Qigong For The End of Life - Reyna Lerma

Zhineng Qigong can be a powerful tool for all phases of life, including at the end-of-life. In our Qigong Podcast, Qigong practitioner Reyna Lerma, found that the Qigong practice offers unique support for those transitioning and their families during her time volunteering at hospice and palliative care facilities. Transformation is a natural part of life, and Qigong helps facilitate this process with grace and awareness.

By building and sharing the Qi field, along with meditation, Reyna uses these Qigong techniques to support patients in their journey. Pain management is one of the practical benefits Zhineng Qigong offers in end-of-life care when movement is possible. Sharing the Qi field is a fundamental practice, which may contribute to pain relief.

Reyna also addresses emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of a person's journey. Consciousness becomes a central focus, as she aims to support individuals in reaching their highest level of awareness during transition. Forgiveness work, both for oneself and others, often becomes an important part of the transformation process. Mental clarity can be enhanced through Qigong practices, helping individuals make peace with their journey.

Oneness and wholeness are key concepts to Zhineng Qigong and in Reyna's approach with individuals. Embracing these principles transcends the fear of death and separation, leading to a more open and accepting attitude towards life and finding peace within their final moments. It is well known that once separation occurs - suffering ensues, Qigong brings wholeness to any situation even when faced with something seemingly as crude as death.

Family support is a crucial aspect of end-of-life care, and Qigong can help create a supportive environment for all involved. Loss doesn’t only affect the individual, but the people around them. With Reyna’s end-of-life doula training complementing Qigong, she provides a holistic approach to supporting individuals and families through this difficult time.

An open heart and open mind are fundamental to Zhineng Qigong and to Reyna's approach. These qualities help individuals awaken to their full potential, accept their circumstances, and achieve a higher level of consciousness during their transition.

Mindful moments:

• Qigong for All Stages: Zhineng Qigong supports life's phases, including end-of-life.
• Consciousness & Transition: Qigong aims to support a higher level of consciousness at the moment of passing.
• Qi Field Exchange: The Qi field facilitates unique information exchange.
• Overcoming Fear: Embracing oneness and wholeness helps reduce fear and resistance.
• Family Support: Qigong helps families navigate emotions and find peace.
• Emotional & Mental Healing: Qigong supports forgiveness, clarity, and acceptance.

Links and Resources:
Discover Qigong Game: https://tinyurl.com/ymuywb6x
Connect with Reyna: https://presentmomentliving.org/
La Qi Method E-learning Course: https://t.ly/iHe79

🎙️🌟Explore more podcasts, events, and resources visit:
https://www.zhineng-qigong-students-hub.com/

📘📚 Get your FREE E-book on the "Eight verses meditation" by Dr Pang:
https://www.zhineng-qigong-students-hub.com/exploration-of-the-eight-verses-of-zhineng-qigong-meditation-e-book

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Transcript

When Reyna Lerma heard that Zhineng Qigong can be a tool for all phases of life, she was wondering how about it. healing at the end of life. Being a volunteer at a hospice, she realized that Qigong is a powerful gift for all involved, the person transitioning, but also to the family and loved ones. And she knew to keep an open heart and open mind, because Even when dying, everything is possible.

My name is Torsten Lueddecke, and this is the Wisdom Qigong Podcast. 

First of all, I just wanna take a moment to express my gratitude for taking this time to delve into all the different, capacities that Zhineng Qigong can help us, and Zhineng Qigong being a tool. I was inspired by Master Liu in a China retreat in I believe, 2016.

He was very. Passionately sharing that Zhineng Qigong can be a tool to, support. You know, so many levels of our life and he, he brought up, the end of life actually. And, in a 360 degree story, I came to Zhineng Qigong through being, a hospice volunteer. And so we supported people walking with them, you know, at the end of their life.

And I met Zhineng Qigong at a volunteer appreciation, day. They were a Qigong demo and, they were happening to. share the opening of, Level One Hold Qi Up, Pour Qi Down;. And I knew that was the rest of my life. And so I took, I took the journey with Zhineng Qigong for, various years. And by then, I think I'd been practicing for, maybe six or seven years, at least, when this China retreat occurred.

And in the moment that Master Liu said, you know, even helping people leave life, something clicked inside. And I said, I want to come back to, working with this population because we know that In this life, no matter what practice, no matter how powerful, how potent, we are all going to leave this body.

There's not a practice on this earth that'll tell you, you will live forever in this body. There's going to, the life is about transformation. And so although, we talk about, healing in Zhineng Qigong and healing is possible ultimately, truly, and I've seen this happen many, many times in my life in Zhineng Qigong, healing can, it can absolutely happen.

The question is, what is healing? Many of us in our society, we believe healing is a cure. There's a difference between cure and healing. And so curing, Is the, no longer the, the discomfort, no longer the disease in the body and healing, in my opinion, is so much deeper, is so much deeper. A cure can happen from healing, healing,, not only deals with the physical body, but also deals with the emotional, the mental, and if we want to call it spiritual.

And so this is why I was, once again, my passion to support these people at the end of life, because in that time. There's many changes, not only in the physical body, but if someone's willing to be able to fully awaken, because at that time, there is no, what I've come to find, there's no mask, you know, people see, it's in a way like looking in the mirror and not being able to look away to say my time is up.

And so ultimately, each one of us, we are alive until the moment we stop breathing. So I felt very called to support people to awaken themselves, to open their hearts, to open their minds. Because my intention for working with this population is to support them to be at their highest level of consciousness at the moment that they transition.

And so, again, when Master Liu shared, you know, to bring Zhineng Qigong into the world and all the levels possible, I said, I'll take this route because I've already done this. I've already done this, but I didn't have the tool, this amazing tool that is Zhineng Qigong to be able to support with pain management, to again, support, if they need to, to, to Do any heart work and healing for themselves of forgiving or forgiving themselves to find the mental clarity to what needs to be done externally and internally for them to So I feel that healing at the end of life is such a powerful gift not only for the person but also for the family members.

And we, we, I know that, you know, we've experienced life. We're all living beings and we've experienced loss at some point in time. And when, when someone is transitioning, it may be in a moment and it might be, you know, a long journey. And so, the family also has to navigate. They're also each in their own journey and people deal with, transition in different ways.

And so to, of course, my work is to focus on the person that's going on the journey and then also in a way support the family surrounding them. 

That's fantastic work that you're doing there, Reyna. And, I heard that there's, you know, a couple of levels you're working with. You're also on the practical level, for example, when you spoke about pain, we know that Zhineng Qigong can help relieve pain.

So it helps you to, you know, from the, the physical body to help stabilize certain conditions so that, you know, life is easier for, for the person that dying, but it seems that the focus is really on the, on the emotional and mental healing and on the consciousness work so that we are basically at our best when we are transitioning.

Is that, is that, you know, what you're doing with your work here. 

Yes. Yes. I feel that that is a very, you know, I personally have it. Can't say, you know, none of us can really say, you know, what happens in that moment, with certainty to say here, here's my proof. But, I feel why not. And, as I also shared before that every single moment we're alive until the moment we transition.

And so why not, you know, in a, in a way we all are on this, journey. We are all on this journey. So why not, awaken? Why not see what our potential is? Why not see how much we can open our hearts? How much we can open our minds? Why not see, even then, the self healing abilities? Again, in the last moment, I'm no longer surprised at how surprised I get when I see what many people would call a miracle.

Anything truly is possible. And so I go in and work with, you know, the client and, you know, I'm also very practical, logical, ultimately it's their intention. I'm not there to give false hope, but I'm also not there to say, okay, let's just, you know, take, take the time until you're gone, make the absolute most of it.

And ultimately their intention, their journey is what's guiding the process. So I would, I would add that. Up until the moment of transition. To be at the highest place possible. If we want to call it high, I know it's not necessarily the deepest, you know, the most open. And, but also the journey leading up to that, to see, what is possible.

What I like about this, I mean, among many things, what I like about it, it also requires a mind shift. Because in our society, we are kind of conditioned to work towards something. So it's a little bit like, you know, you know, why work with dying people? Because their life is over soon. So it's kind of, it's not worth investing.

into that. But what you are saying here, you're completely doing a change in the mindset here because what you're saying, every moment, no matter when in your life, has the same value. Whether there is a future, so to speak, or no future, doesn't make a difference because a moment is a moment. And, and we are so conditioned to always think, okay, I'm doing something so that my future is better so that I can reap rewards in the future while really, you know, living fully is the opposite.

It's about being in the moment. And I know I'm, I'm talking about something you're an expert about because even your, your business is called present moment living. So, so I love that idea. Because no matter where I am in my life, and no matter whether I've got, another 50 years, 10 years, one year, or one day, that moment I'm having right now is just as precious as any other moment.

So what I make of it, It's all that matters. And I think that mind shift is important because it's a bit like otherwise like, yeah, okay, there are dying people. So why bother, right? But it's the opposite actually, because these moments are just as precious. 

Yes. And they're, they're precious on so many levels and, because they're so powerful.

There's so much, you know, for me, I look at time, there's a depth to it. There's a depth to time and where are we willing vibrationally to be in that moment. And you know, as I've worked with many people, walking this journey, there's been, I, I, I get so much, I actually get so much out of it because the gifts that they have to give to those around them is so, yes, I'll say absolutely precious.

You know, like in the movies, I've had people like grab me by my shirt and they say, live your life because mine is living. They're, you know, week in, week out, I would go to them and they're in the same bed. You know, and so, so I would go in even, even with my mindset of supporting the gifts that they give to those around them, if they're willing to open up their hearts.

And, you know, yes, as you shared, our society we're conditioned in such a profound way to. Not want to grow old to not, if there isn't, you know, I'm doing something for this future that, there's lots of programming that we have. And that's why many people cannot deal with loved ones when they're passing, because it is a mirror to them to say.

One day, this will also be you and we, we can't accept that and we can't accept that. But if we are in oneness, you know, many of us don't ever think about our own death. And I, I feel that really considering that, if we really connect to that, it actually helps you live more fully. Because you know that all of this one day will transition everything, you know, changes, transforms.

And so when we can accept that, what is there to fear in this life? There's really nothing in my opinion, you know, and in our life, we, we die thousands of deaths, you know, there's so much that we quote unquote lose. But if we are oneness. This is just as natural as being alive, and when we accept that and we open to that, imagine, in someone's life, if someone's, you know, in the dying process, many people have a hard time accepting it when it's happening to them, and so, why not be that open heart?

Instead of, you know, turning away for their own, I would call it selfishness, you know, they don't want to see the pain or feel it, but this person needs us. So it's the population that again, like you shared, it's easy to discard, but, one day that'll be us. And, more than that, because in the oneness, there's so much to share and there's so much to learn from everyone at any moment in time.

We have a way you can discover Qigong, so at the Zhineng Qigong Student Hub, we know that understanding Qigong is important. It's very important and also that Zhineng Qigong in itself has various nuances that people can't easily comprehend. So we've approached it in the style of a video game. On this page, Discover Qigong, you can select your character.

So you can either be a beginner, a practitioner, or a holistic healer or self healer, and you click on your character and it takes you to these different sections. In these sections, you can explore the nuances, and when you click on a card, all of the resources pop up, and we've made it really fun, and not many people know about it, so if you are interested, have a look, and discover Qigong.

And on a practical level, Reyna, so when you go into the hospice and you meet someone for the first time, how do you introduce Zhineng Qigong or the ideas or how do you start working with these people? I mean, you already said that ultimately it's their agenda and what they want to achieve that you, that you respect, but you must have some approach of how you integrate Zhineng Qigong into that stage of their lives.

Yes. Up until now, many people have actually been referrals, through Zhineng Qigong or they heard of Zhineng Qigong and actually many people, it's relatives. And so they hear about the, you know, qualities of self healing in Zhineng Qigong and they reach out to me because, you know, I'll give an example, like a son has reached out to me and they want their mother to heal.

They're, they're in a way, not necessarily accepting what's happening. And so then working with the mother, she was already unconscious, actually. She was that in her journey that she wasn't conscious. And so I still worked, with her organizing the qi field and, for several days. And her physical body was transforming in a way that the sun was like, something is happening right now.

She literally was cleansing, you know, not to get too bodily functions were moving that had not been moving at all. And so her physical body was cleansing itself from the field. And, you know, she transitioned. But her son later, about a week later, messaged me and said that was exactly what we needed and I didn't realize it in the moment.

I was holding on to having my mother still be with us, but I, I couldn't accept it. And you supported us to go through that. And so, you know, I always say it's not me, I'm just the vessel, it's life, you know, it's life itself. But, so, so, to answer your question, many people are referrals, either they're, they don't care what it is, they just want, they want to see the healing, or, they already know Zhineng Qigong.

And so when I speak to the client, you know, first let them share where they are, what they need, and then, you know, educate. I look at myself as an educator, just sharing information and seeing, you know, how they resonate. Of course, I'm already setting the field and, you know, connecting in that way. And people have been very Very responsive.

Sometimes people need to experience it first before I say, okay, this is this and other other people are more Cerebral, you know, they're like, what are you gonna do? And so being very in the moment is very powerful Because not, at least for myself, I don't have a system to say, okay, this is this this is this this is this Because it's very raw time.

It's very raw time in people's lives. And so I navigate it. And, and see what comes when it's necessary. 

So, so the focus is building the Qi field and then it is starts more like a conversational, healing that you're doing with them using the principles and ideas of qi neng qi gong. And then, you know, if there's an opportunity, you're introduced maybe a little bit of la qi or depending on how mobile they are.

You know, have them do some exercise, some physical exercises with you as well, so that they can get in touch with whatever that means for them. Is this, is that what you're doing? 

Absolutely. Absolutely. Always. And then if they can't move, you know, I guide them through meditation, whatever. You know, whatever, the moment calls for, but, you know, to, to walk them into the, the journey of Zhineng Qigong in any way that's needed in the moment and then build, build from there.

And again, you know, sometimes, people are also on heavy medication. You know, there's, again, it's a spectrum within, within this population of, you know, one week they're doing great. Another week, you know, very difficult. And so, you know, you have to be prepared to read the field and, and see, see what is needed, but all of that is absolutely what I share.

Now, you're obviously a very experienced, practitioner and teacher, but what I pick up is that if, you know, I have a situation at home, for example, where I have someone in that stage of their lives, really what it needs is the, you know, a core principle of Zhineng qi gong, which is open heart, open mind.

And with that alone, I can probably do the work. Maybe. Yeah, not as sophisticated as you would do it, but that doesn't really matter because it's the intention you're coming from that will make a difference to that person. Would you, would you encourage people to just approach it with this way? Or do you have any other practical advice if I'm in a situation and I have a loved one who is about to transition from life to wherever they are going?

Yeah, that's a great question. Absolutely. Absolutely. I'll say I'll say yes to both, you know, when, and as I shared before, we don't realize how much someone may need us at that moment in time. And so, as an example, for me, I come into a family. Everyone is like. You know, they're overwhelmed, they're going through everything, and you just come as a happy heart, a loving heart, accepting them in their physical form, accepting them, being so present, hearing every word, like really being there for them in that open place.

So powerful, so powerful. That right there is like all you need. So I'll say, For those that, you know, the family members, you know, just see them as that bright light that they are and always will be, it just might not be in that physical body. So, absolutely. I encourage, do not walk away from people that are in this stage of life for many reasons.

And there's so much healing that occurs when you're willing to sit in front of the person, when you're willing, you know, even if they share the same story over and over again, you know, listen to it. Treasure it. So powerful. You're never, you're never going to regret the time you spend with someone during that stage is my, even though if they go through it, whatever they're going through, you will be a beautiful beacon of light with your training, your practice, and you know, there's, there doesn't have to be any, official training.

I personally went through a training outside of Zhineng Qigong called end of life doula training. And there's, it's, , um, there's, it's a new, I'll say an overall new training, but there's many, many, different, trainers now in the world that they're starting to see. Of course, everything was left up to hospice before, but now they see hospice as, as much as the great work that it does and end of life do let work together.

End of life. We're not medically trained. But, you know, it's training in a different way, because if you're not familiar with the end of life process, there's stages, it's, you know, everything from six months, you know, a year actually, I'll say, and if the person is meant to pass, their stages and, weeks before the body starts to show different signs, days before, hours before.

Out of curiosity, if those that feel, let me feel more prepared. I would encourage you to learn more about the end of life process, because if you don't, as an example, I have a loved one in front of me and a few hours before people pass, sometimes the breathing changes and it sounds a little bit dramatic.

And if you've never heard of it before and you don't know about it and it's happening in the moment, that might be a lot for you. And so, you know, or what senses start to shut down, or sometimes people see family members and dreams, or they feel things around them, all of that's normal, all of that's normal.

And so, you know, but if you want to learn more, then you can be more prepared. But, just having your open heart and mind is key. It's also great preparation. I 

mean, that's very cool. And the truth is, as you said, very few of us ever looking into, look into death and are preparing for what does it actually mean, what's actually happening when we are transitioning.

And so it's, it's a very good idea to look more deeper into that and do some research. And understand these things so that you are in a better position to be with someone who is in, in this transition. So I think that's a really good advice there, Reyna. Now I want to, I want to touch something on something else because, you also mentioned oneness a couple of times.

And, you and I totally agree on this idea of oneness because we think it's just so obvious. There is no such thing as a separate Reyna and a separate Torsten. It is all just one thing. It's our mind that creates the separation and says, okay, this is a table. This is a microphone. This is the leg of the table, but really, where does the leg of the table start and the table bottom continues?

Nobody knows, right? Well, this is my shoulder. This is my arm. Where is exactly does my shoulder stop and my arm start? It's just not a physical reality. So reality is oneness. So if you take this into, into, into consideration, then, yeah, it is more like, as if a leaf is falling off a tree, you know, the tree continues.

It continues. Yes, the leaf might be falling off, but the tree continues and it's all one and life continues. So how does that idea of oneness, integrates into the work that you are doing? 

Yes. Yeah, I would definitely say again, those that, that. Don't, you know, again, the mind, you know, for us, it's, it's so normal.

You know, I look at it. It's like, if I open the door here to my office, where it is the air of the office and the air of the hallway, you know, how can you, there's, there is no separation. And so when I look at what oneness means, again, we are seeing a reflection of ourselves and everything. And everyone, there is a connection some way, somehow, and for many of us, it's really beyond our understanding, but to be able to understand that oneness, when that person is laying in that bed or that person is, you know, facing their own transition, you know, that.

Again, it's a reflection of what one day this body will go through. And so when you, when you look at life in oneness, it's not, your heart is more open. Your heart is more open. You're more willing. You're more able to perceive that, You know, we are connected, we are connected. And the oneness that I speak of in this, aspect of the work is like, I shared the, the gifts that people have to give at this time, the gifts that I have to share that I want to share, you know, during that time.

And so we know we think of, I like to think of us like a human tribe. And we, you know, talking about tribes in, indigenous cultures, completely different, completely different, view on death. And, you know, many, many, it's not about dying alone. It's like dying with everyone, like everyone. It's like, it's actually like a birth, that moment of death.

It's actually like a birth and everyone, you know, if we think about when someone's about to be born, everyone's excited and you know, whoever's at the hospital or the, if they're birthing at home, you know, the loved ones are there just like with it, like, you know, breathing together almost. And, and this is the same.

I would, I would love it for it to be the same with those that are transitioning, because there is, we're all going through something when, when someone's passing in front of you. And that's an amazing field. I'll say that the moment when someone actually passes and we have the, the honor, and there's a whole nother talk I can talk about.

If you can consciously decide when to go, I believe that that, and we've seen it before. It's nothing. Wow. You know, someone can be dying and, you know, a son or daughter is across the world and they wait for them to come and then they pass. And so. I would say it's an honor to witness the moment someone passes.

They, they allowed you to be there. And, the field is amazing. It's just the ultimate blessing that they're giving, in my opinion, as the moment that they transition. And, and I say oneness, I mean, you feel that, you feel that at the core, there's something beyond your understanding that you feel when something like that is happening.

And I would say that would be the way to describe oneness. The, if you ever have that honor to the moment someone passes and you're in a clear place, not attached, you know, just holding the space for what is the information you receive in that moment is something I've never experienced in any other place, honestly.

So

is there anything that we, that you would like to add to this topic that you feel like we haven't touched upon? 

I wouldn't necessarily say add, but just reinforce that the potential is there always. Thank you. And for anything, but be aware that, you know, everyone will transition, including ourselves.

Right. And so, so to walk that, to walk in that place when you're supporting someone to just hold space, to hold space. It's their intention. It's their journey. I know it's easier said than done. A mother, a father, a sibling, a spouse, a loved one. To be in that place of centeredness and not be attached to say, don't leave me.

I understand. It would be, in my opinion, the best of service just to be love, and love doesn't hold. Love allows, in my opinion. So I guess I would add that to, to be, to check your own self and how attached, because people, what I've seen, people will hold on if someone's not ready also. And this is what I said, how conscious can we decide, okay, it's time now.

And I've seen people suffer greatly because another person wasn't ready. And, you know. That's, that's their journey and you know, they, they both intended that way to be again in the realm of oneness, there's something there for them to learn. But I would, I would just say that just to be love, just be love and allow.

I think these are beautiful closing words, Reyna, and I'm very grateful that you are sharing all this knowledge with us and all this wisdom. Also, I think you're very grateful for the work you do with the people you are accompanying here. And, and hopefully some of the listeners will have learned something, you know, because we will all be in the similar situation, one way or another, not just as the person who is dying, but obviously many times before that, as the person who is there to be with someone who is going on this journey.

So I think this is very valuable and, yeah, and I'd like to thank you for contributing to it. This podcast just before we started, Reyna is, you know, a very skilled, teacher, and there are quite a few topics that she suggested that we might also discuss in one of the podcasts. So hopefully there are going to be many more episodes with you.

And I might just add that, you are also part of the e learning course we are launching these days. a large e learning course as the essence of Zhineng Qigong. So if you want to see Reyna again in the, in the context of an e learning course, you know, check that out as well. So Reyna, I have to ask you that question.

Has there ever been a situation where you were actually doing, you know, with the intention of end of life healing? The, the, the, she was so powerful that you actually brought that person back into life and he basically, or he or she could leave the hospitals and continued his or her life as a healthy human being.

Yeah, absolutely. And this is why it's so important to have an open heart and an open mind to be clear. Just to be that love and that support because their journey is the journey that they're meant to take their intention is guiding it. And so do I share about the infinite possibilities? I absolutely give them that because everyone around them is like, Oh, you're dying.

You're dying so much information. And so if they have more within this life that they're meant to still be here, if everyone around them gives them this from the diagnosis to everyone, loved ones, they're, they're, they're going to follow that. And so I always look to empower and share the infinite possibilities.

Say that the human, you know, this is how I share Zhineng Qigong about empowering them, giving them. The, the information that what steps are happening, they're leading the way they're leading the way. And so I've had several people, several people, recover. And so, yeah, that, and like I said, earlier, I'm no longer surprised at how surprised I get at these, again, what we call miracles or we'd call miracles because, Yeah, and that's all you can say, and then, then, then you better believe they become Zhineng Qigong practitioners.

I, I, I love that. I just imagine how that person was in the hospice and you open him or her up to the possibility if you are not ready yet. If there's more. That you want in your life or from your life, there's a possibility for complete recovery. And they kind of turn around, say thank you very much, leave the hospice and continue with their life.

So I think this is a very powerful, so I just had to ask this question because we all have heard of so many miracle healings. It's just, I didn't, I didn't know whether this is happening in the context of the hospice where basically everybody around them has decided this is it. So, so it is quite a powerful information field that you need to crack an opening and then it's either taken by your client or not.

depending on which stage they are in their lives and what their individual journey will be. But I'm glad you're, you've added that information because, you know, we know that it's possible. And that's also, an information that's impossible, important for all our listeners. who are in a position where Western medicine says, sorry, there's nothing we can do.

Really the folk, the, the, what they're saying is there's nothing we can do. And, it doesn't mean there's nothing one can do. And there are many modalities and Zhineng Qigong is the powerful one that we know of, but there might be others. So I can only encourage people to look. And, without being attached to anything, look for opportunities for openings and then who knows what's happening.

So, I'm glad we mentioned that as well, Reyna. So thank you very much, Reyna, and, yeah, have a fantastic day. 

Thank you. You as well. 

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