About Taoist Qigong & Meditation
 

Taoists found that as the mind and body are not separate, in order for a human being to become relaxed, open and healthy, it is important to work with both the mind, body and their energies.

Otherwise, they found that in practise body tensions tend to block the opening of the mind, and energetic, mental and emotional tensions tend to block the health and energy of the body.  Equally, they found that doing practises only sitting down (as is often the case in meditation classes) frequently leads to drowsiness, stagnation, weak energy and passivity; whilst just moving often leads to a lack of calmness, stability and relaxation.

Consequently, practices consisit of sitting, standing and movement, yielding a balanced and integrated approach to give you the best possible chance of realising the aims of Taoist practise – to become more relaxed, open, balanced and healthy, enabling the spirit to open naturally.  

If the nerves, energy and mind are sufficiently calm and smooth, it becomes much easier to open directly to the mind through Taoist Meditation. Here we learn to relax the flow of thoughts and the energy of the mind until we become present to the natural relaxed openness underlying and illuminating all experience, and we find ourselves being ligher, more present and spontaneous in ourselves and with others.

Foundation Practices

In my experience, these practices form the ideal foundation in the Internal Arts for most people. They get you into the heart of the Internal Arts more quickly than Tai Chi alone, or can very usefully be learned in combination with Tai Chi. The practices complement each other exceptionally well, providing a combination or 'synergy' of techniques and approaches, and produce the smoothest progress towards developing your health and energy when done together.
 

1. Taoist Natural Breathing

2. Standing Energy Postures

3. Cloud Hands & Natural Swings

4. Qigong for the Joints & Spine (The Marriage of Heaven & Earth Neigong)

5. Medical Qigong for the Meridians (Dragon & Tiger Qigong)
 

Tai Chi

Tai chi is the best known of the Internal Arts.

At O.I.A. I teach the Wu Style of Tai Chi as passed down by Master B.K. Frantzis. Master Frantzis’ teacher lived and studied with the founder of the Wu Style as his formal disciple, and was regarded in taoist circles as one of the great Taoist masters and Tai Chi masters of the 20th century. He passed on his lineage to Mr. Frantzis and one other person.

At best, the Foundation Practices are learned before learning the Tai Chi form. Frantzis found this approach enabled him to learn much more easily, quickly and completely than students who went straight into learning the Tai Chi form, and found that most Internal Arts masters in China concurred in this experience.



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