To the Beach!

The Monkeyspoon

My room

The view from my bed


I'm excited to be headed back to my family's summer home in Wells Beach Maine for a week of sunshine, cool nights, stars, lots of cooking and partying with my family and friends and relaxation!

I feel like I have alot to celebrate right now. In the world of abundance, alot of things have recently coalesced in terms of paying my car off (after 6 years of car payments--YAY!), in the same month paying off a big chunk of some old post-9/11 debt I incurred to keep my business afloat. AND...my landlords just this week offered me a new THREE YEAR lease at my office at the SAME RATE I've paid for the last three years. That is unheard of I think. I was shocked! And grateful! I don't know if it's the economic climate or the fact that I've spent several years cultivating a good relationship with them but this is a really huge sigh of relief for me in my business life. It trickles down to a feeling of security for all the other renters who work with me and we can all breathe easy for another three years. What a blessing this week!
Also extremely grateful that my business continues to prosper and everyone working there is doing very very well, happy, supportive of each other and overall a fantastic work environment to be in.

I am also exceedingly grateful for my health improving daily. My Dr. has been instrumental in helping me reactivate my thyroid and pull me out of the slump I was in for a longer period of time than I want to remember. My energy has really come back, I feel more alive and vibrant than I've been in a long long time, exercising, eating really healthy, focusing on some aspect of my health every single day. It really feels good. Many people have been commenting on how healthy and happy I look which makes me feel even better! I'm going to be more healthy at 50 than I was at 40! Kind of exciting!

All this and more I want to celebrate with my family...and all of their accomplishments this year too and of course, just being together again in the most amazing place on Earth.

I intend to keep practicing my QiGong (and yoga) right there on the beach every morning facing the ocean and expanding in to the...expanse... ;) Maybe some seals will come to join me.

My Dad even said he wants to practice it with me! Isn't he a trooper?

Cheers!

I'll bring photos when I return.

Hummingbird Chi

It's been over a week since I wrote. Been very busy here and have added nearly daily yoga practice with my QiGong. I'm on Day 20 here now and a lot has happened since my last entry in my QiGong life. Not the least of which heading back to Tucson last weekend for a more advanced training with Jeff Primack which was amazing and will document in another entry.

First off, I started going to practice in a park near my house where there is a small lake, trees and grass. A refreshing change in the Arizona landscape for sure. Even in this heat, it remains cool under those trees.

So the first time I went, I explored a little bit and found a tree with some even ground underneath and nice shade and a little away from the walking path and began my practice.

It was so nice to be outside! I went along and then my gaze went up to a branch to the right and I saw a small bird. Actually her (I think it was a she but not sure) sound drew my attention. That percussive chirp that hummingbirds make. So I just noticed her sitting on that branch knowing she'd fly off in a moment. They never sit still for long.

Well, not her. No nest or anything in sight, she sat there on that branch for most of the "Around the World" segment and all of the "Push Hands". Somewhere during Around the World, she did fly off but relocated to another branch and sat there still again for the remainder. By herself. Ok, well, with me.

Toward the end of my practice, she flew off, made a circle around where I was standing, then returned to the tree in front of me. Like her own little closing ceremony.

I knew I'd found the right place to practice. I invited some gals I met at the instructor training in Tucson to join me on Sundays so hopefully they will be able to show up sometime. Sunday 9am. Kiwanis park. In case you forgot. ;) This next Sun. I will be out of town though.

So I went back again this weekend but someone was laying under my Hummingbird tree. No problem, I found another spot with actually a better view. I was right near the path of the walkers, joggers, fishermen, etc. so had to get over any self consciousness and just thought to myself "good, maybe they will get the Chi too" and kept right on. So, yup, toward the end of my practice, as I began to rotate in the Push Hands, there I saw him/her. A hummingbird flitting around up in the tree. If there is one or many or a total hummingbird tribe in that park is inconsequential to me. It's still my sign and my companion.

Today is Day 20. I feel good.

Days 7, 8 and 9

(this image and other Jeff Primack images from www.qigong.com)

I feel like I'm experiencing my own Qi Revolution here right in my own little corner of the world. I've been practicing my QiGong every day since I got back from the training and have been having my smoothies every day as well. My energy level also appears to be improving in that I've also been doing Nia and yoga and had the energy /interest/motivation to do so! I've also not been drinking coffee nearly as often or as much as I had before. Maybe a cup every other day. I'm even forgetting about it! One day (today) I did substitute the breath empowerment for the Level One routine only because I wanted to try something different and I had an hour and a half of yoga this morning. But so far so good! I'm really looking forward to heading back to Tucson in a couple of days to explore the next level of my training w/ Jeff Primack and staff. Just a couple of days away!

Day 6--my cat loves QiGong!

I noticed the other day that when I put on the DVD and started my practice, my one cat Buddy (who is my shaman cat) came running in to the room, stood up on the couch behind me and started this plaintive meowing. I just kept going but was thinking "dude, what is your deal?" and then he started walking around my feet and meowing until he finally settled down on the couch and started purring.

Ever since then he hears the DVD starting and rushes in to the room and finds a spot near me and quietly joins me. Awwww, kinda cute.

I got up this morning and did my morning practice and then went to the dentist for an intense 2 hour dental appt. fixing a broken tooth. I swear I think the QiGong helped me be more relaxed and the whole procedure went with alot more ease than other dental visits have. I also practiced the QiGong breathing awareness during the procedure so that was kind of cool as well.

Haven't missed a day of practice or my smoothies (pulpies) so I'm kind of proud of myself! Oh and the movements are getting easier and easier on my arms and shoulders...yay!

Days 4 and 5

Ok so yesterday while doing my morning practice, I glanced over at my TV and lo and behold what I saw sitting on top. Well, just see for yourself.

Jeff Primack rolling hands over an energy ball

My father gave me this figurine for Christmas last year and it sits right on top of the TV I watch my Qigong DVD on.
Pretty cool huh? I love serendipity like this. :)


I actually woke up on Day 4 looking forward to my practice that morning which was interesting considering how much I was resisting it the night before. Maybe this practice is enchanting me in to itself?

Day 3

Today was a hard day over here. I had a very intense work day today and did not get my QiGong practice in before heading in to work (early) but I did do my smoothie. I was sooo tired and not feeling well when i got home for some reason and ate dinner then fell fast asleep on the couch watching the Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

I made some fabulous (I have to say) lentil/bean curry with coconut milk , sweet potatoes and swiss chard. It was fun to make and threw it in the crockpot before heading to work.

I woke up from the couch at 8:30 and realized it's now or never so popped in the DVD and did my QiGong practice. I was so tired but I was sweating all over...dripping off my face, down my legs, everything! Wild! That's been happening more and more which tells me something is going on w/ my metabolism and all I'm doing is standing there doing these very slow movements.

So, I didn't falter. I kept my vow. I do feel good about doing the entire practice even though I was seriously not feeling in to it.

Smoothie or Pulpie?

Ok, I get it Jeff. I really get it. Your 3HP blender is the only way to go with this. I tried with my top of the line Kitchenaid blender but it obviously doesn't create the results of your Wonder Blender. But that's ok, I'll stick with my pulp awhile longer for the time being because at least I'm getting my nutrients and some fiber which is better than the-breakfast-which-will-not-be-named I've been eating in the past.

So check out the chronology of my "pulpie".

Note the beets, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, strawberries, blueberries and a blob of coconut oil on top. At all the various stages right up to consumption! :D

Distilled water and organic coconut oil (for the thyroid)

Yes I even put my produce in the zip lock baggies as Jeff suggested (he was well prepared for every level of resistance to this, which believe me, I could serve up them all). That made things alot easier with only one day of prep time!

Before

Half way blended, or rather, pulped.

Ready to drink and chew! ;)

It really is a gorgeous color. It wouldn't have all that pulp if I had the correct turbo blender but I still could drink it all down, with a straw no less! And it tastes good! I forgot limes and decided to eat my avocados outside of the smoothie but I think this was a good start!

30 Days of QiGong

Just returned from an absolutely life changing 4 day workshop / retreat in the powerful healing art of QiGong with Jeff Primack of Supreme Science QiGong Foundation. This experience was so much more than I ever anticipated, especially with the incredible fee of only $70 for the entire 4 days (wow!). We covered so much ground from some basic QiGong movements/practice to nutrtion to QiGong walking to meditation to breathwork, live music, etc! It was truly life changing for me. I literally felt my health improving in just the 4 days I was there.

One thing that happened was that I commited to practice the Level 1 QiGong form for 30 straight days. That in itself was interesting as I woke up the morning of the last day and told someone on the phone that I had purchased the Level 1 dvd and was intending to try it for 30 straight days. Then got to the workshop and Jeff asked those wishing to further extend the training from the workshop to practice the Level 1 for 30 days!!! Talk about a sign!

So, I drove back yesterday from Tucson where the seminar was held, basically went straight to work so didn't start the practice until I got home.

Jeff is also big on making these wild "smoothies" with a high horsepower blender and having those daily so I am also incorporating this in to my 30 days. I don't have the blender (yet) so am going to make do with the "ultra power" Kitchenaid blender but not be able to include everything..such as the avocado PIT (yes, the PIT) in my smoothies but that's cool for now.

So yesterday picked up alot of ingredients--still looking for the Maca root and goji berries which I may have to order. Spent much of last evening preparing my fruits and veggies in easy bags to be able to pull out in the morning and blend up. I'm very excited to see how my health improves over these 30 days. I'm already feeling pretty good after having recently completed a 14 day fast on the Master Cleanser, dropped about 10 pounds of toxicity from my body. But I'm really really wanting to work on my thryoid problem using some of the things I learned.

So I always figure anything i can do to keep me on target with something that involves willpower I'll do it. Like blogging about these 30 days for one.

Day 2 beginning here. I have a full work day so will be able to do my smoothie and 45 min. forms this morning then see how my energy level changes. Oh and also off wheat, sugar since the fast and well, let's just say limiting my coffee for the moment. I'll see how that desire changes as well...