Qigong – Meditation – Breath Work
Are you battling stress? Anxiety? Lack of focus? Maybe you have asthma or got through COVID but still suffer from chronic fatigue. Things can feel overwhelming in our overly busy world. There is a powerful connection between mindful self care and a daily life marked by resilience and vitality. Modern science continues to affirm that practices dating back over two thousand years remain as relevant today as they’ve ever been. Slow the body.. Attend to the breath.. Calm the mind.. Open the heart.
Qigong? What’s that?
Qigong (pronounced roughly “chee gung”) is a broad term encompassing a collection of internal martial arts disciplines. Across these disciplines we find methods to work with (“gong”) our energy (“qi”). In practice, Qigong is a slow, meditative, mindful movement practice that improves one’s mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intention. This produces a mind/body response that is at once relaxing and energizing. The science is steadily catching up, validating benefits which have been known by practitioners for centuries. Perhaps most notable here in the West is Harvard Medical School’s resounding recommendation for these time tested methods.
In addition to helping me recover from a freak accident during a blood donation that did not completely resolve with physical therapy, the practices became my calm in the storms of life well before the pandemic and continue to sustain me. They can help you too! I lead multiple classes weekly (mostly at the Y). I find the energy of my groups invigorating but also have a library of resources freely available to help you bring a personal practice into your daily life.
Qigong styles are many and diverse. The live sessions and archived recordings out on the YouTube channel span a wide variety of traditions but are grounded in the principles and practices of Long White Cloud Qigong. In April 2022, I suspended my live stream membership program and returned to in person teaching for the Kettle Moraine District YMCA in southeast Wisconsin, teaching Mindful Movement, Meditation, and a bit of Senior Fitness at both West Bend branches as well as the branch in Saukville. This web site now serves mostly as a resource to my class participants at the Y. Classes recorded (mostly during the pandemic are now freely available on my YouTube channel