Water Method Blog

The spleen is the internal organ responsible for integrating the body's systems as well as the experiences of your life -- in body, qi & mind.

In the Water Method, the Principle of Separate and Combine is used to build skills in the lifelong practices of Five Element neigong, medical qigong, tai chi, bagua and even Taoist Meditation. However this skill-building strategy can be applied to grow and improve skills of any kind.

The Water Element governs the kidneys. Water Element qigong can help boost qi and support healthy living well into old age.

In the Taoist model followed by the Water School, yin & yang regulate the flow of all things here in the manifest realm.

In this video, I sit down with Sarah Lim-Murray to discuss how Heaven & Earth Qigong uses opening-and-closing neigong and lengthening of the yin-yang tissues of the body to open, power up and connect the body. This is just one of the reasons why qigong has an edge modern exercise systems.

This is an excerpt from my book, Taoism: A Journey Towards Unity, where I discuss the Five Elements of Manifestation. Heaven & Earth Qigong is the classic Wood Element neigong practised in the Water Method.

The I Ching, Book of Changes, known as the Taoist bible, dictates that energy governs matter. Qigong, tai chi and bagua target the qi of the body.

According to Taoist philosophy, balancing yin and yang in the physical body is the first step in creating space for healing in body, mind and qi.

The Five Elements of Chinese medicine are Water, Fire, Wood, Metal and Earth. These energies govern the manifest realm and indeed the whole body-mind-qi matrix.

Hey Everybody, I'm sharing this video with my teacher Bruce with good info for those of you who attended our Art of the Spiral: Embodying Twisting Neigong in Tai Chi & Bagua course or who watched my free webinar on the subject.

I hope you enjoy it! The seminar was profound to say the least, trans...

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

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.

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

Tung Hai Chuan, known as the modern progenitor of bagua, taught each of his disciples differently, depending on their specific talents and needs. This is the basis of the main bagua lines and schools that have followed.

Liu Hung Chieh, my teacher Bruce Frantzis' teacher, had the honour of attending...

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

"Consistency without desire". Of all the wisdom shared within the Tao Te Ching, this line finds its way back to me time and again.

Students often share with me their goals for training. I can relate to the honest intent that underscores these aspirations, especially in regards to heali...

Follow along to this qigong exercise to tune in to the Water Element. Release stress and anxiety, and become grounded.

Follow along to this two-minute breathing exercise to ground, relax and let go.

In this talk with Chris Cinnamon of Chicago Tai Chi, I discuss how to start a qigong and tai chi practice.

I discuss in-depth the 16 neigong and how Heaven and Earth Qigong bridges beginning to advanced training in the Water Method.

Start with Part 1

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...

Both the I Ching and the 5 Elements talk about Water, Fire and Earth energies, but they are not the same! The Five Elements are applicable to the manifest realm, here on Earth, whereas the Eight Trigrams are the templates for manifestation, applicable to our realm and beyond.

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