Good morning, all! Happy to hear from you and to be back at it. I’m making a change to the frequency of updates on the New Year’s resolutions; going to go quarterly from here on out. But first, an update for the next couple of weeks.
Scheduling
Next week is midterms. I only have one class with a midterm in it: the cadaver laboratory. We will take that on Tuesday next week and then crack the chest cavity so we can start working on the inside insides when I get back from class. Speaking of…
I’m going to be heading down to visit my son for a couple days before my next Medical Qigong class. As such, I’ll be essentially out of pocket until 2 April, starting next weekend.
I’m simultaneously looking forward to and slightly leery about the upcoming class. I don’t remember who said this, but here’s a quote:
“So you want to know the secret of mastering Qigong? I’ll tell you, but you won’t like it. You have to stand.”
— some Qigong master, somewhere in the world at sometime I can’t actually recall
I’m paraphrasing, of course. Our teacher told us we get to work on posture and standing for 2 of the 5 days. I already stand for hours on end, meditating or just reading, cooking, or whatever. But not usually (outside of the meditation) with intention on “not not standing.” I’ll let you know how that works out after the fact.
Other scheduling events are minor and easily worked around. If interested in getting a treatment between now and then, let me know via email or phone and we can set up a time that works for us both.
Breathing
The breathing continued well the last couple weeks. I needed it to wind down after a couple heated conversations and a SNAFU with my basement sump pump. Other than that, I’ve enjoyed the sensation of my body moving as I breath. I found that through concentrating on it, I also feel the Qi moving more freely. Not going to lie, the sensation is nice!
Cultivating my Qi
I’m still reading, and working my classes, and getting in some decent cultivation. I made an adjustment in the order of some of the sections of the Daoist 5 I do that incorporates some things we learned last class. I like it and feel cleaner after. It’s definitely helping!
Doing for others
The last couple of weeks I have been out a few more times than I had in the previous month. I’m not sure if this was a conscious decision (I don’t think it was), but I noticed that I’ve been engaging more directly with people with kind words when I’m out. I have always been a “have a great day” guy, but it’s lately seemed more focused and intentional. Liking it and the effect I see. Smiles are contagious!
Learn something new
I learned this week that I really do love KISS. Both the acronym, and the band. I don’t know why this showed up on my Pinterest feed while I was looking at some Qigong pins, but there is a video out there of a Russian small ensemble (two violinists, a cello/bassist, and a keyboardist) struggling to make it through their classical piece. Suddenly, they’re makeuped up like KISS and playing I Was Made for Loving You. They’re called Silenzium. You can find them on YouTube, too. I laughed out loud at the bassist sticking her tongue out like Gene Simmons. Classic.
Anyway, that’s about it for this week. I’ll see you next quarter (thinking mid-May) with another update. Keep looking out for the other posts on Qigong. They’re coming slowly, but surely. Enjoy your week, and, as always, my best to you on your journey to realizing your greatest self.