The emphasis of the next program will be QiGong as it relates to the Martial Arts of TaiJiQuan (Tai Ch'i) and BaGuaZhang (Bagua). So I am taking this opportunity to say a few words about the relationship of QiGong to Martial QiGong. QiGong is literally Qi Work, or Qi Skill. Gong is the same word/concept as what is commonly pronounced "Kung" as in KungFu and with the addition of "Fu" means "a skill that has been acquired over time". This is an important concept. It takes time. It is a skill. It requires effort. This is an argument for Martial QiGong. I see many examples of non martial QiGong. Some is good, some is frankly kind of empty. With Martial QiGong, there is an expectation of a test. A push. A pressure. It doesn't need to be violent, it doesn't need to be fighting, but it does need to *work* on some level. There is a feedback mechanism. If, for instance, I am performing a blocking movement, intended to block someone striking at my face, but I do not cover my face with it, then it is incorrect. Not for a vague or abstract reason, but because it is an ineffective block. This is where the Martial Art becomes useful. It has built-in efficiency, it has a testable attribute that you can verify through experience. It has a right way and by necessity a wrong way. So while *Qi* and *Energy* can be nebulous concepts, Martial QiGong has the benefit of at least having that structure, the possibility and the idea that it can be tested, even argued about from a basis of experience. It is a *skill*. I am not here to denigrate anyone's practice, but I will say that Non-Martial QiGong lacks that testability. There is much that is out there that is full, real practice with great benefit. The difficulty being that without that testability, anyone can say anything, suggest possibilities and capabilities of any magnitude, and the hopeful novice can be in danger of falling prey to the many who would deceive them. Led to wave their arms and envision, without touching the real internal.

I loved the warm up. It was a perfect gentle way to get the circulation, nerves, respiratory system and joints to wake up.

Human beings give off energy in the infra red spectrum, due to our body heat. Infra red is a spectrum of energy that is just below the lowest frequencies we can see, thus, this light is not visible to the human eye. If we could see infra red light, then when we close our eyes, we would be surrounded by light, far more than what comes to us from the visible light of the world around us. It is there, from us, all the time. We are beings of light. It's just a light we cannot see. Unless we look deeply for it. Interesting.

The concept of Myofascial Spiral Trains is very interesting in light of Structure and Compression work. The Double Helix representation of the motion pathways through the body at the level of fascia can be well and truly felt in stance and forms training. One reason the Internal Martial arts, and QiGong (umm.. and Yoga too for that matter) are trained slowly is to find these pathways of efficient and coordinated movement. They are found also by gymnasts, weightlifters, soccer players etc. all movement uses these connections. But often these are reflexive, fast twitch, sometimes nearly unconscious movements, trained and honed as bursts of speed by repetition and ever greater force generation, usually concentrated in muscle. The slow ways of opening them become extremely conscious, deeply felt and ultimately very powerful, as martial arts, as dynamic kinesiology, as tools in physical therapy and rejuvenation. Worth a look.

Ever seen an "electric" lighter?Not one that has a wheel and a flint, just a push button that goes -click- and the lighter lights? That click is the effect of compressing a small crystal enough that it generates electricity, it's call the piezoelectric effect. The interesting thing is that it happens in your body as well, when you compress your bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles- they create electricity- really! Not, as some would have you believe, a woo-woo notion of "energy" but electricity. Interesting. What do you think?