In our fast-moving world, the mind becomes scattered, and our energy often follows - rising up, agitated or fragmented. At the other end of the spectrum, many suppress what they feel - pushing down emotion, numbing awareness, or trying to force calm.
Bodhidharma, the patriarch of Zen (527ad), offered another way - not how to become more, but how to let go of what we no longer need to carry.
The Sky Behind the Storm
Seeker:
“Should I be calming my mind first before I feel the energy?
My head’s full of noise most days.
I try to meditate, but it just feels like I’m sitting with a storm.”
Bodhidharma:
"Then sit with the storm.”
Seeker:
“But… I thought the mind had to be calm first? So I can enter meditation?”
Bodhidharma:
“The gate to stillness is not built from calm.
It opens when you stop searching for calm.
When you stop resisting the storm, the sky reveals itself.”
Seeker:
“That’s hard. The world I live in is chaotic. Relationships, work, everything… it pulls my attention away. How do I begin?”
Bodhidharma:
“Begin with what is here.
With your body.
With breath.
With a small movement, done with great attention.
The ancient ones called this ‘Jing’ — your essence.
It is your rootedness, your form, your physical life.
When your body remembers how to rest and move with intention, your energy — ‘Qi’ — will begin to flow again.
Not because you controlled it…
but because you stopped blocking it.”
Seeker:
“So… energy comes from the body?”
Bodhidharma:
"It is stored there. But it is not from there.
The movement of the breath, the rising and falling of Qi
this, comes when form and spirit are no longer in conflict.
That is the treasure called ‘Shen’.
Not the mind that thinks,
but the awareness behind the thoughts.
The quiet witness who never left you.”
Seeker (voiceover):
“So how do your practices help with this?”
Bodhidharma:
“They are not rituals. They are reminders.
The movements open the body. (Jing)
The breath smooths the energy. (Qi)
The stillness invites the spirit home. (Shen)
In the temple, I taught monks who had renounced the world.
But you live within the world.
So your path is not escape. It is integration.
Each time you stretch with awareness, you’re saying:
‘I am here now.’
Each breath that returns to the belly says:
‘I no longer abandon myself.’
Each moment of stillness whispers:
‘This is enough.’”
Seeker:
“And the storm?”
Bodhidharma:
“Let it come.
Let it pass.
You are not the weather.
You are the sky.”
Welcome to the next phase of our Moving into Stillness journey - The Legacy of Bodhidharma.
If you've been with us before, you’ll know this is not about adding more - it's about letting go. And if you’re joining for the first time - you’re just where you need to be.
Over four weeks, we’ll explore three ancient practices attributed to Bodhidharma - the 18 Lohan Hands, Sinew Metamorphosis, and Bone Marrow Cleansing. These are not just movements - they’re invitations to return to your body, regulate your energy, and remember what has always been within.
We begin by regulating the flow of Qi - awakening energy where it is stagnant, settling it where it is scattered. Over time, this becomes cultivation - a steady and nourishing presence that restores harmony. At deeper levels, we refine essence into spirit, and spirit into stillness.
This course can stand alone or act as a continuation - deepening your Qigong, mindful movement, or meditation practice. You’ll come away not with something extra, but perhaps a little less - a little more space, a little more ease, a little closer to yourself.
In a recent class, a student shared:
It was when you said, ‘Shen must be calm - not suppressed’ that something inside shifted.
Another noticed the contrast:
When I was seeking with my mind, my energy rose. But when I let go, it sank and grounded in the hara. I hadn’t felt that before.
These experiences point to the essence of this course: not doing more - but noticing more deeply. Not achieving - but remembering.
Three interwoven teachings:
• 18 Lohan Hands - to open the gates, regulate flow, and energise the whole body
• Sinew Metamorphosis - to build internal strength without force
• Bone Marrow Cleansing - to refine, nourish, and restore the deepest layers of being
- Dates: Saturdays - 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th June 2025
- Time: 8.30 - 9.30am (UK time)
- Location: Online via Zoom
- Cost: £89
Recordings will be available if you miss a session.
Let’s return to the Way - not by force, but by presence.
Karuṇayā Saha (With Kindness)
Tim
