Yes, this is AI generated, but I think it’s pretty good! For years, I’ve taught a powerful and ancient tool that sometimes gets overlooked – Metta Meditation, also known as Loving Kindness Meditation. This practice, rooted in ancient Buddhist traditions, is a game changer, especially when combined with qigong and tai chi. In this post, I’ll explain what Metta Meditation is, the research behind it, why it can profoundly impact your life, and how to practice it (along with a free guided meditation.) What is Metta Meditation? The term “Metta” comes from the Pali word मेत्ता. The early Buddhist sc ..read more

The Small Universe (Microcosmic Orbit) is awesome. Whether you’re an intermediate or advanced practitioner, this technique has something profound to offer. Let’s dive into why it’s more relevant today than ever. The Small Universe is a powerful and ancient qigong technique. I’ve written several blog posts about it, and this will be another in that series. You don’t need to read the previous articles in order to understand this one. In fact, this article might be better to start with. Nevertheless, here are the other articles: The Real Truth About the Small Universe Qigong 7 Secrets of the Sm ..read more

The Small Universe. The Microcosmic Orbit. The Small Circulation. Believe it or not, all three of these terms are translations of the same Chinese qigong technique, called Xiao Zhou Tian (小周天). If you want to hear a native speaker, who may or may not also be a robot, pronounce the words in Mandarin, click here to go to Google Translate and then click the speaker icon next to the Chinese characters. Otherwise, you can listen to me do a B+ job of pronouncing the Chinese words: https://flowingzen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/xiao-zhou-tian-pronunciation.m4a Today, we’re going to take a brief l ..read more

Note: this is a guest post by Heidi Magnus, a long-time student of Flowing Zen Qigong, and a qigong teacher in her own right. Internal power is a captivating and compelling force. But what is it, really? In movies, we’ve seen the hero who cultivates internal power before running up buildings and flying through the air. This fictional scenario is obviously romanticized, but we’ve all heard about the man who lifts a car off his nephew or the woman who fights off a polar bear with her bare hands. People with zero training can exhibit incredible, if momentary, power. What’s happening here? Is ..read more

Twenty-two years ago, I made a decision that would ultimately save my life. That decision was as follows: I vowed to practice a particular qigong exercise (called Lifting The Sky) 10 times every day, no matter what. This decision eventually led to a solid daily qigong practice – a practice that has managed a debilitating and life-threatening case of depression for over 22 years. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big decision. I mean, it takes less than 2 minutes to do. All I knew was that I needed change. I also knew what hadn’t worked for me in the past: Resolutions. It’s ironic because thi ..read more

In this edition of Ask Sifu Anthony, you’ll learn about: knee pain and qigong; the order of qigong sets; qigong and cancer support; neigong vs. qigong; lifting the tongue; post-pandemic depression and anxiety; and qigong for autoimmune conditions. About this series: I believe that students should be able to get practical, no-nonsense answers as they learn the art of qigong. Q&As are critical when learning an esoteric, ancient art in the 21st century. Since 2005, I’ve been answering questions in my classes, in our Facebook group, inside my online programs, in our live webinars, and here on ..read more

Years ago, if you had asked me if it was okay to practice qigong while listening to music, I would have told you no. I was taught not to practice qigong to music and so I repeated the same thing to my students. Simple, right? Today, I’m a more mature teacher. I’ve learned to think for myself rather than just parrot what my teacher (or ex-teacher, as the case may be) told me. As a result, I’ve changed my mind. You might even say that I’ve changed my tune. Har! Let’s take a more modern and practical look at this question. The History of Qigong & Music There is no historical precedent for ..read more

In this edition of Ask Sifu Anthony, you’ll find questions about the number of repetitions in qigong, practicing qigong under stressful circumstances, practicing tai chi and qigong together, neigong vs. qigong, qigong for insomnia, and a timeline for future Flowing Zen projects! I believe that students should be able to get the answers that they need. That’s why I work so hard answering questions in our Facebook group, inside my online programs, in our webinars, and here on the blog. Seeing other students asks questions that you might have asked yourself – and then reading the answers – helps ..read more

Me, traumatized? Don’t be silly! So many people out there had it way worse! I’ll be fine. Nothing to see here…move along… This just about sums up my understanding of trauma until the year 2020. In other words, I was clueless. I remember when I first heard a student talk about something called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). I remember this because, whereas it was easy for me to trivialize my own trauma (see above), I could not do the same to her. This student had plateaued with her qigong practice and was asking me for help. Around the same time, another student came to me wit ..read more

In this edition of Ask Sifu Anthony, you’ll find questions about strength training, the importance of energy circulation, online learning, Scholar’s Qigong, the karate kiai, and more… I believe that students should be able to get the answers that they need. That’s why I work so hard answering questions in our Facebook group, inside my online programs, in our webinars, and here on the blog. Seeing other students asks questions that you might have asked yourself – and then reading the answers – helps too! This helps us all to feel connected to a global qigong community. It also helps those who ..read more