Northampton, MA Workshops
Moving Meditation Workshop Series
Tai Chi & Qigong
The slow, steady, rhythmical movements of tai chi and qigong have been described by some observers as "meditation in motion".
What does this mean?
According to the Oxford Dictionaries "meditate" means "focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation."
So the description of tai chi and qigong as "meditation in motion" refers to three things:
the sustained mental focus practitioners demonstrate;
the calm relaxation they achieve; and
the sense of spiritual purpose which they emanate.
When we offer tai chi and qigong as moving meditation, we teach all three aspects - mental focus, relaxation, and spiritual exploration.
You can choose which aspects and practices are important to you at any time.
Why Moving Meditation?
The moving meditation practices we teach come from the Taoist Water Tradition, a lineage of practice brought to the West by our teacher, Taoist Lineage Master Bruce Frantzis.
Practitioners of the Taoist Water Tradition eventually learn five modes of meditation: sitting, standing, moving, lying down, and interactive.
Here in the West most of us are very active, especially mentally. As a result many people who come to us have difficulty slowing down enough to meditate while sitting or standing.
Moving practices have proven to be an excellent introduction to meditation, because through the slow movements of our tai chi and qigong forms, you can more easily begin the process of slowing down and calming your mind and body.
This Workshop Series
We regularly offer introductory workshops to moving meditation, as well as workshops on Taoist Water tradition moving meditation practices in Dragon & Tiger qigong.
The primary instructor for this series is Bill Ryan. Kathryn Komidar also will occasionally teach workshops on subjects of particular interest to her.
To receive notifications about future workshops, please join our email list.
Upcoming Workshops:
All workshops are postponed pending developments in the COVID-19 pandemic.