Qigong
A more general Blog about Qigong, and associated practises in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Some subtle reflections on the flow state accessed through slow mindful movements and awareness of breathing in the art of Qigong, as we go deeper into our practise and journeys:-
Truest Life
It’s in the small moments we find life, the ones that often catch us by surprise, and largely go unnoticed despite their repeatedly calling our name, not the grand gestures or life events, but the subtlest tiny everyday small ones;
A daisy gently pushing up from between the cracks on a busy pavement, unseen, neglected, but oh so here; a spiders web glistening in the autumn morning dew, every tiny thread contributing to the entirety of its structure; the gentle wave of distant bells gliding on the breeze along the flood plain meadow upstream through the evening river valley.
With increased awareness, the small unnoticed things will become stage front and no longer in the bleachers. A joyful existence will emerge from the shadows of a dull mediocrity and distractions of a busy world thats become like a small child vying for our every attention.
When life gets too busy, life itself passes us by, so quickly. In these brief moments we steal back, awareness riding on each slow breath, and we truly know life beyond the superficial ways that we are conditioned to believe is living, but to the most part is slumber.
Entering flow state through however we access it (Qigong is pretty damn good here !) is a simple returning to that which we always knew, what every baby human, calf or deer knows, sees.
A world beyond, before, the deceptions and constructions of the cunning creations of the conceptual mind took control. Beyond incessant thought, outside of inner narrative and hedonic judgemental tone, escalating into a multitude of subsequent emotions.
Relax into it with no struggle, free from effort and meet it with no agendas, wu wei, doing-non doing, no forcing, simply being. Just allowing.
Simply be still and know.
Peace Love and Qigong
Mark (MSH)
Following on with the more subtle aspects of Qigong as we go deeper into our practise and journeys, building upon the last writing on flow state, for those interested, now here looking at aspects of inner balance, addressing both body, mind and spirit….
More information coming soon.
Having been frequently asked to continue writing Qigong blog posts, for our website, which previously stopped through lack of personal inclination, and inspiration last year, here is the first for a while, inspired by a WhatsApp post regarding Zazen made recently…
The Virtues of Qigong Practise in Accordance with Zazen and The Spiritual Path.
Blog post Friday 17th October 2025. 3.50am. Ninth month of the Year of the Wood Snake.
The Seeking Commences – Looking for the Ox*:-
Often as we become disillusioned with the material world, or confronted with life’s challenges, struck with illness, or simply find we are ageing fast with time slipping away, we look for an alternative deeper way to live our lives.
In worldly life and pursuit the majority remain, dismissive of all alternative ways to live beyond such consumer driven competitive lifestyle; critical of all things of a religious or spiritual alternative nature, sceptical and cynical of the unseen.
So every ‘spiritual’ path is at first a reaction to this, a refusal and recognition to no longer remain slumbering in such transient dissatisfactory ways, that offer about as much lasting satisfaction as drinking sea water and hoping to be fully satiated; later in time this develops and becomes awakened response, no longer in relation to this previous worldly life.
Personally, I wish had found Qigong decades back, before expended so much effort in the pursuit of all spiritual practises undertaken over many decades, often most fruitlessly!
Finding a ‘spiritual path’ as an alternative to the excesses and disappointments of modern ‘worldly life’ often we become ecstatic and excited.
Frequently here we enthusiastically seek spiritual entertainment, then distract ourselves further in becoming proficient at it.
We generate and follow all sorts of esoteric exotic elaborate charades, spiritualising everything, frequently becoming ‘spiritual’ in our outward appearance, dress, lifestyle, associations and even vocabulary.
We go looking externally for all sorts of things, holy places, gurus, teachers and religious institutions or centres, and secret practises, hoping to find transformation and salvation, ignoring that the true inner alchemy is within us already, we simply are it, with every step merely a step away, not toward.
How we love to impute deep religious meaning on things that in and of themselves are most wondrously ordinary, with the true wonders often overlooked or usurped. We don’t need to imagine fairies at the bottom of the garden to know the wonders of nature, trees, and the magnificence of the entire natural world.
Until we see there is nothing to get, no one to impart anything, and no sacred places that bestow it upon us by osmosis we remain trapped. We are looking for God with God’s own eyes!
We worship it, sing to it, light candles and incense to it, prostrate to it, chant at it, confess to it, make offerings to it, build hierarchy to it, etc etc….. anything rather than simply realise we always were it, we are it, and it is all such dualistic distraction that merely prevents us knowing this. We can simply just be it.
All very simple, but oh how the mind prefers elaboration and proliferation, especially in the spiritual game!
This is often mere distraction and transference from the deep seated psychological things inside we have previously avoided through work, excessive exercise, endless travel, absorption in pursuits and hobbies, a multitude of tumultuous romances, and general acquisition and accumulation.
It is the same goals for our own happiness now undertaken in more subtler deeper skilful ways, but with the same wishes of personal indulgence, which of course is ALL fine and generally a vast improvement on our previous worldly life.
Most things serve as stepping stones and can offer temporary comfort and respite and certainly have their valid place. Many things can serve as temporary or immediate benefit, akin to emergency care, taking paracetamol, or application of a bandage.
Letting Go of The Search – Leaving the Ox Behind*
Zazen however, at times is not much fun, even a little unpleasant, as nothing for the mind to engage with, and simply coming to see our previous deceptions and overlays, layer upon layer of acquired meaning, identity and distractions, both ‘worldly’ and even those of a ‘spiritual’ nature.
Qigong however is coming to the same releasing, realising and seeing, via the backdoor route, less efforting just a simple allowing, through mindful movement and inner Neigong transformation, which is in its truest sense similar to Zazen there, both fully in alignment with the Tao, “doing non doing” (wei wu wei). The strength of Taoist practises and their simple enjoyment additionally.
Here we do not need an elaborate long Qigong practise, more simply a regular engagement and practise of even 7-10 minutes (such as Holden Qigong’s 30 Day Challenge).
Of course we all have our own propensities and inclinations.
These days preference is to joyful Qigong in nature simply allowing the mind to drop away, in contrast to formal sitting for endless periods.
Never a criticism, just simply an observation and just ramblings and reflection; mostly from own previous path, trials, tribulations and mistakes; times as a Buddhist Teacher in a twelve year training program; and experience professionally as a Psychotherapist working solely with suicidal ideation when people are at their edge, as all things have their place, even if in only our becoming disillusioned with them, seeing the lack of lasting effects, becoming exhausted, and moving on, or being brought to our knees and seeking yet another way.
A personal mantra is “Nothing good comes from success”, often just pride, arrogance and a false sense of security, for it is in our darkest moments real growth and freedom can be found.
See you in the park!
Peace love and Wild Swan Qigong.
* From the Ten Ox Herding Paintings – The Zen pictorial analogy of finding, taming and releasing the Ox.
Benefits of Qigong
Updates to follow asap.
Info soon….
History of Qigong
Info soon.
By Mark HeathInfo coming soon.
