Shamanic Origins of Qigong, Tai Chi, and Taoism Explained - Bears, Chakras, Energy Medicine & Omens
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- In this video we explore the prehistoric hunter-gatherer origins of Taoist practices like Qigong and Tai Chi. Plus, Nick shares his personal stories of channeling and receiving omens from animal spirits. We discus the Yogic concept of chakras, the Taoist methods of 5 Animal Frolics and 5 Element theory, and how there may actually be a way to scientifically verify a universal human psychic energy anatomical map.
To learn some old school Animal Qigong, try out my videos on Tortoise and Crane Qigong, which work with the Water and Fire Element and are super fun to learn:
Tortoise: • TORTOISE - Bioenergy W...
Crane: • CRANE STYLE Qigong Wal...
Yes, I too have had a very intense animal experience - a bird actually, a sparrow. I was in my garden looking at the sundown, the breeze was warm and the sky the most beautiful pinks and baby blue hues. Behind me in the hedge a family of sparrows were arguing noisily - but the sounds didn't disturb me. I was just aware of them in the peace of the moment. All at once I found myself looking at the sunset through the twigs of the hedge. My voice was cheeping and twittering and I found myself ruffling feathered wings. In that moment I was a sparrow.
Almost immediately I was back, outside the hedge, returned to human form. I was not surprised or disturbed about what had happened because it felt perfectly normal, and it is the rightness of it that which stays with me to this day. Without doubt we are connected to everything.
I will spend the rest of my life hoping to have that experience again. Thank you 🙂🌍
Wow! That's an interesting one. I suppose the sparrow channeled YOU! Very cool. Although it isn't the goal of qigong, meditation etc, I do find practicing consistently does increase the frequency of those sorts of experiences.
Thank you Nick, I loved this. Qigong has changed my life. I did yoga for years but I became injured, so qigong is more gentle on the body. We can learn so much from the elders if we listen.
Indeed we can! Glad you found the Qi world 😄😄
This is great, I'm a Northern Shaman for about half my life and a traditional martial art practitioner for even longer...it all blends so nicely.
Very nice explanation, specially because of your own personal experience, precisely not because of being a schooler and theoretical you made some real good points of understanding and awareness. Thank you for sharing.
Just purchased your online course and really enjoyed this story. You are a brilliant teacher and you most certainly found your calling through nature 🙂
Awesome, thank you! It's true, the nature metaphors really helped draw me to the Taoist arts.
Your journey is epic man.
Inspiring to me. I just left a relationship, am unraveling codependency and stepping into who I am each day. Love hearing your experiences.
I am reminded to be patient.
I also feel a deep connection to the medicine of the bear.
Have you read "Sealskin Trousers", by Eric Linklater? It suggests some interesting things about Tai-chi, morphogenetic fields, and the adrenal and pituitary glands--and while fiction, it makes me wonder... how much control do we potentially have, over our own stem cells? And is evolution necessarily passively dictated through mutation and natural-selection, on a population-wide scale--or can we somehow consciously self-evolve, since our own body is itself, functionally a micro-environment of organisms?
Because... and this is just speculation? But, there might be a connection, between this 'subtle, energy body' that Yoga and Chi-gong depict, the phenomena of 'totems', and the phenomena of shapeshifting, that finds its way into our folk stories and fairytales. You might not just have been 'visualizing' turning into a bear--you might have been actually 'aligning' with the bear's way of thinking, on a higher level than the physical--i.e., the first nascent, cognitive steps toward actually being/becoming a bear, were having a regulating impact on your body.
What I'm thinking is... you might be able to move the thought in a certain way--centering yourself in a receptive enough state--so that it also moves the body to function differently. The question is, what's the limiting factor?
It makes me think... when it comes to aging, are we simply 'thinking ourselves to death', by not availing ourselves of some sort of grounding or regulating technique, that could be expressed as a directed shape-change?
Yes , everything you say think and feel is true
Thank you for sharing your story Nick! Bear was my first "totem" animal of which I was aware, during a stressful time when I needed to stand up for myself and someone else. For decades I've enjoyed learning more about animals and nature guidance. Happy Trails!
Neat! Actually this reminds me of a book you might really like. It is by a Qigong master who is also a Lakota medicine man, Ken Cohen, who writes about Native American medicine and spirituality. It is called "Honoring the Medicine", and has all sorts of interesting stories about this sort of thing.
Great info. My uncle taught me to meditate at a young age and I began to feel my own chakras spinning, even though I had never known or studied anything about them. A few years ago at a retreat a woman took me aside and said that during one of our group meditations she saw a golden orb floating directly in front of me as I meditated and she had never seen anything like this before. I was shocked. I think it must be my ability to spin energy into my chakras and during meditation it became visible to her. I don't see colors associated with my chakras, but I do see auras coming off of people who must have strong positive energy... My favorite bear is in the Tao of Pooh;]
Wow! Interesting stuff. I love the Tao of Pooh :)
golden 🍯
Amazing story! I've had phases of intense dreams about animals & I'm drawn to Taoism. Thanks, I really appreciate your videos :)
Awesome! I love how Taoism gives concrete practices so we don't have to wait for those dreams and visionary experiences, that seem to come and go on their own. Although they seem to come more when we practice! Thanks for the support
Thanks for sharing. Learned a lot in this. I am currently getting into qi gong and moving away from mind altering substances into more grounded practices. Great stories as well!
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome video, and a great way to tell stories within learning too... my kinda style😁🙌💖
I now comprehend my calling to learning and practicing qui gong🌟
Much love from Scotland uk 🏴💚
Nick you're the man (or the bear-man to be more precise:)
I too started with yoga a couple of years ago but I really want to deep my QiGong knowledge. I find it fascinating!
Thank you and cheers from Porto, Portugal
Qigong is a fascinating rabbit hole of study! There's always more to learn. And it leads into so many cool things like Taoism, martial arts, tai chi, etc etc
Hi just wondering if you found your Qigong in Portugal? Pedro! 🙏
wow, Nick is really articulate, amazing clarity, smart guy
Thank you! 😊
Thanks for sharing, love it when synchronicities happen to put you on the right path!
Sometimes they are pretty hard to attribute to coincidence, eh?
I too started with yoga and meditation, then migrated to T'ai Chi and Qi Gong. First teacher called Ursula (the bear). I am known as Sunbear because bear is my totem. Good to meet another bear buddy!
Thus was a fascinating story thank you
Thank you so much for sharing from your own personal story and for describing the integration/overlap and history of these practices! The nature, gaming, and walking also feel very personal and grounding. A lovely break in UA-cam home videos. ❤️🦁Libby
Much obliged for the information. I have recently started my journey. Ive been going steady for about two years. I had similar experiences with The Red Tail Hawk. Likewise with transmuting fear into empathy.
I enjoy your practices and will continue to be student of the practices. I feel a deep connection to the earth and have ancestral ties to the land around me. I've had metaphysical experiences as well utilizing charka meditation. It has been sometime since I've had an experience however I shall persist.
My first metaphysical was when I was young, second had been shortly after some shadow work and inner child healing with meditation and fasting. The latest had been through a dose of psychedelics where I embodied the Red Tail hawk on top of a mountain. I also had seen a 1000 face figure who showed me the interconnectedness of all life around me. From swimming as a dolphin in the sea, to flying above the ridge, to the breathing of an oak tree.
I digress, Thank you for your wisdom. Namaste.
Thanks so much for this. Appreciate all your videos, find it relaxes and grounds me. Really enjoy your insights and passing on of knowledge.
Great to hear! Stay grounded!...That might be my next topic actually ;) Thanks for your support!
H Nick thank you brother for sharing your brief but insightful story. Now a true follower. Following a path similar to yourself. Bear hugs! 🙏😃
Thank you! 😊
Thank you Nick that was so interesting . Once visiting a Native American mounds at a park in our town , we are waiting for a group of Native American to finish come off the mound so my friend and I could go on the mound , the Native American ask us if we were nattrualist, no.we’re just going to do our own thing. On the mound . , I touched one of the Native American shoulders , when we bowed to the mound before entering on “I had a vision of a bear quite large and black . Well at the time I did gain some understanding of the vision of which I do not recall now . Thank you for sharing this I feel it was very interesting . I too have been into yoga for many years had a guru , in
Buddhist teachings and several Buddhist teachers , was a massage therapist and esoteric healing , life long mediator. , was so happy to connect with chi gong in 2020 having Covid , heard on Unity radio about some people prsctising chi gong ,with Master
Chunglin , wanted more found Lee , it’s definitely in
My wheel house . I did share with a women’s group and was surprised no nerves , went so well but I called on all the masters I knew to be with me as I am quite and my shyness kicked in after Covid , well hope to be helping people I know with some of the healing sounds etc , Thanked for shsring very interesting .
We're super into nerdy Daoist stuff. Great stories and fun video.
What a fascinating story, very interesting. This whole subject is very interesting to me, can you recommend a book on animal energy and such. BTW I enjoyed the archery, wonderful approach. Felt like an actual conversation with a friend.
Thanks! It was fun to make :)
A great book on this is "Honoring The Medicine" by Ken Cohen. He is not only a master of the Taoist arts but is also a Lakota Medicine Man, and brings both perspectives together beautifully.
Nice coincidence... did the animal qi gong just this morning, after that I found immediately your story, a way to deepen the excercise.
Ah, good synchronicity!
That was an awesome talk, my friend!
Thank you!
This…. Was…. Awesome! Sick bow btw. Much love brother. Thank you.
I LOVED this! There is a lot of literature, but to be able to feel like you're 'shooting the shit' with someone about these particular topics (I don't find enough around, even though the majority of my friends are on the spiritual path) was really nice. I love qigong and have some profound bear stories too, into Daoism, TCM, plant spirit meds, etc. Looking forward to checking out more content.
So good to hear! Thank you 😊
Wow ur a cool dude, u just gave me the answer to the question I had all week. Thank you & yea I got stories but they r private.
Glad I could help :)
Now i understood why i saw group of Shamanic people when i started practice qigong energy healing. I did not know they were link till today. I saw shamanic healer as well , his eye was kind of bright like blub the rest of the body like shadow, after a few days of watching me when i practice qigong then later i saw his body . They would like to help me during my healing practice they said, then he gave me Eagle feather in my vision. Well qigong really heal me much, it amazing.
Love this!
I realy enjoyed your video and Thank you for the knowledge and info :) I just started to falling in love with Qigong, especialy because animals are so naturally part of me as nature is :) or as I am a part of everything :)
Happy to hear it, Inga! I had the same feeling when I found Qigong. It is such a good fit for those drawn to nature.
@@TheNickLoffree thank you for answering dear. Yes indeed I feel so natural and exited exercising this movements. I am so curious how much more powerful I'll feel doing qigong in nature... now it is inside because of the quarantine but even inside well we cannot really be apart from nature hahah
Thank you for inspiring and I'll practice with your videos, I already like them very much 😍 thank you!!!!
@@TheIngale Great, well I hope my videos bring some of nature to you! ;D
@@TheNickLoffree thank you 🤗
I have had several very similar experiences with animals in Nature.
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First, I got attracted to you because you look like my boy who lives on the other side of the planet..... I was looking for a cool six healing sound meditation. Now, I’m discovering your videos, enjoying practicing with you , the trees around, .... and the presence of my boy.... All that is fun, there is nothing like “I have to”, there is no pressure ... it’s really cool, thank you for your sharing..
Thank you Madeleine, that is really sweet. Glad to remind you of your boy ;) Thanks for hanging with me and the trees!
Excellent story and thesis! bear is def a spirit animal for me by how my habits and moods are lol had several cool encounters too
Very cool! Thank you for sharing.
I love that story ! Subscribed !❤
So, I watched this one again this afternoon with my husband because he is really interested in shamanism. And we were both commenting on having really similar experiences with animals. Mine was a really scary encounter with a rattlesnake when I was a little girl and then later, I had another sort of transcendent encounter with a snake. I had another really strange encounter with a fox and corvids are weirdly attracted to me: crows, ravens, scrub jays. My husband had an eerie encounter with coyotes out in the desert some years ago and then another crazy encounter with a crow. He also seems to attract this hawk who lives down by our river. The hawk swoops over him when we walk down by his roost. I have some sort of "thing" I need to work out with snakes. They show up in my dreams all the time and scare the shiz out of me, so there's something there I think I still need to learn.
good video
Very interesting. I am also gathering a lot of information regarding Qi, Prana, Chakras, Yin and Yang etc... and I found they probably have a common root which is much older than the Indian or Chinese culture. Now you tell me about the hunters and the gatherers. For me it is a type of thinking behind this, the introspective awareness, which we don't have anymore naturally. By describing the happenings inside the mind, and spiritual encounters, and using pictures and metaphers, al the Hinduism and QiGong and other stuff makes much more sense. I had a very intense ecstatic state during performing Pranayam and my legs and arms were moving on their own, like dancing, while I was laying on my back. If I would describe that as animal, it was a funny monkey lol.
Wow that’s amazing!
😄
I know nothing. But I found what you said Insightful. What wrung true was we become our thoughts. You expanded from the emotional mad, sad, glad to the physical outside of ourself. We become the cat, dog, bird, or bear. This is deep because I believe in manifestation so we can become that bear. Hmm... Thx!!
So glad it resonated deeply!
Careful there little bear. I agree there are shamqanic aspects intrinsic to many taoist, yogic and buddhist practices, but it striks me as disrespectful to equate totems or power animals to the "hippy world", or that North American Shamans are less connected to the plant world. The Heyoka, refferanced in Lakota medicine, is born with visions of the Thunder Beings who are naturally connected to the plant world. Black Elk was a Heyoka. If one does not purify before taking the medicine of the Heyoka, one usually gets sick and is less likely to have a meaningful encounter with El Mezcalito. It can also be dangerous without a seasoned guide. It's said that through 'El Mezcalito, people experience the awareness of plants and the greater spirit world. Long story short, I'm a plant based chef who has also excelled professionally in non vegetarian kitchens. I'm certified to manage kitchen safety in New York & California. An essential part of alchemy is cleaning and carefully putting elements in place aka mise en place.
Nice Nick!
you were the bear , everything we see is a reflection
recently went solo camping, had a moment w an owl and a deer, so beautiful to witness in pure stillness
Loving the archery. What kind of bow is that? Where could you find it?
Thanks! I can’t recall what brand or model, but the style is called a Recurve Bow. I think I just searched Recurve Bow on Amazon and picked one at a decent price point 👍
I really enjoyed your explanation on the shamanic roots of Qigong. And, that is certainly the most beautiful archery range I have seen! Where is it?
Glad you enjoyed it! The range is called De LaVeaga Archery Range, and it's in Santa Cruz, California (beach town near San Jose). Its a beautiful hike with 28 targets that you hike to as you go. Makes for a great workout with the terrain ups and downs!
Are you an archer?
@@TheNickLoffree Yes. I shoot longbow but I haven't shot in years. There are no ranges near my home and I have fallen out of practice. Seeing you shoot I felt a pang of missing it.
Cool video! :)
Thanks!
The 7 charkras and 3 dantians actually correspond with each other; one dantian will have 2 chakras at the top and bottom of the circumference, with one chakra at its centre.
why are shooting the arrows? I don't get it!
Haha weird right? I was thinking it was a good way to "shoot two birds with one arrow" and get my archery practice in while also getting my video made. Also, more entertaining? Hope you enjoyed either way XD
I feel like dancers would be able to do this effectively under the influence of psychedelics even just matijuana
12:00 when I noticed he had a bear on his shirt
lovely video! i enjoyed your story telling :) i personally have a lot of dragon spirits who want to come through and express themselves through me to do some energetical work on the land or with portals
Many qi gong practices such as tiger gong 5 elements qi gong tend be very shamanistic. The taosist concept of a ling tai has come from shamanism. Many of the qi gong practiwhere called wu xing xi gong year of 5 animal spirt practice it wasn't called qi gong to the moderenization.
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Nik you posed this some time ago my friend, I believe we have sueco of some kind, seeing as you understand hyper English translation you'll know lol if you understand your energy take curiousity
perrenial philosophy alchemy is the cheat code because it is the first in my opinion even when you play elder scrolls skyrim or online you literally hack your characters stats in magick, health and stamina after mastering alchemy. it is like the root or zero point to me from what i find
Totally, yes, we are chemical beings!
When you say descendants of monkeys, what do you mean by that? With all this wisdom from these traditions, I would imagine you believe in a creator? Just would like to hear your thoughts. And when you were talking about your experience of the bear, it reminded me of an native american indian story that I once was told by Senenca man going out on the mountain for a 3 day fast!
I think the most likely situation based on the evidence I’ve seen is that we did evolve from apes, but I would add a caveat that evolution does not appear random to me at all. It looks guided by the hand of a creator.
I mean the bear could have killed you but instead ran away. You should be blown away!!
Indeed! Thought for sure i was getting eaten lol
I was playing Skyrim all day (running around with a bow and arrow in the woods) and was like ok I need to do something else so I looked up "History of Qi Gong" and now I'm here and I still feel like I'm playing Skyrim 😂
Do you have any meditation advice for people with severe ADHD 😕
Two more things
1) I feel like that's how you experience universal truth. When it's not taught to you but you feel it and say "wtf is that" and then a curandero or something tells you months or years later like "oh that's called a soul retrieval " or something that other people train years and years to do, and here you are doing it by accident. That was actually my experience with soul retrieval, as well as another phenomenon in which I am somehow "possessed" by a deceased person for the sole purpose of letting them grieve themselves through me (it's a million times worse than grieving your closest loved ones), but I accidentally became really good at it bc everyone I loved kept dying. 😕 People think it's awesome but it's like... Do you know how much it cost? To learn that through experience?
The fact that I just started looking into QiGong (since trying to research anything regarding the spirituality of my tribe has been mostly erased by colonization wiping out our history) ,I literally JUST came to that conclusion; that if indigenous tribes and ancient Asian cultures, ancient African and seafaring cultures all had common ideologies and practices regarding communication with the earth, the elements, the universe, the animals, plants, rocks and stars, through ENERGY ... it can't be wrong.
It's clear it's the only universal truth, where everything else is subjective.
I wonder why it has been so shunned upon ? By colonization etc?
I was actually looking into Qi Gong history bc I remember reading somewhere when I was a child something about Qi Gong practitioners being sent to torture camps or something. I really hope I am wrong about this , but I remember thinking "what could be so threatening about a spiritual 'yoga' practice that involves the mind and spirit?" 🤔
As I grow older, I start understanding more and more that a future built off of machines, lies, corporate greed, mass manipulation, and lower vibrations into a conglomerate hivemind would absolutely not welcome anyone that much in tune with the universe that their gut instinct will tell them not to follow the herd into slaughter.
I do believe that is why colonizers wiped out so many indigenous peoples- they were afraid of what they didn't understand. And instead of saying "hey can you teach me to speak with the universe and move with it and let it move through me?" They decided to see it as a threat instead.
2- did you pick that shirt on purpose?
(Bonus : I need more friends like you 😅 "good morning do you wanna go to the woods, be bears and shoot the shit?"
I was gonna skip this video but I'm glad I didn't, I'm a fan now). 🎉
But tell us more about this lion…
The man who speaks with doubt is doubting or fine tuning the message...m
Wait until you try Nei gong
Yes, let's see more of the "Shoot the Shit" series please! :)
Haha, thanks for the encouragement! I've been meaning to get out there more. For some reason I have way more shyness around posting "talking" videos than physical demonstration ones ;P
@@TheNickLoffree - no way brother, you are a natural!
Also, were you teaching at 1440 when it first opened?
@@TheGabagoolPatrol Yes I was! Taught there every week from opening day until COVID. Did you take my class? There another guy who kinda looks like me named Lewis who teaches Qigong there too - People confuse us all the time! haha
@@TheNickLoffree - ok, I thought so! I was there with the sounds true meditation teacher training program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. So, I spent a total of almost a month there within the first year that 1440 opened, including that very first opening weekend, which was a total mass, ha ha!
I’m not confusing with Lewis, I also remember him and I did take a class with him. While I never got to take a class with you because our schedule was so busy while we were there I did realize once I saw your picture that you looked very familiar and when I read your bio I was able to place that I must’ve saw you in passing at 1440. Anyway brother, I’d love to be able to take some classes and/or do a training with you in the future. You are awesome, I have enjoyed just discovering your channel recently. Keep putting your heart’s work out there, we need it now more than ever. Much gratitude. 🙏
Hi! Thank you for sharing your wisdom. So what are the other 4 animals besides the bear?
They tend to differ slightly from school to school, but in that system it was bear, monkey, crane, deer, and tiger.
Thank you! Awesome video 🙏🏼💫🌲🍁🐾
There were she bears that had rescued infants left alive after massacres they nursed and raised them imprinting themselves and then sometimes were reintegrated to a tribe and create subsequent generations.sometimes these behaviors will spontaneously occur ativistically.
Great video! Keep your bow hand open when you shoot. Might help 👍🏼
How did you manage to confuse so many elements of Taoism ,oh psychedelics that is a reasonable explanation .
No, I’m just stupid. But good guess 😆
I relate to the bears and I have all my life. Especially the black bears. Even though I don't physically live with them. For healing, bears hibernate they rest. Rest is important for healing and recovery. Its also important for dealing with life. The bears like the earth need our help. Its a reminder for rest, because most people don't like resting. We are in a time where resting is essential and the Northern Hemisphere need to wake up.
Thank you for your thoughts. Rest is indeed crucial for living a healthy and vital life.
@@TheNickLoffree No worries. However after hibernation comes their wakeup time and they are hungry. If their food supplies are dwindling, and their territories are not being protected adequately, they will go looking for food and leave their territories. The blackbears where you are, are doing a lot better than bears in other parts of the world and earth. Leave you with this question for you to ponder and consider, what does it mean to be a guardian for the bears?
I like how you express a need for people to 'wake up' to the need for rest, but I feel like that somewhat defeats the point. XD
@@GoldieTamamo For clarity, understanding and meaning, that I also don't assume or presume can you be more forthcoming and specific, so there is no gaps of information with the end part of your comment, "I feel that defeats the point."
@@Homeheart1 ... Who exactly learns to rest, by waking up?
It was intended as a joke, but it turns out the audience was put to sleep. Alas.
Thanks man. A learned some stuff from u and very interesting. Thanku. 😸🥰. Lots of love ur to yah. 💜💜💜. And good luck on more of ur journey. 💜🐉🐞🦋
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing from your experience. I think of Shamans as people intimately connected with their surroundings and nature. From this relationship and connection, they developed as natural healers in their communities. Qigong has been a wonderful way to imagine the world from the perspective of animals. How does a bear interact with their world? How does it feel to fly as a bird? Thank you for relating how as part of the creative order, we somehow sense this deep connection with nature, animals, and all that is around us. I wish you the best on your journey.
Thank you!