Chi-Lel Qigong: My First Class

It's been about a week since my little trip to St James emergency ward and I seem to be doing pretty well. I'm noticing a big difference from taking the enzymes. My diet is as healthy as it's ever been. Though, all of the fruits and vegetables I eat or juice are not organic, I'm hoping to be able to change that. I eat much less meat now with the exception of some fish and a little bit of antibiotic free chicken now and then. With my diet going in this direction I feel a draw to complimenting my disciplined lifestyle with some new exercises. I have done yoga in the past as well as rebounding, walking, and dancing and I currently do some gentle weight lifting and stationery bicycling but I've been yearning for something different. I wasn't sure what ... but yesterday my girlfriend invited me to a Qigong class. I thought "oh cool, sure I'll go" As it turned out.... I LOVED it!!!

Our teacher was a gentle, earthy, soft spoken type man with a way of speaking that sounded as if he were Chinese. He talked to us about stress and how Qigong helps promote healing not just on the physical level but all levels. While sitting, we practiced gathering chi and in a very short time everyone was getting very warm. This was the result of 20 people moving chi together in one room. After he talked for an hour and a half we were invited to stand and follow a 20 minute exercise that he led us through called "Lift Qi Up and Pour Qi Down." It was so beautiful and I could definately feel energy moving. I purchased the CD and committed to more classes. When I got home, I was incredibly energized!

Today, following my CD, I did the 20 minute exercise and was pleasantly surprised that (even on my own) I became very warm and needed to remove some outer clothing and also felt the familiar feeling of energy flowing effortlessly.

The video you see above is our teacher, David Cowan. He is performing "Lift Qi Up and Pour Qi Down" in 3 minutes. Of course, we are doing it considerably slower hence the reason that it takes 20 minutes. Fast or slow, it is really beautiful.

As a teacher, David's ongoing qigong classes have helped hundreds of chronic pain sufferers find relief through dedicated daily self-care exercises. My personal goal is to continue to practice every day for 20 minutes a day. You can visit David's website at qiforlife.org