In Qigong practice (which you know includes Taijiquan–martial qigong) we learn to use the wisdom mind to regulate the emotional mind. Persons who let their emotional mind run without regulation can be constantly buffeted about by the external and even internal stimuli they encounter. Those stimuli could be an obscene gesture from another driver in traffic, a rude remark from another person, a physical or emotional attack from another person, a traumatic event or any of a number of other situations or experiences.

Those stimuli can disrupt our peace of mind for a few minutes or, in the case of a serious injury or traumatic event, for a lifetime. The functional meditation concept is a method for training the wisdom mind to guide the emotional mind in dealing with those stimuli.

We started our first class in a series on Functional Meditation last evening, and I am hoping to use the class in part to draw on students’ ideas for developing the concept and method of Functional Meditation. We are off to a good start. It is a drop-in class for both the Taijiquan program and the Medical Qigong Exercise program, and students are welcome to join in a session. The drop-in fee is $18. Or you can comment on the blog or Facebook. We are meeting Wednesdays 7:30-8:30 PM through December 17. The format is about 20-25 minutes discussion and the rest of the hour for meditation.