The Tao Is Calling: A Personal Journey Into Qigong, Softness, and the Art of Letting Go

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8

“The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.”
(Stephen Mitchell translation)

Under the waterfall, I listened. Its strength and softness spoke to me—reminding me of everything I’ve been longing to return to.

Water moves with quiet power, nourishing without effort—resting in humility, flowing in receptivity, trusting the unfolding path. Yet water also carries immense force, a truth our world is witnessing in devastating ways. I hold that polarity with care as I walk my path.

For decades, my life was steeped in the rhythm of academia—teaching, learning, and guiding others. In recent years, I’ve been called toward restoration—physically, emotionally, and energetically—both in my personal life and in the yoga and meditation I now share.

One of my earliest steady practices was Dahn Yoga, a Korean approach rooted in energy work and inner awareness. I learned a few chants in Korean and experienced practices that awakened subtle sensations in body and mind. That doorway led me deeper into yogic teachings, Tibetan Buddhism, and indigenous traditions carried through generations, each holding wisdom for listening inward, honoring the earth, and connecting with the unseen. I remain in awe of the internal science—mental, physical, and energetic—that these lineages hold, offering profound teachings on healing, resilience, and embodied presence.

Qigong had brushed past me before—its quiet power felt familiar, yet I hadn’t stepped fully inside. Recently, something shifted. The Tao Te Ching stirred a longing to live in harmony with nature’s rhythms and my own inner current. It invited me to soften, to loosen the grip of striving and control—and to embrace the polarity of strength and yielding, effort and release.

Now, I feel called—mind, body, and spirit—into the depth of Qigong. To move with ease. To breathe with awareness. To return to a grounded, centered way of being.

Breathing, listening, flowing—finding the still point where movement and rest meet, where strength and softness become one.

What’s Qigong?

In his book, The Root of Chinese Qigong: Secrets for Health, Longevity, and Enlightenment, Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming describes Qigong as “energy cultivation —the art of developing and harmonizing the body’s Qi, or life force, through movement, breath, and focused intention. Rooted in ancient Chinese wisdom, Qigong invites us to guide the mind so the body can naturally restore and strengthen itself. It is a practice of listening inward—flowing with life’s rhythms, clearing stagnation, and awakening the quiet current of vitality within.

There’s a quiet power waiting to be explored…