April Class reminder

Hi friends! Just a quick reminder about the very cool classes coming up this April. I’m especially excited to offer the Hun Yuan introduction program since it will cover an element where Qigong and Neidan intersect, but also have a distinction which few people are clear about. The Three Key Points program is also going to be awesome since we will be dealing directly with the three most important aspects of Neidan training from a non-sectarian approach and availing ourselves of the research of one of the best contemporary scholars in the field!! :) :)

• a four week program on getting in the door with Hun Yuan energy cultivation in both the Qigong and Neidan contexts (this is a really special course that bridges the two practices so they can mutually reinforce each other),

• a four week program about the three key points of Neidan, the cauldron and burner, medicinal material and fire timing (this one includes reading a scholarly document by one of the most popular Neidan researches in China right now, it will be a really illuminating course in more ways than one),

• Chapter six of our Internal Alchemy of the Dao De Jing program!!!

• Chen Tuan’s sleeping meditation Neidan method (a great way to practice before bed and after waking up to stabilize the elixir).

These are the most inspired courses I’ve offered in a while and I think you will take great benefit from them if you are looking to deepen your understanding of Qigong and meditation. The ads are below with links to the sales pages on gumroad. I look forward to seeing you in class!!

Course 1:

Modular Qigong: Entering the Hun Yuan Gate series, pt.1

TLDR:

learn Qigong and Neidan in one place for a great price. This course gets right to the point and shows you the key details that actually make the practices work and why.

Link to sales page:

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/hunyuan1

Introduction:

Hun Yuan Qi is the most essential component of many of the most influential Qigong systems such as Zhineng Gong, Wild Goose Qigong, Hun Yuan Qigong and many more. It holds the key to the deep transformation that Qigong offers, but few people are able to realize as a result of having insufficient information to practice properly.

Mastering Qigong is not impossible, but just like Neidan it requires not only the actual practice, but also education in the purpose and methods of practice.

It has been my observation that although styles like Zhineng Gong are very popular in the West, few people deeply understand how the system works and thus are deprived of the greatest benefits the style has to offer. I would like to change that by teaching you the theory and practice of Hun Yuan energy in this four week long multimedia program which focuses not only on Qigong movements, but also the conceptual framework that will allow you to make them work in a transformational way.

Details:

When and where: Saturday mornings at 8 AM from April 4 -25 2026 via Zoom meeting (recordings available after class for those who can’t make the live program).

What is included: meetings and recordings as well as weekly recorded video tutorials and walk throughs which include modules on attaining connection to the energy of the heavens via the sky gate, developing Qi exchange between the Dantian and environment, using classic Qigong breath sealing methods to store Qi before and after practice, and a full set of exercises at close to 20 minutes in length which combines stillness and movement based practices to attract Qi to the body from the outside environment, circulate it and stablize it for storage. There will also be PDF documents with relevant translations of classic Daoist and Qigong texts to be reviewed during class.

How much: $100 USD (this one is a great deal considering how much content will be included).

Full description of the program:

Hun Yuan Qi is a big concept in Qigong and meditation and there are literally hundreds of documents explaining its function and mechanism of practice, so in this course we will learn the essence of what it is, where it exists, how to develop and grow it in your own body to use for healing purposes, and what to expect from practice both immediately and over a period of months and years.

Here is the breakdown week by week:

Week 1: The Dao, Hun Dun and Hun Yuan:

This week you will learn how Daoists believe Qi originates in the universe and how to return to the source point to take advantage of the great origin of all things. Daoism is a philosophy that is backed up by practice, it is not just empty religious speculation and the Dao can be used within oneself to attain genuine energetic and spiritual transformation. In this week you will learn not only the theoretical background of this concept, but also how to apply it in two contexts:

• Entering the Hun Yuan state through meditation: in order to really understand Hun Yuan we have to practice seated meditation according to specific principles, so in this unit you will learn the basic Neidan skills of returning the light and reverse illumination. Few Qigong schools teach this, but I believe it will speed up and improve your practice since you will be able to practice seated meditation before and after your Qigong session and have a chance to attain energetic development from two modes of practice, one passive and one active, the real Yin and Yang!!

• Preparing the body to enter Hun Yuan through Qigong practice: you will learn a modified Qigong practice which borrows from Guo Lin Qigong and Zhineng Gong which includes the practices of: breath sealing practice (at the start and end of the form to store intention, breath and Qi in the middle Dantian/umbilical area), opening the aura above the sky gate at three levels (a Zhineng Gong technique designed to exhange Qi between the vertex and sky at proximal, medium and more remote distances within the Qi field/aura), external Hun Yuan Qi exchange between Dantian and aura (a practice of pulling and pushing Qi from the Dantian designed to engage the inner Qi with the body with the Hun Yuan Qi surrounding it).

When you finish this unit you will understand how to attain the essence of Hun Yuan in emptiness and the core methods of preparing two important cavities to open to the Hun Yuan Qi of the universe.

Week 2: The six aspects of Jing, Qi and Shen (pre and post-heaven Hun Yuan)

This week you will learn how the mind, body, breath, spirit, essence and primordial energy are combined to develop Hun Yuan in the context of both Neidan and Qigong. This is a big secret which is not well known by most people and typically requires considerable experience being taught internal alchemy texts to understand deeply, and yet it is a relatively easy topic to master and use effectively to begin the process of inner transformation.

Practices:

• continue with simple Neidan by adding mental stablization “fire timing” practices of civil and martial fire and warming and nurturing.

• Learn the movements of the 20 minute modulated set which combines the opening and closing sequence of Zhineng Gong with elements of Guo Lin Qigong and Daoist inner work.

Week 3: The Hun Yuan Mind pt.1, The Medical View:

In this unit we will learn how Chinese Medicine understands consciousness according to the doctrine of heart, brain, and circulation. We will also discuss Pang Ming’s theory of Hun Yuan energy circulation occurring at the level of the nervous system and how to implement this process in practice to attain more effective Qi circulation.

Practices:

• Entering the “Yao Ming” state in Neidan: this state of practice is when the Jing can truly be warmed and transformed by the Shen and is considered Pre-heaven, while the details of the previous weeks are the Post-Heaven entry technique.

• Attracting Qi to the body during the 20 minuted modulated set: You will learn to attract Qi to the entire body, the hands, and meridian pathways through the insertion of mental practice during the routine. This is the real practice of Qigong as it was originally taught during the height of its popularity and is not the watered down stretching taught by sports universities today.

Week 4: The Hun Yuan Mind pt.2, Buddhist and Daoist View:

We will look at the concept of the “Ba Shi” or eight perceptual spirits, a view borrowed into Daoism from Buddhist “only mind” philosophy and used to explain the karmic barrier of the senses to accessing the realm of clarity and stillness. We will review this concept both from its traditional interpretation in Neidan and from the Qigong perspective since they have different implications.

Practices:

• Deep Neidan: you will use what you have learned to understand how the senses, transfer consciousness and residual karmic unconscious mind stop us from being fully enlightened and how to begin fixing that process through the practice of the “pre-heaven of the pre-heaven” a state of being which exists even before the embryonic state. This is knowledge you can use to adjust your practice to go even deeper and work toward the true goal of Neidan, emancipation from slavery to the senses which is called “Lou Jin.”.

• Working with the first level of the Qi field: The Qi field has three levels surrounding our bodies and in this unit you will learn to manipulate the first level by emptying the space between the surface of the body and the outisde environment. These details will be added to the twenty minuted modulated form, but once you understand them you will be able to apply them to any Qigong routine, not just the ones I teach you. This is the beginning of generating a real working relationship with the energy of nature and is essential to developing the “internal and external Hun Yuan” state. The purpose of the eight types of sensory awareness in Qigong is slightly different from Neidan and emphasizes the idea of attaining the first five spiritual connections, or to put it more plainly, to achieve special sensory abilities related to improved access to Hun Yuan Qi in the body.

This course is a culmination of nearly twenty five years of serious practice and research under my teacher who studied with many of the great masters of both Daoist meditation and Qigong during its high time in the 1980s. Together with my students I have also read more than 100 Daoist and Qigong documents and managed to realize the essence of the golden elixir, so I believe that by taking this course you will deepen your knowledge of Qigong and meditaiton regardless of your level of previous experience.

This course is meant to be accessible so we will speak in plain language, explain terminology clearly and focus on practicality and application rather than obscurity and myth. I’m a very nice person, but I want to get straight to the point and make sure you get as much as possible so you can grow a great practice and achieve your goals!!

There will be time after each class for questions, sharing experience and chatting and you can also reach out to me by email at any time, even after the course is over with your questions and experiences in practice.

If this sounds like something you are interested in, please click the link below:

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/hunyuan1

Course 2: Neidan Fundamentals: The Three Key Points:

Get it here:

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/threepoints

The three key points of Internal Alchemy are:

• Cauldron and Burner,

• Medicinal Substance,

• Fire Timing,

These concepts exist in every Neidan school but began to be formalized into established theories around the 1300s.

In short, the cauldron and burner are the physical locations and energetic actions which lead to jing transforming to Qi, Qi transforming to Shen, and Shen transforming to emptiness. The medicinal substance is the alchemical product of the union of the three treasures, and fire timing is the mental and physical process used to generate and refine the golden elixir.

In this four week program you will learn the meanings of these ideas and how to apply them in practice. Not only that, but we will learn from some of the best sources old and new including:

• The Hidden Talisman Classic: the first text to mention the concept of three key points. This document is often used as a root text in internal alchemy to explain foundational ideas of practice.

• Shang Yangzi’s Great Secret of the Golden Elixir: one of the earliest texts to mention the three key points,

• Ge Guolong’s research on the three key points: Ge Guolong is a modern researcher from China who wrote an excellent essay on this subject which we will use for context.

The three key points are essential concepts in internal alchemy and everyone who practices should understand them since they define key aspects of the entire process from beginning to end, especially since the location of the cauldron and burner, nature of the medicinal substance, and practice of fire timing change over time. That means this course will be great for beginners and intermediate students.

These days I am working more and more to translate and share contemporary research from Chinese Universities on Neidan since the research can provide us with context which may be missing in classical documents and perspectives which may enrich our teacher transmitted approach to practice by forcing us to interact with different opinions which are based on refined analysis rather than practitioner based speculation which cannot be verified.

This prerecorded course will be released in the form of four lectures over the course of four Wednesdays beginning April 8^th. PDFs will be supplied for relevant lectures, you can download them along with the videos from gumroad when they are released each week.

The program costs $100 USD.

Get it here:

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/threepoints

Course 3: Internal Alchemy of the Dao De Jing Chapter 6:

Get it here:

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/ddj6

Wow, chapter 6 already! This is exciting!

Chapter six says:

“谷神不死，是謂玄牝。

The valley spirit never dies,

it is called the mysterious womb.

玄牝之門，是謂天地根。

The gate of the mysterious womb,

is called the root of heaven and earth.

綿綿若存，用之不勤。

Constantly contained,

its use is never forced.”

This chapter is very important in internal alchemy practice, here is a quick rundown:

• valley spirit: this concept has various interpretations, but I like to think of it as true Yang developiing within emptiness,

• mysterious womb: Daoism believes life originates from the feminine, so the mysterious womb is what nurtures all life, including the sage fetus we develop within our own “mysterious womb.”

• root of heaven and earth: Yin and Yang have two extremes, but originally they come from Wuji and Taiji. This tells us something deep about the cultivation of the Golden Elixir.

• Always contained: at its root Neidan is really about consistant reversion to stillness after movement occurs. It is a self perpetuating feedback loop which we enact through the deceptively simple act of meditation. All forced schools of internal alchemy are false and do not follow Daoist doctrine as a result of grasping. Few people know this, but they ought to since it would help them achieve their goals.

In our Dao De Jing programs we look at each chapter on their own merits, you don’t need any background in Neidan or deep understanding of Daoism, just show up and engage with the material and you will learn a lot.

We focus on four approaches to the Dao De Jing, one per lecture. These include:

• lecture 1: reading each pictograph used in the chapter so we understand the meaning of the characters, then reading the chapter and intepreting it relative to the cultural situation of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period when it was compiled. This gives us context about the original political and social purpose of the Dao De Jing so we have a root and don’t float away in magical notions of mountain hermits and deities on clouds.

• Lecture 2: Wang Bi and He Shang Gong annotations: these are the two most important explanations of the Dao De Jing and Wang Bi and He Shang Gong are very different with Wang being a hard nosed scholar and He Shang Gong being one of those mountain dwelling hermits I just mentioned. Since we will establish a clear undersatnding of the meaning of the chapter, we can start to read more spiritually oriented material and obtain its benefit. Reading these two commentaries serves as great counterpoint and can really open your mind to how multidimensional the Dao De Jing really is.

• Lecture 3: Dao De Jing Chan Wei: the only Neidan annotation of the Dao De Jing written by the legendary Huang Yuanji. This document is only about the practice of internal alchemy and how to establish virtue. No warring states politics, no Daoist magic, just very practical material about meditation and life wisdom.

• Lecture 4: Modern interpretations: we read the interpretation from the Chinese webiste 5000yan, a site exclusively dedicated to disseminating the Dao De Jing according to present day research. This section is about how modern Chinese people understand the text in a secular sense and provides important cultural background and grounding which can greatly improve our appreciation of the text.

This is a great program and very fun so come join us.

Four Sundays in April starting April 5 at 10 AM EST on ZOOM.

The link and PDFs of the translations for each week will be provided before each class and the video of the lecture will be available after for those who can’t make it.

The course costs $100 USD for the month.

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/ddj6

Oh and also why note check out the Chen Tuan sleeping meditation course?

https://immortalitystudy.gumroad.com/l/pwyfqs