Methods
qi gong
“When it (the Qi) goes down it becomes quiet. When it becomes quiet it will concentrate. When it becomes concentrated it will begin to sprout. After it has sprouted it will grow. As it grows, it will rise up (to the upper regions). When it has risen up it will reach the crown of the head. Above, it will press against the crown of the head. Below, it will press downwards. Whoever follows this will live, whoever acts contrary to it will die.”
First document of “Dao Yin” - carved in two Jade stones about 600 b.C.
Qi Gong builds the foundation for any kind of bodywork, work with energies and martial arts. It embraces all levels of human life and of the body (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual).
Even though Qi Gong, unlike Yoga for instance, is not well known in the West, it is a very complex and complete system. Qi Gong has a history dating back thousands of years and its teachings have been passed on, through the times, from masters of many generations to their students.
In this way the methods have been proved, improved, modified and adjusted, all still serving the same purpose: to live life happily, healthy, in congruence with yourself, in harmony with others and the earth (environment).
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
– Dao de Jing 74 –
Qi Gong is a Chinese term. Qi means energy of life or life force. Gong means work or practice. So basically, Qi Gong means work with energy, to exercise the force of life.
The human body is an energetic system that is run and even created by the universal life force (Qi). In fact, all expressions of life are caused by the various motions of Qi. The natural flow of Qi through our body is what makes us alive and feel happy and healthy.
The problem is that the Western World has neither a concept nor an understanding of what the Chinese call Qi or life force. In the East it is contained in everything, from food to architecture, to art, to medicine, to daily life. In the West, even in the esoteric fields the idea of energy is often very abstract, neglecting the body and daily life. Energy is mostly seen as something mental. But as mentioned above, Gong means work - Continuous practice, connected to the body and its functions and oriented towards the betterment of day to day life.
The practice of Qi Gong is thoroughly based on our sensitivity and our ability to feel. The sensation of Qi flowing through the Body and the quality of Qi itself can be felt.
To obtain the ability to feel Qi, our senses have to sharpen and the mind has to quiet down. In our fast and stressful times, the senses are in a state of overload and therefore, most of us prefer not to feel. This is not just extremely unhealthy, it also does not allow us to live and experience our life and relations fully, in all the richness and depth. The ability to feel has nothing to do with an uprising of emotions nor does it describe a sentimental state.
It is a fine tune of the nervous system, based on a deep stillness and peacefulness. For this reason, we will exercise in a way and manner that relaxes the body deeply, removes overload from the sense organs and the charge from the nervous system.
This is why we refer to our practice as “stillness practice” and “the water way”.
Discover our Methods
TAIJIQUAN
Tai means the highest, the ultimate, the complete. Ji stands for a state of…, for principle, order or just for being. Put together we could say: a state of complete being. A principle of highest, ultimate order. Quan originally stands for fist and refers to martial arts in general, which are named Quanfa in Chinese. So, we are talking about the usage and skills of our hands. We talk about acting and action.
MEDITATION
Meditation is not sitting still, Meditation is sitting in stillness – cultivation of stillness
WEAPONS
In modern times, traditional weapons are no longer known and in use. Weapons and their usage are often and mostly associated with violence and fighting. In Daoist teaching and practice the approach is a totally different one. Here, weapons and their usage play a superior and leading role.
INNER MARTIAL ARTS
When it comes to (inner) martial arts, most people think of fighting and rough violence, physical confrontation – they see how sheer physical strength overcomes the weak violently, possibly with some tricks or magical superhuman powers. That is not at all what it is about. That’s not how we perceive things…
