Videos

The video above is a virtual class filmed by the UC Botanical Garden in the Redwood Grove in July 2020.

The 10 videos below were filmed by Matt Segall in Golden Gate Park in November 2013. You can watch these videos on this YouTube playlist.

Please read the notes at the bottom of this page before watching the videos.

Warm-ups

Standing Meditation

Raising and Lowering Qi, Breathing with Energy Ball

Taiji Ruler and Embodying the Elements (part 1)

Embodying the Elements (part 2)

The Eight Treasures

Cleansing the Internal Organs

Walking Meditation

Yang Style Slow Form – first section

Yang Style Slow Form – first section (on opposite side of the body)

 

Notes

I am happy for the opportunity to share these videos of taiji and qigong exercises to help others in their home practice.

While I understand taiji and qigong to have amazing healing properties, I am not a doctor and have no medical training. Please check with a medical expert before you practice taiji and qigong if you have any health concerns. In addition to getting expert advice, it is important to listen to your body and tune in to your unique needs. The body is a wise teacher, and it is crucial that we listen and pay attention to the wisdom of our own unique bodies. If any exercises feel uncomfortable, be sure to adjust in ways that feel right for you.

When you practice, I strongly encourage you to flow freely and naturally, letting go of criticisms and judgments. It might help to imagine that you’re swimming through the air, or imitating animals or elements. You can try putting on any music and do an improvisational taiji dance.

When I made these videos, I purposefully tried to not name the “right side” or “left side.” I did this so that you could practice in multiple ways:

1) When watching these videos, you can practice by mirroring — moving your left arm when I move my right arm, as if you are imitating a mirror image.

2) You can also practice by following along with the same side of your body — moving your right arm when I move my right arm. To do this, it might be helpful to practice by placing the video screen at your side, facing the same direction that you’re facing (instead of placing the screen directly in front of you, facing you). You could also set it up at a 90 degree angle. This might make it easier for you to follow along with the same side of the body.

You can practice taiji and qigong both indoors and outdoors. If you want to practice outside with these videos, you can try putting on headphones and following along with the verbal instructions.

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to Student Alliance at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) for granting funds for this video project. I thank Matt Segall for filming these videos and creating this WordPress website to host them. The header of this site is a photo taken by Daniel Oyinloye, the former CIIS Student Alliance Graphics Curator.

I have huge gratitude for my teachers Dr. Sean Kelly and Dr. Michael Mayer for training me in taiji and qigong. I offer many thanks to all the students who have participated in my classes over the years.