08/15/2026
What happened when I went for a walk while waiting for an oil change…
On Thursday, I had some unexpected time on my hands while waiting for my car to get an oil change. So I headed up the trail to Whatcom Falls Park to practice Walking Qigong.
Walking Qigong is a specific Qigong practice that brings together walking, breath, awareness, and our relationship with nature. There is something very different about practicing it outdoors, where the landscape becomes part of the experience.
As I began walking, I started coordinating my pace with my breath. I wasn't trying to force a particular rhythm. I was listening for a rhythm that worked in my own body—a kind of natural rhyme between my steps and my breathing. My walking, my breath, and my attention began to move together. That gave me enough steadiness to keep my focus on my breath while also practicing what Taoists call exchanging energy with nature.
In this case, my partner in that exchange was Whatcom Falls. As I walked toward the falls, I began to feel fluid and tall. My movement became more effortless, and I felt a strong sense of energy moving through my Lower Dantian. I imagined the falls themselves—the water cascading, the massive boulders, the sunlight reflecting off the water—and felt as though I could anchor my Lower Dantian to my full experience of Whatcom Falls.
From there, my awareness seemed to expand. Arriving at the falls, my low dantian was spinning was wonderful clarity and strength. (Email me if you are curious whether water cycle or fire cycle appeared?) I felt connected to Cascade Mountains and the glaciers and at the same time to creek leading into Salish Sea. There were 10 or so people set up with their painting easels, capturing their own expression of Whatcom Falls in late summer.
I also felt a boost of what I experience as “life force” energy and had noticeably more energy for the rest of my day. And then I realized the humor of the whole situation:
My car was getting an oil change while I was getting a Qi change.
Apparently, we both needed a little maintenance.
That unexpected hour reminded me of something I love about Qigong: we don't always need to create a special occasion to practice. Sometimes an ordinary interruption—a walk while waiting for your car—can become an opportunity to reconnect with your body, your breath, your energy, and the natural world around you.
Exploring practices like Walking Qigong is one of the things that inspires me about our upcoming retreat:
Between Sea and Sky: Sacred Alchemy & Renewal
September 25–27, 2026 | Semiahmoo Park
We'll have three days to slow down, move, breathe, meditate, and explore Qigong practices that cultivate awareness, connection, and renewal—all within the spaciousness of sea and sky.
We'll explore Lower Dantian practices, walking Qigong, Bone Breathing Qigong, Swimming Dragon, Tao Yin, Daoist sun and moon practices, meditation, and more.
You don't need previous Qigong experience. You simply need to be curious and willing to slow down enough to feel what is already there.
If you bring a friend, you can each receive $75 off with the code TOGETHER2026.
Maybe it's time for your own tune-up.
Your car can have its oil changed.
You can change your Qi.
I hope you'll join us.
https://bodymindrestoration.com/qigong-retreat-2026
