Music and Taoist Meditation

If you the route to your soul is music, then you should consider some of the tracks mentioned in the recent blog entry on Qigong Healing Arts, The Timing, Location and Music for Qigong Meditation and Exercise Practices</a>.  Some of the music is classical, some has flutes, one album has chakra chanting, and some are electronic.  There are also tips on creating a sanctuary and a special time for doing your meditations and exercises.

I find that music helps me develop inner focus and makes my practice more effective.  If there are other noises around your home or practice area, it can help counteract the effect and make a more tranquil practice environment.  Create a special time for your practice each day that allows you to do your qigong or tai chi is a relaxed so you will feel more energy developing from your energy work.  Disconnect from the mind and feel the energy!

New Site Qigong Healing Arts

I have found a new site which focuses on qigong healing practices.  This site:

http://www.qigonghealingarts.org

focuses on practices that help improve your general energy, resistance to disease and helps recovery from specific conditions.  This site also has referenced information regarding specific uses of certain qigong practices.  The first entry discusses the use of a standing meditation and mentions its use to improve the immune system and its use in recovery from cancer.

Bruce Frantzis

I have taken classes with Bruce Kumar Frantzis many times in the past. Because I now live in Costa Rica, I don't have many opportunities to attend one of his inspiring workshops where he teaches the basics and advanced skills in the energy arts of qigong, tai chi and ba gua. I still follow his new publications, practice the dragon-tiger form as he teaches it and study his works regularly. If you are interested in finding a genuine lineage master that can explain complicated Taoist concepts, I don't believe that there is anyone better in the U.S. He has a website called Energyarts.com.

Chan Buddhism

There are aspects of Taoism within the practice of Chan Buddhism that have become inculcated over the centuries. As a part of my study of the religious practices of China, as they relate to Taoism, I found that the Chinese character for Buddhist means both "human" and "not."  This means that they can do what humans can do, and they can also do what humans cannot - or they have capailities that are beyond normal human reach.  The traditional translation of a Buddha is "the awakened one," however I believe that the additional interpretation of this word, found within the Chinese character, adds depth of meaning.

If you are interested in the roots of Zen Buddhism, I encourage you to visit the link provided above.  Part of the discussion within this page regard the practices and beliefs that were of Taoist origin in China millenia before the introduction of Buddhism from India by Bodhidarma. It is within the context (or gestalt) of this dynamic presence of Taoism that Buddhism developed as a part of the religious practices of China. Within this research page, you will find information about the history of development of Chan Buddhism and information about lineages that developed after the lineage of the sixth patriarch, Hui-Neng.

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Qigong Breath Exercises

I logged in to the energyarts.com site the other day and go a nice present - a freebie instructional on learning how to breathe diaphragmatically in the Taoist manner. Anyone can get it. If you are interested in changing your breathing so that you can improve your health, I highly suggest signing in to this site that doesn't send a lot of annoying emails like other sites. And the information is good. Bruce Frantzis is a qigong, tai chi, ba gua, and taoist mediation lineage holder, one of the few masters in the U.S. that can actually explain what embodied Taoism is.

Tai chi

In addition to Dragon-Tiger chi gung, I practice a short form of Yang style tai chi that has about 10 movements.  I have had experience with other forms, having several sessions with a talented teacher of the 37-form Yang style taught by Chen Man-Ch'ing, but have not been able to fully complete learning the form.  The 10-movement form takes only a few minutes to do and it allows you to experience the circularity of the movements, flow and it gives me the ability to experiment or "play" with the movements internally. 

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Tai Chi and Bone Loss Study

Excerpt from:
http://www.friendsofvista.org/articles/article56594.html

......But, no matter how you slice it, research is indicating that Tai Chi may be a “very” effective multi-level beneficial therapy for women. A Chinese study reported in the December 2004 “Physician and Sportsmedicine” found that tai chi could retard bone loss among postmenopausal women significantly. Bone mineral density was measured before and after the study period. Both groups experienced general bone loss, but the rate of bone loss for the Tai Chi group was less than in the control group. In fact, the Tai Chi practicing group of women slowed bone loss by 2.6 to 3.6 times more. The study reported, “Bone loss was 2.6 to 3.6 times slower (p
Back in 1999, before these studies began showing that Tai Chi may actually improve bone density, or at the least dramatically slow bone loss, the “Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery’s” 1999; 7:19-31, reported that “…Coupled with drug therapy should be a comprehensive approach to exercise and fall prevention. Stretching, strengthening, impact, and balance exercises are effective. Of the balance exercises, tai chi chuan has proved to be the most successful in decreasing falls..” This was because falling injuries are a grave health risk for all aging Americans, but given the dangers of osteoporosis for women, an especially important concern.

Standing Qigong Link

I have created a Squidoo Page on standing qigong, which is also called standing meditation or zhan zhuang. I put a lot of work into it and have experience practicing this qigong form for many years. If you practice it, your strength and endurance will improve. It will improve your other qigong practices because it will help open up energy blockages. At the end of the article, there are recommended books which will support your practice and answer questions you may have.

http://www.squidoo.com/standing-qigong

Effect of external qi healing on knee osteoarthritis

Clin Rheumatol. 2008 Dec;27(12):1497-505. Epub 2008 Jul 25.Click here to read Click here to read Links
Effects of external qigong therapy on osteoarthritis of the knee. A randomized controlled trial.
Chen KW, Perlman A, Liao JG, Lam A, Staller J, Sigal LH.

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA. kchen@compmed.umm.edu

The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy of external qigong therapy (EQT), a traditional Chinese medicine practice, in reducing pain and improving functionality of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). One hundred twelve adults with knee OA were randomized to EQT or sham treatment (control); 106 completed treatment and were analyzed. Two therapists performed EQT individually, five to six sessions in 3 weeks. The sham healer mimicked EQT for the same number of sessions and duration. Patients and examining physician were blinded. Primary outcomes were Western Ontario MacMaster (WOMAC) pain and function; other outcomes included McGill Pain Questionnaire, time to walk 15 m, and range of motion squatting. Results of patients treated by the two healers were analyzed separately. Both treatment groups reported significant reduction in WOMAC scores after intervention. Patients treated by healer 2 reported greater reduction in pain (mean improvement -25.7 +/- 6.6 vs. -13.1 +/- 3.0; p < 0.01) and more improvement in functionality (-28.1 +/- 9.7 vs. -13.2 +/- 3.4; p < 0.01) than those in sham control and reduction in negative mood but not in anxiety or depression. Patients treated by healer 1 experienced improvement similar to control. The results of therapy persisted at 3 months follow-up for all groups. Mixed-effect models confirmed these findings with controlling for possible confounders. EQT might have a role in the treatment of OA, but our data indicate that all EQT healers are not equivalent. The apparent efficacy of EQT appears to be dependent on some quality of the healer. Further study on a larger scale with multiple EQT healers is necessary to determine the role (if any) of EQT in the treatment of OA and to identify differences in EQT techniques.