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Daily Qigong Tip
Pay Attention To How You Walk

For most of us, walking is part of our daily lives, no matter how busy we think we are.  We walk to our office, the bathroom, the car, even the steps we walk within our home. Learning to walk with Qi (energy) awareness can save us a lot of energy and provide our body with a healthy environment in which our Qi can flow better.

Good health depends on healthy Qi circulation. When we can make our Qi flow better without taking extra time out of our day, it is an opportunity not to be missed!  Try the following tips:)

1. First, be aware of your posture.  Try to gently hold this awareness all the time, no matter what you are doing. The secret to good posture is to imagine something is pulling your head straight up from the top.  Try imagining this now when you are reading this and see how your body react to it.  Please avoid holding your spine up straight.

2. Give yourself at least half a minute to feel your body with your head being pulled up gently.  Pay special attention to feeling your spine. You might feel that your spine is stretching naturally without you making a physical effort.

3. Relax your  body. Double check your shoulders and upper back to be sure you are not holding them up. Relax your muscles and organs. Relax your whole body.

4. When your are walking try to pay little attention to your surroundings, except what is necessary for safety.  Who is dressed nicely, who looks pretty really does not really matter much and will not change your health.  So try not to look around too much, which will waste your energy.

5. Imagine you feel lighter, that you are not carrying much of your body weight when walking.  Put your attention on the center of your lower back. 

6. Focus on your lower back. Be aware that with each step you walk your energy comes from your lower back.  Feel how your movements begin in your lower back area, then transfer out to your limbs.

7. Walk more and give the above steps an opportunity to work together.  If you walk longer than three minutes, your body will normally develop a better harmony. 

8. Keep your focus on your lower back (Step 6) as long as you are walking and continue to feel your head being pulled up gently.

Note 1.  Try each step above by itself and train yourself step by step. Once the steps become  automatic, you will really enjoy the benefits. I am not going to name them now.  You are welcome to  share your experiences with me anytime.

Note 2.  Steps 1 - 6 can be practiced separately.  Each tip is helpful by itself.

Note 3.  If your walk is longer than five minutes, you can add a breathing step.  I will do a live Qigong Walking training in early October.  Schedule will be announced soon. Stay tuned.

Resources on the web:                              Local resource
                 Qigong Class                  

 
Do You Like To Laugh?
Whiskers Story

Mr. Kitty and Greg were buddies at the old box car track. Whenever Greg sat down Mr. Kitty would hop into his lap, purring hard, ready for a good rub.  Of course this is normal kitty behavior—but not normal for Mr. Kitty.  I found him outside my apartment late one night.  He was about six weeks old and very frightened.  He would not come to me, but finally he came to a can of tuna which had been around my apartment for along time. 

On the second night I was able to get a hold of him.  Since I was unable to keep him at my apartment, I took him to the track the next day.  We named him Mr. Kitty but should have called him “Hide & Seek”.  He hid from everyone except Greg.

Over the next few months Mr. Kitty mellowed slightly, his white and black fur gleamed, his whiskers grew long and he transformed into a strong young tom.  We had him fixed before he knew he there was anything which needed repairing. 

Greg liked to take naps in the afternoon when the track was closed.  He would stretch out on a table and soon be fast asleep.  Mr. Kitty would be next to him or on his big stomach.

One day I came to the track.  Mr. Kitty was on Greg’s lap and we began talking about a new box car design.  Suddenly I noticed Mr. Kitty’s whiskers were gone.  I looked closer and saw they had been cut short—very shortI looked at Greg, then back to Mr. Kitty, then back at Greg.

Greg held up one hand and said, “Don’t even ask,” which he did not mean because he then told me how Mr. Kitty liked to snuggle up under his chin when he napped.  “Kept waking me up with those darn whiskers,” he said with a grin.

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Be Happy!
Continuation of an unpublished manuscript by Robert Cowling(BC),currently being edited
 
 Chapter Seven
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
And A Whole Lot More

I was told in science class that our bodies generate all new cells every seven years.  Presuming this is true, no cell alive today in your body will be around seven years from now. On average then, about 14% of you must be regenerated in the next twelve months.

How are you going to manufacture your new cells?  The first step is obtaining raw materials.

Our physical bodies are built and rebuilt from the raw materials we ingest.  If we eat high sugar, high starch, high fat, highly processed foods, we will create a weak, unhealthy body.  If we eat whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy proteins we will create a strong, vibrant body. Which do you prefer?  No matter how healthy you feel, if you stop eating junk you will be healthier and stronger.

There are other factors affecting our health besides food. Emotions, exercise and environment are three other factors.  How many more can you name?  Food is our building materials.  Our actions, thoughts and feelings are our tools.

Positive thinking advocates coined the phrase, "You are what you think."  Food and thought are powerful forces in our lives.  What else?  Love? Does being loved affect you?  Loving?  The love we give out affects the love which comes back to us.

So many things contribute to what we experience in any given moment, full awareness of each and every force affecting us would overload our mind.  Just knowing, though, that our choices do have a real impact on our tomorrows is enough motivation to think again about the choice we are about to make.

How will getting angry affect you?  Next time you are angry, ask yourself, "Is my anger really necessary?  Could I find a better way to express my frustration?"  Being angry is a poor way to show love.

We are what we eat...and say and think and feel and do. Choose wisely to Be Happy!

   Fengshui Tip
 The Front Door

(Fengshui is about understanding environmental energy and it’s impact on all perspectives of our health and life.)

The front door of a home is in the same position as a person’s mouth. The front door has an important role in the overall fengshui of our home.  In some cases, we are not in control of some factors of the front door such as it’s position and size.  There are, however, a few simple things we can do to improve our front door fengshui: 

1. Keep the front door as clean as possible.

2. Make sure it opens easily without any obstacles.

3. Try to use one entrance most of the time.

4. Hang a Bagua Mirror on your front door if you detect any sharp angles pointing towards your front door

5. Have your front door open inward.

6. Inside your home, keep the path to the door open and clear.

If you are building or renovating your home you have more options to improve the fenfshui of your home and front door. Consult a fengshui expert to learn how to create the best fengshui arrangement for your home.