Memorial Day Meditation
We all have our own Hero’s story, but is it about oneself? Have you ever done a courageous act, according to what you know courageous to be?
What would you have to do, change or implement to be the hero in your own life? What does your hero look like? Is she behind the scenes, is he on the front line?
Who has been hero’s in your life? How have they inspired you? What characteristics do both of you possess?
Dig Your Toes in the Earth
Try throwing off your shoes and socks today at the park. Stand in the grass, and face North (remember moss grows in the north on trees). Try some Qigong…
- Position your feet directly under your hips.
- Bend your knees only to where it’s comfortable. Make sure your knees are pointing over your second toe.
- Engage your feet—draw up your arch while engaging your toes…toes (slightly) grip the earth. Dig in.
- Stack your spine so that your back is straight. Chin tucks towards your spine.
- Arms reach out in front of you—looks like you’re embracing a tree, index fingers about eye height, palms toward you, pinkie to thumb extended and engaged.
- Eyes soft gaze outward.
- Breath from your belly…exhaling all your breath from the naval to the spine.
- Smile deep and internal: know that very powerful, happy people have challenged themselves in this way before.
Try it for a couple minutes. Focus your attention on something simple around you and regard it lightly, like the drone of a bee, or the sound of a child laughing. Or notice the wind while you take in the colors around you.
Breathe deeply and stand in stillness.
Qigong Supports Dreams
Since I can remember, I have followed my dreams and my heart. My passion for life and for inspiring others fuels me to do wonderful things.
I’ve gone on adventures in the wilderness, taken leaps with my music, and I have challenged myself physically. Amidst the study and practice of Qigong, I have attained a stillness that is quite new for me. I used to never be able to stand still. My adventures have turned inward.
I can stand still for 25 minutes in a pose, very still, with my belly rising and drawing towards my spine, breathing. Before I started practicing this work, I would get overwhelmed, but I would remind myself…
All you have to do is breathe.
It is my birthright that I had forgotten.
Health and the Internal Arts Part 1
One important thing I have learned in studying the Internal Martial Arts is the importance of being proactive in developing vitality, martial skills, and hence promoting serenity and longevity. The philosophy of Taoism promotes eating pure natural foods in the proper mix and season.
As I have been more proactive in learning and applying these principles, I have experienced greater vitality. I have seen how these approaches to health focus more on the whole, and can attest to the power of taking care of one’s health from a holistic perspective.
Aligning with Health
Despite an increasingly high incidence of maladies that seem to be overly attributed to “genetic predispositions”, a growing group of individuals see the power of whole natural food diets and practices that align with these Taoist philosophies of healthy living. I plan on expounding on a future blog entry, the specific benefits I have experienced with these practices.
Health freedom promotes and allows to thrive among many this ability to be proactive and hence experience the benefits associated with these natural health practices.
Unfortunately, it seems there are elements within society that would just assume that everyone would have no choice except those proposed for their own profit. This is obviously not to say profit is a bad thing. I believe it is a great thing when both parties truly benefit. Unfortunately, I believe we have reached a juncture in our own nation in which profit is less and less tempered with moral responsibility.
