DATE CHANGE FOR OCT: Drop-In Qi Gong: 10/23

Hello, I am moving the October practice from the first Sunday (Oct 2) to Oct. 23 due to a conference. I hope to see you Sunday, Oct. 23, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT on zoom. Join the qi gong email list! Or click here or go to https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/513664738 

September 22 marked the autumn equinox and moving to the Fall season.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), five elements outline the relationship between the different elements in nature and the life force, or “qi,” that flows through them. The basic elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element is closely affiliated with two organs and their energetic meridians.

FALL: METAL ELEMENT, LUNG and LARGE INTESTINE: Fall is associated with the Metal element, which relates to the Lung and Large Intestine organs. The large intestine functions to “let go” of toxins and waste products our bodies no longer need to function. The large intestine channel/meridian/pathway is Yang of the upper limbs and important when the mind or spirit is “constipated” or “backed up.”  In contrast, the lungs are Yin of the upper limbs and it is said it cools down the fire of emotions. The lungs enable us to take in the air of the autumn months, which helps to nourish and enrich our bodies. The lungs and the large intestine work as a team to keep the body healthy. One gets rid of waste (large intestine), while the other brings in nourishment (lungs).

AUTUMNAL TRANSITIONS

For some, autumn marks the balance point between summer and winter, between the longest and the shortest. Fall means moving from the longest day of the year in summer and moving towards the shortest day of the year of winter. During the autumn months, one might consider how things are winding down and life is preparing for hibernation. One qi gong practitioner wrote: “Autumn is the time of year when we tend to let go of the things that no longer serve us. Just as the leaves fall from the trees in the autumn months, so too should we let go of the things, physical or mental, that bog us down. Metal, the descending Qi, is at its fullest. Fire, the expansive Qi, which has been waning since midsummer, is done for the year. Water, the inwards Qi, is birthed.”

SUGGESTED THINGS YOU CAN DO: (with the caveat that this is not medical advice and work with your body in the best way that supports your health)

  • Opening moves of Wild Goose I: Practice the opening moves (see video), and pay attention to the points on the Large Intestine and Lung Meridians. As you open your wings in the first move, consider energy moving from nose, to clavicle, to deltoid, along outside of arm to bend of elbow to Hegu (Large Intestine 4) to pointer finger. Consider opening the chest and Lung 1 as you open your wings in the opening move.
  • Push/Pull: Exhale, push out and let go. Inhale, pull in, and bring in nourishment.
  • Deep breathing to help keep the metal element balanced: This practice can help strengthen the lung and calm the mind. When you practice deep breathing, focus on the abdomen. The abdomen should expand when inhaling and it should deflate when exhaling. For some, placing a hand on the belly helps with the awareness of the abdomen expanding and deflating.
  • Open the nose and sinuses: You might also consider Large Intestine 20 (just outside the widest part of nose. Use your pinkies and gently press into the groove on either side of your nostrils and hold.  You may also find that moving your pinkies in gentle circles while holding the point to be comforting.  If a stronger treatment is desired, place your thumbs on LI20 and your finger tips on your brow and let the weight of your head to press into your thumbs.
  • Eating foods color specific to the two energetic meridians: Things like onions, turnips, cauliflower, egg whites, apples, potatoes and pears are all good examples of white foods that can help boost or tonify the energy of the lung and large intestine meridians.
Li-4-web

I hope to see you in a few weeks on 10/23 at 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT online.  

Join the qi gong email list! Or click here or go to https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/513664738 

STARTING THIS SUNDAY: 9/4 – LIVE ONLINE QI GONG: 1ST SUNDAYS

Join us!

WHAT IS QI GONG?

A mindful movement called qi gong (pronounced chee-gong) is an ancient and contemporary Chinese exercise that combines movement, breathing, awareness, and body posture. Qi Gong is connecting to, working with, and cultivating qi (energy or life force). We do this by stretching and moving the body to open the energy pathways known as meridians or channels. 

WHAT IS QI

Qi is energy or life force and is in everything and everyone.  Nothing is without qi unless it is dead.  In positivist research, qi is framed and measured as electromagnetic energy.  In Chinese epistemology,  The character for qi includes many elements — the steam rising from a pot of boiling liquid, the cooking rice, and the pot.  This Chinese character indicates something more layered and complex than energy to be measured.

I look forward to practicing qi gong with you during the live online sessions.  We will meet on first Sundays, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT online.  

Join the qi gong email list! Or click here or go to https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/513664738 on the first Sunday at 10 a.m.PT.

All abilities and bodies are welcome. No experience necessary.  

Offered in the spirit of generosity. Donations accepted for community partner.

If you have to come late or leave early, you are still welcome to join.

For AARP-CA AAPIDA heritage month, short video talking about ancestors, trauma, resilience qi gong and cancer:

Live Online Qi Gong: 1st Sundays

For summer 2022, I look forward to practicing qi gong with you during the live online sessions.  We will meet on first Sundays, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT online. Join the qi gong email list! Or click here or go to https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/513664738 on the first Sunday at 10 a.m.. All abilities and bodies are welcome. No experience necessary.   Offered in the spirit of generosity. Donations accepted for community partner. If you have to come late or leave early, you are still welcome.

Live Online Qi Gong: 1st Sundays

Starting Feb. 6…. The year of the tiger

For the Spring 2022 semester, I look forward to practicing qi gong with you during the live online sessions.  We will meet on first Sundays, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT online from February through June.   Click here or go to https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/513664738. All abilities and bodies are welcome. No experience necessary.  Join the qi gong email list!

Our focus will be on Wild Goose I and the 3 Dan Tians. Wild Goose Qi Gong is a moving set from the Kunlun Daoist tradition. Starting close to 30 years ago, I was so lucky to learn from Paul Li and Dr. Bingkun Hu and they learned from the 27th lineage holder Yang Mei Jun. For more information about the set and Yang Mei Jun, go to here: https://www.wildgooseqigong-uk.com/

For a preview of first section of Wild Goose, click below:

VAGUS NERVE and 3 DAN TIANS

Admittedly, I was overwhelmed this past week because I was managing sciatica and preparing for the new semester among many other dynamics in life. As we encounter life’s challenges such as the Omicron variant, contaminated water, cancer, job insecurity, the carceral state, or eldercare, how do we ground ourselves and stay centered and connected?

The vagus nerve connects the brain and the nervous system. Breathing and moving may tone our vagal nerve, kick in the relaxation response and move us out of “fight/flight/freeze.”   Interestingly, traditional Chinese medicine for 1000s of years has conceptualized the vagus nerve as the 3 dan tians. Several studies have suggested that Tai Chi and Qi Gong stimulate the vagal nerve and/or activate the parasympathetic system/relaxation response. (Gerritsen, 2018; Lu and Kuo, 2004, etc.)

We will work with interconnection of our 3 dan tians or vagus nerve. 

The qi gong is offered in the spirit of generosity and donations are accepted for our community partner, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI). Similar to qi gong, IM4HI invites us to envision and manifest a world where we are interconnected. As we hold our interconnections with hope and uncertainty,  let us breathe and move together. 

Please invite friends and family. Come when you can– even if you join later or if you have to leave early.

May our qi gong practice be for the benefit of all, with no exceptions.  I hope to see you on first Sundays, starting in February 2022.

Be well,
Kathy