Qigong Classes
"Untie your knots; soften your glare;
settle your dust.
This is your primal identity."
- Lao Tzu
"Holding up the Sky" is a reference to a Chinese folk tale about a hummingbird who lay on its back with its feet in the air because it heard the sky might fall soon. When an elephant laughed at the tiny bird trying to hold up the vast sky, the hummingbird said, "we each must do our part."
Qigong is a self-healing practice that improves not only the wellbeing of the practitioner, but also the space where they practice, and all other beings in the vicinity. So when we practice together outside, we are holding up the sky for the good of all beings.
Qigong is a self-healing art within the Chinese medicine system that utilizes combinations of breath, awareness, meditation, visualizations, posture, and movement to cultivate and maintain physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. There are many forms and styles of Qigong, ranging from vigorous movement to meditation in still poses.
Weekly Live-Stream Qigong Classes - 1 hour
☞ Mondays & Fridays ∞ 4:30 pm PST via Zoom
These classes focus on calming and toning the nervous system, centering the mind, harmonizing breath with the movements of the body, and cultivating energy appropriate to the season. Working with various Qigong traditions, these classes are designed to settle the emotions, and to build whole-body coordination, mental focus, a relaxed yet energized feeling, and a deeply rooted, quiet joy. For all bodies and abilities.
Please wear sneakers, and clothes you can breathe and move easily in.
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please pre-pay and then use the links below to join:
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*No live class on Fri, 4/7 or Mon, 4/10* - I will send a video of an older class, but there will be no live class those days. April 2023 subscriptions are therefore $35 instead of $45.
"Holding up the Sky" Qigong in Olympia, WA
☞ Tuesdays ∞ 5 pm ∞ 75 minutes ∞ $15
at Squaxin Park, on the grass next to the rose garden.
This spring, we'll focus on Qigong fundamentals, and then we'll get into learning some forms in the summer and autumn. What we learn will depend on the interests of the group. We will build the direction of this class as a community. Check out what forms I teach, and/or come to class, participate, tell me what you're looking for, and ask me some questions. If it's raining, we will meet in the covered shelter next to the rose garden.
Join my mailing list for further announcements.
Training & background:
Rae teaches practices from various Qigong traditions, including Eight Pieces of Brocade, Wuji, Bone Marrow Washing, An Mo Gong, Yijing Medical Qigong, Guigen, Healing Sounds Qigong, and Dao Yin, as well as various Taoist and Buddhist meditation techniques, all influenced by her/their studies of Wild Goose Qigong with late master, Dr. Bingkun Hu.
Rae's studies also include ongoing learning with Wild Goose Qigong teacher, Micheline Bogey and Iyengar teacher, Richard Rosen. Past studies include informal study of Five Element techniques and theory with Teo Potts, Paul Grilley's Yin Yoga and functional anatomy course, a 200-hour Anusara Yoga teacher training, Aikido training, impovisational dance study, and Butoh studies with Doranne Crable. In her youth, Rae was a competitive fencer, and placed 2nd in the junior world championships, circa 1988.
Rae's teaching style is gentle, contemplative, fun, and therapeutic, with strong emphases on proper alignment, mind-breath-body coordination, and energy flow. Rae's approach is informed by over two decades of study of Buddhism, Taoism, Yoga, meditation, and the Chinese medicine system (5 Element & TCM), and over 15 years of professional practice of energy healing. Read more about Rae's Qigong story here.