Good afternoon. I hope today finds you well. My week was eventful, but I am still on track with my resolutions. More about this in a minute.
The new semester started this week at my local college. I’m taking two electives and am excited about both–the first one is for my medical qigong program and the second is just for fun.
In my Tuesday biology lab we get to directly study the anatomical structures of the human body. I’m excited to have actual hands on the internal organs. This will refine my spatial understanding of the structures and locations at a really visceral level.
The second class has a more meditative focus. It’s ceramics and we learn about and actually make our own pottery. Added bonus: I get to take it with my youngest so she will get to see even more of me. Ok, truth: I get to see her more! The classes don’t go together at all, but shaking things up is a good thing in my mind.
Additionally, I’m part-way through my second Everyday Chinese Medicine online course, as well, which has been both interesting and eye-opening.
Now for the updates:
Breathing
This week has been a bit of a struggle. I’m still doing it, but I’ve had to do it lying down instead of standing or sitting. I pulled a muscle in my neck and while it is getting better, I’m still sore. My orientation doesn’t have any significant affect on my meditation (at least for this exercise). I haven’t been able to calm my mind as much though. I’ve been distracted thinking about my muscle and the different feeling I get while lying down versus sitting. I hope this will resolve itself in the next few days. Either way, I may periodically do my breathing in a prone position just to experience the different sensation
Cultivating my Qi
Not as good on this one. I did longer meditations four times, and I did practice my taijichuan in small bursts. I guess I did technically do some each day. That said, I don’t feel like it was good enough. I don’t want to make any excuses, so I’ll just note the date and time so I can rebound smartly in the coming weeks.
Doing for others
Another pretty good week in this regard. One particular instance sticks out in my mind and it happened in my biology lab. We had the honor of preparing our cadaver for dissection. This involved a thorough cleaning and removal of embalming implements, of which there are many. I found myself being extra gentle. My thoughts kept turning to gratitude. Their gift provides us an opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. We will be better able to serve our communities in the future. Reading this over, I recognize this may seem really strange to some and not much of an act of service. I’m leaving it in. I think that work shows my respect for them as an individual, even though they are no longer with us.
Learning something new
Full week of this. Every single day. I’m thrilled with the progress. Making the mental note that I am making progress in this area is its own reward.
News
I’m very excited to announce that I will be away at my first Therapist-level training next week. I am looking forward to reconnecting with my classmates from last year’s practitioner-level course, meeting potential new classmates, and delving into our next skill-sets. Plus, as an added benefit, I will be completely unplugged for a week. This has become even more important to me in the last year. I will have my phone for texting the family in the evening. The connectivity is such that I can’t really have a phone call. I certainly wont be downloading any videos or reading the news. This is good.
These training events happen every other month or so. This gives me plenty of time between to practice what I’ve learned, provide services to clients, and do my self-cultivation. What I can’t do, though, is update this blog or make any new appointments. That said, however, I will be back in town and ready to work on 31 Jan. If you are wanting to schedule a treatment or class, email me. I’ll get back with you as soon as I can!
So that wraps up this update. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a low-key, peaceful, and rewarding week. See you soon!!
