Yang Tai Chi in Colorado Springs

SPREAD THE WORD!!! Our schedule is in the comments!

💚 The signals are clear. Tai Chi is good for you.

“Who is that?”

“That is Wave Hands Like Clouds. He swears that Tai Chi dance keeps you healthy.”

Sometimes you have to get the message out any way you can. 😄

Wave Hands Like Clouds may not actually send smoke signals, but after more than three decades of practicing Tai Chi, I’m happy to spread the word every day about the benefits of keeping our minds and bodies moving.

Let’s keep spreading the positive word about Tai Chi.

💬 What message would you send to the world about Tai Chi?

The Ten Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi is one of my favorite qigong routines, as it never fails to disappoint with the sense of calm and internal wellness I feel after I do it. Here's an opportunity to learn a little bit more of the internal workings from the person that taught me.

The Ten Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi (Video Program)

Qigong can be more than gentle movement and stress relief. It can become a daily practice for cultivating greater balance, presence, and connection within yourself.

If you've been practicing Qigong or Tai Chi for some time, you may be ready to explore what lies beyond the movements.

In The Ten Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi, Dr. Roger Jahnke takes you on a deeper exploration of Qigong through gentle movement, breathwork, meditation, and the Three Treasures of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Jing, Qi, and Shen.

Across six curated video sessions, you'll explore practices designed to help you:

🌿 Cultivate grounding, vitality, and ease
🫁 Bring greater awareness to the breath and body
🧘‍♀️ Develop inner stillness and personal presence
💚 Work with emotional balance, clarity, and compassion
✨ Explore meditation and the qualities of Shen, or spirit
🌱 Create a personalized Qigong practice you can carry into everyday life

The journey moves through the Earth Elixir, HeartMind Elixir, and Heaven Elixir, offering a framework for exploring body, heart, mind, energy, and spirit as an interconnected whole.

Whether you're a longtime Qigong student, a teacher or healer, or simply curious about deepening your personal practice, the Ten Phases offers an opportunity to slow down, turn inward, and explore the deeper dimensions of Qigong.

Check the comment section to learn more about The Ten Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi with Dr. Roger Jahnke.

LEARN PUSH HANDS TO IMPROVE YOUR TAI CHI!!! We had a lot of people stay after class last night to watch Debbie and me do push hands. So, I just wanted to give another bump to my teacher's downloadable videos on the subject. Push hands truly is her bread and butter. From International Push Hands Champion to valued seminar presenter, she has the formula, and it is in these videos!

Tai chi push hands is not about fighting. It is more of a laboratory for exploring the essence of tai chi’s philosophy of “the soft overcoming the hard.” It is meant to help increase your awareness and potentially expose weak areas in your structure and blockages in your energy flow, which now you can work to correct through deeper forms practice. Push hands uses the principle of yin and yang to teach us to accept and exploit our partner’s pushes.

Here's a link for more info:

https://springstaichi.weebly.com/news/grandmaster-elaine-waters-push-hands-videos

Well ... it has been a journey, but I completed the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC) 200-hour program of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi teacher training. Each level has brought a different element to my curriculum:

Level 1 -- this level brought the 9 Phases qigong set (actually 10, but that's another story), the 7 precious gestures, and other health and vitality qigong practices.

Level 2 -- this level added Tai Chi Easy and its big brother the Integral 9 to the mix. These routines are great for beginners and have become key to my presentations to Livestrong cohorts and senior center classes.

Level 3 -- this level brought about real personal change as it challenged me to look deeper inward instead of chasing more routines. The personal project offered me the freedom to accomplish the curriculum handbook. This was a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time ... getting all my class notes all together in one place not only for the participants in my classes, but also just for me! As I put it together, I was reminded of certain drills and was like, "Oh, I haven't done that one for a while!"

Throughout all the levels, the IIQTC faculty provided space for self-study and internal reflection. And after each level, I felt that my knowledge increased, and perhaps more importantly, I felt I came out a better instructor.

A special thanks to Dr. Roger Jahnke, OMD and the rest of the IIQTC faculty. While this journey may seem complete, the real journey continues.

The fifth season is upon us ...

Tips for Balancing the Earth Element in Late Summer

The Ancient Chinese sages noticed that summer starts out with strong fire energy, and as the season progresses, we move into stronger earth element energy. Late summer has its own category because it has a distinct energy that serves as a transition into Fall. It is best to do distinct energy balancing practices to help you make the most of this late summer season.

An article published in Mother Earth Living called "Nurturing Summer Health" shares some tips and insights on how you can find balance in late summer:

"As summer starts winding down into the dog days of August, the energy shifts from fire to earth. In TCM, this period is its own distinct season, governed by the earth element. The energy of this season is about bounty — nurturing, nourishment, centering, and trusting. In summer, the elements come together to provide the freshest, brightest food; minerals, soil, seeds, water, and heat from the sun have all combined to create food. This is the time to focus on nourishing and connecting with yourself and others.

The earth element presides over the spleen and stomach. When the earth element falls out of balance, digestive problems arise. This shows itself as reflux, bloating, lack or surge in appetite, sluggish digestion, and digestive discomfort. Many people experience digestive issues when they're worried or stressed; this is because worry is the negative emotion associated with the spleen. With the digestive system at the center of our bodies, it has the power to throw all other bodily systems out of balance when unwell.

Finding Balance in Physical Activity

The earth element also recharges with gentle, easy movements. The spleen governs the muscle system according to TCM. Give your muscles some extra love and attention in to order connect heart and head, body and mind, and move your way into a deeper sense of rootedness.

1. Walk. A leisurely walk gets your system flowing with this simple goal of getting around the block. Walking also helps you de-stress and forget about your daily worries.

2. Stretch. Lay down on the ground and gently move your body; it'll tell you where it needs to stretch. Bend forward, side to side, and flex and point your feet and hands. Get on your hands and knees and slowly move your spine. Take deep breaths and feel your body. Connect with the structure of your body systems by mapping your bones in your mind, sensing the throb of your pulse and circulation, or expanding the rhythm of your breathing.

3. Garden. Gardening physically connects you to the earth. Get your hands in dirt — smell it, touch it, and appreciate its unique properties for helping everything grow into fruition.

4. Lay down. Simply lay down and let the earth support you. Put a blanket down outside, or lay down on your floor inside. Imagine the rich soil of the earth supporting your body.

Loving kindness toward oneself is healthcare at the deepest level. By connecting with the energy of the season, we can align our self-care practices with nature and access a deeper healing from our efforts. Remember, effective self-care isn't a chore. By taking the extra steps to care for yourself, you set the tone for care in your life and relationships."

As late summer invites us to slow down, nourish ourselves, and reconnect with what keeps us grounded, it's a wonderful time to bring a little more intention to our daily self-care.

Much hubbub hit Facebook earlier about tai chi walking. This video provides the history and instruction in a healing walking technique, the Guo Lin Qigong method, that I typically present to Livestrong cohorts through the YMCA. I learned it from a cancer survivor. While originally created by Guo Lin as a practice to facilitate her healing from cancer, it is a a great health practice for everyone to oxygenate the blood and stimulate the lymphatic system. And you can do it just as you go out for a morning walk around the neighborhood. As the video creator states, we can all walk to heal!

The Taoist Healing Walk: 'XI XI HU' Technique The secret to profound healing isn't always sitting in still medita...

I’ve had numerous requests for lists, videos, recommended books, and just in general, what the overall Springs Tai Chi curriculum looks like. So, I decided that instead of answering all these individually, I would put together a handbook to capture a few of the things that I’ve picked up since 2001 when I first took up the practice of tai chi. This handbook is designed to serve as a jumping in point with lists of the form sequences, vital concepts, drills to reinforce tai chi body mechanics and principles, and links to reference materials for each individual’s further study and exploration. It is not intended to be a singular reference. Tai chi and qigong are arts. As such, much of expression of a practice is left to you! Enjoy the journey!

Springs Tai Chi Curriculum Handbook I’ve had numerous requests for lists, videos, recommended books, and just in general, what the overall Springs Tai Chi curriculum looks like. So, I decided that instead of answering all these...

Dr. Yang's books and videos were very influential during my early training. Happy birthday, Dr Yang Jwing-Ming!!!

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY TO OUR BELOVED TEACHER Dr Yang Jwing-Ming founder of YMAA.

Here's an opportunity to get a deeper dive into the 9 Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi (plus the 10th phase ;) ). Learn more about these great practices to cultivate the Earth, HeartMind, and Spirit elixirs.

Unlocking the Healing Power Within: Exploring the Promise of Qi

"Breathe and relax. As much as this may seem like an immense challenge, you are really looking at the possibility of giving yourself the gift of becoming more true to your nature."
— Dr. Roger Jahnke, The Healing Promise of Qi

'The Healing Promise of Qi' unlocks the secrets of one of the most powerful of Chinese healing arts. Developed over millennia in China, Qigong (literally, life force + mastery, or refinement) is a set of techniques used to increase your vitality, longevity as well as achieve and maintain optimal health and inner peace.

Ready to tap into your own inner energy and bring more balance, vitality, and peace into your everyday life?

Explore the Ten Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi streaming video program with Dr. Roger Jahnke.

Whether you're just starting your journey or looking to deepen your daily practice, this step-by-step video series guides you through practical techniques to awaken, restore, and preserve your body's natural healing energy.

👇 Check the first comment below for the direct link to start streaming!