Despite COVID-19 becoming a seemingly mundane topic, the virus continues to circulate and evolve around us. While the acute symptoms may appear milder now, I believe it may have more severe long-term effects than most realize, based on my observations and experiences during my last teaching tour. Scientific reports and studies are beginning to confirm this. For instance, the cancer rate among young adults has increased sharply, and a study from South Korea suggests a potential association between COVID-19 vaccination and the development of Alzheimer’s disease
Personal Journey and Observations
Before my workshops, I did some sightseeing in Spain and, afterward, enjoyed a personal retreat and island hopping in the Azores. The energy of a waterfall in Flores was very powerful. Although I usually don’t practice in the rain, I couldn’t resist and sat there to practice for hours. The best part about the rain was that I had the place to myself, with no other tourists around. The hot spring in Furnas also has remarkable healing properties, although it was quite crowded.
This was the first time I frequently entered crowded places after my six-year retreat. I noticed whenever I was confined in a crowded indoor environment, like on a plane, even for a 50-minute short haul flight, I felt a subtle discomfort in my thyroid gland. It took me a few hours to a few days to clear that. Sometimes a few days after my flights, I also noticed subtle changes in my heart rhythm, which took me several days to resolve.
During this tour, I sensed a lot more people had sick qi compared to before the pandemic. However, it could be because my senses have heightened after my retreat.
Health Issues Among Students
Several students discussed their health issues with me during workshop breaks and private consultations. Most reported issues related to lack of oxygen/blood supply to the brain, heart problems, and vein and nerve issues.
Case 1: A student’s niece, healthy and in her 30s, suffered a stroke two days after vaccination.
Case 2: After COVID-19 infection, a student’s mind would sometimes go blank, and he felt very tired, needing to stop whatever he was doing. This symptom has persisted for over a year. Oxygen therapy helps, but its effect lasts only a few weeks.
Case 3: Similar to Case 2, but this student is much younger, vaccinated, and has never had a symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
Case 4: An older student with over 40 years of tai chi and qigong practice still developed long COVID symptoms. He was quite disappointed about this, but his practice might have indeed saved his life.
Tai chi and qigong are effective for treating and preventing chronic and degenerative diseases, often more so than Western medicine in many cases. However, this doesn’t mean you won’t get sick or die. Even someone who has achieved the golden dan status, a high-level accomplishment in Daoist Inner Alchemy as explained in the Daoist Neigong Introduction video, will still die if they consume deadly poison.
A young instructor who used to attend all my workshops in Bonn, Germany, didn’t show up this time. The organizer informed me that he had a heart issue, either after infection or vaccination, leading him to stop teaching and retreat to the woods. If his purpose is to recover his health, it is perfectly fine. However, the organizer suggested the young instructor believes he needs to be in perfect health to teach qigong, which is unnecessary. Coaches in other sports are often not better than the athletes they coach. Similarly, it is unrealistic to expect an 80-year-old experienced qigong master to be more vibrant than his 20-year-old students. As qigong instructors, our job is to pass down ancient knowledge and techniques, guiding students in the right direction.
Qigong might have even saved his life, just as it could have saved my younger cousin, who was the most athletic person in our family but died during a recreational basketball match earlier this year. This is not an isolated incident, a lot of similar cases in recent years. In Hong Kong, a city with just 7 million people, newspapers report all these ‘small’ events, including my cousin’s death. Over the last couple of years, I have noticed 1-3 similar cases reported each week in Hong Kong. I hope this instructor will come across this newsletter and be able to overcome his mental hurdle soon.
Solutions
Ok, let’s talk about some solutions to the heart and brain issues first. You can add the followings to your daily qigong routine.
Practices to ensure sufficient oxygen and blood supply to the brain:
1. Breathing Techniques:
– Transport Qi to Bai Hui Breathing Technique – Free video and PDF instruction manual available on this page.
– Altitude Sickness Prevention Breathing Exercise – More physically demanding but very effective.
2. Headstands: Good for those who can do them. Alternatively, use an inversion table.
Practices for recovering heart related issues:
1. Baby Pose: The Daoists call this “練血歸心” (refine the blood to the heart). Practice for at least an hour per session. You don’t really need to hold your feet with your hands like in the photo; as long as your arms and legs are higher than your torso, it is okay. Use tools to maintain this posture if needed. Combine this with the slow and gentle dan tian breathing as taught in the Level 1 Qigong Mode and Tai Chi Posture Requirements course during your practice.
2. Qi Guidance thru the Heart: For those skilled in guiding qi, add this to your routine:
– Single Whip with Qi Guidance
The Level 3 Qigong Mode and Tai Chi Posture Requirements course teaches you how to guide qi with precision.
One should be able to see improvements after weeks of dedicated practice. However, complete healing may take years.
Now, let’s talk about vein and nerve-related issues.
Case 1: A student reported thrombophlebitis (a blood clot in a vein) in his leg, accompanied by severe pain.
Case 2: Similar to Case 1 but with pain in both legs. Nothing has been diagnosed yet, but it seems to be vein or nerve-related problems.
Case 3: A student feels swelling on one side of the body, but it is not visibly apparent.
Case 4: A student experiences pins and needles and weakness in the limbs on one side of the body. Western diagnostics couldn’t find anything but suggested nerve damage. This student found that moxibustion seemed to solve the issue.
Blood clots in veins are usually easier to deal with than nerve damage. However, their solutions are similar which is guiding qi around the problematic limbs or areas. Resolving a blood clot may take months, depending on the severity and your qi level, while nerve damage will likely take much longer.
The Level 3 Qigong Mode and Tai Chi Posture Requirements course teaches precise qi guiding techniques. For beginners, you can combine qi guidance with moxibustion. i.e., move the burning moxa stick along the path where you are guiding the qi flow. This should help you gain the sensation of qi flow within your body. Additionally, the “charge the 2 dan tian” technique from the Level 3 course can be especially helpful if the issues are related to the limbs as well as heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.
The practices mentioned above are static and involve no physical movements. If the pain is not severe and you can still move physically with ease, Tai Chi Neigong is recommended. Each movement in Tai Chi Neigong guides qi to different parts of the body. Many movements also focusing on the spine and central channel, which are crucial for nerve health.
Recovery and healing take time and dedication. Maintaining a relaxed and positive attitude is also crucial. Take care everyone.
Reminder: The Early Bird Discount for the Toronto Level 1 and Hua Shan Healing Qigong Workshops ends on July 31.