There is a quality within us that knows how to be here—present, connected, and quietly at ease—even as life moves and changes.
In Chinese medicine, this is called Shen: the spirit of the Heart.
It’s the light behind your awareness. The part of you that can meet experience without becoming lost in it.
When Shen is steady, we feel more like ourselves.
When it’s obscured, we can feel scattered, reactive, or disconnected.
This 5-week series is a space to gently return to that inner clarity—not by trying to fix anything, but by learning how to sense and trust what is already there.
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While I come to each class with a clear intention and framework, I teach responsively. Qi is not something to be forced or rushed, and I don’t believe learning happens best when experience is constrained by a rigid outline. As the group’s sensitivity deepens, practices may shift, slow down, or change direction to support what is actually emerging.
Over time, the emphasis in this class naturally moves toward direct experience—learning to listen, feel, and respond—rather than trying to “do it right.” This makes Sensing Qi especially supportive for those who are curious about energy work but want it grounded, paced, and integrated with the nervous system.
No prior experience with qi, taiji, or qigong is required.
Why This Work Matters
Many of us move through life guided by our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations—what we might call the body, heart, and mind.
These are important voices. But when they take the lead, we can feel pulled in different directions:
- caught in cycles of overthinking
- overwhelmed by emotion
- tense or unsettled in the body
Shen offers something different.
It allows us to stay connected to these inner experiences without being defined by them.
It brings a sense of steadiness that supports clearer choices, more ease in relationships, and a deeper feeling of being at home in ourselves.
Over time, this becomes less of a practice and more of a way of living.
How We Practice
Each class is one hour and includes:
- guided meditation
- gentle, accessible movement
- simple reflection or journaling
- space to notice your own direct experience
There’s nothing to achieve or get right.
This is a practice of becoming familiar with your own inner landscape.
What You May Begin to Notice
Over the course of five weeks, many people begin to experience:
- a greater sense of calm and steadiness
- more space between stimulus and reaction
- improved ability to stay present in relationships
- a subtle but meaningful sense of connection—to self, others, and life
Not because something new is added, but because something essential is remembered.
Week 1: Sensing Big Shen
We begin by stepping out of analysis and into direct experience.
Through meditation and simple reflection, you’ll explore a quieter layer of awareness—one that isn’t shaped by thoughts or emotions, but holds them.
Week 2: The Light of the Heart (Little Shen)
From that deeper ground, we return to everyday life.
We begin to sense how Shen expresses itself as warmth, presence, and connection—bringing brightness to how we relate to ourselves and others.
Week 3: The Natural Flow of Expression
We explore how Shen fits within the larger movement of life energy:
from potential, to growth, to expression.
This helps us recognize where qi feel stuck—and how expression can arise more naturally.
Week 4: Shen and the Nervous System
Here we connect this work to lived experience.
You’ll learn how Shen relates to states of stress and ease, and how it supports your ability to stay grounded, connected, and responsive in challenging moments.
Week 5: Living as the Tether
In our final session, we bring everything together.
We explore what it means to move through daily life connected to both inner stillness and outer experience—responding rather than reacting, and staying rooted in something steady within.
Build Inner Clarity
Whether you’re new to mindful practices or have practiced for years, this series offers a bridge between the felt and the unseen—a way to know energy through direct experience.
All that’s needed is curiosity, presence, and a willingness to listen.
Registration closes May 4th at noon!
Register Here