How Do I Keep My Awareness for Jumping Around?
One of the major goals of standing qigong is to develop a strong downward flow that clears stagnant energy out of your system and strengthens your natural restorative abilities. When you begin to work...
View ArticleLearning to Use Your Kwa in Tai Chi
In this “office hours” post, Nate asked me about kwa work in Tai Chi. Specifically, we were looking at movements where you squat in a front stance. The question is figuring out how low to go and why....
View ArticleMy Favorite Breathing Hack
The Wall Test is one of my favorite “breathing hacks” — a simple, fast exercise you can do to get feedback on how well you are breathing. Check out this instruction in this video and try it for...
View ArticleHow to Get More Flexible without Adding Stretching to Your Practice
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I love a challenging practice problem. One of our Inner Form members wrote to me and said, “I need more flexibility, but I don’t have time to add...
View ArticleTwisting Through the Legs
Twisting, especially the legs, is one of those techniques that sounds really cool, but it easy to overdo. Going slow and steady with twisting can help everything loosen up. My advice: at first work on...
View ArticleTurn the Legs to Turn the Body
When you see a series of exercises, you can either look at what’s common to all of them, or how they are different. In this video, I go through several variations of turning exercises, where I’m using...
View ArticleWhat do I do about Energy Stuck in My Head?
I’d like some tips for directing energy to very specific blocked-up areas—in my case, towards eyes and sphenoid area, plus back of neck.
View ArticleHow Do I Sequence My Practice Sets for Qigong and Tai Chi?
If I’m going to practice several types of qigong and maybe some tai chi, does it matter what order I do things in? Or if I do one longer practice vs two shorter ones during the day?
View ArticleWhat’s The Best Way to Practice "Sinking the Chest?"
Sinking the chest while raising the spine is a key energetic alignment practiced in Tai Chi to facilitate a grounding, downward flow of energy. Martial artists use it to develop their root and anyone...
View ArticleHow Active Should I Be When Standing?
Lately, I’ve been trying to do some sinking during standing qigong, in addition to other practices, like opening and closing, but I don’t get the full calming effect of the sinking. This is a...
View ArticleGuided Practice Aides
Here’s a round-up of guided practice aides I’ve put together in various sections of the site. What else would help you with your current practice? Let me know here. To download the audio files below,...
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February Office Hours: Sinking, Dissolving, Internal Organ Movement
In this Office Hours recording, we discuss: How to extend your standing qigong practice beyond 20 minutes. The best way to deal with chronically tight muscles while standing. How to relax without...
View ArticleMaking More Space Inside Your Body
One of the most counter-intuitive feelings in qigong, Tai Chi, or Ba Gua is the way that making more space inside the body allows you open more outwardly as well. In these two Inner Form office hours...
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March Inner Form Coaching Questionnaire
Please take a few minutes and share the details of your current practice with me. This will help us refine what we’re doing in the Inner Form section for the month of March. Thanks!...
View ArticleWhy You Should Not Worry About Breathing in Tai Chi
In this Inner Form office hours clip, Nate asked me about a specific issue on breathing in the Marriage of Heaven and Earth qigong. If your main focus is Tai Chi, then I would recommend that you pretty...
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