The Water Way: Releasing and Returning to Wholeness through Qigong and Meditation

The Water Way is an evening meditation workshop that brings Qigong, Dharma teaching and guided meditation together around one theme: letting go. It is offered by Spirit Rock Meditation Center of Woodacre, California, and led by Rōshi Teja Fudō Myōō Bell, a Rinzai Zen master and long-time teacher of Chinese Internal Arts. It suits anyone who wants a gentle, unhurried way to settle the body and loosen their grip, whatever their experience.

The evening is held online over Zoom, and the page also lists an on-land registration option for Spirit Rock. The teaching is in English, with Spanish also listed.

What to Expect

The idea behind the evening is that letting go can happen the way ice softens in the sun, simply because warmth is near. Ice becomes water, water rises as mist, and mist opens into space. The practice follows that movement.

The session runs from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Pacific Time. It begins with settling into the body and the breath, then moves through these parts:

- Standing and seated Qigong, with attention on the ground beneath you
- Breath allowed to find its own easy rhythm
- Dharma reflections on impermanence and the freedom of loosening our grip
- A guided dissolving meditation, done seated or reclining, carried by soft singing bowls and rising from the feet to the warmth of the heart
- A return to upright, easeful presence

The tone is kind and steady, and you take part at your own pace. As the teaching puts it, you may discover you have been held all along.

About Rōshi Teja Fudō Myōō Bell

Rōshi Teja Fudō Myōō Bell is a lineage dharma teacher and Rinzai Zen master, the 84th ancestor of Lin-Chi I-Chuan's Chan lineage. He holds a 6th degree Black Belt in Aikido and has spent his life practicing and teaching Chinese Internal Arts and Qigong. He teaches internationally, in China and Europe, and brings meditation and Dharma together with these body-based arts.

Before You Go

This program is open to all levels. No prior Qigong or meditation experience is needed, and you are welcome to sit or recline during the guided meditation. The traditions drawn on are Zen, Qigong and the Chinese Internal Arts.

Registration includes:

- Qigong movement instruction
- Guided meditation
- Dharma reflection
- Singing bowl accompaniment
- Unlimited access to the program recording, which becomes available about ten days after the evening

Please register for only one format, online or on-land. Registration closes at 3:00 pm Pacific Time on the day of the program, and a waiting list is kept if it fills early. Fees follow a sliding scale with scholarship rates for BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna and Young Adult participants. Part of the scale supports the teachers, Spirit Rock and fellow practitioners who need to pay less, so those who can are encouraged to pay at the highest rate they comfortably can. For the online program, no one is turned away for lack of funds as space allows.