Holiday Newsletter

Our Holiday Newsletter is out! I've included a free download to our nutrition booklet (Nourishing Life), information on our free 12 week email series and the feature article "Obstacles." If you haven't subscribed, you can use the link below to get a PDF version of it.

Happy Holidays!


http://p0.vresp.com/fRUGU4

Chinese Medicinal Plant Walk at Quarryhill Botanical Garden

We (Peg Schafer and I) are doing our annual Chinese Medicinal Plant Walk at Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen on Sunday September 29! We will meet at 10 and walk until noon in the beautiful gardens, looking at the plants, discussing medicinal use and talking about cultivation.
The cost of the walk is $15 and goes to benefit the Botanical Garden.
This walk fills up every year so if you are interested you can reserve a spot by calling Quarryhill Botanical Garden directly at (707) 996-3166.

Environment Based Movement - new class dates open!

Environment Based Movement Class

Nature is wherever you are. 

Develop balance, strength, coordination and flow while learning to move comfortably in your environment, whether at home, on the street, in the park, or out in the wilderness. These basic movement skills and awareness practices form the basis of traditional Chinese movement and martial arts as well as being common to most traditional cultures.

This program will be 3 meetings, one Saturday morning a month for three months. It includes a specific movement program and exercises to train throughout the month to prepare the students for each subsequent session.
Session dates are: August 24, September 28, October 26.

The cost for the program is $120. The member's rate is $108. The class size is limited due to the nature of this program.
Class location will vary as we will be going to different environments to practice nature awareness and train our movement skills. This class is for all ages and abilities.

Have fun and enjoy moving freely as part of your environment!

Contact us for more information or to reserve a spot.


Feedback from a participant in our last session:

"I really enjoyed your Environment Based Movement class...

It was so helpful and non-threatening the way you tailored the class to fit each persons ability level, and showed us exercises and ways of moving that I could actually practice and do. You showed us all that we don't need a gym or fancy equipment, that wherever we are can be a practice area: stairs for the quadrapedal crawling, both forward and backwards; sidewalks for blind walking; curbs and benches for balancing; and door frames and wall for push-pull strength building. What amazes me is how quickly I see improvements in my balance and movements.

You also showed us that being aware of our environment is not just appreciatng the grand scheme of nature - trees, clouds, sky, etc, (which is important and relaxing), but also cultivating our sensory perception for the little things. Becoming familiar with our norm and then being aware of small changes in it that can trip us up. That was very important for me!

The simple daily routine you gave us was very helpful and manageable. I really like the balance exercises and how to "bounce off" obstacles to minimize injuries from falls. I am more conscious of walking in a balanced way, and it feels good!One of the most important lessons for me was changing my mind-set from "I can't" to "I can take small steps and move forward." Hopefully with practice I can recapture some of that freedom and joy in movement that every child is born feeling!"

Archive of a Guest Blog from 2009 - Qigong: Rhythm and Movement

I just found this guest post that I did for a health related blog in 2009.

Qigong - Rhythm & Movement

It was evening and my 10 week old daughter was starting to cry. Without thinking, I began to rock and sway as I held her.  After all, rhythmical, gentle movement is something that we all intuitively do to soothe and calm. 

From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong, all of life alternates in rhythmical movement. Within the body the most fundamental rhythm of the heart and lungs forms the basis for our individual life. Within all of nature, we can find a similar, familiar rhythm. The activity of the day quiets at night, and the exuberance of summer is internalized and nurtured during the stillness of winter. All of these fundamental rhythms and movements, both within us and within all of nature, are described as “qi.”

Qi can be translated as energy, influence, vital function and breath. Within nature the transformations of qi can be seen in the cyclical movement of day and night, the phases of the moon, and the changing seasons. Within the body, qi is the energy that allows the functioning of life through warmth, movement, transformation, containment and defense. It is the energy that maintains and safeguards the integrity of the body and mind, containing and preserving what is necessary to our life and repelling what would be harmful to us. The attributes of qi within the body can be seen in the energy, warmth and vital movement of life. From this perspective, all transformations and movements within the body, whether physical or emotional, depend on the correct and balanced movement of the qi.

Medical Qigong is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, like acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Medical Qigong consists of traditional therapeutic exercises used to support the correct movement of qi and address specific health issues. These are relatively simple, gentle exercises that are consist of what are traditionally referred to as the “Three Regulations,” the regulation of the body, breath and mind. Through specific methods of regulating the body, breath and mind we can enter into a rhythm that is in harmony with the greater movements and rhythms of nature. This process can be likened to rocking a baby to calm and settle the little one, helping them to enter into a deep and restorative sleep (at least that’s an analogy that I’ve been thinking about these days).

Traditionally, Medical Qigong has three interrelated goals: to enhance the body's self healing abilities, to increase vitality, and to cultivate skill in adapting to change. These three goals contribute to the process of promoting health and nourishing life. All of this through integrating body, breath and mind in a way that helps us to participate more fully in the movements of life. 

Oh, and it really is very good at calming babies. 

Newsletter Archive Part 2

Here are links to PDFs of recent newsletters:

June 2013 "Why it All Matters: An Engaged Life"

April 2013 "What is normal?"

March 2013 "Environment Based Movement"

February 2013 "Developing Confidence and Results"

December 2012 "Transforming Seasonal Stress, winter recipes" 

If you would like to sign up to receive our newsletter, scroll down to the box on the right.

Moving in Accordance with Nature

Normal physiology and health within traditional Chinese medicine. 

A unique class meeting in 6 afternoon sessions, one meeting a month, covering health and the normal functioning of the body, mind and energetics within TCM. 

This program emphasizes understanding  and recognizing the normal movements of life as the basis for qigong, bodywork, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and so on. 

In this program we'll move from the more general view of qi within nature and humanity to the specifics of how we grow, develop, renew and maintain ourselves. The core of this is based on step by step progressions for building an understanding of the normal processes of human life. 

This course is for: 

Those interested in understanding their own health 

Qigong and taiji practitioners and teachers 

Those thinking of going to acupuncture school 

Current students in acupuncture school Acupressure and bodywork professionals and students 

Acupuncturists who would like to study the norm vs pathology 

Other medical professionals who would like to understand the theoretical basis of TCM.

The fee for the course is: $180, $153 members, fee includes audio downloads of each lecture. 

This course consists of six afternoon lectures. Each lecture expands on the previous, making it important to attend all six meetings. However, if a lecture is missed, it can be downloaded and listened to prior to the next class. 

Meeting Dates: May 25, June 22, July 20, August 24, September 28, October 26 All meetings are from 1pm to 3pm. 

First Meeting May 25, 2013

 In our first meeting we'll focus on qi and the symbolic use of numbers traditionally used to describe the processes of nature and of life. This is a particularly important topic that is often left out of modern traditional Chinese medicine education. It provides a key of sorts for understanding the underlying logic of Chinese medicine. We'll also discuss the context of human life between heaven and earth and what we can do to begin nourishing life within us by moving in accordance with nature.

Environment Based Movement

Environment Based Movement Class

Nature is wherever you are. 

Develop balance, strength, coordination and flow while learning to move comfortably in your environment, whether at home, on the street, in the park, or out in the wilderness. These basic movement skills and awareness practices form the basis of traditional Chinese movement and martial arts as well as being common to most traditional cultures. 

This program will be 3 meetings, one Saturday morning a month for three months. It includes a specific movement program and exercises to train throughout the month to prepare the students for each subsequent session.

Session dates are: April 27, May 25, June 29.

The cost for the program is $120. The member's rate is $108.

This first program is limited to 5 students. Class location will vary as we will be going to different environments to practice nature awareness and train our movement skills. This class is for all ages and abilities. 

Have fun and enjoy moving freely as part of your environment! 

Contact us for more information or to reserve a spot.

Flourishing Growth: Spring Program

Sunday February 24, 9:30-11:30

$25, Free to CTHA members!

At our Springtime Program we will enjoy flowering tea and discuss the quality of qi and the liver in the spring and their traditional associations, including utilizing the emotions, muscular force, movements and appropriate exercises for the season.

Changing as the seasons change is one of the fundamental methods of restoring and maintaining the health in traditional Chinese medicine. In this program we'll have a relaxed setting to talk about these processes and how they relate to modern life.

Space is limited. Please contact us to reserve a spot.

CTHA Facebook page is up

We have the Center for Traditional Health Arts Facebook page set up now. We'll have class updates, links, and extra posts there (we're still using this page as well).

 You can check it out here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Center-for-Traditional-Health-Arts/420968284649408?ref=hl

Five Tastes - Chinese Herbal Medicine for the Lunar New Year

San Francisco Botanical Garden

February 9th 10am-12 noon

With Sean Fannin and Peg Schafer

Traditional Chinese Medicine may seem exotic and esoteric, but it is deeply rooted in an awareness of nature and our own sensory experiences. In this presentation we will discuss nature and health and how traditional Chinese medicinal herbs are selected and used.This will include tasting different forms of Chinese herbs.

This session will also cover Chinese herb cultivation illustrating locally suitable Chinese medicinal plants with 40 samples.Students will be sowing Chinese herbs in 6 packs to take home and grow in pots or in the garden.

The regular cost of the program is $60. I have a special discount code that you can apply to get the SFBG member rate of $50. The code is "Five Tastes 202013"

To get more information or to order tickets please visit the San Francisco Botanical Garden website here:

http://www.sfbotanicalgardensociety.org/sfbgs_course_template.cfm?s=5330