Healing Dragon
Steven Cardoza, M.Sc., L.Ac.
BOOKS & DVDs
Chinese Holistic Medicine In Your Daily Life
The first half of this book shares foundational concepts of Chinese medicine, including qi, yin and yang, the meridian system, the Chinese view of the internal organs and their functions, and the origins of disease. The second half of the book teaches practical applications based on those principles, through acupressure as a stand-in for acupuncture, simple and common herbal remedies, qigong practices, and dietary advice.
The last chapter of the book provides prescriptions for combining acupressure, herbs, qigong and diet to address a wide range of common health challenges, removing all the guesswork. Those prescriptions can also serve as launching points for greater personalization and development. The ancient wisdom and practical techniques found here will help prevent the onset of disease, improve your day-to-day wellness, and promote longevity.
Available in quality bookstores worldwide, and here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Holistic-Medicine-Your-Daily/dp/0738749303
Chinese Healing Exercises
Each of these 88 easy-to-learn exercises can be practiced by anyone, for as little as one or two minutes each day to help you work on specific health challenges, increase fitness levels, get through the day with more energy and vitality, minimize and even reverse many of the signs of aging, and extend the healthy years of your life.
Including practices from acupressure, taiji, qigong, paidagong, and Daoist yoga, each exercise is clearly illustrated, with easy-to-follow instructions, and detailed explanations of its physical and energetic benefits. Exercise are combined prescriptively to treat pain, allergies, digestive disorders, insomnia, stress, and dozens of other common ailments.
"A real find . . . A book to refer to again and again!"
―Angela Hicks, author of The Principles of Chinese Medicine
"An important book for anyone interested in helping him or herself be and stay well . . . I highly recommend the book."
―Fritz Frederick Smith, MD, author of The Alchemy of Touch
Now available in pdf format!
I'm pleased to let you know that my first book is once again available, as a pdf. It’s the complete book, formatted identically and containing every word and illustration found in the original print version, and is viewable on any computer, laptop, tablet, Kindle, and most other e-readers.
You can buy it now securely for just $22 (USD), through Paypal. Credit cards can be used through your Paypal account
Your book will be sent to the email address you provide, usually within a day of purchase.
A Visual Guide To Chinese Healing Exercises
This is the companion DVD to the book Chinese Healing Exercises. It contains almost every exercise in the book, presented in the same order. Each exercise is clearly demonstrated, accompanied by detailed and precise voice-over instructions. The exercises are used to treat a variety of health conditions, to increase fitness, improve overall health, and promote longevity.
The DVD can be effectively used by itself, and gives you many helpful suggestions for using it that way, including how to select the exercises that may best suit you, general range of benefits, length of practice time, and other similar concerns.
You can see a sample of its contents here: https://youtu.be/BVQrcuDhKsw Note, the DVD is in higher resolution than the samples shown, but this will give you a very good idea of these exercises.
You can purchase this DVD from my eBay store here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Visual-Guide-To-Chinese-Healing-Exercises-DVD-2014-qigong-taiji-tai-chi/123810323095
FEATURED ARTICLE
DRAGON AND TIGER MEDICAL QIGONG
An Ancient Chinese Treasure for Health and Longevity
Spirit of Change Magazine, 8/9/21 https://www.spiritofchange.org/dragon-and-tiger-medical-qigong/
FREE INSTRUCTION AND DEMOS ON YOUTUBE
QIGONG VLOGS
V1: Qi, The Energy of Life https://youtu.be/yqCLlq0bBzE
This vlog is an introduction to qi, the vital life energy. While qi is a big topic, here we focus exclusively on how it works within the body, being the functional energy of all the organs and other body tissues. You'll also be introduced to the ways that acupuncture and qigong influence qi to promote health and longevity.
V2: Intro to Qigong, Part 1--Definition and Benefits https://youtu.be/c3D1RJRt9MY
This provides a detailed description of qigong, based on the understanding of the meaning of the word qigong itself. Additionally, some expected benefits from the practice are introduced.
V3: Intro To Qigong, Part 2--The Three Regulations https://youtu.be/eg2DMbV66fg
Here we examine the three main characteristics required for a practice to be a complete qigong. Those include the regulation of the body, breath, and mind.
V4: Intro To Qigong Part 3--The 5 Philosophical Bases https://youtu.be/dLGYJaZtA2k
In the 4th vlog of this series, we examine the 5 primary philosophical bases underlying all qigong practices. You’ll learn of the differences and similarities among them, the various outcomes you can expect from each, and their unique range of attributes and benefits. Beyond being purely informational, my hope is that this will help you choose which type might suit you best whether you’re beginning a new qigong practice or adding to an existing one.
QIGONG INSIGHTS
These are excerpts from my Zoom weekly workshops, and all focus on getting one concept or idea clarified. As these are short and don’t require any of the production used in my longer videos, I can create them pretty quickly and plan to be posting more on a somewhat regular basis. Although these have been excerpted from Dragon and Tiger, Energy Gates, and Cloud Hands workshops so far, they primarily offer tips and explain qigong concepts that are found in most qigongs and taiji, so hopefully useful to you no matter what styles you may practice.
Shoulder Blades Move The Arms (1) Energetic and neurologic implications, expected benefits.
https://youtu.be/PrbVATRtT1c
Shoulder Blades Move The Arms (2) Tips on connecting arms to shoulder blades.
https://youtu.be/kF1YYYqNaVQ
Shoulder Blades (3) Qigong increase body awareness; tips on releasing tension and restriction.
https://youtu.be/R5pnhPIV9j8
Harmonizing The Hemispheres of the Brain Many qigongs and taiji (tai chi) employ techniques that enhance communication between the hemispheres of the brain. This prepares the mind for the higher levels of awareness and spiritual cultivation.
https://youtu.be/org62jjEdr8
An Introduction To Spiritual Aspects of Qigong Every complete qigong system contains a spiritual dimension. While this might be more expected in Daoist or Buddhist qigongs, even in a primarily medical or martial qigong set, at higher levels of practice its spiritual aspects will emerge and deepen.
https://youtu.be/Pki643E3Znk
Daoist Natural Breathing, Its Principles and Health Benefits Daoist Breathing is one of the most important things you can learn to improve your health, build energy, and extend the healthy years of your life. A reclamation of the way you breathed when you were born, it can become the way you breathe naturally throughout your day, and is incorporated into most styles of qigong, taiji, and meditation practices.
https://youtu.be/aDegg7Uq4Vk
Power Versus Strength One of the greatest challenges for students of the internal arts to understand conceptually, and even more so to embody, is the difference between building power through qi cultivation, using qi to generate all physical movements, as opposed to building strength in a conventional way, using muscle energy to drive physical movements. In a qigong context, that same power is used to build health, longevity, and the higher spiritual aspects of being.
https://youtu.be/rFiVA5mHtLg
QIGONG AND TAIJI DEMOS
Dragon & Tiger Medical Qigong with Related Energetics https://youtu.be/X8q9t1GwlA0
Dragon & Tiger qigong is a 1,500 year old medical qigong set with roots in Daoism and Buddhism. In this video, you’ll see a demonstration of each of its 7 movements, and a graphic representation of some of its deeper energetic (qi) components. In China, it has been used to treat cancer and other serious diseases, but even at a basic level of practice it is versatile and powerful enough to address numerous common medical conditions, prevent the onset of many diseases, and to promote greater health, vitality, wellbeing and longevity. It was introduced to the western world by Master B. K. Frantzis over 30 years ago.
Taiji Ruler/Circling Hands Qigong with Microcosmic Orbit and Related Energetics https://youtu.be/QPHSFB4v9Hs
Taiji Ruler, also known as Taiji Circling Hands, is a traditional qigong practice with many variations and offshoots. This is a demonstration of two versions of the most common way it’s practiced, including some neigong components and the Microcosmic Orbit. On the surface it’s very simple, but you’ll see there are many subtle parts that are not obvious, and those are the things that make it such a powerful practice. Almost every aspect learned here can be incorporated into the taiji form and into other intermediate and advanced qigongs, such as The Marriage of Heaven and Earth, as taught by Daoist master B.K. Frantzis.
Wu Style Taiji (Tai Chi) Short Form https://youtu.be/1zriVRw7ZNg
This is a demonstration of the Wu Style Taiji (Tai Chi) short form, as developed by Daoist Master B. K. Frantzis. The left side of the split screen shows the form as viewed from the right, while the right side shows the form from the front. This gives you a more thorough picture than any single view can, and helps to dispel some of the optical illusions that are inherent in a front-only view. There is a voice-over during this demonstration, supplying additional information. After a first viewing, you may want to turn your speakers off for undistracted visual observation, especially if watching this a number of times.
ACUPRESSURE SELF CARE TECHNIQUES
Acupressure Self Care Techniques https://youtu.be/kp9LFuTSo_Y
This video demonstrates some common acupressure techniques that can be used for your personal self care. Applying the principles of Chinese medicine, acupressure can be used to to treat numerous health conditions and to improve overall wellness. These simple techniques are easy to learn and may be safely and effectively used by anyone