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Are You Expecting? –Richard’s Commentary
The possibilities are endless! And this is exactly what I was hoping for. So, yes, I’m expecting some wonderful possibility to emerge this Spring! What about you?
This past Saturday I passed my Level 1 Qigong evaluation and am now certified to teach Jeff Primack’s base level of his Qi Revolution. Jeff’s goal is to expand the number of teachers of Qigong in the US; he is a true believer in this ancient form of exercise. And it has been pretty clearly documented as a superior approach to health and longevity. Here’s just one citation:
“In the early 1980′s, scientists in China began to study the medical benefits claimed for qigong. Since then, research on hundreds of medical applications of qigong have been reported in the Chinese literature. Of special interest … are clinical reports of the medical benefits of qigong that claim to retard or reverse some diseases associated with aging.”
–Kenneth Sancier Ph. D.
And here is an excellent definition of Qigong by Dr. Kathleen Hall:
“Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice that creates health by balancing the chi, or vital energy, in your body. Qigong is about discovering one’s true balance.
“Kaiser Permanente, the largest health maintenance organization (HMO) in the country, offers Qigong to their patients. They report they began Qigong with their chronic pain patients and had such great results they are now providing these classes for all health care plan members.”
With teachers and practitioners like Jeff Primack beginning to spread the word I think we will soon be seeing Qigong everywhere.
I’ve been practicing two forms of Qigong for about a year now. And I can honestly say I feel great, I have lost weight, I am sleeping well, and I feel much less stressful about life than I did a year ago.
And now the challenge begins. I am motivated to get started and only need to set up a class, gather some interested students and get going, right? Well, maybe it’s not that simple; but I do have a plan and “I am expecting” to step out in confidence and begin to bring this ancient longevity technology to as many people as I can reach.
This is part of my Spring break-out. Do you have a plan? It’s a great time of the year to review, revise and refresh your activities and assess your direction. Do an internal check on your health; 
Rosemary and I suggest doing a scan of all of your bodies, the physical, of course, and your emotional, mental and spiritual bodies as well. Remember this diagram we published a few months ago?
Do you feel blockage anywhere? In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) “When your chi is blocked or stagnant you get sluggish, slow and can experience illness.” (Dr. Hall) And since Qi is vital energy it can block more than just the physical body. Qigong can release these blocks to relieve the sluggish “hang-over” from winter and provide just the spring-tonic needed to revitalize and nourish.
I have found that Qigong supports all four levels of the body. The movement and breath work are physically beneficial, the meditative aspects of Qigong support both the emotional and mental bodies, and throughout the practice there is a flow and connection to the divine that is deeply spiritual and truly inspiring.
This spring, try something new. Look for Qigong in your area. Give it a go; I think you’ll appreciate it!
And all the best with that!
PS: In honor of the Equinox next week Rosemary is offering a Spring Cleaning Special – a big discount on your Scientific Hand Analysis Session — $100 off! This is the time to learn about your Soul Purpose and the gifts you’ve been given to manifest that Purpose in your life. If you’re ready to leap forward and take advantage of those expectations then send Rosemary an email and she’ll give you the discount code for your Scientific Hand Analysis Session. Get your Spring Cleaning done by clearing away the questions you have about ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What are my next steps?’! rosemary@TheScientificMystic.com
Need more information on Scientific Hand Analysis? Find it here!
MONDAY’S POEM: Qigong Level 1 Instruction
This past weekend I went through a certification process for teaching Qigong at Level 1 in Jeff Primack’s Qi Revolution Movement. And I passed the test! Wow, hurray, I am a Certified Level 1 Qigong Instructor! In celebration of this accomplishment (there are only a couple thousand of us in the whole country!) I wrote this:
Qigong Level 1 Instruction
Breathe in,
Expand.
Breathe out,
Contract.
Inhale,
Larger.
Exhale,
Smaller.
Breath first,
Then act.
Feel
The Qi.
Breathe in,
Raise arms.
Breathe out,
Relax.
Inhale,
Round arms.
Exhale,
Hug tree.
Breathe first,
Then move.
Actions
Are slow.
Inhale,
Rise up.
Exhale,
Lower.
Building
The Qi
Higher,
Stronger.
Live long,
Prosper,
Feel
The Peace.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Join the revolution! Feel the Qi! May you all be blessed with abundance!
Fatigue and Qi
It was an exhausting day yesterday. Once again I had too many priorities to juggle. But at least everyone was back at work so there was some quiet time to move into the day. However, I did feel my thorns coming out on a few occasions; I worked hard to shed them!
It was final prep time for Rosemary’s Rainbow Balance Color Therapy class. I knew it would be a long day and was as prepared for it as I could be. We had all the materials, we had already begun the assembly process and the presentation contents were coming together well. While I wasn’t worried about time I knew I didn’t have any to spare.
I had thought I would go about my normal morning routine: morning tonic and hot tea, shower, pages, smoothie, qigong, etc. But, I made a mistake and sat at my computer to determine the day’s schedule and must dos before the evening’s class. And one thing led to another.
Nine hours later we grabbed a nibble and headed to class. Yes, most of those things that can go wrong did. And, no, none of those things I had planned my morning around happened. Did this upset me? Yes, it did.
Let’s just take Qigong as one part of my practice: after Qi Revolution with Jeff Primack a couple of weeks ago, I committed to practicing his Level 1 Form daily for 30 days. I did not enter into this agreement lightly. And I am working on my certification to teach this Level; practice is mandatory! Certification is two days away!
No practice, inadequate intake of food, no chance to really catch my breath. Everything for the class got done on time, and all turned out well. Rosemary and I even had fun with colors discovering a neat website that converts just about any kind of color code you can think of, from RGB codes to the paint manufacturers’ codes, etc!
After a successful class it was time to publish the weekly MuseLetter. Oh, yes, there was more to my priority list. And the content had not been completed for that yet either. Rosemary set to work writing…
And I got my Qigong practice in!
Then I went back to work.
So, why am I telling you all of this? From my article yesterday you can probably guess that I can get pretty prickly at times; my thorns can be sharp. But I’m working hard to trim them, to contain my energy, control it and be in the flow of the Qi. And I think it’s working. I’m not saying all was smooth; computers acted up, the printer crashed several times, the network was slow, our high-speed connection was neither at times. But we got through it and even laughed as good old Murphy stepped in to scramble our printer’s brain!
My Qigong practice is working. And now, late at night as I write I feel good about this. I am breathing, deeply, into my core. I am reaching down and out to gather, then drawing it back to deliver. The movements of the practice are etching themselves more deeply into my neural nets that are controlling it all. I wonder if my practice is beginning to show up in the lines of my hands! (I’ll have to have Rosemary take a look!)
So I close out the week feeling accomplished. I think my thorns are tucked away for now.
But you better confirm that with Rosemary!
Are You the Rose or the Thorn? – Richard’s Commentary
I write this on a nasty, stormy day here in the East – blame storm “Saturn” for it. In Annapolis we were fortunate enough to get nothing but rain and a little wind, nothing too damaging. Oh, there was an overturned semi-tractor-trailer on the Bay Bridge which shut down both spans in both directions. This is a major headache for traffic in this area and it ties up roadways for miles and hours. I’m sure a few thorns came out for people today!
I felt a bit prickly myself. It is a very busy week for me working to get class material finalized and assembled for Rosemary, helping to set up presentations and making sure I am ready to video record the whole class, working on my own practices including preparation for Qigong Instructor Certification this Saturday, and keeping up with the normal routine.
And with the storm shutting down schools and work for the anticipated snow the house was full of people today with many pulls on attention and energy. The energy, in fact, swirled at times beyond the normal boundaries and out of control. My Qi was disturbed.
I am working hard to keep my calm, to smooth out my Qi, to remain in flow and let go of all the little things that can too often ruffle my feathers. And yet my thorns came out! In some sense these thorns were for protection, not necessarily of my beautiful inner rose, but of my time, my priorities, my space, my practice, my, my, my…
But is this why the rose has thorns, to hide her flower. I don’t think so. The rose displays her beauty for all to see. Her light shines on everyone. She opens her softness to reveal that light and inner beauty. All she asks in return is a small amount of space. Her thorns protect that space. Yes, they are sharp but they only stick in a little bit, only as a warning not to come any closer.
Too often my thorns stab too deep. I only need a little space and too often create cold distance. I need time to breathe but don’t want to breathe alone. I struggle with balance here between protection and open sharing of my light.
The advice I hear is to “be the Rose that you are and shed the thorns.” I am working on this, working on the openness. Is it always safe to do this?
Wednesday evening Rosemary and I were part of a Spiritual Exploration Group. It is a group that comes together by invitation to share deeply. It is a safe place; and many of us share very deeply about personal experiences. Everything shared stays in the room. It is easy to shed my thorns in this group. I have no fear of my space there. Can I take this feeling of safety into the outer world and share my light? Can I shed all my defenses and open my lamp-shade to let out the light?
It is time. We have moved beyond 2012 and well into the 21st Century. It is time for all of us to come into our true selves, to shine our light and to be open to the flow of the Universe. It begins inside, where the light originates. We first let go of the thorns that prick us from the inside; some call them our “demons.” Egos have thorns that keep us in line! These are good for survival, just as the rose uses her thorns to protect her space for survival. But maybe we need to move beyond basic survival needs and into the light.
We cannot transform the world with thorns. We can work toward a better world through open acceptance of our light and to shine that light through fulfilling our purpose, what Rosemary calls our “soul commitment.”
Maybe that commitment needs to be stronger than our need for protection!
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.
Men and The Goddess 