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Greetings Friends,
Welcome to the fifth Green Mountain Tai chi Newsletter.
This month we will all have the opportunity to deepen our practice. Beginning on the full moon each February for the last 6 years we have undertaken a 100 day challenge. This year is no exception. The idea is you choose something to practice and do it for 100 days in a row. This is a very traditional way of practice. I have personally done this many times and always have found it incredibly rewarding. I have also found it to be beneficial to know that there are others who are committing to practice and are also practicing each day. This idea has always given me a sense that I am not alone on this very individual journey.
If you are interested in doing this, we begin February 20, let me know and I will supply you with a chart to mark your progress and if you succeed in not missing a day within the 100 days you will be awarded a certificate of your achievement.
Peace, prayers and happiness,
Rich
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Announcements
Are you ready to join us
on our journey to mastery?
Here's your chance!
Green Mountain Tai chi
7th Annual 100 Day Commitment
February 20th - May 29th, 2008
Know yourself * Be positive
Do your Best * Don't over do it
Make a little progress each day
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Tai chi Tip
General rule of thumb
Keep the arms in front of the body. What does this actually mean in the context of tai chi? If you can, imagine a seam running up the sides of your body. The general rule of thumb is we do not allow our arms to come behind this line. If you have a need for the hand to come back, then you must turn the body. Why is this important? Try this experiment. Stand in an open door frame with your hand on the door frame. Then step forward until your arm is behind the seam of the body. Try now to push the arm forward and see how it feels. Now do the same thing, hand on the door frame but begin with the arm in front of the seam. Now try to push the arm forward and see if you can feel the difference. You can also try this with a partner pushing your arm back and you not letting them.
When the arm is behind the seam, it effectively disconnects the arm at the shoulder from the torso resulting in using only the arm for strength instead of connecting the whole body and using an aligned structure for strength.
Happy practice!
Beginner and intermediate/advanced
Tai-chi classes are held each week in both Manchester and Pawlet
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Qigong
External-qi healing method
wai qi liao fa
After many years of practice you can achieve physical and spiritual well being. With this you have the
ability to train to increase the quantity and quality of yuan
(original) qi and refine again and again until you have spare energy to
share with others. You can choose to emit this Qi with patients; this
is called "external Qi healing."
Under the guidance of an
experienced Qi Gong Master you can learn to train the Qi to go through
special pathways by using various techniques. Combine this with
different hand and mind methods and traditional
Chinese Medical theory as a basis, the healer can emit Qi with his mind and
apply it to the patients' organs or particular parts of the patient's
body. Thereby helping the patient delete blockages and balance the Qi
field and improve its quality. As a result, the patient will enjoy
better health.
In a typical
treatment a patient is fully clothed and lies on a massage table or
sits in a chair. The first part of the treatment is spent discussing
the particular issue that brought them there as well as different
aspects of their lives. The actual time of external-qi treatment
includes the healer emitting-qi with and without touching the patient and may
also involve acupressure, massage and joint manipulation. Following the treatment, suggestions and
instruction might be given such as a particular meditation, Qigong or
Tai-chi exercise and dietary and lifestyle changes.
External-qi healing treatments are
scheduled by appointment
Qigong classes are held each Tuesday evening 5:30-6:30 in Manchester
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Life philosophy
3 Treasures of the body
jing qi shen
In the October newsletter I wrote about the three treasures of Tao; conscience, mercy and forgiveness. Beginning this month I will write about the three treasures of the body; jing, qi and shen. These three can be translated as essence, vital energy and spirit. The translations are a basic idea at best as we are trying to translate concepts and not just words.
Each one of these three has a yin and yang, pre-heaven and post-heaven aspect. Jing is the foundation of our life, qi is the energy and what helps to animate us, shen is what guides us. Jing and qi are like water to the fish, shen. If the water is depleted and impure there is no nourishment for the fish which then degrades. When the spirit is diminished it becomes more difficult to put the effort required to increase the quantity and quality of jing and qi, creating a negative cycle. However, it is never too late to reverse this cycle to one of self-cultivation, increasing the quantity and quality of jing and qi and rising the frequency of spirit.
Over the next three months, I will write about each one of the three treasures of the body in more detail.
So stay tuned for the next episode of "As the qi flows"
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Thoughts For The Month
When we are disconnected it feels
as if we are living in a dream
and we do not experience life fully
When we are connected
we experience the reality of life fully
yet we know we are in a dream
Sometimes what we see as special
is actually very ordinary
Sometimes what we see as ordinary
is actually very special
It is within us to see beyond the illusion
_Rich
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Sites worth checking out
my site, of course
Definitely worth checking out
Master Chen's site
I have never personally experienced Holotropic Breathwork, but I know Lenny and Elizabeth Gibson very well and feel confident in recommending them and their work if it resonates with you.
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Richard Marantz www.GreenMountainTaiChi.com
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