Eight Brocades and the Longevity Teachings of Li Qingyun

Taoists believe that we suffer the effects of old age because we don’t incorporate the laws of nature. If we want to feel good, we need to nourish the nature within us.

When it comes to working with the body, Taoism is all about going back—re-storing, re-generating, re-vitalizing. Taoism teaches us to recreate sensations and conditions of our youth so that we experience this kind of recall psychologically and physiologically—including how we breathe, move, and produce saliva.

Eight Brocades Seated Qigong is one practice Taoists used to recall these past states, as the exercises imitate the movements of an infant in the mother’s womb. Taoist sages used their deep intuition and insight into nature to develop these simple yet advanced practices to go backward in the aging process, toward the time when our bodies had their fullest powers to regenerate themselves to health. By recreating those movements, we are helping the body remember, bring up, and utilize those youthful ways of operating internally once again.

Through this process of recalling youthfulness, we develop our Three Treasures of Jing (bodily essences), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit), and help them flow throughout our bodies. In Traditional Chinese Medicine and in Taoism, when any of these three energies are weak or lack flow, these are the conditions out of which all ailments arise. However, if strong Jing, Qi, and Shen flow well throughout the body, we have good health.

Eight Brocades is a central, powerful set of Taoist exercises that date way back in the history of Taoism. It’s used both for health rejuvenation and Internal Alchemy (Internal Alchemy is a path to awaken to your Original Spirit).

If you’re a member of the Sanctuary of Tao, you can practice along with the videos in the Eight Brocades section of the Nourishing Life Practices area of the membership as well as in Virtual Retreats section.

If you’re not a member and would like to become one to check out the Eight Brocades resources, you can learn about the Sanctuary of Tao membership and sign up here. 

The Eight Brocades videos in the membership are meant to be followed along with, but don’t give a lot of detail about how to do the practices. So for those of you who want to make Eight Brocades a key practice in your life, we recommend learning the practice through our in-depth Eight Brocades Course.

The Eight Brocades course is offered through pre-recorded lessons and talks.

We’ve decided to go through our Eight Brocades Course together as a community, live from late May through early April. 

If you decide to join the course, the practices and information will still be delivered through the pre-recorded modules and talks. 

As a part of the live classes, Stuart will offer some remarks and answer questions, then Patrick will do a review of the practices and do Q&A. These will be held at 1pm Central Time on Saturday April 22nd, and Saturday May 6th.

If you’ve already taken the Eight Brocades Course, or have recently signed up for it, all of this will be included in what you’ve already paid.

Once you’ve purchased the course, you’ll have lifetime access to it through your portal, and you’ll be welcome to join us for free for any future live rounds we host.

Normally this course is offered at $300, but we’re offering it for $200 up until we go through the kick-off call date, on April 22nd. We’re also giving members an additional $80 off the discounted price. If you’re a member or planning on becoming one, email us at [email protected] for the coupon code.

Register for the Course Here