WEDNESDAYS: Da Yan Qì Gōng: Suggested: $10 or sliding scale

I invite you to drop-in live, online da yan qì gōng Wednesday mornings, 8 – 9 a.m. PDT.  Suggested: $10 or sliding scale $1- $10 per session. Poems, cards, quotes, and art also welcome.  No one turned away for lack of funds.  

TO GO TO THE CLASS: Class: zoom link.

 At the end of month send check or offerings to: K. Yep, P.O. Box 1313, Monterey Park, CA 91754 for the number of Wednesdays you attended. All levels are welcome. Bring open heart, cultural humility, and water. Come early or late. Leave early if needed.

what is Qì Gōng?

Qì gōng (Chee gong) is connecting to, working with, and cultivating qì (flow, energy or life force). We do this by stretching and moving the body to open the energy pathways known as meridians or channels.  Qì gōng can foster calm awareness and the relaxation response.  Beyond the physical level, Qì gōng can be empowering because qì is in everything and everyone, including the earth and the sky.  In this way,  qì gōng can remind us that we are all interconnected even in the face of being torn apart, confronting a large and cruel system, or experiencing loneliness. Qì can nourish the sense and feeling that we are not alone. Practicing qì gōng has the potential to center interconnectivity — in contrast to dehumanizing, appropriating, tossing away, violating, extracting, or marginalizing. 

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Whether its your first time or your 26th, all levels are welcome. I encourage you to practice the movements and breathing in a way that makes sense for you — whether sitting in a chair, standing, or lying down. If you come late or have to leave early, you are invited to participate.  Feel free to share this with people.   Bing cultural humility, an open heart, and water.  

DA YAN/ WILD GOOSE Qì Gōng CONTEXT

I started to learn wild goose qì gōng because I was recovering from cancer and it was rough. I am cancer-free and have practiced this form close to 30 years. This knowledge system dates back over 1000 years, and is also known as dayan qì gōng. It is a comprehensive system of medical qigong that includes over fifty forms.  Some are movement-based and others are sitting meditation practices.

The current understanding and practice of this qì gōng system is credited to Grandmaster Yang Meijun (27th lineage holder).  Living past 100, Yang Meijun shifted the discourse and practice by becoming the first woman lineage holder and by teaching it to the public starting in the 1970s. 

Fri 10/13 Free Workshops: University of San Diego

WHAT: Free drop-in practice of mindfulness and qi gong in partnership with neuroscientist and stress researcher Dr. Nicole Weekes

WHEN:  3 sessions, Friday, October 13

WHO: Free and open to the public, no experience necessary.

WHERE: In person, University San Diego

COST: No charge

RSVP: See poster and QR code

WHAT TO BRING:
1. Cultural Humility
2. Water
3. Compassion
4. Comfortable shoes

21406C41-C5D6-47D3-B142-90EBC177E1B1

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

The practices and knowledge systems originate from India and China.  Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment on purpose without judgement.

WHAT MIGHT MINDFULNESS DO?

The science community suggest that mindfulness:
*Impacts immune markers (Hazel 2011; Jacobs et. al. 2011; Morgan et. al. 2014)

* Impacts executive functions (Teper et. al. 2013)

* Decreases stress (Krasner et al., 2009) or pain (Zeidan et. al. 2011)

* Impacts the brain (Davidson et. al. 2003; Luders et.al. 2009)

* Impacts compassion (Jazaleri, et. al. 2012; Neff and Germer 2013)

Community scholars suggest the following about mindfulness:

“Conscious of systemic suffering and injustices, we work to create a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. We promise, for the benefit of all, to practice self-care, mindfulness, healing, and joy. We vow to not burn out.” (Mushim Patricia Ikeda 2016)

“Oppression(s) do not operate on merely an intellectual level. It is painful and embodied. Conversations about oppressions are hard, if they are real. We must unlearn internalized oppression(s) at the very cells of our being. While we condemn oppression(s), we do violence to ourselves and others if we don’t bring compassion to our experience. Mindfulness teaches us compassion for self and others.” (Beth Berila 2016)

This Sunday: Aug 6: Qì Gōng

Class: zoom link

I hope you are all well.  You are invited to practice this Sunday, August 6. We will gather together and practice movement on the 78th anniversary of the U.S. dropping the bomb on Hiroshima.  Longtime feminist peace activist, Dr. Gwyn Kirk commented this moment is also an invitation to lift up 78 years of collective mobilization for nuclear disarmament and genuine security. Gwyn and the International Women’s Network Against Militarism define militarism and genuine security in the following ways:

“We define militarism as a system of beliefs, political priorities and economic investments. Militarism includes the activities of corporations that produce and sell weapons, the role of state militaries–including state-sanctioned violence, martial law, repression, extra-judicial killings, military coups, and military dominance within governments–as well as non-state militias. Militarism is shored up by patriarchy and reinforces violent masculinity. Military sexual violence is a manifestation of this synergy between militarism and patriarchy.

Militarism cannot solve the coronavirus pandemic, the global climate crisis, or poverty and hunger caused by current economic policies and the actions of totalitarian governments. Militarized police violence, especially against migrants and other disenfranchised communities all evidence the fact that militarism and war do not and cannot provide genuine security for people or the planet.

Genuine security requires the following guarantees: that the environment can sustain life; people’s basic needs are met; human dignity is respected; people’s sovereignty is assured; and society is organized so as to prevent avoidable harms. “

As we honor the impact of nuclear devastation and the collective actions  for peace, we will practice with both grounding in what is and reaching for what is possible in order to bridge the concept of genuine security and our bodies.   

For our practice, all experience levels welcome. May be practiced lying down, sitting in a chair, or standing. If you have to arrive late or leave early, no worries. Animal and human family members are welcome. Offered in the spirit of generosity. Donations accepted for community partner: interfaith movement for human integrity or international women’s network against militarism. #First Sundays

WEDNESDAYS: Da Yan Qì Gōng: Suggested: $10 or sliding scale

I invite you to drop-in live, online da yan qì gōng Wednesday mornings, 8 – 9 a.m. PDT.  Suggested: $10 or sliding scale $1- $10 per session. Poems, cards, quotes, and art also welcome.  No one turned away for lack of funds.  Class: zoom link.

 At the end of month send check or offerings to: K. Yep, P.O. Box 1313, Monterey Park, CA 91754 for the number of Wednesdays you attended. All levels are welcome. Bring open heart, cultural humility, and water. Come early or late. Leave early if needed.

what is Qì Gōng?

Qì gōng (Chee gong) is connecting to, working with, and cultivating qì (flow, energy or life force). We do this by stretching and moving the body to open the energy pathways known as meridians or channels.  Qì gōng can foster calm awareness and the relaxation response.  Beyond the physical level, Qì gōng can be empowering because qì is in everything and everyone, including the earth and the sky.  In this way,  qì gōng can remind us that we are all interconnected even in the face of being torn apart, confronting a large and cruel system, or experiencing loneliness. Qì can nourish the sense and feeling that we are not alone. Practicing qì gōng has the potential to center interconnectivity — in contrast to dehumanizing, appropriating, tossing away, violating, extracting, or marginalizing. 

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Whether its your first time or your 26th, all levels are welcome. I encourage you to practice the movements and breathing in a way that makes sense for you — whether sitting in a chair, standing, or lying down. If you come late or have to leave early, you are invited to participate.  Feel free to share this with people.   Bing cultural humility, an open heart, and water.  

DA YAN/ WILD GOOSE Qì Gōng CONTEXT

I started to learn wild goose qì gōng because I was recovering from cancer and it was rough. I am cancer-free and have practiced this form close to 30 years. This knowledge system dates back over 1000 years, and is also known as dayan qì gōng. It is a comprehensive system of medical qigong that includes over fifty forms.  Some are movement-based and others are sitting meditation practices.

The current understanding and practice of this qì gōng system is credited to Grandmaster Yang Meijun (27th lineage holder).  Living past 100, Yang Meijun shifted the discourse and practice by becoming the first woman lineage holder and by teaching it to the public starting in the 1970s.