Tag: peakperformance
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Old-School Horse Stance Training Almost Killed Me – A Modern Solution
Have you ever felt like you’re suffering through something, only to realize there’s a smarter, easier way to achieve the same results? That’s how I felt when I first learned the Horse Stance. I suppose all humans suffer one way or another, but traditional qigong masters had a talent for amplifying it with their training…
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The Big Universe Qigong: A Hidden Gem for Deeper Healing
In the vast repertoire of qigong techniques, the Big Universe (Da Zhou Tian, 大周天) probably doesn’t get enough attention. I myself am guilty of this. Even though I’ve practiced and taught the technique for years, I haven’t even written a single blog post on the topic. Let’s change that right now. What Is the Big…
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Tassajara Summer Retreats 2025
Photo by Ty Greenstein San Francisco Zen Center is pleased to announce that Tassajara will be offering an inspiring array of retreats this summer! These Zen meditation and interdisciplinary arts retreats are geared towards guests who are interested in immersing in practice and nature under the guidance of some of our most established teachers.…
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An Update on Zentatsu Richard Baker from Abbot David Zimmerman
Note from the editor: For the past few weeks, Zentatsu Richard Baker and his Dharma heir Tatsudo Nicole Baden have been visiting City Center where both Nicole and Richard gave a Dharma talk. They moved to Green Gulch Farm over last weekend and the plan was for Nicole to give the talk there on…
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A Cosmic Shower of Qi
I was standing there under what felt like a waterfall of cosmic energy. I could feel it cascading down from the top of my head to my feet. I’ve never been a religious person, but this experience felt undeniably spiritual. This was years ago when I first learned a qigong technique called the Cosmic Shower.…
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The History of Two Finger Shooting Zen
I wanted to share some thoughts about One Finger Shooting Zen and its elusive cousin, Two Finger Shooting Zen. I’ve never written about this before, so grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing), and let’s dive in! Where It All Began: One Finger Shooting Zen I originally learned One Finger Shooting…
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In This Body In This Lifetime, an Interview with Esho Sudan
By Tova Green During the last several years, Esho Sudan has been editing the newly published book, In This Body In This Lifetime, Awakening Stories of Japanese Soto Zen Women, translated by Kogen Czarnik. Originally published in 1956 in Japanese under the title Collection of Experiences in Zen Practice, the book gathers writings of…
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Abbot Jiryu on the Publication of Becoming Yourself
Photo by Robert Erdmann Dear Sangha, In 2018, I had the good fortune to begin work with Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi on a new book of talks by Suzuki Roshi. The book was drawn from jewels of his teachings that Mel had been squirreling aside over the decades to someday publish. In the years…
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Something Old Is Dying: Why I’m Writing on Substack
Life feels heavier than ever. So much fear. So much fragmentation. And beneath it all, a quiet sense that something old is dying—and something new is struggling to be born. You might think I’m talking about the world. I am. But I’m also talking about myself. Or my un-self. Or whatever the hell is happening…
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Healing Others with Qi
I want to talk about healing other people (and pets) with qi. There’s a lot of confusion on the subject, so I want to make it clear where I stand, what I believe, and what I teach. I’ll be teaching two different Qi Transmission techniques in my upcoming Qigong 301 program: Opening Vital Points (OVP)…