Qigong/Tai Chi For Harmony and Health - Kuranda

19/03/2026

QIGONG IN THE PARK Cancelled for Friday 20th March 2026

Due to the weather from Cyclone, there will be no Qigong today.

Back to our normal program next week with coffee afterwards at Pitite Cafe.

Stay safe and dry.

Kathryn 🙏
0408 829 692 (text only)

05/03/2026

QIGONG IN THE PARK CANCELLED

Qigong in the Park is cancelled for today Friday 3rd March 2026 due to the rain.

Enjoy the cool weather and see you next Fiday

Kathryn 0408 829692 (text only)

27/02/2026

STANDING

As babies, we first learn to stand, then when we have that down, we learn to walk, then run, then jump, then fly (life is such an adventure 😁)

Many martial arts, including Tai Chi Chuan and many Qigong practices, stress the importance of standing.
Not any old standing, but standing to ground, to centre, to bring awareness, to observe.

Wu Chi standing was the stance I learnt when I was a student of Tai Chi Chuan. It was the stance we took before the Tai Chi form began, the “nothingness”, the time before time began, before Tai Chi.

This standing practice is also known as Zhan Zhuang, Standing like a tree, or more literally, Standing Pole.

This standing practice brings awareness to the physical body, the state of the mind, acknowledgment of feelings, and how connected, or disconnected, we are spiritually.

Begin with the feet, standing naturally about shoulder width apart. Sink your weight into your feet, allowing your bone structure to take the weight of your body, and relax your muscles.

Imagine a string from the top of your head stretching up to heaven, straightening your neck, and place you tongue on the roof of your mouth.

The nine points of your feet are connected to the ground, the heel, the side of the feet, the balls of the feet, under the big and small toes, and your five toes. All connected to the ground, with your weight centred, neither sitting back on your heels, or forward on the balls of your feet.

The knees are softened, relaxed through the hips and waist, spine is straight, shoulders relaxed and the chin tucked in a little.

Bring your awareness to the top of your head and scan down your body, relax any areas your find tension.

Turn your focus inward. Become aware of your mind. Are you distracted, are you able to let thoughts go, or do you hang onto them? Acknowledge any thoughts or distractions, and let them go.

Observe your emotions, do you feel calm or unsettled. Acknowledge your emotions, don’t fight with them, accept them.

Lastly, how are you feeling spiritually? Do you feel connected with the Universe/God/Nature? Or disconnected?

Standing like a Tree, or Wu chi, can bring awareness to all parts of you. It can be uncomfortable, physically and emotionally, but so is suppressing the uncomfortable bits.

Awareness can bring growth, acceptance, letting go.

Books for further reading:

Shaolin Spirit The Way to Self Mastery - Shi Heng Yi
Chinese Medical Qigong - Editor in Chief: Tian Liu, O.M.D.
The Inner Structure of Tai Chi - Mantak Chia
Chi Gung - L.V. Carnie

17/02/2026

TRAVELLING AND PRACTICING

One of the things I love about Qigong, is that is can be practiced basically anywhere.

Over the years, people from my classes have practiced all over the world while travelling, in parks, beside rivers and in motel rooms.

Qigong can be kept as a simple short practice amongst the craziness of travelling to keep you mentally grounded and physically loose limbed.

You do not need a lot of space to practice, and I have practiced in small spaces next to my bed in my accommodation. Just need roughly one metre square to practice movements and breathing techniques.

Practicing Qigong while travelling, has helped keep me grounded and aware, to make my adventure more enjoyable.

12/02/2026

CONCEPTION/DIRECTING MERIDIAN - REN MAI

The Conception Meridian runs up the centre front of the body, meeting the Governing Meridian.

This meridian is one of the extra two major meridians, forming communication between the Kidneys and Lungs, helps to harmonise the Triple Heater (relating to the respiration, digestive and elimination systems), and influences the abdomen, ge****ls, throat and face.

Ren-4 Guanyuan, Gate to the Original Qi, is two cun (pronounced tsoon/tsun, thumb width aka body inch) above the p***c bone, and three cun below the belly button.

This point sustains Blood and strengthens Original Qi, the kidneys and bladder, helps with back pain, infertility, insomnia and fear.

Original Qi is related to Essence and "could be described as Essence transformed into Qi. It is a dynamic and rarefied form of Essence having its origins in the Kidneys." (The Foundations of Chinese Medicine - Giovanni Maciocia).

Original Qi is the energy that gets the activity moving around the organs, it is the foundation of strength and stamina.

Practice the Microcosmic Orbit Mediation to move Qi through te Directing Meridian.

11/02/2026

GOVERNING MERIDIAN - DU MAI

The Governing Meridian is one of the two extra major meridians and runs up the middle of the back and over the head, meeting the Conception Meridian (Directing Meridian - Ren Mai) on the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth inside the mouth, and on top of the lip. The meeting of these two meridians completes the energy circuit that circulates energy up the back and down the front.

The Governing Meridian acts on the ge****ls, back, head and brain, making it important for mental focus, bone structure particularly the spine, strengthening kidneys and is important for moving qi around the body.

The Governing Meridian travels through DU-4 Ming Men Gate of Life helping to strengthen the Yang Kidney meridian and Original Qi - Yuan Qi, strengthen the lower back and improves Essence.

Giovanni Maciocia states in "The Foundations of Chinese Medicine" that:

"the Fire of the Gate to Life (Ming Men) is closely linked to the Pre-Heaven Essence. Situated in between the Kidneys, the Fire of the Gate of Life is the physiological Fire of the body which provides the warmth that is essential for all physiological processes of the body and for all the Internal Organs."

The Bai Hui is at Du-20 in the midpoint of the top of the head, and can be located by placing open palms over the ears with the thumb a the top of the ear. Moving the hands up the head the Bai Hui can be found where the index fingers meet.

The Bai Hui, Hundred Meetings, "the place of maximum potential of energy and also the convergence area of Yang Channels" (Giovanni Maciocia). Stimulating the area helps with clear the mind, headaches and dizziness, poor memory and blurry vision.

The Microcosmic Orbit Meditation is a Taoist meditation that moves the Qi around the body, circulating and improving Qi flow up the Governing Meridian and down the Conception Meridian, providing a link for Qi to move through the points and clearing stale Qi and improving health.

10/02/2026

A friend recently did a post about Monkey, the Tv show from the late 1970s, bringing back lovely memories. I watched this religiously, as a kid never knowing the original story, and how Monkey Magic influenced me.

“Journey to the West (simplified Chinese: 西游记; traditional Chinese: 西遊記; pinyin: Xīyóu Jì) is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia.[2] It was widely known in English-speaking countries through the British scholar Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation Monkey.

The novel is a fictionalized and fantastic account of the pilgrimage of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who went on a 19-year journey to India in the 7th century AD to seek out and collect Buddhist scriptures (sūtras).[3] The novel retains the broad outline of Xuanzang's own account, Records of the Western Regions, but embellishes it with fantasy elements from folk tales and the author's invention. In the story, it[clarification needed] deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sun Wukong, a monkey born on Flower Fruit Mountain from a stone egg that forms from an ancient rock created by the coupling of Heaven and Earth, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations,[4] combat, and secrets of immortality, and whose guile and force earns him the name Qitian Dasheng (齐天大圣; 齊天大聖; 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven'). Wukong was tasked by Bodhisattva Guanyin and the Buddha to become Tang Sanzang's first disciple, journeying with him to India and provides him with three other disciples who agree to help him in order to atone for their sins: Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and White Dragon Horse. Riding the latter, Sanzang and his disciples journey to a mythical version of India and find enlightenment through the power and virtue of cooperation.

Journey to the West has strong roots in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoist and Buddhist folklore, and the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas are still reflective of certain Chinese religious attitudes today, while being the inspiration of many modern manhwa, manhua, manga and anime series. It is a progenitor to the xianxia literary genre that combines martial arts with high fantasy.[5] Enduringly popular,[6] the novel is simultaneously a comic adventure, a satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a source of spiritual reflection, and a rich allegory.”

Journey to the West (simplified Chinese: 西游记; traditional Chinese: 西遊記; pinyin: Xīyóu Jì) is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the m...

06/02/2026

26/01/2026

QIGONG IN THE PARK - Resuming Friday 30th Jan 2026

Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice and is a healing modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Qigong is a combination of gentle exercises, breath-work and meditation, which stretches your body, mucus legs and joints, but also gently massages your organs for internal health.

Qigong is practiced to improve the health of the mind,body and spirit, and can improve balance and co-ordination, joint and muscle pain, anxiety and stress.

These gentle exercises are suitable for most abilities and all ages, are done standing, and also can be done sitting.

Cost: Free

Equipment: None, just loose comfortable clothing

When: Friday 9am - 10am

Where: Kuranda in the park under the Big Beautiful Tree next to the playground (near the Information Centre)
Weather permitting ☔️

No booking required, just roll up and join in with a great group.

🙏

Kathryn 0408 829 692 (text only)

13/12/2025

QIGONG IN KURANDA

Qigong on Friday the 19th Dec is cancelled as my dad has passed over and I am heading down to Sydney for a while

Qigong will resume on the 30th Jan 2026 as planned.

Stay Safe
Kathryn