Why BalancedEnergyArts?
But mainly I think it reflects something about the 16 Nei Gung and my approach to showing people how to get into these life-enhancing practices. Just considering the Nei Gung I
always try to emphasize the need to approach learning the sets in a
steady manner, without over-emphasizing one set over the other. For
example the 5 sets that Bruce Frantzis teaches are balanced according to
the 5 elements. Another reason for the name being that these Energy Arts can be used for several interconnected purposes health, meditative/meditation and martial arts. I have an approach that tries to help practitioners to integrate all of them, where possible and depending on interest.
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About me I offer small group and private Tai Chi, Chi Gung and Ba Gua Zhang instruction. I am a Senior Instructor within the Energy Arts system of Bruce Frantzis, an internationally recognised Master of Chinese Internal Arts. I have studied directly with Bruce Frantzis since 1987. I
prefer to work with small groups or individuals, aiming to develop practitioners
who can use the health, fighting and meditative aspects of Wu Style Tai
Chi and Ba Gua Zhang equally. Small
groups means 6 participants maximum for an intensive week, for a
weekend 8-10 maximum, larger groups are simply not so interesting for
me currently. I regularly do workshops on different parts of the Nei Gung/Chi Gung taught by Bruce in Wiesbaden and Darmstadt. The primary aim of these is to give folks a chance to explore the health aspects of these arts. These classes can be attended by anyone regardless of level. Please notice the following additional information.... |
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TAOIST WATER METHOD NEIGUNGTHE COURSES I OFFER Written and Prepared by Jamie Dibdin CONTACT: baguamonkey@gmx.de or call 0044 7411588112 LONGEVITY BREATHING DESCRIPTION Just as when a baby breathes its whole body is in motion, Longevity Breathing (previously known as Taoist Whole Body Breathing) developed by Liu Hung Chieh and B.K.Frantzis helps you to breathe using the belly/waist, the sides of the abdomen, the lower back and the upper back smoothly and without strain. This material shows you how to use your breath to increase your circulation, increase your breathing capacity, aid in developing deep relaxation, massage your internal organs and improve your stamina. This type of breathing is basic to all Chi Gung and Tai Chi and Bagua practises, it is the way these arts at a primary level gain access to the feeling of Chi in the body. These breathing principles can be practised in any of the four modes of Taoist practise, those being standing, sitting,moving and lying down. Using the 70 % Rule as a guide this method allows you grow at your own rate and yet gain steady increases in your breath capacity. DRAGON AND TIGER CHI GUNG DESCRIPTION Dragon and Tiger Chi Gung is one of the easiest Meridian Line Chi Gung systems to learn, with only seven relatively straight forward movements to practise, this set is ideal for beginners or those who wish to have an Internal Exercise routine without the need to absorb long and complicated sequences of movements. Despite this simplicity Dragon and Tiger is a powerful set for developing the feeling of Chi especially in the External Energy Field and the 8 Extra Channels of the body. The movements themselves are greatly useful for releasing tired nerves, loosening the major joints of the body and providing a thorough massage for the muscles. I have taught it many times since learning it in 1992, especially to students who need to benefit from taking a Chi gung that would be both gentle and forgiving to practise and that is of use as an effective system for pain relief. OPENING THE ENERGY GATES NEI GUNG DESCRIPTION This set is fully described in the book Opening The Energy Gates of Your Body by B.K.Frantzis published by North Atlantic Books. It has also been published twice in German first as Qi Gong-Wege zu den Energiequellen des Koerpers by Rowohlt and more recently by Windpferd as Die Energie Tore des Koerpers offnen-Der weg zur Meisterschaft. This Nei Gung starts with one of the Classics of Internal Martial Arts-Standing. First there are the all-important physical alignments designed to open the joints of the body in accordance with Taoist Body Principles. Then you learn how to feel the inside of the body, to become aware of the places inside of your body that are or are not easily accessible to your conscious awareness. The next step is to put this ability to feel into an exercise called Outer Dissolving, this is where you try to become of the finer energy blockages and to release them or Dissolve these blocks so the enegy inside them can return to a smooth flow. This is not a visualisation technique-it is firmly based on someone gaining the ability to have a accurate sense of the sensations that exist on the inside of their body. Then there is the first moving exercise of the set-Cloud Hands. This exercise teaches you how to move the weight from one leg to the other while maintaining the alignments learnt for Standing, then there is the principle of waist turning and finally spiralling from the arms and legs that takes place throughout the whole motion. Cloud Hands also teaches how to use Opening and Closing of the joints and the motion of the Kwa, to make the exercise even more useful for Internal Arts practise you can also add in the Primary Energies of Peng,Liu,Ji and An. The next three moving exercises are known collectively as the Swings, these use relaxed arm and Kwa/waist actions to lightly massage the lower, middle and upper parts of the torso. The first Swing uses the same leg waist motion and the arms simply let go and follow. The second and third Swings share a sideways motion of the unweighted leg and the third adds the ability to use the Kwa and legs to provide vertical lifting motions to the arms and spine. Then at the end of this set there is the invaluable Taoist Spine Stretch, the beginning of Taoist Spinal Chi Gung as taught by B.K.Frantzis. The big difference between this and typical Western exercises for the back is that it starts all motion at the base of the back as opposed to the head being first. Also the Taoist Spine Stretch uses the Outer Dissolving to cause nervous system release before any motion takes place in the back hence reducing the chances of strain. Indeed this ability to release the underlying nervous tension and the energetic blockages in the spine is the unique feature of B.K.Frantzis' whole system of Chi Gung/Nei Gung. It enables a practioner to gain changes that will stay with the body during the day and will help to develop the capacity to prevent strain from becoming set in the body. MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH NEI GUNG DESCRIPTION This is the Nei Gung set that has the simplest movement set and the most valuable Internal Principles contained within it. The movements are both logical and balanced-the movements being a mirror image as the two sides of the body move simultaneously in the same pattern. The movements of this set are only about 10% of the total work that is done the rest of the exercise includes learning more about Taoist Breathing principles, including how to move the front sides and back of the body, Opening and Closing of the Joints, by gaining the ability to move (at will) the synovial fluid inside the joints, (which can have an effect on arthritis) and Lenthening the Tissue, the fascia which wraps around and through all the muscles of the body. The ligaments are also given a workout in this set via the vertical bending actions this adding a certain "bounce" to these tissues. Energetically this set shows you how to circulate energy through the Left and Right Channels, to project energy into the torso for health and how to stimulate the energy flows of the Micro and Micro Cosmic Orbits. The Spinal Work began in the Energy Gates set is taken further too,through the two bending actions which are a part of the Marriage Chi Gung. 16/18/27 MOVE WU STYLE TAI CHI SHORT FORM DESCRIPTION This is the form developed by B.K.Frantzis,with the encouragement of his teacher Taoist Master Liu Hung Chieh. The Wu Style, as taught by B.K.Frantzis specializes in developing a strong and healthy body and a relaxed and released mind. These 16/18/27 moves taken from the Original Long Form are by no means simplified but contain all of the essential information that make Tai Chi work for health. The Wu Style of Tai Chi uses small circular movements and relatively high stances which have several advantages over other Tai Chi styles, especially at the beginning of the learning process. For those with knee problems ,for example, the higher stances help you to learn the alignments,which generate healthy joints, without unneccessary strain. Over time you learn to Open and Close the Joints of the body, Lengthen the tissue, develop sensitivity to Chi and balance the Left and Right sides of the body. This sensitivity helps you handle the daily stresses and strains that are connected with chronic stress,e.g. working with computers,sitting at a desk etc. I also offer instruction in the Long Form that Bruce teaches presently in Germany only I may start to offer courses in the UK at some point. BAGUA ZHANG SINGLE PALM CHANGE DESCRIPTION In this course I teach the Primary Physical and Energetic practise, the Single Palm Change, of Bagua Zhang transmitted to B.K.Frantzis by Taoist Master Liu Hung Chieh. You will learn Bagua's characteristic Basic Exercises, Circle Walking, Static Upper Body Walking Postures and the Single Palm Change and how to practise Bagua for health. For those who are interested Martial Applications and Rou Shou will be covered, but only as a mnemonic aid to learning the Single Palm Change. Bend the BowFor a fuller description please refer to the Energy Arts Inc website. Bend the Bow is the Spinal Chi Gung of B.K.Frantzis system. In 2001 at the Energy Gates Instructor Training I asked B.K.Frantzis about this Chi Gung, especially about me teaching it, at the time Bruce said that it was fine to teach Bend the Bow however he said it was best if I only continue teaching the basic pump of the set. So please bear this in my if you contact me regarding this set. Gods Playing in the CloudsDESCRIPTION For a fuller description please refer to the Energy Arts Inc website. Gods Playing in the Clouds is a six movement Nei Gung method that contains all the previous material of the Chi Gungs before it and has its own unique material too. |
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