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MONDAY’S POEM: Qi
I am still in that flow from Qi Revolution! Read this poem slowly; breathe with it; feel the qi!
Qi
Breathe in,
Expand.
Breath out,
Let go.
Slow moves
Outward.
Slow down
Inward.
Flame builds,
Brightness.
Flame dies,
Darkness.
Moon fills,
Grows large.
Moon wanes,
Release.
Wind moves,
Blows strong.
Wind drops,
Relax.
Creek flows,
Running.
Creek slows,
Pooling.
Tree boughs
Nodding.
Tree stands,
Stilling.
Feel qi,
Fill space.
Feel qi,
Empty.

©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: Happy Full Moon; today, Monday at 3:26 pm Eastern time.
Qi Revolution
This is what I experienced this past week; four days emersion in an energy bubble, a total “qi-field” created by Jeff Primack and 300 of my fellow qigong practitioners! And I have to tell you it was transformative! 32 hours of qi is something everyone has to experience. I believe this is why Jeff is calling this event a revolution; it truly does revolutionize one’s thinking about life, health, food, energy, the “field of all possibilities”, Source, Light, Love…the list goes on and on.
As some of you know I’ve been practicing qigong for about a year now. I have been working primarily with a brilliant acupuncturist and qigong instructor who trained with Jeff Primack and other masters. I have learned a “Five-Element” form that is truly life changing because it addresses all of the vital organs associated with the five elements in the Chinese system of health; these are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The five elements form a complete philosophy of life, health, mental and emotional well-being and longevity. And now I am adding at least the first level of Jeff’s form to take my practice into another dimension of the qi-field.
What is qi? I think of it as “life force.” It’s vitality, the feeling of energy, like an electric current that flows through everything. It seems to make the air around us and that we breathe into us alive with power. There are different names for this energetic field in many languages; this is Prana in Sanskrit, Mana in Hawaiian spirituality as examples. And through specialized practices we can begin to sense this vital force that animates the entire Universe. In this sense it is the creative force that manifests the All.
Qigong is a masterful way to get in tune with this force. It is a way to sense it externally to our bodies and a way to build it up and focus it within our bodies. Qigong is a combination of movement and coordinated breath work. Movement is subtle, slow, meditative and focused. It is an excellent way to cultivate “no-mind” – to quiet the chattering “monkey-mind.” Breathing is regulated, deepened, another focus for the quiet mind; it oxygenates the entire body with a renewed sense of aliveness. Coordinating the movements with the focused breathing leaves no room for other thoughts; worries are left behind, endless loops of future plans and past review are pushed away; there is only room for now, the moment of the next move and the next breath!
Beyond Level 1 practice there are two additional levels, two other forms to work toward. Then there is Jeff’s approach to healthy food: “The Ultimate High-Phytochemical Food Healing System.” We also practiced a Strength Building form of Qigong, a tough routine for me to get through; I’ll have to build up to this practice!
And to give us breaks Jeff interspersed practice with several informative and always entertaining keynote talks on all the fascinating subjects I love to explore, from “near death experience” to life elsewhere in the Universe to the destiny of the human race!
Watching Jeff in action is a study in itself. He is virtually bursting with qi. He practices everything he teaches. Even when he has a senior student lead a Level 1 practice he is right there on stage going through the practice with us. This is one teacher who clearly practices what he preaches!
Jeff Primack takes the Qi Revolution on the road each year. His first stop this past weekend was Baltimore. If you are in this area and missed him, try to catch his event next year; you won’t be disappointed. And check out his website: qigong.com for a future event near you. I’ll be seeing him again soon in Baltimore for Level 1 Qigong Training. I can hardly wait to be back in that powerful field of qi!
Here’s to your Qi-Health!
The Merkaba in My Life
OK, so here I am being bold, even audacious! What in the world is a Merkaba? I first encountered the Merkaba as a focal object for meditation at Rosemary’s seminary 20 years ago. At that time I could visualize it but it didn’t call to me. I was recently reminded of the Merkaba when I read Drunvalo Melchizedek’s latest book: The Mayan Ouroboros. The Merkaba is mentioned briefly, almost in passing, but it struck a chord with me me this time. So, I looked more deeply into this geometric form that some say holds the shape of the Human Lightbody. I’ve pictured it here but it is difficult to capture the dynamics of the crystalline model.
In essence the Merkaba is a pair of interlocked and spinning tetrahedrons. That part of this picture is more or less how I visualize this object within me. As I “see” it the lower tetrahedron spins counter-clockwise and the upper clockwise. There is incredible speed involved; some say they spin at the speed of light. There is tremendous energy with beams shooting below and above the pyramids.
With practice I can now visualize this Merkaba (my Merkaba) at will. It offers me a quick way to balance, to catch myself and reframe a moment or a situation. It is a grounding force as well as an uplifting one. I can especially tap into this spinning form when I am practicing qigong. It seems to fit particularly well with the movement for the wood element, the so-called “standing at stake” position or what I prefer to think of as hugging a tree. Recently, as I was finishing my 6th repetition of the 5-Element Form when I face in the direction of the Sun or Heaven, I was visualizing holding a Buddhic Column rather than a tree. It was a powerful meditation; here’s the description I wrote in my journal:
While I was holding the Buddhic Column, the Merkaba became prominent in my meditation. I seemed to merge with the Buddhic Column; I was no longer holding it but standing within it. It seemed to have expanded to engulf me. I felt light, lifted and I could both feel and see the light all around me. As the Merkaba spun I seemed to drill myself – my energy core – right down into the Earth. I felt her pain. I sent healing energy through my core. It was like I was an energy rod bringing light from above down into the heart of Mother Earth. The continuing trend was this downward spiral. There was a gravitational pull on me that felt more like a loving embrace than anything of a grabbing or greedy nature.
Toward the end of my meditation I was also lifted upward. The Sun’s gravity lifted me; I felt taller and my arms, still holding on to a part of the column, were lifted. This felt like a freeing force and my arms flew upward in a gesture of surrender and release.
And I popped out of my meditation. The Merkaba spun on, a constant light energy that animates. But my conscious awareness of it slipped to the background, merging with my unconscious, but only just beneath the surface. I have a sense I can call up to consciousness this energy pattern anytime I need to emphasize my lightbody in the physical plane. There is a magic power here that I need to protect and also practice for the good of all.
Well, there you have it. Audacious, right?
How are you being audacious in your transformation? This is the year, this is the time! We are all Lightbodies, called to be Light-Workers!
Yoga and Diet
I worked with a new yoga teacher tonight using a style unfamiliar to me. This teacher, (whom I’ve known for 30 years!) has been studying, practicing and teaching Svaroopa® Yoga for the past nine years. He is a gentle teacher and the yoga is a somehow gentle and at the same time strenuous approach to “strengthening the core” and aligning the spine. And the real result is a “stilling of the mind” – the goal of any yoga and certainly one of the reasons I am interested in continuing to study this style and approach.
I have practiced yoga off and on for more than 30 years. And I have been more disciplined recently working through a morning routine which also includes Qigong. These practices are enjoyable; I am feeling good about the stretching of my sometimes tight body and the easy motions through the Qi-field as I move through the 5-element form of qigong. So, why a new practice?
Do you ever feel stuck in a routine? Do you sometimes wish things would change, that something new would come in to shake things up? Or maybe you are reaching to take a next, deeper step. I’m feeling like this at the beginning of 2013; and this year is all about the process of the transformation, right? How do we expect to transform by sticking with our customary routines?
I may have found a practice that is going to take me deeper. Even in this first introduction I felt my body release, relax and go deep. More importantly, I felt my mind quiet. I don’t think I have experienced such a rapid alignment of body and mind into that space of peace and silence since I was first initiated into TM (transcendental meditation) in 1969!
And here’s where diet comes in and links back to my post yesterday about that mirror my vegan friends hold up for me!
Before my class tonight Rosemary and I had a quick bite, early dinner, at a Chinese bistro. One of my favorite dishes there is a spicy Korean dish that I usually get with beef. True to form I ordered that about two hours before class. And it was delicious. I didn’t even finish the serving, packing up the last bit for a snack later, maybe after yoga. On our way home I remarked to Rosemary that I had thought to eat light, remain vegan for the whole day leading up to this new class. But habit tripped me up as I ordered my usual.
And it was OK. But I did wonder as I relaxed into the asanas if I could have released even more if my early dinner had been lighter. Next week I’ll be more conscious of my food intake before class!
But is it only before class and other similar activities that I’ll be “more conscious”? Isn’t my goal in life to grow in consciousness at all times? Isn’t this the goal for humanity? That mirror is reflecting some serious thought-forms that are beginning to press back, hard.
Rosemary and I have discussed vegetarianism over many of our 40 years of knowing one another. We have both curtailed our meat intake but we have not eliminated it; and we both enjoy a moderate level of dairy. Rosemary, as an incredible intuitive, looks for the “light content” in the food she prepares and eats. If I take this literally I would choose foods as close to the sunlight as possible. This would mean eating a lot of green vegetables, right? And I do love the greens! But isn’t grass-fed beef only one step removed from the sunlight of green grass?
My dilemma remains. I am not ready to go vegan. But I am certainly thinking about it. I have a lot to think about!
I do know I like Svaroopa Yoga. And I do know that I can go deeper in that practice if my digestive tract is clearer and lighter. So, at least one day a week I’ll be vegan.
A Poem for Monday: “Shells”
Shells
The heart does not expand
From an empty shell.
The seed is there inside
Waiting for the moment.
It takes a special love
To break through that shell.
The germ hovers in bonds
Trembling in dark potential.
The light waits calmly
Just outside the shell.
The sprout presses its power
Seeking a weakness and release.
Suddenly love explodes
Through that hard shell.
The tender life wiggles free
Reaching toward the light.
The heart embraces all life
To escape that empty shell.
The community grows
Filling the world with love.

©2012 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: Join Rosemary and me for a special meditation on Wednesday at noon: 12/12/12 at 12:00 PM Eastern/9:00 AM Pacific. Just dial 1-218-862-1300, and the code to enter is: 143201. We will be holding the space and welcoming in the energy of this special time.



