Holistic Healthworks

02/09/2026

灶君 As we approach the Lunar New Year next Tuesday, I will continue posting about various customs, predictions, and preparations. Tomorrow, Feb 10, is devoted to the Kitchen God, Zao Jun, who oversees the good and bad deeds of household members throughout the year. On this day he reports to the Jade Emperor, who can thus decree your fate for the coming year. According to established custom, you may be able to, in a sense, bribe the Kitchen God by preparing a meal that day which includes ample sweets so that he will have only sweet words to report.

You may wonder what good and bad deeds have to do with Taoism. For many centuries the most popular book on Taoism was not the Tao Te Ching but rather the twelfth century Tai Shang Gan Yin Pian 太上感應篇. Lao Zi's Treatise on Ethical Response, sometimes translated "The Most High's Treatise on Response and Retribution." It is a work on ethics, a core element of Taoism. The Treatise admonishes that blessings and disasters do not enter through an open door; rather, our actions invite them. And if we act in an immoral or evil manner, our lives are shortened accordingly.

Yet, there are scoundrels who live a long time; the universe does not always abide by human concepts of fairness. Thus I would like to reinterpret portions of this ancient text: If we act in an immoral or evil manner, the prospect for a meaningful life, in accord with the Tao, is shortened and we create seeds of misfortune and suffering for those that follow us.

I feel it is also important to consider this text in the light of the more ancient philosophy expounded in the Tao Te Ching. Lao Zi says, "The highest virtue is not virtuous, and thus has virtue." That is, virtue is not simply a matter of following precepts, rules, and laws. Rather it is a result of wisdom and self-knowledge. It is neither self-conscious nor coercive, but entirely natural. The highest virtue is not forced; it is the natural expression of an awakened mind.

Kitchen God Plaque from Wikipedia.

10/13/2025

Anicca, 無常(Wu Chang), Impermanence: Another Viewpoint

“The morning glory that blooms for a day
Differs not at heart from the great pine that lives a thousand years.”

This is a saying from one of my favorite Buddhist Texts, the Zenrin Kushu 禪林句集, Collected Sayings from the Zen (Chan in Chinese) Forest. This is not, as some might assume, an admonition to focus not on the transient, but on the changeless, some underlying eternal reality. Just the opposite. It is a call to attentiveness, to pay attention to and value each moment, whether a phenomenon lasts a day or a century. It is a description of life experienced directly, im-mediately, without the go between of thoughts and belief systems. And from a personal, human-hearted viewpoint, a reminder of the preciousness of life. (Photo by Ralph from Pixabay)

08/29/2025

August 29 is Lover’s Day, Qi Xi 七夕, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This ancient Chinese holiday goes back to at least the Han Dynasty (206 BCE- 220 CE), though aspects of the Lover’s Day story are found in the Zhou Dynasty (1027-771 BCE) Poetry Classic (詩經).

A mortal Cowherd Boy 牛郎 and a divine Weaving Girl 織女, daughter of the Queen Mother of the West 西王母, the Goddess of the Heavens, fell so in love with each other that they neglected their duties. The cows were untended and the Weaving Girl no longer made her magical garments, which included multi-colored clouds. This so upset the Queen Mother that she sent a magpie to earth to tell the lovers that they could meet only once a month. Unfortunately, magpies are sometimes forgetful, and by the time the magpie arrived on earth, he told them. “The Goddess of the Heavens commands that from now on you will meet only once a year.” As a result, the Cowherd Boy and Weaving Girl were immediately transformed into Altair and Vega, the brightest stars in their constellations, but at opposite ends of the Milky Way.

Once every year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, all the magpies in the world, regretting their tragic error, fly up to the heavens to form a celestial bridge (鵲橋 “the Magpie Bridge”) so that the two distant lovers can travel across the bridge and reunite in the middle. It is likely to be cloudy that evening, to preserve the privacy and hide the passion that is happening in the night sky. And when it rains the next morning, it is the tears of the departing lovers.

Is there a connection between Qigong and Love? Look at this beautiful saying from perhaps the greatest author on Chinese medicine of all time, Sun Simiao, who wrote in the sixth century “People suffer illness because they do not have love in their life and are not cherished.” (Quoted in Ted Kaptchuk’s The Web That Has No Weaver)

Yet, there are relatively few Chinese references to what I believe is the most powerful energy that unifies body, mind, and spirit. There may be social and political reasons for this; strong emotions were perceived as a threat to social stability, Confucian decorum, and government control. After all, people in love may do unpredictable things that defy convention.

10/29/2024

Taoistsanctuary.org

07/13/2024

There are thousands of Qigong, Neigong, and Neidan methods, but all of them can be classified to Ming Gong (命功) or Xing Gong (性功) sections.
Ming Gong means “Cultivation of Life.” In this case, Life means Life Force/energy Qi, and this section is related to work with the body and energy.
Xing Gong means “Cultivation of Inner Nature/Original Nature,” It is related to work with heart-mind, soul, and spirit.
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Excerpt from “Daoist Cultivation, Book 1” by Vitaly Filbert.
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You can buy a paper book on Amazon.

English Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RN8WN25?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tpbk

Spanish Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7ZPH3G3

If you prefer an ebook, you can support and buy it from us.

06/15/2024

Keep practicing!

It doesn't matter what Qigong exercise or sequence you practice, but you should focus your mind on subtle things, subtle feelings, subtle changes inside of your body, heart, and mind.

Also, be aware of the subtle things that are happening outside, around your body.
You should always keep the connection and be synchronized with Nature, be open to Heaven and Earth. Feel the Subtle and then even more Subtle, always keep training your heart-mind and go further and deeper than you at the current moment.
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Excerpt from “Daoist Cultivation, Book 1” from the chapter “The Gate of all Marvelous-Mysterious” by Vitaly Filbert.
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You can buy a paper book on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RN8WN25?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tpbk

If you prefer an ebook, you can support and buy it from us.

02/03/2024

Calendars, whether written or symbolized by solstice markers and stone circles, are probably as old as humanity. Although today we think of calendars as ways of remembering holidays and other important dates as well as organizing or allocating time, they also have many other important uses. Calendar...

12/18/2023

Daily practice

According to Ming Gong, the furnace is your body, and the cauldron is your lower dantian. With the help of special techniques, we can create a solid structure of the furnace, which is required for successful Cultivation. If the furnace is broken and not solid, then how can you have the necessary conditions to create the Elixir?

The whole body should be adjusted and aligned, regulated in a special way. When this is done, establishing the cauldron will be much easier. The lower dantian also has to have a solid structure and be integral. Otherwise, you won't be able to succeed in Cultivation if your cauldron is cracked and damaged. It is like trying to heat a room when the windows are not closed, like trying to fill the bucket with water if there is a hole in it. You can spend many years and a lot of effort but still have a small result.
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Excerpt from the book “Daoist Cultivation, Book 7 - Alchemical Principles: Twenty-Four Secret Instructions for Disciples by Liu Yiming” translation and commentary by Vitaly Filbert
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You can buy a paper book on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RN8WN25?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tpbk

If you prefer an ebook, you can support and buy it from us.

08/01/2023

The guiding principle of Taijiquan is to lead with intention (yi), which governs the movements. Without the proper intention, the form becomes weak, soft and lifeless, losing its foundational principles and cannot be considered true Taijiquan.

All internal systems emphasise internal cultivation, with the "mind intention” as the key. Every movement is initiated by intention, and the body follows accordingly, connected seamlessly, like pulling a thread or stretching a branch. It expands infinitely outward while maintaining a small circle within, “connecting the vast universe above and reaching the depth of the earth below”.

This kind of practice requires complete tranquility of mind and detachment from external distractions. Though it may seem simple, in reality few can truly achieve it. Most people’s minds are restless, preoccupied with personal and social interactions and constraints.

Taijiquan can only be accomplished by channeling the correct intention. Only then will the body's joints, muscles, skin, fascia, ligaments, organs, breathing, and nervous system be relaxed in a coherent manner. If the intention is too heavy, the body becomes tense, tightening and locking the different systems and tissues so that they lack space and flexibility to move. On the other hand, if the intention is too light, it leads to slackness and lethargy, “soft like water but lacking its strength and tenacity; like scatterings of loose sand”.

06/30/2023

Beginners think that if they can feel Qi, they are successful in practice. But it is not precisely correct. Feeling Qi is not a purpose of the practice, it is a necessary condition for a successful practice. Do not confuse the condition with the result.

Unfortunately, this is a widespread mistake. So when you begin to feel Qi while exercising, it means that your work has just begun. You should shift your mind to more subtle things; to a more subtle reality.

You should use your attention to comprehend Qi, its qualities, what information it contains, and where it comes from...
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Excerpt from the book “Daoist Cultivation, Book 3: Ming Gong: Qigong, Neigong and Neidan: 1st Level of Inner Alchemy + Video” by Vitaly Filbert.
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You can buy a paper book on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RN8WN25?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tpbk

If you prefer an ebook, you can support and buy it from us.

05/31/2023

According to “The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine", “each breath (inhale and exhale) moves the pulse six inches”; “each day consists of 50 orbits”. The phrase refers to the benefit of the body's meridians to run 50 cycles a day, each cycle taking about 28.8 minutes. Therefore, it is believed that any practice that is less than 30 minutes does not yield much benefit. Qi is not able to break through blockages and regular failure to spend the minimum required time may mean that the desired health and capability results will not be realised.

It is difficult for beginners to calm down to enter a quiet zone. When the mind is restless and wandering it is not possible to have the sensitivity to experience and control the breath (qi), intention (yi) and spirit (shen). Generally it takes at least an hour and half for internal feelings to permeate the body. For the body to feel warmth and lightness, and for tension to be released and the legs feel strong. In this state of calm, the repair effect of the body and mind is optimum and gongfu progress is the fastest.

Therefore, one should continue to practise after entering the state, and keep the state of quiet for as long as possible. From ancient times, the basic principles of practice are often based on one ‘unit’ of time, i.e. two hours, as the body gets progressively stronger after three to five meridian cycles.

Taijiquan master Chen FaKe said that practitioners should “strike while the iron is hot” and to “keep the fire burning”. To not let the furnace go cold once it is lit and to keep the fire burning by consistent practice instead of having to light the fire each time you practise.

The effect of practice must be able to withstand loneliness and to devote time steadily, but it cannot be "only" measured by time while ignoring the "quality of practice".