Introducing Vital Force: The Yin of Strength

A Complete Follow-Along Qigong Program to Invigorate the Body, Enhance Exercise Recovery, and Convert Stress into Vitality!

The art and science of becoming stronger can be broken down into 2 main methods.  1) The Addition of Driving Forces (Yang)  2)The Subtraction of Restrictive Forces and Strengthening of Internal Energy (Yin)  When most people train for strength they focus solely on the Yang of Strength – the addition of driving forces. But this will only get you so far… It’s like driving a car around all day with the emergency brake on.  You can still get where you need to go, but that extra, unnecessary drag is killing the car’s performance and guzzling gas (consuming energy).  What is the hidden drag in your performance?  Residual muscle tension, or tonus, is the continuous, passive partial contraction of muscles in the body that aids in posture and support. Any type of strength training exercise, stress, fear, and trauma, will all cause an unwanted and unnecessary increase in the normal residual muscle tension of the body. Usually this extra tonus goes unnoticed, or worse is simply deemed an acceptable and natural side effect of living.    The problem with this added tension is that the continuous contraction of muscle throughout the day, every day, is using up energy.  Energy that can, and should, be available to us is being siphoned off thereby putting the brakes on our performance.  Rather than increasing our energy, freeing our movement, and allowing us to access our full strength potential as human beings, the consistent focus on the Yang of Strength makes us literally muscle bound. On the other hand, The Yin of Strength is how we strategically and systematically remove those restrictive forces and increase the natural, intrinsic energy of the body to reveal our true strength potential as an Integrated Human Being.  “Just as a door hinge will not rust if it is used, so the body will attain health by gently moving and exercising all of the limbs.” - Hua Tuo (2nd century AD), one of the patriarchs of Chinese Medicine The Vital Force Qigong Program is a 77 minute long video course available for immediate use as a digital download. The program is divided up into 6 modules plus 2 bonus modules:  Module 1 - Mobilize the Body Joint mobility is essential for lubricating the joints, loosening up the body, and increasing blood flow to aid in warming-up and injury prevention. Pain, stress, and tension are stored at various points in our bodies and can be abated and released through specifically designed mobility exercises. These exercises work by providing nutrition to the joints through synovial fluid and by breaking up deposits of sediment that can build up and “rust” our joints. Mobility training also works to increase the range of motion in our joints, muscles, and connective tissues. By training yourself to be able to move slightly outside your comfort zone you are building in a safety-valve for when things happen to go wrong.  Module 2 - Bone Marrow Cleansing Qigong The Bone Marrow Cleansing exercise includes healing postures, low-impact movements, and visualization techniques to cleanse the marrow of toxins and strengthen the bones. It also works to strengthen the internal organs and immune system, and stimulate the flow of healing energy throughout the body. This exercise also includes an extremely beneficial detailed visualization for removing negative energy, negative thoughts, and old, stale energy from the body.   Module 3 - Self Massage Tapping Drills The tapping drills taught in this module work to remove energy blockages and residual tension while gently stimulating the acupuncture meridians of the body.   Module 4 - Flowing Isometrics Exercise The Dynamic Tension method utilized in the Flowing Isometrics exercise will strengthen and tone the entire body while increasing energy. It also trains the nervous system to relax more deeply by highlighting the contrasting force of muscular tension.   Module 5 - Vibration Drills These are very simple, yet highly effective exercises which have been used for centuries in yoga and qigong to shake out and release residual muscle tension in the body.   Module 6 - Whole Body Energy Breathing Whole Body Energy Breathing will energize and enliven the entire body from bottom of the feet up to the top of the head. This exercise will have you buzzing with energy the entire day!   Bonus Module 1 - Wuji Standing Meditation Exercise Standing exercise has been used as a method of relaxation and health cultivation for thousands of years. The earliest known reference to standing appears in the Yellow Emperors classic of Chinese Medicine. “In ancient times, great masters stood on earth, supporting heaven, controlling yin and yang, breathing with essence of qi, standing alone, guarding spirit, with body being as one”. Its health preserving and sustaining effects have been documented in hospitals and medical clinics across China for decades. Standing exercise acts like a system-wide reboot for the whole body. It stimulates the nervous system, increases circulation, and raises energy levels while providing deep relaxation for both mind and body. Aches, pains, old injuries, muscular tensions and imbalances are highlighted and brought to the fore by this wonderful method and then slowly dissolved over time and completely released.  Bonus Module 2 - Ba Duan Jin (8 Pieces of the Brocade) Qigong The Ba Duan Jin, or “Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade” are one of the oldest and most well-known forms of qigong. They first made their appearance in an 8th century Daoist text called, Xiu Zhen Shi Shu (The 10 Treatises on Restoring Original Vitality). Daoist tradition attributes the creation of these exercises to Chong Li-Quan, one of the 8 immortals of Chinese legend. The 8 Brocades consist of gentle twisting, stretching, and lengthening exercises which condition and strengthen the muscle-tendon meridians.