For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, we know that the winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight. Many of us look forward to this day because it marks the beginning of the gradual increase in daylight hours. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is the most yin season. The…
Many of you have wowed and inspired me with the different ways you have discovered and created for living a simpler life. I heard from several of you that the October Newsletter was a catalyst for jump-starting and supporting you to clear out old possessions as well as obsolete ways of thinking. I didn’t realize…
The autumn equinox has passed and the signals of the seasonal change are evident: cooler nights, warm but shorter days, and the slant of the sun offering us a “sparkle factor” when we notice our outdoor surroundings. Other signs of autumn here in Elfin Forest are that the vegetable garden is in transition and pickings…
OK, maybe this article should have preceded last months’ newsletter. Some of you, after reading the newsletter article on 100-Day Gongs, wrote to ask, “What is a Gong?” I’ll start at the beginning. “Gong” is a Chinese word that is often generally translated to mean cultivation or work. In qigong, martial arts, and other practices, accomplishing…
Recently a student asked if I could offer guidance to help support her intention of accomplishing a 100-day Gong. As I wrote her, I thought of several of you who are currently well into a 100-day Gong, so it seemed a good time to expand on my response to her and share it with all…
When our yellow peaches are ripe, I know we are in the heart of summer. For several weeks we have been giving away baskets full of peaches after classes and freezing some for winter smoothies. “Peach Season” alerts me to pay attention to the summer energies. It is a time of expansion, creativity, activity and…
There are an increasing number of studies on qigong by Western researchers. It wasn’t long ago that the majority of available qigong research was from China. Because Chinese researchers in the past often conducted their research using different protocols than their Western counterparts, their results were not often given credence. So it is reinforcing to…
Recently, during a casual conversation with several students about food that ranged from Paleo to GMO, an idea came up to make a webpage where we could share recipes from past retreats and other food information. I liked the idea, but as I thought more about how to present the information and what information to…
Within the Chinese Five Element Theory, Spring is associated with the wood element. Spring heralds the beginning of life and naturally brings a renewed vitality, strength, flexibility and expansiveness. One virtue associated with Spring is altruism, which often leads to happiness. A few months back, during a discussion about qigong and happiness in class, a…
In our December newsletter I mentioned one of Taoism’s most important and famous concepts, that of wu wei (pronounced “woo-way”). Since the practice of qigong is strongly influenced by the teachings of Lao Tzu in the Taoist classic the Tao te Ching it is important to explore the concept of wu wei to help us…