Hello Everyone - I want to share a letter I received from my teacher, Master Zhongxian Wu. I also encourage those of you who wish to deepen your Qigong practice to visit his website https://chinesewisdomtraditions.com/, and invest in the wisdom he shares in his books. Here is his letter: Dear Qi-friends, Warm greetings to you all from Sweden. Time is moving both quickly and slowly these days, and it is hard to believe summer season is starting again, on May 5, 2020. We have been having a typical Swedish spring, with several weeks of warm and sun, followed by a few days of snow and hail. This kind of unstable weather pattern will continue into the summer months.

Slowing down Like many of you, I have had to cancel all of my traveling, from late February and extending (so far) in to the fall. During this very uncertain time in the world, I have been focusing on enjoying time with my family. We are able to take long walks each day in the surrounding nature.

Unstable summer energy The energetic influence on this summer will be excess Fire. My greatest wish is that this strong Fire will burn off the coronavirus and the world will find a new balance soon. Unfortunately, I am sure this is just wishful thinking on my part. My cosmological analysis indicates that this excess Fire will create hot weather interspersed with days of sudden temperature drops throughout the summer. This instability, seen especially after May 20th, could prove to be very challenging to those who already have weak functioning of lungs, kidneys, and/or heart.

Free resources to support your daily Qigong practice Previously shared During this pandemic chapter of our lives, standing Tiger Talisman form and Ride the Wind Qin music sound Qigong will continue to support you in your daily cultivation practice. Also, thank you to all who have emailed me your feedback about working with these traditional medicines!

New I have just finished adding a very uplifting classical Qigong practice, YaoGong 藥功, to the second edition of my book, Vital Breath of the Dao (to be released late 2020 or early 2021). I would like to share some of this practice here with you now, before the book is published:

YaoGong 藥功 – Finding the Panacea  Your body is like a musical instrument that is made of the Five Qi-strings. Practicing a Qigong form is like playing a song with your body-instrument. In my tradition, we always start our practice by tuning the Five Qi-strings - our  body's "tuning keys" - our Five Qi-needles.

The Practice: Please stand with your feet together and imagine you are a new sprout, shooting forth from the ground. Relax your eyelids to bring your eyesight within. Look within. Listen within.

Pine tree sprouts photo credit

Tuning the Fire Qi-string:  Straighten your neck and head as though you are being pulled up towards heaven by the hairs on top of your head. The hair on top of your head is your Fire Qi-needle. Tuning the Earth Qi-string: Lift the Earth Qi-needle, the tip of your tongue, and gently touch it to the tooth ridge behind your upper teeth. Tuning the Metal Qi-string: Tuck in your lower belly and lift your perineum, the Metal Qi-needle. Tuning the Water Qi-string: Keep your teeth together, the Water Qi-needle,  and keep your mouth closed. Tuning the Wood Qi-string: The Wood Qi-needle includes all the nails of your toes and fingertips. Grab the floor with all of your toes while allowing your harms to hang down naturally, with your palms open and fingers straight. Feel your fingertips penetrating into the center of the earth.

Next, please turn your arms slowly about 180 degrees. Raise your hands from both sides till your arms form a V-shape, like lotus petals. With your palms facing each other, feel your fingertips touching heaven. Imagine you are a new sprout growing into a giant tree. Hold this posture as long as you can. Focus on your breath.

When you can not hold the position any longer, gradually bring your hands down to the front of your belly. Your palms are facing your belly, your thumbs and index fingers gently touching. Hold this posture for a few minutes and continue looking and listening within. Observe your breath through your heart.

In the spirit of peace and healing, Master Zhongxian Wu