Ideal Balance

07/13/2023

I recently posted a reference video for a qigong exercise called Eight Pieces of Brocade. This involves 8 simple movements that take the body through a range of motion, mobilize the spine, open the chest, and engage the core. I designed the video to be a follow along and it takes about 15 minutes. I do teach online classes featuring this and you can DM me for more info. Hope you find this helpful!

Online Eight Pieces of Brocade Class Schedule: https://jingjinmovementtraining.blogspot.com/p/classes-taiji-qigong.html00:00 - Intro Slide00:06 - Mvmt 1: Two...

01/02/2023

Here is a reference video I filmed for part I of the taiji (tai chi) set. I will be posting about new classes for 2023 soon!

Part I of Yang-style taijiquan, also know as tai chi, includes the first 22 movements of the form. This particular form requires extensive spinal mobility an...

07/26/2020

Here is a video Lesley and I put together to highlight the scapular (shoulder blade) movements associated with taiji and qigong practice. It is geared towards sports acupuncturists and others with a kinesiology background, but I tried to make it relevant to practitioners who might not have a lot of biomechanical training. The emphasis is linking the scapular movement with the spinal movement for expansion of the chest and ribcage.

The spine generates movements in qigong and related movements systems like taiji. However, the scapulae (shoulder blades) coordinates movement to help create...

04/14/2020

I will be co-hosting a series of webinars featuring subjects and guests in the expanding field of sports and orthopedic acupuncture. Tomorrow will be the first of the series and Matt Callison and I will be presenting a recent low back pain case study where the assessment and treatment were done via telemedicine. This will be of use for those doing physical medicine over a digital platform, but will also highlight the thought process for assessment and treatment of low back pain in general.

04/11/2020

Thanks to everyone who attended the webinar that I did today with Matt Callison and hosted by Lhasa OMS. It was very well attended and we had quite a bit of positive feedback. It was great discussing telemedicine options with fellow acupuncturists and exploring ways to help our patients during this time of COVID-19.

04/09/2020

Tomorrow (April 10) at 12 EST, Matt Callison and I will be presenting a low back pain telemedicine case study in a webinar hosted by Lhasa OMS. This case study has an accompanying video and blog post that I will link to below. Hope to see some of my cupuncture friends there tomorrow.
https://app.livestorm.co/lhasa-oms/telemedicine-guide-a-low-back-pain-case-study-by-matt-callison-lac

Join Lhasa OMS as we host Matt Callison, L.Ac.(President and Founder), and Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA of the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) program to discuss a low back pain case study...

04/02/2020

Here is my April online class schedule. Classes include taiji and qigong classes for health and wellness, including several free options. I also added a series of classes covering various therapeutic exercises for regions of the body (such as the low back and hip). These are options for people who might be having difficulty as they can not get out and seek treatment for various orthopedic conditions. These classes can also be attended for prevention and wellness. For difficult cases, please call and I can set up a private telemedicine conference.
https://idealbalanceacupuncture.blogspot.com/2020/03/april-taiji-and-qigong-classes-for.html

03/23/2020

Thanks to all who have attended the taiji/qigong class I have been doing through zoom. At 3 est I will be doing Five Animal Sports Qigong. I love this set of movements. It is very dynamic and feels great to do. This is maybe not appropriate if someone has balance issues, but it can be adapted to a seated, or you can modify to make sure you do not cause injury. The link to the schedule is below. I also want to add the link to who I have been studying with over the last several months. They are fantastic! They also have some free classes that I would recommend. https://idealbalanceacupuncture.blogspot.com/2020/03/taiji-tai-chi-and-qigong-for-health-and.html

Below is the schedule for online video conferencing based (Zoom) taiji (tai chi) and qigong classes to assist with health and wellness for m...

03/19/2020

I am starting some online video conferencing based (Zoom) taiji (tai chi) and qigong classes to assist with health and wellness for my patients, colleagues, and friends during these times when we are isolated at home. My goal is to threefold: 1) to increase circulation and support optimal health; 2) to decrease stress; and 3) give something fun to learn or deepen your understanding if you are already doing some form of taiji or qigong. It’s also a nice way for us to enjoy a social activity together while taking care of ourselves.
These classes will be free for the current time and I am limiting each class to approximately 45 minutes. I am not sure what the demand will be and I might need to switch to a sliding fee, but at this time, I want this to be a service to my patients and others.
I plan on starting with two class types. These are both forms of medical qigong which are sequences which are designed to improve organ health. Emphasis will be on boosting immunity, improving breathing, and reducing stress.
The first is system called Eight Pieces of Brocade. This sequence includes 8 moves, each working on a specific organ system. This form is easy to do (but there can be a lot of nuance), does not require difficult stepping or shifting of weight and can even be done seated. This form is very accessible, but has much to offer for all. It can be very meditative and calming, as there is some repetition and less difficulty in terms of learning the moves.
The second is a system called Five Animal Sports. This sequence includes 5 moves that are part of each animal. Chinese physiology has many correspondences and each animal represents and organ that is being worked on. This form is a bit more difficult, but can still be modified for individual health challenges. It does involve stepping and shifting, but it can be modified to be seated if necessary. This form is very dynamic and a lot of fun!
Both of these systems will be useful for anyone who has a current taiji practice as there are many shared principles. However, it is not necessary to have a current practice, and newbies are definitely welcome. Direct message me or email me at brian@ideal-balance.net for more information.

03/17/2020

“Everything we do before a pandemic will seem alarmist. Everything we do after will seem inadequate.”- Michael Leavitt

After intense consideration and attention to rapidly changing conditions, I want to let all my patients and friends know that I will be closing my office for the next two weeks and tentatively reopening on March 31 at the earliest.

I am sure all of us find value in the work we do, and I am no exception. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can treat a plethora of ailments. Within my field I am a specialist, and my practice primarily involves working with sports injuries, orthopedic conditions and chronic pain. My goal is to get people out of pain and get them back into an active lifestyle, something that is extremely important for emotional health, to prevent many of the illness that affect us in modern life, and, maybe of most relevance now, to boost the immune system to prevent and recover from illness.

However, as important as this is, now is certainly not the time to bring people into and out of my practice as this can increase exposure to and the rate of infection from the coronavirus and further stress the hospitals. I might be fine if I get sick, but I need to think not only of my patients’ health, but the health of all of those that my patients come into contact with. The risk far outweighs the benefit at this time, so I feel the responsible thing to do is to close. I would highly encourage you to limit the gym, errands, gatherings and all other non essential social interaction that is face to face. The time is NOW for us all to do our part to flatten the curve before it is too late.

During this time away from my office, please feel free to call me. Chinese medicine has many avenues for treatment that can be discussed over the phone. Chinese medicine has an extensive herbal medical system and I can drop ship herbals to my patients. We can explore various corrective exercises over a service such as Zoom or Skype which would allow me to see you and you to see me so that we can insure that these exercises are being done correctly to benefit you.

I will be rolling out an open and free online tai chi and qigong class (also through Zoom or Skype) that will help increase circulation and improve and benefit health (with special focus on breathing and lung health), while also benefiting the spirit during these stressful times. I’ll post specifically on this as soon as I have it set up.

I am here, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

813-766-1319

brian@ideal-balance.net

www.ideal-balance.net

The Sports Medicine Acupuncture® and integrative medicine practice of Dr. Brian Lau, AP, DOM, C. SMA in the USF area of Tampa, FL

10/09/2018

I just returned from a 5 day dissection class. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in regular dissection as a faculty member in the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification. These dissections are extremely valuable to those taking the program, as they see relevant anatomical structures in each module before learning assessment and treatment of these structures. These dissections are on relevant regions to the section being covered. For instance, the most recent was on the low back, hip and groin.
This 5 day program, however, offers much more time as it covers the entire body. This is the 2nd 5 day full body dissection I have taken part in and each time the experience is profound and deepens my ability to help patients. Acupuncture is a fascinating medicine and many times involves microsurgery with a very small and precise instrument. To truly excel at this, the practitioner needs and in-depth and 3 dimensional understanding of anatomy. I would encourage all acupuncturists to take the opportunity to do a full body dissection!

Hello All -

I am still reeling from the recent cadaver lab experience. We were able to take away lessons that can be applied to our patients and to set the stage for increased learning. Human anatomy is a universe in itself and a life long study to integrate it with TCM.

This past experience on October 1-5 had challenges with moments of step-back intensity but was softened by the gathering of great people and like minds. These cadaver labs create a certain bonding of the practitioners that go through it I really appreciated this past experience with each practitioner that attended.

I am looking forward to scheduling the next cadaver lab. I believe it will be a 4-day lab. These labs will be an ongoing integration of TCM and Sports Medicine Acupuncture as we continue to learn and evolve the work.

Kind regards,

Matt

04/08/2018

Sports Medicine Acupuncture® and integrative medicine treatment information by Dr. Brian Lau, AP, DOM, C. SMA