Tiantian Qigong - Qigong Forms

Since 1993, when the Soaring Crane Qigong program was founded at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine by Professor Chen Hui-xian, people from all over the United States have travelled to the Northwest to learn this profoundly powerful medical qigong method. When Professor Chen retired from her post at OCOM in 2001, she passed her responsibilities on to her head teaching assistant, certified qigong instructor and acupuncturist Teri Applegate. Although OCOM no longer offers Soaring Crane Qigong as part of its qi cultivation program, Teri remains committed to providing quality training in the advanced levels of Soaring Crane to the Northwest. Having relocated to Seattle in 2004, she is a valuable resource to students in the Northwest and nationally for advanced training and teacher certification in the Soaring Crane Qigong methods.

The system is taught in weekend workshop format (suitable for students coming from out of town) in three levels: Level I, Level II, and Level III. Students who complete all three levels are encouraged to participate in the teacher training workshop and apply for certification to teach the Level I methodss.

Soaring Crane Qigong is a relatively modern qigong form. It was developed by Master Zhao Jin-xiang shortly after the cultural revolution. Many people in China at that time were suffering from poor health and in need of an efficient method of self-health-care with the power to help them recover from their illnesses and traumas. The form had to be short enough that it would fit into the busy post-revolution lives of the Chinese people, and powerful enough to produce lasting results in a short time. Master Zhao had suffered terribly poor health in his youth and as a young adult was hospitalized in a tuberculosis sanitorium which also served as a qigong hospital. It was there he began to learn about qigong and recovered his health through qigong practice. From this personal experience and with new ideas in mind, Master Zhao committed to helping others. Aided by the collaboration of Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors, Soaring Crane Qigong was developed.

Despite doubts about his ability to teach (he was from a poor country family and had only a fourth grade education), Master Zhao was determined to be of service. He went to a Beijing park and asked several seriously ill people if they wanted to learn qigong. Of the nine who agreed, two were in wheelchairs with paralysis resulting from strokes; two suffered from advanced diabetes; one had heart disease; four were diagnosed with advanced stage metastatic cancer. Within months all nine had completely recovered their health and physical abilities. One of the those origianl nine, the editor in chief of the People's Daily (the national daily newspaper serving all of China), returned to work after recovering from lung cancer, much to the surprise and delight of his staff. He wrote out the story of his experience with Soaring Crane Qigong and published it on the front page of a subsequent issue of the paper. As you might imagine, people flocked to the parks to learn this "miracle cure" qigong method.

For the millions of people all over China who read the Editor's story that day in the People's Daily, the news of a qigong form that could help restore their health after the revolution was a message of hope ~ but historically speaking, it was much more than that. Master Zhao was the first qigong master ever to teach qigong to the general public. Traditionally in China qigong was an heirloom passed down through families, or a closely-guarded treasure passed on to apprentices carefully chosen by the masters of their forms. Not until Master Zhao went to the park in Beijing that first morning and began to teach Soaring Crane had qigong training ever been available to the public at large. Imagine you were ill and knew there might exist a method for you to regain your health but had no way of accessing it ~ and then one day found the way has been made available to you. This was the experience of all those millions of people, not just in Beijing but throughout the entire country.

Now imagine you are the only teacher of this method ~ and you suddenly have millions of students clamoring to learn. Master Zhao trained his original nine students to teach and sent them out to serve the Chinese people. Master Zhao also began working with the Chinese government to develop standards of qigong teaching, and to set in place a system that would ensure the public be taught only by teachers appropriately trained and certified. In this way students would have a safe and effective experience with their qigong practice.

Professor Chen Hui-xian was instrumental in bringing Soaring Crane Qigong to this country. Her experience with this form saved her life and set a new mission for her to fulfill. Diagnosed at age 49 with late-stage metastatic breast cancer and a grim prognosis, she began practicing Soaring Crane. She worked very hard to get well, each day commuting two hours by bus to a park for her morning lesson. In the evening, she practiced for an hour at home. Her hard work paid off: within three months she was seeing dramatic improvements in her health. Soon she was able to return to her job as a professor of English at the University of Business & Economics in Beijing. Deeply affected by her experience, she began what would be a lifelong commitment to the practice and teaching of qigong. Together with Master Zhao, she founded the qigong department at the university. With Master Zhao's encouragement, she traveled to Arizona in 1992. Her background as an English teacher for so many years served her well as she began to teach Soaring Crane Qigong to Westerners. Professor Chen's message is clear: practice consistently, be a good person, and help others. This, she maintains, is the key to good health, long life, and great happiness. She sets for us an excellent example.

For over thirty years, Soaring Crane Qigong has been clinically evaluated in China as the most effective medical qigong form for time commitment required to practice. It has a phenomenal track record with regard to cancer and other critical and chronic conditions. This said, people practice Soaring Crane Qigong for many reasons: to aid in healing from illness or injury; to become more balanced emotionally; to develop greater spiritual awareness. Many come to Soaring Crane at a time of physical crisis; others come with a desire to optimize their quality of life and make use of the form's preventative power. Soaring Crane is suitable for almost everyone, from those without physical strength or stamina (as the movements can be performed mentally at first while still transferring much of the energetic benefit) to professional athletes ~ and those many of us in between. Limitless personal growth is possible through Soaring Crane: all you need do is practice. It should be noted that practice of Soaring Crane Qigong is contra-indicated for those with diagnosed mental health disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder or borderline Personality Disorder.

Soaring Crane Qigong is a complete system of qigong practice. The system features all four classical qigong form types: sitting, standing, walking and lying down. The multiple components provide a variety of therapeutic functions and offer flexibility in practice time commitment.

Remedy Routines are short forms (5 - 20 minutes) with specific therapeutic functions. Examples include a method to support liver function, a method of lowering high blood pressure, and a method of relieving headaches. Two remedy routines are taught at Level I, two at Level II, and four more at Level III.

Five short forms performed sequentially (45 minutes in total) that systematically open the acupoints, cleanse the channels, strengthen the internal organs, adjust all the systems of the body, and build up the practitioner's reserve of qi. The Five Routines are the primary component of Level I practice.

The Standing Meditation of Soaring Crane Qigong is the highlight of the form. It is a high level self-healing practice that empowers the practitioner to access his or her own "innate doctor" to stimulate deep healing of current and past injury and illness. Standing Meditation is the primary component of Level II practice.

Teri Applegate practicing "Touching the Water" from
Routine 4 of Soaring Crane Qigong's Five Routines.
Garden of Awakening Orchids, Portland, OR, 2003.
photo: K. Hall

The sitting meditation taught at Level II aids in the spiritual development of Soaring Crane practitioners.

Two ancient qigong methods taught within the Soaring Crane system: Four Route Relaxation, for expelling spent qi from the body, and Exchanging Qi with the Universe, a breathing method to tonify the body with pure qi. Both are taught at Level I.

Basic Theories of Chinese Medicine
Two Remedy Routines: Tonification, Method of Descending Turbid Substances from the Liver ("Liver Cleansing")
The Five Routines

Review of Level I methods
Continued Study of Chinese Medicine
Standing Meditation
Sitting Meditation
Two Remedy Routines: Method of Lowering High Blood Pressure, Collecting Yang Qi Four Times from the Left and Three Times from the Right

Prerequisites: at least 12 hours of Level I class time and a minimum of 40 hours personal practice of Level I methods

Review of Level I and Level II methods
Continued Study of Chinese Medicine theory
Advanced theories of Soaring Crane Qigong
Crane Walking Steps
Four Remedy Routines: Directing Qi Into Lower Dan Tian, Gathering Qi Into Lower Dan Tian from the Eight Directions, Drawing Qi from Five Acupoints into Lower Dan Tian, Touching Acupoint to Descend Turbid Substances (headache remedy)

Prerequisites: Level II prerequisites plus at least 10 hours of Level II class time and a minimum of 50 hours practice of Level II methods

Teri Applegate practicing "Holding a Ball of Qi in the Milky Way"
from Routine 2 of Soaring Crane Qigong's Five Routines.
Garden of Awakening Orchids, Portland, OR, 2003.
photo: D. Beardsley

Tiantian School of Qigong provides Level I and II training, as well as Teacher Training and Certification, in Turtle Longevity Qigong. The current Wang Family Lineage Holder of Turtle Longevity Qigong is Master Wang Zhezhong of Beijing. Prof. Chen Huixian was the first lineage holder outside the Wang Family. In 2007 he authorized four additional lineage holders outside the Wang Family: Ping Ping Li, Teri Applegate, Kris Caldwell, and Jennifer Daly.

Wang Family Turtle Longevity Qigong is a good example of a traditional "heirloom" qigong form. It was first developed 19 generations ago by a Wang family ancestor and has been passed down through the generations of that family, each of whom has contributed to refining it. It has a high reputation in the qigong community for being an excellent form: extremely effective for physical healing and spiritual development, and also quite safe as it has been "tested" for so many years. As Master Wang puts it: the fact that this form was meant to be practiced by members of the Wang family meant it was of high priority to each successive lineage holder (person who inherits the form from generation to generation) to ensure the form would continue to be of the best quality for the benefit of the successive generations.

For over 400 years Turtle Longevity Qigong was considered a family heirloom and never meant to be taught publicly. However, Master Wang was deeply moved by general health conditions following the Cultural Revolution and felt it was time to share his family's gift with the Chinese people. Upon approval from the Beijing Qigong Research Institution, Master Wang began to teach Turtle Longevity in China, later traveling to Japan, Canada and the United States, with extraordinary results.

Master Wang Zhezhong and Professor Chen Huixian
reviewing lecture notes. Beijing, July 2002.
photo: K. Caldwell

There are five parts to the form currently being taught in the United States: two standing forms, two sitting forms, and an extensive self-acupressure technique. The four main parts of the form are taught sequentially; the self-acupressure technique may be learned by anyone, with or without prior qigong experience.

Part 1: Watching the Turtle (standing form)
The first form works on the surface layers (skin, tendons, muscles) of the body, opening the acupuncture points, cleansing the meridians (energy channels) and beginning to cultivate the practitioner's reserve of qi. When the acupoints are open, fresh qi can flow into the body more easily; when the meridians are cleansed, qi flows more freely through the body to nourish and strengthen it.

Part 1 has five parts: a preparation, three "dynamic" parts (with physical movement and visualization), one "static" part (with visualization but without physical movement), and a finishing form. The three dynamic parts can be described as consisting of very few unique movements but with many repetitions of those movements. The visualization involves "watching" a turtle as it does different things in the water. The movements and visualizations combine to bring about deep relaxation in the practitioner.

Students report a wide range of results from practice of Part 1, including a dramatic increase in overall energy levels, deeper and longer sleep, relief from chronic back pain, greater resistance to colds and flu, improved digestive and bowel function, sudden emotional healing, and normalized blood pressure (many students who began their training on blood pressure medication have found their blood pressure so stabilized through regular practice that their doctors have had to reduce or eliminate their medication).

Part 2: Learning from the Turtle (standing form)
The second standing form works deeper in the body (penetrating the internal organs, bones, and marrow), with a special focus on cultivating the flow of qi in what Chinese medicine calls "The Microcosmic Orbit". When qi flows freely and in abundance along the Microcosmic Orbit, all 7,200 channels in the body are filled with qi. The highlight of Turtle Longevity Qigong, a method of exercising the spine and tailbone, appears in Part 2; Part 2 also includes an advanced method of simultaneously discharging spent qi from and absorbing fresh qi into the body.

A bit more complex than Part 1, Part 2 has nine parts: a preparation, seven dynamic parts, one static part, and a finishing form. The dynamic parts can be described as consisting of more unique movements than the dynamic components of Part 1, but with fewer repetitions. As in Part 1, there is a series of visualizations; there is also a breathing technique used throughout Part 2. The movements and visualizations combine to bring about an extraordinary sense of energy in the practitioner.

Student feedback about Part 2 is remarkably consistent: with regular, ongoing practice it produces nothing less than virtually unshakable vibrant health.

Master Wang Zhezhong demonstrates "Stretching the Body from Side to Side" from Turtle Longevity Qigong part two, "Learning from the Turtle." Beijing, July 2002.
photo: K. Caldwell

Part 3: Being the Turtle (sitting form)
The first sitting form begins with a visualization to balance both the yin and yang qi and the five element qi in the internal organs. Three breathing techniques follow, all of which tonify the practitioner's kidney qi; two more breathing techniques tonify the body with fresh qi and expel spent qi from the body. In all there are seven parts to Part 3 including the preparation and finishing form.

Because of its focus on tonification of the kidneys, Part 3 is extremely effective in preventing aging and improving sexual function (according to Chinese medicine, strength of the kidney qi is a key indicator of sexual ability; depletion of kidney qi results in aging and loss of sexual desire and ability). Male and female students alike report improved desire for and ability to engage in sexual relations. Many students also find thinning hair thickening, graying hair darkening, hearing sharpened, and improved skin elasticity with regular practice.

Part 4: Tong Tian Gong (advanced sitting meditation of Turtle Longevity Qigong)
Tong Tian Gong (literally Channel Heaven Work, the name translates as Channelling Heaven and Earth) is the most recently developed part of Turtle Longevity Qigong. This powerful sitting meditation, practiced with the aid of an audiotape or CD recorded by Master Wang and Professor Chen Huixian, consists of a series of visualizations that combine to deeply relax the practitioner and allow for a freer exchange of qi between the practitioner and the universe. Students report increased memory and intelligence in addition to rapid spiritual growth.

Self-Acupressure Method
The Self-Acupressure Method is the part of the Turtle Longevity Qigong system most recently introduced to Westerners. Master Wang introduced his American students to this part of the form for the first time in July 2002. This extensive technique enables practitioners to guide qi to further cleanse the acupoints and channels. It is an efficient and effective technique for overcoming chronic health conditions, and an excellent technique for improving and maintaining overall health.

Essence Qigong improves physical health and triggers spiritual growth by focusing on developing the Central Channel. This is the major channel through which the body¹s organs absorb qi. Essence qigong is unique among forms in that it quickly brings qi deep into the body, penetrating rapidly through the muscles and organs and into the bone marrow. Additionally, the meditative nature of this form brings the practitioner profound tranquility through ongoing practice. Students who practice Essence Qigong regularly report reduction in daily stress levels, emotional balance and healing, recovery from grief, accelerated spiritual growth, increased physical energy, stronger immune funtion, increased bone density, greater compassion, increased intuition and creativity, overall improvement in life quality.

Essence qigong was developed by a committee led by Master Chen Fu-yin, director of the Chinese Academy of Somatic Science. Master Chen and his colleagues conducted a long-term study of many different qigong forms (both ancient and contemporary) and collaborated to extract the most essential components common to the forms he had studied. From these components Essence Qigong was created.

This exciting new qigong method is like none you have experienced before. Super Energy Method improves health and generates happiness through vigorous hand exercise, acupressure methods and sound vibration. This method detoxifies and tonifies the internal organs through with a series of hand exercises according to the principles of reflexology and of traditional Chinese medicine. The addition of a chanted mantra raises the natural vibrations of the practitioner¹s energy field. This form is easy to learn, fun to practice, and powerful to experience when practiced consistently.

Super Energy Method was developed by Master Ma Cheng-kai. Bed-ridden with terminal illnesses in the 1980s, Master Ma was determined to find a way to regain his health. Through extensive research, practice and study he developed this method. In Master Ma's words, "The key to health, wisdom and enlightenment is in our own hands!"

Master Ma Chengkai and Ping Ping Li
during a lecture on Super Energy Method.
Beijing, July 2002.
photo: K. Caldwell