I’ve been working towards a new goal in 2020 and 2021. I’m studying to become a qigong instructor. My daily practice qigong practice keeps me feeling mentally and physically strong. It also helps with the growing anxiety 2020 and 2021 brought. It helps me to continue to grow and learn as a human. And I am very much looking forward to the time when I can share all I’ve learned with others as an instructor!
Small sample of the books I’m studying on this journey. My total required reading is closer to 47 books and the additional suggested reading takes that total to over 230 books. These days almost all the books I read are on my phone so going back to physical books feels like a intentional choice to distance myself from my phone and that is not a bad thing at all.
I also need to complete and Anatomy course as part of my certification. I’m hoping to be able to audit this course at the local state university next year. I don’t quite feel comfortable doing it in-person this fall with the Delta variant. So, for now, I’m doing some home study with this rented textbook.
Before committing to instructor training, I set a goal for myself to do a daily at-home qigong practice every day for 100 consecutive days. If I accomplished it right away, that was a little more than three months of commitment. Each day that I missed, I would reset the count to zero and begin again. It took me the entire first half of 2020 to complete the 100 consecutive days.
While I was working on my 100 consecutive days, I found many different online resources for my daily practice. I found 5 to 20 minute daily routines, hour long in-depth practices and many more. Some of the resources were recorded with explanations and some with just music or birdsong in the background. I cycled through my favorites depending on how much time I had and which skills I wanted to practice each day. Here are some of my favorites:
“Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade” by Judy K. Young
Tai Chi 5 Minutes a Day – easy for beginners by Leia Cohen
8 Brocades Qigong Practice by Mimi Kuo-Deemer
Eight Pieces of Brocade with Master Zhong XueChao (Master Bing)
Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi Set 1 with Master Wing Cheung
Another great resource for learning gigong or tai chi are online Zoom classes. I live in an area where I would need to drive about 2 hours each way to intend an in-person class, so being able to attend zoom classes online has been a real privilege (and one of the things that I hope carries on past the end of the pandemic). Through online courses I’ve met friends from all over the world and I value the ingenuity of instructors and students who found a way to connect even during the shut-downs and uncertainty.
Like everyone, I’m also looking forward to when it is safe to travel and meet for in-person classes. Until then, I have plenty to keep me busy as I work toward this new goal. And I’ve got my daily qigong practice to help keep me feeling mentally and physically strong.
