The 8 Pieces of Brocade Qigong (Ba Duan Jin): Standing and Sitting Variations

FORMAT: Zoom Webinar

DATE: Wednesday June 9, 2021, 12 - 2 PM PST

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Robert J. Woodbine, N.D., M.Ac.O.M., L.Ac.

CREDITS: 2 CEU/PDAs  (NCCAOM, FL, TX, pending CA) CA Provider #0619, Category 2 Live, NCCAOM PE-CW

COST: $35

REFUND POLICY: Full refunds offered up to 3 days prior to webinar.

This webinar will be offered online through Zoom. Please call 503.477.9731 or email trainings@acuwithoutborders.org with any questions.

The Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) is an effective and easy to learn Qigong sequence. This is an external elixir style of Qigong that benefits the internal organs as well as the extremities. While the Standing version is more popular and works with all of the body’s meridians, the Sitting option focuses on the meridians of the arms and is suitable for individuals who have difficulty standing or are convalescing.
 
​Learning Objectives:

First hour​ ​- Participants will learn the history of the Eight Pieces of Brocade. Qigong Wai Dan (external elixir) theory will be discussed relative to the extremities and internal organs. Each of the Standing Eight Pieces of Brocade patterns will be demonstrated followed by interactive participation with attendees. Variations to the standard pattern will be demonstrated, discussed and practiced. The hour will conclude with everyone performing the Standing sequence from beginning to end to experience the flow and timing of this option. Questions will be answered.

Second hour​ ​-  This hour’s objective will be to experience the Sitting option of the Eight Pieces of Brocade while emphasizing its benefits for individuals who have trouble standing or are bedridden. Each of the eight patterns in the Sitting version will be demonstrated and explained. Participants will then follow along. The hour will conclude with everyone performing the Sitting sequence in its entirety to experience the flow and timing of this option. Questions will be answered.

There are several benefits to learning and practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade​:​
1. Either version of the Eight Pieces of Brocade are easy to learn.
2. Practicing takes an average of 20 minutes daily.
3. The movements promote flexibility and strength in a gentle manner.
4. The movements promote mental clarity and focus.
5. The movements activate the Qi flow in the meridians and organs.
6. Consistent practice enhances the immune system.
7. Consistent practice improves overall health and well-being, increases personal energy, and speeds recovery from illness.  

INSTRUCTOR BIO

Dr. Robert J. Woodbine is a retired licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND). He earned his naturopathic medical degree in 1996 from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine (known now as the National University of Natural Medicine) in Portland, Oregon. While no longer in active clinical practice, he maintains his New York State Acupuncture License (L.Ac.). He earned his Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (M.Ac.O.M.) degree in 1999 from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine also in Portland, Oregon.

His interest in the healing arts was influenced by his grandmother who was a midwife and herbalist, his mother who was a seer, and his father who was a respected healer in Harlem and the person who taught him Foot Reflexology while a teenager.

Dr. Woodbine began studying, practicing and teaching Qigong and Taijiquan in 1985 with Master Mantak Chia. Since then he has studied with various well-known teachers. Most recently, he successfully completed a three-year training program in Qigong and Taijiquan with Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming in Northern California. Having returned to Harlem in July 2019, he founded Urban Qi FIT (www.urbanqifit.com) dedicated to preserving and teaching indigenous healing arts to cultivate self-reliance and resilience.

In 2007, with the blessing of the founder of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day (Bill Douglas), Dr. Woodbine created the Annual Harlem Celebration of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in St. Nicholas Park. As a member of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce’s Harlem Healthy Living committee, Dr. Woodbine received support from Tony Rogers, the Chamber, the Harlem Community Newspaper, and WHCR 90.3FM New York to make his vision of celebrating World Tai Chi and Qigong Day in Harlem a reality. Unique to his venue design was the inclusion of local holistic wellness practitioners who offered their expertise for free to community participants during the event each year. The objective was to increase awareness and access of these wellness options in the community. Dr. Woodbine will be a presenter and panelist for World Tai Chi and Qigong Day’s 2020 Online Summit September 26, 2020.

In the aftermath of the Katrina hurricane, Dr. Woodbine organized a fundraiser during the HARLEM Week™ wellness event to support Acupuncturists Without Borders’s efforts to treat survivors and first responders. He subsequently served on the Board of Acupuncturists Without Borders and founded a free acupuncture clinic for the Black Veterans Residence in Harlem. He currently is on the Advisory Board of Acupuncturists Without Borders. Dr. Woodbine also worked with Safe Horizons in Harlem as an Acupuncture Supervisor managing several NADA ADS providers, taught Qigong classes, and coordinated wellness care for homeless LGQBT youth.

He taught Qigong and Taijiquan to seniors as part of Harlem Hospital’s Walk It Out! Program, the Harlem Food Pantry on 116th Street, and SAGE in Harlem, Midtown and the Bronx. As a Certified Tai Chi for Arthritis & Fall Prevention Instructor (Dr. Paul Lam) he teaches seniors through the New York Department for the Aging, the Jewish Community Center Manhattan, and Temple University’s online Zoom services.

For seven years, Dr. Woodbine was also the host and producer of a weekly wellness talk show, Strategies for Optimum Wellness, on WHCR 90.3FM New York.

Dr. Woodbine is a writer and published author. He co-authored the novel Sun Chasers with Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, wrote a Foreward for The Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation, and was published in Kung Fu Magazine. He was a member of Sonia Sanchez’s Black Writers Workshop at the Countee Cullen Library in the early 1970’s and is a member of the historic Harlem Writers Guild.
 
An avid believer in the benefits of sound as a therapeutic modality, Dr. Woodbine plays the Australian Yidaki (Didgiridoo), does vocal harmonics or throat singing, and has used Quartz Singing Bowls therapeutically and in performance.