The Fundamentals of the Harmonious Culture of Movement

I would like to share with you some of the foundational principles of Harmonious Culture of Movement specific to Qi Dao. Although many great masters of Taiji, Qigong and other similar arts can be seen exhibiting this culture of movement, it is never seems to be taught as such. It is considered self-evident that the masters are supposed to move with a greater power and gracefulness, because they are masters. However, Qi Dao helps you embody such power and grace, which may empower you become a master too. In other words, it can be considered as one of the secrets responsible for the magical transformation of a student into a master akin to the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. How do I know? Every week, I interview some top-notch Qigong and Taiji experts for my Radio talk show The Secrets of Qigong Masters, which can be listened to or downloaded at www.blogtalkradio.com/qigongmasters .

If you wish to enjoy harmony in your life, what would be more important than learning how to embody it? Of course it is a rhetorical question, because without embodying it you would only be able to talk about it, rather than walking the talk. This may be a major issue for those of us who have great intentions or theoretical knowledge about energy awareness, meditation , self-realization, etc. As long as we are alive, our experiences depend on our perceptions, which in turn require the involvement of the body. If we do not embody harmony, but merely learn to say the right words and perform a few harmonious looking moves without developing a whole culture of movement based on harmonious consciousness, our efforts will prove limited at best.

I have to admit that it is quite challenging to transmit this Harmonious Culture of Movement over long distance to you, but I will do my best. Yet, since I am not trying to teach you any particular moves now, but rather help you develop some awareness of a new culture of movement, you can hit the ground running by learning the foundational principles of this culture. Please keep in mind that this way of using your body may feel unusual or even weird while you are going through the period of transition. If you need any support or advise, I will be happy to offer you coaching by phone or Skype. The latter option provides an opportunity to have video calls, during which we would see each other and use the visual perception in addition to the auditory. It is crucial when learning to move in a way few people move in your immediate surroundings, which requires a role model of such culture of movement and someone to provide you some qualified feedback regarding your progress.

Let me begin by sharing some of the basic principles of our Harmonious Culture of Movement:

Whenever you standing, sitting, walking , or practicing Qi Dao, carry the weight of your body on the bones rather than the muscles by observing the alignments of your body, because muscles are never as strong and bones;
Get grounded by consciously letting go of tension in the leg muscles and distributing your weight on the centers of your feet;
Whenever you can, stabilize yourself by aligning your Lower Dan Tien with the toes of the weight-bearing foot;
Focus maximum power and awareness on anything that requires your attention by orienting yourself towards it, pointing your Lower Dan Tien at the object of your focus;
Become centered by developing awareness of your Center, so that it can deal with whatever life throws your way, instead of taking things personally;
Practice moving and changing by taking small, natural steps rather than large leaps;
Learn to expand beyond your habitual stereotypes of body mechanics by using wavelike motions sending waves from the Center toward the periphery of your body;
As Qi does not flow freely through tense muscles and other tissues, you can increase the energy flow in your organism and promote empowerment and self-healing by being more relaxed;
Realize that muscles do not tense up by themselves, but only when they receive the signals to contract from the central nervous system, so you can relax physically by relaxing your psyche;
Since psyche cannot relax if it feels the need to stay tense in order to react to the challenges of life, consistent relaxation can be achieved by switching from being reactive to being responsive to any challenges;
You can also improve your physical and mental flexibility by letting your muscles lengthen instead of overusing or stretching them;
Develop kinesthetic awareness - awareness of movement - that can help you feel the flow of Qi and enjoy being in the flow;
Learn to enjoy the process of movement, rather than merely moving from point A to point B resulting from feeling that you’d rather be somewhere else than here now;
Any movement can become a primary movement when it is synchronized with the motion of the center of mass;
Integrate all the parts of your body and the emotional energies associated with them, so you can use the power of the whole organism, instead of the brute force of the isolated muscles;
Make each movement as harmoniously as possible and relax in the most natural state after completing it;
Discover for yourself how these principles can be applied to all spheres of life by embodying these principles of harmony, presence and graceful power.