What is Qigong?
Qigong is traditional Chinese exercise made up of movements that connect with the acupuncture points and meridians of our body to improve our health. The word “qi” means “energy” and “gong” means “work”, so qigong literally means “energy work†(in other words, to work for energy). Although there are many different types and styles of qigong, the style taught at Paradise Martial Arts is the Kunlun Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong system. The Kunlun Dayan system uses specific movements within its forms to stimulate acupuncture points and open your channels so your qi can flow naturally. The forms also connect breathing with movement to promote relaxation and better awareness and understanding of our bodies. The more you practice, the more you will begin to notice changes such as increased energy, flexibility, and stamina. Eventually, consistent and continued practice can open your channels so the qi can flow naturally to help heal old illnesses or injuries, which can then result in making you feel younger and more alive.
History of the Kunlun Dayan System
The Kunlun Dayan system originated over 1800 years ago from the Daoist monks in the Kunlun Mountains of Tibet.  These monks, who lived in retreat from ordinary society, hoped to cultivate longevity and enlightenment. Living so closely with nature allowed the monks to observe how the Bar Headed Goose, known as the “Dayan” (“Da” means “Big” and “Yan” means “Wild Goose”), was able to travel extremely long distances in freezing temperatures and high winds each year through the Himalayas.
The strength, stamina and long life span of the Dayan was noticed by the monks who found that by combining the Danyan’s natural movements with their knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and theory they were able to vastly improve their health.  Over time the monks further added to and refined the skill and integrated principles of Buddhism, Confucianism (Rujia) and Daoism to create the forms of the Kunlun Dayan System. The monks discovered numerous benefits through practice of the forms, including not only the ability to improve their own health but the ability to heal others by ridding the body of toxins, opening the channels and stimulating specific organs.   The Bar Headed Goose is still revered today as a symbol of longevity in China due to its long lifespan.
It is now known that there were at least 72 forms in the Kunlun Dayan system, that the skill was only passed from one individual to the next over the generations, and that a practitioner was not allowed to pass the skill on to another until the practitioner was at least 70 years of age. These requirements not only ensured dedication, loyalty and understanding of the system, but they also ensured that an individual was both skilled and healthy enough to pass on the skill to another. Sadly, many of the forms were lost because the system was known by so few and today just over half of the 72 known forms have survived.
Grandmaster Yang Meijun
In the 1980’s Grandmaster Yang Meijun, the 27th generation inheritor of the skill, feared that the entire Kunlun Dayan system would one day be lost with her passing so she decided to open the skill to the public. Thus, at over 80 years of age she began to openly teach the skill entrusted to her by her grandfather and was able to help many people over the years until her passing in 2002. She is still highly regarded throughout China as one of the most famous and high level qigong practitioners.
In the Kunlun Dayan system, each form has its own emphasis.  Beginning forms help students learn to relax and correct their posture (essential for improving one’s health and energy) while other forms can be used to help to stimulate and improve the health of specific organs. Advanced forms can help open your channels and possibly even your Sky Eye potential. Although the Dayan Qigong form is generally considered a gentle form, there are also more vigorous forms such as Dayan Palm which combine soft gentle movements with jumping and kicking to make the body stronger and lighter. Also included in the system are several meditation and healing methods which are used for cultivating the body and mind.
What will you learn in class?
Students first begin with the Balancing Gong and Healthy Living Gong forms before progressing to the Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong form and then to even more advanced forms.  This progression of learning helps prepare your body for the more intricate movements of later forms and also develops a good understanding of the principles of the Kunlun Dayan Qigong skill. The Dayan Qigong form itself is good for overall health and flexibility and can help with prenatal and postnatal injuries and illnesses, while more advanced forms are meant to benefit specific areas of the body and/or to prevent specific illnesses.
