TERRY DUNN'S TAI CHI FOR HEALTH & QIGONG FOR HEALTH NEWSLETTER––HAPPY EASTER AND PASSOVER ISSUE
Qigong For Health for 1st Responders on Sundays; Intermed. Qigong on Tuesdays; Yang Tai Chi Chuan on Wednesdays
I. QIGONG FOR HEALTH FOR 1st RESPONDERS: TAO TAN PAI QIGONG + FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG
Sunday Classes No. 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 = APRIL 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: 4 - 6 pm EST.
Our 133th Livestream of Qigong For Health For First-Responders is set for this Sunday, April 5 from 3pm to 4:30pm Eastern Time (U.S. and Canada), with 30 minutes of discussion and Q&A immediately following.
Each 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.
(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.
(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 45 minutes of practicing any combination of the 8 basic standing meditations or 24 seated meditations. The allostatic (restorative) effects of FP Qigong practice continues long after one’s practice has ceased.
"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 regimens, 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: 872 7703 0824
Registration URL:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87277030824?pwd=dXdyVHd0QnBMWVZlR2htVWtYdlF4QT09
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.) You will then be sent the Meeting Password by 2pm.
II. INTERMEDIATE QIGONG & BASIC KUNG FU
Tuesday Classes No. 129, 130, 131, 132 = APRIL 5, 12, 19, 26: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
April 5 will be the 129th intermediate-level Qigong & Basic Kung Fu class of this ongoing weekly series (from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST). This course concentrates on the intermediate and advanced levels of the two rare and powerful Kung Fu/Qigong system— Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method”) Nei Kung created in the Tang Dynasty and Ehrmei Mountain White Tiger Kung Fu, created in 1644 by Taoist monk Feng Dao Deh, and which includes Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong, the medical qigong system and health safety “net” of Bok Fu Pai.
Prerequisites for joining the Intermediate class have recently been adjusted—please note:
1. Proficiency in all of the Flying Phoenix standing Qigong exercises up to and including “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” moving meditation—i.e., proficiency in performing all the meditative exercises in Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Chi Kung For Health DVD series. —i.e. you should have “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” moving meditation memorized and be able to do it and its breath conrol sequence from memory and with the eyes closed.
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 at Eastover Estate over past 3 years, or 3 months of weekly community classes.
Class Agenda:
1. Warm up with the Tao Tan Pai Cane Form
2. Instruction in the basic Tao Tan Pai Monkey, Crane, Snake, Tiger, or Dragon forms—in that order.
3. Refinement of “Moonbeam Splashes On Water” (2nd most advanced Flying Phoenix moving meditation)
4. Refinement of “Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditation”, aka, the Long Form Standing Meditation (on Volume 4 of CKFH).
** NOTE: The following advanced arts (#5 - #10) are only available to students whom I have been certified as instructors in Flying Phoenix Qigong and/or Taoist Elixir Method Basic 31 Meditations:
5. Instruction in “Monk Serves Wine”, advanced seated FP Meditations (#9 - #24)
6. Introduction to Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong (9 standing moving meditations)
7. Instruction in the Bok Fu Pai “Eagle Claw Ten Hook Attack Form”—as seen here:
8. Instruction in the Preparatory Exercise of 8 Sections of Energy Combined (“Bat Din Gum”) Kung Fu System—as seen in the demonstration by Sifu Terry in 2016 in Montana:
9. Introduction to “10,000 Buddhas Ascend To Heaven” Meditations
10. San-shou (free sparring) and how to make the Mok-Gar “Browns” techniques street-effective.
JOINING THE INTERMEDIATE COURSE LIVESTREAM: Tuesdays, 6pm - 8pm EST
The Zoom Meeting ID is: 828 6280 6822
Registration URL:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82862806822?pwd=VWpGRkQ3LzN6RDNZYUhweXRYNTRuUT09
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 4:00 PM on each day of class) to receive the Zoom Meeting Password by 5pm EST.
III. TAI CHI FOR HEALTH: 60-part Short Form and Tai Chi Sword Form of Grandmaster William C.C. Chen—plus Push-hands and Form Applications for self-defense.
Wednesday Classes No. 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 = APRIL 5, 12, 19, 26: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
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 will teach 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 practiced slowly three times consecutively imparts marked energization, vitality, fitness.
In addition to learning 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 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 detailed step-by-step instruction in the Short Form and form refinement each week will be supplemented by a warm-up module done 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:
1. Gen. Abraham Liu’s 3 foundational Yang-style exercises: a. “The Gentle Bear”: Wave Hands Like Clouds and Brush Knee patterns in bow stance and ma-bu; b. Alternating Play Guitar and Lifting Hands postures with 90º steps; c. Left-right Alternating “Snake Creeps Down” Figure-8 Exercise
2. Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard Exercises - Practiced by the Qing emperors’ palace guards from 1644 to 1912. (As taught by Master George Xu in the early 1980’s during his workshops at the Taoist Sanctuary in San Diego.)
3. Chen Style Chan-Su-Jin (“Silk-reeling”) exercises.
4. And much more!
Joining the Livestream Session
Zoom Meeting ID: 893 1017 7261
Registration URL:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310177261?pwd=alZSanFDdXdHTUxZNC9rTzNMMFlEZz09
FEE: $35 per class; $250 / 8-class series; or $450 / 16-class series
• Please send tuition via Paypal (to zenbearinc@gmail.com) or via Zelle (to terencepdunn@gmail.com)
My background in Tai Chi Chuan: 43 years of experience in the Cheng Man-Ching lineage of Tai Chi Chuan, having previously studied with Master William C.C. Chen's two classmates from Taiwan, the late Masters Abraham Liu (1980-1992) and Benjamin Lo (13 summer workshops in La Honda, CA, 1980-1992)—learning the Professor’s 37-posture Short Form, the 108-posture Long Form, and the Tai Chi sword. I taught Tai Chi forms and push-hands on my own for 20 years starting in 1993. Then I met GM William C.C. Chen in 2013 and have been studying with him and teaching under his guidance to this day.
IV. * Reminder: 3-Day Immersive Tai Chi workshop over World Tai Chi Qigong weekend, April 28-30 *
I will be teaching a 3-day, 14-hour Tai Chi workshop at the beautiful “Tao Retreat” Chinese Culture Estate in Catskill, NY for World Tai Chi Qigong Day and weekend. Full details and registration info are on this Newsletter issue:
Mitakuye oyasin, Happy Easter, and Happy Passover
Sifu Terry Dunn
P.S. Music Pick of the Month is “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” —in memory of Ruichi Sakamoto (1952 - 2023):
I learned on April 1 the very sad news that music composer, actor, and record producer Ruichi Sakamoto had passed away on March 28. He was 71 years old. I first saw him and heard his music in the 1983 movie, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," a WW2 prisoner of war drama starring David Bowie, Tom Conti, and him. Sakamoto also composed the gorgeous theme to the movie, which I have had on my playlist of background music for all my Tai Chi and Qigong classes since 1983.
Here is the best performance I've ever found of the stunningly beautiful "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence." Enjoy.
Rest in Peace, Maestro Sakamoto.