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Qi gong

Practice Library

Qi gong

9 teachings in the library cover this practice.

  • Week 9 - The Complete Five Element Flow Dan Brierley · 59 minutes · recorded July 29, 2026

    In the final session of the course, Dan leads the complete five element flow once more: Wu Chi, the five breaths, then earth's lion, wood's tree, fire's crane, metal's tiger and water's lake, closing back to the dantian. He talks about the elements as a way of understanding the whole body rather than one isolated system, and closes by encouraging using intention deliberately, including sending care outward toward suffering in the world.

  • Week 8 - Flowing Through the Seasons Dan Brierley · 65 minutes · recorded July 22, 2026

    Dan runs through the complete sequence in order: opening form into earth's lion, wood's tree, fire's crane, metal's tiger and water's lake, then closing back to the opening form. Practice covers Wu Chi, the five element breaths and the full flow, with brief notes on each element's quality and its organs. He closes with a short talk on the power of intention, how attention shapes mood and the body's cells, and how we tend to dwell on hurts more readily than joys.

  • Week 7 - Yi, and What Makes a Movement Belong to an Element Dan Brierley · 70 minutes · recorded July 15, 2026

    Dan explains what makes a movement belong to an element: partly its physical qualities, like the water lake movement's waist twist pressing the diaphragm onto the kidneys and adrenals, and partly Yi, mind and intention. He describes Yi as asleep in habitual action, and shows how bringing it in deliberately sharpens a movement's effect. The class practises Wu Chi, the five breaths and the full form, each element held with its own intention.

  • Week 6 - The Whole Sequence, and the Spaces Between the Movements Dan Brierley · 70 minutes · recorded July 8, 2026

    Dan talks through the whole five element sequence, movement by movement, focusing on the transitions between forms, the small gaps where flow can break and thoughts creep in. He describes the quality of each element in turn: earth's mountain-like presence, wood's rejuvenation, fire's heart and Shen, metal's boundaries, water's stillness. The class then practises Wu Chi, the five element breaths, and the full form through lion, tree, crane, tiger and lake.

  • Week 5 - Wu Chi, Breathing Like a Bellows, and Warming the Kidneys Dan Brierley · 66 minutes · recorded July 1, 2026

    After Wu Chi and warm ups, Dan explains the mechanics of breathing, how the ribs and shoulders share the work with the diaphragm, and likens the chest opening exercise to a bellows. The five Daoist breaths and the earth to water form follow, the lion plays with the ball, the tree, the crane, the tiger and the lake, then he sketches the character of each element, ending with massage that warms the kidneys.

  • Week 4 - Bringing Thought and Feeling to the Movement Dan Brierley · 67 minutes · recorded June 24, 2026

    Dan spends longer on how thought and feeling change the practice: bringing an image, a memory or an intention to each element rather than moving through it blankly, and explains how weight should sink through the hips and glutes rather than the knees. The class runs the five Daoist breaths and the full earth to water form, the lion plays with the ball, the tree, the crane, the tiger and the lake, closing hands on the lower dantian.

  • Week 3 - Jing, Qi and Shen, and the Character of Each Element Dan Brierley · 60 minutes · recorded June 17, 2026

    Dan explains jing, qi and shen, the three treasures of Chinese medicine, tracing jing to the kidneys and water, shen to the heart and fire, and qi as what moves between them. After warm ups and the five Daoist breaths he leads the five element form again, the lion plays with the ball, the tree, the crane, the tiger and the lake, and reminds anyone in discomfort that all the forms can be practised seated.

  • Week 2 - The Five Daoist Breaths Dan Brierley · 56 minutes · recorded June 10, 2026

    A brisk run through the five Daoist morning breaths, standing sequences pairing breath with movement for earth, wood, fire, metal and water, each tied to its organs. Dan then leads the earth to water form: the lion plays with the ball, the tree growing from a seed for wood, the crane for fire, the tiger for metal and the lake for water, closing with hands resting on the belly and a kidney and leg massage.

  • Week 1 - What Qi Gong Is, and Meeting the Earth Element Dan Brierley · 67 minutes · recorded June 3, 2026

    Dan opens by explaining what qi gong actually is: movement for health, rooted in the breath and close to Dao Yin and Chinese medicine. Warm ups turn the joints and hips before the class meets its first earth movement, the lion plays with the ball, rolling and pressing an imagined ball between the hands to settle digestion. He links earth to the stomach, spleen and the emotion of worry, then closes with massage along the kidneys, hips and legs.

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