Time, time, time. A precious commodity which was once in such short supply for me, is suddenly now in abundance. As human beings, we’re highly resilient creatures. We have the capacity to adapt to nearly any situation. Some of us more so than others.
I recall the last situation in my life where I felt under great duress, a dear friend approaching the end of their life. Each piece of news that came was a disorienting blow to the guts. For a moment afterward, it seemed like there was no solid ground to stand on. Then that piece of news would settle, the new normal would re-establish itself, and I would pick myself up, dust myself off, and keep moving forward. This is the nature of our bodies and our spirits. We are constantly seeking homeostasis, balance.
Now some of the shock of COVID-19 has settled, and I find myself with some time and headspace to turn inward and ask myself what I want to do with this moment and how I want it to guide my life. I can’t see into the future. I don’t know what the next few months might bring, nor if there’s another gut punch waiting for me. But I can use the time to soften the blow and to cultivate resiliency.
Now, more than ever, I lean into my Shaolin training, especially my qigong training, to help my body to be strong, my mind to be calm and clear, and my heart to be light and open. It is now early spring, and by Five Element theory, the dominant element is Wood. The nature of wood is to grow up and out, and to be healthy it also needs to be flexible, to be able to bend. As I sow the seeds of what is to grow in the coming months, Cosmos Qigong continues to be the guidepost for me to ensure that everything that grows in my internal garden is pliable and able to stand up to any heavy wind that may blow or rain that may fall.
I wrote a whole blog post about why I don’t offer drop-in classes. But now I’m going to bend and flex in order to offer this art to the world when it most needs it. Through the duration of social distancing, I will be offering Cosmos Qigong classes for beginners and advanced student alike via Zoom. This platform will allow people to not only access high-level qigong, but also connect with others so we can all feel a little less isolated. Follow this link to the Shaolin Wahnam Twin Cities homepage to access single class passes. I look forward to sowing and cultivating with you.