Qigong, Growing Roots and Finding Flow

It has been nearly a month since I hopped on a train from Hull and headed to our new home in Norfolk. Dave followed later with his little car full of all our stuff, and will be doing more trips between Yorkshire and Norfolk over the coming months.

We are settling in nicely and I am feeling a lot of gratitude. We had an adventure, and now it is time for a new one.

Welcoming our first guest at the new place.

In this new chapter, I am embracing Qigong more than ever before, and in new ways. Teaching more classes has brought me more joy, flow and inspiration than I ever expected.

It has been so lovely to see new students discovering how good it feels to practise in class and leave looking brighter and more relaxed. I have also loved seeing old students return and hearing how they have continued their journey over the summer.

These classes are becoming the thread that brings everything together for me. My own health and practice, and being of service to others doing work I enjoy.

When I teach, I have also felt increasingly clear that it isn't about me. It is about Qigong. It sort of comes through me, like it is longing to be shared. It feels neutral and encourages me to leave my ego at the door. I love that about Qigong!

I get to bring to teaching what I needed on my own journey, and what I still need. But it is always about the practice, and I am always a student as well as a teacher.

A practice for the times we live in

Over the past five years, I have been struck by the appetite for Qigong. People really want and need a practice like this, now more than ever. It is a gentle tonic amongst the stressors of modern life.

Over the past month, as I have been starting up new classes in Norfolk, I have seen this more than ever. There is a real need to learn how to take care of ourselves, to truly slow down and relax. To move the body in a way that feels good for us and stop pushing.

Qi is often translated as life force energy, and Gong refers to work, practice or the development of a skill. So Qigong is about developing the skill of working with our life force energy.

More than an exercise, it is known as an internal art that cultivates and works with Qi. With roots in ancient China, it has been practised for thousands of years, although it is still relatively new to many people here in the West.

Circle of Qigong students practicing outside.

The beauty of the practice is, in part, that it isn't about perfection or hierarchy. Every student and teacher has a voice and something to share. Qigong has something for everyone, and we are always learning.

There is something very special about sharing this in a class together. A shared space where the outside rules and restrictions relax, and we discover something new, yet ancient.

Qigong can have different focuses, including health and vitality, spiritual connection and martial arts. Tai Chi is an internal martial art developed later, which is why you will sometimes hear Qigong described as the mother of Tai Chi.

Qigong and Tai Chi complement one another beautifully, sharing many of the same principles. Qigong is often used alongside Tai Chi practice to help develop awareness and cultivate energy.

I love Tai Chi, and my Chen style classes have been invaluable to my wellbeing over the last eight years. The focus and physical strength they demand are really useful, but the forms have to be precise and take a lot of dedication to learn. I had been learning an eight and eleven form for six years before my teacher introduced a longer form.

One of the amazing things about Qigong is how accessible it can be. The Shibashi sets I am trained to teach are particularly so, with seated and standing options and small, gentle stances. Each set contains 18 movements that can be broken down and learnt relatively easily compared to some of the more complex Tai Chi forms.

Perfect for a busy life or limited physical or mental energy!

Qigong is simple, yet has deep layers. It is relatively easy to learn and share in a class, but the student's journey can deepen over time. This might look like a greater awareness of the breath, a more meditative presence, a deeper understanding of our own body and an evolving experience of working with Qi.

Softening a little more

In classes, I often remind students, and myself, to soften a few percent more.

I say this to my one-to-one coaching clients too. It is one of my biggest and simplest tools I have picked up from other teachers.

If we can relax just a little bit more, we can be a little more present and allow things to flow more easily. It doesn't have to be huge amounts of relaxation for change to come. It all builds up over time.

These weekly classes are really important to me, more so than I realised when I was planning with printed flyers and booking venues. They are the building blocks of a regular practice, of showing up and allowing small changes to happen over time.

I will let you in on a little secret. When I started my first weekly class over two years ago, I was really nervous. Not because I had never taught before, but because I had never taught the same group of people every week. I had only taught one-off events.

I felt a sense of being exposed. What if my students got bored, or I didn't know enough?

That weekly class forced me to show up as me, every week, and simply teach what I knew and what had helped me in my own practice over all those years.

And so I did, and I loved it...and thankfully the students kept coming back!

Practicing Qigong at a spring retreat.

When I chose to close that class to do van life over the summer, it was hard to walk away. Returning and creating more classes has been one of the best decisions I could have made...even though I didn't know it at the time of planning.

The classes are reminding me that if we show up as often as we can and connect with a practice like Qigong in a friendly space, real change can follow.

We might feel a little more comfortable in our bodies. A little less stressed in daily life. A little more resilient when life hits hard and we feel overwhelmed by it all.

And the further we go, the more these small changes can build.

Qigong, I believe, is one of the most accessible tools we have to take care of our wellbeing. It offers us a way to slow down, reconnect with ourselves and find a little more space in the midst of busy lives.

And I get to teach it! My first month back home has been filled with a lot of gratitude for these classes and how Qigong continues to be a reliable, relateable and gentle tool for resillience in life.

Thank you for reading my blog. I would love to hear from you, and please share with anyone who might find this interesting.

Qigong class outside at The Norwich Yoga Festival

If you would like to learn more about Qigong and the classes I offer, you can visit the Qigong page on my website. You can also visit the Resources page for some free videos to try at home.