Where it All Began For Me: Tai Chi Qigong

I never imagined what would come next after I learned those first few patterns.

Before there was Cosmos Qigong for me, there was Tai Chi Qigong. I began my journey in Kungfu and Qigong in another lifetime, fresh out of my undergraduate studies. I was in that boat one finds themselves in after college, where they are trying to figure out who they are when they’re no longer going to school all the time. Initially, my focus was entirely on Kungfu- I was too cool for mindfulness. But as I found myself in an increasingly difficult emotional space, I turned to Qigong as a way to help quiet down my mind and build my energy.

Ultimately this thread that I pulled on lead me to Grandmaster Wong and to Cosmos Qigong, peeling away layers of pain and depression in the process. I didn’t look backward at Tai Chi Qigong for many years. Until I had an interesting conversation with Sifu one day.

I was in acupuncture school at that time and was required to take a Qigong class as part of my schooling. Ever the negotiator, I tried to convince them to give me independent study credit for all of the Qigong practice with which I had come into the program. They didn’t budge. I had to take the class. Sifu encouraged me to treat it as a learning opportunity, even if I found the instruction (which alas, it greatly was) lacking. He said I could approach it with the skills learned in Cosmos Qigong of entering into a Qigong state and self-manifested Qi flow, apply them to what I learned in class, and see if I didn’t just practice these new styles at a much higher level. I did and it quickly became apparent that Sifu was right, and in fact I was over-training in class, as each session was two and a half hours long (yikes!).

I decided to take a trip down memory lane and returned to my old Tai Chi Qigong practice, now with 20+ years of training under my belt. I shouldn’t have been surprised at how much deeper it felt, but I was. More than anything, Tai Chi Qigong is to help those who practice Tai Chi as a martial art cultivate energy and relax their bodies for the often serpentine, whole-body movements that it calls for- its way of expressing martial power into strikes. Long before I had ever been introduced to the concept of self-manifested Qi flow, I noticed that these Qigong patterns often made me want to move my body in very fluid ways after practicing them. I suppose it’s no surprise that I took to Cosmos Qigong and its hallmark self-manifested Qi flow so enthusiastically.

Cosmos Qigong will always be my first love and I have no intention of abandoning my practice and will continue to share it with others. But sometimes exploring outside of our zone of knowledge gives us the greatest insight on what is already familiar. For those who are yearning for a greater depth in their Qi flow and a deeper understanding of how to move more freely in their bodies, the 10 exercises of Yang Style Tai Chi Qigong are a great place to start. Head to the link below and take advantage of the early registration discount through 3.10.26. Can’t wait to see you there!

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