By Paul Cavel, Posted 8 March 2010

The aim of the game is arriving in the space where you are completely open, relaxed and to some degree awake. To get there you must fully release your nervous system, become more present and quiet the mind.

Training Tip: March 2010

By Paul Cavel, Posted 1 March 2010

Balancing the body is a continuous process as that which is more or less closed now may become more or less open later. This is especially true when you actively engage in the process of unbinding your body. As you focus on any bound place or part of your body and become successful in opening it up, you’ll notice how it becomes looser and relatively more flexible than other body parts.

By Paul Cavel, Posted 26 February 2010

As your energy develops through regular, progressively more accurate practice your body becomes stronger, you can concentrate longer, you require less sleep, your libido grows and you can handle stressful situations better. These are among the normal benefits from energetic exercise. Then, suddenly, you hit a plateau.

By Paul Cavel, Posted 30 January 2010

The festive season is now safely behind us. We’re getting back to or re-establishing our routines and possibly reducing our consumption of food and drink delights. Family visits and traveling is slowing down (at least airline prices seem to suggest so) and you can now begin thinking about how daily practice fits into your day.

By Paul Cavel, Posted 8 January 2010

Here we are emerging from another period of overindulgence with all the excess food and drink courtesy of the religious and/or capitalist winter rituals. It is of course an assault on the digestive and cardiovascular systems, but the liver ultimately takes the brunt of the punishment. So the following is a few tips to help you recover and get back to moving toward more life…

Water Method Bagua

By Paul Cavel, Posted 5 January 2010

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in more filming and sound recordings for the online bagua course my teacher Bruce Frantzis is in the midst of producing in California. He was also offering an evening class in hsing-i and bagua while I was in town, so of course I took full advantage of the situation.

By Paul Cavel, Posted 1 January 2010

First and foremost, there’s a lot of material that sits between classic qigong and classic meditation. I’m not qualified to teach Taoist meditation. However, I am qualified and capable of teaching the overlapping material intrinsic to both qigong and meditation with my teacher’s consent.

By Paul Cavel, Posted 1 January 2010

My nature retreats are designed to help you deeply connect with the planet and its energy. When I lived outdoors for three years, I found that my chi—and my practice in general—grew tremendously as my body adjusted to the powerful natural energies for which I was totally immersed. So, here I am offering teachings to help you develop your sensitivity and ability to absorb environmental energies.

By Paul Cavel, Posted December 2009

In most forms of qigong, bagua and tai chi, you are turning, bending, stretching and/or moving around your practice space. As you do, your eyes involuntarily focus on objects in your field of vision. They remain fixed there until they jump to the next object.

By Paul Cavel, Posted November 2009

If you’ve been practising the spherical material from June and July’s tips, then you’re probably beginning to at least develop some idea about how you open your body in a spherical way. Fully embodying spherical principles in your forms takes years of dedicated practise, so don’t be in a rush.