Some moments from my 40-day journey of weaving Qigong, breath, and meditation into a fresh new seasonal practice.
From learning to knowing
About 40 days ago, I undertook a personal challenge to try and share a daily Instagram post on my own journey of weaving a new daily practice. I’ve had a daily meditation practice for more than 30+ years, but recent have returned to being a student of Qigong, which then led to taking on Qigong Teacher Training (and yes, I am still very much a student).
My intention was to share my 40-day journey as I adjusted by daily practice to include more qigong-inspired movement AND my meditation. I used the instagram title of ‘Weaving a Practice’ because it felt just like weaving; joining together different ideas, stories, or elements, into a single whole
How did I go? Well, you can see some of my posts that I shared (example above) – but most of my practice, notetaking, pondering and reflecting didn’t make it anywhere near social media. To be honest, I didn’t realise how challenging it can be to put yourself in front of the camera so regularly, and share evolving or intimate, thoughts. Even though, I know, I’ve been teaching meditation in a class environment for more than 15 years . Go figure! And, I do now know that when I connect online it has to come from a sense of deep connection and care, any other time feels too harsh and performative.
And, just like my meditation, I know that a sacred practice is not about collecting knowledge, or getting anything right, the true gifts and insights come from observing quietly, fine-tuning carefully, building awareness, listening more, and paying kind and loving attention to what happens in our mind, body and spirit. In Qigong we also build this awareness to how our Qi or ‘life energy’ is moving (or not). And like meditation, Qigong is an ancient practice .. combining slow movement, deep breathing, and focused meditation, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine and Daoist traditions, with a history spaning thousands of years.
How could I possibly ‘know it all‘ I had to begin. One movement, then a small sequence, practicing again and again, daily and sometimes many times a day if I had the space. And sometimes, I gained this sense of ‘embodied familiarity‘ – when my body began to know the movement without my mind directing or narrating every little thing. When this occurred, everything seemed to settle, and it felt amazing. As I often say to students about meditation: you can read all the books about meditation, learn all the techniques, attend retreats and classes, have discussions and embrace the theory – but at some point – you have to sit down and meditate. You can only know meditation by meditating!
And so it is with Qigong.
Letting my practice form itself
During my 40 days of Weaving a Practice, my intention was to create a daily personal practice – a ‘way’ of practice that felt nourishing and possible, within a busy life. I tried early mornings before meditation, and then after, I tried after breakfast and before. I took copious notes in my notebook, tried drawing stick figures for postures (fail) and tried NOT to narrate my inspiration but keep returning to practice until I felt a rhythm begin to take shape.
I think this has been one of the greatest gifts of the ‘weaving’: not knowing where my practice was going and being happy to keep practicing; keep noticing and allowing ideas to respond to my real life – because, of course, real life kept getting in the way too. There were obviously days when my practice was full and beautiful.; and days when it was squeezed (or forgotten) between everything else. There were days of study, and days of simply standing and breathing.
And somewhere in these 40 days .. a pathway did begin to reveal itself.
The Way of Spring
My time in Bali also breathed life into my practice – how could it not! Tropical life can be noisy and nature would usually be my wake-up call, being drawn outside to the heady fragrant sunshine, a humidity and warmth that melts muscles and everything seems to flow better. I also observed the daily cultural practice of offerings and gratitude, just outside my room – so, it felt sacred and my practice definitely settled into a lovely rhythm that I felt could be shared with others once I got home.
I’ve called my current seasonal practice The Way of Spring.
Spring is a wonderful time to begin something new. This transitional yang-energy seasons reminds us of something that I think we tend to forget: abundance arises without forcing. The flowers don’t need a five-step plan. The trees don’t have to work out how to grow. Nature responds to what is happening around and within .. everything in nature moving toward the light, to blossom and reach the sun and fulfil their potential simply by being where they are.
This is a wisdom I want to bring into my practice.
A Spring practice
The Way of Spring begins online on Monday 7 September at 7pm Melbourne time, for five weeks.
My intention is to share what has moved and inspired me throughout these 40 days, bringing together Qigong practices that have beautiful form and rhythm, along with some of the health and wellbeing wisdom rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Each class will be informed by the wisdom of Spring .. the rising energy, flexibility, growth and renewal – and we shall explore practices that help us work with this energy, rather than against it. Over five weeks we will prepare the body for Qigong standing practice, move through flowing sequences, and eventually settle into a formal seated meditation. Exploring a pathway from movement into stillness.
From the body, through the breath, towards meditation, and all of it guided by the energy and wisdom of Spring.
This feels like the natural next step in my own weaving.
Not because I have learnt everything – rather the opposite, I know there is a lifetime of learning ahead. But, I have a practice that feels helpful, supportive and nourishing – in the standing, the breathing, the noticing and the returning.