Foundation Training - Auxiliary Practices

Fan Song Fa Gong

Traditional Daoist theory speaks of nine basic functions of the mind, of which the so called conscious mind that we develop from birth is but one.

The social mind refers to those faculties developed through social experience in response to the necessities of social interaction. We are not born with this mind, we develop it through the course of our lives. It is the mind that operates in the limited realm of our conscious life in response to the requirements of our present society.

The natural mind is the mind we received before birth. It is encoded in the Xing, the innate nature, a sort of spiritual DNA. It belongs to Nature, the mind of Mother Nature identified within the individual, what in Christianity is the "Iskrabodia" the divine spark, or the Buddha-Mind within being.

As our social being forms itself, this natural mind begins receding until we completely lose the ability to keep in touch with it. It contains many capacities that have become dormant. It is, in reality, the root and origin of all our faculties and the goal of Qigong is to reestablish our ability to embody this original mind function.

The foundation training consists of activating and using mind functions otherwise inaccessible, thus evolving and integrating the self to its fullest potential. This enables the practitioner to communicate with involuntary/subconscious mechanisms of mental, emotional and physical action/reaction. Reestablishing this ability to communicate at the organ and even the cellular levels is the first step in bringing our basic metabolism under conscious control. In addition, Qigong practitioners who are subjected to a wide range of emotional stimuli of various degrees of intensity, ranging from positive to negative, are known to maintain a state of calmness where even traumatic experiences are metabolized without leaving a trace.

This practice can be done laying down, sitting, standing or walking. Once the practice is established, this deep state of consciousness can be reached within a period of 20 minutes. This module will cover the basic theory and combination of various sections of the Fan Song through the methods of Dao Yin Wu Fa.

Zhan Zhuang Jing Zuo

This is the state of art, the essence of the most diverse Qigong practices in movement, which always ends in a series of still positions. Much like all forms Qigong, this form springs from proto-historic times, the first informative occurrence of it is in the Neolithic era. The practice probably derives from the recording of peculiar standing positions reached during deep trance or spirit communication, often referred to as divinely inspired.

Throughout the millennia, many of the secret positions where transmitted and nowadays the exact number of them is unknown. Among the many, few are considered to be the matrix from where the others evolve. In countless generations those positions where refined and deeply explored, we now have a clear map of them all.

In the positions an open flow of information is accessed. By simply holding relatively natural standing positions it is possible to activate all Qi functions, to open the 72 channels and to develop the incredible power of emitting and receiving Qi for healing and martial arts.

Dao Yin Yang Sheng Gong

108 undisclosed methods of nourishing life and the vital principle.

Level 1

This system of Dao Yin is a series of exercises that involve the guiding and directing of energy through the body. Throughout the millennia there have been many schools imparting many ways of practicing Dao Yin, each having a specific purpose. This particular style of Dao Yin has been regarded as very secret. It has been passed down for many generations and is intended to be used as a way to cool down after long meditation sessions and also to ignite the Internal Fire. If practiced every day, this system will activate all the glands and the five major systems of the body: energy meridians, glands-organs, tendons-fascia, blood-lymph and bones-nerves.

This set has a strong impact upon the body-mind and breathing is very important. There are two types of breathing patterns: one for tonifying the body and one for cooling and sedating. Both patterns rely on the Empty Force inside.

Xing Gong Tai Ji Ba Gua

The tradition of wandering or “roaming the three realms” and the underlying general concept of movement has always played an important role in Daoism. It was already practiced in the late Neolithic from which most of the Dong or “moving” Qigong we know of today originally emerged, akin to Tai Ji or similar Dao Yin exercises.

Rooted in the heart of Chinese mysticism, the concept of movement as the primal manifestation of life, which became invested in all of the Chinese philosophies to come.

It is a key study to be able to understand the birth of the notion of motion for Lian Ji, one of the unique aspects of Daoist Cultivation, it unveils the root of Tai Ji and other Dong Gong methods.

Xing Gong is the general definition for methods of Daoist Qigong cultivation done walking or even running. “Walking the Ba Gua” symbolizes an initiative dance of creation. It is a form of ecstatic trance dance with deep cathartic effect.

The 8 steps and walking Gong will be studied. This practice will introduce the Dong Xing Gong, mastery and cultivation in motion as a form of walking Qigong that will evolve into meditation.

It is a Foundation Qigong method to establish Bu Jing Qi Shun. The daily practice of the related movements will lead to the reawakening in the body-mind system of Shun, the self structuring and organizing intelligence of the universe. The reawakening of Shun is considered by Daoists as one of the very fundamental experiences and thus preliminary to any other attainment leading to Zi Ran. This state of energy and consciousness is regarded as the key through which the initiate can actually enter into the realm of Daoist practices for true attainment. This will be accomplished through initiation into the Wu Ling.

The physical counterpart of the Ba Gua was a form of ecstatic trance dance at first, then a callisthenic exercise and finally a form of Qigong. It evolved its own characteristics and became a vast system of knowledge to contact the spirit realm, communicate with the intrinsic power of nature, regulate the body-mind-spirit unity with the rhythm of the earth, universe and one's own self. It was quickly discovered that the innate regenerative power of the practitioner is immensely multiplied, the mystical realms accessed as well as the ability to manifest and develop latent unsuspected potentials.

Passed on in the form of oral tradition, the Xing Gong Tai Ji Ba Gua emerged from the mist of secrecy during the 18th century through the work of an outstanding man, Dung Hai Zhuang. We know he was practicing a form of Daoist cultivation based on circle walking Xing Gong. One of the stories, on how he learned Ba Gua, tells us about the meeting with a Daoist that probably transmitted to him at least part of the system. Considering that he was a solid martial artist, we can derive that he combined his knowledge with what he had learned and codified a form of Ba Gua as a synthesis of his experience. Since then, Ba Gua has been cultivated mainly in its martial aspect and is today considered as one of the innermost challenging styles.

One of our aims in the transmission of the Ba Gua is to reevaluate the lost meaning and knowledge of the art that lies behind the mist. We will thus follow the main evolutionary steps of the system from its "shamanistic" and initiative spirit to the more structured Qigong within the context of Daoist cultivation.

Level 1

In this first level we will explore one approach to the Ba Gua, inspired by the shamanistic dance, to embody the powers and spirits of the animals. Out of the 8 steps of the Ba Gua one will be studied as the root of the others; a selection of movements belonging to the animals will be deepened as a foundation ground for further development. The chosen movements are the simplest approach to the system and are highly valued for their healing, regulating and tonifying properties. The focus of this first level will be mostly on the body, much attention will be given to the mimic of each animal in order to develop their innate magical gift and understand the depth of the associated symbolism. Each movement will work on the 5 organs, the 6 viscera, the spine and the senses.

Level 2

The practice will introduce the Dong Xing Gong, mastery and cultivation in motion as a form of walking Qigong that will evolve into meditation. The daily practice of the related movement will lead to the reawakening in the body-mind-system of Shun, the self structuring and organizing intelligence of the universe. The reawakening of Shun; the constant natural tendency toward perfection, is considered by Daoists as one of the first laws to be experienced and thus preliminary to any other attainment. This state of consciousness is regarded as the key through which the initiate can actually enter into the realm of Daoist practices for true attainment.

Level 3-5

The study of the matrix Father and Mother movements and the application of the Si Xiang Lu. The 8 Transformations and finally the initiation into the Wu Ling.

Tiao Xi Bu Qi Gong

Literally translated as: The science of breath regulation to empower Qi.

It is, for the first time, mentioned in an ancient text appreciated by Daoists: the Ling Bao Bi Fa "the greatest treasures of the spirit." These practices are part of the Tiao Xi, one of the 3 main categories of Qigong, that deals with the breath and it’s applications for all purposes. This particular form is cultivated in motion and is generally considered to be part of the Ba Gua training. Peculiar movements of the body, determinate steps and specific rhythms are blended together and coordinated with breathing techniques.

Other than corresponding to the organs, for those interested in spiritual implications, each rhythm and breath stimulates specific Qi and Shen functions. A simplified version of this practice is well known in China nowadays by the name of “Guo Lin Walking” and is used as the main treatment for cancer and autoimmune diseases. A number of Hospitals use these methods exclusively or in conjunction with acupuncture, herbal treatments and Qi-emission. The rate of reprise and full healing are higher than in any western hospital.

Prof. Li of the Beijing Qigong Research Institute, sponsored by the Italian government, is successfully researching and applying those methods at the Institute of Tumors and Cancer Research in Genoa, Italy. Many other medical doctors and masters are successfully applying these methods in different countries.

Tian Di

This Qigong set is one inspired by the movement of heaven and earth and the forces manifesting from their relation.

The practitioner, like a magician, is the creator of these processes and one learns to command them through words, will, imagination, breath and movement.

We will practice a selection of those methods and techniques focusing on health benefits of the internal organs and spine, working on the vases and channel web of the body, developing a high state of mind, inspiration of the soul and empowerment of the spirit.