An Introduction to Wild Goose Qigong by Sue Johnson, Instructor

Lighthouse is very pleased to welcome our first guest blog by Wild Goose Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor Sue Johnson. Sue is an accomplished teacher and student of Chinese Martial Arts and someone we hold in high esteem. We hope you will enjoy discovering Wild Goose Qigong with Sue and want to find out more.

Wild Goose Qigong - A Daoist Qigong System

Almost 2000 years old, this Daoist system of Qigong is quite vast, originally consisting of 72 forms!  Wild Goose Qigong looks more like Tai Chi as the movements are forms and not separate movements. 

Similar in length to the Chen Style Tai Chi, or the Long Yang style form, it takes around 10 minutes to perform the first routine, known as the 1^st 64 (number of movements).  Beginners should then repeat this routine twice daily.

Yang Meijun

Kept secret until 1978 the previous Grandmaster, Yang Meijun decided to make some of the system public, initially opening up 12 forms. Most are a little shorter than the 1^st  64! Each form has a specific health benefit, working on specific internal organs, e.g., liver, heart, kidneys.  

Unlike Tai Chi, Wild Goose movements incorporate all aspects of physical movement: - bend forward, squat down, stretch up and often walking a Bagua circle. This in turn stimulates the flow of Qi through the meridians, improving blood circulation and flexibility.  

It balances the yin and the yang inside the body.  It allows the acupoints to open and thus is a needle-free acupuncture session! For those who are already healthy, it is self-healing and self-nurturing. For those who wish to improve their health it can be very therapeutic. 

The Chinese believe that mental illness can also be treated by improving the health of the internal organs, so it also benefits stress, anxiety, depression and other issues.

My Journey

I have been a practitioner for around 30 years. It is a way of life, with daily practise taking around 60 – 90 minutes. Wild Goose Qigong also encompasses meditation exercises which we usually practise at the end of our forms practise. 

The great thing about this system is that it was handed down to Yang Meijun by her Grandfather, when she was just 13. 

It is usually from Father to son, but he felt that his Granddaughter had some special potential. She in turn did not make it public until she was 80 years old. She was very famous for her wei qi ( emiting Qi) to heal people. She could also make herself very heavy so that 4 men could not lift her even though she was very tiny, less than 5 feet. She was also able to transmit her Qi, like a ball of light , along her sword. One special lady! 

Grandmaster Chen Chaungang

Our current Grandmaster Chen Chuangang is 92 years old. He lives in Wuhan but travels around China teaching and promoting Wild Goose Qigong. 

He officially became Grandmaster in 1999 when his mother, Yang Meijun was 100 years old.  She passed away 3 years later.

Wild Goose Qigong Today

In 2018 it was decided in China, to change the name from Qigong to Yang sheng gong, so the Chinese name is now Dayan (Wild Goose) Yang sheng gong.  It was felt that this was a better name as it literally means Wild Goose Health Maintenance system. 

In the Western World it has taken far to long for people to get used to the word “Qigong”, so we continue to use this name. 

By Sue Johnson                                             

©Copyright 2021 Text & Images Sue Johnson,  All Rights Reserved

Pictures

1. Chinese practise in the park.
2. Former Grandmaster Yang Meijun, who made the system public.
   
3. Chinese students training with Chen Zhi. 
   
4. Garden practise at home
5. Current Grandmaster Chen Chuangang who is 92 years old. 
6. Master Chen Zhi her grandson. 
   
7. Receiving certification in 2019, Wuhan 

Discover Wild Goose Qigong 

with Sue Johnson 

 Wild Goose Qigong - UK (wildgooseqigong-uk.com)