Welcome to my teaching blog. On these pages I will be sharing with you what I have learned about the Enneagram, Alternative Healing, Tai Chi and Chi Kung for starters. If you would like to receive notification of when a new article is posted, please click the RSS Feed link on the bottom left of this page. If you are interested in a particular subject, just click on the category links on the left, and summaries of the articles posted regarding that subject will appear in a list. I hope these articles serve you well and if you have further questions you may contact me or leave a comment at the bottom of the post.

EFFORTLESS VITALITY

“The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to”
--Tao Te Ching

Vitality—everyone wants it! Vitality is a radiant word with a broad spectrum of meanings. If we have vitality, we have the energy we need to do our work and enjoy our play. We have strength to fight off germs, stand up for ourselves, and face up to what life presents to us. We have resilience to bounce back when things don’t go the way we’d hoped, or when we experience the loss of a job, or a loved one, or a treasured possession. We have flexibility and the capacity to respond adaptively, effectively and appropriately to changes in our environment, relationships, or physical capacities. We have reserves to carry us through the barren times when the money, or the emotional support, or what gives our life meaning is hard to come by. We have health as we age, and basic trust in life.

HAPPINESS: is an inside job

“The purpose of life is happiness”
Dalai Lama

Happiness is a taboo topic. Even though we frequently wish others happiness, most of us are ambivalent about it. On the one hand, we want to be happy, but usually link it to a future change of state. We think we will be happy when we make the right amount of money, meet the right person, get promoted, pay off our debts, get well, complete our education, or the children grow up-- and so the list goes on. On the other hand, even admitting that we want to be happy makes us feel guilty. Our cultural work ethic looks down on the desire for happiness as superficial and selfish.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR ORGANS: Improving your health with Tai Chi

Medical research tells us that a person’s social support system may be a more important factor in their health and resiliency than their family history, diet, medications, or exercise patterns. Bert Uchino, in his book Social Support and Physical Health: Understanding the Health Consequences of Relationships, writes that not only do our relationships protect us from a multitude of mental health problems, but the absence of these relationships can increase our risk of acquiring a life-threatening illness and reduce our capacity to recover from injury, trauma, or disease.

ONE STEP AT A TIME: Improving Balance and Preventing Falls with Tai Chi and Qigong

“The Sage breathes from her heels…”
Tao Te Ching,

Have you ever worried about someone you love or yourself losing your balance and falling? Then you are not alone! Whatever your age, falling can have serious consequences, but especially if you are age 65 or older, the consequences of falling can actually be fatal or at least life threatening. In 2009, 18,000 older adults died from injuries received from falls, and 2.2 million were treated for nonfatal fall injuries in emergency departments.

THE INNER SMILE

Ancient Tai Chi Meditation Practice To Improve Your Heart Health
“A Happy Heart is Good Medicine”
Proverbs 17:22

What can we do to make our hearts healthier? When asked this question, most people will think in terms of adopting a heart healthy diet, beginning an aerobic exercise program, losing weight, or perhaps taking supplements or medications. BUT…how can smiling possibly make my heart healthier?

TAI CHI FOR ARTHRITIS

According to the Arthritis Foundation, approximately one out of seven people in the United States have arthritis of some type. Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the US and limits the activities of daily living for approximately seven million people. While there are over 100 varieties of arthritis, the most common is osteoarthritis, or arthritis of the bone.

TAI CHI WITH HEALING WORDS

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”--intuitively, most of us recognize that this is not true! Words can and do hurt. Yet Tai Chi masters teach that the same power or force that is used to injure an opponent can also be used for healing.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR ORGANS: Improving your health with Tai Chi

GROUNDING: How Tai Chi Reduces Anxiety and Stress

Given the pace of our modern lifestyle with its focus on speed, mobility, and achievement, most of us spend at least part of our waking day worrying about something—the economy, a family member, a health issue, or how we are going to find enough hours in our day to complete the endless list of tasks awaiting our attention.