Stillness-Movement with Michael Lomax

[Rebellious_Qi]

Hi all... I'm a bit nervous 'cuz this is my first-ever "real" post, and a review on a Qigong workshop that I attended just last weekend. Remember, I'm just an entry-level taoist here

 

As a student of TCM, you tend to meet some interesting people in school, one of which is my classmate who does Medical Qigong. When I saw him work on another classmate's sprained knee (without even physically touching it) and saw the results, I was beside myself. From then on, I knew I wanted to learn this. And when he told me that his Master was holding a workshop relatively nearby in Indiana on 5/22-24, I jumped at the opportunity, despite having to miss class.

 

Before I attended the workshop I took the liberty of buying his book and DVD to get a good glimpse of what I may be learning, but I didn't go into it too deeply, I wanted to go in with an empty cup. I didn't really know what to expect when I got there, but when I first met Michael Lomax and shook his hand, I don't think I've ever met anyone with that kind of presence - and despite being in an arm sling due to a ruptured tendon in his arm, his presence was very powerful, yet you can feel the compassion and benevolence and healing in him.

 

On the first day, we had a good introduction to Qigong, as well as his background. During the lecture, he was talking about relaxation and living in the moment as if you were "stopping the world." Right then, he did SOMETHING... and I felt this rush of energy penetrate through my body, yet simultaneously experiencing this feeling of tranquility and calmness. My buddy and I, both new to this stuff, looked at each other wide-eyed like "WOW." We definitely made the right choice to ditch school to be there, I'll tell ya that much.

 

So we proceeded to learn his movement techniques called "Gift of the Tao." It's a series of movements made to (from my novice perspective) to playfully gather Qi. People who have Taijiquan or other internal martial arts backgrounds may find these movements a bit odd and may take issue with it (if they're purists), but bear in mind, this isn't martial arts, this is Qi cultivation (and yes, I have some experience in Taijiquan), so these movements were made specifically to gather Qi (especially for Medical Qigong purposes). And when you do these moves with pure INTENT (not intention), you can really feel them. And by "intent," I mean that instead of envisioning or trying something, you just do. You just feel it. Like what Bruce Lee said, "Don't think! Feeeeel!" And after a few minutes, instead of thinking about the Qi, I felt the Qi. I felt submerged in a gigantic tank of Qi, and every photon of light or neutrino penetrating through my body.

 

So after the Gift of the Tao movements, we proceeded in the Stillness-Movement technique, which is quiet sitting. What makes this similar to Zazen is that you are quietly sitting/forgetting, but at the same time you're focused on your dantien and you're actually letting yourself move naturally, but without conscious effort. This is so Qi can circulate and relieve stagnation, as opposed to if you were to sit rigidly. We did this for an hour and it was amazing, especially when Michael started projecting Qi to all of us. And afterwards, I felt myself vibrating, like I was living in a higher frequency.

 

As I said earlier, his arm was in a sling due to a torn tendon and he seemed like he was in a lot of pain, and had very little range of motion. So to demonstrate Medical Qigong, he had four of his senior students work on his arm by projecting Qi. Honestly, I'm too new to really explain what happened there, but they all took turns projecting Qi onto his arm (so to not deplete themselves), each with a different technique. And I knew I was in the right place when he took off his sling with clearly a much larger range of motion and a lot less pain. By the last day of the workshop, he was without the arm sling altogether (or at least wore it a lot less).

 

So throughout the 3-day workshop, we worked on the Gift of the Tao movements, both sitting and standing Stillness-Movement techniques, exchanging Qi from trees and gathering while walking. You know, I never thought I could ever feel Qi from trees or plants, but after that day I could. We also worked on his Taoist Medicine technique, which I'm not necessarily qualified to comment on since it's so new to me, but he does mention it in another thread.

 

So overall, it was an amazing experience for me. I've been to a Qigong seminar before (by some other group), and it was a bit cult-like and creepy. I've read a myriad of books and watched a thousand more DVD's on Qigong... but Michael Lomax's Stillness-Movement Medical Qigong Workshop was, at least for me, both life-confirming and life-changing. Since then I've been nothing short of inspired. A lot of amazing things happened to me in that workshop in little ol' Terra Haute, Indiana, and I'm forever grateful.

 

Thanks Michael, and thanks Chris for introducing me to this wonderful art.

[sifusufi]

Thanks for sharing! and Welcome

 

I'm just 90 degrees south east. Rt 49 area

 

Peace,

Rob

[Rebellious_Qi]

Thanks for sharing! and Welcome

 

I'm just 90 degrees south east. Rt 49 area

 

Peace,

Rob

 

Thanks! I'm from Chicago, and it was a little hike, but Terre Haute was very welcoming. Michael Lomax doesn't go there often as he's usually teaching in Missouri. I was fortunate enough to catch him in Indiana!

[Baguakid]

Yes, Michael's system and teaching has been an interest of mine for quite some time. Wish he was a tad closer though.

 

Great review.

Edited May 29, 2010 by Baguakid

[Fu_dog]

I've read Michael's book, and liked it quite a bit. Also, I always like his posts.

 

Thanks so much your review of his seminar.

[Ya Mu]

Hi all... I'm a bit nervous 'cuz this is my first-ever "real" post, and a review on a Qigong workshop that I attended just last weekend. Remember, I'm just an entry-level taoist here

 

As a student of TCM, you tend to meet some interesting people in school, one of which is my classmate who does Medical Qigong. When I saw him work on another classmate's sprained knee (without even physically touching it) and saw the results, I was beside myself. From then on, I knew I wanted to learn this. And when he told me that his Master was holding a workshop relatively nearby in Indiana on 5/22-24, I jumped at the opportunity, despite having to miss class.

 

Before I attended the workshop I took the liberty of buying his book and DVD to get a good glimpse of what I may be learning, but I didn't go into it too deeply, I wanted to go in with an empty cup. I didn't really know what to expect when I got there, but when I first met Michael Lomax and shook his hand, I don't think I've ever met anyone with that kind of presence - and despite being in an arm sling due to a ruptured tendon in his arm, his presence was very powerful, yet you can feel the compassion and benevolence and healing in him.

 

On the first day, we had a good introduction to Qigong, as well as his background. During the lecture, he was talking about relaxation and living in the moment as if you were "stopping the world." Right then, he did SOMETHING... and I felt this rush of energy penetrate through my body, yet simultaneously experiencing this feeling of tranquility and calmness. My buddy and I, both new to this stuff, looked at each other wide-eyed like "WOW." We definitely made the right choice to ditch school to be there, I'll tell ya that much.

 

So we proceeded to learn his movement techniques called "Gift of the Tao." It's a series of movements made to (from my novice perspective) to playfully gather Qi. People who have Taijiquan or other internal martial arts backgrounds may find these movements a bit odd and may take issue with it (if they're purists), but bear in mind, this isn't martial arts, this is Qi cultivation (and yes, I have some experience in Taijiquan), so these movements were made specifically to gather Qi (especially for Medical Qigong purposes). And when you do these moves with pure INTENT (not intention), you can really feel them. And by "intent," I mean that instead of envisioning or trying something, you just do. You just feel it. Like what Bruce Lee said, "Don't think! Feeeeel!" And after a few minutes, instead of thinking about the Qi, I felt the Qi. I felt submerged in a gigantic tank of Qi, and every photon of light or neutrino penetrating through my body.

 

So after the Gift of the Tao movements, we proceeded in the Stillness-Movement technique, which is quiet sitting. What makes this similar to Zazen is that you are quietly sitting/forgetting, but at the same time you're focused on your dantien and you're actually letting yourself move naturally, but without conscious effort. This is so Qi can circulate and relieve stagnation, as opposed to if you were to sit rigidly. We did this for an hour and it was amazing, especially when Michael started projecting Qi to all of us. And afterwards, I felt myself vibrating, like I was living in a higher frequency.

 

As I said earlier, his arm was in a sling due to a torn tendon and he seemed like he was in a lot of pain, and had very little range of motion. So to demonstrate Medical Qigong, he had four of his senior students work on his arm by projecting Qi. Honestly, I'm too new to really explain what happened there, but they all took turns projecting Qi onto his arm (so to not deplete themselves), each with a different technique. And I knew I was in the right place when he took off his sling with clearly a much larger range of motion and a lot less pain. By the last day of the workshop, he was without the arm sling altogether (or at least wore it a lot less).

 

So throughout the 3-day workshop, we worked on the Gift of the Tao movements, both sitting and standing Stillness-Movement techniques, exchanging Qi from trees and gathering while walking. You know, I never thought I could ever feel Qi from trees or plants, but after that day I could. We also worked on his Taoist Medicine technique, which I'm not necessarily qualified to comment on since it's so new to me, but he does mention it in another thread.

 

So overall, it was an amazing experience for me. I've been to a Qigong seminar before (by some other group), and it was a bit cult-like and creepy. I've read a myriad of books and watched a thousand more DVD's on Qigong... but Michael Lomax's Stillness-Movement Medical Qigong Workshop was, at least for me, both life-confirming and life-changing. Since then I've been nothing short of inspired. A lot of amazing things happened to me in that workshop in little ol' Terra Haute, Indiana, and I'm forever grateful.

 

Thanks Michael, and thanks Chris for introducing me to this wonderful art.

Thanks for the review. I know it is difficult to make these sort of events. What with time taken off, travel and other expenses, it makes it really difficult to commit to an event such as this. So thank you for taking the time&effort (gongfu, eh?) to attend this workshop. I do believe that you will be using this form of healing before you are through with TCM school - you will be very good at it! I am amazed at your raw newly awakened ability to stop the world. For many, this can take quite a long time to accomplish. Hope to see you again in the future - you may wish to look into my medical qigong certification program when you finish your acupuncture training.

 

And Rainbow_Vein, this goes for you too. Thanks for taking the time&effort to attend. Especially with such a long travel time. I do believe you will find that inside of 3-6 months of Stillness-Movement and Gift of the Tao practice you will be able to start using this to help heal others and you will find many wondrous personal shifts within this time period. I have a sense that you will also be good at the Taoist medicine technique if you choose to utilize it. Hope to see you again in the future.

The tendon knitting is a technique of our medical qigong - really cool technique. We also use this for broken bones with a many-fold increase in healing - usually cuts healing time in half. In the case of my ruptured tendon probably cut healing time by 2/3.

[Rebellious_Qi]

Thanks for the review. I know it is difficult to make these sort of events. What with time taken off, travel and other expenses, it makes it really difficult to commit to an event such as this. So thank you for taking the time&effort (gongfu, eh?) to attend this workshop. I do believe that you will be using this form of healing before you are through with TCM school - you will be very good at it! I am amazed at your raw newly awakened ability to stop the world. For many, this can take quite a long time to accomplish. Hope to see you again in the future - you may wish to look into my medical qigong certification program when you finish your acupuncture training.

 

And Rainbow_Vein, this goes for you too. Thanks for taking the time&effort to attend. Especially with such a long travel time. I do believe you will find that inside of 3-6 months of Stillness-Movement and Gift of the Tao practice you will be able to start using this to help heal others and you will find many wondrous personal shifts within this time period. I have a sense that you will also be good at the Taoist medicine technique if you choose to utilize it. Hope to see you again in the future.

The tendon knitting is a technique of our medical qigong - really cool technique. We also use this for broken bones with a many-fold increase in healing - usually cuts healing time in half. In the case of my ruptured tendon probably cut healing time by 2/3.

 

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. I certainly hope the universe allows for me to see you again soon, hopefully even before my schooling ends. In any case, I really would like to continue, so till then, you can count on me to build up my cultivation practice.

 

Oh, I also want to share that I truly enjoyed the comparison between the "scholastic" approach to diagnosis vs. the "intuitive" (for the lack of better word) approach. That has been my struggle throughout TCM school. I know that the pulse, tongue, listening, observing and questioning, etc is important to know (and are fundamental), but I feel that it's all just way too cranial and too linear. I have always wondered if there was a deeper, less linear approach to diagnosis... AND YOU SHOWED ME JUST THAT!!! That, combined with the needle qigong technique, opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

 

Again, Thank You!!!

[Ya Mu]

...

Oh, I also want to share that I truly enjoyed the comparison between the "scholastic" approach to diagnosis vs. the "intuitive" (for the lack of better word) approach. That has been my struggle throughout TCM school. I know that the pulse, tongue, listening, observing and questioning, etc is important to know (and are fundamental), but I feel that it's all just way too cranial and too linear. I have always wondered if there was a deeper, less linear approach to diagnosis... AND YOU SHOWED ME JUST THAT!!! That, combined with the needle qigong technique, opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

 

Again, Thank You!!!

Both the Wei Qi Liao Fa and Taoist Medicine that we do are dynamic treatments. One thing that always frustrated me with both western and TCM is that both are static; a diagnoses is formed and a treatment is given. This is good, but doesn't take into account the dynamic change as the patient is treated in any one session. The Taoist Medicine is inherently dynamic in that the treatment and diagnosis occur at the same time. So as the treatment progresses (in any one session) the "treatment plan" progresses and changes alongside. This was evidenced in the first patient the doctor sent up Monday. Extremely difficult patient with oh-so-many different things wrong - what to choose to treat? The treatment/diagnosis chose for us so nothing was left undone. And this stands to reason, after all, this IS Taoist medicine.

[Ya Mu]

I forgot to mention that Joan from Springfield, Missouri received her 500 hr training program Clinical Qigong Certification in the class mentioned above. Congratulations, Joan! Not many people have reached this level of healing capability. Time&effort attained.

 

Also, to encourage the posters above to continue with their practice I will post this here:

 

Simplified Case Study

Stroke Patient:

Called me the day after stroke while in hospital. Patient was extremely emotional and belligerent, others could not understand speech, paralyzed on one side.

 

Treatment method: Taoist Healing Arts-Clinical Qigong; Wei Qi Liao Fa

 

Results: First session (same day) - Immediately settled down, no remaining belligerence nor intense emotion state, immediate 25% improvement in speech intelligibility. 2nd session next day - 50% improvement in speech intelligibility. 3rd session (3rd day) - patient able to somewhat move leg, speech at 90-95%

 

Hopefully this client will continue to improve with further sessions.

 

Join us on July 24th,25th and optional 26th in West Plains, Missouri for a Stillness-Movement & Clinical Qigong workshop.

[surfingbudda]

Hey Ya Mu,

I am just curious, is the distance healing that you offer any less effective than being in the same room as you? Also are you the one giving the healing, or one of your students?