Lotus Flow

07/05/2023

AUTUMN AND WINTER SERIES (indoors)

The coming seasons resonate with descending energy, as the expansive yang energy contracts and descends into yin energy. It’s a good time to slow down, conserve, and also strengthen you vital life force. We will focus on both seasons and their corresponding resonance in the body. We will also focus on the immune system to strengthen it and make sure we are well prepared for the usual pathogens that seem to afflict us over the colder months.

No experience, or levels of fitness necessary. Come along if you are curious or are already a practitioner, everyone is welcome. Wear loose fitting, warm clothes and comfortable shoes, we will be practicing inside over the cooler months to help keep the chilly temperatures at bay.

We will be following the YOQI© Qigong Flow method during these practices.

Meet at the Scout Hall in Lincoln, entrance is around the back. Start time 5.30 - 6.30. Koha welcome.

19/02/2023

Another sunny summers day ☀️☀️ Qigiong for Summer is on today at 5.45pm in Lincoln, 236 Boundary Rd. All welcome, no experience necessary, wear comfy clothes and shoes, we will be practicing outside under the trees. 🌴🌴

29/06/2022

WINTER SERIES

Join Lotus Flow Qigong for a weekly winter, koha-based one hour session at the Roimata Food Commons, Radley Park.
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Gather your willpower, wrap up warm, and immerse yourself in the vital energy of winter!

Winter is an important energetic phase for nourishing our qi (energy/life force), yet we can often swing out of balance by too much sleeping, eating and 'hibernating' in the warmth of home. Qigong movements that energise the qi in the body can help to fight off the cold that weakens the immune system, and allow us to make the most of the short winter days by keeping us internally warm. By practicing in winter, we can also develop willpower and determination, which helps to build internal resilience in the face of challenges.

We will work with practices that warm the limbs and organs, ignite digestive fire, and generally support the nourishment and circulation of qi in the body. Sessions will include breathwork and bone breathing techniques, along with grounding, purging, tonifying and circulating movements.

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Time: 2-3pm, Sunday 3 July
Place: Radley Park, Woolston - meet by the shipping container at the Roimata Food Commons

No experience, or levels of fitness necessary! Come along if you are curious or are already a practitioner, everyone is welcome. Just bring yourself, wear warm, comfortable clothes and shoes that allow for easy movement, and a smile :) There are no physical adjustments in qigong, so you will be free to do your practice in a space that is comfortable for you. We will be practicing outside, but as there are no sitting or lying postures in the practice, we don't need to concern about wet grass :) If raining, the session will be cancelled.

21/03/2022

Come and join Koha-based Qigong down at Roimata Food Commons this Wednesday with Lotus Flow Qigong! Starting at a new time of 5.30pm - 6.30pm, to make the most of the late afternoon light :) Social distancing will be in place - we have a huge space to practice under the trees and the open sky. There are no physical adjustments in qigong, so you will be free to do your practice in a space that is comfortable for you.

This week will focus on the spine, and if there is one thing you can do to improve your health and wellbeing, it'sto move your spine!

Our sedentary lifestyles, stress and repetitive exercises can all contribute to physical and energetic stagnation, and if you have experienced any discomfort, stiffness or pain in the spine, you will know just how much it limits movement and impacts other parts of the body and your emotional wellbeing. How many people can feel joy when they have difficulty to get out of bed in the morning?

Movement of the spinal column also has a range of benefits beyond functional movement, supporting emotional and psycho-spiritual wellbeing: through regulation of the autonomic nervous system which anatomically branches down the spinal column. In some Indian and Chinese wisdom traditions - including Qigong - energetic movement through the spinal column is also an important pathway for refining and transforming consciousness.

So come and move some qi! Meet by the shipping container in Radley park, at the new time of 5.30pm, just bring yourself and some comfortable and warm clothes. 😎😎😎

13/03/2022

Come and join Koha-based Qigong down at Roimata Food Commons this Wednesday with Lotus Flow Qigong! Social distancing will be in place - we have a huge space to practice under the trees and the open sky. There are no physical adjustments in qigong, so you will be free to do your practice in a space that is comfortable for you. During the practice, we will be standing and doing easy, mindful movements together, no mats or props needed, just bring yourself 🙂

Qigong is a practice that is helpful during these times of uncertainty; in a qigong practice we focus on movement, breath and awareness to sense, strengthen and direct energy through the body and mind, so that we are able to find balance, grounding and flow in our lives.
This week we will focus on grounding and immunity strengthening. In traditional chinese medicine, the immune system is connected to the lungs - and related to lymphatic and digestive systems - so we will do some purging, toning and circulating to get the energy moving through the lung meridien, and some movements to ground the body and strengthen our energetic immune systems.

No experience, or levels of fitness necessary! Come along if you are curious or are already a practitioner, everyone is welcome. Just bring yourself, wear easy-fitting, comfortable clothes, and a smile 🙂
Meet by the shipping container in Radley Park, 9 - 10am, Wednesday 16th March. Koha welcome.

28/02/2022

Come and join Koha-based Qigong down at Roimata Food Commons this Wednesday with Lotus Flow Qigong! Social distancing will be in place - we have a huge space to practice under the trees and the open sky. There are no physical adjustments in qigong, so you will be free to do your practice in a space that is comfortable for you. During the practice, we will be standing and doing easy, mindful movements together, no mats or props needed, just bring yourself :)

Qigong is a practice that is helpful during these times of uncertainty; in a qigong practice we focus on movement, breath and awareness to sense, strengthen and direct energy through the body and mind, so that we are able to find balance, grounding and flow in our lives.

This week we will focus on grounding and immunity strengthening. In traditional chinese medicine, the immune system is connected to the lungs - and related to lymphatic and digestive systems - so we will do some purging, toning and circulating to get the energy moving through the lung meridien, and some movements to ground the body and strengthen our energetic immune systems.

No experience, or levels of fitness necessary! Come along if you are curious or are already a practitioner, everyone is welcome. Just bring yourself, wear easy-fitting, comfortable clothes, and a smile :)

Meet by the shipping container in Radley Park, 9 - 10am, Wednesday 2nd March. Koha welcome.

14/02/2022

ROIMATA WELLNESS SESSIONS

Come and join Koha-based Qigong down at Roimata Food Commons this Wednesday with Lotus Flow Qigong!
QIGONG is an ancient energy movement training that can help us develop present-moment awareness, and lead to a greater sense of our interconnectedness with each other and the natural world around us.
In a qigong practice we focus on movement, breath and awareness to sense, strengthen and direct energy through the body and mind, so that we are able to find balance, grounding and flow in our lives.
Qigong strengthens and relaxes the whole body and optimizes body functions in order to maintain health and increase our wellbeing. It can also help to build resilience so that we are able to move through life challenges without becoming unbalanced and overwhelmed, and so we have more space to engage in supporting others.
During the practice, we will be standing and doing easy, mindful movements together. No mats or props needed.
And no experience necessary! Come along if you are curious or are already a practitioner, everyone is welcome. Just bring yourself, wear easy-fitting, comfortable clothes, and a smile 🙂 Meet by the shipping container in Radley Park.

09/02/2022

QIGONG with the EARTH: What makes Qigong unique as an energy practice is the continuous attention to grounding by connecting with the earth's energy. Any electrician will tell you the importance of the earth wire in electrical systems, and its exactly the same when dealing with energy within our bodies. If we don't constantly ground our energy, we are prone to energetic imbalance, and in serious cases, having external energies or entities enter into our space. In Qigong, grounding is as simple as sense feeling into your feet, allowing them to relax and sink into the earth, as if they were growing roots like a tree. Sinking through the hips and pelvis, and deep, slow breathing into the abdomen, also facilitates earth connection. Try and spend a few moments every day to reconnect with the earth, to ground and centre your energy so that you are rooted and stable, and able to stand strong with the flux and flow of life around you.
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Morning practice before the rain, Forest Creek, Te Kahui Kaupeka

30/01/2022

ROIMATA WELLNESS SESSIONS

Come and join Koha-based Qigong down at Roimata Food Commons this Wednesday with Lotus Flow Qigong!

QIGONG is an ancient energy movement training that can help us develop present-moment awareness, and lead to a greater sense of our interconnectedness with each other and the natural world around us.

In a qigong practice we focus on movement, breath and awareness to sense, strengthen and direct energy through the body and mind, so that we are able to find balance, grounding and flow in our lives.

Qigong strengthens and relaxes the whole body and optimizes body functions in order to maintain health and increase our wellbeing. It can also help to build resilience so that we are able to move through life challenges without becoming unbalanced and overwhelmed, and so we have more space to engage in supporting others.

During the practice, we will be standing and doing easy, mindful movements together. No mats or props needed.

And no experience necessary! Come along if you are curious or are already a practitioner, everyone is welcome. Just bring yourself, wear easy-fitting, comfortable clothes, and a smile :) Meet by the shipping container in Radley Park

08/05/2021

QIGONG in the COLD: When it's cold outside, it seems preferable to just practice inside in the warmth, but practicing in the cold weather is a great way to strengthen intention and awareness. You can warm the body - especially hands and feet - by purposefully placing your attention there. 'Where the mind goes, Qi flows', and qi is warm! Once you have warmed the limbs, flow practices are really enjoyable, allowing you to soak up the fresh and clear energy of winter.
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Morning sunrise practice, 1°C temp at Ben Ohau, Mackenzie Country, Aotearoa/NZ

16/01/2021

Practising Qigong was prescribed to help people in Wuhan manage mild cases of COVID-19. It's also been shown to improve a cancer patient's quality of life. For Tara and many others, the mental and physical benefits have been life-changing.

01/11/2020

Autumn lung flow, great for strengthening the lungs and immune system :)

12/08/2020

If you want to build internal strength, determination and resilience, Zhan Zhuang, or Standing Like a Tree, is a deceptively simple and powerful way to achieve it.
If you want to refine your awareness and explore into the energetic body and unwind deeply held blockages, Zhan Zhuang can support your journey.
Try it out! And I encourage you to practice it consistently to get the best benefits from the practice 😊 🙏
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Filmed at Gaia Ashram, Nong Khai, NE Thailand.

This is a powerful standing practice from the Qigong tradition, that has 2 similar but divergent ways of practicing. One way comes from the martial arts path...

05/07/2020

QIGONG with TREES: Doing qigong in nature is a powerful way to expand your awareness and tune in to natural rhythms and flows of energy all around and within us. Ask permission of the tree you wish to practice with, in whatever way that makes sense to you. During your practice, allow your mental space/awareness to expand beyond your internal landscape, and vice versa, allow the energy of the tree to integrate into your awareness. Trees have powerful energetic auras that can support your practice and provide healing. Always finish by giving thanks and gratitude to the tree, for sharing the energetic space together. Its an important reminder of the deep interconnection we share.

This tree is in central Bangkok, and houses a small shrine to Guan Yin, who symbolises the energy of compassion. Many people stop on their run or walk around the park to pray and acknowledge her. Practicing with this tree, I get to share, and pass on this energy. May this tree live a long and healthy life!

14/06/2020

New video :) Filmed under Chiang Dao mountain in the garden of the Weaving Peace Retreat space.

This is not a Qigong flow, but some different breathwork practices in the Qigong tradition that supports energetic movement and flow. Try it out! 🙏🙏🙏

Breathwork has become popularised lately, mostly through practices to 'hack' the autonomic nervous system, but also in somatic work to help reveal and work w...

19/05/2020

Move your spine! Get energy flowing through your spinal column and central channel for increased ease of movement, balance and expansion.

Our modern lifestyles result in a lot of stiffness and stagnation in the spine, which really impacts on our whole range of movement, and even our mood. This ...

11/04/2020

Got lockdown restlessness? Try Yi Jin Jing!

Being in lockdown means we can have a lot of excess energy building up, which is uncomfortable in the body because it tends to rise up into the head, and creates feelings of agitation and restlessness. Within the martial Qigong traditions there are practices that can harness that excess energy by packing it into the fascia so that it can circulate around the body in a balanced way. So we can use this kind of practice, not only for martial arts, but to help us get more grounded and balanced in our bodies…. And to use up excess energy and transform it into life force energy that supports our vitality and wellbeing.
There are many forms of Yi Jin Jing (translated as the Vein Tendon Changing Classic or the Transformation of Soft Tissue Classic) within the Shaolin tradition, this is one from the Nam Yang school and has 5 standing postures.

NOTES ON FASCIA: Working with the fascia is important not only in martial arts! Fascia is the matrix of soft tissues and fibres that are woven within and around the body - but it goes way beyond the musculoskeletal system; it has continuity down to the cells and even to the DNA - so working with the fascia can regulate the biological, physiological and psychological systems in the body. For general wellbeing, activating and stimulating the fascia is an important way to support the integrated functionality of the body and heart-mind.

Being in lockdown means we can have a lot of excess energy building up, which is uncomfortable in the body because it tends to rise up into the head, and cre...

04/04/2020

Our body has its own unique, inbuilt capacity to keep external pathogens and energies at bay. So lets strengthen those physical and energetic systems so we can feel protected and grounded, and ready to face the uncertainties of these times :)

Our body has its own unique, inbuilt capacity to keep external pathogens and energies at bay. So lets strengthen those physical and energetic systems so we c...