SOULution is excited to be hosting Craig Mallet at Lakeside for a Daoist Qi Gong workshop.
Venue: SOULution Lakeside, Emu Bank, Belconnen
Time: Saturday 1-4pm & Sunday 9:30am-12:30pm
It is no secret that our modern relationship to our bodies is not particularly healthy. The great majority of people seem to be stuck in a dichotomy between being completely sedentary, ignoring the body and letting it slowly fall into atrophy and disuse; or a maniacal thrashing of an already tired system, a slavery of the body with modern workouts designed for high performance, quick results and to make you feel bad about resting. Either way, the body eventually breaks down.
These are not our only options…there is another Way.
Craig teaches people to develop and cultivate a habit of balanced practices designed to bring you a stable and healthy relationship with your body, through the lens of a Daoist tradition infused with more than 1,500 years traditional wisdom.
Qi gong (also called nei gong – internal training) is a practice that combines basic physical motions or static postures with breathing, work on sensations and energetic circulation. The first and most important aspect of this training is to understand the concrete, “down to earth” mechanisms of energy work, giving space to direct experience and common sense and leaving aside the imagination and fantasies. Whoever dreams, visualizes energy and imagines sensations is not actually practicing. Like any system which is grounded in reality, the understanding and use of Internal Force is practical and effective, experienced and usable. The Da Xuan Family Qigong is a specific approach that will develop the internal qualities in a clear and methodical way with no need for esoteric fluff. The internal qualities are:
Feeling
Training to develop capacity to feel what is already there in more detail, whether it be the physical structures (your physical limits/skin, muscles, connective tissue, bones and eventually organs), your circulation, or other subtle sensations. In the tradition we say tension blocks feeling, so you will learn to relax deeply to feel more and more intricate details of what is going on within and around you.
Uniting
A united body moves in complete harmony with greatly increased circulation and superior structural strength. This makes you both stronger and more resistant to injuries, while also increasing the possibility of feeling in even more detail.
Grounding
This is the energetic counterpart of the physical grounding. We learn to drop our weight down into the ground while simultaneously extending high into the sky by letting go of tension, leaving a clear pathway for free circulation. As this aspect of our internal training grows, more possibility for deeper work becomes available and ignites a general feeling of being very settled, solid and stable. It is said in the tradition that the trees with the deepest roots can grow the tallest!
Join Craig for an inspiring, embodied exploration of the power of harnessing your Qi. Learn about ancient Daoist philosophies and traditional teachings that you can use to enrich your physical practices and your life!
Price:
Early Bird: $260
6 available until 2 weeks prior to the workshop, use code: EBMAYCANB
General Admission: $300
Available until the workshop begins or tickets sell out
Bookings are limited to ensure an enriching experience, so if you are Daoist-curious and ready to explore, this is for you. Please note, bookings for this event are to be made directly with Craig Mallett.