January 2017 | Program Host: Vicki Dello Joio
The Chinese word for mind intent is Yi Nian(意念). Yi meaning thought / to think / intention and Nian meaning to study. Yi Nian means to think and study the qi movement in your body, through your channels. De 德is the inner power that comes from the proper alignment of the mind and body. In the Nei-yeh, the manual for inner training from 4th century BCE, we are given this advice.
Chapter 11
When your body is not aligned,
The inner power (De) will not come.
When you are not tranquil within,
Your mind will not be ordered.
Align your body, assist the inner power (De),
Then it will gradually come on its own.
Chapter 14
When your mind is calm, your senses are calmed.
What makes them well-ordered is the mind;
What makes them calm is the mind.
By means of the mind you store the mind:
Within the mind there is yet another mind.
That mind within the mind: it is an awareness that precedes words.
Only after there is awareness does it take shape;
Only after it takes shape it there a word.
In qigong and taiji training, one goal is to use the mind to align the body, so the De internal power can move the qi energy throughout the acupuncture channels. Without a calm and concentrated mind, the De internal power cannot manifest. With a concentrated mind, the mind within the mind can emerge. It is this mind, not imagination, which controls the movement of qi in our practice. Our talk will be on how to develop the power of concentration and relaxation to concentrate and circulate the qi in your practice, bringing about physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Richard Leirer is a master Taiji and Qigong instructor with over 44 years of experience. He is a founding member of the NQA and director of The Qigong Academy. Richard's programs in Medical Qigong and Taiji have been a part of surgery rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital for over 20 yrs. His past research in Taiji with vets suffering from PTSD have made him a leader in the Taiji and Qigong for health arena. Richard has been officially recognized as a Master by the Chinese Qigong Society of Cleveland for his excellence in Neigong (Taoist inner alchemy meditation techniques) and was certified as an instructor of Wu Ji Qigong by the late Master Zhu Wei from Tien Tai Mountain. He teaches Qigong/Taiji every day.
