Register today for Fall Sessions of Jade Woman and Eight Treasures
Jade Woman: New 5-week session begins September 3
Jade Woman is a graceful, flowing, healing form designed specifically to support women’s physiology. It is an excellent self-healing tool for any woman, but particularly good for those dealing with menstrual pain or other gynecological problems, infertility, PMS, menopausal transition, or emotional stress. Because of its focus on purifying and supporting the Liver Blood, this form may benefit anyone who has been exposed to toxins (all of us in our toxic world!), chemotherapy or who is dealing with chronic liver problems. Jade Woman feels a bit like a shamanic dance, pairing visualization and chanting paired with movements to open the “secret Taoist point of Blood.”
Classes will be held on 5 Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:15 PM: Sept. 3, 10, 17, October 1 & 8 (no class 9/24) at Cedar and Fir Studio, 3204 NW Grant in Corvallis. Cost is $90, which includes a booklet describing the form. Pre-registration required as space is limited; no refunds given after Sept. 2. Your check reserves your space. Sign me up!
Eight Treasures (Ba Duan Jin): New 5-week session begins October 15
Eight Treasures, also known as Ba Duan Jin or Eight Pieces of Brocade, is one of the oldest and most popular forms of qigong, dating back at least a thousand years. Practiced in a standing position, it combines breath, intention, and movement in eight simple movements. Each movement brings energy to a particular system of the body: the lungs, liver, heart, spleen, kidney, the seven emotions, and overall energy flow. It is among the easiest forms to learn and remember.
Classes will be held on 5 Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:15 PM: Oct. 15, 29, Nov. 5, 12, & 19. (no class Oct. 22) at Cedar and Fir Studio, 3204 NW Grant in Corvallis. Cost is $90, which includes a booklet describing the form. Pre-registration required as space is limited; no refunds given after Oct. 14. Your check reserves your space. Sign me up!
Qigong
What is Qigong?
First, it’s pronounced “chee gung.” Qi means “energy;” gong means “work,” “discipline” or “cultivation.” So qigong is a disciplined practice of working with or cultivating energy. In China, people have been working with energy for over 3,000 years; it is the basis for both Chinese Medicine and martial arts. In practice, qigong combines breath, intention, and usually movement.
Qigong is a powerful self-healing tool. Just as an acupuncturist uses needles to balance the qi of the different organ systems in the body, you can help keep your own qi flowing well, open up areas of stagnation, and recharge your own energy by practicing qigong regularly. It is appropriate for all ages and can be done regardless of one’s level of mobility.There are many different forms and styles of qigong: some forms are done in a seated posture and are more meditative, other forms are done standing up and involve more physical movement for the added benefits of opening up the joints and meridians, increasing flexibility and circulation. If you are interested in learning qigong, you may wish to try out several different forms and practice the ones that resonate with you the most.
Why Qigong?
Brodie teaches qigong to empower people to take care of themselves, because the lifestyle and diet choices you make every day will always have a greater effect than any treatment or medicine you may be given.
All kinds of interesting research has been and continues to be done on how 30 minutes of qigong a day can decrease the risk of strokes, how it increases circulation, helps with balance and focus, the list goes on. For more information, read about it here.Learning qigong is an excellent way to reduce stress. Stress is a contributing, if not the primary causative factor, in a majority of chronic conditions seen at Life in Balance Acupuncture. Brodie often counsels her patients to take at least a half an hour a day to relax, to recharge, to meditate, to get back in touch with themselves. Learning qigong provides you with you a specific, concrete way of doing this, whenever or wherever you need it.
All the forms that Brodie offers are part of Liu Dong’s Method, a family system of healing qigong going back many generations, geared towards healing different systems of the body, developing the power of intention and single-minded focus, awakening to your true self. Liu Dong’s Method is part of the Official Repertory of Chinese Medicine, which catalogs China’s most revered family systems.
Thousand Hands Buddha
Thousand Hands Buddha is a healing qigong method designed to calm your mind and open your heart. It is a meditative form practiced in a seated position. Combining intention with breathing and gentle movements of the hands and arms, this form brings your attention from the outside world to your inner world to reduce anxiety, cultivate compassion, and develop your intuition and clarity. As one of Brodie’s qigong students attests, “I’d never gotten the hang of meditating, but Thousand Hands Buddha qigong has been the first way I’ve actually found to quiet my busy mind for half an hour at a time.” Next session begins in early 2009.
Hui Gong 1: Wisdom Qigong for the Heart
Hui Gong 1 is a healing qigong form practiced in a standing position as a moving meditation routine. This practice dates back thousands of years and is designed to cultivate your inner wisdom by balancing the “souls” of the 5 internal organs, which roughly translate as: the will, the imagination, the heart-mind, the intention, and the decision-making capacity. When all of these are in harmony, you are less distracted and better able to focus; you make good decisions; your life is less exhausting; all emotions turn into compassion. On a physical level, this form helps to open up the shoulders, increase circulation to the arms and hands, and encourages strength and flexibility of the lower back.