The Most Beautiful People

If you have been reading my blog, I apologize for such a delayed post. A lot has been going on with me, but it's all been more personal, journal material. I am doing good though, just in the process of considering some big changes.

In other news, Austin is very exciting right now. Many people from different towns are here to witness the big music festival happening this week.
It is a delight to watch people who are new to this city. They point to and notice all kinds of things, and there are so many small treasures to find. I love discovering things myself, but second best to that is watching other people discover new things. There is an excitement that comes with discovery that is unparalleled. Perhaps, you can see someone at their best when they are excited.


I do definately believe that the best quality a person can have is an excitement for and interest in all things. Without a question. If you've ever known someone like this, you can tell - they are always illuminated. They are always curious and open, which in turn leads to being inspired. They are the most beautiful people to me.

An Inner Glow

If you are reading this, you probably know me and know that I go to a Chinese medical school. Besides being fascinated every day by what I learn, often times I will get free treatments during class. Since we are studying to be acupuncturists/herbalists, we have to get practice somehow before we start treating in the student clinic, so the students have to practice on each other in class.

Lately, I have been having "Heart-Mind Restlessness." This is the Chinese name for it. The symptoms include anxiety, heart palpitations, dream-disturbed sleep.. get the picture? Also, with poor sleep, I have been having some neck/shoulder tightness upon waking. This is usually how stress manifests with me. Some people get irritable, some people suffer with digestive problems, some get headaches. I get Heart-Mind Restlessness.

I've never sought out treatment for it, because it's always a temporary thing. I'm never too worried about it because I know it will disappear as stress subsides. But today, I had a free opportunity to address it and be a patient in my classes.

The first class I had is called Medical Qi Gong. Qi Gong is the practice of cultivating qi (or energy). Individuals can practice Qi Gong to promote self healing. Also, once you have become a Qi Gong master, which we are training to be (!), you then can use these practices to heal other people. The feeling achieved from practicing Qi Gong is one of the most amazing discoveries of my life. It may sound weird or funny, but it must be experienced. Since practicing, my body pulsates with a warm, radiant feeling and moving my body around is a joy. Simply moving my hand initiates... an inner glow. That's probably as close as I can get to describing it in words, but these words have nothing on the feeling. From Wikipedia:

"In ancient China, people came to believe that through certain body movements and mental concentration combined with various breathing techniques, they could balance and enhance physical, metabolic and mental functions. These movements were worked out over time by exploring the natural range of motion through the joints, as well as drawing on motions in imitation of various animals. This research was passed down and refined according to teacher-disciple relationships of lineage or apprenticeship. This accumulated body of traditional knowledge is known as Chinese traditional qigong."

"Medical qigong treatment has been officially recognized as a standard medical technique in Chinese hospitals since 1989. It has been included in the curriculum of major universities in China. After years of debate, the Chinese government decided to officially manage qigong through government regulation in 1996 and has also listed qigong as part of their National Health Plan."

Here is a picture of people practicing individial Qi Gong.




Here is a photo of my teacher, Li Junfeng, practicing sitting Qi Gong.




Here is a screenshot of my teacher in his younger years, not doing Qi Gong at all!




In the last few classes, we have been practicing healing Qi Gong on each other. Today, I received a wonderful neck and back treatment from a fellow student. I was able to treat her as well, and even though it was only my third time to do healing Qi Gong to someone else, I can tell it's going to be one of my favorite things. I am in love with the feeling.

My next class today is a class devoted to acupuncture treatment. Since my sleep has been bothering me, I offered to be a patient. Two other students gave me a clinic-type interview, diagnosed the problem, agreed upon a treatment, then stuck a bunch of needles in me. It felt very relaxing, as always. I had very strong response in most of the points they needled, and left feeling ready to go home and sleep...

Goodnight!

I love these guys...

Responding

With all of the books we read, the movies we see, the songs we hear.. what do we do with all of this information? All of these stories? Do we leave the theater and the movie, leaving it to exist in those two hours alone? Obviously some things affect us more deeply than others. Some things will linger with us, resonating longer, for personal reasons.

Do we spend days reading a book, only to finish it and never think of it again? I suppose this brings up the difference between art and entertainment. Is the point of reading that book to be distracted for days? Or is there a belief that there is something in that book.. something you might want to hold onto..

We take in so much everyday. Great things can be inspired and created from these things if we are open to thinking about them. If not, aren't they wasted?

It is hard to believe, with film, that millions of dollars are spent to entertain us for two hours. It is hard to believe that Hermann Hesse spent 10 years writing The Glass Bead Game so people would flip through it for awhile. It is very interesting to think about what is fueling these creations.. something within that wants to get out - something more important than millions of dollars and 10 years.

I like the idea of passing on information, having a great world-wide conversation, through music, film, dancing, art, science, love. Not only to create things, but to be speaking to each other in everything we do. With all the time and money put into creations, it makes things a lot more interesting if we respond to these efforts, rather than pass through them. Consider them. Maybe write a letter to a friend.

In other news, I finished Gene Wilder's book today. In the last chapters of the book, he talks about how he paints watercolors. I googled to see if I could find one.