From the first week of January 2025 onwards, I will be teaching Classical Yoga for 90 minutes and Qigong for 60 minutes at Body & Soul Gym, Deloraine - see info below.
Western Creek - Meander Valley Yoga
- Thursdays 10.30am-12.00pm
Deloraine - Body and Soul Gym
- Wednesdays 7.30am
- Saturdays 9.30am
- Sundays 9.30am
Meander Valley Yoga Classes
Classes are Classical Yoga which include a warmup, asanas, pranayama and yoga nidra. They run for 90 minutes and follow the standard school terms with breaks during the school holidays.
Body & Soul Gym Classes
The Wednesday Qigong class is a 60-minute introduction to Qigong and include Zhan Zhuang or standing still meditation; Ba Duan Jin or the Eight Brocades sequence; and a couple of other practices that focus on stimulating acupoints, strengthening the meridian system and balancing Yin-Yang energy. This is a wonderful way to start your day.
The Saturday Yoga class is a 45-minute Body Awareness session, and follows the Pawanmuktasana Series 1-3 as developed by the Satyananada tradition. It is excellent for opening the joints, stimulating digestion, hormones and the nervous system, and releasing energy throughout the body. Perfect for preparation of more advanced yoga practice or start to the day.
The Sunday class is 90-minute Classical Holistic Yoga class which starts with a warm up, moves into understanding the individual poses chosen, before sequencing the poses in a dynamic flow and ending with a recovery period. The asanas or poses help prepare the body for the next part of the class which is Pranayama or breathing exercises to ground and centre the mind-body before finishing off with Yoga Nidra, or deep active relaxation.
Private Yoga Classes
Would you like a private one-on-one class in either Health & Wellness Qigong or Classical Yoga? You are most welcome to have one in the privacy of your home or come to Meander Valley Yoga in beautiful Western Creek. Please contact me for further information.
Online Classes
Thanks to the internet, no matter where you are, I can teach Yoga and/or Qigong. Would you like an class for yourself or a group of friends/family? Contact me and let’s make it possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Medical Qigong?
Medical Qigong is a holistic approach to health and wellness. It is an internal art, which focuses on merging breath, movement and mind into one. When this happens, Qi, Prana or life force can move unrestricted throughout the body, boosting health or facilitating healing. The end goal is to relax, balance and reconnect the whole person, which ultimately feeds into long-term health and happiness.
Qigong can be both internal and external in the sense that internal exercises are performed using the mind, and external exercises are performed using the body and mind.
Qigong is a form of therapy with specific routines or sets that enhance and assist in healing and recovery from illness.
2. What is the difference between Qigong and Tai Chi?
Qigong is a much older practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine and Daoist philosophy. It is the oldest form of therapy within traditional Chinese medicine. There are three different paths to take in Qigong: one is martial arts, the other medical and the third spiritual.
Medical Qigong is what I offer, however, there are two types of Medical Qigong. One is medical in the strictest sense, and is offered by a trained Medical Qigong practitioner learned in classical Chinese medicine. A one-on-one consultation takes place where Qigong exercises are administered based on medical diagnosis.
The exercises chosen can either be performed by the patient themselves, or the qualified Medical Qigong practitioner can stimulate and activate the patient’s self-healing for them.
The latter is possible due to the practitioner’s highly developed Qi, which they can extend out from their body. This takes many years of dedicated practice and mastery of Qigong.
The second type of medical Qigong is what I offer and is for health and wellness. It is performed either in a group or one-on-one setting. No health diagnosis is done. Exercises are general and benefit whole body-mind health.
In comparison to medial Qigong, Tai Chi is a more recent practice rooted in martial arts. It employs movement, self-defence, breathing and meditation. It usually takes longer to learn than Qigong and is based on a series of movements that cultivate Qi.
Qigong is typically practiced standing or sitting in the same place, whereas Tai Chi involves transitioning or moving from one position to another. You also need to learn more positions or movements in Tai Chi, up to 100+. Qigong has much less and is therefore quicker and easier to get the hang of.
Both practices are internal based meaning they develop the Qi or life force within, building vitality and health through Yin-Yang balance.
Tai Chi and Qigong are done slowly, and often the slower the better. But be aware the slow-motion speed is deceptive. When applied quickly, the positions and movements are explosively dynamic, generating incredible power and force.
So why the slowness? This is to bring the mind into the here and now, into a state of stillness and emptiness. Therein is the secret to the speed and power that is one result of all the training.
As is said in Daoist philosophy: ‘Do nothing, and everything is done.’
3. What is the difference between your Classical Yoga classes and other types of Hatha Yoga?
Classical Yoga, just like Classical Chinese Medicine, is the pure form or source of what we today know as Yoga in the West.
To properly answer the above question though, let’s start with unravelling what Yoga is - it is essentially a holistic way of life. One which shares many similarities with Qigong in that it is based on the ancient tradition and practice of achieving complete life balance. Whether this is achieved through movement or meditation, depends on our personal preference.
Westernised Yoga has focused more on the physical side, with the teaching of the asanas or postures as the main feature of many classes. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, it should be noted that the asanas or postures are only the beginning steps along the path towards Yoga.
Yoga is ultimately a path that takes us within, to achieve true self-realisation, freedom from illusion and integration of the holistic nature of life. The asanas form a disciplinary process, which bring balance and vitality to the body, in order to still the mind and cultivate Prana or life force.
As this is a fairly intensive procedure that requires dedication and discipline, it’s obviously not for everyone, and not everyone comes to Yoga for the same reasons. However, everyone can agree that the benefits of consistently doing the asanas and postures are profound.
In the Classical Yoga classes that I teach, we not only explore the asanas and postures individually and/or in a flow, but we also move to the next level with Pranayama - breath training - and Yoga Nidra - deep active relaxation. All three are an essential part of Classical Yoga and work seamlessly together within a 90 minute period, helping you the practitioner feel refreshed, energised and balanced at the end of class.
My classes are open to everyone, regardless of fitness level, age, body shape, background or belief. You don’t have to be a super bendy person to attend, or wear super cool clothing, nor do you have to be into meditation or chanting.
Good Yoga is always adjusted to you the student and not the other way around. Classes help you get started at your level and at your pace to achieve your goals. Each path to Yoga is highly personal.
Please get in touch to have a chat about how Yoga can help you.
4. What is the difference between Yoga and Qigong?
I asked one of my mentors, an experienced Yoga and Qigong practitioner, how she would describe the difference between Yoga and Qigong. Her answer was:
“…Tai Chi and Qigong have a more powerful effect on the life force in the body, while Yoga provides an excellent effect on the body-mind complex.”
For her, both are a dance of consciousness.