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How I found Qi Gong
So, I wrote a blog post about Qi Gong (pronounced chee gong), but as I read it I decided it was rather boring, so here is the real story, my Qi Gong story. Several years ago, people kept telling me that I should check out Qi Gong – well not everyone, 3 people within several months. Three is my favorite number and when I am told something three times, I try to do whatever that advice is. So, in December of 2015, I logged onto YouTube and watched a Lee Holden video as well as several other Qi Gongers. I liked Lee’s instruction and the way I felt after his 20-minute routine, so I went to his website. I bought myself his 30-day challenge as a Christmas present. It was 30 videos of approximately 7 minutes each. The challenge was to do it daily for 7 minutes to see what would happen. I was pretty faithful and at even 5-6 times a week, I started to feel more energized, less pain, and more centered. I was hooked. I thought, "Wow, this ties in with the Accunect modality I use in my practice since they are both based on Ancient Chinese Medicine" and decided to look into teacher training. I was excited by the thought of helping my clients feel great by keeping their energy more balanced between sessions with me.
The training, of course, was in CA and would require 2 full weeks away from my family. I try to balance my love of learning with the needs of my kids and husband. I told my husband, Jack, that I would like to take the training and that I wished Lee Holden would offer it online. Within a month, I got an email from Holden Qi Gong saying that Lee was launching his first ever online 200-hour Teacher Certification class. I thought, "Of course he is." I decided I had to sign up since I had gotten my wish. I even got to do a long weekend with Lee in Santa Cruz which was wonderful. The 200 hours of training, practice, and teaching rooted me in this energy moving practice and now I want to share it with everyone!
What I love so much about Qi Gong is how energized and calm I feel afterwards. It is often referred to as a moving meditation and I totally know why. You get the benefits of meditation while not having to sit still. Lee’s model concentrates on the breath (worthy of an entire blog post in itself), then warms up your muscles with “vitalizing” exercises, stretches and releases your muscles, increases your strength through postural training, and then moves you into the flowing movements that Qi Gong is most known for. I love each step and how, when combined, my body is restored to balance, my energy strong, and my mind clear. The sixth step is meditation which is often short at the end, but powerful because the mind is free of clutter. I have been starting each day with 20 minutes of Qi Gong for several weeks now instead of doing it whenever I can slip it in and my motivation, clarity, flow, and peace has improved.
If you want to try this several thousand-year-old practice, join me at my office ( schedule available on begintoblossom.com/book-online ). Or, check it out in your home with a little video from my Facebook page.
