Once in a while I’ll practice the beginners guide in the Qigong Flow folder. 42 minutes going back to basics and relax. I really like to start all over again and watch with an eye of ‘what did I miss the last time’ 😂 Do you have a certain go to practise that you visit regularly?

🌿 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.

I've got a couple of questions; I'll put the other in a different post later. Firstly, as I grow into my practice, I'm about a month into my Rooted membership, but was following the RA videos I found randomly on YouTube a month or two before, I'm really beginning to appreciate the static poses: Wu Jei, Post, Horse, Half Horse, Cauldron, Baskets, and quite recently Tree. In the beginning the glib first thought of my inner cynic was "What now? Is this padding?" Now I really appreciate them, especially when they punctuate a long session. I'm also starting to appreciate the information input aspect, as Sonny so accurately puts it, and sometimes like to hold them. Any tips for incorporating them better still into practice. So Grounding Circles/Breaths. At first I saw these mainly as turning the knob on the door to enter practice, which is still the case. But I'm noticing I do them differently at different stages of practice nd in different practices. At one extreme, I'll sometimes go into as lower Horse as I can manage, still my breath, rise slowly breathing in very deeply with conscious lifting intention, pause breath stretching, almost jabbing up from the ribs and shoulders before breathing out very slowly on a column hugging descent. Other times my grounding circle is much more perfunctory, minimal squat, quick natural breath, quick arm movements very much like, as Sonny again puts it very aptly "clearing the Etch a Sketch" (yes, I'm old enough to recall them being a must-have toy!). Usually my circles are somewhere in between those two extremes, depending on the pace of the session and what "feels" right. Occasionally I start of big and minimise the circles, squat and lift, and breathing so after say ten movements it becomes just a hand gesture and I visualise making a Yin-Yang circle; the intention then is more mindfulness and meditation than physical culture. Am I on the right track? Is there a subtle difference between a grounding circle and a grounding breath? I'm guessing the grounding part should involve the heels? Can I do just circles as a warm-up session? Any other tips?

Retirement (for me) has proven to be more than just a condition you find yourself in.... I was born in Lubbock Texas,, ( THE PANHANDLE ) raised on and taught Cowboy ethics,, (God, Family, County and State) but also that ALL PEOPLE COUNT!!! That a Man or Woman's worth and value is measured on his or hers commitment and honor shown to All the Above and to how,, WORK AND PROVIDE THEIR FAMILY'S.. I've WORKED ( HARD,, AN HONEST) over 56 years,,, THEN CAME RETIREMENT!! I still wake up at 3:30 am. BUT have NO JOB to go too.... I HAVE NO JOB !!! The EMOTIONAL STRAIN of that STATEMENT has been HARD on me!! I HAVE CONTINUED TO " DO SOMETHING QI EVERYDAY" And it has helped,, a lot!! But also HAD to learn the difference between "I DON'T HAVE A JOB" and "I DON'T NEED A JOB" also that "SOCIAL SECURITY AND PENSION IS NOT CHARITY" NOR ASSISTANCE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED,,, BUT A MONETARY RETURN ON ONE'S LONG TERM SELF-INVESTMENT!! NOW THAT'S ("RUNNING OFF AT THE MOUTH") SORRY GUYS AND GALS,, BUT I NEEDED TO GET OUT OF MY SYSTEM!!! "I'M BACK"!!! PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES FOR MY SILENCE AN ABSENCE FROM THE GROUP!! "LET'S DO SOMETHING QI TODAY,, EVERYDAY" AND BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY,,, "SOMETHING WONDERFUL IS HAPPENING"!!! SOMETHING WONDERFUL HAS HAPPENED FOR ME!!!

This is a great video explaining how we look at the intention of our practices by considering these common "mistakes" that we all run into. One of the main reasons I started practicing qi gong more regularly was to manage my energy levels, ability to stay focused, and all the other ups and downs that come with perimenopause. And because I had been practicing yoga for such a long time, I had to come at it with a "you don't know what you don't know" mindset, meaning less expectations of myself and what I think I know, and allowing for a new process to take hold. And that was both challenging, but exciting once I started making new connections. Check out this video! Can you relate?