Welcome to the Wuji Qigong course!

This course aims to equip you with a simple yet powerful tool for self-healing, the Wuji Qigong (無極氣功). Wuji Qigong, also called Wuji Zhuang (stance or standing), is one of the oldest forms of Qigong (qi cultivation) exercises used by Daoist practitioners and martial artists in China since ancient times. By simply standing still with proper body alignment, relaxation and natural breathing, the Wuji practitioner allows the internal channels of qi (vital life energy) to open up and smooth out blockages, therefore activating the body's self-maintenance and self-repair processes.

Wuji Qigong has been adopted by many schools of Taijiquan practitioners as a training tool to build foundational skills such as relaxation, rooting (i.e., balance, groundedness, and centeredness), Dantian (qi reservoir) development, and qi sensitivity.

The very act of being still and breathing naturally also has the effects of relieving stress, enhancing awareness and sharpening focus.

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This document covers the following topics - please read it carefully and completely, and refer back here first if you have questions:

• What you will get out of this course
• How you will proceed through the course contents
• How you will be supported throughout the course
• Communication
• Useful Tools and Tips

What you will get out of this course:

Like many wondrously simple and elegant arts, Wuji Qigong does require some guidance to learn, and its profound effects on health and martial art skills can only be achieved through daily practice, typically over a period of 3 to 6 months (some people start experiencing benefits within a couple of weeks, but this is highly variable).

If you go through all the course materials and follow the recommended practice and exercises, at the end of the 4 weeks you will: 

1. Be able to set up your Wuji stance with proper preparation, body alignment and relaxation; 
2. Be able to make self adjustments to your posture confidently; 
3. Be able to stand for 20 minutes in one setting;
4. Have a number of meditation techniques in your repertoire for calming and clearing the mind, which can be applied to various daily activities;
5. Have practiced and succeeded in building a practice routine, and know how to apply it in the future and/or to other activities.

You will also have full and continued access to course materials including videos, audio meditation guides, etc., beyond the initial 4 weeks to help you sustain your practice.

How you will proceed through the course contents: 

Course contents are released one week at a time. This means after successful enrollment, you have have immediate access to all of Week 1's materials, and a week (7 days) later you will have access to Week 2's materials, and so forth.

1. Weekly Learning

Each week starts with a set of videos (recordings from live virtual classes with the inaugural April 2021 cohort) covering the following topics (the exact sequence and contents may vary):

• instructions and demos
• working with the body (alignment and posture)
• working with the mind (awareness and distractions)
• guided practice(s)
• worksheet (on practice schedule)

You should budget about 1 hour for watching the videos and filling out the worksheet. You can cover them in one setting (recommended) or in a couple of short settings.

Each week's instructions build on previous weeks, so make sure you complete each week's instructions and exercises before starting the next week's materials.

2. Daily Practice

During the week, practice according to the schedule you put down in your worksheet. Each week's module also includes pre-recorded audio guides, which you may use during your practice. Alternatively, you can simply use a timer of your choice.

• If you are a beginner, you will practice the Wuji Stance for 5 to 10 minutes in one setting in Week 1, and gradually increase the duration to 20 minutes by Week 4.
• If you are an experienced practitioner, you can choose the duration you feel comfortable with, between the recommended range of 20 to 40 minutes.

Your worksheets will ask you to commit to at least 4 consecutive days of practice in the first week, and more in later weeks as your routine starts to stick.

How you will be supported through the course:

I have designed this course to allow you to learn and practice the Wuji Qigong safely on your own. In addition, I am available throughout your 4-week journey to provide support in the following ways:

1. Weekly Q& A

Use each week’s Q&A section to ask questions as they come up. I can typically get to it within 1 day, 2 days at the most.

2. Weekly Reflections

At the end of each week and before you start the next week's instructions videos, you will be asked to fill out a very brief reflections form. This is mainly for me to know how each of you have been progressing, and provide support as I see fit. You may also use this form to ask me questions privately.

3. 1:1 Coaching (with an additional fee)

If you feel you could use real-time feedback or more guidance on how to build your own daily practice, you may schedule a 30-minute 1:1 virtual coaching session with me. In the coaching session, I can answer your questions, check and suggest adjustments to your posture, and/or guide you through a wuji standing session.

4. Live Group Practice Sessions

Depending on demand, I may occasionally host live group practice sessions via zoom. Notifications will be sent via email through the course website.

Communication:

1. To ensure you receive important course announcements via email, make sure you:

• do NOT opt out of "marketing emails" in your profile settings - I don't send marketing emails, only those relevant to the course;
• check your spam folder and unblock emails coming from "Moving Stillness" or "....teachable.com".

2. I can be reached directly via email at [email protected].

Useful Tools and Tips:

This course can be viewed in Teachable's iOS app, which allows you to watch the instruction videos and listen to the audio guides on the go. Note that some contents (e.g., Q&A/comments) are not visible in the iOS app and you would need to access those on a computer.

Insight Timer app: This a free app (there’s also a web version) that offers a versatile timer, a ton of free music and audio guides for meditation, and a huge online community. They keep adding new features such as live-streams and courses (some requires paid membership). Just the timer is enough reason to add this app to your phone! I have created a wuji qigong group on it years ago - it might be time to revive it for this class! :) 

Zoom (required when participating in live practice sessions): If you plan to attend the live sessions and this is the first time you use Zoom, download and install the program to your computer (recommended) or install its smartphone app and test it out in advance. Make sure that your camera and mic works. 

That’s it for now! See you in Week 1!