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July 4, 2005
More Qigong FAQ
A gentleman from San Francisco emailed me with four qigong-related questions. My responses follow each of his questions.
"I just purchased your whole Animal Frolic DVD set and the book. I am extremely impressed and extremely enthused about the whole venture. You did a wonderful job in creating them and your calm, benevolent energy is in clear evidence. Four questions arose for me though, and I would be honored if you might find a moment to respond, especially to the first two.
First, is there a regimen you could recommend for what sequence or combination to do the Animal Frolics in. Would you do only Crane in the summer, Bear in winter, etc. Would you mix them in a single day, or go through all four each week--one or two a day? I'm just looking for a sense of how to proceed. I assume it's a very personal thing, but can you generalize about how most people settle in to a daily practice?”
Answer:
The traditional Five Animal Frolics sequence goes Crane, Bear, Monkey, Deer and Tiger. You can do them all through in one session if you have the time, you can break them up through your day, doing one or two animals per session, or you could do a different animal each day.
If you feel you need to concentrate on a particular organ system, like the kidneys (The Bear) then by all means concentrate on that either any time or all the more during the Winter season.
You also have the Bliss Qigong program, which is a stand-alone, separate from the Animal Frolics. I recommend doing this first thing in the morning and in the early evening. The Bliss Qigong program is a good one to commit to as a daily practice. You make it relatively short, ten minutes, or extend it to about half an hour.
Bottom line, as you say it is very personal, but for best results commit to be a very regular daily practice or you will most likely lose your momentum.
“Second, I teach 4th grade at a public school in San Francisco. I do small tidbits of meditation and yoga with the kids each day. I think that developing an energetic/emotional intelligence is as important as learning math. Have you heard of people using the Animal Frolics with kids? I'm pretty intrigued by the idea.”
Answer:
I have taught the Animal Frolics to Fifth and Eighth graders with some success. Definitely worth giving it a shot!
“Third, do you know of anybody in the San Francisco Bay Area that leads group practice based on your version of the forms. I would love to do these things with other folks.”
I recommend to check out a very knowledgeable and skilled qigong practitioner, Michael Mayer in the Bay Area. He has extensive experience and interest in the Animal Frolics, although he teaches a different style than I do, I believe. He has a great new book out called Secrets to Living Younger Longer. Check him out at www.bodymindhealing.com. His phone is 510-849-2878 and his email is drmichael@bodymindhealing.com.
“Fourth, and I hope this one isn't insulting...it is meant in the spirit of honest inquiry. Some of the other Dragon Door materials seem a little...I don't know...brutish and paramilitary for the lack of a better description. The information on how to kill and maim seem a bit out of keeping with the gentle, life-affirming spiritual nature of Qigong. I'm not naive, not necessarily even a pacifist (though it would be nice if everybody was...but this brings us back to "I'm not naive"), but I wonder whether or not you see these as complementary or sort of separate endeavors under one--Dragon Door--roof.
It just brings up some confusion for me. I understand the concept of the enlightened warrior, but some of the catalog materials seem to be based entirely on the physical level divorced from heart involvement or spiritual input. I suppose this question will see me dismissed as a "nut from San Francisco," but I am genuinely interested in hearing how they go together. We San Franciscans can be quite open-minded, and I'm asking with an open mind on the subject.”
Answer:
You’d be surprised at how many Special Forces and other “hard types” – including my author Pavel, have responded very favorably to qigong for many of the benefits it gives them: energy, stress-reduction, joint health (huge) and strengthening from the iron shirt practices.
You’d also be surprised, perhaps, to discover how many of the hard types are also very spiritual people.
That said, there is a reason we have established two catalogs for Dragon Door: Hard-Style and Vitalics. My personal interests lie more with the development of health and inner peace, which is reflected in Vitalics. I see tremendous value, on the other hand, in the strength information we publish. An indication of the information’s value is reflected in the high number of customers we have whose life depends on their physical strength-skills.
Personally, for instance, I have benefited greatly from complementing my qigong practice with kettlebells and Pavel’s strength training concepts.
See all of John Du Cane’s qigong resources.
Posted by james at July 4, 2005 6:21 AM