Qigong classes, ya'll come on

Spring


The water murmurs
In the old stone well,
And, a rippling mirror,
Gives back the clear blue sky.
The river roars,
Swollen with the late rains of spring.
On the cool, jade-green grass
The golden sunshine
Splashes.


Sometimes, at early dawn,
I climb
Even as far as Lien Shan Temple.
In the spring
I plow the thirsty field,
That it may brink new life.
I eat a little
I work a little,
Each day my hair grows thinner,
And, it seems,
I lean ever a bit more heavily
on my old thornwood cane.
                          Liu Tzi-Hui
                          Sund dynasty, A.D. 960-1278

Last week I taught to an acupuncture friend of mine, for the very first time, The 5 Element Flow. He answered many of my questions.

This basic flow is made up of 11 movements. Here are some of them.

Buddha Holds Up The Sky is about being inspired

The Fountain is about inner fortitude and ambition

Tree Swaying helps us through strength and flexibility to move forward, even through obstacles

Cloudy Hands keeps our hearts clear to receive compassionate energy

Pebble In The Pond is about bringing everything back to center

One reason I love Qigong is that the names of the movements are so beautiful and the function of the movements so positive and interesting.

Check out this video. I wanted to show you one of the movements - I chose Cloudy Hands. It was the toughest one for me to learn. Notice how while doing this movement the nose stays in line with the belly button. And notice how first you shift your weight to one side and your hands and upper body follow. It's a very calming movement to do because your lower body and arms move but your head stays pretty still - this encourages your mind to also be still.

Notice my knees are in a little horse stance - there's a little bend to the knees. Keep your knees springy.

May dates for Qigong classes at my home (815 Stoneleigh Road, Balt 21212) in Towson. I'm not certain that I will be continuing for the first 2 weeks in June.

Our Qigong teacher encouraged us to teach to friends before coming back for our second week in June. At the end of that week I hope to be certified as a Level I Qigong teacher.

7 - 8 a.m.
May 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 25

You are welcome to join us for any number of classes - one or all or anything in between - and to shower afterward if need be.

Please email me at donnaraesmith@yahoo.com if you are planning to attend.

Hope you are all staying warm now that our true April weather has returned. I had fun putting my cozy Uggs back on this morning. We need to invent some summer uggs.

Anyway, have a good one.

Namaste,
Donna Rae