Meditation, Qigong and Taiji

Classes in the Northern
Berkshires

Daoist Traditional Practices and Stillness

I belonged to the Kwan Um School of Zen Buddhism as a part of the Providence Zen Center for three years before I left for China.  Daily service was a part of the tradition of the Zen Center, and service was always the same, morning and evening.  In a discussion one...

Breath and Stillness

The major skills I teach at Blue Heron Stillness are qigong, taiji, and meditation.  They all share one thing in common:  the breath. Qigong exercises and taiji forms, both breath-driven, move at the pace of the breath.  We begin each from a posture of stillness - wu...

Crossing Paths

We walk our path with steps determined Flashlight shined ahead. At morning wake and pray come night We’ll safely find our bed.   And in between we walk our path To learn what comes that day. With eyes wide open, mind so clear We walk along our way.   Our path has...

Be Bamboo

In Chinese painting first to learn With soft and yielding brush A grove of them so straight and tall So green and swaying lush.   Stalks of green and others black Leaves of varied size When comes a storm it does not care And will not fear demise.   Winds...

If They Should Meet When I’m Not Here

For eighteen months we came to learn Together as a pair That each was safe and simply learning How we’d come to fare.   Pumpkin seeds and peanuts roasted Seemed a decent meal. I’d leave them out and wait to see Just how the squirrel’d deal.   As time went on...

When Comes The Moment

As ever in our prayers a universal wishA gracious death with no regrets.And yet in life we give no thoughtTo ever hedge our bets. In early age an arrogance thatWe will live forever.And even death upon our clanWe take no new endeavor. The moments pass without a...

Classes for Spring & Summer ’22

Living a Daoist-based Life in Today’s World

The Spring/Summer 2022 classes will be centered on the concept of living a Daoist-based life in today’s world.  Study will include the instruction of Qigong and Taiji, an examination of Daoist principles, including the Dao de Qing, discussion of a meditation practice, and the cultivation of stillness.

Classes are 75 minutes in duration, and begin with Qigong to encourage the flow of the body’s Qi. This is followed by one hour of Taiji instruction.  The Water Taiji form is comprised of 33 movements, and in total takes approximately 11 minutes to perform. While that sounds simple, the form will take between 20 – 25  classes to learn, and then a lifetime to perfect.  All classes are individual.

Classes are held at 139 E. Quincy Street, with parking and access off E. Main Street between #384 and #396. A Meditation Garden is under construction at the training center, and the facility is open to the air while the garden is being built.

Please use the Contact page to schedule your first class. No prior experience is required.

 

I have been a student of Michael McGrath of Blue Heron Stillness since January 2020. In my opinion, Michael is an excellent teacher and is very knowledgeable in Taiji, QiGong, and Meditation. Since I started learning from him, I have noticed improvements in my overall health, focus, and flexibility. I look forward to learning more from him and I am very fortunate to be his student. 

Daniel T.

Qigong and Taiji

Qigong, exercise matched to breathing, circulates qi throughout the body. Taiji, a moving meditation, manages and directs the qi. Together, they are 2/3 of a Daily Daoist Longevity Practice. Shui Taiji, Water Taiji, is soft, slow and smooth, with 33 movements. Qi, developed in the legs, directed by the hips, manifested in the hands. It is the Taiji of the Five Immortals Temple on White Horse Mountain in Hubei Province, China.

Meditation

Meditation. Being both the observer and the observed.??The cultivation of stillness, cornerstone to a Daoist Longevity Practice. Cushions are provided for the open-air teaching. The meditation platform is in the midst of a Meditation Garden under construction that when completed will provide a tranquil and serene setting for instruction and practice. Instruction is offered individually in the meditation room.

Workshops & Lectures

If your business or civic group is looking for a speaker, or interested in a meditation workshop, I am available for engagement. Whether curious about Temple life, or meditation, or Daoism, or a daily practice for the cultivation of stillness, I can offer an entertaining presentation to satisfy curiosity and interest. I’ve spoken to artist and museum groups, as well as private businesses in the health care industry.