The Future of Medicine with Britta Stalling

This podcast recording was an interview from We Are Medicine Women, a project I was developing from 2020-2021.

The recordings are the recognition of how powerful we are. I trust this will be good medicine for you.

Enjoy!

• Transcript

  [00:00:00] I'm excited and very honored to have my guest for this episode, Britta Stalling. She is the co-facilitator and organizer of the international Zhineng Qigong Hun Yuan Qi Therapy Program in cooperation with Master Yuantong Liu. She is a teacher, a mentor, a leader. And for me, she is inspiration, kindness and generosity. Hi Britta! Welcome!
  
  [00:00:31] Hi, dear Mary! Oh, wow. You make me blushing up. I have a red face now! Thank you so much for this beautiful introduction. It's an honor to be invited by you. And I really look forward to an amazing conversation.
  
  [00:00:47] Thank you
  
  [00:00:47] A lot of insights, and being a contribution to your amazing audience.
  
  [00:00:52] Thank you. It's been an honor to be in the program and we'll talk more about that. The Zhineng qigong program is what I'm speaking of, but it's really a delight to speak with you. Now with all those, did I forget anything? Is there anything else you'd like our listeners to know about what you do in the world?
  
  [00:01:14] I think you captured it quite nicely. It is really my passion to be a contribution to others through this program we are co-facilitating and offering together. And I think, yeah, it has always been my passion to inspire others. And this comes a little bit naturally even other environments because I have a bit of a patchwork background. But looking back now this patchwork of experiences are like a red line and actually really have led to the way I'm supporting others now.
  
  [00:01:48] So It all made sense when I look back. Even if I worked in a completely different field. I've been an air hostess I've been working in the travel industry. I've working in the HR consultancy. Also in a training company for personal development and leadership skills, so coaching.
  
  [00:02:06] Setting up own businesses. It's like a very diverse background I have, but I feel that everything comes now together. All the skills and knowledge, I was able to and enhance or gain, really fall into place now.
  
  [00:02:19] Oh, perfect. I want to give listeners a clearer picture of your work, which is your joy. But first where are you right now? Where are you speaking from?
  
  [00:02:32] All right. You can probably hear from my accent that I'm originally from Germany. But I live in South Africa since 2005. I'm currently in Cape Town overlooking the beautiful ocean and the Cape Town Bay. The sun is bright. Yeah. We really have a lovely day today, quite warm. And I'm enjoying the seasonal change from winter to spring.
  
  [00:02:53] I'll mention, we first spoke to each other back in 2016, I believe. And I had heard from another practitioner, qigong practitioner, also acupuncturist close to where I live in Washington DC. And he was telling me about one of his friends who had gone to China and she had an amazing healing experience so much so that when she returned to the states, she had no evidence of disease. That caught my attention for sure. And so has led me here to being involved in the program with you and Master Liu. Before we jump into that, the people that I interact with are very interested in what this medicine can do for them. Talk a bit about how you came to Zhineng qigong. It'll be in the show notes, but it's spelled Z H I N E N G. Because there are, I dunno, Britta are there thousands of styles of qigong or hundreds? There's just many forms, correct?
  
  [00:04:03] Yes, apparently there are thousands of different forms. It's a very old traditional, ancient art. And also now signs which has been started in Asia and China. And develop them by Dr. Pang and be more available actually for, let's say, normal people because the traditional way of passing on qigong was more like a one-on-one style of teaching and sharing. And only selected students would be able to benefit. And Dr. Pang Ming who developed Zhineng qigong and also Hun Yuan Qi therapy, broke with this tradition, in the last century, like in the '70s, to really help people to benefit from it. Being a doctor in Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine himself and studying a lot of traditional qigong forms he really had this passion and intention to make it more available to the public. And this medicine- less hospital you were referring to started in China and then spread through individuals Zhineng qigong teachers from that hospital who started to learn English and go into the West and make it available then also for people like you and me. And this is actually amazing. Yeah. We are very blessed to have this opportunity.
  
  [00:05:20] We are. Because as you are well aware, I'm going to make some assumptions here, that in Europe and even in Africa, the continents and then North America, the way to heal when the body gets sick is through a medicine that's probably not older than 400 years old, Western medicine. It's a very modern way, modern medicine. And so qigong, Zhineng qigong and its founder, developer, how we want to frame Master Pang and his delivering of this method. What I think about is, what is qigong and then we'll talk a little bit more about how you came to it, but how do you tell or explain to people what this is?
  
  [00:06:10] That is a great question, actually. And I've presented it in different ways in the past. And in preparation of our talk today, I thought, okay, I try something new
  
  [00:06:20] Okay, good.
  
  [00:06:20] Because qigong has two words and the first one is qi it spelled q-i or in the west also C-h-i. People normally translate it into life force. So what is life force? It's something inside of you which gives you the force to live. It's maybe a very simple way to explain it. But then if we go to a more, let's say, sophisticated explanation and definition of qi, and following Dr. Pang's teaching, we could actually look at qi from two aspects. One aspect is the source of qi and this life force is not only running in our own physical body, it's also in nature. It's in the universe. It's in the plant. It's in the ocean. It's with the animals. So, if look at the source of qi we can define it by any living being, anything that is alive, also has qi. And then we can look at it from the forms of qi. And we have actually three forms. So life force as most of the people think about qi is only one of these three. It's related to the energy field inside our body or energy field of a tree or a bird or the ocean.
  
  [00:07:42] But it also has two more substances and one is the physical substance, of course, the physical meta-form. The other form is the information form, the information substance. And with Zhineng qigong we are really focusing a lot on the information substance. And if you think of that scientists say that only 4% of the universe is made of physical form, 96% is energy and information. Then you need to question whether the medicine we are referring to in the Western or even the Traditional Chinese Medicine, because there we also work with a physical meta-form, the herbs, for example or the acupuncture needles. So we focus on the form. but what is then the energy substance and the information substance? And obviously therapists who are learning to use also the energy and the information substance, for example acupuncturists are much more successful than those who only focus on the needles. And so having said that, we have a definition of what is qi Then the other definition is gong and this is always the key. Because gong means the methods, the tools, the systems, the approaches, the theories and the practice. And here, we really literally mean that you are open and willing and ready maybe also, to use your intention and your resources to practice these methods which are available. And here, I think sometimes people are not so ready to take these exercises, take these methods, take the meditations and dedicate a certain amount of their time in their daily life for practicing qi. And, I was actually coming to Zhineng qigong by a recommendation of a friend. So similar, like you shared earlier, at that time we were running actually an HR consultancy focusing on, developing leadership skills. And my friend was working in the Netherlands and she one day called me and said, Britta I've been to this amazing Zhineng qigong workshop and has so much to do with our coaching approach and how we support people to take control of their life and be more in charge and take responsibility, et cetera, et cetera. Be the leader in their own life or in their workplace or wherever. It took me almost two years until I was able to participate in a one day workshop in Germany because I was always involved in workshops myself over the weekend. But interestingly enough, one month before I moved to Cape Town, I had this one opening at this one weekend and there was this one day workshop. I took this CD and here to Cape Town. There were no teachers here, no practice group, nothing. Nothing on the internet because 2005, we didn't really have this information. No YouTube channel, no videos...
  
  [00:10:49] not that long ago, is it?
  
  [00:10:51] It's amazing. But to my surprise here with the CD, I was able to practice. And, to my surprise, I started to really experience the benefits.
  
  [00:11:02] So let me stop you right there for a second, because you had taken a one day workshop and got the CD or you had the CD?
  
  [00:11:10] When I completed this one day workshop, I bought one CD which was available. Because the sequences of the practice method you cannot memorize in one day, but the CD then helps you. At that time, we had CD so we put it in the CD player. And then with the CD player, I could practice these 20 minutes and I could easily do it.
  
  [00:11:32] So even in that short of a time period, and this is what I want listeners to get that the power of this medicine, and this is also been true for my students or even my patients when I recommend certain movements or meditations that you will feel something shift. It works that immediately. Is that what you're saying?
  
  [00:11:52] Yes. And I give you one example which was giving me some food for thought you could say, because we came to Cape Town, my husband, myself, and we started a new business in a completely new area we were not so familiar with. Originally, we had the idea to move to South Africa to have more free time and enjoy the nature and really have a more comfortable time. Yes. Everybody who starts a new business knows that you spend a lot of time. So literally we were working a lot and even on Saturdays. So we only had this one day off. And we would work with a new team. So we had 15 new team members and a general manager. And nevertheless, despite this amount of work, I started the practice and I kept my own qigong practice. And two, or three months while I was in this practice, suddenly the general manager in the break, we were starting a conversation and she looked at me and said, Britta, have you been on holiday? I know you actually have not been on holiday lately because you're working so much.
  
  [00:12:58] And I see you in the office every day, but something is different with you. You are more relaxed. You are smiling more. And I was already thinking wow was I so unfriendly or what was happening. And this outer perception from my colleague really gave me so much food for thought that I was thinking, so where does this come from? Because inside I knew with the amount of work we were doing, I didn't have a holiday or whatever.
  
  [00:13:26] And what I also noticed is that in our office, when there's a new virus and bacteria, people catch it quicker here in South Africa when they come from abroad, because we are just not used to the bacterias, which are in these countries. So we had people suddenly have a stomach flu or whatever. But I was in the same office and I didn't catch it. And I was already a little bit, let's say, astonished because I was really new to this kind of practice and to what it had to offer. So there were little pieces coming together month by month, which really were stunning in a way. And also I noticed I was more creative. My husband and I, we were doing some business adventures already before in Germany. And we had certain roles. My husband was always the person thinking big, having these creative ideas. And I was really strong in management and implementing all these ideas. And now coming to Cape Town and we had this new business model. We had, of course, a lot of challenges obviously. Suddenly, I wasn't put In this position to give solutions and ideas to specific business challenges. And I was like looking at my husband. I was like, was that now coming out of my mouth because he just said this is an amazing idea, let's implement it. I go wow!
  
  [00:14:46] So you have said a whole lot and what I want to break it down a little bit. Here's what I'm hearing is that the one day workshop you took to get, what I call the moves down at least embodied, more embodied with the teacher in a room full of people. And then buying the CD at that time, the technology was a compact disc. And then, putting it in the machine at home and practicing daily. Were you practicing daily or five times a week or twice a day? Do you remember?
  
  [00:15:19] Yes. I clearly remember because up until then I never really built up a daily routine. And I will be very honest to you that I didn't practice daily at that time. I think I practice may be 3, 4, 5 times a week.
  
  [00:15:34] Okay. That's good. Because what I want to give people a sense is that when we practice the style of qigong, it doesn't take, let's just say a lot of time for things to start moving. It doesn't mean that things will suddenly change. It's why it's called a practice. But you started practicing when you made time for it. But you were noticing changes in not just what it sounds like in your physical body. Maybe feeling more open or joints feeling better or sleep feeling better, but others that you engage in the world with were noticing, I would say your qi .They weren't actually seeing your qi because that's that invisible life force. It's the thing that's difficult to explain. But people were taking notice that you seem lighter, you seemed happier. Like you had been on holiday, as you said, yeah. And you were clearer. If qi is moving, right? If this life force is freely moving in your body, there is no discomfort in the body. There's no discomfort in the mind. There's no emotional issue, it gets resolved sooner. It's not that you don't get upset or angry. There's less of maybe a high and a low. Does that sound right?.
  
  [00:16:50] Yeah, that sounds absolutely right. Because what we know about qigong is that you are really working on the physical level to improve the body functions and abilities of your physical body. But we also work on the mental level. And that means, being more stable. Anybody here in this audience who has ever started a new business or a new project just knows it is not as easy often when you are in it. You need a lot of creativity. You need stability. You need to keep being relaxed and have this, like you said, open mind, open heart for challenges and overcoming these.
  
  [00:17:29] I clearly remember that Zhineng qigong really had the practice. That's also one reason why I kept my practice and also then enhanced it obviously. But also, it works on an emotional level. So I kept my balance, despite the stress involved. In our Western terminology we would probably say stress which is related to starting a new business .So it works on these three levels. Emotionally, mentally and physically. And that's also why I'm not astonished anymore, but up until that time, I've never kept a practice for so many years. I have tried yoga. I've tried other forms of meditation. Like in Germany, I went to a Buddhist center regularly to meditate and I really liked the teacher. I even went with a teacher to France into a meditation retreat. So I really liked the meditation style, but I would never really take it home and practice by myself. I always needed to go there. So what I like about Zhineng qigong is that you can take it wherever you go. And, I also liked to travel. So I traveled at that time also quite regularly. And I could take my practice literally into the hotel room. Or when I visit my family, because you only need a limited amount of space, And in that way, it's very inviting to keep going.
  
  [00:18:48] I remember talking with you back in 2016, and I remember you were telling me about this two year certification. So for those that aren't aware, I'm finishing up a two year certification that got sidelined a little bit with, COVID-19. But I remember thinking, oh, I've got a practice, which there's something about doing something daily that sounds awesome. But then at the same time, it also sounds like, oh, I got to add one more thing to my day. And I remember you were like yes, Mary, to get the most out of this and especially if you'd like to teach it and have your, body, mind, emotions, spirit also be in alignment, this is the process. I remember seeing that almost not as a negative, but it's interesting that, we practice a lot of things, Britta. We practice daily, like worry or anxiety. And I tell people, this is a new practice. You're not going to know what to do right away, but we want to be able to interrupt the practices you already do almost unconsciously. Like you get up, you worry, you start thinking about the day. Those are, I say, practices. It's so embedded in being a human, right? I invite people to think of this as we're interrupting that so your body can now work better. Why you're coming to see me is so we interrupt the pattern you have going. And needles is just one way as a licensed acupuncturist here in the states, but the qigong is also a way to do that. Plus you can take this medicine, this qigong medicine, as you were saying throughout your entire life. You don't have to come to my office to do it. I want you to learn to do it yourself. You can take it with you, anywhere, up until, your death. Is that something that resonates with how I explain it? Because I'm open to feedback since you are my teacher.
  
  [00:20:44] You have explained it beautifully and also very powerfully and empowering. Because to me, Zhineng qigong became a journey. I started like a newbie without big intention, to be honest, because I've just followed the recommendation of my friend. And then, at the end of the workshop, one of the teachers waved me goodbye and said, oh, one day you bring Zhineng qigong to South Africa. I was really looking at her, like, what is she talking about? I don't even know if I practice this by myself. But what actually the practice brings is what you just said. It interrupts habits. It interrupts, thought patterns we have built up over time.
  
  [00:21:23] We might not be even aware how limiting they are and how much we are in disservice to ourselves. And this practice, you do meditative movements, which are enjoyed a bit. The moment you start practicing, you already experience something is shifting inside. And why is it shifting? Because Zhineng qigong is an open qigong form. We are in constant exchange with the life qi of nature and the universe and our own life force. And in this way, we are balancing and transforming and changing. And also living more in alignment with the principles and laws of the universe and nature. And I think here, through the practice, and even if you start just three, four times a week, and then you continue to build it up, you will find that there's an inner longing for this balance. That naturally you are then maybe more in tune with who you are. Who, are you really, as you start asking these questions and what kind of values do you have and what you bring, what do you want to bring into the world? What kind of contribution do you want to be for your partner, for your family, for your neighbors, in your job? What I've noticed is that qigong helped me to become literally a better person. Also, in a work environment, which has nothing to do with qigong and I'm keeping up this kind of work environment. Part-time I work as a partner in an HR consultancy. It's a little bit like my own research project. Who am I in this environment and how can I bring the qigong principles in that environment that everybody can win? My core value is actually create. win-win situations, win-win relationships and really coming out of a place of respect. And what I noticed, maybe Mary, I should've mentioned that I have been a person not so much, out of me not so much naturally, inner joy would arise.
  
  [00:23:23] So, from the outside, really successful people would look at me and say, oh, Britta's doing really great. Oh, wow. Now she's even moving to South Africa. What a courageous woman! She's following her dream. And from outside, everything looked really fine, but from inside, I was missing that alignment from really coming from a place of joy and happiness. Who I am, I can really stand in for. I don't know if this is the right English. And this has been a process to my practice. I'm more aligned with my self and who I am. So this is a big achievement, I think. If more human beings managed, to be like that, then you could maybe also say authenticity. If people more authentic about who they are, and how they communicate with others. I think this already would be really changing the world.
  
  [00:24:14] Oh, I agree. Life-changing. And so what you just said is so rich with meaning, because I think that my experience with being a Chinese medicine practitioner in the states, there's many styles of acupuncture, herbal medicine because there's many schools of thought coming from China and the ancient texts and books. The translation to America or to Western colleges that give you a degree in this, I know it's not the same. There's some kind of westernized version of the original medicine. And I get that. And to learn something deeply, you have to study and you have to do this self examination. I think that's what the Eastern medicines offer is this opportunity. It's not to just deliver something to help you through symptoms or a rough patch, but it's to ask the client, the patient about your alignment with who you really are. And that requires some deeper conversations. Western medicine, it's more of take this pill, you'll feel better. Have this surgery, we'll get you back up and running again. And that's all fine. That's needed urgent care. There is this level of wanting to discuss with teachers like you, the benefits of something that's more holistic that offers a person more to do that deeper dive because of the skimming of the surface that we often do in life, where we don't go deep, I feel as a huge missing in not only the Western culture, but you know, our Western culture seeps into all other cultures and affects, right? And so I have this desire to have conversations with these medicines or these healing techniques that offer a much bigger container for why your body, why your mind, why your life is showing up in a way that it's painful. That it's hard. All to say that the medicine that I'm learning from you and Master Liu has totally changed. Even as a Chinese medicine practitioner for 11 years has totally changed and deepened my own level of coming to understand how I operate in the world. And so I just want to say thank you.
  
  [00:26:47] Oh, thank you.
  
  [00:26:48] But I will also want to get your sense of... because most people, you said you came to this from your friend who recommended it because as let's get into, why people come to this medicine, most people are sick or they're not feeling well. And then their Western doctors not giving them a whole lot because it's disease management in Western medicine. But you didn't come to this as someone who had an illness, correct? Plenty of people that have.
  
  [00:27:16] Yes, that's correct. I came based on the recommendation of my friend, but recently I was also thinking that maybe my larger life intention brought me actually to Zhineng qigong. My father died when I was eight years old Because of cancer. And also my grandmother. I was very close to her, had a lot of illnesses over the last 20 or 30 years of her life. So in me, there must've been like, an intention to prevent illness, which was initiated already very early in my life. Because of course, if you're only eight years old, the sadness of losing your father, with my siblings, with my mom, there was a lot of sadness in our family. So I wanted to prevent illness in order to not cause sadness to another person, but also do not have the suffering. So having said that, I think my life intention of preventing illness and Zhineng qigong you can really practice to prevent illness. Because as we said earlier, working on a holistic level and keeping, for example, your immune system strong towards any kind of virus. But also helping you when you're getting older, normally the organs and your whole body function, they lose the life force. But with the practice, you are actually enhancing that qi inside of you so that you can keep up and be strong and vital and enjoy vibrant health, no matter your age. But having said that, I started to teach and share since 2006. And since then, I have witnessed many amazing recovery stories and actually we are collecting them in a Zhineng healing story database. But, there's a lot of confirmation that Zhineng qigong works. It works for diseases where the western medicine does not have an answer. For example, parkinson, multiple sclerosis. It even works for people suffering from cancer, from heart diseases, from diabetes,
  
  [00:29:05] Can I ask? Do you have a particular story that of healing that stands out, a case study that stands out?
  
  [00:29:13] That is really a good question because I think each individual human being who embarks on this journey, and I really like to call it journey because some are recovering very fast and others practice for maybe a few months or even longer and need more time until the body functions completely recover. But what comes into my mind are actually three stories.
  
  [00:29:36] One is from my mother, because she has a six lumbar vertebra. And that was only discovered when she was like 57 or 58 years old. So quite late in her life. And she already had, a lot of back pain, of course, asthma, heart problems, shoulder, neck problems. She was literally very ill. She was a school teacher not able to pursue her work for up to three months per year. Cut the story short. When I started Zhineng qigong, she then noticed the changes and the improvements in my life. So then, she got curious and she started to practice herself. And after nine months of practice, her symptoms which he had decades, disappeared. Even her doctor, who treated her for decades, when he spontaneously saw her walking on the streets, he came up to her and said, I haven't seen you in my practice for such a long time. What is happening? Oh, by the way, you look also amazing, what is happening? She said, yeah, I started this Zhineng qigong practice. And this was the impact and the effect, and then the doctor signed up for my next workshop, which I was giving in my hometown.
  
  [00:30:43] That's so great!
  
  [00:30:45] And then he was in this workshop. He was very excited and positive. He actually brought his whole team. And then another story is from a person suffering from MS. He was at our workshop in Germany. Multiple sclerosis. His disease was already advanced, so his organs started to shut down. He had a sincere sleeping disorder. He could hardly memorize. He lost his sense of taste. So very much advanced and he didn't really believe in qigong .So his wife actually pushed him into this workshop. It was a five days workshop. He had to write down when he had to drink water. So he literally lost his sense for thirst. He regained his sense for thirst within only five days. He slept better. He could eat better. So his stomach didn't have all these reactions. So that was interesting. He then started to say, okay, I did this five day workshop. I did not recover, but already this and this improved. So then he said, if I continue by myself, what, what could happen? So he did it like a personal research for himself and whenever he had symptoms coming up, he would just practice the core method of Zhineng qigong is Hold Qi Up Pour Qi Down method. He would stop whatever he was doing. Practice. He practiced up to six hours a day. And after a few months, half a year, up to nine months, he had a doctor's appointment with his neurological doctor, and he was almost symptom free of Multiple Sclerosis. Now that the doctor in Germany obviously said, that's great news for you. Sorry, I cannot promote that here in the hospital, maybe I would lose my job but please go ahead and enjoy your and now he became a teacher. He's sharing this with people in need. That is very inspiring. Actually what we can observe many people who have a very sincere illness overcome this illness through their own practice, they then decide to start a teacher's training to be able to support others. And that's the normal way. That also happened in the medicine less hospital, apparently. A lot of people when they embarked on three weeks or three months program, recovered and then went on to become a teacher, directly trained under Dr.. Pang Ming. But now we have this medicine-less hospital in the west, we have it with you, Yes. So that's very powerful.
  
  [00:33:11] I've also had amazing results with people that come in and they want to be in the more in the passive state, I call it. They want to receive the acupuncture and they're not necessarily doing anything. They're laying on the table or sitting in a chair and I'm the one doing the work. But I also credit people, now with my training, is to have them activate, what we know is the Shenji Palace, the center space deep inside the brain. So I have my patients be more active, but I also have them leave with some, quote unquote homework for movement. I'm very big proponent, as you are, to have people learn, to be engaged, to participate in the medicine, because this is participatory medicine. It has to be for it to be a sustainable. If you can't get to your doctor or your acupuncturist, what are you going to do? So for me entering this medicine, I wasn't sick either. I have been very sick in my life. But at this time, I wanted to have my own health and wellbeing, have medicine for that as I age, but I also wanted it to teach something else so people could be more involved in their own health and wellbeing. And I'm sure that's how it is with you as you teach and do workshops.
  
  [00:34:25] I think you nailed it down to a very important point because we are talking about the distinction between passive and initiative medicine or what you call participatory. This is also the distinction we are making in our Hun Yuan Qi therapy program. Each of this medicine, they have their role and their importance. For example, if you break your leg, then maybe you need an operation in order to get it healing again. But you ask for amazing healing stories, we have Zhineng Qigong practitioners who break their arm bone, their upper arm bone, for example. I've witnessed that with a friend here in Cape Town. She did not need an operation. She really used the Zhineng qigong healing aspect. In the natural way, the bones have the ability to grow together, again, but she used her conscious awareness abilities to support that process. And so that the doctors really were astonished about the speed of this healing happening and the recovery. And also the effectiveness of the recovery. Dr. Pang also has a definition of qigong saying that through our practice, we are able to actively apply our own consciousness inwardly to manifest health intentions, or other intentions in our life. And speaking about this initiative medicine, where we are needed to participate. We are needed to awaken our true self, and to awaken, help our body to actually create this processes of self healing because our body has that ability. If we cut our finger, we put a plaster on it we don't think about it anymore. One, two or three hours later, we take it off and the skin has healed together. Nobody thinks about this, but actually it's an amazing process!
  
  [00:36:19] I tell people when they come into me with different ailment, they're like, I'm sick. No, you are healing. Once your body gets out of balance. When you feel out of balance, it's actually the moment you're also healing. Is that what you mean as well?
  
  [00:36:35] Absolutely. Absolutely. Because every healing crisis is an opportunity to go deeper with what is going on in your life or maybe discovering the source of the symptoms of, or, maybe the diagnosis, and then start healing. What we say is from the Zhineng qigong perspective, what is true health, we actually have three pillars. One pillar is related the brain, nervous system. And all our practice actually support that your brain cells and your central nervous system is really functioning well. The other pillar is related to balance in your life, harmonious relationships. And what we mean by that is the relationship to nature. The relationship to other human beings. The relationship between you and your own true self and the relationship between your mental, emotional, and physical. That alone, Mary, we can talk for hours about this aspect of what is true health then we have the third aspect where we emphasize a lot with our qigong practices. Moving away from negative polarity into positive polarity. Really observe your thoughts and move away from worry and anger, sadness into positive, empowering states, inner states and nourishment and nourishing positive emotions, nourishing positive thoughts. And this alone is quite, an invitation, especially nowadays, but probably since humanity exists, we are really invited to become more aware of what we are thinking, and observe what impact that has. And I give you one quick example. Maybe your audience remembers a few years ago in South Africa, we had quite a drought. So literally it was in the international news that Cape Town might go out of drinking water. And that was a real threat. I was at that time in Cape town and we were observing the water dam levels, week by week, day by day, because there were official numbers. And we were really surprised, coming from Germany, we were observing that we were seeing that the water was getting scarce and that there's a real chance that in April, the city doesn't have water. And, people here were really still enjoying life. We had summer they were singing, they were laughing, they were celebrating and we were thinking, okay, great. That's a nice way to obviously go along, but I personally noticed I started worrying because I really could see that this is a real chance happening. I was worrying a lot. We were already implementing a plan to move ourselves to a different city in South Africa where they didn't have that threat because we were picturing already that there was so much panic in the city because drinking water, I mean is substantial for life.
  
  [00:39:29] Water is life. Yes.
  
  [00:39:31] Water is life?
  
  [00:39:31] So, we were looking for a new office space and a room to live for a few months until maybe then winter arrives and the dam would fill themselves up with water again. Having said that, I started the worrying and I noticed immediately how my stomach reacted and I had stomach pain for three days. Until I realized, the stomach pain came from my worry. That was in February. Then I said, okay. Britta, you need to stop this. You need to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. So how can you employ your qigong practice to overcome this challenge. And I started to go deeper with my practice, really stop worrying the stomach pain immediately disappeared. Also, there was a solution then suddenly that the city of Cape town, took away the water from the farmers. And in this way we overcame the shortage and then we went into winter and we had enough winter rain, that we overcame this crisis.
  
  [00:40:26] You averted the crisis. So what you're saying also is what Master Liu and you say yourself all the time is, where the mind goes, the qi will flow. Yes? And so what you focus your attention on expands. Because you could focus and worry, and what you expand is worry. We're human beings. We're very complex. Emotions are fine, and they are represented in Chinese medicine as the five emotions. And they inform you how you're doing. They're like barometers for your wellbeing. Anger is fine. But, anger is this energy to move things. It's got a very directional forward momentum. So if you're angry at something, you can use that mode of force to break through into creativity, but you don't hang out there. I tell people it's like a really bad neighborhood. You want to get through it as quickly as you can, but you want to recognize and use the energy to move you forward into a space of ease and calm, but you just use the energy, the tension that you're feeling in that emotion to get you to go, oh wait, I'm over-focused on this. I need to as you said, find a solution. It's okay to feel this emotion and I'm going to help myself by using it to forward myself. Or to go deeper. Or to make it into something that's useful, not only for yourself, but for the people around you.
  
  [00:41:50] Yes. When I listen to you, I heard also the voice of Master Yuantong Liu who always emphasizes. Yes, you have your emotions, as you say, we are human beings. But learn to have them under the control of your mind. Really train your consciousness so that, yeah, train your consciousness so that you can, like you say, use the energy for something which is more life enhancing and more supportive then, yeah, destroying or depleting. I also noticed that, because of the worry, I was depleting my life energy. And, I could not contribute to be a solution. I guess that's very much more empowering. I also wanted to mention, Mary, because there is this book, The End of Illness and I don't know if you know it or the audience knows it.
  
  [00:42:38] I have heard it. Yes. I think you've mentioned before.
  
  [00:42:42] Yes. It's written actually by the Chief Oncologist who has helped, or tried to help Steve Jobs to heal from his cancer. And in this book, coming back to the aspect of participative medicine, he as a doctor in oncology, promotes that people should stop calling themselves patients when they go to a doctor. Really start to awaken to their responsibilities and to their proactive initiative part in this process. And I think that is the future. Also, Dr. Pang promotes, he has declared and maybe in 10 or 20 years, we will have much more available this integrative medicine that we are integrating western medicine, TCM medicine and nutrition, other natural healing methodologies, Qigong medicine, coaching, mentoring, really integrated so that we are evolving more into self empowerment and also leading our own life coming from a place of responsibility and controlling our life. We can actually control our life much more than we believe about ourselves. And especially when we learn to go more inwardly. When we are always on the outside, external world, and especially nowadays, what's going on in the world, you can literally, if you're more aware, experience how you're depleting your energy and your life force and give it away to the media, or to the events happening instead of nourishing your own life. And in that way, only us, ourselves, so each of us is invited to come to the conclusion or come to the invitation, maybe, to awaken to our own true self, our own power and potential. Maybe sometimes people go like, I've heard it's there, and they speak about this also. Yeah, then you need to really go a step deeper and say, okay, did you understand it intellectually? And what does it mean then practically? How does it show in your own daily life activities, towards your family members, towards your work colleagues, towards nature, the environment, towards your inner life? Really take more time to reflect. Are you living the life you want? Are you living really according to your life's intention or are you living a life according to somebody else's intentions or expectations?
  
  [00:45:07] We have a few more minutes before we wrap up. A couple things came to mind is you were speaking. One of them is, do you find it as a westerner living in Europe and South Africa, is it easy to talk about this with people? Do you find yourself more reactive? Meaning people come to you and they've heard or seen your classes or seen you on the website or, they know of somebody who knows that you do workshops. In the west, how do you feel that Zhineng qigong is being received? Do you have a sense of that?
  
  [00:45:46] Yes. Over the years, I really see a shift or a change. In the beginning, when I started to teach and share, I really felt that I had to explain a lot and also try to convince people maybe of this different lifestyle, or also the potential and possibilities this practice can bring into one's life. What I noticed since, maybe one or two, maybe even three years, is that more and more people start questioning themselves, their lifestyles, their choices. Also there's more questioning around the way western medicine is perceived and seen. Doctors not really in a position to take enough time to talk to you, and to really get to know you and to really understand the individual situation you are in. So I noticed that people are more in need for a practice or lifestyle which accommodates more a holistic way. And I also feel people who start embarking on the Zhineng qigong journey, they get it quicker. It's actually not rocket science. It's really actually, it's super easy. A child can grasp it super quick, real quick. We are not talking about something very complicated. So in a way I feel that, yeah, people are more wakening up to it and it doesn't matter whether it's in Europe or in South Africa. But what I have to say is that there are people who still focus on passive medicine. And also that's okay. If you choose to, let's say, ask somebody else to take responsibility for your life. That's also a choice. But I also find that people are more awakening to the idea of, yes, I'm in charge for my life. And yes, I have more opportunities than I think. Yes, I can really regain control of my And then they're also willing to practice either qigong or find maybe like-minded people. Or, go to you as an amazing acupuncturist, and then participate in the healing methodologies you are offering. Maybe I give a quick, example. I've injured myself earlier this year in my lower back. And as I've studied many methods to practice, specifically for improving my back functions and also helping my lower back to heal. So I started immediately to change my practice routine to enhance the recovery process. And in that process, I then thought but it would also be so nice if I have some support and not only always do it by myself. I first went to a doctor trained in Western medicine. He only prescribed painkillers. I took one pill, I got so many side effects, I threw all the pills away. He also asked me to come back 10 days later. I went back. Already much improvement because of my own practice. And then he also said Britta looks already much better. I know you also practicing qigong, go home to your practice. Maybe you could go swimming that will also help. I thought, okay, great. I go home. But then I really felt it still would be nice because I know with this kind of injury, it would take time. It would not be overnight, I probably need a couple of weeks or months So then I suddenly thought maybe I find a great TCM doctor. And then I can benefit from acupuncture treatments. My husband recommended me one doctor. She still had a practice here in Cape Town. I went to see her and then get the acupuncture treatments.
  
  [00:49:14] And, together with my daily qigong practice and the acupuncture treatments, which I received once a week and some herbal medicine. She also said take these herbal medicine because they will strengthen your kidneys and with the strength and kidney qi your back pain and your back will recover much faster. And together, it was really great. So now that I speak to you, I experienced the integrative medicine in a very powerful way myself this year. And maybe the message is to our audience, be more open to start a practice which you find meaningful and which brings joy into your life. And this might be qigong. This might be meditation. It might be yoga. This might be more nature. Be in nature to take a walk or in the mountains, or take a bicycle, next time you want to go to someplace instead of riding the car. So really question your own self and find your own life nourishing activities. And then also when you are facing a certain diagnosis and disease, don't do it alone. Really find a partner who you feel at home with, and really partner up with that doctor or therapist so that you can really create a journey together. This is much more empowering. Yeah, that's the journey.
  
  [00:50:40] That brings me to the final thought I had in our discussion is, so much of our Western culture is about DIY, do it yourself. And I say that half-heartedly when I tell people I want you learn something so if you can't get to your doctors or your practitioners, you'll have something to turn to that's really nourishing and can really help. But there's also the overboard of I don't need any help, I'll figure it out myself and that kind of American bootstrap way of being that we have here.
  
  [00:51:11] But I have found that as I teach and practice, when I'm with other people, the qigong practice feels stronger. Would you agree? I figure you might, but I want it to reemphasize that yes, practicing alone is amazing, but when you practice with other people, it really amplifies what we know is the qi field.
  
  [00:51:33] Yes. The reason lies in the way Zhineng qigong is designed because a lot of qigong forums are focusing on the life force of one self only, But Dr. Pang has designed Zhineng qigong as an open qigong system, utilizing the nature and the universal qi and exchange between our physical, mental, emotional qi with nature and the universe. And also has introduced the idea of organizing a qi field for our own practice, but also for any kind of life activity. And in that way, using the information substance which is in the universe, to enhance then the practice effect and impact. One simple picture, one could imagine is, if you take a group of soldiers, they march in a specific way. If this group of soldiers cross a bridge, the leader of this group, the officer would ask the soldiers, please stop marching the same steps, walk everybody in her or his own rhythm so that the bridge can not break. Because if soldiers are marching in one synchronized way, then the bridge could actually break because you create a lot of force when you're focusing on the same movement or a same same direction. Yes. And if we practice , we are organizing the qi field for self healing, for manifesting all life intention. And then we are, practicing the same movements at the same time. This enhances the experience of a qi field and has a better impact for the objective of the practice.
  
  [00:53:09] This has been such an amazing conversation. And I wanted to just give a little time that, you have some workshops and classes coming up for international peoples. Maybe you'd mention that as well. We'll certainly links at the end of the show notes and on the website, but why don't you. just tell people what they can be involved in, even if you've never tried the style before.
  
  [00:53:36] Yes. Thank you so much. So yes, we have, for example, the qigong starter kit. So that is a one and a half hour session. That's free of charge to get a glimpse into what Zhineng qigong is and a very basic method which we call La Qi. I am teaching and sharing in this one and a half hours. We also have the Lift Qi Up workshop. That's the two days workshop where you learn the main method of Zhineng qigong. We also of course have the Hun Yuan Qi Therapy program, which is a two years program to support you to study and going deeper with the art and science for your own self healing progress or manifesting any kind of life intention. Or if you want to share this with others as a Hun Yuan Qi therapist, then you're very welcome to do it. Also, we have set up what we call the Zhineng Qigong Students Hub. Here you can find Zhineng qigong teachers from around the world. If you want to study with somebody in your country or from your area, you might find a teacher there. And then I can recommend you, Mary. They should check you out and go and visit you.
  
  [00:54:39] Thank you. Yes. I have to say this journey has been incredibly life-changing in so many ways, like depth and inspirational and opened up my world and my medicine.
  
  [00:54:51] Oh, one more question. What is your medicine, Britta? You're a westerner bringing this medicine in a particular way. What is your gift, your medicine that you offer people? Have you thought about that before?
  
  [00:55:04] Yes. And I have, I think I'm invited to continue to think about it because it's really a deep question which we can reflect and go deeper and deeper. And probably we are also invited to look if we want to answer this question, to look into our childhood or something, which is there already very naturally. So you're not acquiring this, your own medicine, your own skill, your talent, or your gifts, maybe, your blessing. You might not acquire them through going to school, going university, or you might, acquire even. It is not in a book, reading a book or coming to the Hun Yuan Qi therapy program. This is more like going deeper and reflecting inside, what is like maybe like the red dot in your life. What comes up naturally again and again, doesn't matter which kind of environment you're in. And I think that my own medicine or my blessing, my what I've been blessed with throughout my life is that I really have this inner longing, or wish to be, or even now, it's a life intention to be a healing contribution. To really support harmony wherever I am. It comes naturally. I try to bring people together, networking or supporting each other or inspiring growth or inspiring transformation, inspiring being more aware, inspiring to smile. Now that I learned how to smile to myself and to others, to really bring joy and to create a meaningful life. Because at the end, life is short. The gift my father brought to me only being 34 years old, I suddenly realized, oh, wow, I'm still alive. Where my father in that age had to say goodbye to his physical life at that specific time. And this awareness, then, I start to question myself, do I actually honor the life he gave to me?
  
  [00:57:06] So yeah, I think that is maybe a gift I have, which I then applied for myself, being a healing contribution in my own life because I needed to heal mentally and emotionally. Physically I was already, as a small child, had this intention to prevent myself from physical illness because I saw that suffering.
  
  [00:57:24] Thank you Britta so much. I have to say we're out of time as you and I have talked, we could go on and on and I'd certainly love to have you as a guest again, because there's so many things we didn't touch on. So, I again, want to thank you from the bottom of my heart that you agreed to come to my fledgling show.
  
  [00:57:48] Mary, thank you so much for your amazing questions and also the great conversation. It felt, I don't know, a few minutes, not really that we're out of time that I think is always a great sign because then we were able to dive into it. And yes, this is only the beginning of a conversation. And I trust your listener in the audience really got a great inspiration, as Mary and I, we really hope we can inspire you maybe already today. To think something different, to do something different, to be different, maybe smile more today, find new inspiration. And we trust that we meet each other sometime in the future.
  
  [00:58:28] And you can find more about Qigong and Britta Stalling at bodyandmindfactory.com or hunyuanqitherapy.com for workshops, teachings, videos. Also on social media, on Instagram, Facebook. And I'll be sure to put those in the show notes.
  
  [00:58:48] Be sure to follow and like The Medicine Women podcast. And you can also get ahold of me and check out other shows on we are medicine women.com and on Instagram.
  
  [00:59:00] Thanks again, Britta!
  
  [00:59:03] Thank ,you too. Have an amazing day!
  
  [00:59:05] Thank you. Bye bye.