Standing firm on the ground beneath you

When I teach Qigong Yangsheng I have to often re-establish the individual’s right to "stand and be". We as individuals, are not often able to realize the value of us being here. We desire to be somewhere else and rather already have tomorrow now if possible. Yet the essence of our success lies in feeling ourselves here within this moment. To do this we have to become reconnected to that which is under our feet.

Being here begins with being centered. Knowing that your "inner core" has a stable and solid position upon this earth. This means taking the time to really feel the ground beneath your feet or as in this instance in the photo of my Poks, your "behind". 

As a tree spreads out its roots to gain a deeper grasp; allowing it to be nourished through them, so to do we allow ourselves the chance to move forwards with steadfastness when we have taken a firm hold on how and where we stand.

The soles of our feet need to form a connection to the source of our structure - our limbs, our shoulders and our rump; our inner supportive self. We must experience that which we are. With the various faults and strengths hidden inside. What has formed and made us who we are is what we take with tenderness to move forward, when the going gets tough.  As well as when we glide with ease through life, taking time to note the birds taking shelter within our “branches”; our presence - our family members and friends whom can lean on us because of our "firm hold" on life itself.

Next time you venture outside take a stand amongst the trees. Feel your feet upon the ground. Look upwards through the branches, which reach to the heavens above. Sense the grounds vitality spreading upwards through your body, allowing you to become one, with that surrounding you and daydream!

Feel the air upon your cheek. Hear the whisper of the leaves. Savour the raindrops on your skin or the shadows of the trees over your face. Taste the sun upon your lips. Feel your body sing out at being alive. Allow the moment to be. Embrace it. Then pull this feeling back within to be wrapped up in a soft cloth and treasured at a later date. When, like a forgotten memory, you can visualize opening up your own carefully wrapped present, of your taking a stand and being here!

Koruswhispers 19.03.12

Life is bloody amazing!

Life is bloody amazing, so why do we buy motivational books, attend positive thinking seminars, take part in group sessions on finding ourselves amongst the modern world if it is not to realize just that!  Have we forgotten how to embrace this simple fact due to being bogged down under the weight of "being"?

I am a person whom has her ups and downs like every other person out there.  Yet I see life as a chance.  I see life as an inspiration, to develop the core of my being, on various levels.  The pathway, which I take, can have its stones and ditches.  There can be turns of events that push me back onto my hunches and make me think that the going is tougher than I can handle at the moment. 

Yet it can also have exhilarating seconds in which I see a students face light up, at just the thought of having warm hands after an hours Qigong Yangsheng practice.  When I think back twenty-two years ago to the moment I needed to be hospitalized because my blood pressure shot up, in the last week of pregnancy of my precious girl, it seemed then such a disaster.  Scary.  A warning, of something bad to come. Yet today as I look at the beautiful, strong, independent young woman she has become, it had to happen for a reason.  It was "good chi" that wove a web around the strands of my life so that all were protected.

Life gives us only what we can handle.  Perhaps you feel it is pushing you beyond your limits.  Then see it as making you becoming more aware of your limitations.

Go to your self-help classes.  Get support.  Reach out for guidance.  But never forget to look within! For the quiet inner voice is there to nourish, hold and love you.  It reminds you when you’re viewing the wonder of spring unfold before your eyes that even the bubble bee, which pollinates the flower bud, has a purpose.  Just like you too have a purpose for being here.

There is a reason we live a year or 101 years on this beautiful planet.  We all have a reason for existing and when we have accomplished it, and then it is our time to go further.  Until then make up a list for yourself why life is bloody amazing and remember to look through it often when you doubt why you have a purpose.

My "life is bloody amazing" list:

I breath ... therefore I am

I love ... therefore I am loved

I laugh ... so that the tears can flow when needed

I ache ... so I know the difference between pain and pleasure

I smile ... so I understand why frown wrinkles exist

I dance ... because movement reminds me I have a wonderful body

I speak out ... and remember that I have a voice to help others

I sing ... to remind me of the beauty within

I cry ... to connect to the healer in me

I live ... because it is the choice I have made to make.

Your Korus