Qigong and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Now that I’m back from my trip to DC, I can focus on…Christmas! Just kidding. Actually, I am looking forward to Christmas, but am also really looking forward to my Qigong class which begins in early January.

While receiving an acupuncture treatment today, I realized (again) how out of balance I’ve become since I stopped practicing Tai Chi and Qigong (I know, I know…I should be practicing at home…I am all out of excuses). I am a lot more relaxed these days, but despite the pull of whatever you want to call that silent energy (I literally felt the energy shoot through the bottom of my foot when she inserted the needle near my ankle – what a shock! Apparently she had chosen this place to help ground me and ease my anxiety…), my mind was racing with thoughts.

I can’t do sitting meditation. My cat always “knows” when I am trying to do sitting meditation and immediately plops down in my lap. I used to be able to do sitting meditation fairly well (sort of…), but that was a couple of years ago and I am sorely out of practice. Whoever said meditation was easy was not doing meditation, me thinks… I remember pulling a transcendental meditation book off of my parents’  bookshelf as a young girl and trying to understand it, but all I could think about was the scene in Ghostbusters when they try to clear their minds and not think of anything… and then they end up with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. This would be me. And my thoughts. I always end up with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man…

These days I much prefer standing meditation. I stand there with arms open, knees slightly bent. My cat walks by gingerly and looks up.  I peek down and watch as she licks herself a few times, then walks away bored. I smile and close my eyes again, knowing I’ll have a few minutes of peace. But I haven’t done that in a while either… Silly me.

I’ll try to remember to document my progress here as I begin my class. Hopefully this time around I won’t swell up with anger. And if I do, perhaps I’ll be better able to face it and figure out where it’s really coming from. My teacher will be the venerable, Master Li. He seems like a very pleasant fellow. I look forward to working with him.

~ by Robin on December 17, 2008.