ALIGNED AWARENESS
Qigong & Daoist Coaching
Josh Liebling
“Each of the great spiritual traditions of the ancient world recognized the existence of a fundamental Life Force that permeates the universe.”
~ Qigong Master Robert Peng
WHAT IS QI?
Qi translates to mean energy, but not just any type of energy. It’s the bio-electric life force energy that lives inside of us and permeates all around us. Qi is the innate intelligence that keeps our biology running smoothly – beating our hearts, digesting our food, eliminating viruses and bacteria. It regulates our emotions, this formless energy continually transforming from one state to another in a natural flow. And it’s the space of unlimited potential where thoughts pop in and out of our consciousness, bringing sight from within, insight and wisdom.
You might be wondering, "Okay, then what is Qigong?"
Qigong is an ancient practice, thousands of years old, based in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s a powerful way to reduce stress and increase energy, helping us to feel refreshed, renewed, and enlivened, with an undercurrent of peace and tranquility. Through various movements, we release stagnant energy and then circulate fresh Qi throughout our bodies to tonify and strengthen the entire system - mind, body, and emotions.
Even more importantly, Qigong is about play! When we get in touch with the wonder and awe of being alive and just be with and have fun playing with our own internal energy we naturally slow down, enter into the parasympathetic response, relax, and heal.
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
~ Lao Tzu
WHERE DOES QIGONG COME FROM?
Qigong started as a way to be in touch with and mirror the movements of nature.
The way a tree is rooted in the earth, but flexible in its branches reaching toward the sun. We feel stronger when we’re anchored into the roots of who we are, and then develop the freedom and flexibility to reach towards our highest potential.
The suppleness and softness of water and how it flows naturally by following the banks of a river. When we set our own boundaries and have a solid foundational structure, this allows us to be creative in how we move through the world, following our own fluid flow and expression of our life’s calling.
The movements of animals with the courage and strength of a tiger, or the expansiveness and freedom of a bird. When we move like these animals we embody their unique characteristics, returning to the multitude of qualities within, that we might not even know we had.
A great metaphor for Qi is water. If it’s stagnant and not flowing smoothly, this can create imbalance and disease. So one of the main principles of Qigong is to skillfully work with and cultivate Qi to bring about well-being in our bodies, hearts, and minds. This means letting go of old stagnant energy, building up fresh pure Qi, and allowing it to circulate and flow freely throughout the body-mind system.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Laura
As a teacher, Josh brings a welcoming and approachable vibe – no pressure, just a community of individuals exploring Qi Gong together. The blend of movements, breathwork, and meditation creates a unique and refreshing experience that goes beyond the physical. Josh's genuine passion and knowledge make each class not just invigorating, but also a source of relaxation and centering. Whether you're just starting out or already familiar with Qi Gong, Josh's classes provide a meaningful and unique approach to self-care. I highly recommend Qi Gong with Josh!
I feel so fortunate to have discovered Qi Gong. Not only do I find the practice highly nurturing, Josh has a way about him that immediately puts me at ease and invites me into a trusted exploration of my own energy. Josh has also taught me how to use Qi Gong to warm the physical body when facilitating cold therapy to clients. The versatility and supportive nature of Qi Gong is so amazing. Grateful for Josh and this practice.
Deb
Learning the practice of Qi Gong with Josh has been such a positive and enlightening experience. He is an excellent instructor who creates a welcoming space for all levels of students. I truly look forward to attending his classes as often as I can.
Susan
Spending time in a Qigong session with Josh is truly a special treat for my body and mind. Josh is an excellent teacher who makes everyone feel connected to the movements, breath work, and meditative spirit of the class. I highly encourage all to take classes with Josh.
Jim
“If the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world.”
~ Sydney Banks
WHAT IS DAOIST COACHING?
In Qigong we let go of the old in order to make space and bring in new energy. Coaching works in much the same way. I help people let go of old understandings of how we experience the spectrum of life through thought and emotions, and we then make space to connect to inner truths. These inner truths help us see that experience comes and goes, but who we really are is always constant – whole, complete, and integrated. In Daoism, it's all about attuning to the natural order or the inherent way of life. Life can sound like an all encompassing, loaded word, but in this context it points to simply what is. It's less of a doing and more just being. When we join the flow of what is and let go of trying to force our will onto our experience, everything settles into place, like leaves falling on the ground during autumn. Then the path becomes illuminated by insight, revealed one step at a time, guiding us to a beautiful feeling.
What’s This Feeling?
It's the feeling of comfort that there is actually less to do, and our job is not as entangled with outcomes as we once thought. Here, one can often experience the feeling that all is right in the world, no matter what’s going on, here and now, you are okay. It feels different for everyone, but it tends to evoke reverence, equanimity, tranquility, aliveness, possibility, a sense of oneness, luminescence, and beautifully nourishing deep peace.
COACHING TESTIMONIALS
Will Sharon, MSW, CPC
"Josh is perhaps the most deft and compassionate coach practitioner that I have ever met. As a colleague and client I have found his work to not only be insightful but profound in his ability to identify and validate the values and desires of the people he works with. There is a patience and a persistence in his approach that gently insists that you not spend time telling stories you’ve repeated to yourself and others. He facilitates changing the stories to reflect the uniqueness of each person that he works with and he celebrates those new stories in a way that makes them stick in his client’s awareness.
In my own experience I have found that Josh has helped me honor parts of me that served me well at an earlier point in my life but which have become impediments to my growth now. His ability to identify and transform those parts has freed up tremendous creative energy.
I would highly recommend him to anyone who is serious about understanding their purpose and acting on it."
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A SESSION?
There are many ways to express yourself – talking, writing, dancing, exercise, meditation, community, etc. I believe all of these forms have the ability to unearth the formless within a person. When working together we’ll focus mainly through talking, but sometimes I also like to incorporate Qigong. This way we’re able to have a multi-dimensional approach that opens up space through not only your mind and consciousness, but also through the body. These two pathways spiral and interweave together, making a powerful elixir that opens up your perception like a flower, blossoming and maturing, creating a larger scope and bandwidth of awareness that fills you with insight and wisdom to move through any perceived problem or difficulty. It’s a return to our natural state of being.
WHAT'S THIS NATURAL STATE?
It’s becoming aligned with the natural, the organic way life unfolds. We’ve been taught to prepare for the worst and use our analytical mind to dissect problems, attack difficulties, and figure out solutions. The thing is, what if there isn’t a problem in the first place. What if the problem, if you put it that way, is that the mind gets so busy, so consumed, so overwhelmed, that we can’t even see the simplicity of life. That there is a perpetual motion within us and all around us, and when we surrender or perhaps swim with this current, we become aligned with the splendor, the breeze, the depth of this ride we call life.
“Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness.”
~ Chuang-Tzu
FLOW-CLARITY-INNER PEACE
Imagine you’re by a small pond and you see diamonds floating throughout the water. You dive in and swim to the bottom to get a better look, but in the process all the dirt and mud gets agitated, making the water cloudy, and you can’t see a thing. You think you should do something to clear it away so you wave your arms and hands all around trying to clear the debris. But it just gets worse, and the cloudier it gets, the more you work hard to try clearing it away, flailing your arms and hands faster and with more power. You’re exhausted, but you think there is no other way. Suddenly, it occurs to you to stop for a moment to collect your thoughts. As you stop, the dirt slowly dissipates and naturally falls to the bottom of the pond, leaving crystal clear water in front of your eyes, revealing all diamonds that surround you in every direction.
This metaphor exemplifies how sometimes, the more we effort into trying to accomplish something, forcing and rushing things, the less we’re able to accomplish. We can get caught in the idea that if we don’t do enough, it won’t happen. Sure, action is important, but it’s not everything. There is a balance between being receptive to ideas, allowing the hastiness to settle, which allows clarity and inner-vision to return. This is our natural state of being. Too often we rely on our analytical mind to move through life, but what if we can swim through the highs and the lows, knowing that where we are right now is enough and will pave the way toward our next step.
That’s the invitation, to be open to a new way or lens through which you see your life. But even more than that, it’s not so much a new perspective, it’s the way it actually works. It’s not a trick, or a method, it’s a deep understanding, and when this novel paradigm wakes you up to the world that’s been here all along, you welcome whatever shows up with open arms, an open heart, and a curious mind.
