Qigong

As I went through chemotherapy last year I had to do a lot of quiet inner soul searching and at the same time opened myself up to spirituality. I didn't have to look hard, as spiritual information seemed to fall in my lap as I needed it like a guardian angel. Books that resonated with me at that time would have made no sense to me at others, but they just seemed to appear or be recommended.

Before my diagnosis of breast cancer I was training off and on with a personal trainer at our gym. He was a gentle soul and so grounded and kind for a 23 year old! We became fast friends and he joined our group of friends. As my diagnosis came many people at my gym were supportive which was one of the great blessings of the cancer. To see people support you that only new you as an acquaintance.

David, however, was a huge blessing. He checked in with me on Gmail chat often and I found out he was a highly spiritual man with lots of wisdom beyond his years about how to be happy and live in the now. We talked about death and dying or just plain crying. He had been reading the many books that I was at the time and we talked back and forth about the meaning of life.

I asked him to write for the blog about a spiritual practice he teaches and that is what comes next!

Qigong
posted by David Beaudry

I have been fascinated by the Mind and Transformation of Consciousness since I was young. This lead me to a BA in Psychology. I came across Qigong (Supreme Science Qigong Foundation) a year and a half ago and it has changed my life. My energy and clarity of mind have increased tremendously and I now have tools to tap into that place of calm and peace within at any moment.
“Qi” means life-force energy and is within everything in existence. Everything is a form of energy, our mind, our body and our spirit.
“Gong” means cultivation or practice.
Essentially “Qigong” is “Energy Cultivation,” connecting the Body, Breath, Mind, and Spirit. Enhancing the quality of life through opening our energy channels and balancing our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energies. We use deep breathing techniques combined with graceful movements and visualization. We begin class with meditation to clear and center the mind, we then do subtle movements and deep breathing to connect and cultivate our energy. We usually end with Taoist yoga stretches to get back in touch with our bodies after our practice is done.
There are many beginner classes open to the Public. I teach classes at:Mt. Diablo Integrated Wellness Center in Walnut Creek, CA every Tuesdays @ 7pm
You can visit www.qigong.com or www.qigonginstitue.org to find a teacher in your area and get more info.
Qigong has opened up a doorway to a new way of being in the world. A practice that allows one to feel the presence and connection to the Divine. Some call it God...you can call it whatever resonates with you. At the core of our Being lies a deep connection to all that exists. We are all entangled in this fabric of life. We begin to realize that our reality and life circumstances are directly connected to our thoughts and beliefs which then form our habits. Becoming an observer of my underlying thoughts, beliefs, and feelings has allowed me to let go of many old patterns of thought that were no longer serving my growth. As humans our Mind is in a state of constant seeking, sometimes referred as the Monkey Mind. For the Mind is a tool to be used, and too often we let our Mind run our lives unchecked.
When we learn to accept the Mind and realize that we can accept our thoughts and feelings for what they are without judgement we can live more fully in the Now. That space we call Now expands tremendously, as the Mind is no longer looking in the past or seeking future achievements.
The essence of Qigong is cultivating our life-force energy and a way of being in the world. A way of interacting deeply with ourselves and the world around us. With Love, Compassion and Kindness in our hearts naturally our minds become filled with Peace. Not forcing life to happen, rather allowing life to unfold it’s beauty before us. If you watch nature, water doesn’t try to flow, and grass doesn’t try to grow. It simply is. As we we heal ourselves, we heal the world.