Welcome 2013!  The western calendar will be ringing in the new year in just a few days.  The Chinese New Year won't appear until February 10, 2013.  Whichever you observe (or even if you celebrate both!) a new year offers us a clean slate, a way to start fresh with new intentions and resolutions.  As you might guess, my intention is to bring qigong and healing to more people in the coming year.  I also hold forth the hope that this will be the year I can return to study with Master Liu He at the Ling Gui International Healing Qigong School.  More important to me than the certificate I will receive as a "senior" healing qigong instructor is knowing that it will deepen my practice and be wonderful just for the experience of sitting with other teachers and learning more from our wonderful Master Liu.  I also begin another "Kickstart" in nutrition on January 1.  I have been participating in the PCRM(Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine) Kickstart for a couple of years now, three to four times a year.  As my health continues to improve, I also notice how much I enjoy conscious eating.  The Kickstart is designed to help people try plant-strong eating for 21 days and see if it makes a difference in how they feel. This year I am giving myself a new challenge: I will do 21 days gluten (wheat) free!  Several of my closest friends eat this way, so I am halfway there because I only bake with spelt flour in order to share the goodies with them. As I see more and more research on how many people are truly sensitive to the hybridized wheat we know today, the more obvious this choice becomes for me.  

What about you? Have you given much thought to how you will make your life even better in 2013? I would recommend to you that you sit with that question and meditate upon it.  Think about what would make you feel better and enjoy life more.  Then create a Vision Board for yourself.  Just a simple poster board (from the Dollar Store) and some pictures cut from magazines, maybe a few photgraphs and key words that symbolize what you truly desire for your life.  You will be surprised at just how powerful this can be.  I usually perform this fun little ritual on New Year's Day, but this year I got an early start and did it in December with a group I am working with.  I put the finished project up next to my bed so that I look at it when I first wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep.

If one of your intentions is more qigong, then I have good news for you.  The new qigong class will begin on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.  It will be two of the Liu Family forms: 1000 Hands Buddha and 8 Treasures.  We will follow a similar format to our other class, Renewal Qigong, which will continue on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m.  

I am still hoping to offer a women's retreat during February, but have not found the perfect place.  If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Our very first Free Qigong Demo Day will be on Saturday, January 5 at 10:30.  This is an open invitation to the community at large to come and find out what qigong is by experiencing it.  All students are invited to come and help me demonstrate qigong on the first Saturday of every month.  

Carroll Klinger, the owner of our beautiful practice space, has decided to join in by offering free classes on the first Saturday, also.  So you can try Cycling at 7:00, TRX at 8:00 and Yoga at 9:00.  What a gift!

I have our new qigong punch cards ready to go, too.They give you 12 classes for $60 which is a fantastic deal. If you prefer to pay for individual classes, the cost will be $7 each.  We have a new sign-in system so I will be helping you remember to use the sheet on the clipboard when you arrive.  If you need to make some special payment arrangements, please speak to me.  I never want anyone to miss qigong due to a financial concern.When we add more classes (exciting thought!) I will give you an option for "unlimited monthly classes" but with only the two, it does not seem indicated.

So bring your friends to First Saturday Free Qigong Demo Day (and all of Carroll's as well) and invite them to our classes.  The first class is still always free.

Hope to see you all becoming healthier and stronger in the coming year!

Namaste,
Sherril