So how is everyone doing with your Qigong Gong? There is still time to start! It’s a great way to bring in spring or a new season. I was reflecting on how I resisted doing a blog for years yet I love having a worldwide community to share in our qigong practice. Thanks to everyone who has contributed and shared their intentions, practices and questions.
It is now officially the Year of the Water Snake which carries yin feminine energies of transformation. The Yang Water Dragon ruled last year. During this time, energies that supported big change and manifestation abounded. But now here we are, diving deep into the depths of the yin, the water, and the divine mystery. It’s not something that is often tangible or easy to define. The year will most likely be marked by undulating energies- shifting between the fire of the snake and the water of this yin year- opposing forces moving in and out. How might this play out? The snake energy will help to facilitate diving into ourselves, and exploring deeper layers. These energies are similar to the birth of the 6th sun in Toltec cosmology where the inner worlds of our unconscious and dreams will be more prominent. So it is a definitely a year to sit, be with yourself, and get to know what you really want and slough off the rest like a snakeskin! It is not necessarily a bold year, but one of contemplation, artistic pursuits, spiritual pilgrimages, or just floating along the water and noticing what is present within.
Feminine energy tends to move like a serpent. With these snake energies, I believe we have the opportunity to heal deep sexual wounds and awaken our sensuality. Women have the opportunity to reclaim their pelvic energy, honor their sacred womb and own the potent healing force that lies therein.
Classes:
I will be teaching Snake Qigong this year at Breitenbush and Kripalu in spring. This is my favorite form and it helps awaken our sexuality, sensuality, and pelvic energy. It’s also very good for strengthening the shoulders, and moves Qi throughout the body to release pain patterns and any areas of stagnation.
This snake year is a wonderful time to feel the snake’s undulating energies in your body and to practice leading from your core instead of your mind. Listening to the energies deep in your dantien and uterine palace are the key to KNOWING what to do and then moving forward with grace and ease.
For a more positive spin on the snake year I found these 2 interpretations that are more feminine and positive. For some reason I found the youtube one a bit strange in delivery but she is very clear and I like her information:
http://www.susanlevitt.com/tao-thisyear.html
Wow! So that’s what’s going on with me–I’m under the influence of the water snake. I’ve had this overwhelming desire to just sit and think about things, the big questions–why are we here? why am I here? what is love?, etc. I will become a grandmother this year–yay!–so I’ve just been chalking all this up up to a “just past mid-life” developmental thing, but maybe the snake is at work here too. I’ve also been having really interesting dreams, the kind of dreams that bring messages. And before I began the Qigong Gong I had already committed to going through my house room by room and re-evaluating all my “stuff,” sloughing off everything that no longer serves me. I also cut certain foods out of my diet to see if they might be causing sluggish energy and inflammation so far I’ve sloughed off about 10 lbs. So it will be interesting to see where all this takes me.
As far as the Gong goes, I haven’t missed a day. It really helps that my husband is doing it with me. When the alarm goes off we both roll out of bed and meet in the living room beside the woodstove.
huddled by woodstove
we separate clouds
and conjure the sun
It’s nice to start each day in sync, flowing through the motions together. We have a 30 minute routine and a back-up 15 minute routine, but we usually opt for the 30 minute one. This includes the tree stance which we are gradually lengthening. We count it by breaths rather than minutes and so far we are up to about 24 breaths. I have also added a lunch break session that includes the Dai Mai routine and healing sounds that I learned from you, Deborah. These are very energizing for me and help me get through the second half of my workday.
Finally, Deborah you commented in the last post, “Focusing on a stance is beneficial, since stances build the body’s energy and overall health more than any other qigong.” I’m really intrigued by that. I’ve always just sort of skipped over the stances because they are hard and can be tedious. I would like to hear more about them for inspiration!