

This is for opening the body’s primary channels and directly working on removing blockages by tapping crucial acupuncture points.

Strike wall with back

Strike wall with back is another version of tapping Qigong. Since the entire back is not easily reached by the hands, strike wall with back plays an important role to complete the goal of tapping. It is not only acting to open the Governor vessel (channel) but is also a great practice for restoring Yang Qi in the body and to promote longevity. In addition, the back has two parallel Bladder channels next to the Governing vessel (channel). Stimulating certain points on the Bladder channel on the back can improve the body’s circulation, increase immunity, enhance the function of endocrine and digestion systems, treat cervical spine problems and many other diseases.

Contra-indications:

Strike wall with back exercise is not suited for those who have a serious heart condition, serious hypertension, internal organ prolapses, or later stages of tumors.

Indications in general

The principle to adopt in any practice is to be consciously examining yourself, to keep what benefits you and drop what does not.

The best time to practice

The following table displays the time, channels and organs’ correspondences. Each Chinese Shichen 時辰or two hour period is related with one of the twelve meridians, which correspond with the Yin-Yang organ systems of traditional Chinese medicine. It can be used as a reference for a time option related with practicing according to specific pathologic needs or to strengthen a particular organ or balance the body in general.

For instance, the Bladder channel is the biggest detoxifying channel in the body. According to Chinese medicine, between 3:00-5:00pm, the Bladder channel is maximally active and receives the maximal Qi and Blood flow. If one wants to practice for detoxifying, between 3:00-5:00pm would be the best time for practice. In the same way, if one wants to strengthen the Kidneys or treat the Kidney deficiency, 5:00-7:00pm would be the desired time to practice.

Of course, there are many inner and outer aspects that one should consider, in order to make practice suit one’s lifestyle and schedule. Also different types of Qigong have different requirements on its time frame of practice for achieving its goal. In general, the time of yin-yang transition or most balance in nature is a good time to practice (around noon, midnight, 6am or 6pm). Nevertheless, the bio-Zishi (when you feel the strong electric energy current flowing) is always a precious moment for enhancing one’s energy.

Most of all, to select a proper time for our practice, we need to consider the environment that we are living in, our own convenient schedule, availability, and our own bio-time. So the best time for practice is the time your body and mind can be both devoted and engaged with practice. Avoid a situation where you have to hurry to finish your practice, in order to carry on your next commitment.

Time, Channels (Meridians), and Organs’ Correspondence Table

時辰 Shichen	寅時Yinshi	卯時 Maoshi	辰時 Chenshi	巳時 Sishi
Time	3:00-5:00am	5:00-7:00am	7:00-9:00am	9:00-11:00am
Channel	Lung	Large Intestine	Stomach	Spleen

時辰 Shichen	午時 Wushi	未時 Weishi	申時 Shenshi	酉時 Youshi
Time	11:00am-1:00pm	1:00-3:00pm	3:00-5:00pm	5:00-7:00pm
Channel	Heart	Small Intestine	Bladder	Kidney

時辰 Shichen	戌時 Xushi	亥時 Haishi	子時 Zishi	丑時 Choushi
Time	7:00-9:00pm	9:00-11:00pm	11:00pm-1:00am	1:00-3:00am
Channel	Pericardium	Sanjiao	Gall Bladder	Liver

Teaching Story

In tradition, Taoist teaching emphasized telling stories. In this way, Masters would help their students attain self realization. The first story I am going to share with you is from my Yi Gong teacher.

There was a Siddha who possessed great psychic powers. During a winter day on the mountain, he encountered a very heavy rainstorm. Rain was pouring down and it was very cold. He did not have an umbrella or any kind of shelter. He came upon a cave and intended to run in to escape the rain. However, there were two people who ran into the cave in front of him and there was no room left for another person. In reaction to the situation, he shouted to them that the mountain was going to collapse. The two people in the cave immediately ran out despite the downpour outside. When they ran out, the Siddha ran in to claim the shelter. As soon as he ran in, the mountain collapsed. He had forgotten his highly developed powers caused his words to manifest instantly. His words buried him in the mountain and he lost his life because of his own power.

Of what benefit is power without wisdom?

Be well, be peaceful, be happy!