Foundation course in teaching chi gung
Training, 27th-31st August 2008.
Ba dua jin [eight pieces of brocade]
Jham jhong [standing like a tree]
Three preliminaries for spontaneous chi flow.
Ido expect that this will attract people who have no immediate intention to start teaching chi gung. For those who already do teach something-whether taoist, yogic or any movement art- or might plan to in the future, it's a foundation in fundamental chi gung: if there is a basic chi gung set, it is the eight pieces of brocade. Standing postures form part of all taoist movement arts and the three preliminaries provide a unique bridge between form and no form.
The overall picture and effect that is going to be transmitted is this very subtle but essential balance between form and no form. This can be understood either directly in the chi or it can be learnt gradually in personal practice where it is undertaken with and without goal.
Anyone in any state of health can learn the 8 brocades. It is a set that provides a really excellent introduction to chi gung and is perhaps the most accessible bridge for yoga teachers and practitioners.
Anyone in any state of health can learn the 8 brocades. It is a set that provides a really excellent introduction to chi gung and is perhaps the most accessible bridge for yoga teachers and practitioners
The 3 preliminaries [each has a specific name] I learnt originally from Jimsi So who learnt them directly from the Grand Sahaolin Master Wong Kiew Kit in Malaysia about 15years ago. I then met with Sifu Wong for a short time in London. Of all his substantial repertoire, this is the set he made most accessible to people as it has great potential to induce spontaneous chi flow.
In terms of health benefits, standing has the potential to really enhance the body’s systems and opens us to the potential of quantic healing - if we properly understand the quality of mind to bring to the practice. This mind quality can be cultivated through personal practice of these forms.
This training is open to members of the 100 days and members of Tatatao who have attended at least 4 weekends at the Zen Dojo de Lyon. It is also open to any experienced practitioners of chi gung considering offering or integrating this particular method of teaching and training into an existing personal practice or teaching programme.
With its emphasis on harmonious movement, building health and creating a strong foundation for lifelong practice leading to tranquility, it will integrate well with yoga, any of the tai chi ch’uan styles and any style of chi gung. It will also be of great interest to those who wish to deepen their understanding of the chi gung methods that have been offered by Ram over the years regardless of any desire to teach in the foreseeable future.
Nature of the training
The aim of the training will be to bring practitioners to a precise understanding of the eight pieces of brocade, the three spontaneous preliminaries as well as 5 basic standing postures including wu chi. Warm ups will also be covered in some detail, examining their specific application to the overall dynamic that is established in a class.
We will establish a correct understanding of these particular forms and how they make a stable foundation for learning new forms and for teaching other forms already known but now with deeper insight into mechanics, energetics and universal principles.
Attendees will learn precise alignments of each move and of each posture looking at each movement or posture from the perspective of body alignment, remedial or regenerative effects and general energetics. We will study a precise way to practice each set and look at how very subtle shifts in emphasis can lead the chi to behave in specific ways.
We will look at how to teach each set. How to ensure that each set is correctly learnt by others. How to adjust postures and movements. The basic energetic pathways and merits of each posture or move.
We will establish personal practice based on these forms in order to deepen the understanding of the underlying universal principles which, if correctly understood and applied, make all meditation, be it in movement or stillness, yoga or chi gung, an effortless and supremely effcient practice.
How to integrate the water method with spontaneous chi release. How to set up and work with a collective chi field. How to manage group dynamics. Teaching skills will be examined and refined.
The course will provide a syllabus that attendees can use as a foundation for their own practice as well as provide a series of classes or short seminars. Attendees will be expected to work on their own as well as with other students.
The training will require diligent attention and hard work with long working days anticipated in order to cover the proposed syllabus in some detail. This training will deliver a very different emphasis to weekend and residential retreats, aiming at refinement and in depth learning.
Dates and pricing
The cost of the course will be £335 (€425). It will begin on the evening of 27th August and will end before lunch on 31st August.
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