Conscious Connected Breathing

Conscious Connected Breathing is a system of conscious breathing that invigorates the body with life force while transmuting emotions and clarifying consciousness.  Through deep connected-breathing, we break through our mind/body armor and release self-limiting emotions and karmic and muscular patterns.  This process balances and harmonizes body, mind, and soul, helping us in regaining our true Self and vitality as we open ourselves to joy and freedom.

Conscious Breathing has been a fundamental part of the yogic science of pranayama and the Taoist practices of T’ai Chi and Tantric Qigong for millennia. As long ago as 2700 B.C., The Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti) allegedly practiced a form of Qigong called Tao Yin to increase his vitality and life span. Fundamental to this practice was the way in which the movements were coordinated with and empowered by the breath.

In the 1920s Paramahansa Yogananda brought the ancient science of Kriya Yoga and Conscious Breathing (pranayama) to the United States. In pranayama, breath is regulated to build an energetic charge which assists in the release of stress and increases the health of the practitioner of yoga.  Furthermore, Yogananda states that “Yoga works primarily with the energy in the body, through the science of pranayama, or energy-control.  Prana means also ‘breath.’ Yoga teaches how, through breath-control, to still the mind and attain higher states of awareness. The higher teachings of yoga take one beyond techniques, and show the yogi, or yoga practitioner, how to direct his concentration in such a way as not only to harmonize human with Divine consciousness, but to merge his consciousness in the Infinite.”  -Yogananda, The Essence of Self-Realization

It wasn’t until the 1930s that the West had its own bona fide breath guru, Wilhelm Reich. Wilhelm Reich, a student of Freud, created a style of therapy which focused on somatic as well as verbal analysis. Reich developed the theory of character armor i.e., persistent patterns of muscle tension and restricted breathing which repressed emotions from conscious attention by blocking their awareness and expression. Muscular armoring is chronic muscular tension that blocks the unimpeded flow of life force through the body. Today this is commonly and simplistically called “stress.” It is now commonly accepted that stress and the repression / restriction of life force can result in both emotional stagnation and in physical disease.

Reich, along with another of Freud’s students, Otto Rank, traced the genesis of muscular armoring and restricted breathing all the way back to our first breath at birth. He thought that the trauma of birth catalyzed a compensatory response characterized by limiting the breath. We learn to minimize our perception of emotional pain and fear by restraining the breath, although this also limits our ability to experience our emotions and our selves fully and authentically. Reich used breath to energetically charge the body with life-force, which he called Orgone (Chi, Qi, Ki, Prana) resulting in the freeing of blocked emotional energy and chronic muscular tension.

Perhaps the most famous of Reich’s students was Alexander Lowen.  Lowen devised a process he termed “Bioenergetics,” which consisted of both analysis and exercises to free physical, emotional, and energetic blockages. In 1971, he published The Language of the Body (originally published in 1958 as Physical Dynamics of Character Structure) which led to the coining of the popular term “body language.”

In the mid-1970s, I had the opportunity to study with one of Lowen’s students. I found Bioenergetic Analysis to be dynamic, challenging, and deeply profound in its ability to open physical-emotional blockages in a well grounded manner. This work led directly to my study and practice of T’ai Chi Chuan and Qigong with Master Yung-ko Chou. These gentle Taoist arts accelerated my progress with Bioenergetics helping me to ground and integrate higher energetic states more easily.

It was around this time that the work of Reich, Lowen, and Yogananda was co-opted and popularized as the Rebirthing movement and also led to the work of Stanislav Grof. Grof originated the term “holotropic” to describe modes of consciousness or psychic states which aim toward the experience of wholeness and the totality of existence. Grof asserts that the holotropic is characteristic of non-ordinary states of consciousness such as the meditative and mystical.

In his book, The Cosmic Game - Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness, Grof says “In the last few decades, it has become increasingly clear that humanity is facing a crisis of unprecedented proportions. Modern science has developed effective measures that could solve most of the urgent problems in today’s world–combat the majority of diseases, eliminate hunger and poverty, reduce the amount of industrial waste, and replace destructive fossil fuels by renewable sources of clean energy. The problems that stand in the way are not of economical or technological nature. The deepest sources of the global crisis lie inside the human personality and reflect the level of consciousness evolution of our species.”

Following this line of thought leads one to conclude that saving the planet requires that we first save ourselves. We must clarify our consciousness, transcend the separate, individual, illusory self, and unify our Mind, Body, Emotions, and Spirit. We must Awaken to who we really Are. © 2010 Keith e. Hall. All rights reserved.

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The Three Jewels of Taoism: Shen
Heaven abides so that we have virtue. Earth abides so that we have Qi. When virtue flows and Qi is blended there is life. — Huangdi Neijing

The third of The Three Jewels of Taoism (Three Treasures) is known as Shen. Shen often is translated as “Spirit” or “Mind” in the sense of consciousness, mental acuity, emotional health, and presence or charisma. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Shen is Consciousness manifested through our various mental, spiritual, and creative domains. Shen Consciousness is regarded as a central component of our health and well being, thus cultivation of the spirit is considered essential for safeguarding our wellness.

If we think of Jing as your computer hardware and Qi as the power, then Shen is the data and graphics that are transmitted to the screen. In the Enlightened person, this data will manifest itself as Wisdom and Spiritual Presence.

Using the analogy of a candle, if Jing is the wax, and Chi (Qi) the energy of the candle, then Shen would be the light or radiance given off. In Taoism, it is thought that it is through Shen that we “radiate” ourselves into the external world. This spiritual effulgence creates wisdom, virtue, and inner peace, while generating and preserving balance within ourselves. Just as the light that radiates from a candle is dependent upon wax, wick, and flame, so a healthy, luminous Shen is identified with the cultivation and balancing of both Jing and Qi.

In The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, Huangdi states  “…that which cannot be fathomed (in terms of) Yin and Yang is spirit.”  This can be construed to suggest that Shen is immaterial and that its nature is therefore transcendent.

Talking about Spirit can be tricky given its non-material and ambiguous character. Is spirit composed of emotions, mind, or something else?  Most religions do not define Spirit very well. Taoism attempts a definition, although varying schools of Taoist philosophy have somewhat different views of this.  The Five Element school of thought claims that Shen includes:

– Shen – Mind, defined as consciousness and thought, and is said to reside in the Heart.
– Hun - Eternal Soul, akin to some western concepts of spirit, residing in the Liver.
– Po - Corporeal soul, Soul of the body, sometimes said to be akin to the vital force or “animal spirit”, centered in the Lungs.
– Yi – Intellect, memory and intellectual functions, resident in the Spleen.
– Zhi – Will, as in Intention and willpower, dwelling in the Kidneys.

The associated five elements are Wood (Hun), Fire (Shen), Earth (Yi), Metal (Po), and Water (Zhi).

In terms of the ancient Taoist view of embryology, Hun and Po join with Jing (seminal essence), their union catalyzing the emergence of Shen (spirit). Also, notice that these five aspects are associated with somatic structures: the organs of the body. Taoism makes no distinction between mind and body; they are always regarded as two contiguous expressions of one essence. Thus, the metaphysical affects the substantial and the substantial affects the metaphysical.

Shen may be adversely affected if we fail to preserve our vitality through good diet and exercise or if we indulge in excessively violent emotion. When Shen is in disharmony it often manifests itself as:

– Discord between one’s personality and the life one is living.
– Insomnia, forgetfulness, heart palpitations, dullness of the eyes, poor cognition.
– Dearth of inspiration, intuitive awareness; deadness; no joie de vivre.
– Ambivalence, contradiction, the person has no “center”.
– Chaotic activity, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue.
– Little or no sense of your path in life.
– Little internal inquiry, self-reflection, discernment.
– In extreme conditions, neurosis, mental illness, e.g. depression and mania.

Shen can be strengthened and balanced through meditation, acupuncture, and certain herbal courses of treatment.  Somatic disciplines such as T’ai Chi and Qigong are particularly effective.  Qigong, of course, has become world renown for its health and medical applications, and justly so. It has had much documented success as a therapeutic modality within the secular health care system in China.

Shen is quite naturally empowered as one’s Jing and Chi are reinvigorated through the daily practice of Qigong.  However, it does seem to me that in our technological culture, there is much to distract or confuse the mind, emotions, and spirit, and the quantity and pace of these distractions are increasing.  There are so many aspects of our modern life that are in direct competition with, and deleterious to, the development of Spirit and Inner Peace.

In addition to the spiritually negative influences of our techno-culture, there is also reluctance on the part of certain groups, e.g. the Chinese government, to acknowledge the part Qigong has to play in the evolution of spirit.  So, some Qigong organizations may be persecuted if they have an overt spiritual and political agenda.  Combine Eastern authoritarianism with Western materialism and fixation on the external, and one can begin to see that the spiritual aspect of Taoist discipline currently receives short shrift in comparison to the health and medical aspects.

One needs a strong spirit in a strong and emotionally balanced body to persevere on the path of conscious evolution.  That is why I have developed this particularly efficient and potent style of Tantric Qigong.  The conscientious practitioner receives well-balanced spiritual sustenance as he or she nurtures and rebuilds Jing and Qi.

The Three Jewels of Taoism: Jing, Qi, Shen.

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The Three Jewels of Taoism: Qi

In traditional Chinese culture, the second of the Three Jewels (also known as The Three Treasures) is Qi (Chi), an active energetic principle that is part of all living organisms.

Chi or Qi can be thought of as life-force energy – the energy which vitalizes our bodies, and which empowers our movement.  This movement consists not only of locomotion, but also includes the movement of the breath and lungs, the coursing of our blood through the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, digestion, and the functional movements of all of our organs.

Qi is associated most particularly with the Liver and Spleen organ systems. If we think of Jing as a candle, then Chi is the candle flame - the energy produced via the transformation of the wax into fire. In our computer analogy, if Jing can be said to be your computer hardware, then Qi is the electricity that powers the system. Qi is the energy or life force that “boots up” our bodies.

In Tantric Qigong, we say that there are three types of Chi: Heavenly Qi, Earthly Qi, and Personal Qi.  Heavenly Chi is the robust energy that resides in the air or atmosphere and is sometimes known as the solar principle. Heavenly Chi is related to the naturally occurring negative ionic charge that is generated by the atmosphere and its interaction with solar radiation. One reason we feel revitalized in the mountains or at the beach is that these areas are naturally abundant with Heavenly Qi. In some systems, Heavenly Chi is thought to be closely related to the evolution of Cosmic Consciousness. It is sometimes thought of as the Masculine Principle.

Earthly Chi is resident in the earth and may be more naturally accessible in geographic areas with crystalline formations or vortices, such as those near Sedona, Arizona. Sometimes thought of as the Feminine Principle, Earthly Chi seems to have a grounded, generative, and healing quality. In Tantra Yoga, this earthly polarity is said to be directly linked to our sexual energy, so it would have some direct interface with what the Taoists call Jing (Ching).

Ordinarily, in persons not trained in Tantric Qigong, Earthly Chi is absorbed and transported within the body through the digestion and metabolization of food. Heavenly Qi is absorbed unconsciously through the process of autonomic breathing. Part of Tantric Qigong training and discipline is to learn how to master and absorb these energies more consciously and powerfully through certain Chakras and meridians. In some forms of External Qigong, Qi is the energetic force which can be radiated from a Master’s hands for healing purposes. This type of Chi is called Emitted Qi.

Earthly Qi interacts with Heavenly Qi to form our Personal Chi, which is a combination of these energies that abide within our bodies vitalizing our Soma and empowering our Psyche.  The relative levels of our vitality, intelligence, and the plane that our consciousness evolves to are partially determined by our ability to consciously absorb, transmute, and direct this Qi. Thus, one who masters the absorption, generation, and direction of Qi will have a tendency towards improved health, higher intelligence, and ease of spiritual evolution.

Next: The Three Jewels of Taoism:  Shen

Jing, Qi, Shen

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Winter And Your Spiritual Practice

Deep winter. The earth is swaddled in snow, a deep silence pervades the land were I live, punctuated only by the occasional ” thock, thock” of the axe splitting wood.

The Winter season can be a great time for introspection and self-inquiry. One’s Chi is contracted and Yin.  The life force of much of nature is quiescent, hibernating; collecting itself for the surge of life that will follow in the spring.  For warm-blooded, non-hibernating creatures (this might be you!) this presents some difficulty. The active Yang part of your life force is reduced and is split between keeping you warm, fighting off colds and flu, and all of your regular mental and bodily functions. Activities of daily living, work, recreation, negative emotions, even sex can compete for your available Chi.  Sometimes it seems there is just not enough energy to go around and one can easily become mentally and physically sluggish, lethargic, perhaps even emotionally challenged or withdrawn.

Additionally, aggressive exercise during this time can seem invigorating, but may result in a net energy loss, leaving one prone to exhaustion and illness.  While meditation is an ideal practice in many ways for the Winter season, one’s practice should be balanced by some physical training that generates life force. Yoga, Tantric Qigong, and T’ai Chi are excellent for this purpose. They balance your mental and emotional states and generate more energy than they consume in the performance of the exercise.

Sometimes it seems to be an extra challenge to pony up the perseverance and spiritual discipline necessary to continue a yoga or tantric qigong practice in the cold stillness of January and February.  The often physcially and emotionally exhausting madness of the December holiday season doesn’t help much either, does it?

Winter Meditation for Collecting Life Force
Try this meditation to collect your Chi during the cold winter season. You can do this either out of doors, making sure you are adequately wrapped up in warm clothes and blankets, or indoors, preferably in front of a window with a good view of nature. Wear warm but loose clothing, a thick, fluffy sweat suit with a sweater may be ideal for this. Make especially sure that your waist is not constricted.

1. Sit up as straight as you can, take a deep breath, and relax your legs, belly, chest, shoulders, neck, and jaw.
2. Locate the Tan Tien point, 4 finger widths below your navel.
3. As you view the wintry landscape, begin to breathe deeply into the Tan Tien, collecting your life force deeply into your center, just as the earth’s energy is collected and stored deeply underground.
4. Press you feet firmly against the ground or floor and draw in Chi from both the earth and the air.
5. Feel warmth grow in your belly as you continue to breathe deeply and continuously.
6. Feel the vast strength and stability of the earth, and how its energy abides even during the coldest time of the year.  Align and harmonize your energy with this boundless earthly reservoir of wintertime Chi. Continue for 10 minutes or more.
7. Conclude by feeling that you will abide as you amass your Chi, that you are able to protect yourself from exhaustion and illness, and are readying yourself for the rebirth of spring. © 2009 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

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Tantric Qigong, Mindfulness, and Flow

Mindfulness, which is often thought of as a Buddhist concept, is really about being Present.  Presencing is one form of self-inquiry (which can be done as a meditation or as coaching) as is Tantric Qigong.  These art forms are about getting out of your head, your mental analysis, comparison and judgment, and becoming present to what really IS.

It sounds simple, and it is. However, this is not very easy for most people. We are constantly and anxiously analyzing, comparing / contrasting, projecting our assumptions, and judging the world around and within ourselves. Our perceptions are based on our past experiences and our experiences are shaped by our perceptions.  This is why I often maintain that we are continually “lying” to ourselves and others.  Our internal stories about the world and ourselves are supreme acts of creation in that each person’s world becomes based more and more on this mental / perceptual editing.  How can we know what is real?  How can we ascertain what is truly necessary and important in our lives?  What will really sustain our Self, our heart and soul?  Thinking and analyzing isn’t gong to cut it. It hasn’t worked too well so far has it?  Perhaps no-thinking may be more useful.

Even kittens seek release from the Wheel of Karma

All of the multitudinous forms of meditation have elements of stilling the mind and its critical or judgmental aspects, these demons of discernment gone horribly wrong. But have you ever tried stilling your mind? Herding kittens is much easier. Practices such as Vipassana, Zen, T’ai Chi, Yoga, and Tantric Qigong all have techniques to bring one out of the maze of one’s thoughts and unbridled emotions as one of their goals.  The only difference in these arts is in their approach.

One approach to mindfulness and being present is to focus on the details of our experience.  Walking down the street, noticing every minute part of what is around us.  People, the sun, clouds, every caress of the air upon your cheek, the feeling of your clothes touching your body.  Internally, we can notice body sensations, the character of your emotional flow, the many mental distractions.  Notice them and let them go.

Try this exercise:   Stop and see, touch, and smell the flowers.
A particular flower, perhaps a lily.  Notice its overall form and all of its minutia. The sturdiness of the stalk.  How does it feel to lightly stroke its petals?  Kiss a leaf.  Notice its texture.  Does it kiss back?  The color.  How the hues blend on its petals and leaves.  The subtle patterns within.  The heady incense of its scent.  Pistils droozed, laden with pollen. Can you almost see and hear the grains floating down?  Take plenty of time.  The closer you come into unity with this flower, the more you will become Present and unify your consciousness.

Flow
The river of Tao encompasses all of creation, including every aspect of our lives, whether we realize it or not.  All creativity comes from being “in the zone”, being in alignment with the Tao, from being in flow.  Like water, the flow of Tao is both dynamic (Yang) and still (Yin). When we are truly present to flow, obstacles evaporate, we Do and Be effortlessly, and life is suffused with meaning, abundance, and joy. To be in harmony with the flow of Tao is both power and wisdom, knowing when to do and when to be still, when to utilize Will and when to Surrender in the moment.

Qigong as a Meditation
Using the mind alone to still the mind is fraught with great difficulty. Where you are blind to Self, by definition you cannot see what is needed for equanimity, for inner peace.  You remain blind. When you are stressed, distracted, overwrought with emotions you must keep in check, the mind is a team of horses pulling in many directions at once. It is an almost impossible challenge to attempt to use only mental processes to be present and centered, and to still the raging beasts

Tao is Flow

of the mind.

One of the great aspects of T’ai Chi and Tantric Qigong is the facility with which these arts bring you into mindful presence and flow.  You really can’t let your mind wander; you’ll forget what you are doing.  The practitioner must focus his or her attention on one’s stance, sense of grounding, the coordination of subtle movement with deep diaphragmatic breathing, alignment of the body with gravity, and the flow of life force (Chi, Qi, Ki).  The moment your mind wanders you are lost, the efficacy and consciousness of energy flow is diminished. This sort of compels you to come back to mindful presencing.  We begin anew, as we must always do each moment, to align and unify mind, body, and spirit, heart and soul, with the eternal power of Now. © Keith E. Hall and www.inner-tranquility.com

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Tantric Qigong, Taiji, Multiple Sclerosis and the Immune System

Multiple Sclerosis is a condition where one’s immune system dysfunctionally attacks the fatty sheath that insulates nerves. Just like an electrical wire that has been stripped of its insulation, one’s nerves start to short out. The nerve impulses never reach their terminus, which causes those afflicted to begin to lose coordination.

There is still no conclusive etiology for Multiple Sclerosis, though statistically the group at greatest risk consists of Caucasian women born in the northern United States.  Once contracted, the disease manifests itself in numerous symptoms, which tend to be progressive. Often one notices initially some difficulty with balance and walking, followed by a kind of paresthesia, or prickly sensations in various areas of the body. Untreated, persons with MS can develop pain in the eyes and blindness due to optic nerve inflammation. Multiple Sclerosis can result in tremors, slurring of speech, and a gradual deterioration of cognitive function, or even sudden paralysis.

Qigong (Chi Kung) and T’ai Chi (which is a form of qigong) have been shown to be effective in ameliorating and reversing the onslaught of this condition. Qigong and T’ai Chi tend to have an overall balancing effect on the body and psyche. In the case of MS and other autoimmune disorders, these arts will start to bring the immune system back into balance. Where the immune system is too dysfunctionally aggressive, as in autoimmune conditions, the practice of Tantric Qigong will reduce its Yang qualities. Where the immune system is weak, qigong will strengthen its Yang. So balance can be achieved whether one’s immune system is hyperactive or hypoactive.

Though Western medicine remains clueless within its paradigm about the mechanism of qigong healing, MS sufferers can experience significant relief by integrating this healing discipline into their daily routine as the following examples illustrate.

Husted et al., in an article published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, noted that this sort of practice could result in multiple sclerosis patients being able to increase their walking speed (a 21% increase) and hamstring flexibility (a 28% increase). They also noted MS patients improved in vitality, social functioning, mental health, and ability to carry out physical and emotional roles.¹

In a paper on trans-disciplinary approaches for treatment and rehabilitation in neurotraumatology at a joint international congress in Brescia 2004, researchers discussed the application of Qigong for disabled persons whose Chi (Qi) is unbalanced and stagnant, noting one case of a woman legally blind due to multiple sclerosis who was able to regain her sight enough to be able to drive and read.²

There is mounting evidence that qigong can produce significant positive alterations in psychological, neuroendocrine, and immune systems.  Astin et al. reported that 8 weeks of qigong reduced the pain experienced by multiple sclerosis patients.³  Another study also reported qigong’s beneficial effects on general health in patients with muscular dystrophy. 4

In a study investigating the effectiveness of mindful movement in symptom management in people with multiple sclerosis, investigators noticed a broad improvement in symptomatology in practitioners of these arts while the control group showed a continued deterioration in symptoms. The study concluded that “training in mindfulness of movement appeared to result in improved symptom management for…people with multiple sclerosis.” 5

Joni Bell, who has practiced Qigong for 10 years, says “I’ve had multiple sclerosis for 32 years and I was compromised by the disease. My many falls traumatized my left foot, and osteoarthritis resulted. Since incorporating Qigong into my life, my strength and balance have improved remarkably and I seldom fall.” 6

Elaine Silverman, disaffected with her prognosis and treatment plan through conventional western medicine, turned to alternative healing, including qigong, about which she says ” Even genetic conditions can be overcome, as I later learned through the study of QiGong…(it) allows the body to internally slow down, relax, and begin to balance itself.”7

While more research may need to be done to appease the western medical literati, these contemporary results validate the thousands of years of anecdotal evidence accrued by Eastern practitioners of Tantric Qigong, T’ai Chi, and Taoist Tantra. © 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved.

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Qigong and Immunity

These days our immune systems are coming under increasing and unremitting stress. Fortunately, there has been tremendous anecdotal evidence over millennia of the ability of Qigong and T’ai Chi practitioners to enhance their immune system functions. No one really knows exactly how this occurs, at least in term of the prevailing Western medical paradigm. However, in recent years there have been an increasing number of medical studies endeavoring to measure and delineate this immune enhancing effect.

Protective Energy and General Immunity
Qigong is thought to have a protective and immune enhancing effect on an energetic level. This protective or Guardian Chi energy extends outside the body and forms a shield, deflecting environmental and negative emotional energies from other people. The strength of this Guardian Qi establishes a defensive perimeter that helps one resist the invasive nature of detrimental energies that can cause disease.

In a study published in Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Dr. Steven K.H. Aung states that in the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), disease is triggered by: “…external pathogenic factors in conjunction with…anger, sadness and anxiety, TCM has developed various proactive measures for…immune-enhancement…Certainly, Qi Gong…is a key protective…seeking to build up and enhance the protective energy and immunity of both patients and practitioners.¹

Tantric Qigong Healing Tao

Cellular Immune Effects
On a cellular level, qigong practice tends to balance the quality, quality, and phagocytic activity of key immune system components such as neutrophils and Natural Killer cells

In a study by Quan-Zhen Li et al, the life span of neutrophils (white blood cells) increased in Qigong practitioners, while the cells responsible for inflammation decreased. The ability of the white cells to “eat” pathogens (neutrophilic phagocytosis) was significantly increased in Qigong adepts. The authors conclude that Qigong practice regulates immunity and this may be occurring at a genetic level.²

Higuchi Yuzo of the Tokyo Institute of Technology notes that “…Effective results have been achieved in regular qigong sessions…after a 40-minute session…a marked increase in the level of NK (Natural Killer) cell activity was detected…These results suggest that by conducting qigong practice, immunity and adjustment functions are enhanced.”³

Reduced Tumor Growth and Cancer Survival Rates
Several studies have examined the effect of qigong practice on cancer survival rates, decreases in tumor size, reduced side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, improved immune function, and quality of life.

A review of 50+ studies of Qigong cancer therapy in China showed that the Qigong groups displayed more improvement or had a better survival rate than those who did not practice Qigong. In vivo studies found that groups using Qigong as a treatment modality have significantly reduced tumor growth or longer survival.4

A clinical study of Qigong as a therapeutic aid for patients diagnosed with advanced cancer showed improvements 4 - 9 times greater than the control group in strength, appetite, and other markers. The phagocytic rate, a measure of the immune function, improved in the Qigong group but decreased in the control group.5

Dr. Wang and colleagues advise cancer patients to practice qigong exercises while receiving treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. They found that that the general health of the group practicing Qigong improved. The general health of the control group deteriorated and had a concomitant decline in white blood cell count.6

It is great to have these clinical studies validate the healing power of Qigong. This is especially valuable for academicians, policy makers, and the general population of people who have yet to practice Qigong. For those of us who partake regularly of the joy and healing power of Tantric Qigong, the results are self-evident. © 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.inner-tranquility.com.  All rights reserved.

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Qigong, Immunity, and Influenza

With debate raging over the efficacy and side effects of the H1N1 flu vaccine, which contains mercury (as thimerosal) and may contain other adjuvants, perhaps it is appropriate to consider carefully some natural alternatives to increase one’s immune response.

It is well known to practitioners of T’ai Chi and Tantric Qigong that these arts demonstrably improve one’s overall health and vitality in a gentle, non-stressful manner. The relevant question here is, does the practice of these ancient Qi generating exercises convey additional immunity to protect oneself specifically from influenza infections?

In one study, conducted by Dr. Yang, et al and published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine (35(4):597-607), researchers found that Qigong and T’ai Chi can definitely enhance immune response. A group of 50 adults was divided into two groups. One practiced qigong, meditation, and T’ai Chi forms, while the control group did no exercise. The Qigong – T’ai Chi group attended three one-hour Qigong and meditation classes each week.

All of the participants in the study got vaccinated for the flu at the beginning of the study and had blood titres performed periodically during the succeeding months. Results showed that the group practicing Qigong and T’ai Chi had significantly higher antibody responses to the influenza virus than the control group. In the Qigong – T’ai Chi group, results showed a 173%, 130% and 109% increase in antibodies to the flu at 3, 6, and 20 weeks while the control group showed only a 10% -  58% increase in influenza immunity.

From the Abstract of the American Journal of Chinese Medicine:
“… This study was intended to examine whether 5 months of moderate Taiji and Qigong (TQ) practice could improve the immune response to influenza vaccine in older adults… Baseline pre-vaccine blood samples were collected. All subjects then received the 2003–2004 influenza vaccine during the first week of the intervention. Post-vaccine blood samples were collected 3, 6 and 20 weeks post-intervention for analysis of anti-influenza hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers. We found a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the magnitude and duration of the antibody response to influenza vaccine in TQ participants when compared to CON. The vaccination resulted in a 173, 130, and 109% increase in HI titer at 3, 6, and 20 weeks post-vaccine, respectively, in the TQ group compared to 58, 54, and 10% in CON. There was a significant between group difference at 3 and 20 weeks post-vaccine and at 20 weeks the TQ group had significantly higher titers compared to the pre-vaccine time point, whereas the CON group did not. A higher percentage of TQ subjects also responded to the influenza A strains with a protective (> 40HI) antibody response (37% TQ vs. 20% CON for the H1N1 strain and 56% TQ vs. 45% CON for the H3N2 strain…”¹

What does this mean?

After 20 weeks, the practitioners of Qigong had an average of over 10 times the immune response to the flu than the control group (who were vaccinated, but did not practice Qigong). Additional immunity specific to Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu was detected in the Qigong group.

More ways to reduce the risk of contracting the flu:

–Wash your hands frequently

–Eliminate or reduce white sugar in your diet. Excessive sugar consumption can have a debilitating effect on the immune system.  See some other dietary guidelines for increasing immune function.

–Take a high quality source of omega 3 fats which help strengthen cell membranes, improving resistance to infection.

–Optimize your vitamin D levels. An optimal level of vitamin D can help you fight infections of all kinds.

–Get plenty of sleep.

–Manage your stress. When you are stressed your body does not have the reserve of Chi necessary to fight off viral infections.  See more about programs for stress management here © 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved.

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Learn to Meditate:

My Teacher: Yung-ko Chou

In an age where anyone who takes a couple of weekend workshops can call him or herself a “Master”, Professor Chou was the real deal. He never referred to himself, nor encouraged his students to refer to him, as “master”.  Over the years, my personal experience has led me to believe that a teacher who deeply desires to be called “Master” probably isn’t one. Chou was a master by virtue of his actions, lack of hubris, and the scope of his embodiment of Taoist art forms.

Professor Chou came to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970’s. In his 60’s at the time, Professor Chou, with his nimble intellect, was able to learn to speak and write American English, and deal with the not insignificant culture shock of his adopted country. Professor Chou was in his sixties and seventies when I studied with him, but due to his abundant Chi his physical appearance was more like someone in his forties. He had dark hair, an attentive mind, and was remarkably flexible, equanimous, and quick witted. He walked every where he needed to go since he did not have or need a U.S. driver’s license. Professor Chou was a exceedingly quiet and unassuming man with an almost dry sort of wit and a sense of cosmic humor. If you were drawn into this inner circle, he would often gently and subtly tease you while also promoting your commitment and discipline to the art form.

For the first semester or so of my study with him, he spoke little English, and what he did speak was heavily accented at that. His students were forced by this predicament to rely on copying and imitating his movements, posture, and breathing patterns.  His didactic, limited to simple directions, was not understandable to my ear (due to his thick accent), thus we were forced by circumstance to be present, centered, and attentive in a somatic and spiritual mode. The verbal explanation modality was not really accessible to us in any practical way. I think this was an excellent way to learn: shut off the speech centers and their concomitant cerebricity and just be attentive, focused, and present.  If you couldn’t do that, then you probably weren’t going to be able to learn the forms.

Professor Chou taught the T’ai Chi Chuan Yang style long form, Push Hands, applications for self defense, the Song of the Free Hands Fighting, the Eight Treasures Qigong (known in those days as “The Ancient Exercises of China”) and Ba Gua (Pa Kua). Very few of his students elected to pony up the discipline to learn and embody the gift of all of these arts.

His approach to cultivating student motivation and discipline was simple and threefold:

– Set an invariable schedule of forms to teach weekly: three forms each class
– Encourage students to practice twice a day: he repeated this in every class
– Allow students to take as many classes as they wanted to each week

So he had a set schedule for teaching the forms and encouraged self-responsibility in his students by reminding them to practice morning and evening, and offered the opportunity to attend multiple classes at no additional charge.  I believe that Professor Chou realized that only the most committed students would take advantage of and follow this structure.

He had a remarkable gift for teaching his students, who were at many disparate levels of awareness and spiritual awakening, in an individual and personal manner. He could tell what your level of awareness was, and seemed to slightly adjust his teaching to support one’s unconscious level of spiritual desire. He was able to teach a roomful of students who had very different desires, intentions, and skill sets simultaneously. Some students were there to learn “Chinese exercise”. Some were focused solely on the martial art aspect. Some were merely curious, with no firm intention or commitment to learn the form. A few were gifted with the opportunity to learn all of these aspects and Self-Mastery too. He subtly supported his students’ desires on multiple levels at the same time, with humor and boundless patience.

Professor Chou’s style of teaching was a combination of holding the static positions so students could copy his biomechanical model, and continuous movement to foster an experience of flow. Periodically he would do corrections, which can be quite important, but he did not torture new students with excessive fussiness over the details. His “middle path” approach gave students both a feeling of the precision of T’ai Chi Chuan, while also facilitating the experience of being in flow.

I felt privileged to study with this Master at a time when the height of learning technology was the electric typewriter and the Xerox machine. There were no videos, widgets, YouTube, phone apps, or other near useless electronic diversions to distract one from the opportunity to be physically in the presence of one who had deeply mastered the art, and who cared deeply about transmitting it to whomever could receive it.  Electronic technology will never be able to duplicate being in the presence of a Master. Not a day goes by that I do not feel gratitude for the great good fortune to have had the time and opportunity to study with this remarkable Sifu.  © 2009 Keith E. Hall and inner-tranquility.com.

Rev. Keith Hall’s Bio

Instruction & Coaching

The unemployment rate has reached its highest levels in recent memory. Major U.S. and international companies are restructuring, laying off employees, or just going bankrupt. Food prices are up, oil prices continue their slow rise after Obama’s election, and the economy is giving itself a chunky swirlie.

More importantly, my favorite el-cheapo movie theatre has permanently closed it doors. Oh, and that global warming, starvation, and pestilence thing continues unabated.

Something is happening here. But you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mister Jones? If you have been addicted to ever increasing levels of external, material gratification as part of your self-definition, ya surely gotta be jonesing by now. Or freaking out. Probably both.

Last year, about 2.5 million Americans lost their jobs. We could have another 2 to 3 million jobs evanesce in 2009.  For many people, losing their job results not only in a loss of income but also self-respect, even their raison d’etre. Despondency, despair, a feeling of victimization, shame, melancholia, terror and anger may quickly follow. Thirty percent of those who have not lost their jobs report “burn out” syndrome due to corporate downsizing. Not that the CEO’s salary has been downsized, I mean the number of employees has.

Trying to do more with less, these companies lay off employees and pile the extra work on their remaining serfs. A study published by the Institute of Behavioral Science with a grant from the National Institutes of Health* shows that these retained employees are prone to greater job demands that may contribute to alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and work related injuries. In addition, the study found that layoff survivors often experience worsening physical health: They tend to eat poorly, smoke more, suffer from neck and back pain, and increase their use of sick days.

“None of the effects are good,” says psychologist Frank Landy, author of Work in the 21st Century. “Layoffs clearly have emotional and practical consequences for companies and workers.” Those psychological consequences can be long-term, lasting six years, according to the study published by the Institute of Behavioral Science. In addition, the effects of surviving multiple layoffs tend to be cumulative. They add up over time.

“It only takes one action of distrust to lose basic confidence in the employer…Once the trust has been undermined, it’s very, very difficult to recover,” says Landy. “There’s no data that suggests workers become more resilient. ‘I’m a survivor, hear me shout’? It doesn’t happen.” Whip a dog long enough and it stays hangdog whipped.  © 2009 Keith E. Hall & www.inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved. Contact us for reprint information.

Part 2: Zen and the Art of Crisis Management

Our classes and meditation / stress management audio programs help you create a core of empowered Being!

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*Moore, Grunberg, et al. Physical and Mental Health Effects of Surviving Layoffs: A Longitudinal Examination Institute of Behavioral Science, November, 2003

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