Nothing Special

Please don’t fall into that category of people who are simultaneously self-impressed and casual. That’s why I hate terms like “running energy”, “bad qi”, and such. Qigong is like anything else in the human world; you don’t always need appreciation for things but it helps. You may be able to walk into an ancient  Catholic church and feel nothing (whether you are a Catholic or not) but that’s not exactly a glowing comment on you. Try to keep in mind that this is a special practice in its land of origin, not today’s newest fad. Here are a few hints…

1. You might feel energy but keep it to yourself. I mean, who doesn’t? When I teach it is rare-if ever-that I have students who, within a short period of time, don’t feel something. This is like being impressed that your baby crawls. What was its choice?

2. Don’t mix everything up until you are an expert. I know people like to order sushi now before their goulash but that doesn’t make it fine cuisine, just low standards. Qigong is Qigong, Yoga is Yoga, prayer is prayer. The idea that it takes a great mind to see the similarities is dead wrong. It takes a good mind just to keep things straight.

Face the facts: in most cases in the Western world, for example, despite what people think, they are acting out of a Christian-based system where such energies must be “good” or “bad”, devil or angel. This often sends  beginners into feelings of grandiose accomplishment as they go around curing friends and families while pontificating about “mind and body being one.” But, if you actually believed this stuff was normal you wouldn’t have to go around telling everyone about it. Calm down, clam up and find a real teacher who can guide you. Humble in Qigong isn’t just good manners, it’s a plan.