Workshop and a New Thing: QiGong

     I attended a workshop to day with my husband and about 35 other people.  One thing that happens to me all the time is that people tell me their stories or strange little parts of their lives without even knowing me (cashiers, people on the street, in the mall, etc).  It happened again today.  As we got out of our car, a woman loaded down with lunch, pillow and blanket approached me and told me she had signed up for a class but had no idea how to get there.  I told her we were in the same class and would figure it out together.  During the short walk there, she told me her sister had signed her up for the class and told her she had to go ("strange little part of life" example).  I said, "good for you for coming to the class".  Well, it turns out this woman is currently struggling with a pretty chaotic life right now, including alcohol abuse.  Did I mention that I grew up in an alcoholic household and I also seem to attract that element?  Life works in strange ways, right?
     About the workshop: it was so fabulous!  We got a chance to do some major grounding work which had me firmly planted in my body, on this Earth and in the present moment.  Really, what better place to start from than that?
     We then moved into a meditation.  Many times I felt myself leave this realm and/or sink through the floor and into the Earth.  When we finished, I was dazed, relaxed, and ready for lunch to re-ground.
     During the lunch I was able to show my husband how to ground with a tree.  He chose not to do it because it was out in the middle of the college square.  Sigh.  Some people!  Anyway, it was a joyous lunch filled with good food, good tree/Earth energy, and a little Eva Cassidy on the I-Pod.  Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
     And then there was the second half of the workshop on QiGong.  Wow!  Like I said before, I am a Reiki Master/Teacher and have been practicing for over five years.  I have made it my own by moving energies and playing with them.  QiGong does this times ten but in a lot of ways it was so familiar to me. 
     Some  wonderful things happened during the session: I felt this meditative state during many of the movements, had a feeling of release, and was part of a group dynamic that was very powerful and loving.  There was a meditation including a healing as well as a group healing, both of which were very special.  During the meditation healing, I was laying down going in and out of the bliss-space when I felt a different energy come upon me which startled me so much I opened my eyes: it was another QiGong practitioner coming by doing some healing work.  During the group healing, I smelled this sweet fragrance (apparently others smelled smoke/fireworks, too).  The facilitator named it as lotus and I thought, fabulous, we have Quan Yin helping us in the healing (and who/whatever brought the smoke smell, too).  I find Quan Yin works with people to build harmony and love, especially during modalities that have origins in China and/or Tibet.  Like Reiki, that is correct!  
     The group did a gratitude exercise to the facilitator, but I felt like I needed to thank her personally.  When I did, she asked for a hug and told me she had been working on me during the meditation healing session (I had no CONSCIOUS idea of this at all).  I love when this happens.
     Well, we will see what happens but I would love to study more QiGong and a weekend class is coming my way in November.  Woohoo!
     On another note, I have become friends with someone who is not very guarded in their thoughts, feelings and expressions.  I have begun to realize as a comparison that I am still fairly guarded about many things.  I appreciate the opportunity to be around people less guarded so I can practice and see it successfully done.  I think my mini-mind tries to tell me that something catastrophic will happen if I am not guarded.  I am going to start to actively disagree and BE a less guarded person (a goal). 
     I enjoy being around people who are more successful than I am at something.  It gives me a chance to see it in action and to try to emulate it.  Not that I have to be perfect in everything, but I will at least give it a try.  So, I have people who are better at active listening, being less guarded, having fun, being patient, taking responsibility for their actions, and on and on.  I like to think that I pick up attitudes and ways of being from others that improve me and the way I am.  I also pick up quirky mannerisms and sayings, so I have to watch out or I start sounding like a parrot (too much repetition).  I also like to think that others pick up good things from me.  We are all so much together on this world it sometimes seems strange to me that we believe ourselves apart.  Though, in this 3-D world, that is still the rumor.

Namaste,

Andrea