Qigong for transformation means using the physical and emotional aspects of qigong to come into the present moment. As you refine your skill at being present through the senses, you will also create space to process your emotions and evolve.
James Saper, R.TCM.P., a Radiant Shenti teacher provides the valuable framework for thinking about qigong for transformation shared in this article. He also share his thought in a rich conversation with Juli Kramer, Ph.D. about the topic.
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Consequently, the more you create space, you will begin to feel subtle shifts in how long emotions tie you down. You feel yourself transform into a person not ruled by emotions but rather someone who uses them as a guide to growth.
By connecting with vital qi energy and removing yourself from judgment and attachment, you can realize your potential. Through clarity and focus on the senses, you also release grief and loss and other emotions keeping you stuck.
Qigong for Transformation – Guidance from the Dao De Jing
A helpful guide to tap into the power of qigong for transformation is the Dao De Jing. The Dao De Jing is the original source text for the religion and ideas of Daoism. Chapter 10 poses three questions that help you begin to see the self as whole and in the present moment.
- Can you embrace your spirit and hold your body as one without separation?
- Can you gather your qi gently like a baby?
- Can you clarify your subtle vision and not be jaded?
The chapter ends by advising you to “create and foster, create, and not possess, act without dependence, lead but don’t rule. This is called subtle virtue.”
Other ways to think about the advice from the Dao De Jing
Some other ways to think about what the Dao De Jing is saying are as follows.
- Can you embrace the mind and the body? Can you integrate them as one?
- How can you gather your qi but not hold and control it? Can you gather it in gently?
- What happens when you refine your senses? What happens when you do not turn jaded and do not apply judgment to the information that comes in?
When you refine your senses, you open possibilities for creating, being generative, and living in abundance. You also can use these gifts, your qi, your life force, wisely in a way that doesn’t command and control.
Qigong for Transformation - Refining Your Senses
One of the first steps in using qigong for transformation is refining your sense. Qigong flows start the process of refining the senses and engaging your emotions. In the process, you will create transformations in your body, your channels, yourself, thereby increasing your potential and becoming more of who you ought to be.
Here’s a story from James to help illustrate.
"I was serving as a model for a portrait class. I looked forward to it as an opportunity to meditate. As I sat, I listened to the teacher provide feedback. A common theme emerged. The teacher advised the students to really look and see what sat in front of them, not what they imagined or expected to see. For example, the 'peach' color truly consisted of greens, grays, yellows, etc.
I took this critique as wisdom for transformation. By engaging in your senses, you grasp physical reality instead of imagined expectations. You have so much information coming in from your eyes, ears, skin, nose, etc. And all this information comes in. And then, through expectation, preference, attachments, and ego, you sense what you expect or want to sense, instead of what’s really there.
The process of refining your senses, brings you more into true physical experience. Whether cooking, painting, wood working, singing, and more, you engage with your senses."
Turning your senses inward
Qigong also invites you to apply your sense by turning them inward. You look inward to see yourself more accurately. You also physically look at your hands, drawing the qi to where you focus.
Additionally, qigong movements engage touch and balance and open opportunities to focus intently on these senses. Listening to your breath further refines your sense of hearing. With all the senses, you can refine your focus and discern their different subtle qualities.