Hello Students and Friends,
May has been a busy month for traveling, exploring, learning and self discovery for me. I can tell you that the mountains, forests and waterfalls of southern Appalachia were inspiring and healing to every part of my being. We spent time with a friend who has a beautiful retreat center in Mills Spring, N. Carolina and are presently working on a plan to host White Crane’s first retreat in the mountains. This retreat will take place around the weekend of the full moon in October of this year. More details in the near future.
So, how has life been for you lately? Have you taken the opportunity to be truly engaged in life or do you feel stuck in the never ending daily routines? Do you get caught up in the illusion of the incessant search for security? Improve your health, still your mind and expand your consciousness with one of our Summer classes at the center.
The Saturday morning classes, which are ongoing, will continue throughout the summer months as usual. Opening the Energy Gates is the fundamental gateway to enter into the entire nei gung system. The six short sets of movements, is how the energetic principles underlying all the more sophisticated practices, are introduced in a simple fashion. The second class, the short form Wu style tai chi, is a set of 28 movements that are practiced as one synchronized, flowing form. Its beauty and flow is matched by its tremendous healing and balancing potential for the whole being.
Sunday Summer Mini Workshop Series
The Summer series will begin on Sunday, June 9th. From 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. The intensive nature of these workshops is to help students gain access deeper into the body’s interior landscape and to gain the ability to change the quality and quantity of physical and energetic flow and circulation.
On Sunday, June 9th. the class will be focused on “standing and alignment”. Historically, anything about the standing practice has had the least interest for students, but in fact, this practice is the most valuable. Any correction in alignments of body structure dramatically increases the strength and flow of Qi in the body and mind. An increase in Qi increases energy, blood and fluid circulation.
The focus of the next two classes on Sunday, June 16th. & Sunday, June 23rd. is “Lengthening”. This practice enables you to lengthen the soft tissues of the entire body, by simply manipulating your hands and arms. This is fundamental to the energetic components of bending and stretching, and to opening and closing the energy gates. Relaxing and accessing the neurological system is crucial to get this to actually happen. This will be taught in an unhurried step by step process.
The Sunday, June 30th. Class subject will be “rooting”. In a culture which emphasizes upper body tasks and skills, the energy tends to get stuck in the upper body, specifically the head and neck. Excessive thinking, worrying, visualizing, intellectual pursuits etc, without attention to breathing and moving can cause stagnation. Connecting and Grounding our energies into the earth relaxes and stabilizes the whole body and establishes a reconnection in a tangible way. This allows us to develop a stronger sense of security and balance that positively influences every aspect of our being.
Sunday, July 7th
. is a review of “Gods Playing in the Clouds”. We will integrate information from the four previous Sunday sessions into the movements. Beginners can learn the first two movements, those that missed some of the information and movements from other classes can add to what they know and those that know the movements will work on reviewing and refining.
There will be a six week session of TAOIST YOGA July 14th ,21st, 28th, and August 4th. 11th. 18th taught on six consecutive Sundays. This unique and rarely taught Chinese yoga system is a component of the Taoist mind/body internal energetic school. This system works from the inside out with small movements that are less stressful to mind and body.
This is an incredible way to use the mind and breath to penetrate deep into the body’s interior. I use this yoga system to assist in the healing of moderate to severe injuries and neurological disorders; and to relieve stress and anxiety with minimal effort. Breathing and dissolving techniques are a major part of the process.
This is a system of Nei Gung Qigong. These mind/body practices are sophisticated in nature, and have the tremendous potential to change old patterns, unblock stagnant energy and create a personal evolution for the body and mind. Classes can be attended individually or in any combination that works for you. New students with little or no experience are welcome, as well as experienced practitioners.
You can see a complete class schedule and class fees:
whitecranehealingarts.com
Follow the link under Qigong Classes.