Z-Health & Qigong Recharge

Z-Health is a systematic program of joint mobility techniques designed to reduce pain, recalibrate the nervous system and enhance athletic performance. Qigong Recharge combines powerful methods for generating internal energy with additional joint mobility work.

#WQJ125 $90.00
Sundays, January 20—February 10, February 24—March 9
(no class on February 17) (six sessions) 7:00pm—8:30pm

Wild Goose Qigong: Soft Palms, Kunlun Bagua and the 64-movement Part One form.

Wild Goose is one of the deepest and most revered qigong traditions, remarkable for its ability to generate healing qi, enhance flexibility, fortify the immune system and balance us physically and spiritually.

#WQJ126 $120.00
Tuesdays, January 22—March 11 (eight sessions) 7:00pm—8:30pm

Register/pay at the door, mail class payment to Dragon Door, 5 East County Rd B, #3, Little Canada, MN 55117 or call (651) 487-2180 to pay by credit card.

Location:

Walker Church
3104 16th Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55407
(See Mapquest for map and directions)

John Du Cane
5 East County Rd B, #3
Little Canada, MN 55117

Questions for John: 651-487-3828
or email: dragondoor@aol.com

The Five Animal Frolics Qigong

Chinese Medicine's great parent figure Hua To, created the Animal Frolics in 200 A.D. as a sequence of alternately dynamic and tranquil movement for cleansing and invigorating the entire body. Because of their quick results and enjoyable feel, the Frolics have remained a mainstay of Chinese health practice ever since. The unique combination of fluid movement, relaxed breathing and internal harmony encourages personal renewal and a new zest for life.

The Crane develops balance, lightness, and agility, releases the spine, and relaxes your whole body. Enjoy an invigorating mix of dynamic and tranquil postures for self-healing and athletic grace.

The Monkey develops suppleness, agility, and quick wit, training you to remain alert and calm, even as you are outwardly spirited and mobile. The Deer gives a long stretch to the legs and spine, creating open, expansive movement with very flexible sinews and bones. The Deer embodies grace and relaxation, while regulating the endocrine system.

The Bear is a great winter exercise. Slow, ponderous, but very strong, it warms the body, strengthens the spleen, and builds vitality. The Bear's twisting waist movements massage and invigorate the kidneys. The Bear is an excellent preventive against osteoporosis, as it is known to fortify the bones. The dynamic Tiger builds great power, strengthening your waist, sinews, and kidneys and developing you internally.

Tai Ji Qigong

Learn the same qigong system used by the famous Yang Tai Chi family, to accumulate and balance energy. A set of simple movements gently harmonize the qi, promote better circulation, soothe the nervous system and help to reduce stress.

Discover:

• How to use attention to effectively feel and direct qi
• How to activate all your major energy centers
• How to turn on healing power in your hands
• How to clear all the major meridians in your body
• How to develop your sensing ability
• How to get real results with you standing qigong practice
• How to incorporate special internal sounds to deepen your meditation

Wild Goose Qigong

Wild Goose Qigong is the most popular and widely practiced form of Qigong in China today. It is revered as one of the greatest Taoist systems for longevity and self-healing. The two sections, of 64 linked sequences each, combine gentle stimulation of energy with stretching, shaking and rotational movement to provide a highly satisfying and very relaxing routine.

Healing Yourself and Others with Therapeutic Qigong

If you really want to heal or help someone else, you need to be able to generate and possess strong, vibrant energy yourself. Therapeutic qigong is qigong designed specifically to help you absorb, generate, store and project healing energy. This course will include deeper and more subtle qigong skills for both self-healing and healing others.

We will devote a good part of the course to cultivating the skill of using your attention to generate a vibratory current within either your own body or someone else's. This develops tremendous healing power.

• Learn to absorb healing energy to strengthen your own system.
• Discover how to project healing energy into a partner.
• Discover how to disperse "energy cysts" and dissolve blocks in yourself and others.
• Discover how to integrate the heart, mind and body for greater balance.
• Learn how to "prime your energy pump" using a combination of breath and movement.
• Practice the skill of "bioelectric massage" on yourself and on others.

The 18 Buddha Hands

According to legend, Bodhidharma, the founder of Chinese Buddhism, introduced the 18 Buddha Hands system to the Shaolin monks as a way to upgrade their physical, mental and spiritual health. A physically demanding program, 18 Buddha Hands is a stand-alone system of joint rotations, stretches, static postures and callisthenic-like movements designed to create a resilient, flexible, energetic body.

No Matter How Good An Athlete You Are,
Qigong Can Make You Better

By Stephanie Watson

How can the seemingly mild practice of qigong make you a stronger powerlifter, a more agile martial artist, or a better runner?

Ask Dr. Jim Ryan, a licensed chiropractor with a diverse athletic background. A graduate of Du Cane's "Iron Body" qigong class, which focuses on strength and conditioning, Ryan knows that qigong's not just about floating through gentle, restorative postures. Through the challenging course, he became aware that in addition to relaxation, the ancient Chinese practice can be used to help athletes of all types bump their game up a notch.

"If you do practices like qigong," Ryan said, "you learn how to integrate the qi with physical movement. The way that most people exercise, and even the way some Americanized martial arts are practiced, it's just physical exercise." Once you learn how to combine bodily movement with the flow of qi energy, the results in your chosen sport can be synergistic. "[Qigong] ends up giving you much more power. You tap into a whole other level of energy and conditioning."

Besides pumping up your level of strength and endurance, a short session of qigong before a workout can be a great way to warm up, or cool down afterwards. "It also helps you recuperate faster from a traditional muscular workout," Ryan said. "Because you're flooding [the body] with qi, it's going to improve the oxygenation and speed up the recovery process."

Incorporating qigong into your training program can also help with burnout, a common problem among athletes. "Any serious athlete has to deal with the possibility of burnout, especially if there are meets or different kinds of performances you're getting ready for. Overtraining can affect your is a whole being thing. You can notice it physically, mentally, and emotionally," Ryan said. But preventing burnout from wreaking havoc on your athletic endeavors might be as simple as incorporating qigong into your routine. Because it strengthens the body with movements that depart from monotonous training, and it flushes your system with fresh energy, qigong recharges you while still keeping you in top form. "Doing qigong," Ryan stressed, "can be a great way to minimize the ups and downs of overtraining."

On the road and unable to get in one of your standard workouts? No problem, said Ryan. "If there's a time or a place where you can't do your regular training, qigong can help maintain your level of conditioning and ability. It can also add an excellent edge, like a cross-training effect, because it helps you learn to move your body from a place of relaxation rather than tension."

Qigong for strength and conditioning has something special to offer to martial artists. "Iron Body qigong focuses on creating 'qi armor' to arm yourself against attackers," Ryan said. By focusing qi in an area that is about to be struck, he explained, you can create an energetic shield to minimize the blow's impact.

Ryan indicated that students used to Du Cane's relaxing qigong courses might be in for a surprise with this session's Qigong Strength and Conditioning class. "It's a lot more intense. The only other [form] that is at all similar to it is the Tiger Frolic, because you're tensing your muscles pretty hard," Ryan said. "Iron Body qigong is energizing, but it's a real workout."

Praise for John Du Cane's Qigong Courses

"After spending a year in your class, I feel better, I live better, I've lost 30-40 pounds and find myself in a state of calm during many stressful day to day events. I cannot tell you how much this means to me."—Mike 'Mac' McAnally, Minneapolis

"I cannot tell you how profoundly changed I feel from over 2 hours of Qigong practice. The best way to describe it is - balanced. I think that is what everyone strives for, I know I do. I was affected more with 2 hours of Qigong than years of casual study of western and eastern metaphysical philosophy and constant practice of meditation, belly breathing and sports psychology techniques. I can still feel its effects: its as though its easier to be a good person.

John traced my form with his hands and you couldn't imagine what it felt like: almost like cold heat. Without a doubt, I could feel where I was "open" and "closed."

If you attend an RKC, take John up on the most generous gift of his Qigong class. Can't thank John enough for that. Taking a cue from Ron Morris, RKC, of usakettlebells.com, I am now omitting things from my day so that I can incorporate some Qigong. It is the perfect complement to KBs. So much in fact, I purchased the Qigong DVD series.

One more thing, John did a form at the RKC. I was standing behind him when he did it so I caught something most didn't: his spine waved like a snake's. I didn't even think that was possible. Just amazing."
—Frankie Fairs, RKC, Dallas, Texas

"Just wanted to tell you how much I've been enjoying the Qigong exercises. This, together with the Eckart Tolle Power of Now is really changing my life.

In December of last year, after taking the classes for a few months and working it into my daily routine, I felt a great increase in relaxation and well-being. In January, I had some difficult things take place which in themselves are not really ultimately horrible but would cause almost anyone a significant amount of mental pain. The Tolle materials with the Qigong really are liberating from the mental perceptions which create pain from situations we don't want to accept.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I appreciate the value of what you teach."
—Joe Schmid, Minneapolis

"In my work with physical training, I have the incredible opportunity to meet and interact with so many motivated and inspired people. It is one of the true blessings of being a teacher.

I was recently in St. Paul Minnesota as an instructor for the acclaimed Russian Kettlebell Challenge certification course. These are courses I have the privilege to teach at 2-3 times per year, and they are always fun and educational gatherings.

This year, I had a late flight out on the final day, and so had some time to participate in a qigong class taught by John Du Cane.

Now, I am no stranger to qigong practice. From the time I was 12 years old, I have been exposed to and practiced various forms of internal martial arts and associated qigong exercises, and I know there are thousands of variations.

I owe a debt of gratitude to John for inviting me to his class, because I was personally dealing with a lot of personal stress in my life at that time, and being in his class that very moment was the best place I could have been. His kind reminder of the power of simple qigong practice for bringing life back into balance is truly appreciated, and that one class has reinvigorated my own personal practice of daily qigong.

I call John's approach to qigong the "Thinking Man's qigong", because it is such an intelligent approach. Having invested hundreds of hours to study directly with many of the world's leading qigong masters, Du Cane has effectively extracted the essence of qigong practice for health and vitality, and can present it to a wide variety of audiences. Why, just in the very class I attended there were ranges of students ranging from a taxi driver, real estate agent, athlete and a holistic doctor, of a wide variety of ages. And we all learned together with out skipping a beat. It is an awesome experience that you have to try to appreciate.

If you have the slightest interest in incorporating qigong practice to balance your health or round-out your conditioning program, Du Cane may be the most accessible qigong master you're ever going to have the opportunity to learn from. The man knows his stuff!"
—Steve Cotter, Senior RKC, National Full Contact Kung Fu Champion