Swimming Dragon Qigong

Swimming Dragon Qigong is an easy to learn exercise that will improve your balance, flexibility, coordination, breath control and mood.  It feels great and takes only a few minutes to perform.  Do more repetitions if you have more time!  This treasured exercise can also serve you as an entry into the vast field of Qigong, or "life energy" exercises originally from China. 

The course is composed primarily of videos to follow.  Learn the core Swimming Dragon sequence as well as several related exercises that will further enhance your flexibility and breathing.  These exercises are particularly good for spinal flexibility and will teach you how to create waves of motion through your spine with precise and delicious coordination.  This can reduce chronic back tension and pain.  Allowing and releasing this natural movement of the spine will bring you more embodied delight whether in daily life, on the dance floor, ...or in the bedroom.

Focus first on learning the movements, next the coordination with your breath, then make the movements isometric.  Isometrics (moving against self-created resistance) is often not taught in Qigong, but you will find that it greatly enhances the impact of the exercise, both in terms of your energy and in building your strength and coordination.

The fourth step is to make the movements emotionally evocative.  By cultivating and maintaining a positive attitude during the exercise; marked by appreciation, gratitude, generosity and curiosity; you can deliberately train yourself to access that state more easily.

The content is accessible for beginners and is taught step by step.  More advanced students will be able to learn the material quite quickly.  All the movements are brief and easy to learn which allows you to memorize them more quickly.  It is much more fun to do the movements without video guidance!  Then you can just relax and follow your wisest movement teacher, your own body.  Memorizing the movements permits you to pay deeper attention to subtle physical sensations and allows you to bring more attention to maintaining a harmonious emotional state.

Your instructor, Nando Raynolds, a Psychotherapist and Life Coach,  has more than 35 years experience teaching movement, including T'ai Chi, Qigong, Karate and Contact Improvisation.