This mornings routine was the 8 Standing postures. I had no specific expectations, but knew, as always, that something would come from the video. I started, off video ,with some loosening drills to prepare myself. This morning is cold here in southern Spain with an outside temp of just 4º. I say this because by the time I was 12 minutes into the video, I could really feel the heat building. During the bending forward exercise I was beginning to take exceptionally deep breaths and exhales. Now I don't know if this is a natural process, but I started to feel very slightly dizzy. No big issue, however I wanted to mention it. I feel that I have a lot of work to do on my balance. The Golden Rooster stance is very difficult. I can manage 1 or 2 on the right leg but the left, impossible. Any tips would be gratefully received. Many Thanks

First of all, thank you to everyone who participated in the New Year, New Qi 10-Day Challenge! Your consistency, presence, and genuine effort were incredibly inspiring to witness. This challenge truly showed what it means to practice as a community — with curiosity, dedication, and an open student’s mind. 🏆 Here are the winners🏆 🥇1st - @Santi Escriu Prize Includes: - $100 Gift Card - Premium Handmade Tai Chi Stick - Custom Rooted Alchemy Hoodie - 30-Minute Private Practice Session with Sonny 🥈 2nd - @Benedetto Manzella 🥉 3rd - @Davida Smith Prize Include: - Premium Handmade Tai Chi Stick - Custom Rooted Alchemy Hoodie - 30-Minute Private Practice Session with Sonny And we're not done yet.... 🎁 We have surprise gift for all participants! 🎁 Because this challenge was so inspiring and your commitment did not go unnoticed, we’d like to give EVERYONE who joined the challenge a custom Rooted Alchemy T-shirt as a small token of our gratitude. Your diligence, sincerity, and willingness to show up truly embody the spirit of practice. ⚠️ I will personally direct message all participants to arrange the prizes and surprise gift, so PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK and expect a message from me ⚠️ We’re excited to continue creating meaningful experiences, challenges, and gatherings that support your Tai Chi & Qigong journey and deepen your practice. Thank you for being part of this growing, supportive community — we can’t wait to practice together again soon🌿

🌿 February Qi Gong Check-In Welcome to February’s Qi Gong Check-in . This is a supportive space to show up for your practice, build consistency, and move together as a community. Whether you joined a live session, practiced along with YouTube inside the community, or completed a self-paced course, it all counts. What matters most is that you showed up. This thread will stay pinned for daily check-ins, connection, and encouragement. ⸻ ✅ How to Check In Each Day After you finish your practice, post a short check-in using these four steps: 1️⃣ Intention What did you want to focus on or cultivate today? 2️⃣ Practice What practice did you do today? Live session, YouTube, or self-paced are all welcome. 3️⃣ After How do you feel after completing your practice? One short sentence is perfect. 4️⃣ Visual Share a photo or short video of your practice, your screen, or your setup. ⸻ ✨ Sample Check-In Intention: To slow down and reconnect with my breath Practice: Live Session 12-21-2025 After: Feeling grounded, calm, and present Photo or video attached ⸻ There’s no right or wrong way to participate here. Show up in a way that feels good to you, support others when you can, and enjoy the process. One day. One breath. One practice.

This is a moment where I wonder what came first, the knee pain or the lack of connection and strength of my feet while Im generally living my life. Taiji walking was like a lightbulb turning on for me because it totally hurt my right knee! I realized that I adapt my movements to not trigger the knee pain and that has a definite effect on the practice. I am wondering if I focus more on strengthening my feet during my everyday life if my knee might improve? (I played competitive soccer for many years so there's a lot of wear and tear on an aging body also). Anyone relate or have some experience with this?

I have been doing Qigong and a little Tai ji for close to a month now. Besides all the normal things that occur with a completely new practice such as aching muscles etc, I have noticed something which has really hit me. As far as I can remember, my whole life I have been a side sleeper, mainly left side but occasionally right side. A week ago I noticed that I am now a back sleeper, I CANNOT fall to sleep on my side. However I do turn onto one side or the other for a short time during the night. As I also have my arms either down by my side or across my chest, I started to wonder if this was something to do with 'grounding'. Has anyone else experienced this or similar and can the teachers explain this phenomenon. (Or am I just being weird?)