Issue 55 - Tse Qigong Centre

Health & Internal TrainingIssue 55 May/June 2001 £2.95/$4.95(US)LungNourishingExercisesSitting techniques tostrengthen the lungsBedroomFeng ShuiIs your bed madefor a good nightssleep?SwimmingDragon QigongUnique exercise toimprove the kidneysand backWild GooseQigongUpholdingDa Cheng QuanTaoismBuddhism9 771358 377007 55PhilosophyPractical self defencefrom Master WangXiang ZhaiPhilosophies for life andthe world around youTraditionalCulture

Cover: Grandmaster Yang MeijunQi Magazine is published by the Tse QigongCentre. Its aim is to bring you information notreadily available in the West.Editor:Deputy Editor:Design AssistantAssistants:Legal Adviser:Proof Reading:Marketing/Distribution:Sweden:Michael TseDarryl MoyDavid DrennanSarah BloomfieldJohn HayesMartin GaleTony WalshYvonne DixonMike StensonJessica BlackwellBarbro OlssonConsultants (Listed in alphabetical order):Columnists:Grandmaster Chan Chi HoGrandmaster Chen Xiao WangGrandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Yang MeijunGlen GosslingJ. Reynolds NelsonDr. Shulan TangSihn KeiAdam WallaceReaders may contact any of our contributors c/oQi Magazine.We encourage all our readers to contribute articles, lettersor questions for possible inclusion in future issues ofQi Magazine.Articles appearing in Qi Magazine do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the editor. Adverts appearing in themagazine are not necessarily endorsed by it or the editor.Exercises appearing in Qi Magazine are for referencepurposes only. Thus anyone wishing to study should seekqualified tuition.Michael Tse 2001.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without thewritten permission of Michael Tse.Advertising: Qi Magazine has proved to be an effectiveway of reaching a wide variety of people. All enquirieswelcome.For UK call: 0161 929 4485For USA call: (808) 528 8501Subscription: Costs per year:UK£20 inc p&p.USA$35 inc p&pEurope £25 (airmail) inc p&p.Worldwide £35 (airmail) inc p&p.For UK/Europe/WorldwidePlease send payment in Pounds Sterling. Payment can beby Credit Card or Cheque, drawn on UK bank, payable toQi Magazine:Qi MagazinePO Box 59 Altrincham, WA15 8FS, UKTel:0161 929 4485 Fax: 0161 9294489email: tse@qimagazine.comFor USA/CanadaPlease send payment in US Dollars. Payment can be byCredit Card or Check payable to Qi Magazine:Tse Qigong CentrePO Box 15807, Honolulu HI 96830Tel: (808) 528 8501 Fax:(520) 441 6578email tse@wildgooseqigong.comhttp://www.qimagazine.comISSN 1358-3778Recently I got a set of audio tapes fromthe Amitabha Buddhist Society of Hawaii.Each tape explains the principles ofBuddhism and talks about a particulargentleman, “Yu Liao Fan”, who lived inthe Ming Dynasty about 400 to 500 yearsago in China,Yu Liao Fan met a very high levelfortune teller who told him that he wouldonly live until he was 56 years old andwould not have any children. The fortuneteller also told himthat he should takethe examinations tobecome a governmentofficial as hewould pass and bepromoted. He alsotold Yu what rank hewould get to andeven when hewould die.Before thisYu’s mother had toldhim to become adoctor of Chinesemedicine, but nowYu followed whatthe fortune tellerhad told him andtook the exams.Eventually everythinghappened asthe fortune tellerhad told him and hefound that aftermany years his lifehad been fixed as ifit was on some kind of schedule.In the end he decided not to doanything because he knew no matterwhat he did the result was already fixedand would come out the same whateverhe did.One day Yu met a Buddhist monkand they sat for three days and threenights. The monk realised that Yu LiaoFan had no distractions and was veryimpressed by him.He asked, “Mr Yu, you must be avery high level person, there are notmany people who can easily sit as youhave for three days and three nights inmeditation”Yu answered, “No I am not, I justhave no plans or thoughts of my futureas my life has already been fixed.” Yuthen told the monk about the fortuneteller, what he had told him and thateverything had happened as the fortuneteller had said.The monk laughed and said, “Ithought you were a high level person,but apparently you are an ordinaryperson.” He then explained to Yu that hislife had been worked out to a certainpattern due to what he had done in apast life, but also that our lives canchange if you dokind things. Thatis the theory ofcause and effectthat no one canescape. The monkthen told Yu that ifhe wanted tochange his life, heshould do kindthings now, thenhis destiny wouldbe changed. Healso explainedthat by doing kindthings, he wouldpay off all hisdebts. When hisdebts were paid,then he wouldearn credit andthen his destinywould change.After listening tothe monk, Yupromised Buddhathat he would do3000 charitable things and he changedhis heart to do this. In the end, Yu diedwhen he was 75 years old and he hadone child.This is a true story. Yu Liao Fanwrote a book about his life and how hecame to study Buddhism. He told hischildren that they must do good things.This story did not affect me thatmuch as I had heard something like thisbefore. However, something that affectedme even more was what was said by themonk, Jing Kong, who on the first tapesaid, “Buddhism is not a religion, it iseducation that helps us understandoneself and the universe.” He also saysthat about 50 years ago, during theRepublic of China years there was ascholar at Nanjing University called On... continued on page 8Qi Magazine 1

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.3 PO Box9 The System of Chen TaijiquanContinuing from the last issue, we continue looking at whatmakes up Chen Taijiquan and also the Old and NewFramesBy Glenn Gossling10 Postnatal Care in China and the WestChildbirth is a traumatic time for the mother. After givingbirth the mother should be allowed to recover and regainher strength. How this is approached in the East and Westis quite different and may surprise you.By Dr. Shulan Tang11 Cultivating a Good HeartBeing a good person and doing the right things issomething we would all like to do. It is all too easy to dothe contrary, so how do we keep ourselves in check?By Julian Wilde14 Maintenance Through PrincipleStudying skill is a difficult process. First you have to graspthe shape of what you are learning and then comes thelengthy process of refining it. If you know how to do thisthen you will improve more quickly.By Tse Sihn Kei16 Lung Nourishing GongSimple sitting exercises that can help to strengthen thelungs and improve their function18 Origins of QigongEveryone agrees that Qigong is very old. But how did itoriginally come about and what are the main things thatunderlie it?By Stuart Olsson28 No Praise & False PraisePraise is a doubled edged sword. If you get it you canbecome big headed and your ego can swell out of allproportion. If you are not praised, then you may think youare no good and become depressed.By Darryl Moy29 Sweet Walnut SoupAnother delicious Chinese soup recipe29 Book ReviewIntroducing the book “Chinese Maxims” – a collection ofChinese gems.By Jessica Blackwell35 Instructor InsightA look at two instructors36 Da Cheng Quan: Non-Stop Hitting TechniquesPractical self-defence techniques from the martial art ofWang Xiang Zhai38 Shanghai ParksIn the early hours of the morning all across China there arepeople queueing to go into the parks to do their morningexercise. Shanghai, though a very cosmopolitan city is noexceptionBy J. Reynolds Nelson39 Swimming Dragon GongThis exercise from the Dayan Qigong system is especially goodfor the back and the kidneys.By Michael Tse42 Lao Zi – Dao De JingLao Zi is seen as the father of Daoism. His book the “Dao DeJing” has become a timeless classic that has been studied andread by people across many centuries who wish to understandthe Dao. So who was Lao Zi and what is Daoism?By Wo Dozi44 Side Effects – the Inside StoryAny Qigong studied incorrectly can cause problems. It istherefore important to find aqualified teacher. But how doyou know when you are suffering from side effects?By Adam Wallace45 Feng Shui and the BedroomOn average you spend one third of your life in bed. Thus yourbed is a very important part of your life. In terms of Feng Shuiit also has a large bearing on your energy. The wrong bed cancreate a lot of bad energy leaving you drained and tired.By Michael TseCover Feature...Cover Feature...Cover Feature...22 Learning Dayan QigongDayan Qigong is one of the mostfamous styles of Qigong beingpractised today. This is all due tothe efforts of Grandmaster YangMeijun. Many people havebenefited from learning DayanQigong and those who practise itvalue it a great deal. However,there are some people who areexploiting the skill and have noregard for their actions.By Michael TseCover Feature...Cover Feature...Cover Feature...

POBox POBox POBox...Unqualified Teachers ofWild Goose QigongAnnouncement ByGrandmaster Yang Meijunthe Head of the Wild Goose Qigong SystemToday people do things only thinkingabout themselves. As a result, society isgetting more selfish. At school childrenare not taught how to be a good person.They are only taught about makingmoney. This is wrong and so society hasmore criminals and bad things arehappening all the time.Through learning Qigong andmartial arts, we learn how to disciplineourselves and be patient. Thus webecome better people as we train our“hearts” to be better. Our teacherseducate us and show us not only the skill,but also how to be a better person.Today many people love Chinesemartial arts, philosophy, Qigong,Taijiquan, Feng Shui, Chinese Astrologyetc. however, if you do not learn aboutthe culture they came from, then you willnot reach a very high level of skill.Chinese Culture is based onDaoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Allof these teach you how to respect peopleand nature. Anyone who is older thanyou or has more knowledge than you,such as your parents and teachers, shouldbe shown respect. Those people who areon the same level as you, like your friendsand classmates, you can treat as you like,as long as you remember that you shouldGrandmasterYang Meijun’slettersee next page for translationQi Magazine 3

treat them as you would like to betreated. If you can think “vice versa” thenyou will be okay, do not just think aboutyourself.Anyone who is younger thanyourself, you should take care of andeducate, and you should not put otherpeople down.If we followed this rule, thensociety would be much better and wewould not need more policemen andprisons.The main difference betweenhuman being and animals is humanbeings have a “heart”. We havecompassion, love and can find out ifthings are right and wrong. Animals donot have this. They just do anything theywant. But today human beings often actworse than animals.Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong is myteacher, Grandmaster Yang Meijun’sfamily skill. It is not something that shouldbe used for making money, but is forhelping people. The skill should bepassed down by people who have a goodheart and are qualified. It is not just foranyone to just learn and teach. Today,there are many people teaching DayanQigong incorrectly. They do not careabout the consequences of their actionsand the fact that other people might beharmed.Secondly, they produce books andvideos which do not have the properdetail and again might cause peopleharm.I wish these people would thinkabout others first, not just about makingmoney and promoting their names.When their students buy books andvideos they will find out that these selfproclaimed teachers are not qualified toteach by Grandmaster Yang Meijun. Thusthey will only embarrass themselves. Alsopeople will talk and so their reputationand future will be ruined.Studying Qigong without the rightheart is not good and you and yourstudents can also suffer from the results.Having reported the position toGrandmaster Yang Meijun she has askedthat the this announcement to bepublished.Accordingly anyone studyingDayan Gong, who wishes to check thecredentials of their teacher please supplyme with full details at the Tse QigongCentre in order that I may pass thisinformation to Grandmaster YangMeijun.Michael TseAnnouncement FromGrandmasterYang Meijun“I acknowledge the following people as my Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigonginstructors who are qualified to teach Dayan Qigong:Chinese Dayan Qigong Hong Kong Association:Mr Chen Kee Sang & Mr Chen Kim FungUSA:UK/Europe:PiaMichaelBillSimonJessicaSarahKateRickKrishnnaJulietPeterDavidStefanVeraCarolineMartinOlgaGlennJohnHelenDelroyJimMartinMichaelBeeLui Wai Lu, Hu Bing KunMr Tse Wei Jing (Michael Tse)Other people do not have my permission to teach, produce DayanQigong videos, books and have stolen my photographs and published them.They are also damaging the name and image of Dayan Qigong.They are also damaging those people (students) who wish to benefitfrom studying Dayan Qigong. Therefore these people (who are teaching) arefully responsible for the actions and the consequences of them.Now I assign Mr Tse Wei Jing (Michael Tse) to help me deal with allthese matters.27 th Generation Yang Meijuntranscribed by Student Wang Tai Lick 2 nd April 2001Tse Qigong CentreQualified Wild Goose InstructorsList correct upto April 2001AndersonHelenBakerLeeBankes-JonesNicholasBedfordDarrylBlackwellAnuBloomfieldLeslieBrittonJaneCharlesSteveChaudhariMartinDe PaorZiadDiesnerShahriarEdgeHenryEekenulvNadiaExternestForbesJohnGaleMikeGonzalezNealeGosslingChi ManHayesElaineHowesLawrenceJonesSheilaLauderdalePeterLavelleAdamLockettJulianLoh(Listed Alphabetically)MasseyMastersMossMoyNylanderPackhamPollardPullarRooneySawasSepangiSheehanSmithDe NeckludoffSpinettoStensonSvensonTangTattersallTseWaddingtonWalfiszWallaceWildeQi Magazine 4

SpontaneousSupplementDear Sifu Tse,I am writing to you to see if youcan help me on my search for a reputableteacher of “Spontaneous” Qigong in andaround the London area.I went to a few classes a numberof years ago which were extremelyenlightening, but sadly that teacher is nolonger available. I already practise aQigong form called “Dali Jing GangGong”, but I would very much like tosupplement it with “Spontaneous”Qigong if possible.My problem is that I’munfortunately allergic to any food thathas flavour, and avoiding everything thatI’m allergic to is impossible. and so thenI’ll be ill for the next week. Which is sofrustrating because then I miss a week’sworth of kung fu class, and so I feel I’meither recovering or suffering fromsomething, which makes it very hard toprogress in kung fu.As “Dali Jing Gang Gong” is quiteforceful I don’t always feel I have theenergy to do it, and so I’d love to learnsomething softer to balance it out. I feelI need help to unblock some of my energypoints in order speed my recovery.As a side point do you know of“Dali Jing Gang Gong”? If so I’d be veryinterested in hearing what you know.Thank you for your time, I knowyou must be a VERY busy person, but Ihope you have the time to reply to me.Thank you.G.RDear GR,Thank you for your letterregarding Spontaneous Qigong,however, I am only familiar with the styleI teach, which is Five Animal PlaySpontaneous Qigong. I do not know anyother teachers of this kind of Qigong.Perhaps though, if you are stillexperiencing health problems, you mighthave your teacher look at your form andsee if there is anything which you aredoing incorrectly or using the wrongenergy. If we do not practise using theright energy and following the principlesof that style, then the health benefits willbe reduced. Qigong should make thebody stronger. In fact, many of mystudents who practise Dayan Qigong findthat their allergies have been greatlyreduced or even eliminated throughsteady and continued practise. I wouldsay that if you still feel tired after yourQigong practise, then maybe that style isnot fit for you at this moment and as yousay, you should try something else. If youdo this, you should not mix any twoQigong styles, however. You shouldpractise them separately and follow theprinciples of that style, not mixing themup. Otherwise, you can have Qigong sideeffects. I hope this helps you and thatyou are able to find what you are lookingfor soon.Best wishes,Michael TseStandingToo Long?Dear Tse Sifu,Could you please give me someadvice regarding my Qigong practice? Iam 16 years old and currently practiceZhuan Zhuang style Qigong and havebeen for several months now. It isrecommended by masters that I shouldpractice my Qigong for up to 20 minuteseach day. At first this was very difficult,however, now it seems to be getting mucheasier. In fact, I often seem to perseverefor much longer than is recommended,often standing for over 40 minutes. Iwould like to know if this could at all bedetrimental to my health or if in fact, itshould be encouraged.I thank you for your time and Ilook forward to your reply. Also, I enjoyyour column in Combat magazine; is itpossible that you could write an articleon hard Qigong? I am extremelyinterested in learning a style but I havenever found a teacher - I live inLeicestershire in the midlands.Thank you again for your time,G.KMidlandsDear GK,Thank you for your letter. I will tryto write some more Hard Qigong articlesthis next year in Combat and also QiMagazine so keep a look for them.Regarding Zhuan Zhuang, this is a verygood meditation style which can helpmake your legs and kidneys very strongas it creates a lot of internal energy in thebody. My Taijiquan teacher, GrandmasterChen Xiaowang, can stand in the postureeasily everyday for over an hour. His bodyis very powerful and strong.Yours sincerely, Michael Tse“Banzai!”Combat Magazine recently helda martial arts extravaganza atthe NEC Birmingham. The eventwas similar to the show theyorganised in 1995. This time theshow was on a slightly smallerscale, however, the demonstrationsand displays were by nomeans any less spectacular. Theshow was opened by the ShaolinMonks and featured some of themost well known teachers in theUK, including our own SifuMichael Tse.Michael demonstrated a rareQigong sword form and thenwent to give a display on HardQigong. The show is due to bescreened on Sky TV and alsoreleased later in the year onDVD.Well done to Paul Clifton and allhis colleagues for an immenselyenjoyable event.NewTse QigongCentre CoursesIn Sept 2001 Michael Tse and theTse Qigong Centre will beteaching a few seminars extra todates already published in the2001 timetable.These will be:Wild Goose Qigong 1st 64Wudang SwordFor details please contact theTse Qigong Centreon 0161 929 4485Hendon SeminarSifu Michael Tse will also beteaching a Qigong seminar onthe 26th of June in Hendon,Northwest London. For details ofthis please contactKhrishnaa 020 82026197.Qi Magazine 5

Deficient JingDear Sir,I would be extremely grateful if you could answer the following questionsand reply back to me as soon as possible. Since childhood, I have felt insecure.This mental insecurity has grown to quite an extent in the past four years likenever before. Also, whenever I am faced with threatening and dangeroussituations, my body begins to shake suddenly over which I have no control. Ihave become extremely frightened and this fear has been persistent for aboutfive years.According to Chinese Medicine, what would be the likely cause of suchmental and physical symptoms? I have in a book on Chinese Medicine by TimWilliams that fear and insecurity is caused by deficiency in Jing which nourishesthe kidney Qi which governs the Qi of the entire body which would explain thegeneral weakness that I feel.I have also suffered lower back problems in the past three to four years.My GP has sent me to a specialist who conducted a x-ray scan of my lower backwhich revealed no skeletal damage. Also I have seen a physiotherapist whohas told me that I have no muscular damage in my lower back or anywhere onmy back for that matter.So I can only assume that there is a deficiency in Jing which is causingso many problems. Please will you state your views on this matter based on theinformation I have given you and also what form of treatment could remedythis situation? Would acupuncture/Chinese herbs be helpful or would it bemore beneficial for me to try the exercises shown in Michael Tse’s book?A, LancashireDear A,Thanks for your letter. As I am not a Chinese medical doctor, I can onlyanswer your questions based upon my over twenty-five years of Qigong trainingand experience and let you decide for yourself. I would agree that your kidneysseem to be not as strong as they should. Based upon the Five-Element theory,each of our five major internal organs relates to an emotion and the emotionfor kidneys is fear. The five major internal organs are also called the holloworgans, as they are the storehouses for energy. The kidneys are the holders ofJing which is first type of energy produced when we do Qigong exercises. If wedeplete our Jing, working too hard, having too much sexual intercourse, thenour kidneys will be weakened and the body will then show such emotionalsymptoms as fear and insecurity and such physical symptoms as lower backpain, aching in the joints, hair and hearing loss.Qigong is very good because it will not only works on one organ but thewhole body. So not only will the kidneys be strengthened, also your heart andlungs. When the heart is strong, you will know your direction and when thelungs are strong, you will not be depressed and your outlook will be positive.When we do the Qigong movements and connect them with breathing andrelaxation, we are balancing the blood and Qi in the body. The channels will besmoothed and acupuncture points opened so we can receive more Qi nature.Because you also worry a lot, this can also affect the spleen. All of the body islike a universe and what affects one thing, will affect the rest. The Qigongmeditation will help calm your mind and so you will worry less and less andbegin to see things differently.You can try the movements in the book, like the Balancing Gong, forwhich there is also a video tape. You can also try the Horse Stance meditationdescribed in a previous letter in this PO Box of Qi Magazine and also in thebook. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.Yourssincerely,Michael TseCold ShoulderDear Sir,After a period of five years, I amagain doing Wing Chun. Severe arthritispain and inflammation stopped mealmost completely, but I got sick of beingsick and no results from Westernmedicine. So started practising Taiji for ayear and a half, untill I could get enoughmovement to go to a class. I am alsotaking a herbal remedy. However, I waswondering if there is any Qigongexercise which would help a frozen rightshoulder and help improve my Siu LimTao, especially the Bong Sau andgenerally improve my Wing Chun. I amnearly 53 years old and took Wing Chunafter being told I could no longer domartial arts due to injuries from amotorcycle accident and back injury.Wing Chun was the perfect answer. Manythanks for your reply.Your sincerely,LG, New ZealandDear LG,I do not know how muchmovement, if any you have in yourshoulder, so I would first recommend yougently try to rotate both shoulders forwardand backwards in a manner similar toshrugging your shoulders. Try to keep theneck and shoulders relaxed while doingthis, not trying to make big progress asthis will just make the muscles tense. Oncethis feels comfortable, you can then trythe Balancing Gong exercises,‘Supporting the Sky’ and ‘Big BearStretches’, which are found in my bookand video, Qigong for Health & Vitality.With best wishes,Michael TseDamaged WristHello Sifu,I have seen your articles in themartial arts magazines and would liketo get your opinion on Qigong training.First off I took up Qigong when I went toNew York, because I had a bad wristinjury from doing Muay Thai. I broke itthree years ago and didn’t realise at thetime it was broken so kept training. Afew months went by and I knew it wasinjured but didn’t realise how badly untilfinally it got so painful that I went to anacupuncturist who told me to get it x-rayed. I went and did that and the doctortold me that it had been broken for thelast few months. I broke the scaphoid andQi Magazine 6

shut off all the circulation over thosemonths.So I then had surgery and got ascrew fixed to heal the break. I then hadsurgery again later that year to removethe screw but it was unsuccessful and thescrew is there to stay. I have bad flexibilityand my wrist is very weak. I went back toMuay Thai but it gets very painful boxingwith it. I did the first basic Qigong formwith Shi-Goulin, a Shaolin monk basedin New York. After about three months,it started to help my wrist and I couldpunch again without pain. However, Ihurt it again and I keep breakingligaments. Now, I would like to continueand advance in Qigong and I was hopingto get your advice on what you think. Isthere a certain type of Qigong I wouldbenefit from and do you think its possibleto get my wrist really strong again? Youradvice will be greatly appreciated.M, UKDear M.Whenever anything is damaged,we must take care and let it recover. Youmay even find you cannot continue to dothe things you used to do straightaway.However, I believe if you practise Qigongproperly or other internal art which willcultivate the Qi in the body and help theinjury to heal itself.I broke my wrist when I was 14and it was because of this that I went tosee my uncle who was a bonesetter. I thenbegan training Wing Chun with him untilhis death some years later. The Siu LimTao training in Wing Chun helped the Qito flow more strongly in my body and sohelped to heal my wrist. Now, I have noproblem. However, I gave it time torecover and did not use force on it.Because you have had surgery and havea steel pin fixed there, it is more difficultfor the Qi to flow in its natural path. So itneeds to create a new way and this willtake time.If you have had good results withthe Qigong you have learned, then whynot continue? No matter what style ofQigong you do, you must practise so thebody can recover itself. If you do decideto learn another style, it should be youwho decides as it will be you that mustpractise. However, if you do this, it is bestthat you do not mix the styles up and donot practise them at the same time. Younever know what results may occur as youdo not have enough experience yet. It islike eating and sleeping. You should noteat when you sleep, otherwise you maychoke. I am sure you will find what is rightfor you and beable toh e l pyour“If you have had goodresults with the Qigong youhave learned, then continue”wrist. You need to listen to your body,though. If you keep creating strain on thatarea over and over, so that it gettingdamaged again and again, it maybe thatthe next time it will not recover. You haveto be sensible and let it take its time.Yours sincerely, Michael TseQuestion:Why do we need to meditationafter we practise Qigong?Qigong is an ancient Chinese skillwhich is based upon the principles of Yinand Yang and the Five Elements. Weknow, that Yin and Yang is a balance ofhard and soft, dark and light, movementand stillness. Therefore, if we are doingQigong, this is Yang and active.Movement helps us to release thenegative energy in our body and openthe channels and acupuncture points sothat Qi can flow smoothly and positiveQi can be gathered to replace the illenergy released. Once we have gatheredthis good energy, we need to take care ofit. We would not leave a thousand poundsof money laying on a table for just anyoneto take, so we should consider the Qi wehave just worked hard to accumulate assomething even more valuable. We needto keep it where it is safe and can bestored for later use and our bodies haveconveniently provided just such a place.It is called our Dantian.The way we store our Qi is throughmeditation. Movement is Yang and active,therefore, we need something Yin and stillto balance it. Only through stillness canthe Qi gather and be stored.There are many types ofQigong meditation and so itshould not be difficult to findone which suits you. You cantry either standing or sittingon a chair or even the lotusposition, sitting on a floor orcushion. Many people thinkonly of doing the Qigongmovements and forget their meditation.So they have worked very hard, but themoney they put in their pocket is gonewhen they need it, having slipped throughthe hole in their pocket because they havenot stored their Qi through meditation.Everyday we receive many letters from people all over the world, sometimes asking for advice, sometimes just sharing their experience. Unless specificallyasked otherwise, we will consider these letters for possible publication in Qi Magazine. In this way, we all come together like a family and share and helpeach other. That is the reason I began Qi Magazine and particularly the PO Box. - Michael TseIf there is anything you wish to share with others, any news or any announcements you would like to make, send them to us. We also welcome articles(800 - 1000 words in length) on topics appropriate.UKQi MagazinePO Box 59,Altrincham WA15 8FS. UK.email tse@qimagazine.comPlease write to:USATse Qigong CentrePO Box 15807,Honolulu, HI 96830. USA.email tse@wildgooseqigong.comQi Magazine 7

Yang Jing Hao. On Yang Jing Hao said,“the principle of Buddhism is very simple.Buddhism means enlightenment, tounderstand what will happen and whathas happened. Shakyamuni is Buddha,he found out the true meaning of life andwhat happens outside of our ownenvironment.”So far, I am not sure whether Ibelieve in any religion. I like truephilosophy and knowledge that can helpme and make me understand, which ismore than just believing in God. I do notmean that I will never believe in any onereligion, but if it has some knowledgethat can help me, then I am hungry tolearn. I always had doubts about what Ishould study. But at first I followed for acouple of years and most of the time Ifound they were good. Even if at the timeI found something I did not think wasright, or something was missing, Ithought that when my level was higher,then I would understand.Because Jing Kong said Buddhismwas not a religion, I started to listen tothe tapes as if they were someone tellingme some knowledge. I started to think,is this right, does it make sense? Yes, itmade a lot of sense.Buddhism tells what hashappened to us. We come to this lifebecause of what we have done in thepast life and that we have come back topay our debts. No one can escape this.Everything that happens in your life is dueto cause and effect. We all know thatwhen we blow the air, the air will movesomewhere, at the same time your bodywill be missing some air and so the nextthing will be to breathe in a little harder.This is cause and effect.If you put your hand into water,the water will disappear from the spacewhere your hand is, but the water hasnot gone, it has moved to fill anotherspace. When you pull your hand out ofthe water, the space left by your handwill fill up. Nothing disappear as it is justtransformed to another area. Everythingis still there. No one will take more thanthe others and no one will take less thanthe others.Today many people are not happyabout themselves, because they thinkthey should get more than they aregetting. But they forget what they havedone in the past. Doing things for charityis sometimes not enough. If you dosomething charitable and want to showand tell people how kind you are, thenyour act will not have a good result as itdoes not come from your true heart.Because you want something, you willnot get a true result. When your heart isnot true, the result you get is also nottrue.Today we see people who have alot of money, running big businesses, theboss employs 100 or more employeesand everyone can see how good he is.Actually this is all wrong. The boss ispaying his debts. He has totake care of these peoplebecause he owes themfrom the past. The longerthe person works for him,the more debt he oweshim or her. Someemployees are very loyal tohim. This is because theyhave some debt they needto pay back to him.Life is mixed up withcredit and debt. It is thesame as a bank account.If you think you can takesome credit from someoneand run away, then you arewrong. You still need topay back to someone withinterest.In this life, if youowe many debts, not justfinancial ones, and you gethelp from everyone, thenyou will have to pay themback in the future.In Buddhist theoryall living creatures are thesame, so you might comeback as an animal. It all depends on whatyou have done. Buddhism tells us to bepeaceful and not get involved with things,to be empty. If you want to do something,you should just let people understandwhat happiness is and help them so theydo not suffer so much. Then in the nextlife they will not owe so many debts.Only when you are empty will younot go back into the cycle of life.This is the same as the principleof Daoism. Wu Wei means nothing. Yinand Yang means cause and effect.This all makes sense. When youlet go, you will have no debt and credit.Then you will be free and you will becomea Buddha or an Immortal. However, it isnot that easy, but do not forgeteverything. It is what we do that counts.Amitabha Buddhist Society of Hawaii100N. Beretania Street Suite 402 Honolulu,HI 96817 USA. Tel/Fax 808 523 8909.Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, Great Gaddesden,Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP1 3BZ. Tel01442 842455 Fax 01442 84372Qi Magazine 8

Most popular schools of Taijiquan, with the notable exception of WudangTaijiquan, are directly descended from Chen style. Yang Luchan (founder of Yang style)was taught Taijiquan by Chen Changxing (14 th generation) in the nineteenth centuryThe System ofChen TaijiquanYang, Wu, and Sun style are allderived from the revision of theChen family’s 83 step Laojia. It isonly the Chen system that has the PaoChoi.The biggest change to Chenfamily Taijiquan came in the early partof the Twentieth Century, when ChenFake revised the system and developedthe ‘New Frame’. Chen Fake was bornin 1887 and was a seventeenthgeneration successor of the Chen family.He used to practise the frames more thana hundred times a day. By the age ofseventeen he was already renowned asa powerful martial artist. He had aneventful life and took many challenges.He moved to Beijing in 1928 and soonestablished himself as a great teacherand fighter. The New Frame that ChenFake developed retained the same basicstructure and order as the “Old Frame”but its use of energy is slightly differentand the spiralling is elaborated in such away that additional applications areadded to and concealed within theframes.Since Chen Fake, Chen Taijiquanhas become almost two separate systems- the Old Frame and the New Frame.There is also a “Small Frame” but this ismuch less well known. These two systemslargely consist of the following emptyhand frames: 83 step Laojia, 83 stepXinjia, 71 step Laojia Pao Choi and 71step Xinjia Pao Choi.The whole system is comprised ofthese open hand forms plus silk reelingexercises, push hands sets, and weaponsets which include: Broad Sword, StraightSword, Da Dao, Double Broad Sword,Double Straight Sword, and Spear. Fromthis list it should be clear that ChenTaijiquan is a large and complex systemand just to learn the frames, let alonegain any degree of mastery, is a projectthat would require years of dedication.This for me is part of the appealof Chen Taijiquan - it isn’t easy, it is achallenge. It is a superb system andscarcely a day goes by when I do notmarvel at its ingenuity and subtlety.Sometimes, on days when things go justright, it is possible to appreciate thephilosophical mystery at the heart of thesystem. The fact that someone had thegenius to encapsulate a mystery into aform and that it is possible to experiencethis mystery in the movement of your ownbody, makes Chen Taijiquan very specialand precious.“Yin & Yangare moredifferentiatedin ChenTaijiquan”Taiji and Pao Choi, The Oldand The NewYin and Yang are at the heart ofany system of Taijiquan. They have manyattributes. Yin and Yang can be dark andlight, earth and heaven, death and life.Almost any phenomenon can bedescribed in terms of Yin and Yang. ForTaijiquan some of the more importantattributes are: movement and stillness,hard and soft, fast and slow, forwardsand back, open and close.It is perhaps fair to say that Yinand Yang are more clearly differentiatedin Chen Taijiquan than any of the othersystems. Chen clearly has fastmovements and slow movements, hardmovements and soft movements. This isnot to say that other styles do not useYin and Yang. Yin and Yang are, afterall, relative terms. You can make evermore subtle differentiations betweenshades of grey or you can have black andMaster Chen Xiaoxingwhite. In some senses it is anaesthetic choice, in others it is amatter of intention and application.Even within the Chen system you cansee different degrees of polaritybetween Yin and Yang when youcompare Old and New Frames, Taijiand Pao Choi.In the Old Frame the Taijiprinciple is expressed in a number ofways. The most obvious is theconcept of the circle. In the first ofthe silk reeling exercises one hand ismoved in a circle in front of the body.During the movement around thecircle the hand moves from Yin to Yangand Yang to Yin. During this exercise thefurther the hand is away from theDantian the more Yang it is and the closerto the Dantian the more Yin it is. If youare doing the exercise with the right handthen there is a relationship ofequivalence between the right hand andthe left foot. Another way of consideringthis exercise is to imagine an invisiblecircle around the body. This circlerepresents the limit of movement. Itscentre is the Dantian. The hand movesaway from the Dantian and when itreaches the extreme limit it returns. Thesame is true of the left foot. This is whatis meant by opening and closing.At the same time you learn to coordinatebreathing in with opening andbreathing out with closing. Thus theinhaling and exhaling become part of theYin Yang cycleby Glenn Gosslingemail glenn@qimagazine.comChen TaijiquanQi Magazine 9

I had my son in China in 1989. This yearI had twin girls in Manchester. It has beeninteresting to experience first hand thedifferences in the way the east and west looksafter the mother following labour.Postnatal Carein China andTraditional Chinese Medicinethe WestTraditionally women in China have tostay in bed for a whole month afterdelivering a child. This is called ‘ZuoYue Zi’ literally meaning ‘sit month’. Sheis not allowed to have a shower or bath,or to wash her hair, nor is she allowed tobrush her teeth. Her head and feet arewrapped to keep her warm and windowsand doors are kept closed. She isexpected to sit cosy in bed. The fear isthat wind may attack the body. TheChinese believe that blood vessels areempty after labour, making a womanvulnerable to illnesses such as arthritis,backache and migraines, for example.Chinese tradition dictates thatduring the postnatal month, the mothermust eat very rich food to tonify the body.She will try to eat fish soup, eggs andchicken every day. When relatives andfriends visit her they often bring gifts ofthese foods and ginseng. The newmother must never eat cold food.The final part of this ritual is anevent to publicly celebrate the child’sarrival. It is called the Full Month Party.In China this is a very important socialtradition for mother and baby.When you have a baby in the westthe care you receive is quite different.Firstly the nurse or midwife will insist youhave a shower the next day and you areencouraged to walk as soon as possible.No particular attention is paid to keepingwarm beyond what is normal. Womencan walk around hospital wards barefoot.They can even drink cold water. No giftsof fish soup. Traditional gifts for newmothers in the UK are flowers, cards,celebration balloons, baby clothes andteddybears.Overall, the Chineseway looks at the postpartummother as a seriously weakperson, and the western wayviews her more normally,and treats her morenaturally. I feel the easternway can make you feel evenweaker from beingbedridden. It can also makeyou prone to retaining weightgained during pregnancy. Thewestern way enables you togain energy back relativelyquickly because you get up andmove around, which alsoencourages your weight toreturn to normal.When I had my son in Chinatwelve years ago after four weeks I stillfelt weak when I climbed stairs-I evenfelt weak when I tried to write. While thistime, after having my girls, although Ihad a caesarean for the second twin, Imanaged to do a little mild office work,and gently exercises two days later. Aweek after the birth I even managed towrite a long article for a book in Chinawhich I didn’t find time to do before thebirth.If you have a caesarean in Chinayou must lie still in bed. A full week lateryou will feel a lot of pain when you moveor turn over. In a western hospital youare encouraged to walk within a coupleof days. There is a tendency to walk bentfor fear of stretching the wound, but youare told to walk straight and the paineases very soon. By the end of the weekwalking feels quite normal.Perhaps the Chinese could reviewtheir methods of postnatal care for themother. I think the tradition is bettersuited to a thousand years ago whenpeople more frequently suffered fromhunger and cold and lack of nutrientsgenerally. No wonder after labour theywould need a lot of rest and keepingwarm and tonic food for once! Nowadayslifestyles have changed and generallybody constitution is stronger, so I thinkthe western way may be a better way inthis case.Anyway, whether you receivewestern or eastern care Chinese herbalmedicine is needed after labour to tonifythe Qi and blood in order to strengthenthe body and promote blood circulation.Also it will remove blood stasis and stopthe bleeding quickly as well asbrightening the complexion.The effective formulas areNu Bao for a cold body constitution andTai Tai Kou Fu Ye for a hot bodyconstitution. Many of my patients takethese after labour. These nurturing herbsmeans sleepless nights with baby won’taffect their health as much as it might.In fact they all look younger and happierby Dr. Shulan Tangemail Shulan@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 10

Cultivatinga GoodHeartI’d like to spend a few minutes with you just thinkingout loud. We could perhaps simply sum up what a goodheart entails by using the term sincerity, knowing one’sshortcomings and weaknesses and being determinedto overcome them whilst retaining a dignified humility.This is essential for progress in martial arts training and in life.It’s amazing how many martial arts dojos I visit thatdisplay some sort of club manifesto on their walls, usuallysomething to the effect that their particular style exists only asself defence and that the true essence of the art is selfMany times there has been talk ofthe need for “a good heart” in bothinstructors and students alike. It’sobviously something important andtherefore deserves a close scrutiny. Whyis this so, and how do we know whetherwe are doing the right thing?Qi Magazine 11

cultivation, the perfection of character. It’s also amazing howmany times I fail to see this ethos manifested in the attitudesof the instructors and students. There are notable exceptionsin my area but there are also many more clubs who not onlyseem to rather short-sightedly regard their style as the bestthere is, if not the only style there is, but seem unable to makeany connection between their manifesto and their personalconduct.As I become older this sort of thing becomes moreimportant to me. I never realised the importance of Xiu Xing,self cultivation, in my youth and it’s only now, close to my fiftiethyear, that I sense it acutely and appreciate it in others.Something from within a person shines and connects with myown lowly light, my aspirations. We lift each other somehow,simply from that meeting of lights. You can experience theopposite of that by listening to two people slagging off a mutualenemy (or friend!) - it can get really nasty, often centring on aphysical attribute like a haircut or a speech mannerism. It’sshallow and degrading and that way lies discontent andhypocrisy. They drag each other down. They divide. They dividepeople, they divide and diminish the light.Buddhists and Taoists alike believe in transcending theego. Buddhists call this process Xiu Xing (bhavana - cultivationin the Sanskrit language) meaning the work of meditation andthe detachmentfrom one’s mentalprocesses, the WuXin or ”no mind”inner stillness thatcan serve as ourwellspring whethersitting alone under atree or engagingwith others in awork or socialsituation. Taoistsprefer the termZuowang whichbeings do.”means self forgetfulness,the kind ofspontaneity of mind,a free floatingquality that can arise when playing music, push hands or justbeing fully involved in a Qigong form. Both Wu Xin andZuowang are free form self-based mental phenomena, evenwhen the body is busy with sitar, Tui Shou partner or computerkeyboard. Thoughts may arise but they’re not pursued or clungto. This is true stillness.Much of our Qigong and Taiji practice and probably theShaolin as well, though my knowledge of Shaolin is moreslanted to the ”religious” side, is centred upon another Taoistconcept, that of Xiu Ming, cultivation of ”life energy”. It doesn’tend there though. As well as being healthy we want to behappy. All beings do. For some, that pursuit of happiness resultsin a frantic accumulation of security or material comforts andof course physical well being is an important factor in a happyindividual. But that’s just the first step. To be truly happy andhealthy we also need a positive interaction with the outsideworld. Feeling that we’re making a useful contribution to theworld, that we share common goals with those we respect orhave affection for, this is another important element of ourcontentment. Happy people tend to be healthy. Body and mindcannot be divorced from one another.“As well as beinghealthy we wantto be happy. AllI would venture that some kind of so-called spiritualpractice or even a spiritual perspective is important too, Feelinga connection with something beyond ourselves gives ouraspirations and daily experiences a deeper meaning. Whetherit’s a belief in God, an aspiration to attain enlightenment orsimply a deep love of nature, it’s good to sense that connectionto something noble, bigger than us. It struck me a couple ofdays ago, when I was sitting, getting ready to meditate, thatjust turning the mind towards something other than the usualemotional roller coaster ride, the psychic warfare we nowlaughingly call normal life, can bring about a correspondinglightness in the body and a lessening of the usual clamour ofself-based opinions, self doubt, self adornment.The effects of this simple turning of the mind, the body,towards something noble, something clean, somethingbeneficial, should never be underestimated. We are what wedo, we are what we say, we are what we think. How healthyare you?I’m beginning to believe that there ’s no such thing asan inconsequential thought, word or action. Everything we do,say or even think, not only vibrates within us, leading us onestep nearer total serenity, total health or towards total selfobsession, total ruin, but also continues to reverberate for therest of time. Once said, once thought, and once acted upon, awhole mess of karma unfoldsupon us and others, and it cantake a very long time indeedto stop unfolding.Traditionally in Chinagentlemen were supposed tostudy and become competentin the five excellencies, that ismartial arts, medicine, poetry,painting and calligraphy andmeditation. This may seemoutmoded now but I believeQi Magazine 12

the idea of a well rounded character is still relevant. The fiveperfections are a useful guide to developing valuable socialskills for the modem world,Wu Shu is the art of not having to fight, the art of beingable to avoid conflict, the art of not being in the wrong placeat the wrong time. Even street thugs have this skill sometimes.Last year I was, against my will, involved in a bus stop scufflewith a number of youths. When I was gently holding one ofthem by the throat and discussing his conduct, another beganto threaten me, with the rest of the gang, with his gun etc. Ihad placed myself in an unfortunate position, wasn’t going toback down, and was quite frankly beginning to think that Iwasn’t in full control of the situation, and quite possibly soon,not fully in control of my bladder either! However, much toeveryone’s surprise, including my own, the ringleader thenbegan to reason with me,appeal to my betternature, thus allowingme to climb downwithout loss of face.I applaud the youngthug’s street savvy.We were all able towalk away from apotentially nastysituation. Thoughmartial arts trainingis good for the spirit,it shouldn’t promotefeelings ofantagonism orconfrontation.Wu shu isalso self defence inthe sense ofdefending your bodyagainst disease, oldage etc. It’s healthyexercise. Or you couldcultivate a secondmarketable talent, a profession or skill to fall back on whentimes are hard. That’s a kind of self defence.For medicine read Qigong knowledge. You don’t haveto be an acupuncturist, a herbalist, a therapist, a shiatsupractitioner, a Reiki healer, your Qigong practice should haveprovided or will provide you with a lot of resources in dealingwith minor ailments and injuries. You don ’t know how muchyou know. That ’s both a reason to remain humble and a reasonto be proud of your progress so far. Whenever I see someonewith a bad back or frozen shoulder, a chest cough, I can’tunderstand why they’re either ignoring it or are just takingpills to mask the symptoms. I forget they actually don’t knowhow to deal with the root of the problem.For poetry read composition or communication, the artof writing or speaking to others in a clear, honest and nonprovocativeway. That’s an art in itself, as is the ability to simplylisten to others without interrupting. For painting readpresentation, the art of presenting yourself to the world. It’simportant to realise that you form a part of someone else’senvironment!It’s no joy pushing hands or training with someone ofeven exceptional skill or insight if they have dandruff or badbreath. Are you aware of the tone of your voice when youspeak to a certain person or that your body language makes itlook as if you’re either constantly turning away from this personor confronting that one? That’s your canvas, the world, andyour words and body language colour that canvas in shades ofgold or sludge!For meditation read that sense of connection with orturning towards something other than the daily grind, thesomething vast or noble that we talked about before. It’s moreimportant than I ever chose to believe in my youth. One thingI love about my Taiji and Qigong, as well as my Buddhistpractice, is how it connects me with nature, the clouds, themoon and stars, the trees, the weather especially! Remember,as one of my most senior students constantly reminds me, thatwe’re not merely part of nature, we are nature. We’re not aseparate, special creation. Better than that, we are literally apart of everything. Ourbodies and,surprisingly, even theless tangiblecomponents of ussuch as thoughts andwords too, are all anintegral part of thewhole magic swirlwe call existence.So getting tothe point, if you havewhat Tse Sifu calls agood heart, you addpositive elements tothe mix, you helpuplift everyone,however infinitesimally.If you don’t,if you approach class,training, your teacher,your fellowpractitioners, yourparents, spouse, workmates etc. with resentment,competition, envy, distaste or other negative emotions,you drag us all down.None of us are perfect, far from it, and we all need towork on this stuff. One of my students said to me recently;”Actually Taiji isn’t very relaxing. Every time I come here I facenew challenges.” He must have found that the Taiji practicehelped him in the outside world though and it’s a testament tohis character that he has been attending class regularly forfive years now. But he’s right. Though we have to relax topractise Taiji it does constantly stretch my abilities. Just whenyou think you’re beginning to understand the whole thinganother layer reveals itself. As I’m getting older I fancy thatthe Shaolin forms in the syllabus are going to challenge metoo, I’m not walking away though. If I can have a go, so canmy students. We’ll have good hearts even if everything else isfalling to bits!Despite the general ”soapbox” tone of this article, I’mnot a child of the new age, nor am I a natural joiner ofmovements, clubs etc. I’m also far from being a naturallyobedient person, though I do love harmony. In fact the Buddhistword for ethics is ”sila” which means that which preservesharmony.by Julian WildeQi Magazine 13

When we study any skill, we endeavour to get it right. Even whenyou can see your teacher it is very difficult. However if you know whatto look for then you will improve much quicker than just repeating theexercise over and over.Maintenance throughLife TrainingNot everyone is fortunate enough tohave regular access to a teacheror class. Maybe they only see theirteacher once a year. Maybe others onlyhave the opportunity to have studiedfrom a book or video and so have no oneto guide or correct their movements. Sohow is it that one can not only maintainwhat they have learned but also developtheir understanding and proficiency ofinternal arts skills?There are a few ways in which wecan work on it. One way is to rememberthe principles behind the movements.Every skill will have its own special rules,what I would refer to as guidelines andprinciples. For instance, Shaolin usesmany up and down movements and also“Remember theprinciplesbehind themovements”we can see that we arenot following the BowStance principle.Other martialarts too have their own guidelines. ChenTaijiquan uses a lower stance than Yangstyle Taijiquan in order to develop power.The majority of the stances have a 60/40 distribution of weight (though not all).If the weight distribution is not correct,then it does not follow the principle ofthe stance. A 60/40 balance has beentime proven to be the best for Taijiquanfighting skill withvarious techniques.Wing Chun, too,has a specialstance calledPrinciplevarious channels or guiding the Qi.However, instead of guiding the Qi,tension blocks Qi. All the practitionerdoes is end up with a tense body, throughthe shoulders and chest and even back.If the practice continues in this way, itwill eventually cause too much tensionin the mind, resulting in headaches oreven hypertension and theperson will find ithard to relaxoutside ofpractice.weapons, however, we see that most ofthe time that the person training has astraight posture with the shouldersrelaxed and emphasis on the legs forsupport. If we look at particular postures,we see that Bow Stance is a popularstance in Shaolin. Bow Stance isperformed with the hips square to thefront and shoulders back, the back legwill be straight with almost all of theweight borne on the front leg. Knowingthis, we can look at our own posture andsee if we are following this. If the back isbent forward or the hips turned too much,Juen Ma whichhelps thestance to bestrong as wellas fluid. JuenMa lets theWing Chunpractitioner tobe able toeasily changeposition whenfighting. Qigongmovements, too,will often relate toQi Magazine 14

We know that in Qigong and even inTaijiquan we should be relaxed and calm themind. But what about other martial arts? Iwould say no matter what the skill, powershould be used only when you need it. Haveyou ever tried to stand on one leg for morethan ten seconds while keeping the knee ofyour grounded leg tensed and knee locked andone arm punchingforward withtension? Whathappens andwhy? The Qi allrises up andoutwards. Thebody becomes likea top-heavy tree,with roots notstrong enough tosupport it.We canapply this samethought toQigong. InQigong, we aretrying to achievehealth rather thanpower and we dothis by releasingnegative Qi andgathering positiveQi. We do this also through both themovements of the forms and alsothrough meditation. However, if we aretense when we do the forms ormeditation, then what will be the result.The Qi will be blocked. In addition, if weare doing meditation with the purposeof calming our minds and gatheringenergy, then weshould be still and alsoquiet. Although thereare walking meditationsin which we aremoving and maybeeven chanting, thesecan help quiet themind, but they will not necessarily gatherenergy. When we talk, we use energy.When we walk or otherwise move, theQi will also move. Therefore, withoutstillness, our Qi will not settle.We must look not just at theexternal details and movements of theskills which we seek to practise. We alsoneed to look at the principles and try tounderstand why we move or practise ina certain way. Otherwise, that is all they“Meditations in whichwe are moving andchanting may not gatherenergy.”will ever be, just movements rather thanskill that can be used to achieve aparticular purposeby Sihn Keiemail Sihnkei@qimagazine.comTse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 15

Dragon Fly Holds the PostNourishing Lung Gong is a very good exercise for thosewith lung problems, for example, lung infections,bronchitis, asthma, cold and flu. In fact it is good for anyproblems which relate to the breathing, lungs and upper body,all will benefit.Beginning ExerciseSit still with your back straight, rest your hands on your thighsso the Laogong points face the Futu points. Your head shouldbe upright and look forwards, but half close your eyes.Concentrate your mind on your Dantian and recite the followingpoem by heart, before you do the exercise:At the quiet evening, let go all the thoughtsBring the mind to the Dantian, close all the sensesof the eyes, ears, mouth and nose.Breathe slowly and close the mouth, allow themagpies bridges to connect.Body light as a swallow flying through the clouds.Rubbing the nosei. Put the left middle finger against the throatat the Tiantu point. Allow the left thumb topress on the second knuckle of the indexfinger. Fig 1ii. The right hand forms a small circle usingthe thumb and index finger. Allow the Hegupoint to touch the tip of your nose.iii. Slowly rotate the nose with the Hegu point,first clockwise and then anticlockwise 3 to9 times each side. Each time, rotate thenose using a very light energy on the Hegupoint. Breathe in gently and breathe outslightly more strongly. Keep your mind onthe Yingxiang points on the side of the nose.iv. After the first rotation, change the hand anddo the same.Fig 1Fig 2 Fig 3i. Sit still and bring up both hands fromyour Dantian to your chest. The back ofthe hands should face each other, withthe fingers pointing down. Meanwhile,breathe in and lift the toes up. Fig 2ii. Separate both hands to the sides andbreathe out, let the toes go back on tothe ground. Fig 3iii. Lean forwards, bring your hands to theback of your lower legs, allowing themiddle fingers to touch the Sanjiaopoints. Meanwhile, breathe in, lift thetoes up, as if you are like a dragonholding a post. Keep your head up andlook forwards. Fig 4iv. Bring both hands to the front and repeatthe movement again 2 to 3 times. Fig 5Remember, keep your mind at theSanjiao points. While you breathe out,it is like you are opening the wholebody, when you are breathing in, it islike you are closing the whole body.When you bring your hands up, neverlift them higher than your head andmake sure you lift up your head whileyou are holding your legs. As youbreathe out make a “Tsue” sound whichrelates to the lungs.Fig 4Fig 5LungNourishingGongQi Magazine 16

Fig 6 Fig 7 Fig 8 Fig 9Look at the Big Dipperi. After you have finished holding the back of your legs, liftup both hands to the sides, breathe in and lift up all yourtoes. Put your hands on the Futu points. Fig 6-9ii. Close both hands. Then put the right Laogong point on theGuanyuan point and the left hand should grab the shoulder,so the Laogong point touches it. Meanwhile, breathe outand the toes should grab the ground. Turn the head to theleft as if you are looking at the Big Dipper in the sky. Fig 10iii. Then bring both hands back to the Dantian, the left Laogongpoint should cover the right Laogong point. Meanwhilebreathe out and relax your toes, Fig 11.iv. Lift up both hands from the Dantian, and then open themto the sides. Breathe in and lift up your toes. Fig 12v. Bring both hands back to the Futu points so the Laogongpoints connect with them. Then gently rub the Futu points.Fig 13Fig 12 Fig 13Fig 10Fig 11“It is good for anyproblems whichrelate to thebreathing, lungsand upper body”Qi Magazine 17

Throughout history, Taoists have propagated the development and restoration of the human body,breath, and spirit. They called these the Three Treasures (San pao)—Jing, Qi, and Shen. The human bodyresults from the culmination of sexual forces, or Jing, is animated by the vital force of Qi, and madeconscious through the activation of Shen. Jing, then, is akin to your body, Qi to your breath, and Shen toyour mind.Arts of Nourishing LifeBy preserving the three treasures, Taoists believe that peoplecan achieve optimum health and longevity and also createwithin themselves the alchemical gate to immortality.Three practices dominate the Taoist quest for health,longevity, and immortality: one, the ingestion of herbalmedicines (Fu Erh) and purification dietary regimes; two, theperformance of physical and respiratory exercises (Tunna) togain breath control and mobilize the Qi; and three, theachievement of mental and physical tranquility throughmeditation (Ching Tso). If one or more of these three practicescan be maintained in your daily life, you would at the veryleast restore your vitality and stamina (having youthfulness inold age). Depending on the depth and sincerity of your efforts,you could attain longevity (living to over one hundred years ofage in good health), or you could actually discover the internalelixir of immortality.Many Taoists considered longevity (Shou) as the abilityto attain youthfulness within old age and to live healthy to theend of their days. Sickness prevents cultivators from putting alltheir effort toward immortality, and death ensures failure. Thenotion of living beyond one hundred years of age has alwaysbeen considered a milepost of sorts, proving to everyone thatyour art and teaching had merit.In order to preserve the three treasures and forge theinternal elixir of immortality, Taoists developed physical andrespiratory exercises—originally placed under the generalheading of Yang Sheng Shu (arts of nourishing life). The entirebasis for what is now popularly called “Qigong” began withthe simple experiment of healing with the breath, which inturn leads to the discovery of Qi energy itself. Through simplybreathing in deeply and then focusing the exhalation, alongwith imaginary vision of the breath expelling out through thelocation of the pain or affliction, the early Chinese discoverednot only a great healing power, but an internal energy as well.Later terms included T’u Na (to spit out and take in), Xing Qi(moving the breath-energy), Pi Qi (closing the breath), DaoYin (leading and enticing), Yun Qi (circulating Qi), Xiaozhoutian(lesser heavenly circuit), and what is now generically referredto as Qigong (exercising the breath-energy—Qigong).Within Yang Sheng, the respiratory techniques forincreasing both health and longevity were called T’u Na (literally“to spit out and to take in”) and Hsing Qi (to move the breath/energy).The terms Tunn a and Daoyin first appeared in chapterfifteen of Chuang Tzu (circa 369–286 B.C.), where it says:“Breathing in and out in various manners, spitting outthe old and taking in the new, walking like a bear and stretchingtheir necks like a bird to achieve longevity. This is what suchpractitioners of Daoyin, cultivators of the body and all thosesearching for long-life like Ancestor Peng* enjoy.”The Origins ofQi GongQi Magazine 18

Tao is considered to mean “guiding the breath” (TaoQi), and yin means “to induce the breath” (Yin Qi). The premiseof Daoyin is physical movement in conjunction with the breathto mobilize the Qi throughout the body. But there is much moremeaning to it than just those ideas.At Mawangdui, near Changsha in Hunan Province, alarge length of silk from the early Han Dynasty was discoveredin an unearthed tomb. Painted on this silk were forty-four figuresclearly performing Daoyin exercises. Thus it was named theTao Yin Tu (Chart). A series of the drawings were prefixed withthe word Yin, but here the meaning is to “induce a cure.” Sothe early meaning of Daoyin appears to have been “leadingthe breath to induce a cure.”In his discourses on Chuang Tzu, Li Yi, an early HanDynasty Taoist, describes Tao as the process of “guiding thebreath to make it harmonious” and yin as “leading the body tobecome soft.” Soft carries many meanings such as flexible,pliable, open, relaxed, sensitive, alert, and so on. It is throughsoftness, the elimination of tensionand so forth, that Qi is able tofreely move about the bodythrough the meridians andcollaterals, which is to sayXing Qi.The term Xing Qifirst appeared on thehandle of a staffunearthed inShantung Province,datedcirca 380 B.C. The inlaid jade inscriptions refer to the purposeand ensuing sensations of Pi Qi (closing the breath), which,again, is the mobilization of breath-energy (Xing Qi).The earliest physiological semblances of Xing Qideveloped from the Huang Ti Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’sInternal Classic), an attributed medical record of the emperorHuang Ti (2697–2597 B.C.), but the work didn’t appear untilsometime during the third or first century B.C. In the chapter on“Plain Questions,” we find the instructions for what Taoists cameto call “tortoise breathing” (Kuei Xi, swallowing the breath):“Breathe deeply seven times, each time ‘closing up thebreath’ [Pi Qi], extending the neck and swallowing the breathas one does so. It should be as if one is swallowing somethinghard. Having done this seven times, move the tongue aroundand swallow the saliva produced several times.”Almost six hundred years later, Ko Hung, a fourth centuryA.D. Taoist alchemist adept and writer, reports that his uncle,Ko Hsuan, would sit at the bottom of a pool holding his breathfor almost an entire day when the summer heat was toounbearable. This is an indication that Ko Hsuan was very adeptat this type of Pi Qi breathing.In many instances in Ko Hung’s work, the Pao P’u Tzu,he advocates these types of breathing for the attainment oflongevity and immortality.True breathing (Zhen Qi) comes not from pushing outthe stomach and filling it with air, but rather from focusingyour attention and allowing the breath to follow the mindintent(Yi). Anyone can accomplish this. Just close your eyesmomentarily and focus your attention into your lower stomach.Within moments you can feel the breath activated there. Fromthis seemingly simple effort comes a wide range of Qidevelopment and experience. In the Pao P’u Tzu, Ko Hungstates:“Man exists within his breath, and breath is within man.Throughout Heaven, Earth, and the ten-thousand things thereis nothing which does not require breath [Qi] to live. The manQi Magazine 19

“It is throughsoftness that Qi isable to freelymove about thebody”who knows how to circulate his breath can guardhis own person and banish any evil which wouldattack him.”Numerous books, from yoga andmartial arts to healing and meditation, havebeen written on the subject of breathing. It israre, however, to find one that speaks abouthow the breath can really become naturaland effective. Mostly, these books speakabout slowing the breath down, making itdeep, long, continuous, and even. Anyonewho tries this soon discovers that their breathrises into the solar plexus and lung area andbecomes pensive. This happens because thebreath is being forced to do something that it isnot doing. The breath cannot be made to doanything other than what it is doing.Another problem with the breath stems fromhow the abdomen itself is thought to function. Mostpeople think that somehow just pushing out the frontof the stomach is abdominal breathing. This is only halfbreathing. The stomach should be thought of as a balloonor bellows, with the entire abdomen breathing, not justthe front part.Trying to make your breath slow, deep, continuous, andeven is like stirring up a dirty glass of water to get the debris tosettle, it will just continue to be muddled and agitated. If,however, the glass were set aside and left alone the debriswould settle to the bottom of the glass of its own accord.As stated in the Mental Elucidation of the Thirteen KineticPostures (a Taijiquan treatise attributed to the Immortal AncestorWang Chung-yueh):“If you give all your attention to your mind-intent [Yi]and ignore your breath [Qi], your strength will be like puresteel. If, however, you only pay attention to the breath, theblood circulation will be obstructed and your strengthweakened.”All you need to do in applying mind-intent is to focusyour attention on the Dantian (or whatever area you areworking with) and the breath will follow. Sense and feel thatarea with all your attention. From this practice your breathingwill naturally become slow, deep, continuous, and even becauseyou are not trying to make it so—the breath is just acting inaccord with the intent. This is true “sinking the Qi into theDantian.” Breath is like the debris in the glass of water; if youleave it alone it will sinkby Stuart OlsonQi Magazine 20

LearningDayanQigongQi Magazine 22

Teaching is very challenging. Being a teacher comes with a great responsibility. It is notenough to just teach the skill, you also have to educate your students how to behave, torespect the skill they are learning and to understand where it originates from. Some studentsmay say they respect it, but when they are put to the test they fall short of the mark.Recently I heard that a person was teaching DayanQigong in the North of the UK. It made me sad asthis person, a former student of mine, was notqualified to teach Dayan Qigong. In fact he had noteven finished studying the form with me. I wrote hima letter telling him to stop teaching but he did not reply, so Iasked Darryl Moy to call him, as they used to get on quite welltogether, however, he was abusive on the phone.I felt very sad as my teacher Grandmaster Yang Meijunpassed this skill to me and told me to develop it in the West. Iwas about to move to England and she told me to use DayanQigong to help other people and I promised her that I would.My teacher had kept this skill for over 70 years beforeshe taught it to anyone. She learned it from her Grandfather,and he told her not to teach anyone until she was 70 years oldand that even then she was only allowed to teach one person.This rule of the Dayan Qigong had been passed down over1800 years since the Jin Dynasty.My teacher decided to open Dayan Qigong to the publicbecause she wanted to help the Chinese people who hadsuffered during the Cultural Revolution. In opening her skill tothe public, her main reason was to help all the sick peoplewho had suffered so much. These people needed help, andalthough she taught them, she did not mean for them to goand teach the skill for themselves. However some did do this,and worse still some did it just to make money and did notconsider what result their teaching would have on other people.People who learn incorrectly will make themselves ill. If youdo not do Qigong properly, you may cause yourself problemswhich might be more or less severe depending on the qualityof the teacher.Dayan Qigong is a very profound system of Qigong. Ithas a very long history and has been proven to be good forhealth and longevity. The 27 th generation inheritor,Grandmaster Yang Meijun is 105 years old and is still healthy.She is living proof of the benefits of Dayan Qigong, howeverthere are many other people who have learned it properly whoalso have gained alot of health benefits from it. GrandmasterYang Meijun’s longevity is not just a result of her skill. It is alsoher heart. The skill she has developed helps her heart and herheart helps her skill.However, to teach Qigong properly is a different story.Anyone who teaches it must have a lot of knowledge about it.They should know about all the movements, how they makethe Qi work and how they relate to the internal organs,acupuncture points, channels, how different directions affectthe body, breathing, relaxation, mind, correct posture and howto avoid causing any health problems.Sometimes, a person may think they can pick up mybook, or my teacher’s book and learn the skill from it. However,you cannot learn Qigong from a book, particularly a form likeDayan Qigong. I once met a person who had bought my book,“Qigong for Health and Vitality” who had been following themovements of the Taiji Qigong and Balancing Gong, as theylooked easy enough to do. But, so far, I have never met anyonewho has not studied with me or one of my students, who hasbeen able to do the movements right. Either they do them toofast or too slow, usually the posture is wrong and they are notable to move with the Qi.Other people will say that leaning from a video is better.Learning from a video is better, but it is still very limited. Youwill still make mistakes as internal detail cannot be describedproperly on video. Also you should remember that althoughhis movement on the video might be perfect at that moment,“All the results ofyour wrongactions will comeback to yousooner or later”Michael Tse and his Teacher, Grandmaster Yang MeijunQi Magazine 23

she tells me. She points out my mistakes and leads me in theright direction.During the last 11 years of teaching over 80% of mystudents have been Westerners and only a few Chinesepeople. Maybe most Chinese people in the Westare too busy working or studying andWestern people are keener tolearn Chinese skill.I have a lot of goodstudents who have been withme for over 10 years and arestill studying. It is like one bigfamily. Those who have beenwith me long enough havebeen to visit my teacher, theirGrandteacher (Sigong) YangMeijun. They have seen thesource and even her family,they have met her childrenand grandchildren. Someclose students of my teacherare my students’ uncles andaunts.They all understand thatlearning Dayan Qigong is not just about learningthe movements and some skill. This means theyhave graduated, because they know there ismore to learning Dayan Qigong. First they respectthe skill and their teacher, because without theteacher where would they have gotten the skill?Your teacher is your guide, giving you the rightdirection, pointing out the right way so you can“If you do not doQigong properly,then you may causeyourself problems”develop the right skill. You cannot just take the skill and ignoreyour teacher. You should not treat your teacher as your friend.Friends and teachers have different positions. Teachers areequal to your parents. Teachers educate you, show you how tobe a good person and give you the skill and help you developyour talents to survive in society. Parents give you maintenanceand without this you would already be dead. They spend mostof their time with you and love you. Of course there are alwaysbad parents, but maybe they are not that bad, it is just yourown opinion of them. In any case, you should not be a badchild to them as this is not right.This is the same as you teacher. If your havelearned some skill from them and have benefited,then you should respect them and respect theskill.I have come across some students whojust wanted my skill and who did not want toknow anything else about me. Some did noteven tell other people they studied with me.After they had learned something, theywent away and tried to make moneyfrom it. This is a completely wrongway of thinking. Dayan Qigongis a very spiritual skill.Although my teacher,myself and some of mystudents make a living fromteaching the DayanQigong skill, we do not sellthe skill and no oneteaches anything they donot have permission toteach. This is againstChinese custom and isout of respect for theteacher.Anyone whoteaches the skill withoutpermission will upsetthe teacher and is a badstudent. People havesaid to me, “Everyone inthe West does that.”Personally, I do not think so.I do not think that just becausesome bad students do it,everyone does it. There are lotsof good students who like tolisten to their teacher, andrespect their teacher’s skillgreatly, unlike those who do notthink about the consequences.When you teach DayanQigong without being qualified,then it means your skill is notgood enough and your heart isnot ready and therefore yourteacher will not let youteach because you mightcause other people aproblem. In the beginningpeople might start to studywith you, but after awhilewhen they want moreinformation, and they will checkaround and they will find out the truth.Once they find out, they will have to go back to thesource and find aqualified teacher and learn properly. Theywill also be very upset that they have been deceived by aunqualified teacher and will say bad things about that teacher.Some might even want their money back.Qi Magazine 25

On the other side, the teacher will be unable to tellpeople the truth because he knows that he is not qualified.Every time he teaches someone it damages his heart, just likea thief who steals from everyone. One day the guilt will comeand it will damage his health.When you are not doing things properly it will damageyour heart. All the results ofyou wrong actions willcome back to you sooner orlater. That is nature.We have all heardabout the Chinese teacherswho will not teach their skillproperly to Western people.Do now why they do this?Some people think thatthey want to keep the skillonly for Chinese people soWestern people will neverbe better. However, themain reason is that somebad students are veryselfish. They just want totake the skill and run awayand then they betray theirteacher. These students also make up bad stories about theirteacher to make themselves appear a good person. This is theonly way they can face their students. The way they behave isvery bad and you can say they are traitors. It does not matterwhether they are Chinese or not.an informal moment with Grandmaster Yang, here celebrating her birthdaySifu Michael Tse and a group of his students visiting Grandmaster Yang MeijunGenerally a good teacher will like to find some goodstudents to pass their skill on to. Because of all these badstudents, the teacher will be very cautious with all the studentsand will be very strict. Some teachers will even not pass on theskill fully.I have seen all these things happening in my teaching.So I have set up some rulesfor my students and mystudents will pass on theserules as well as the skill.The first thing peoplemust do when studying withme is sign a form in whichthey agree not to teach anyof the skill they learnwithout permission. Allinstructors must take part inan instructor’s course andcan only teach whatexercises they have beentested and passed on thecourse. If an instructormisses more than two yearsof the instructors’ coursetheir qualification will berevoked.This is in accordance with Grandmasters Yang Meijun’swishes inorder to protect the student and preserve the propperand correct form of tuitionby Michael Tse“Generally agood teacherwill like to findsome goodstudents topass their skillonto.”Qi Magazine 26

Everyone likes to be praised and complemented, butcompliments and praise are not everything. Although they makeyou feel good and you might like them, they may be no help toyou at all. Always remember no praise is better than false praise.Climbing the MountainChan had finished his chores for theday and was strolling back to thehouse when he came across Masitting on a rock. It was obvious he wasnot very happy from the way he satstaring at the ground..“What’s wrong Ma? Can I help?”offered Chan.“I don’t think I’mgetting any better. WhenSifu teaches me hemight just say “good” or“getting better”, butthen points out moremistakes and tells meto practise more. So Idon’t think I am reallyimproving.” Ma sighed.“Its OK for you, peoplesay you are good allthe time.”Chan sat downnext to Ma and lookedup at the blue sky. “Iremember a story Iwas told when I wasvery young, do youwant to hear it?” heasked Ma. Ma noddedbut did not look up.“There was a youngbird who was learning to fly. His mothertold him to practise hard so that he wouldbe strong enough to fly to the moon.However, the young bird knew that it wasimpossible to fly to the moon so hepreferred to play and liked to skim theground and show off to the otheranimals. ”“The other animals were soimpressed and all told him how good hewas. After a while he really thought hewas good, and refused to practise whenhis mother told him to. Then one day abig storm came and of course, the youngbird was not strong enough to handle thewind and so did not survive.”“That did not cheer me up.” saidMa.Chan laughed, “I guess I am notas good at telling stories as Sifu. But whatNo Praise &False PraiseI do know is that it does not matter whatother people say. They may say I amgood, but I know I am not good enough.They are like the animals on the groundwho do not know much about flying soof course they are impressed. When youthink you are good, then you stopimproving, but then you will get blownaway in the wind.”“Personally, I am not interested inwhat the animals on the ground think. Iam only interested in what my seniorsthink, the ones who really know aboutflying. Just one word from them is worthmore than one hundred from others.”Said Chan. “I remember there was oncea student who travelled to a far awaytown and gave a demonstration. All thepeople thought he was so good and toldhim so. When hecame back, hebecame veryconceited andthought he wasso good. Thenwhen Sifu toldhim some of hismovements werenot correct heshouted backand arguedsaying that everyonethought hewas so good, sohow could he bewrong.”“Really!?”said Ma quiteastounded. “Its hardto believe isn’t it?” saidChan, “Do you think he wouldhave been so believing if the people hadsaid he was so bad? So you see he forgotwho had the right to tell him whether hewas good or bad.”Ma looked up and nodded, “So ifSifu says “good” then it really meanssomething, and he tells us how to be evenbetter. Also we should not listen too muchto other people as they cannot reallyjudge what is right or wrong”.“That’s right Little Ma” said Chan,“So you see Sifu is not criticising you forgetting something wrong. He is helpingyou to make yourself stronger, and aslong as you learn something each time,you should be happy, not sad.”Ma nodded again and smiled.“You are right again Big Brother, whetheryou believe me or not?”by Darryl Moyemail Darryl@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 28

Walnut Sweet SoupIn Chinese food therapy, walnuts are used to strengthen the kidneys and waist. In fact, have you noticed that a wholewalnut is like two kidneys joined together? This soup uses ground walnuts to make a tasty, sweet soup that will also helpinvigorate the brain.5 tablespoons shelled walnuts with the skin membrane removed4 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar1 1/3 ounces cornstarch (sifted)oil for deep frying the walnuts1. Mix sifted cornstarch with 4 teaspoons cold water until smooth. Set aside.2. Bring oil to a boil and deep fry walnuts until slightly yellowish. Drain well and set aside.3. Place 3 cups water into a blender with the walnuts and blend. Transfer back to pan and heat slowly till boiling.4. When boiling, add sugar and stir well.5. Add cornstarch water slowly, stirring slowly but consistently. Keep stirring until it has boiled again.NOTES: Never add milk to walnut soup. If you want the soup to be smoother, then you can sift it a few times and reheat.If it is not thick enough, mix a small amount of cornstarch to some water and mix well and then add to soup. Reheat till boiled.Book ReviewBy ‘making ones mindsincere’, it is meant that one shouldnot cheat oneself.Chinese MaximsEditor Gong Dafei says in his introduction to this book, “People now accord greater importance to economics, science,knowledge and culture. On the other hand, vices have cropped up in the form of money worship, corruption, self-seeking,cheating, forgery, misrepresentation…and robbery. These have gravely undermined social morality. It is with this in mind that wehave compiled this book of Chinese Maxims – Golden Sayings of Chinese Thinkers over Five Thousand Years. These are selectionsfrom a wealth of Chinese philosophical works. Like flowers floating in the eternal stream of history, they retain their colour andfragrance, as well as their true beauty. They will not only be useful to one’s intellectual development, but will also inspire and helpone to become a better person. This books meets the needs of all those who are pressing ahead with the times, who intend tocultivate themselves their whole life long, who are busily building up their career and who wish to perfect themselves by drawingon classical texts and by learning from real life.”This book is meant for both foreign and Chinese readers alike and is written in Chinese and English. It has over sixhundred sayings from many different sources:- scholars, philosophers and thinkers throughout Chinese history but were chosenbased on their essence and instructive contents, ease of understanding, brevity and variety. The four sections into which Chinesewritings are traditionally divided – classics, historic books, books of various masters and books of literature - have been used assources for this book of maxims.The maxims in this volume are classified under six headings: On Will, On Learning (sayings on how to teach, on valuingtime and on relationship between knowledge and action), On Self Cultivation, On Social Relations, On Wisdom and Strategyand lastly On Government. There is something for everyone in this book and will never wear out its usefulness. As it says inMaxim number 2166, “Learning is indeed an endless course.”by Jessica BlackwellQi Magazine 30

Instructor InsightMartin Gale: LeedsMartin Gale is qualified to teach theDayan Qigong syllabus and WingChun Kuen. He can be contacted on:07977 924179Six years ago I left my home in the Isle of Man and came to live in Manchester so that Icould study Qigong and Wing Chun with the Tse Qigong Centre At that time I could have neverimagined that one day I would be able to teach these ancient skills that belonged to generationsof masters spiralling back to the beginning of creation.In fact when I first started teaching it was not even on the agenda, for at that time I wasjust out to help myself. I wanted to learn Wing Chun so that I would be able to defend myself andI wanted to learn Qigong to improve my health. However, everything changes and the “pool isvery deep” but I did not know that then.As I progressed with my learning and with careful guidance and understanding from mySifu, Michael Tse, I started to develop and flourish both on a health and physical level and alsoon a mental and spiritual level. I have became a stronger person because of it. My Wing Chunis something I have with me wherever I am and can use its principles for dealing with everydaylife, not just a practical form of self defence. Qigong is also something I have with me, it gives mehealth, fitness, flexibility, energy and a better posture. All in all it has given me a very goodquality of life.When I first came to the centre I was like a small child, I was weak and needed helpingand looking after which meant I could take, but did not have a lot to offer in return. But six years on, after weekly classes andattending several instructor courses and lots of practice I felt I was ready to give something back. So when Sifu said that I couldstart a class of my own I knew that this was how I could give something back in return.Pia Andersson: Mölndal,Pia Anderson is qualified to teachthe Dayan Qigong syllabusShe can be contacted on:pia_sweden2001@yahoo.se+46 31 87 14 51SwedenMovement has been an ongoing part of mylife, since I was very little. The first spontaneousmovement I can recall was when my mother playedthe music from Aristocats, which inspired me to danceand jump to the lively tunes from the record. I remember the joy of moving, although I was onlythree years old.As a child I chose hobbies such as gymnastics, ballet, ice-skating and jazz-dance , but Ieventually lost the natural joy and spontaneity , as the focus was on end result, rather thanprocess.At the age of twenty one I came across Taiji. After a series of minor injuries that seemedto linger and cause discomfort, this seemed to be a perfect alternative to the movement-stylesthat I had practised previously.For the first time ever, I experienced having a centre, from which both movement andlearning took place. Lessons in the Alexander Technique, along with Taiji-classes made me seea link between attention and movement, and answered so many questions for me, that inshort, it was the beginning of a new path.1992 I met Tse Sifu in England. This led me to give Qigong a real place in my life, andI was inspired to practice regularly. When I later learnt the Wild Goose Qigong , I started tofeel very deeply for my Qigong-practice, and began to understand what Sifu had said abouthow Qigong makes us become more natural and able to develop our talents.With the perspective of the eleven years that has passed since I first started, I can seethat the core of my love for movement was always seeking an expression, but I did not initially have the tools that I needed. Onlywith the reference of an effortless and natural way of moving, and through the help of excellent teachers, have I been able tofind conscious access to my own centre of both movement and stillness.My interest in movement and wellbeing has also led me to learn skills in the Alexander Technique, Ki-Aikido and Acupressure,Today I am grateful to be able to give regular classes in Qigong and to see how it can transform other peoples’ lives.The joy and spontaneity I first experienced from dancing to Aristocats, age three, has been rekindled, and I have taken upLindyhop (Swing), at the age of thirty-two!A special thanks to Sifu for helping me to, as the poet T.S Eliot expressed it: ”…to arrive where I started and know theplace for the first time”.Qi Magazine 35

Da Cheng QuanNon-Stop Hitting TechniquesDa Cheng Quan is one of the valuable methods of Chinese martial arts . It was created by Master Wang Xiang Zhai andit is a collection of the essence of Shaolin Quan, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang. Its emphasis is on practical fighting skill.The “Non-stop Hitting Techniques” are the basic techniques which are very powerful and useful fighting techniques.1. Chop and Front KickFirst we perform the technique individually. Imagine thereis an opponent in front of you and that you use the techniqueagainst him.i. Stand with your right foot forwards. Both hands should bein front of your chest your right hand should be forwardsand your left should be behind. This is the ready positionand you should raise your spirit.ii. Kick towards your opponent’s legs and at the same timewalk towards him. Fig 1 & 4.iii. Pretend to hit with your right hand Fig 2 & 5.iv. But actually chop with the left hand. Fig 3 & 6.Sometimes the situation might be different, so we have tochange the method slightly, but the technique is still thesame.Your Opponent Attacks Firsti. Your opponent attacks you first with his right fist.ii. Contact his punch with your right hand to release the power,but at the same time kick his lower leg with your right leg.Fig 7.iii. Push his right arm towards his body and at the same timechop his neck with your left palm. Because your enemy isconcerned with your kick, his energy will change and so hisarms will be weak. Fig 8.iv. After you have controlled the whole situation, you can thengive your enemy a powerful “Beng Quan” (explodingpunch). Fig 9.Fig 1.Fig 4. Fig 5.Fig 7.Fig 8.Fig 2.Fig 6.Fig 3.Fig 9.Fig 13.Fig 10.Fig 14.Fig 11.Fig 12.Fig 15.2. Sticking and Spiralling Palm.Individual Practicei. Stand with your right foot forwards and the left footbehind. Keep the left hand in front of the chest toprotect the body. Put your right hand in front andturn the palm to face the body. Fig 10.ii. Move your right hand to the outside and then turn itinto a fist. Fig 11.iii. Change the right fist as if you are grabbingsomebody and pulling them to the right, at the sametime the left hand helps to push them in thatdirection. Fig 12.With an Opponenti. Walk towards your opponent and grab his clothes.Fig 13ii. Put your left hand on your opponent’s back. Fig 14iii. Then release the power with both hands to pull youropponent. The power should come from the waist,Qi Magazine 36

so the opponent will be pulled off balance to the right. Fig15.This time presume that your opponent attacks you first.i. As your opponent attacks you with his right fist, step back alittle to avoid the power, but block his punch with your righthand and stick to his hand. Fig 17ii. If he continues to punch with his left hand, then you canspiral your right hand to block his punch and meanwhileyour left hand sticks with his right hand. This allows you tocontrol his energy. At the same time step forwards withyour left foot to hook his right foot, then he will lose hisbalance. Fig 18.Fig 19. Fig 20.Fig 22. Fig 23.Fig 21.Fig 16.Fig 17.Fig 18.3 Dragon Goes into the SeaIndividual Trainingi. This is a Dragon Hand and Beng Quan training technique.Stand with your right foot forwards and your left foot behind.Both hands should be open in the beginning, the right handshould face up and the left hand down. All your fingersshould be bent like a dragon’s claw. Fig 19ii. Then change your left palm to face up and the right to facedown. The movement should be relaxed. Fig 20iii. From a very relaxed hand suddenly change to a “BengQuan”. You should be able to change with either hand, leftor right as it depends on which hand you are going to attackwith. Fig 21Attacking an Opponenti. Attack your opponent with your right Dragon Claw so thathe blocks it with his right hand. This looks as if you aregoing to attack him with your right hand, however you areonly pretending. Fig 22ii. Then bring his right hand down to control his energy andthen pretend to attack with your left hand. Fig 23iii. Suddenly you change your right hand to Beng Quan toattack his stomache, at the same time step forwards toincrease your power. Fig 24Opponent Attack Firsti. When your opponent attacks you with his right hand, blockit with your left. Fig 25ii. Of course, he will continue to attack you with his otherhand. Wait for it and control it with your other hand. Thislets you control your opponent completely. Fig 26iii. At that moment your opponent is still concentrating on yourleft hand, suddenly attack his stomach with a right BengQuan, stepping forwards at the same time. Fig 27Fig 24.Fig 25.Fig 26.Fig 27.Qi Magazine 37

Shanghai ParksThis issue we will be reviewing the atmosphere and teachers in two parksin the southwest quadrant of Shanghai, Guilin Park, and Kangjian Park.Shanghai JournalGuilin Park was built in 1933 in theSuzhou style by the infamousgangster Pockmarked Huang. Amember of the notorious Qing Bang orGreen Gang and confederate of BigearedDu, Huang conspired with ChaingKai-shek to put down the Communistsin 1927 and organized undergroundresistance to the Japanese during theOccupation in Shanghai.The park is actually quitecontrived and crowded with featuresfrom pagodas, verandas, and arbours,to mysterious rock formations and caves.This leaves few open spaces where thepractice of Taiji, Qigong or other arts mayflourish in large numbers. However,things being as they may, every morningthe park is packed to the walls withpractitioners. The most popular groupsat Guilin Park are the Sword and Fanform classes. A Madame Li is one of theteachers of sword form in the park andhas large classes every morning. Sheteaches the 32 Step Taiji Sword, butknows a selection of sword forms fromvarious styles. Her classes are made upof mostly native practitioners but she hastaught a Westerner or two in her time.Qigong is also popular as mostresidents of the park are the elderly. TheTaiji groups that do meet arepredominately Yang Style or Wu stylewith the occasional 42 Step WushuTeacher in attendance.I found the energy at Guilin Parkto be a bit stifling and tense albeit veryscenic and quaint. Because the walledpark is crowded with character and theclasses take up every available space itcan be a bit claustrophobic especiallyearly in the mornings.Across Guilin Road is the largerand more unrestricted Kangjian Park.Although listed on many maps as KepuPark, it has borne many names over theyears and is truly a people’s park.Bordered on two sides by one of the city’smany canals, the park is well landscapedwith many fragrant trees, bamboogroves, and dense shrubbery. There aretwo fair sized ponds bordered by willowsand host to countless ornamental fish.There are several Qigong groupsthat meet daily in the park. One of thegroups does a variety of dynamic Qigongstyles as well as moving on later in themorning to Yang Style Taiji and a swordform unknown to me. The other majorQigong group does more quiescentQigong and practises standing postureroutines as well. Many of the residentsof Kangjian Park practise individually. Wehave seen all styles of Taiji, Shaolin Quan,Bagua and two styles of Xingyi practised.Along the canals, in the bamboo groves,in pavilions on the ponds, and even inthe dense shrubbery you can see andhear many people practising their healthgiving arts each morning.There is one Tui Shou (PushHands) group in the park practising on aregular basis. Led by Madame Wu Ju Mei,a disciple of Wu Ying Hua, daughter ofthe founder of Wu style Taiji. She teachesa form class in the park as well butpractices her Wu Style fast form and hersword form alone. She is a remarkablyagile and well rooted women andpowerful well beyond her years.The most famous grouppractising in Kangjian Park is led byMaster Wang Sen Ling. An expert inShanxi style Xingyiquan, he is aubiquitous presence in the park, andseems to know everyone. His Xingyi isvery classical and his classes areconducted in the traditional manner.Watching him practise and demonstrateis a real joy if for the simple reason thathis Nei Jing (Internal Power) is soblatantly obvious.I will try to convince him (despitehis gregariousness he is quite humble)to allow an interview and photographsfor next issueby J.Reynolds Nelsonemail JRN@qimagazine.comQi Magazine 38

Qi Magazine 39

The Dragon is a symbol of China, as we see very often in many Chinesestories. Swimming Dragon Gong is one Qigong form from Kunlun System. It isvery dynamic and challenging, and the movements imitate a dragon’s behaviour.Swimming Dragon Gong18. Qi sinks to the Dantian19. Guan Yin does Meditationaa. After rotating both hands, bring thehands down to the Dantian. This islike the finish to any form, we bringthe Qi to the Dantian.Always remember, do not finish anyform without performing “Shou Gong”.Shou Gong means to bring the Qi back tothe Dantian. This is like finishing work, weshould put everything back into the draweror box.aa. Lift up the left leg and start to bring the hands together.b. Swing the left leg across and squat down onto your right leg. Your palms touchtogether in front of your chest so the Laogong points connect together. Thepalms rest in front of the Middle Dantian (Shanzhong point)This movement brings the Qi to the Middle Dantian. Sinking down at the sametime connects the Lower and Middle Dantians together. It is as if you are squeezing theQi from a standing position to a sitting position. This actually bring the Qi up to theBaihui point.b20. Magic Palmsaa. Drop both palms to the Dantian. As they drop, keep them touching together, butturn the right hand so the fingers point left and the palm faces up, and the left handturns so the finger point right and the palm faces downThis movement brings the Qi to the Lower Dantian from the Middle Dantian. However itdoes not just drop the Qi down it actually makes the Qi spiral down to the Dantian and thiswill help to open the Chong channel.Qi Magazine 40

21. Child Worships Againa b c de f ga. Lift up your left hand so the Hegu point follows the Ren Mai from the Middle Dantian to the Sky-eye.b. Keep the left hand still, and stand up. As you do so, let the right hand drop.c. Swing the right hand to the right and move the left hand to the left side.d. Step forwards with the right foot and bring the right hand round so the Hegu point stops in front of the Middle Dantian. At thesame time the left hand should move round to the back so the Hegu point touches the Mingmen point.e. Relax the right hand so the fingers point down.f. Lift up the left foot and at the same time open the hands to the sides.g. Swing your left foot so that it lands in front of your right. Drop the left hand in front of the Middle Dantian so the Hegu pointfaces it and the fingers point up. The right hand should move to the back and the Hegu point should touch the MingmenPoint.This movement repeats on the left and right side. When you do this remember when your foot lands in front of you, the hand shouldstop at the same time at the Middle Dantian and Mingmen point.This movement stimulates the Middle Dantian and the Mingmen points. These are very important points that relate to the XiaoZhou Tian. Each time we step forwards the Middle Dantian, Mingmen and Yongquan points are stimulated. This opens the body so itconnects with Heaven and Earth.to be continued... by Michael TseQi Magazine 41

Lao Zi & theDao De JingChina has over 5000 years of history and culture.It is one of the oldest surviving countries whichhas the same skill and culture. Most countriestoday follow western society, but this method iscausing so much damage to both nature and thehuman “heart”.“True Heart”We all know that thescience we use todaywill cause the wholeworld to be damaged.The solutions whichthe scientists develop to protect the worldwill not be faster than the problems weare causing.The second thing is education. Intoday’s society, money and technologyis more important than educatingeveryone how to be a good person.Society considers how to make moremoney and that a successful person issomeone who makes more money.The book the “Dao De Jing” is avery high level of education andphilosophy. It was written about 2500years ago by an old man named “LaoZi”. This was not his real name, inChinese “Lao” means old, “Zi” meansmister. So his name meant “Mister Old”.In China, if you call somebody this, it doesnot mean they are old and weak. Itmeans they have a lot of experience andare very wise. Also, in certaincircumstances it also means friend. Forexample if you know someone whosename is Chen and he is close to you, thenyou can call him “Lao Chen”. However,he should be over 30 years old.Lao Zi’s, real name was “Li Er”.He was in charge of the Royal Library inthe Imperial Palace which the Emperor,or other members of the royal familywould go to when they wished to study.So of course, he had a very high level ofknowledge of all these classical books,otherwise he would not have held thatposition.This was during the Zhou Dynasty.However, at this time the Zhou Dynastywas not that strong. After manygenerations of the Zhou dynasty, they didnot have enough armies, generals andministers. Other areas gradually becamestronger and bigger than the Emperor’slands. Thus all the kings of these areas,began to proclaim their lands as aseparate country. A lot of wars andQi Magazine 42

attles were taking place as everyonetried to invade other regions. It was atime of war as every country wanted toexpand. Some used force and some useddiplomacy; some countries united tobecome one bigger country.At this time Lao Zi saw thesituation and what was happening andhe created his own philosophy which wasdifferent from others and he named it –Dao.He saw everyone fighting forwhatever they wanted. The high level isnot fighting and taking what you want.It is giving. The highest level is to benothing and let everything happen. Themore you let go, the more you survive.Nature is just like that. It does not fight;it does not want; it is just there. This isthe natural way and the more powerfulway.His thinking affected manypeople, but he did not have anystudents. He just left a book whichhe called “Dao De Jing” for allof us to understand what theDao is.When Lao Zisaw the deterioratingsituationof the ZhouDynasty and alsothe Prince hadescaped from thepalace and takenall the books, hedecided to leavehis job and goand hide himselfaway in thec o u n t r y s i d e .There he couldenjoy his life andbe with nature.We thinkLao Zi livedbetween 571 BCand 471 BC.One daythe scholarConfucius, came to visit Lao Zi andthey spent a few days together talkingand discussing their theories and thedifference between Daoism andConfucianism. Afterwards Confuciuswent back to the Country of Lao. He saidto his students, Lao Zi is an old man. Helooks weak, but his thinking is verymeaningful. He is a gentleman. Heknows when it is time to move forwardsand knows when it the time to rest. AfterI had spoken to him, I discovered he wasa very highly educated person. Howeverthis type of person looks no different fromother people. You cannot tell them apartfrom normal people and you will not evennotice them. They behave a little dumbbecause they seem to have no ambition,no direction and no ego. They are sonormal. This is what I learnt from him”Confucius also said, “I know birdscan fly, fish can swim and other animalscan walk and run. But Lao Zi is like adragon flying through the clouds and Ido not know much about that.”When Lao Zi left the palace, hecrossed the border of the country at aplace called “Han Gu Gate”. One of theguards who was at the gate, Ling Yin Xi,asked, “Can you write something for usbefore you retire from public life”. So Lao“The highlevel is notfighting andtaking whatyou want, itis giving”Zi stayed at the Han Gu Gateand wrote a book which had only 5000words. This book he called the Dao DeJing.“Dao” means way. From thebeginning to the end, the journey we gothrough is the way. “De” means morality.If a way is without morality it will not begood and will not last. This is becausewe can do anything in any way, but if itis not natural and does not follow nature,it will have side effects. Eventually youwill suffer from the result you get. “Jing”means scripture, or classical book. Thisbook we can study at whatever time andit will last forever. It is like a Bible in thewest.The Dao De Jing is a book thatwill influence your thinking. The majorityof people only think about what theywant and how they can do something.They do not see the opposite which is thenatural way and more stable andconstant.For example, all the businessmentoday think about how to make moremoney. Actually, this is the wrongthinking. They just concentrate on moneytoo much, instead of thinking of how toget people to give you more money.Of course no one will just give youmoney, unless you are goodand they benefit from whatthey get. So if youconcentrate on givingbenefits to yourcustomers, thenthey will give youmore money. Youdo not need toask them formoney. This isDaoism.M a n ypeople want tobe famous andp o p u l a r .However, youcannot makeyourself famous,no matter whatyou do. Forexample, if youtried to introduceyourself to everyonein your neighbourhoodevery time you seesomeone, they will runaway from you and may evensay you are crazy. But if you dothings which are good for yourneighbourhood and helps all yourneighbours to benefit, then they will wantto know you as they will want to find outwho did that good thing for them. This isDaoism.The highest level of Dao is to belower than everyone, not to be aboveothers. This is the principle in the DaoDe Jingby Wo DoziQi Magazine 43

How is it possible that Qigong, which follows nature’sprinciples and has been so efficacious in preventing and curingall manner of disease, can produce side-effects?Side Effects - the Inside StoryQi MattersActually Qigong is not directlyresponsible. The real culprit is thepractitioner who has either failedto follow the exercise’s principles,exercised impatience (desiring quickresults), combined too many differentmethods (internal Qi becomes confused),followed an inadequate teacher, orlearned from a book.Side-effects can include dizziness,headaches, nausea, chills in the bodyeven when the weather is warm, or hotflushes (the inability for the body tocontrol its own temperature), internalwind, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) orhearing voices, distention at the Dantianor chest, shortage of breath, numbnessof limbs, spasms (involuntary jerkingmovements while lying down),palpitation and restlessness, swelling atthe vertebrae, rushing up of Qi, leakageof Qi and emission.Positive effects of Qigong practiceinclude warmth, tingling, an electricitylikeflow within the body, heightenedsensitivity, and an allencompassingfeeling oftranquillity and wellbeing.Negativesensations includecoldness, numbness, andprickling pain etc. These,however, should not beconfused with sideeffectsas quite often thisis merely the internal Qibeing mobilised to fight the disease orclear the blockage. Any discomfort in thebody means that the Qi is not flowingsmoothly in that area. The channel needsto be opened so practice should continueunabated. After some time anyunpleasant sensations should disappearbringing forth positive sensations.Some Qigong styles emphasiseusing visualisation during meditation.Using the mind in this manner can helpconcentration, but it expends Qi while thepurpose of meditation is to store Qi. Thisis only accomplished with a calm andempty mind so it is generally best not touse visualisation. Other methodsencourage the student to mentally guideQi Magazine 44Qi alongthe Duchannel startingfrom theHuiyin pointbetween the legs upthe spine to the Baihui(crown of the head), thendown the Ren channel toLower Dantian and back toHuiyin. The object of thisis to form the Xiao ZhouTian (Small HeavenlyCircle or MicrocosmicOrbit) which is the‘Prenatal Way’. In thewomb one channel orbitsthe body and the breathing isthrough the Dantian and skin.At birth the pattern changes -breathing uses the lungs andthe channel separates to formtwo - Ren and Du. When thebody has reached a state of balancenaturally the Xiao Zhou Tian will form“If a Qigong systemhas rules they shouldbe adhered to”and Qi can move in either directionspontaneously. It should never be forcedto open. Side-effects of this include thefeeling of sickness, pressure at the backof the head, nervousness, or coldness atthe kidneys.Some books mention “press thetongue to the roof of the mouth” toconnect the Ren and Du channels. Iftaken literally pressing the tongueupwards in this manner will cause it tobecome rigid, and could lead to speechimpediment. There should be no tensionwhatsoever anywhere in the body duringmovement or meditation. When themouth is closed the tongue shouldnaturally touch the upper palate justbehind the teeth. It does notneed to be emphasised.Some booksalso mention “raisethe anus” to closethe Huiyin point toprevent Qi leaking.The principle is correct intheory but the method iswrong and can lead to boweland bladder problems such asincontinence or constipation. Apreferable method is to gentlysqueeze the toes, which tightensthe thighs and buttocks and closesthe Huiyin safely. The seated Lotusposition also serves the samepurpose; keeping the Qi in theupper body to nourish theinternal organs.If a Qigong system has itsrules they should be adhered to withno deviation in order to avoid side effects.Hard Qigong, for example, creates heatin the body and raises thespirit. Failure to meditate,which restores the balance,will lead to an aggressive oreuphoric state which, inturn, will lead tohyperactivity and nervousness.Side-effects canusually be corrected eitherby yourself (adjusting theposture, breathing, or mental state, orchanging to a more suitable method ofpractice altogether), your teacher (whocan direct you to the source of theproblem) or Qi transmission from aQigong master (to restore theimbalance). If you were learning from abook or video and are experiencing anyQigong side-effects you should suspendall practice until you can find a teacher.With a safe method and aqualified teacher you should never haveto experience any side-effectswhatsoever from practice, and only enjoythe positive effects and benefits for therest of your lifeby Adam Wallaceemail adam@qimagazine.com

This issue we will talk about your bed. Feng Shui is about your environmentwhere you live and how to find a place that is good for your energy. If your energy isgood and strong, then your life will be good and your future as well.Feng Shui and the BedroomThere are two points that you needto consider. One part is all theobjects you can see and these canbe things like mountains, rivers etc., evensmall things, like tables, doors, bed etc.It also includes things you cannot seewhich is related to how the energyradiates in nature, e.g. magnetic fields,stars, the energy from the sun andmoon, the time of day, the monthand the year. This energy affectsus all so much.If you want tolearn anything, ittakes some timeto study.Som ethi ngthat seemsquite smallcan have ani m p o r t a n teffect onyour life, likeyour bed,you need tolearn how tomake it rightfor your energy.This is important, as yourbed is a part of your life. Everybodyneeds to go to bed at night. If youdo not have any money to get abed, then of course this is not good.For example, consider homelesspeople who have to sleep in thestreet. The streets are cold, wet anddirty. No matter how much you coveryourself up, you will get cold. This isbecause the Earth’s energy will take yourbody’s energy. When anything dies andlies on the ground, the Earth energybreaks it down, or decomposes it so thatit can become part of the earth. Soanything that is not protected will begiven negative energy to break it down.Things like plants can take this energy tohelp them grow and then animals andpeople can eat them as their food.So you should not sleep on theground, or in the street. Even sleepingon the floor at home is not good becauseif you are too close to the ground it willtake your energy. If you have to do that,then you must keep your body warmenough to protect you from the dampand cold, to stop it coming to your body,otherwise while you are sleeping you willbe ill. Heat is good as it can protect yourA soft bed offers no support“Feng Shuiis about yourenvironment,where you live”body. For example, ifyou go camping it isimportant to keepyourself warm so youdo not get cold whilstyou are sleeping.Otherwise you willlose the feeling withthe environmentaround you until it isvery cold and by thenyou will already beweak.It is the samesituation when yousleep on the floor atyour friend’s house.Sometimes when you have to stay at yourfriends, there are often too many peopleand not enough beds, so you have tosleep on the floor. Then you have to makesure that you are warm enough while yousleep, otherwise the next day you will beill.Now let’s talk about your bed andhow it affects your energy.1. If your bed is too soft, it will affectyour bones and blood circulation. You willfeel weak and tired and will not haveenough energy.2. If the bed is hard, then it is goodfor your bones and circulation and givesyour body support. Your energy will bestrong. Usually, the majority of people areused to soft beds and armchairs as theythink they are more comfortable.However, these are not good for yourbody. The morecomfort you havethe more lazy youbecome and youwill feel tired,sleepy and loseyour energy.When you changeyour bed to a hardone, you may findit difficult to sleepand might evenfind your bonesSleeping on the groundis not recommendedFeng ShuiQi Magazine 45

and joints hurt. This is because of thepressure of the bone and skin against thebed. In the west it is rare to find amattress made out of wood. Whenpeople sleep on a wooden bed, there issome space between the body and thebed. This means the air can pass throughand this is good for your circulation. It isalso good for supporting your bones. Thebody really needs support, not comfort.Furniture that is too comfortable willmake you lazy and bring down yourenergy. Actually the body needs supportnot comfort.3. If a bed is too low this is also notgood. This will make you feel that youalways want to sleep andnot want to wake up.A bed that is too high will effect your sleepingPlants will help to improve the energy“Your bed is a bigpart of your life andwill affect you agreat deal”This is the same case as beforewhen your body is too close to theground and so the Earth will takeyour energy, even though you arecovered with blankets or duvets. Ifyou sleep on a bed like this or evenjust a mattress on the floor, then thisis no good for your body.4. If your bed is too high thenthis is no good for sleeping as well.This bed will create bad dreams.Sometime we will imagine manythings and this is because the body isnot grounded, it is like it is hanging inmid-air. So, what is the right height?It should be two and a half feet. Nothigher than two and a half feet highand not lower than two feet,including the mattress.5. If your bedroom has nowindows, or you always sleep withthe windows closed, then this isalso no good for your health.When we sleep we breathenaturally (since you don’t do anythingelse). With no fresh air you might havebad dreams and will feel tired the nextday. This is because it will affect yourkidney energy. So you should make surethere is enough fresh air coming into yourbedroom. If the weather is cold, youshould cover yourself with enoughblankets or a good duvet to make sureyou are warm enough while you sleepand so do not catch cold. If the weatheris warm, then things are easier.6. If outside your bedroom it is verynoisy or the air is not good, you can tryopening anther window in your homeand keeping the bedroom door openinstead. You can put a glass of water nextto your bed or even some plants aroundyour bedroom. This will help the makethe energy good for you bedroom.Next issue, we will look at moreelements that will help to create goodFeng Shui and help you to avoid badenergyby Michael TseQi Magazine 46

Healthy Living GongInstructors Course Part 2Part 2