Ken & Andrea K

My husband and I drive 3.5 hours each way every weekend to attend Sifu’s weekend practice. Yes, it is a very long and tiring drive but Sifu’s teaching is not to be missed.

Why? Well, Sifu’s Qi Gong practice is all about developing your internal Qi energy. Qi is difficult to explain but you can experience it when Sifu demonstrates. After practicing for 9 months, I can definitely notice changes in my overall health. I don’t feel as cold and I have more energy. My knees don’t hurt as much and my balance has improved.

I have been practicing various forms of Tai Chi Qi Gong for 16 years but this is the first time I understand how the Tai Chi principles actually work with your body and how they can help achieve health benefits. Unlike other Tai Chi styles which are sets of external movements, this Qi Gong is about working with your internal system which includes bones, ligaments, tendons, voluntary and involuntary muscles and all the internal organs. All of these can be trained and become something you can command with your mind. Sounds impossible… Well, it is going to take a lot of dedication and practice but I can truly say this is well worth the effort.

Update: July 2022.

It’s been four years since I started practicing with Sifu. Since the pandemic, Sifu has been conducting his practice via zoom. While this cannot replace person to person training with Sifu, the increase in frequency and duration of Taichi practice resulted in much faster improvements in my Qi-gong form and stamina. 

The most dreaded practice for most people is the standing meditation. You may think .. “What’s so difficult about standing still?” Well, try for yourself and you will find that 10 minutes feels like an hour. In the beginning, my 45 minutes daily with arms down was hard. I find myself peeking at the clock thinking “it is time yet”…. Now after four years, I can stand for an hour, sometimes longer with both arms up like holding up a ball, back straight, head pulled up like handing from a string, stomach tucked and legs weighted down to the floor. All that with much less effort and an hour feels like an hour. 

One noticeable improvement in my physical form is that I feel must lighter on my feet. I can walk uphill in 15 minutes for what it used to took 30 or more minutes. It also takes me less time to recover from aches and pains from the practices. It is true that the more you practice, the more you would want to practice because your body can feel the benefits.