Welcome! We will begin our training with the fundamentals of qigong. How to get the most out of your training: This class is designed to be taken over 8 weeks. Mark your calendar with the same time and day each week to watch your online class and dive in where you feel called to. Find a dedicated time and place for your personal practice. Make it a priority and schedule your personal practice into your day and week. I personally have a morning and evening routine that I do for 15-30 min each day. Embodying this immortal form is all about action and implementation; what are the best times of day for you to cultivate energy? Practice, practice, practice. If you forget something or don’t feel fully confident that’s okay. Practice what you remember and do your best. The sincerity of your heart is key! Focus on one day at a time and enjoy the process. Now to start, what is qigong? “Qi” means life-force energy and is within everything in existence. Everything is a form of energy in varying degrees of density. “Gong” means cultivation or discipline over time. It also means practice or skill. There is a universal intelligence that orchestrates all of nature and it is that same wisdom which allows our body to heal when given the opportunity. Qigong healing occurs through balancing the Qi or electromagnetic energy that surrounds and pervades all living creatures. Every cell in your body is a form of energy. Your thoughts are also a form of energy. Sickness, whether it manifests physically, mentally, or emotionally, is also a form of energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transformed. In fact, energy is constantly transforming from one state to the next. Qigong healing transforms the energy patterns, emotions, and thought-forms stuck within the body. During your qigong practice through the use of breath, sound, posture, and mindfulness, we strengthen and regulate the internal organs, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for rest and digestion. Through the slow movements, we oxygenate the blood, clear toxins, stagnation, and emotions stuck within the connective tissue and organs. We also help regulate our hormones and cultivate mindfulness about where we hold stress and what lifestyle habits trigger anxiety or negative emotion.