Smiling Qi Gong, a pathway in

Today as I was practicing a very simple QiGong practice of smiling at myself I had the "brilliant" idea of sharing this with YOU, so that you might consider this practice also... This is a great way to start the day! It can help your focus be on the pathway into yourself. So my holiday gift to you is to share this practice, while in my minds eye seeing you filled with abundance and love! xo Janet To start, sit (or lay down) comfortably. Take the tip of your tongue in-between your two front teeth, then run it upwards until it meets the roof of your mouth. This allows your energy to flow through the internal energy pathways of your yin organs. Think about something, someone, or somewhere that makes you smile BIG. Now take that energy (that happy smiling energy) and begin... Feel the warmth of your emotions. Allow that memory to refresh you. To deeply calm you. To release any tension from your immediate circumstances prior to starting the smile. Now breathe until you feel that smile overflowing! Hold your attention at that smile smiling back at you until it washes over your entire person. From the third eye (between your eyebrows) breathe in, draw this energy down from the brow through your tongue and throat to your heart. Your amazing heart works everyday for you, sending blood and oxygen to every cell. Take this opportunity to thank your heart. Allow that smile (energy/Qi) to fill your heart until it overflows into the pericardium (the tissue that holds the heart, the heart protector) filled with joy. Think of the blood bubbling with happy! Feel each heart beat as a smile and a wink (ok ok, that's just what I do, you can do or feel whatever you want to as long as it is joy filled). Now with your minds eye see that joy overflowing from the heart and pericardium into the lungs. Feel your lungs expanding and taking in oxygen, sustaining you. Breath is our connection to spirit so taking this opportunity to say thank you to your breath and to your lungs for holding fresh clean energy of heaven for you. And when the smile energy is so full, allow it to overflow into the Liver. While smiling to your liver think about this... It is the largest organ you have. It has many functions, it cleans and harmonizes the outside world that you take in. Smile and love your liver! From the liver allow the energy to overflow into the kidneys, the organs that filter all your fluids. The energy of the kidneys (water) is our most yin, deepest internal energy we posses. The kidneys hold our essence. All that we are. So take extra special care to thank your kidneys and smile even bigger! When the energy of the kidneys is overflowing let it move to your spleen. The spleen is the yin organ of the earth element. Without Earth we are nothing. This energy is about abundance, nourishment, about feeling taken care of. Its a feeling of "all is well", and "I am always supported". So breath into your spleen (located just below your rib cage on the left, opposite the liver) and say thank you, I love you, you rock! When that spleen energy is overflowing see that energy (Qi) gathering at your navel. Now "wind" that energy into your navel. Bring it back to the beginning with the corners of your mouth and relax. Allow your mouth to become neutral. Then send it through your brown and tongue, then disconnect your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Then concentrate your energy into your hands. Place them over your navel. Seal the energy there. This is your center. This is where we hold our will power, and all our beliefs about ourselves. Feel this area warmed with your energy. Feel it overflowing into your hands. Now how do you feel? Can you think of a word, phrase, image or symbol to describe this feeling? Slowly open your eyes if they were closed, bring your attention to the room around you. Bringing your consciousness back out into the world, and try to keep the word, phrase, image or symbol in your thoughts today! It will automatically re-connect you to your internal smiling self!! Happy holidays my dear friends! Keep smiling~

Karma

A few years ago I was in a relationship with a person who turned out to be not so honest with me. I learned from that relationship many lessons about how to say no, how to stand up for myself kindly, and how to feel the difference between words with action and empty words that might sound lovely, but have no substance. Anyway, this person I was in relationship with (we'll call them Jim) borrowed quite a bit of money from me under the pretense that we were building a business and a future. Once the money was paid, the building was done, the license earned, "Jim" told me that he was not interested in continuing the agreement and left me with no money in my savings, a few credit cards maxed out, and a hurt and angry heart. During the ending of the relationship I found out that "Jim" had done the same thing to another woman ten years earlier. She was a woman I knew, but who had never said anything to me about this legal battle she had been in for years to try to get back her money. She didn't share because she didn't want to "talk shit" about anyone. When I found this out I felt doubly dumb (which I got over quickly). I began my own legal proceedings to regain my money, and when I finally got half I let the rest go. And of course the Universe works miracles... And sometimes they take a little time BUT, long story short, the woman who was owed $30,000.00 for a loan taken out in her name years ago, finally got paid. And she got paid because (in passing) the Universe brought she and I together the day I received my check from "Jim" and I was on my way to the bank. And of course I was quite happy, so when we "bumped" into each other I shared. And she shared that the reason she couldn't get repaid was because "Jim" kept changing banks and by the time her lawyer would find out about a bank account for "Jim" he would close it and move his money (tricky devil indeed). So, I gave her a copy of my check. She took that copied check directly to her lawyer. Her lawyer froze "Jim's" accounts and finally she got paid. And I haven't seen her for a few years. And today, the Universe brought us together at the grocery store and she hugged me and thanked me and we cried happy tears. And for a brief moment I was really really happy that "Jim" had to pay. I was happy that he was suffering. And then I felt bad that I was happy he was suffering so I shared that with my husband Fred when I got home. And Fred said that actually I had ENDED years of suffering for "Jim" because he finally did the honorable thing (even if was because he was forced to). And now "Jim" can sleep easier knowing that the suffering he had caused was over. And I could be assured that I was not happy for "Jim's" suffering but elated at this other woman's final good fortune! Ah Universe you never cease to amaze me!

Doers and Deciders and QiGong

More than "doers" we are "deciders". This is the thought that always comes to me when I talk about doing/changing something. Sometimes I talk and talk and talk and then talk somemore... Lots of times I talk about a dietary change, or a schedule change, or a hairstyle change, or a friendship change, or a vacation change, or an exercise change, or a blah blah blah... And sometimes I actually make the change. And sometimes I don't. And sometimes I get really hard on myself for NOT making the change because I know how good it will be for me. And sometimes I really just don't care... BUT here is one change that I made this year and I am so glad that I DECIDED to do it. I talked about it for a year. I started and stopped it for a few months. Then one day I woke up and KNEW I was ready, I had actually decided... The change was... (drum roll please) to incorporate QiGong into my daily practice!! QiGong = Qi (energy/vitality/Life) + Gong (working/developing/cultivating). So QiGong (to me) means working with my energy to cultivate a long and happy life! There are many types of QiGong and people practice for many different reasons. For health, for strength, for control over their mind, for sexual vitality, for peace within, to release fear of life and death, for better performance as an athlete, martial arts, for spiritual development, to increase psychic abilities and tune their sensory apparatus to higher frequencies, etc. To learn about QiGong takes practice. Every day I recognize something new about myself and my energy. The coolest thing that has happened is that I am more aware of my body in space. I am aware of my energy when I walk, or sit, or play, or work, or cook, or hang out with my friends. And being aware of my energy (which has been a passion of mine for a very long time) helps me know how to hold onto my own energy (hangin onto my Qi). To recognize situations that are energy suckers, to know how to cultivate my own energy field by doing an exercise called the micro cosmic orbit which circulates the energy in my Governing and Conception vessels (the two extraordinary meridians that are "in charge of" all the yang and yin in my body) and by gathering my resources and then zipping up my Qi jacket each morning and really feeling myself. I am also recognizing that I am not as refreshed and relaxed at the end of the day if I don't do at least some QiGong in the morning. There are lots and lots of resources and lots and lots of people practicing and lots and lots of different exercises to fit lots and lots of different people. So my suggestion is to check it out on You Tube. Google QiGong exercises and see what comes up. Or give me a call and let me know you want to get together and practice together. Whatever works I hope you DECIDE to give it a try! Happy holidays and may THE FORCE be with you!!