Jeg havde ikke prøvet qi gong, før Thomas introducerede mig for det for snart et års tid siden. Og sikke en rejse, det har været.

Thomas har en meget umiddelbar tilgang til denne stående meditationsform, der også inkorporerer bevægelser, beslægtet med tai chi. Tingene er, som de er, og skal ikke tages for tunge. Ej hellere skal øvelserne udføres med for meget målrettet intention. Det gælder mere om at være i øvelserne, og i sig selv, og acceptere alle de utilstrækkeligheder, man selv eller verden måtte have. 

Samtidig er qi gong en søgen efter det sublime, det at være i nuet. Sammen. Det gælder om, som Thomas formulerer det, at trække det ofte støvede og tunge forhæng til side, og bare være, acceptere og smile sig vej lige ind i tilværelsens epicenter: Det nu, som vi alle har, hele tiden, men som vi så ofte glemmer. 

Ligesom denne filosofiske overbygning er et paradoks mellem accept og intentionel søgen, er også øvelserne et paradoks. I qi gong gælder det om at gå lidt ned i knæ, skabe jordforbindelse, komme op på forfoden, skyde hoften frem, løfte armene som træet, der strækker sine grene ud til siden, holde positionen og så, ja, slappe af i hele kroppen. Det er selvfølgelig nærmest umuligt. Men samtidig er det umagen værd. Det at stå i denne løbende proces mellem afslapning og anspændthed, giver sindet noget at arbejde med og en særlig ro. Og når man efter ugers og måneders træning er blevet mere bekendt med qi gong, giver øvelserne også en særlig glæde. Det er glæden ved bare at få lov at være. Lige nu. Lige her. 

Det er netop roen og glæden, jeg værdsætter ved qi gong. Og Thomas’ indføring i øvelserne er både ligetil og udfordrende på samme tid. Thomas er en formidabel instruktør, der både forklarer og viser øvelserne på en let forståelig måde, der dog altid lader uendelig meget plads til fordybelse – jeg vil med vilje ikke bruge ordet forbedring i denne sammenhæng. Idet Thomas løbende italesætter det, han viser, er instruktionerne ligetil, og man bliver hele tiden mindet om at bevare fokus på øvelserne. Samtidig er øvelserne så mangfoldige, at det aldrig bliver kedeligt at dyrke qi gong sammen med Thomas. Det virker som om, han har et utømmeligt reservoir af øvelser.  

Jeg kan ikke anbefale det nok at prøve qi gong sammen med Thomas. Her bliver du taget med på en både filosofisk og kropslig rejse, der giver ro og glæde i hverdagen.

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Heaven and earth are one.
The circle and the square are the same.

They part necessarily, without effort.
First boundless stillness, then endless movement.

There’s no sense in speaking of form or formlessness.
Substance or non-substance—what is the difference?

Body, energy, and mind—what are they?
I am merely a channel for nature’s forces.

My mind moves and fills the form.
Empty yet full, the universe fills itself.

I stand in the center.
Seeing the master and servant work.

When we offer no resistance,
we meet with no resistance.

Miracles and Mysteries.
Everyday things are welcomed as a friend.

I have no mind that is my own.
Over time, this too fades away.

Perfection in imperfection.
Imperfection in perfection.

It seems as if I am here, yet I am not. I am not, yet I am right here.

Others cannot grasp it. I cannot comprehend it either.

Naturally—it’s all right.

(A poem on the liberation of mind, heart, and intention—”Shen, Xin & Yi”—in spiritual practices such as Standing Meditation, Qigong, Neigong, Neijia, and Taiji)

Translation of “Fra noget til ingenting og tilbage igen” from Qigong Gentofte 2015

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Søren Brøndholt Nielsen, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Undervisning hos Thomas, Qigong Gentofte:  Mærker at når selv små og simple kropsjusteringer og holdningsændringer implementeres  så forandres  hele min tilstedeværelse i min daglige gøren og laden.

Der anvendes en træning der bla.a. bruger  konkrete eksempler fra naturen, hvor vi spejler os i træernes, buskenes, græssets o.s.v.s lette og ubekymrede væren.

Thomas er en lærer der lader det der sker komme under en ærlig og kærlig lup. Hvilket giver mig selv en unik mulighed for at reflektere og  mærke min egen krop og sinds styrker og mangler. Og således kan der blidt arbejdes videre med det..

Mængden af øvelser Thomas har i sin rygsæk synes for mig utømmeligt og af stor kvalitet.

Jeg elsker det faktum at  taijien og qigongen der praktiseres i timen bringes med ud af træningslokalet for at spire videre i mit hverdagsliv.

Lars Jensen, Søborg, Danmark

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by Li Yiyu

An earlier teacher said: “If you can draw the opponent in to land on nothing, you can then use four ounces of force to move his of a thousand pounds. If you cannot draw the opponent in to land on nothing, you cannot use four ounces to move a thousand pounds.” These words are rather vague and a beginner would not understand them. I will explain further so that those who want this skill are in a position to begin and then after much regular training get to possess it:

If you want to draw the opponent into emptiness and use four ounces to move a thousand pounds, you first must know both yourself and the opponent. If you want to know both yourself and the opponent, you first must let go of your plans and just respond to the opponent. If you want to let go of your plans and just respond to the opponent, you first must be in the right place at the right time. If you want to be in the right place at the right time, you first must get your whole body to behave as one unit. If you want to get your whole body to behave as one unit, you first must get your whole body to be without cracks or gaps. If you want to get your whole body to be without cracks or gaps, you first must get your spirit and energy to be ready. If you want your spirit and energy to be ready, you first must rouse your spirit. If you want to rouse your spirit, you must first keep it from being distracted. If you want to keep your spirit from being distracted, you first must get your spirit and energy to gather and collect in your spine. If you want to get your spirit and energy to gather and collect in your spine, you first must get the front of your thighs to have strength, get your shoulders to loosen, and get your energy to sink downward.

Power starts from your heel, is transferred through your leg, stored in your chest, moved at your shoulders, and controlled at your waist. In your upper body, your arms are connected with each other. In your lower body, your legs are coordinated with each other. Power is transferred from within. Gathering is contracting. Releasing is expanding. When becoming still, everything becomes still. Stillness refers to contracting. When contraction finishes, there will be expansion. When there is movement, everything moves. Movement refers to expanding. When expansion finishes, there will be contraction. Then when there is contact, you can turn smoothly and will be strong everywhere. You will then be able to draw the opponent in to land on nothing and use four ounces of force to move his of a thousand pounds.

Whenever you practice the solo set, it is the practice of knowing yourself. Before moving through the postures, make sure your whole body is in accord with the principles as stated above. When the slightest part is off, immediately adjust it. To facilitate this, the set should be done slowly rather than quickly. Playing hands is the practice of knowing the opponent. His movement and stillness must be firmly comprehended. Still examine yourself as well. If I am in good order myself, then when the opponent comes near me, I do not need to act upon him at all, but take advantage of his momentum to find a way in. Connecting firmly to his power, I let him cause himself to fall out. If you do not have a strong position, this is simply a case of double pressure rather than neutralization, and you should seek within passive and active, or contracting and expanding, to fix it. It is said [Art of War, chapter 3]: “Knowing both self and opponent, in a hundred battles you will have a hundred victories.”

Reference: THE TAIJI MANUAL OF GU RUZHANG | Brennan Translation

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-olaf

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Heaven and Earth are one.
The circle and square are equals.

They separate as necessary without effort.
First boundless stillness, then endless movement.

It makes no sense to talk about form or formlessness.
Substance or no substance – what’s the difference?

Body, energy and mind – what are they?
I am just a conduit of the forces of Nature.

My mind drives and fills out Form.
Empty but full, it pervades the Universe.

I stand in the Center.
Watching the Master and the servant at work.

When we offer no resistance,
we meet no resistance.

Miracles and Mystery.
The mundane stuff is welcomed like a friend.

I have no mind of my own.
Eventually this will fall away too.

Perfection in imperfection.
Imperfection in perfection.

It seems as if I am there, but I am not.
I am not, but am I right here.

Others cannot fathom it.
I cannot fathom it either.

Naturally – it’s ok.

(Poem about the liberation of mind, heart and intention “Shen, Xin and Yi” in spiritual work like: Standing Meditation, Qigong, Neigong, Neijia and Taiji )

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When the Qi is stable, it begins to sprout. From sprouting, it begins to grow. As it grows, it can be pulled back upwards. When it is pulled back upwards, it reaches the crown of the head.

It then touches above the crown of the head and below at the base of the spine. Who practices like this will attain long life. Who goes against this will die.

Reference: Sitting in Oblivion – The Heart of Daoist Meditation by Livia Kohn 2010 Se also The Jade Tablet neigong.net

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It has become a kind of habit to look at things with the intention of getting something. We call it “pragmatism,” and we say that the truth is something that pays. If we meditate in order to get to the truth, it seems we will be well paid. In meditation, we stop, and we look deeply. We stop just to be there, to be with ourselves and with the world. When we are capable of stopping, we begin to see and, if we can see, we understand. Peace and happiness are the fruit of this process. We should master the art of stopping, in order to really be with our friend and with the flower.

How can we bring elements of peace to a society that is very used to making profit? How can our smile be the source of joy and not just a diplomatic maneuver? When we smile to our- selves, that smile isnot diplomacy; it isthe proofthat we areour- selves, that we have full sovereignty over ourselves. Can we write a poem on stopping, aimlessness, or just being? Can we paint something about it? Everything we do is an act of poetry or a paintingifwe do it with mindfulness. Growing lettuce is poetry. Walking to the supermarket can be a painting.

When we do not trouble ourselves about whether or not something is a work of art, if we just act in each moment with composure and mindfulness, each minuteofour life is a work of art. Even when weare not paintingor writing, we are still creating. We are pregnant with beauty, joy, and peace, and we are making life more beautiful for many people. Sometimes it is better not to talk about art by using the word “art.” If we just act with awareness and integrity, our art will flower, and we don’t have to talk about it at all. When we know how to be peace, we find that art is a wonderful way to share our peacefulness. Artistic expression will take place in one way or another, but the being is essential.So we must go back to ourselves, and when we have joy and peace in our selves, our creations of art will be quite natural, and they will serve the world in a positive way.

Reference: Peace Is Every Step p. 39-40 by Thich Nhat Hanh

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