If you are like me you love to talk about your love of Spring Forest Qigong to others, if they like it or not.

I was wondering, what do you tell them when they ask.. "What IS qigong?"

Do you hit them over the head with TCM phrases and Taoist ideology? or do you go the route of "It's like meditation but you wave your arms around slowly.." or "You've heard of Tai Chi right? Well it's like that.."

Master Lin started out in the US by saying "Come learn Chinese Breathing Techniques."

How do you describe to your TCM clueless friends or family or people you come in contact with whom you feel would benefit from learning SFQ?

For me I kind of mix basic TCM ideas about blocked energy and how qigong is a way to open blocked energy pathways. But I can kind of tell from their expression that I might as well be talking about crystals and chakras and lunar eclipses.
Oh well. Any ideas?



JEFF

haha its interesting to explain it to people, first of all don't even worry if they approve of qigong or not.

My folks often asked me why bother doing such slow movements... Do some real exercise! ahhaha

I tell them to feel my hands, and they know somethings going on, then i explain to them its training your awareness and consciousness to purify and create efficiency for the body.

I then tell them that the idea is create a harmony of the body mind through breathing.

the joke is now my parents are actually interested in qigong, my dad is using some basic joint exercise and combining them with breath techniques

Rather than telling them what it is...

I usually ask them if I could show them some simple exercises and guided meditations they could do themselves, that would help their focus, school work, alleviate pain, improve their relationships, and heal their body as well as helping others heal - would they be interested?

If they are, I'd relate it to Tai Chi (since they're probably already familiar with that), and talk about how they are both good for the body, and that Tai Chi's root is as a martial art, where Qigong's is healing.

I'd talk about how everything being made up of Qi, and that there isn't anything solid about them - If they looked with better and better microscopes, they'd see it's all just energy, in a certain space, time, and speed.

Qi has an energy and message component to it, and the reason your body is how it is and isn't. Sometimes the message can get mixed up or damaged through inappropriate medicine, the weather, emotions, etc. and gets out of balance. Spring Forest Qigong assists healing at that energy/message level, bringing the body back into balance through simple movements, visualizations, breathing, sounds, and the mind.

Would you like me to show you a simple exercise that in one hour, healed my wife's of 4 years of permanent disability?

Much Love,


Shawn

Yes, I like that, I'll use that one next time. It is best for them to have an experience that opens their understanding.

I know many people who can benefit from SFQ. I gave one recently the free DVD from Learning Strategies. But I think it would be best to get them to try something out.

Thanks Shawn.

JEFF

I usually tell people that I do health exercises. If they show any further interest, I say that they are gentle exercises that clear my mind and emotions.

If I know the person is open to different ideas, I will tell them more.

Aloha JefferyC,

My example was to get off explaining what it is and going right to what it does and if it sounds like something they'd like in their life.

Much Love, Shawn

Qigong is simply healing and enlightment, getting in touch with our inner selves, if that is something they would like to explore then they are ready for it.

Joy

I always thought of qigong as existing in levels. First is breathing exercise, then energy exercise then vehicle for spiritual enlightenment.

The thing is to keep it simple, and speak to their listening - their language and point of reference.

If "getting in touch with their inner selves," and enlightenment is where they are coming from, start there. If they are a martial artist, or someone with more of an analytical perspective, you can chunk it into levels and components.

If you talk about what possibilities it brings to a person's health, relationships, focus, and assists them in being able to live life more fully - that would be of interest to us all to find out more.


Much Love, Shawn

What is Qigong?

It is plenty good stuff.

K

I tell people it's very similar to Tai Chi, except that instead of a few dozen movements done one after the other, it is one movement repeated over and over for a period of time. Then I tell them that, like Tai Chi, it is a form of moving meditation that calms the mind and relaxes and re-energizes the body.

If they're still curious I show them one movement and invite them to try it with me. I have them notice how their internal dialogue slows down because they're concentrating so hard on coordinating the movements and timing them with their breathing that they don't have so much time to talk to themselves. The people I've spoken to have responded to that approach.

Going into details about chakras and chi is usually more detail than people want, and I've found it tends to put them off a little.

That's a good description and its pretty much how I see it too.