Use Intention in Qi Gong for Good Health

My Qi Gong teacher…once told me that in order for someone to recover fully from an illness or a chronic condition they needed to created a "burning desire" to get better.  It is this strong desire or intention that is truly the driving force behind Qi gong or any form of self-healing.  I cannot stress strongly enough how important this concept is towards the ability of an individual to see positive results from practicing an internal art.  In fact, our intention or "Yi" is truly the driving force behind success in most endeavors throughout life, so it makes sense that it would apply equally or perhaps even more so to our ability to promote, improve and maintain good health.

So, let's say you truly have the desire to build continuous improvement in your life.  How do you get started?  Over the next week, days, months, and for as long as you choose to continue reading my articles I will try my best to lead you along the path, often known as "The Way" for those that practice Taoist arts or have done any reading on Taoism.  I think it would be suitable at this point to give a small introduction about myself for those of you that are unfamiliar with me.

I began my practice of Qi Gong in 2002 during a very dark and turbulent period of my life.  I can honestly say that the practice of Qi Qong made vast changes in my life, and cured the chronic stomach pains that I had been experiencing every day for months on end due to severe stress.  I exclusively practiced a form of Qi Gong training now known as "Nianli", which I was fortunate enough to learn directly from Master Binhui He, one of China's most revered Qi Gong Masters and the inventor of the healing system.  I continued my studies with Master He while he lived in America and was given permission to teach his system, which was a great honor, and also opened the door for me to find my own start as a fledgling instructor of Medical Qigong.

Over the years I developed as an instructor and have had the privilege to teach Tai Chi and Qi Gong (sometimes spelled Chi Kung) at some wonderful locations around the Triangle Region of North Carolina, such as UNC Wellness Center, Teer House at Duke, Meredith College, Triangle Acupuncture, Anahata Healing Center, Plum Spring Clinic, Chiropractic Nutrition Center, and many more.

My efforts are currently focused on creating a place where people everywhere can enjoy relevant teachings through online trainings and interaction with a variety of amazing teachers.  There will also be in-person sessions, retreats, and workshops scattered throughout the year to complement the online format.  It will take some time to reach that point, so in the meanwhile I will be releasing articles that will hopefully provide some small insights.

The point of this first article is aimed at teaching you how to use a strong burning intention to create positive change in your life, or provide healing if you are suffering from chronic pain, illness, or stress.

The following exercise may seem deceptively simple, but often the simple practices are the most powerful.  The concept is to begin using your intention to implant positive messages into your subconscious mind.  There are two times during the day when your subconscious mind is most receptive to a new message, when you are about to fall asleep and when you first wake up in the morning.

When you are getting ready to fall asleep you should tell yourself, "Tomorrow will be better than today".  When you first wake up you should give yourself the message, "Today will be better than yesterday".

This must be done on a consistent every day basis to have the proper effect.  Write it out and place it by your bed if you need a reminder.  The idea is that you are constantly improving day after day.  Everything is constantly in motion, so we only truly have the option of getting better or getting worse.

This technique may appear so simple that some people may want to automatically dismiss it.  I can only urge you to try it and stick with it for a period of time.  Evaluate yourself now and then again after 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.  If you do this practice daily it can create profound changes in your personal perception of the world.  You will find that you have less negative thoughts and an improved attitude towards many things.

In China they would call this "brainwashing", although in America that has a negative connotation.  I personally like the Chinese view in this case, where brainwashing is thought of as the act of washing away negative thoughts and emotions from our mind, so we can be more at peace and enjoy life to a fuller degree.   Who doesn't want that?