HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE DRAGON ISSUE: SIFU TERRY DUNN'S TAI CHI FOR HEALTH & QIGONG FOR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Zoom classes resume in: Tai Chi Form (60-part); Qigong For Health for 1st Responders; Intermediate Qigong and Basic Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu
I. QIGONG FOR HEALTH FOR 1st RESPONDERS: TAOIST ELIXIR METHOD + FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG
Sundays 4 - 5:30 pm EST. Classes No. 165 to 169 = February 25; March 3, 10, 17, 24.
Our 165th Livestream of Qigong For Health For First-Responders is set for this Sunday, February 18 from 4pm to 5:30pm Eastern Time (U.S. and Canada), with 30 minutes of discussion and Q&A immediately following.
This class immerses you in two (not one, but two) authentic and powerful ancient Taoist monastic systems of Qigong that impart tangible, visible, repeatable, and verifiable health benefits on the way to self-empowerment. The two systems are drastically dissimilar in terms of yogic methodology—as different as night and day—but once learned, the two systems are not only compatible with one another, but they are also synergistic:
(1) Taoist Elixir Method (“Tao Tan Pai”) Qigong - Each class begins with a half-hour practice of the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga, a classical distillation of the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations (“TTP-31”). The TTP-31 is the first of six levels in Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung—not counting the TTP 5 Animal Kung fu Forms that are foundational to the Nei Kung.
(2) Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditations (“Fei Feng San Gung”) imparts tangible energizing and rejuvenating effects—and deep meditative states of consciousness— in surprisingly swift manner—within 30 to 50 minutes of practicing any combination of the 8 basic standing meditations or 24 seated meditations. The allostatic (restorative) effects of FP Qigong practice continue long after one’s practice has ceased and often very often will set on once again as if one were practicing.
"Flying Phoenix Qigong practice significantly elevates parasympathetic tone. 90 minutes of practice of this Qigong is restorative in real time and over time afterwards."
- Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H., IOC Dip. Sp. Med. Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Public Health Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology (December 2019)
Joining the Livestream Session
To experience the profound health benefits of these two rare and extraordinarily powerful Taoist Qigong arts that are easy-to-do and profoundly restorative holistic health practices, and join a lively worldwide community of students dedicated to holistic health, personal growth, self-empowerment, spiritual fortitude, sign up for the next Sunday session:
The Zoom Meeting ID is: 847 4923 4460
Login URL:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84749234460?pwd=dUhUOXVGL3pNdlZYS1BEMWVWaFNPQT09
FEE: $40 per class; $280 / 8-class series; or $500 / 16-class series
• Please send tuition via Paypal (to zenbearinc@gmail.com) or via Zelle (to terencepdunn@gmail.com) before 1:00 PM on the day of he class) —or send an email to zenbearinc@gmail.com asking to be sent a Paypal money request that you can use any credit or debit card to pay.)
II. TAI CHI FOR HEALTH: 60-part Short Form and Tai Chi Sword Form of Grandmaster William C.C. Chen—plus form refinement and applications for self-defense.
Saturdays 11am to 12:30pm EST; Classes No. 73 - 77 = February 28; March 6, 13, 20, 27.
Graceful in movement, slow in tempo, relaxed in perfectly natural postures, Tai Chi form practice improves circulation, respiration, metabolism, flexibility, and the neuromuscular function—agility, balance coordination, and proprioception. This weekly 90-minute class teaches you the 60-posture Yang Style Tai Chi Short Form created by my teacher, Grandmaster William C.C. Chen—along with applications of the form for self-defense. The class will provide basic to intermediate instruction in Push-hands (fixed step sparring) for students at all levels. Once properly learned, the Short Form will serve you throughout a lifetime.
In addition to learning Master William C.C. Chen’s subtle Tai Chi body mechanics that develop muscle-free, “toes-to-fingers” energization that leads to the high-level skill that includes what our style calls the “slow fa-jing”, you will also learn different ways of perfecting each of the 60 postures in the Yang Short Form--that I first learned from my teacher’s classmate, GM Abraham Liu from 1980 to 1992, which I have practiced and taught for 30 years. My step-by-step instruction in the Short Form and refinement of each posture will be supplemented each week by a warm-up module at the start of each class comprised of selections from a wide repertoire of classical Tai Chi conditioning exercises that I’ve acquired over the past 49 years. This 20-minute module will utilize time-proven methods such as:
1. The Silkweaver’s Exercise - an excellent classical Qigong exercise that’s easy-to-do and develops 4 basic and essential stances for Tai Chi, wonderfully opens and closes the chest and back, relaxes the back, does a superb job of relaxing the intercostals with one knowing it, promotes toes-to-fingers energization, and even prepares one for reverse breathing.
2. 3 Essential Yang-style Exercisesº –– taught by the late Master Abraham Liu: A.“The Gentle Bear”exercise—the “Wave Hands Like Clouds” pattern done in bow stance and ma-bu followed by the “Brush Knee” pattern in the same; B. Alternating Play Guitar and Lifting Hands exercise with 90º steps; C. Left-right Alternating “Snake Creeps Down” Figure-8 Exercise.
(º Also featured in the first 40 minutes of my all-time best-selling Tai Chi For Health DVDs released in 1989.)
3. Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard Exercises - Practiced by the Qing emperors’ palace guards from 1644 to 1912. (As taught by Master George Xu in the 1980’s at his workshops at the Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego.)
4. Master James Lau King’s 5 Loosening Exercises. Master King is a senior student of the late Grandmaster Huang Sheng Shyan and teaches his teacher’s five loosening exercises that not only develop Tai Chi body mechanics, but each exercise trains a powerful set of Tai Chi kung fu applications.
5. Chen Style Chan-Su-Jin (“Silk-reeling”) exercises—as taught to me by Master John Fey.
Joining the Livestream Session
Zoom Meeting ID: 893 1017 7261
Login URL:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83948938187?pwd=cUVZOS9GRzhqYk4rSE5BTTFTamVZdz09
FEE: $35 per class; $240 / 8-class series; or $400 / 16-class series
• Please send tuition via Paypal (to zenbearinc@gmail.com) or via Zelle (to terencepdunn@gmail.com)
III. ADVANCED FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG & BASIC TAO TAN PAI KUNG FU & QIGONG
Thursdays 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Classes No. 153 to 159 = February 22, 29, March 7, 14, 21, 28.
February 22 (from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST) will be the 153rd advanced-level Qigong & Kung Fu class of this ongoing weekly series . This course concentrates on the intermediate and advanced levels of the two rare and powerful Kung Fu/Qigong systems: Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method”) Nei Kung created in the Tang Dynasty by Taoist Immortal Lu Tung-Pin and Ehrmei Mountain White Tiger Kung Fu, created in 1644 by Taoist monk Feng Dao Deh, the latter which includes Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong, its health safety “net”, a purely medical Qigong system.
Prerequisites for joining this class have recently been adjusted; please note:
1. Proficiency in performing all the Flying Phoenix Qigong exercises in Volumes 1 and 2 of Chi Kung For Health DVD series.
2. Proficiency in the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga—and familiarity with the overall sequence of TTP 31 Basic Meditations—as acquired through attendance of two 3-day TTP Qigong workshops within the past 3 years, or 3 months of weekly classes.
Course Agenda:
1. Tao Tan Pai Cane Form.
2. Instruction in the basic Tao Tan Pai Monkey, Crane, Snake, Tiger, and Dragon forms.
3. Instruction in advanced Tao Tan Pai Qigong: The Shen Exercises
4. Refinement of standing Flying Phoenix Moving Meditations: A. “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” — the 2nd most advanced Flying Phoenix moving meditation (on Volume 3 of Chi Kung For Health DVD series ) . We will refine “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” until students have it memorized and can do it with the eyes closed.
B. “Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditation”, aka, the Long Form Standing Meditation (Volume 4 of CKFH DVD series) .
5. Refinement of “Monk Serves Wine” seated FP Meditations (#1 - #8)
ADVANCED TRAINING:
6. Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong (9 standing moving meditations)
7. “Monk Serves Wine” advanced seated Meditations (#9 - #24)
8. Introduction to “10,000 Buddhas Ascend To Heaven” – 54 Meditations.
9. 8 Sections of Energy Combined (“Bat Din Gum”) Kung Fu System —as seen in the Youtube video at the top of this section.
10. Bok Fu Pai “Eagle Claw Ten Hook Attack Form”—as seen here:
JOINING THE INTERMEDIATE COURSE LIVESTREAM: Thursdays, 6pm - 8pm EST
Zoom Meeting ID: 875 5807 4484
Login URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87558074484?pwd=Vmh3dlBSdUV5U1V6VUtFZGVOaDZMQT09
FEE: $60/ class or $440 / 8-class series or $800/16-class series
• Please send tuition via Paypal to zenbearinc@gmail.com or via Zelle to terencedunn@gmail.com (before 12 noon on each day of class) to receive the Zoom Meeting Password by 5pm EST.
See you all in Class!
mitakuye oyasin,
(Lakota greeting and prayer that means “All are related,” “To all my relations,” and “Help and health to all my brothers and sisters.”)
Sifu Terry Dunn
P.S. Song pick for February and music history lesson:
“Grooving Is Easy” — by the Electric Flag (1968)
• To celebrate start of New Year of the Dragon and Valentine’s Day!
One of the great early rock, jazz, and R&B fusion songs. Electric Flag was formed in 1967 by Mike Bloomfield and featured keyboardist Barry Goldberg, and drummer Buddy Miles. Buddy Miles would go on later to form the The Buddy Miles Express.
•> I was 14 years old and in 9th grade when this song came out; but we were precocious cool kids at John Burroughs Jr. High School in Hancock Park, L.A., back then… and we rocked out to this, as did our elders: