I don’t know about you, but I think this time of year is complex. Invitations pour in to be “out, about, and social” while, at the same time, the days are shorter and the Natural World is reminding us that this is a time for conservation, hibernation and retreat.
One of the ways I ride these contradictions as the holiday season catapults us towards the end of the year is a qigong form called the Crystal Generator, which is a featured practice I offer annually at my Nourish the Flame event. Although I can’t offer the whole thing here, I think if you take about 3 minutes to try out this excerpt, you may find, as I do, that it will become a key sustaining tool to thrive through the season.
Nourish the Flame: A Winter Workshop toTransform resolutions into Real-Time Results
Whenever you make the choice to really own your power, things inevitably bubble up from below the surface. If you can accept that everything that happens is actually essential to the fulfillment of your potential, you’ll have more capacity to trust your process and be in your power…This, then, is the essence of the Practice Allow Alchemy—letting there be space for any and all fear, doubt, or anxiety and then learning to transform that energy. —Way of Joy
Do you ever experience that tiresome, worn-out mindset that to quote the White Rabbit “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date!”?
With summer ending and autumn in the air, I have been feeling that sharpened pencil, gotta-get-going, one-more-thing-itis — where no matter how much I accomplish, there always seems to be one more thing to do. It’s actually ok with me that I ask a lot of myself, but I would like the rush to be carried on a wave of joy instead of dragged along by that tiresome same ol’, same ol’ harangue about my flaws.
Vicki Dello Joio, founder ofThe Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, is a teacher, speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to increase awareness, transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential.Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life.
When you Embrace Wholeness (Tao), you move into a state of wisdom—fully present with all-that-is—without falling into the trap of polarities—good/bad, doing/being, expanding/contracting, etc…The Observer Self provides the key that opens us to that larger vision, creating a personal connection to the cosmos. —The Way of Joy
Have you ever felt joy in your heart at the very same time you had tears in your eyes? This might have happened during times of great joy—such as seeing a new-born baby—or times of profound sorrow, such as saying a final goodbye to a person or animal companion when you are acutely aware of the deep love you have shared at the same time you feel struck down with grief and loss.
I believe with all of my heart that it is only when we truly embrace the whole of our experience, we are able to live our lives with presence and power
When have you found yourself enriched by embracing a polarity in your life?
Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, is a teacher, speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to increase awareness, transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life.
Although I was thrown up in the air for only a fraction of a second, it was long enough for me to have a whole internal discussion. I experienced complete stillness as my body flew through the air and within that stillness I had a life-changing dialogue with myself. —Way of Joy
Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, is a teacher, speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to increase awareness, transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life.
“Often, just as we’re about to flower, obstacles seem to emerge from the underworld of the unconscious—fear, shame, self-blame, self-doubt, mistrust, anxiety, depression, resentment, despair, rage. I believe such resistance is actually an essential and natural part of the process of manifesting.” The Way of Joy
When you feel like your momentum has stopped and you’re up against resistance, whether from your own internal voices, or something happening in your life that impedes your flow, it can be painfully frustrating. Some people get angry, others give up and give in.
In qigong, grounding your energy allows you to not only release the suffering that comes with resistance, it allows what is stagnant or stuck to break down in a composting process and become useful energy.
Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, is a teacher, speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to increase awareness, transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life.
