Instructor
Steve Gooch
Steve Gooch is the author of Reiki Jin Kei Do: The Way of Compassion & Wisdom and Mindfulness Meditation & The Art of Reiki and is a regular freelance writer on the subject of mindfulness meditation, Qi Gong, Reiki and wellbeing in general. He is a Breathworks certified mindfulness meditation teacher and has been teaching mindfulness and Reiki for the past twenty-four years. Steve founded both Reiki Jin Kei Do UK and Reiki Jin Kei Do International, was the editor of the short-lived magazine Focus: The Journal of Reiki Jin Kei Do UK, and has taught meditation, Qi Gong and Reiki in the UK, Egypt, Cyprus, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Lithuania and regularly receives requests to teach in other countries. He is also a noted artist with work in collections around the world.
About the course
This 4-week programme of 2 hours per week is designed to introduce you to the practice of Qigong, integrated with a deep engagement with meditation, to give you a good foundation for your own daily practice.
The programme will focus on the practices of Ba Duan Jin (The Eight Strands of the Brocade) and Zhang Zhuang.
Ba Duan Jin: Originally practiced by the Chinese army over 1000 years ago as a way of increasing strength and endurance in often harsh conditions. Today it is used to strengthen the body with a focus on the internal organs.
Zhang Zhuang: This set of standing meditation postures is the foundation of the development of internal subtle energy. It is used by Shaolin monks to develop concentration and mental and physical strength.
Regular practice will help to warm the ligaments, tendons, and muscles of your body and help to promote the circulation of oxygen and body fluids (synovial, lymph, blood) around the body in a healthy way. It has been shown to help with high blood pressure, chronic illnesses and to have a profound effect, through calming and bringing stillness to the mind, on mental and emotional issues such as depression, stress, and anxiety.
Research into the medical benefits of Qigong, led by the Chinese medical authorities, is ongoing and has provided substantive evidence for its effectiveness.
It also enhances your ability to feel and bring conscious awareness to the subtle energy or life force that underlies the whole of the physical universe.