A gift of Qigong

Life has a way of putting us through a lot of changes in the course of a day, we all know that. Plans we make can get rearranged in a moment s notice, schedules never seem to account for enough time to do what we need to, the weather can'thwart the best organized picnic. Welcome to life on Earth. We can'try as we might to deny it, to look at the world through "rose-colored glasses," to live in a fantasy, but the fact remains that life is a challenge on many levels. The curious thing is that the "level" where the challenge affects you seems to be right where you need the most development. 

Each of us is a uniquely different evolving soul. What challenges you may be a laugh for someone else. This can be the cause for a lot of stress in relationships (lovers, colleagues, whatever). It's a trick the Universe seems to play on us to make us think we are so different, that we are alone in the world, struggling our own miserable battle.

Enter Qigong. For me, Qigong is a tool that I use to counter this isolationist tendency. Not that I want to feel isolated or to look at the world in an adversarial way, it's just that my tricky Ego can'trigger those fears and frustrations that makes me question life. 

Qigong is a set of "exercises" that lets us take what daily life throws at us and redefine it, resynthesize it, recycle it. You can't change the world, but you can certainly change the way you perceive it. Qigong is that toolset that helps you to refine your perception so you can see the world for truly what it is. Qigong practice helps us "see" the Universe as "energy"... it helps to loosen our grip on the "physical". What I mean here is that we stop dealing with the world as only the tangible "stuff" we see and feel. 

We know that we are more than just our physical body. We know intuitively that "things" are more than what they appear to be. That's why we have emotional attachments to "things." They represent a meta-level of what that thing really is. Beyond that, every "thing" has a Qi field that is associated with it. Even beyond that level, we begin to understand that even inanimate objects have "souls"... that fundamental essence with its own intelligence.

We can only explore these subtle aspects of nature when we give ourselves the time and "permission" to do so. This is part of the Qigong experience. It's that gift of time we give to ourselves to explore. Within that time we use the breathing and movement tools of Qigong to cultivate our being... balancing and promoting Qi flow throughout our body, mind and soul. 

This is the greatest gift we can give ourselves every day. Share what you are learning with the people around you. Forget about buying another picture frame for someone during gift-giving season! Give them some private time and share a Qigong technique you enjoy. If you are learning or new to Qigong then find a good teacher, support them by taking a class, and in so doing, you ll be giving a gift to them. With your new knowledge, you can begin to share true holiday cheer with others... 

Peace...

Francesco Garri Garripoli