Water Method Blog

Thanks to everybody who joined the livestream last week. If you didn't get a chance to join us on this talk on twisting neigong and neigong weaves, you can check out the video recording here.

Wishing you all good practice,
Paul

In the West, we don't focus on contacting, let alone banking, the energy (or qi/chi) that we generate. Qigong, tai chi and bagua target qi development to heal body imbalances and traumas, restore health and vitality, and strengthen weaknesses. All of it is guided by the Taoist Principle of Thir...

Qigong, tai chi, hsing-i and bagua target the qi (or chi) that powers the physical body to create health, vitality and longevity.

Of the five senses, four are located in your head: vision, hearing, smell and taste. Only feeling is applicable to the whole body, inside and out.

The liver unlocks the power to do, and generates the raw power needed for practice and riding this wild ride called life.

In the Water Method, the following three foundational practices include techniques that specifically target the liver to release stagnant and bound energy, and balance and rev...

Posture is so foundational it's often overlooked in practice and daily life. We "know" how to align our bodies and best perform tasks. Yet we rush or get so absorbed in other things that we don't always keep together even basic alignments.

And we adjust movements to avoid touching on or engaging st...

A sinking action always creates a rising action.

After finishing a qigong, tai chi or bagua practice, you want to spend a few minutes banking the qi you have generated. You can use this qi at a later time, when you need it.

Join this medical qigong retreat with TTC Instructor Anna Price:

13-15 February 2026
The Quadrangle, Kent, UK

Learn more and book at AnnaQigong.com

Taoists say you already have everything you need inside of you. It's just that traumas of the physical, energetic, emotional, mental and/or spiritual nature prevent you from realising your full potential.

By Paul Cavel

Fascia is the connective tissue that contains and encompasses the body's soft tissues and structures, linking together the entirety of the physical body.

Healthy, hydrated and elasticated fascia fibres, essentially a web of liquid-filled tubes which envelopes the body, supports and und...

By Paul Cavel

Everywhere I turn, I keep hearing, "You become what you think”. But if all we had to do is *think* our way through life, for a start, everybody would be super fit, rich and happy!

The Taoist sage Liu Hung Chieh said, "You become what you practise”.

Exercise the body, become stronger

By Krystle Menendez

If you’re like many people, you are interested in and desperate for wellness, but don’t have a clear idea where to start on your path to achieving it. Western culture doesn’t exactly lend itself to this idea, after all–most of us have to work long weeks, take care of children ...

(Photo of Jackie Smith by Jub Davis, Scotland, 2021)

The Ultimate Healing Journey

By Paul Cavel

See Part 2

In the world we live in, we never know what is coming around the corner — or out of the sky — as I was reminded back in 2011. I returned home after a teaching tour in Germany to learn tha...

(My teacher and me in the early days of my training, 1995)

How to Build Mind-Body Trust

By Paul Cavel

See Part 1

My own journey to overcome a serious injury and the associated pain with internal arts training was in direct contrast to the fast relief experienced by the previous case. While pra...

How to Grow Your State of Health and Well-being

By Paul Cavel

Internal arts are practised the world over because, above all else, they have a proven track record of health and healing results. If you ask the average practitioner about the mechanisms that drive these beneficial outcomes, anecdote...

By Paul Cavel

This article covers:

• How to start a personal practice
• My five-year curriculum

How to Learn Taoist Energy Arts

Many people are surprised to learn that beginners learn almost exactly the same material as experienced practitioners. This may sound counterintuitive, but con...

Foreword by Dr. Michael Mettner

“Metaphors, images and symbols are the language of our subconscious minds. They help to convey meaning to our consciousness and hence store in the memory quite easily and naturally. If they are chosen well, they are able to penetrate the deeper layers of our con...

By Paul Cavel

The many threads and layers of neigong that can be activated and integrated in the Marriage of Heaven and Earth Qigong give practitioners a taste of what is possible from ongoing study of Taoist arts — without the complex choreography associated with other qigong sets, tai chi or ba...

In this talk with Chris Cinnamon of Chicago Tai Chi, I discuss the Taoist Water Method, including how to:

* Develop your qi

* Open up and balance your body

* Avoid injury and maintain your practice over long periods of time.

I also discuss the difference between qigong and the 16 neigong as a...

Stop lifting weights to tone your body! You can tone your muscles through the relaxation-based movement of qigong, tai chi and Circle Walking.

There is a battle raging on for your attention, your mind. We've lost the state of just being. Take back your sovereignty, and train your mind to be more present, aware and awake! In this video, Acupuncturist Cameron Crumpler of One Pulse Wellness and I discuss the body factor, why meditation is ...

The health benefits of walking are well-documented. When adding internal techniques, you can open up your vascular system before you elevate your heart rate to keep training safe and productive. Circle Walking has an edge over other internal exercises like qigong and tai chi because it brings in ...

In this video, I discuss how to breathe to release trapped and suppressed energy and blockages from physical, emotional and mental traumas.

Learn more about Dragon & Tiger Medical Qigong, which includes my 23 guided practices on Taoist Breathing and Meditation, 23 guided practices on whole-body ...