IN-PERSON CLASSES
The first part of the adventure involves meditation and qigong. This allows us to gain experience of our own energy body, its strengths and deficits. We come to know ourselves on a deeper level. The experience of clearing one’s own channels can later be reproduced in others. After developing some energy it’s time to use it!
The second phase is where the fun begins. We could call it application, or validation. Validation of our understanding of the energetic concepts which is gained only through experience, not the intellect. What I mean is, no amount of reading or talking about this will result in any actual knowledge. There is a difference between knowledge and information. The energetic applications we will focus on are two-fold:
Hands-on healing
Kung Fu!
To explore this we will undertake a new kind of class. Something that has never been done before. Most of our time will be spent exploring the energetics of hands-on healing and the internal martial arts. An early emphasis will be on how to protect yourself, not only in a self-defense situation but perhaps more usefully while providing hands-on healing. I am not such an accomplished martial artist. I don’t teach anyone how to deal with weapons and so on, but the risk of becoming depleted or energetically deranged are real for all of us. If you touch people all day there is great risk. This is one of the chief reasons many leave hands-on healing careers. With touch boundaries diminish and energy moves. This is understood in many Eastern traditions. The self-protective effect of this training carries over into daily life.
The first test is learning to stand while receiving a small force (this is an expression of hun yuan whole-body or, integrated strength). Can you maintain your balance and position without using muscles to resist? Neither can you collapse. Is there a third option? This is the beginning of learning. There is a third way of responding to force. Whether practicing qigong or internal martial arts with a partner, you should feel good, like you have had a gentle adjustment or acupuncture treatment but also, you have been mildly exercising in a gentle way for a long time. The mind clears and expands. We reach equanimity with our emotions.
Whether one’s interest is in healing or martial art, these are but a means to an end. We use these practices to learn how we function on an energetic level. This knowledge can then be used in any endeavor to reach our full potential.
