"Breathe Deep" - The Qigong Newsletter
Issue V. 2.0 October/November 1999
Editorial: Ruminations and
Celebrations
Welcome to this issue of "Breathe Deep."
Sometimes it seems like a miracle to simply complete
a task you've set for yourself in life, what with the
myriad distractions and responsibilities that abound
in any given day. You can relate, right? How is it that
what appears to be a simple promise we make to ourselves
to do something can challenge us to the core? This is
the dilemma of life on this planet... and an issue that
is at the root of Qigong. How do we assess our personal
energy, Qi, and then guide it towards a task? Learning
this is learning Qigong. I'm a practical person at heart,
so I need to apply theories and ethereal ideas that
I learn. Qigong can appear to be so esoteric, so elevated,
that we lose touch with its most basic aspects. Ultimately,
Qigong is about returning to our naturalness, getting
back to that place where we can attain balance in our
hearts and minds. This helps us reduce stress. Qigong
is about remembering the fundamentals of the energetic
nature of ourselves and the Universe... in so doing,
feeling connected and honoring our effect on the world
around us. Qigong's deep breathing synchronized with
slow and specific movements creates the set of tools
available to us that can help us take responsibility
for our lives, to guide our Qi toward a task--whether
it is to help us heal, or well, write a newsletter...
We hope this newsletter can inspire you to learn more
about Qigong and keep the concepts of Qi and energy
healing interwoven in your daily life.
We are united in spirit and share similar challenges
throughout this life. Curiously enough, we can feel
alone during our struggles and in questioning moments.
It is sometimes our sense of community that can bring
us back to trust that we are not alone. This sense of
camaraderie, of alignment of purpose, has been the guiding
force of civilization from tribal times. We need reminders,
outward expressions of community. This is the hope my
wife Daisy Lee and I had in creating ""Breathe
Deep" - The Qigong Newsletter.
Thanks to each of you who contributed to this issue...
and to those of you who've sent submissions in for the
next issue. The way this service can really blossom
is if you send in news, a short story, a calendar event,
a photo... or even turn on a friend and get them to
subscribe.
This is how we inspire others and build community. In
the next issue, we'll be adding real-time streaming
video in hopes to enhance the value of this project.
Help us make this free bi-monthly newsletter a tool
to create community among Qigong practitioners who practice
a myriad of different styles. The outward form may be
different, but the essence remains the same. In this
we share a single heart. Contribute to this newsletter
however you can and help it to become a tool to reflect
our growing community around the planet. Share it with
those who will benefit.
Thank you for your support and for keeping joy an important
part of the healing process. Peace.
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Guest Article: The National
Qigong Association Grows Another 100%
A report from the NQA by Roger Jahnke, OMD and Michael
Winn
Following an immensely successful 3rd annual conference
in Baltimore the the National Qigong/Chi Kung Association
(NQA) has reached 400 members. This is an annual increase
of 100% since the organization’s birth. The conference
keynotes included Master Li Jun Feng who presented his love centered approach to Qigong and his Kuan Yin Standing
Qigong practices.
Ken Sancier from the Qigong Institute presented on
the scientific foundations of Qigong from the Institute's international data base of Qigong abstracts, highlighting
the numerous studies showing the efficacy of Qigong
in healing and improving quality of life for the chronically
ill.
Garri Garripoli gave a moving talk about his journey
in making his PBS documentary on Qigong healing in China,
and a sneak preview of the beautifully shot and edited
film was shown. A crowd of seventy people stayed up
until midnight enthusiastically talking with him about
its possibilities for sparking the Qigong movement in
America. TV, after all, is our national medium.
Dozens of inspiring and informative workshops from
both Chinese and American Qigong luminaries provided
for a massive sharing of good Qi. The NQA is like a
large Qigong family, and many of the conference attendees
were in a transcendental state after all that Qi cultivation
and learning— pre-conference, two day conference
and post conference.
In accord with the NQA trend so far, the organization
will likely have 800 members by the time the next conference
rolls around.
Portland Oregon, the site of year 2000 conference is
a perfect location. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW:
August 18-21, 2000. The tree and water Qi in Oregon
is spectacular. Portland has an incredible Japanese
Garden and a new Chinese Garden based on the beautiful
gardens in Suzhou, China. Contact NQA Administrator
Rebecca Kalinowski at 218-365-6330 if you wish to present
a workshop or participate in organizing the conference
next year.
It is the mission of the NQA to help to create a Qigong
revolution in the United States, be a part of the solution
to the crisis in medicine and empower citizens to create
Qigong activities in their home communities.
While there is a strong move within the NQA to foster
high professional standards for Qigong instructors and
healers, there is an equally strong movement to mobilize
a massive community of practitioner members who will
proliferate Qigong in the parks, community centers,
schools, churches, agencies and corporations. The $25
practitioner membership is intended to build a dynamic
Qigong community so that all Qi lovers can participate
in a historic Qigong transformation of our nation.
At this year's annual NQA Board meeting in Baltimore,
several momentous events occurred. The By-laws that
create the democratic foundation of NQA activity, which
have been carefully crafted by a committee chaired by
founding member James Macritchie for nearly 6 years,
were ratified and signed by organization Secretary Mark
Johnson.
Gunther Weil, who was the first Chairperson of the
NQA Board, was awarded a lifetime membership for service
beyond the call of duty. The new Chairperson is Roger
Jahnke, a doctor of Chinese medicine with nearly 30
years of Qigong experience and one of the founders of
the NQA. Michael Winn was reelected to the presidency
following a highly successful first year in that office.
New Board members include Jim Concotelli of Lexington
KY, who will act as the secretary, Tina Marrow of Atlanta
GA, Arnold Tayam of the Bay area, California and Stephen
Josephs from Boston.
In addition to its humanitarian activities, the NQA
has committed to host a national discussion on issues
related to Qigong instruction, Qigong healing and medical
Qigong. An open forum on these areas was held in Baltimore
and input was received from many schools, organizations
and professionals. The medical Qigong committee of the
NQA, misunderstood by some during the last year to be
an examining or credentialing body, is steadily working
on its actual mandate to serve as a national clearinghouse
for information from schools, colleges, credentialing
organizations on criterion to foster safe and effective
Qigong in hospitals and HMOs. The standards committee
is working on the same issue for instruction in Qigong
that is not medical or diagnostic.
The NQA is run by the members for the members. Dynamic
opportunities to be a part of this national Qigong family
are available through interaction with a wide array
of committees and projects. Qi lovers in Oregon and
Washington can become instant heroes by working with
the conference committee on next year's conference in
Portland.
Articles on Qigong are invited and will be placed either
in the NQA newsletter or in the library on the NQA web
site at nqa.org.
The travel committee, following a very successful training
trip to China in May ‘99, is looking at sponsoring
another trip to China in Sept. 2000 that may include
training in medical Qigong in top Beijing hospitals
as well as training near Xian, the ancient capital,
at a Taoist monastery on the site where Lao Tzu wrote
the Tao Te Ching. The public education and outreach
committee is creating Qigong education materials and
developing programs intended to reach out to millions
of people with healing and empowerment.
What part will you play in this fun and fascinating
community of Qi lovers. The NQA is very enthusiastic
about the PBS documentary made by Garri Garripoli and
are doing all we can to promote his brilliant program
to create Qigong seminars in cooperation with PBS stations.
We are trying to link these efforts with the upcoming
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, April 8th, 2000. Consider
creating a Qigong event in your community. You can also
start your own local chapter of the NQA—this grassroots
Qi is spreading like wildfire!
You can get information on both of these events, next
year's NQA conference, the NQA membership list, possible
travel opportunities, volunteer for a committee and
much more at nqa.org. Rebecca Kalinowski the administrative
coordinator is always willing to assist you in finding
your place in the NQA at 888-233-3655.
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Applications: Here's a
Qigong exercise or technique you may want to try
“Si” Fingertips at Lung 1, rotate shoulders
in circles…
This is one of the 18 forms of the Wuji Hundun Qigong
style of Master Duan Zhi Liang of Beijing. It's a great
exercise for sore upper back and shoulders... and good
for rehabilitating strained rotator cuffs as the bent
arm puts much less strain on the shoulder joint than
if your arm was extended. Bring the tips of all your
fingers together and press them against acupressure
point Lung 1 in the indentation below your collar bone
and between your shoulder and pectoral chest muscle
of the same hand side. Keep elbows facing toward Earth.
Begin by inhaling and making a scooping motion with
your right elbow, moving it upward, over your head.
As you exhale, continue that circular motion, stretching
your elbow behind you until it returns to the starting
position. Repeat this with your left arm and again with
your right several times.
This move helps to expand the chest cavity while focalizing
Qi into the Lungs with your fingertips. Keep your shoulders
dropped and relaxed... and remember to breathe deep
throughout.
Excerpted from the Qigong
for Healing videotape with Garri and Daisy Lee Garripoli
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Written Word: An excerpt
from a book that you may find of interest
“100 Days to Better Health, Good Sex & Long
Life: A Guide to Taoist Yoga and Chi Kung"
By Eric Steven Yudelove taomagic.com
What is your greatest possession? Do you believe that
it's your house, or your car or your jewelry? Is it
your collection of fine stamps or rare coins or your
investment portfolio? Possessing any or all of these
things can improve the quality of your life. But could
any of them truly be called your greatest possession?
We may possess great riches but, if we become seriously
ill, we realize that good health is more valuable than
dollars. And although being rich may help us get better
medical treatment, it is our health itself which is
ultimately a greater possession than money or things.
We may possess many talents, but, if we are seriously
depressed or mentally ill, we cannot appreciate them.
If you lose your mental well-being or know someone who
has, it is easy to see that all the riches in the world
are meaningless or worthless if your mind is not intact.
So health and mental well-being are certainly universally
recognized as great possessions. But, even underlying
these two is something more basic. It is something we
take with us everywhere we go. It is something we can
lose or sacrifice, it is something we can waste or give
away. It is also something that we can make great use
of and take great care of. Ultimately, it is our greatest
possession. It is our life.
Your life is your single greatest possession. If you
lose it, all your other possessions or talents are worthless
to you. If you are dead, then the concept of possessing
something becomes meaningless. Your memory may live
on in your family and friends. The things you have accumulated
during your life will pass on to your heirs, but without
life, you possess nothing.
Life is thus our greatest possession and it is also
our greatest gift. We received life from our parents
and we possess the ability to create life in our children.
This is a great and wonderful gift--the gift of life.
And life itself is ultimately a great mystery. Our science
still cannot tell us where life comes from and where
life goes when it is over. The source of life really
defies logical explanation. Call it God, or nature,
or Tao. Ultimately, we are faced with the unanswerable
question of where God came from or how nature could
conceive itself. All we can say with certainty is that
life exists here on planet Earth and that humans appear
to be the highest form of life on our planet.
…We carry our life around with us in the vehicle
we call our body. In order to preserve our body, we
must breathe and receive nourishment.
In order to be truly human, we must also nurture another
aspect of life which is called consciousness. Humanity
has the gift of awareness of the world and universe
around us. This is what separates humans from all other
forms of life. We can think creatively. We can question
our existence. We create languages and writing and mathematics.
We are aware of our emotions and have created laws defining
good and evil, what is acceptable and unacceptable in
our society.
As we reach the end of the twentieth century, science
and medicine have succeeded in extending life expectancy
and eradicating many dangerous diseases. We also benefit
from the exchange of ideas about health and longevity
from all over the world.
Western medicine is still relatively young. Its emphasis
has been more on curing illness than prevention. As
we head into the twenty-first century, we will find
that the healing arts and sciences will expand in scope
to encompass new and old ideas from all over the world.
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Qigong Research
Kevin Chen, Ph.D. MPH, associate professor at the Department
of Psychiatry Office at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
in Newark, NJ has written to tell us of the formation
of a Medical Qigong Club that will be starting on campus.
They will be using this club as a forum to offer Qigong
to students and faculty at the medical school. They
will also begin research on the medical benefits of
Qigong. We are also pleased to hear that they are using
the documentary soon to air on PBS “Qigong - Ancient
Chinese Healing for the 21st Century” as a study
tool.
Bravo Dr. Chen!
E-mail: chenke@umdnj.edu
Qigong in the Media
we're happy to have heard that Susan Rabinowitz, director
of the Taoist Arts Center in NYC received some airtime
on Manhattan Cable Channel 56 on 10/9/99. She gave a Chi Kung demonstration and discussed how Chinese Medicine
is used in Chi Kung for self healing. To find out more,
e-mail Susan at tac@infohouse.com
Dr. Effie Poy Yew Chow and some of her Chow Qigong
students recently appeared on Canada s Vision TV network
on a new series called "Healing Hands." Congratulations
on this great exposure for Qigong.
Garri and Daisy Lee Garripoli could be seen on NBC
s "Better Living with Carrie Wyatt" a few
Saturdays ago. They showed some of the Wuji Qigong system
while teaching at the Malibu Health Center.
Qigong Answers from a Master
Sifu Wong Kiew Kit, has a resource for readers all
over the world to ask questions on Qigong and related
arts. Sifu Wong answers them three times a month. Visit
shaolin-wahnam.tripod.com.
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Update
By Bill Douglas
Tai Chi Instructor and WTCQD Founder worldtaichiday.org
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day (WTCQD) has been lobbying
in various city’s to promote the release of “Qigong:
Ancient Chinese Healing for the 20th Century” to
coincide with WTCQD 2000 (April 8th, 2000), and also
World Qigong Day (Nov. 20th, 1999). The media that local
events garner from WTCQD can be used to point people
to the Qigong documentary airing on PBS, and to inform
PBS viewers of the mounting Western medical research
on these powerful health tools as well.
We encourage you to contact every Qigong and Tai Chi enthusiast worldwide and encourage them to get involved
by contacting worldtaichiday.org
(Resource Library), where they can get the latest medical
research on Tai Chi or Qigong, to use in press releases,
articles or letters to the editor. Here they can also
print out four organizing kits to begin organizing a
WTCQD event in their area.
The year 2000 can become a profound year for Qigong,
and for the health of the world! Look for World Tai Chi & Qigong Day articles in upcoming issues of
“The Empty Vessel”, “Qi Journal”,
“Inside Kung fu Illustrated”, “Karate/Kung
fu Illustrated”, “Common Ground”, “Modern
Sage”, and others. If you know of a publication
that supports our goals and would be interested in an
article or interview on World Tai Chi & Qigong Day,
please refer them to e-mail taichismrt@aol.com. The
Qigong Institute's Public Access Pages
The Qigong Institute (QI) is now offering a free service
to it's members that will help to build the Qigong community
in a positive way. Check out their web site at Qigonginstitute.org
and click on "Join Directory." Here you ll
get instructions on how teachers and therapists can
have their services listed and made available to students
and interested seekers, effectively providing a unique
web site for each person. QI is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to providing sound scientific information
on Qigong and its applications in healthcare.
The Hunger Site
The Hunger Site at the U.N. is a great web site All
you do is go to the site, click a button and somewhere
in the world some hungry person gets a meal to eat at
no cost to you. The food is paid for by corporate sponsors.
But, you're only allowed one click per day so spread
the word to others.
Please visit the site and pass the word: thehungersite.com
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Voices: Reader submitted testimonials
and inspirations
By Susana Evert
I am a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher
and together with my husband we have The Tom & Susana
Evert Dance/Theatre (we create our own works and perform
them nationally and internationally). For many years
we have been studying and practicing Qigong. We have
been applying Qigong fundamentals to our classes as
well as our performances and the results have been wonderful.
We are also very involved in education and outreach
programs and the implementation of the arts in the schools.
We have found that teaching kids the basics of Qigong
is a fabulous tool that other teachers should be using
in this Era of “deficit in concentration and focus”.
In general the practice of Qigong has changed the whole
perspective of my career and helped unify our whole
life.
Tom and I practice together every morning, and as as
I mentioned, we work together. Thanks for sharing with
other people our little paragraph, and you can write
our e-mail addresses for people interested in our performance
schedules: tomevert@aol.com and SusanaWdeE@aol.com
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PhotoQi: Reader submitted photo
of the month
This month's photo was taken during one of the group
Qigong exercises at the 3rd Annual National Qigong Association
(NQA) Conference held this August in Baltimore, Maryland,
USA.
Photo Courtesy of Giovanni Pescetto.
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"If two people are one in heart, mountains and
oceans cannot keep them apart. If two men do not share
common ideals, there will be a great distance between
them though they stand side by side. That is why some
people travel across mountains and waters to meet, and
others never make contact with each other though they
stay together."--- Ancient Chinese Maxim
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