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Qi Dao Workshop - Part 1

© Thomas James Martin

By the time you read this column, I will be attending a workshop to learn and experience Qi Dao at the Breitenbush Conference and Retreat Center located in a forested setting of rustic cabins and hot springs in the Cascade Range in west, central Oregon. Qi Dao--also known as Tibetan Shamanic Qigong--is a centuries old spiritual path from Asia that also incorporates healing techniques and mastering of universal energy or qi (also spelled "chi").

As a matter of fact if you were to consult a doctor in many Asian counties, it's likely that a key component of her/his prescription would be qi exercises, holistic workouts that simultaneously develop body and spirit, promoting overall health and vitality. Practiced by millions of Chinese for millennia, qi exercises are now gaining popularity throughout the world for their health benefits.

I must admit to some excitement and curiosity. Though I have been a spiritual seeker all my life and have read much spiritual and metaphysical literature and have meditated through the years, I have never followed with rigor any of the great organized systems of psychological, physical and spiritual mastery, such as Yoga or Qi Dao's close descendant, Tai Chi.

I am hoping that the workshop will help with some of my physical health issues, further develop my intuitive nature and lead to greater spiritual awareness. Qi Dao stresses feeling the flow of energy with your own body! Once we can feel Qi flowing though the body, the next step is to immerse ourselves into this flow and stay present in the flow.

Being in the flow may be compared to the states of expanded awareness and creativity that artists, actors and athletes often experience when they perform "at peak." Such peak performance capabilities lay dormant within each and every one of us.

We just need to tap the hidden resources of greater human potential latent in our "unconscious." It is useful to remember here that modern psychology emphasizes becoming more aware of our motivations and unconscious tendencies. We are all somewhat like icebergs, ten percent visible and ninety percent hidden. Simply put, we can become conscious of our "unconscious" in order to experience peak performance on the everyday basis.

Lama Somananda Tulku, the teacher with whom I shall be working, writes this about Qi Dao:

Within the universe of spiritual healing teachings, Shamanism is one of the oldest traditions practiced worldwide. Tibetan Shamanic Qigong, traditionally known as Qi Dao, in Tibet, China, and Russia, teaches to pay attention to the energetic source of any human experience in order to be able to learn from it. It empowers you to receive any challenge life throws your way as a lesson, rather than a problem. Once you have taken and learned the lesson, it will not have to repeat itself. Be in the flow of Qi (universal life force), free yourself of old energy patterns and enjoy profound harmony with nature, including your own true nature.