Qigong by Karina

Tai Chi Ball refers to simple yet profound Qigong exercises. By “profound,” I mean that the exercises work on different layers and can be practiced at various levels. I love this type of exercise, where a beginner feels immediate results and someone who has been practicing for years still discovers something new about themselves and the practice.

I’ve been doing these exercises for over 20 years myself, and new insights and layers are still emerging. At first, the exercise helped make my back and muscles supple while strengthening them at the same time. This was important because I had suffered from back pain for years due to scoliosis. Now, the exercise helps me keep my organs and emotions in balance.

I learned Tai Chi Ball from various Chinese masters of Tai Chi and Qigong, as well as from my Dutch teacher. And yet, I’ve gained most of my knowledge through practicing a lot—and I mean a lot.

I enjoy Tai Chi ball because I can incorporate the basic aspects of Tai Chi into the exercises. I love Tai Chi and have been practicing it for as long as I can remember. I taught it for a short while, but I noticed that a lot of time and attention in class went toward cognitive memorization, and the focus was heavily on the external world and self-defense.

I am a therapist; my calling is to offer exercises that help people achieve relaxation, recovery from illness, and self-cultivation. That is how the Tai Chi ball exercises came about. It is a series of exercises, some of which I learned from Chinese masters and others I developed myself based on my knowledge and experience with Tai Chi.

When I teach, I mostly see happy faces around me, and I often hear people say that it’s a fun exercise to do on their own at home every day.

Tai Chi ball
The Tai Chi ball exercises promote relaxation and flexibility in the neck, shoulders, and back. This is the effect at the muscular level: making the body more flexible and open. Because relaxation and space are created in the muscles and the outer body, the circular movement of the Tai Chi ball can reach the internal organs. This creates balance in the energy of the organs and the body’s internal systems at a deeper level.

Coordination and concentration are important and bring peace to the mind. Practicing Tai Chi ball is more effective when you follow the exercise from within; thinking is not necessary here.

The walking exercises quickly calm the energy system and provide good grounding. Standing firmly in yourself and the world is a prerequisite when you set out on your path. This aspect of Tai Chi ball is very important: being at peace and grounded in every moment. Coordination of the upper and lower body, feet, and hands brings inner stability and peace.

Tai Chi Ball is an advanced-level exercise. Sometimes it takes a while before the exercise becomes completely second nature. The recommendation is to practice 10,000 times.

Exercises
Walking with Qi
Turning Ball
Flowing Qi
Tai Chi Ball One Hand
Tai Chi Ball Two Hands
Tai Chi Ball Walking
Tai Chi Ball for Two

The Self-Awareness Method was passed down to me by a Chinese grandmaster and the creator of this practice. If you have natural abilities in working with energy and the master sees something in you, a Chinese master or teacher may decide to pass on his knowledge to you through the energy field. You must therefore be able to understand the knowledge in the form of energy.

In my case, this happened when he held his hand in front of my chest and sent the knowledge to me. I felt intense pressure at heart level, and my entire system filled with the new information. This is a classic and very special way of learning, and it is rare.

It just happened to me; the grandmaster was in the Netherlands to teach classes on Healing Qigong, and I met him. I didn’t know anything about this way of learning myself and had no idea it existed. At one point, we were in a long Qigong meditation posture for over an hour, and he stood in front of me and gave me the information.

Wow, what an experience that was. A great gift. Now, it’s not as if you suddenly have an encyclopedia of knowledge in your head—it doesn’t work that way. The knowledge of Qigong is partly cognitive, expressed in words, and partly energetic. It takes place in the material world and also in the world of energy. That is also the reason I received the knowledge; as a born shaman, I live part of my life in the world of energy and part in the world of matter.

I went home with a wealth of knowledge about Qigong, transmitted energetically—not just cognitively, but through energy. The aim is to absorb all the knowledge you’ve received through extensive study, practice, and meditation. To bring it into your consciousness and then pass it on.

The Self-Awareness Method
The Self-Awareness Method is a Qigong exercise for the entire body. It is a gentle exercise that sets the whole body in motion. Your attention is focused on the body, and you learn to feel your entire body.

This is important for your health, because your body constantly sends signals about your inner balance. By listening closely to these signals, you stay healthy. With this exercise, you improve this ability; it is an exercise that increases self-awareness.

Levels of Effect
Increases concentration
Joints: the joints open up, allowing the Qi to flow more freely.
Increases self-awareness
Inner balance and peace
Opens the connection of the centerline with heaven and earth
Balances the chakras

I designed this set of exercises a while ago and compiled them into a course called “Qigong for Highly Sensitive People.” At the time, I taught weekly classes to various groups and noticed that highly sensitive people often shared the same symptoms, which can be alleviated and even disappear by practicing these Qigong exercises.

Problems such as difficulty winding down in the evening before going to sleep. Finding it hard to stay focused on oneself in an environment with many other people. Struggling to calm one’s own energy system and keep the mind clear and calm. As if the mind is constantly chasing the impulses of the outside world and finds it difficult to stay inside in a calm place. 

Many people also find it difficult to deal with sick people or certain behaviors of others, which can lead to a lot of worrying and anxiety. I developed these exercises at the time and taught them to my students in order to study the effect of the practice. The results were very positive. The symptoms decreased, and people experienced a greater sense of control over what happens energetically within them when they are in a busy world.

Qi Work
The Qi Work exercises teach you to work with your own energy field. It is important to keep your energy field in balance. These exercises are especially helpful for sensitive people who easily pick up on information. You learn to calm yourself and maintain this state at any moment. You learn to cleanse your energy field. You feel free and balanced.

That’s why it’s important to set an intention and learn how to choose how you want to feel in every situation and keep your energy system in balance. The Orbit exercise teaches you to sense, release, and maintain your own energy field. 

Merging Heaven and Earth calms the solar plexus when overstimulated and promotes grounding. Sending Qi for Healing teaches you to help others and yourself with universal Qi, without giving away your own Qi.

Exercises

Intention

The Orbit exercise

Merging heaven and earth

Directing Qi for healing

Tai Chi ball

Drawing in meditation

I consider meditation an important aspect of Qigong. Qigong is both movement and meditation. By training the mind separately through various forms of meditation, you improve your Qigong practice—and the results you aim to achieve through Qigong. It is difficult to move correctly so that the Qi flows properly while simultaneously the mind is focused correctly on the movement.

I used to train a lot in Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art, and for a few years in Iaido, a Japanese sword form. Styles in which you are primarily focused on keeping external attackers at bay. I didn’t find it that difficult to imagine enemies outside of myself and defend against them. I stopped training in martial arts because I discovered that to become a whole and healthy person, you need training that takes place much more internally.

So I chose to specialize in Qigong and meditation. The attackers from within: thoughts and emotions. Unconscious processes—that’s what I wanted to learn to defend myself against, and it turned out not to be simple at all. Thoughts are like wild horses; they go in all directions if I don’t give them a direction. Positive directions, creative ideas, but also negative thoughts arise spontaneously.

And when they’re completely out of control, unhelpful emotions follow. That’s why it’s so important to practice meditation and learn to keep your mind in balance.

Meditation
Meditation teaches you to turn your attention inward and calm the mind. A meditative state of mind leads to greater depth and better results in Qigong practice. The meditations teach you to calm the energy system and let go of unnecessary thoughts. 

In Tibetan Buddhism, I find a wealth of knowledge about how the mind works and how you can use meditation to bring your mind to a state of calm and happiness.

Exercises

Drawing in meditation 

Buddhist concentration meditation

The return journey meditation

The three dantian meditation of the energy system
Three centers merge meditation

La chi meditation

Crane’s walk

Qigong exercises to strengthen the body. A workout for the muscles and tendons. These exercises come from the Shaolin tradition, a style of kung fu. You can compare these exercises to fitness training, but with circular movements and a free flow of Qi.

What I really like about these exercises are the names; from the names, you can see how the exercise originated. In ancient times, shamans observed animals; they analyzed how animals moved. They noticed that most movements were circular. They also observed that animals didn’t get tired while flying and could stand on one leg for a very long time—like the crane. Observing animals and connecting with nature is an important part of Qigong.

Humans are also part of nature, but we haven’t moved in such circular ways for a long time. And we don’t use our Qi as effectively either. So we can learn a lot from animals about healthy movement. I do this myself regularly—observing ducks, for example, or my cat or dog. I watch closely how they move, and how they stay supple and avoid injury by making circular movements. This gives me a lot of insight into Qigong and helps me convey the exercises in my classes.

Yi Jin Jing Qigong
Shaolin Yi Jin Jing Qigong is a method for developing strong and flexible muscles and tendons. In this sense, it is a Qigong practice specifically designed to train the outer layers of the body.

Exercises
Wei Tuo presenting the pestle from
Wei tuo presenting the pestle sideways
Wei tuo presenting the pestle upwards
Plucking stars on each side
Pulling nine cows By their tails
Displaying claws and spreading wings
Nine ghosts drawing swords
Placing three plates on the floor
Black dragon shows it’s claws
Tiger jumping on it’s prey
Bowing down in salutation
Swinging the tail