Day 24 - Saturday 24th January 2015 - Endings and Beginnings

Lao Tzu said: "Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

The universe is in a constant state of flux. One of the key fears a human experiences, though, is the fear of loss, of change, of letting go, of things, people and experiences passing by. Yet, when we observe the macro and micro cycles of nature, we see that is the natural order of things. we are drawn, inevitably, to changes of state; therefore, it makes such good sense to learn and practice acceptance of the natural order of things. With that, it also makes sense to learn how to maximise the finite time we have on this earthly plane by studying and mastering the forces available to us both within our bodies and without. If you were opened up to a world of knowledge which, when applied, would increase your physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health, your vitality and your longevity, then why wouldn't you? That is what Qi Gong is. 

Today, many of the lovely people I have met here left after completing two weeks of the program. I say farewell with love in my heart, and wish them health, wealth, longevity, love joy and happiness wherever they may be and whatever they are doing. I am grateful that we were brought together for this time! 

 Flowers bloom and fade

Leaves flourish and fall

See the great great grand master to the left of the teacher?!

See you again, lovely Marian. Thanks for your bubbliness and generosity!

The two English roses, both called Sarah!

Thanks for all the friendship and dancing!

Beautiful Stephanie. Thanks for your joyful spirit and relishing of desserts!

Before the dawn; arriving for Tai Chi. The sun will come, and the sun will go.

Tai Chi - the Supreme Force

Day 22 & 23 - Thur/Fri 22nd/23rd January 2015 - Healing Love

There is a form of Qi Gong called Healing Love, which is essentially the practice of sexual gong fu/kung fu: getting in touch with the body's sexual energy and multiplying it, transforming it and storing it, to increase health and vitality. This can be done in both solo and dual cultivation. In actual fact, all of the qi gong practices Master Chia teaches involve both love and its healing qualities, as the practitioner transforms him or herself through cultivating virtue and thus placing him/herself in a more favourable position to expand and multiply his/her connection with the universal life force and the abundant source of unconditional love from the supreme creator. In turn, the practitioner becomes more balanced, and more fully present in his/her heart centre, taming the human heart and connecting to the true heart.

This evening at the Tao Garden, the course participants celebrated two weeks of intensive, rich and rewarding training as well as passing the first stage of instructor certification, thanks to a beautiful lady called Marian, who took the time and trouble to organise everything. We came together with such richness of heart, and such playful expression that it was an absolute joy to be amongst everyone as we sang and danced, in all manner of creative ways. Dancing til 10:30 was late for us, as we have to be on the Tai Chi Field at 6:30am, but it was so worth it! Look at some of these beautiful people I have the privilege to be here with!

Day 21 – Wed 21st January 2015 – Moving through a healing ‘crisis’ or ‘transformation’

This morning I was full of emotion, feeling a great deal of sadness and grief, which had been dislodged from stored muscle memory. There were several other people in the group dealing with released emotions at the same time. I pushed through, continued with the practices, and had various realisations about what situation the particular emotions had been generated from. Part of letting go, healing, transmuting and moving forward is allowing a healing ‘crisis’ or healing ‘transformation’ to take its course. If you try to suppress it with self-talk or specific behaviours, then you have no chance to weed it out at the roots and move beyond it. 

Day 20 - Tue 20th January 2015 - Compassion, Mercy & Loving Kindness

In our Qi Gong practices, we are continually guided to be receptive to and practise loving kindness and compassion. The deity Kwan Yin (Guanyin) is the Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. We eat in her dining hall every day.

She watches over us, and we are reminded of her great compassion. People pray to her for comfort, healing, guidance, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. The energy of her space is warm and welcoming. Today,  I am thankful for kindness compassion, mercy and forgiveness.

Day 19  Mon  19th January - A Peaceful Environment

Here, everything has been carefully planned - in accordance with Taoist traditions - to reflect, nurture, stimulate, intensify, or soften energy, depending on the location and the activities done there. The architecture, the decorations, the furnishings, flora, paths, practice spaces, areas for relaxation and so on, all support an ideal environment for cultivating qi. Of course, when one is outside of a retreat centre, then things are usually a bit different! So, what do you do when you return to the hustle and bustle, the less ordered, the confusing or chaotic, which may exist around you in the place where you live?

 Of course if at all possible, you can choose when and where to be exposed to such energies, but sometimes it seems there is no choice. So, one’s recourse is to keep up consistent qi cultivation practices, as the stronger you are in these, the better able you are to navigate yourself through all manner of situations and environments without being overly depleted. In fact, many of the techniques we are learning here can be applied  fairly quickly when one needs to fortify oneself, or protect one’s energy from leaking out.

 

Days 17 and 18 - 17th/18th January 2015 - Wonderland

The first part of Wonderland is cultivating one's sexual energy. What Master Chia showed us on Saturday is so exciting, and makes so much sense. We talked about sexual gong fu/kung fu in great detail, which is essentially a series of techniques for transforming the procreative sexual energy we are all born with, but which depletes our bodies over time, to creative energy which provides strength to our organs, bones, marrow, tendons, joints and muscles. It may seem unbelievable, crazy or complex, but once one is given instruction, it is actually quite simple, just requires diligence, patience and practice.

This is a picture of the kind of medicine ancient Taoist physicians would prescribe.

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The second part of Wonderland was having some time off on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. I went to the night market, and today I met up with my Chinese/Australian friend Crystal, who was passing through on her way from Adelaide to visit her family in China. We had a lovely, relaxing day looking around temples, trying out some great vegetarian food, and catching up!

Day 16 - 16th January 2015 - A rich day

This photo speaks for itself. Today, I summoned up the courage to ask for a picture! :-)  Master Chia had just worked on a student directly in front of me, and the Qi emanating from him was immensely powerful. That is why I have such a wide grin on my face standing next to him, as I am being supercharged!!! 

We did a review today of the Inner Smile the Six Healing Sounds, and the Microcosmic Orbit, plus Taoist philosophy of creation. We also worked on transferring energy, which was really exciting. Later on, there was some more jade egg work, and this evening we practised Iron Shirt Qi Gong, developing strength in our basic standing pose while a partner pushed on us to give counterforce. When it worked well, it felt like we were two tree trunks leaning against one another, growing and adjusting. 

After that we did some Dao Yin which is similar to yoga. There are some great names to the poses, such as 'the monkey clasps its knees', and 'the bamboo bends with the wind'. Our final practice for the day was the six healing sounds. 

This is one of the monkey poses!

Day 15 - Wed 15th January - The getting of discipline

Well, as it happens I am no stranger to self-discipline, but one thing I have long felt would be supportive for my Qi cultivation practices is getting up early in the morning, and going to bed at a reasonable hour, and establishing a routine with this. Here, i am getting into the swing of starting the day with Tai Chi class at 6:30am. After 30 minutes of Tai Chi with the gloriously energetic and funny coach Masa from Italy, we do half an hour of Qi Gong warm-up/stretch exercises with Walter, then another half an hour focussing on one or two Qi Gong exercises with Master Chia.

In fact, both today and yesterday, i woke up around 4:30, after having had six hours' sleep, feeling quite energetic. I didn't get out of bed straight away, but rested until about 5:30, then did some pranayama before preparing to go out into the crisp morning air. It's about 13 or 14C out there at 6:30am, warms up by midday to about 30C, then cools down again considerably by the evening.

Today's main focus was on Sexual Gong Fu (Kung Fu), which harnesses the Qi generated by the body's sexual organs, and transforms it into power energy for promoting health, vitality and stamina. One of the practices for women involves using a jade egg, which you insert into the vagina and then use for various strengthening exercises. The stronger your sex organs and your whole pelvic floor, the better you are able to stop energy from leaking out of your body and direct Qi upwards.

This is some of us, waiting to start our jade egg practices! Women only, of course, and all discreet and in a safe and nurturing environment!

Day 14 – Wed 14th January – What you put in is what you get out!

Everyone knows that food is a fuel for our bodies, yet how many of us really take the time to figure out which foods are beneficial for our systems and which are harmful, which are digested easily and contribute to optimal qi flow, and which make one sluggish and not able to perform efficiently? Here at the Tao Garden, the food is grown either on site or locally, and is mostly organic. Meals are prepared using the Taoist five-element (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent) approach, and there is plentiful choice! I feel so lucky to be able to eat so healthily and in harmony with my body’s requirements, without having to buy or prepare the food myself.

Check out this link for some great info on five-elements nutrition

http://www.universal-tao.com/5elements/Taoist5ElementsNutrition.ABC.html

Today, one of the exercises we practised is the Inner Smile. In this exercise, you bring the vibration of smiling (and its associated feelings of happiness, love and kindness) to all the major organs of the body. The qi generated from the practice can be stored in the body for future use, or sent outside of oneself into the environment beyond. Look at how it made all of us feel! These two lovely beings are Autumn, from Minneapolis, and Julio from Portugal. 

Day 13 - 13th January 2015 - Going into orbit!

It is a unique thing to witness a room full of adults all thoroughly engaged in Qi Gong exercises which cause burping or belching - the room sounded like it was full of frogs - and then doing the preparatory exercises for the Microcosmic Orbit practice, which involve massaging either one's breasts or testicles (through clothing), and then the whole room pressing on their perineums, to stop Qi from leaking out of their bodies.

Mantak Chia sits on stage and laughs and jokes with all the vigour of a schoolboy, but teaches with the wisdom of one who has studied his modality for many, many years. The Microcosmic Orbit is one of the fundamental energy practices in Qi Gong, and basically  involves arousing, circulating, collecting and storing Qi through specific breathing, attention and muscle contraction techniques. When energy flows through the orbit, you feel it moving from the sex organs to the perineum, then round to the coccyx, up the spine to the base of the head, into the brain, then down into the mouth, through the tongue, into the heart and the other organs of the body, to be stored at a point just below the naval called the lower Dan Tien.

The feeling is profound and energising. You are  bringing blood and oxygen to your vital organs, strengthening and healing, energising and revitalising.

The following resource is available on the internet for those who are hungry for more information regarding Qi Gong Practices, in particular the Microcosmic Orbit.

http://www.slideshare.net/mantakchia/mantak-chia-cosmic-orbit

Day 12 - 12th January 2015 - Diving in

Yes, I have been swimming again today but in a saltwater pool at the retreat centre, after a quick work-out at the gym and a stint in the steam room. Sounds like the easy life, doesn't it?! However, we dived into the course today, and it promises to be intensive, challenging and growth-giving. 

The day started with 7am qi gong exercises outside in the Tai Chi Field for one hour. After a quick breakfast, we started class with Master Chia at 9am, and learnt various theories and practices relating to opening the Microcosmic Orbit. Lunch at 12, then further training from 1:30 to 3:30pm. We gathered together again after dinner for some instruction about certification, then practised Dao Yin and the six healing sounds all together until 9pm.

Tomorrow starts with Tai Chi at 6:30am! It's chilly at that hour, so will rug up!

Master Chia in action

My house

Where we practise morning exercises together

Day 11 - 11th January 2015 - Welcome to Thailand!

Arrived here in the dark, which was quite exciting. The paths around the centre were lit by dim lanterns here and there, and I took a walk around the complex, taking in the sounds and scents and practising my night vision. I was up at 5:45, getting ready to meet a group of walkers, to hike to the local lake for a swim. It was a 3 hour round trip, and such a magical way to begin my stay here. i couldn't even properly make out the face of my fellow walkers as we set off, but as dawn came the world around us woke up at a leisurely pace. We crossed fields and traversed woodland, then had to walk across a narrow dam wall that was only marginally wider than one foot - the first test! When we reached the uppermost point, we welcomed the rising sun. 

At the top of the hill there was also a little shrine, and a grassy area where we did some group qi gong practices, finishing in a circle of ten holding hands and doing a balancing exercise, and not one of us falling over! 

I haven't seen the town yet, just lit up at dusk from the airplane. It was just hidden from view this morning, across the next hillside. I am not worried about heading there in  hurry; it is so peaceful here, and that is what I came for! 

The swim in the lake was like a baptism. it was crisp, but not freezing, and the water was really deep. 

After hiking back and arriving for breakfast, we all felt like superwo/men! 

The place is filling up. Apparently, there will be more than 100 people participating in this first week of training. Tonight, it begins!!!!

Day 10 - 10th January 2015 - The Tao Garden

http://tao-garden.com/about-us/

I am not sure exactly when I will be posting again, as I will be travelling all day tomorrow,  so I am putting in Day 10 ahead of myself! Click on the link above for a look at the retreat centre where I will be staying for the next month. Here is what I can expect in Week 1:

WEEK 1: Instructor Certification Training Jan Sun 11 - Sat 17, 2015 The Basic Retreat is training for beginners and intermediate level practitioners, and those desiring a review of first essentials. This week is devoted to reviewing & mastering the Microcosmic Orbit, Six Healing Sounds, Cosmic Inner Smile, Chi Self-Massage, 6 Directions, Iron Shirt Chi Kung.

This is Master Mantak Chia:

What is the Microcosmic Orbit?

"The Microcosmic Orbit also known as the 'Self Winding Wheel of the Law' and the circulation of light is a Taoist Qigong or Taoist yoga Qi energy cultivation technique. It involves deep breathing exercises in conjunction with meditation and concentration techniques which develop the flow of qi along certain pathways of energy in the human body, which may be familiar to those who are studyingTraditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, T'ai chi ch'uan, Neidan and Taoist alchemy." (Wikipedia)

Here is the link to his e-book about the Microcosmic Orbit:

 http://mantakchia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Cosmic-Orbit-ebook-mantakchia.pdf

"By opening the Microcosmic Orbit (Smaller Heavenly Cycle)

within out bodies, we can develop a connecting link to the

Macrocosmic Orbit (Greater Heavenly Cycle) of the universe,

through which we can tap into and absorb the original source of all

power (Fig. 1.12). Taoists learn to absorb and transform this force

directly, rather than depending entirely on plants, animals, and motions

of the earth to provide energy. After developing the Energy

Body and extending it into space, they learn to access energies that

are purer and more highly refined (Fig. 1.13). This means that humans

are not necessarily restricted by the earth’s orbit. We can

extend ourselves into the universe to draw the forces we need to

replenish our life force (Fig. 1.13 and 1.14)."