How Iron Qigong strengthens your whole being

Sifu told them: "I'll take your workshop if you let me kick you in the face."

Ok, to be fair - it was an Iron Body Kung Fu workshop they were advertising.... and also to be fair, you can take the Sifu out of the streets, but you can't take the streets out of the Sifu!

Let me express first of all that there will be no face-kicking in this Saturday's Iron Body Qigong workshop!  But this funny quote from my teacher tells us a little bit about the practice:  Iron Body is the classical qigong used by martial artists for conditioning their tissues to withstand the intensity of training. In modern times, it is still useful for martial artists, but also offers significant benefits to other kinds of athletes, meditators, and healers. 

Despite my teacher's chiding of these members of a rival school, it's NOT a good idea to test your kung fu by taking blows to the head.  Iron Body Qigong doesn't promise miracles, and doesn't require you to check your common sense at the door.  It DOES, however, systematically strengthen the tissues of the body, and has a similar effect on the mind and spirit.

The practice uses stance training to ingrain a sense of stability to one's body, strong tapping of the tissues to enhance qi flow and physical resilience, and pulling of the tendons and fascia to empower the body's congruent linkage.

What martial artists will notice is that during classes when someone accidentally punches or kicks too hard, you can shake off these strikes with much more ease and grace.  I noticed this last weekend when I was paired with a particularly enthusiastic training partner in Kung Fu class, and one of my advanced students has found this especially useful in his Judo falls.

Outside the Dojo, though, all of this inner strength adds up to a more rooted and resilient sense of self.  When LIFE throws you a harder kick than normal, you've trained to withstand that too!  Qigong students of mine who have completed intensive periods of Iron Body training have all reported an increase in their sense of personal groundedness, calm, and ability to remain unswayed by others opinions and pressure.

For spiritual practitioners, the Iron Body practices can be a useful counterpoint to meditative practices.  While spiritual work takes us up and makes us more sensitive - more permeable to the living energies of the moment - the Iron Body training takes us DOWN, connecting us to the earth through our roots.  It doesn't make us less sensitive to the subtle, but it does make us more radiant and able to be the dominant creative influence in our own lives - regardless of circumstance.

You are cordially invited to join us THIS SATURDAY for the second of our three-class series on Iron Body Qigong.  You do not need to have taken part 1 as each course is self-contained.  This 90 min class is only $36 and all three classes together are meant to give students a complete view of these ancient practices.  When you sign up you'll be enrolled in the course page on our site, gain access to the live meeting, and retain the recording for one year!  See you there!