Sandy's July/Aug 2024
Qigong & Mindfulness
Newsletter
Summer Challenge: Deepening Your Practice, Expanding Possibilities
Many of you have shared the benefits you have experienced from practicing Qigong, and it warms my heart to hear of the ways your life has been enriched and your well-being has been enhanced. Practicing with a weekly group, whether in person or online, whether indoors or outdoors, magnifies the energy field and potential benefits for us all.
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However, deepening your practice to enhance the benefits even further requires commitment to a regular (ideally, daily) mind-body-spirit practice of some sort (Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, or Meditation, for instance). The length of time is not as critical as the quality of your practice – the extent to which you are truly present and mindfully engaged.
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Besides attending classes, one practical way to begin deepening your practice at home is to choose just one thing from each of Qigong’s Four Baskets of Practice to do each day: Mindful Movement, Breathwork, Self-Applied Massage and Meditation (examples outlined below). There are also many resources available online, as well as recordings on my website.
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As we enter this summer season, the season of the fire element, of passion and joy, our energy is poised to help make our dreams and plans a reality with dedicated effort. Just as financial investments take discipline and priority-setting, so does investing in your health and overall well-being.
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Might you be ready to make an investment in your own health and the potential for healing and joy that is possible? Will you commit to join me in investing fully in a daily mind-body-spirit practice of your choosing? If so, drop me a quick email to solidify your intentions – just a line or two about what you are planning to do. You’ll be glad you did!
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Blessings on your summer intentions, and may the fruit of your discipline be joy, deep connections and peace,
Sandy Salvo
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Qigong's Four Baskets of Practice:
1. Mindful Movement Examples
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Warm-Ups
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Flowing Movements
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Animal Frolics
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9 Phases of Cultivation
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7 Precious Gestures
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Wuji Hundun Qigong
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Tao Yin Qigong
2. Breathwork Examples
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Intentional LSD breaths (long, slow, deep)
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Warrior Breaths (forceful exhales)
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Guolin’s Breath (inhale, inhale, exhale)
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Healing Sounds connected to various organs
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Swimming Dragon Figure 8 (inhale, hold, exhale, hold)
3. Self-Applied Massage Examples
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Massage hands, feet or ears to open pathways to all parts of the body
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Massage specific areas of tightness or pain to release tension
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Tapping meridian lines to release stagnant Qi and energize entire body
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Tapping for emotional release (search: Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT)
4. Meditation Examples
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Seated, standing, supine meditation
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Moving meditation (such as walking or doing Qigong)
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Guided or silent
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Loving Kindness Phrases
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Flow like the Presque Isle River flows freely into the depth of Lake Superior...
Inspiration from "Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul" by John Phillip Newell:
Awake, O my soul,
And know the sacred dignity of your being.
Awake to it in every living soul this day.
Honor it, defend it,
In the heart and mind, in word and in deed,
Awake, O my soul,
And know the sacred dignity of your being.
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Awake, O my soul,
To the beauty of the divine deep within you
And awake to its fragrance in the body of the earth.
Know its strength of attraction
And its grace to heal what has been torn apart.
Awake, O my soul,
To the beauty of the divine deep within you.
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Awake, O my soul,
to the flow of the divine deep within you.
Awake to it in every creature, in every woman, in every man.
It is our river of resurrection, the promise of new beginnings.
Awake, O my soul,
To the flow of the divine deep within you.
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(Listen silently for a few minutes within the sacredness of your being.)
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Awake, O my soul. Awake.
Mark Your Calendars: Mindfulness Meditation Pop-Up Sessions
Harbor Wellness Center , Middleton, WI
Last Wednesday of the Month, 11-11:45am
Cross Plains Area
Mindfulness Meditation Group
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All are welcome to join this open learning community focused on exploring mindfulness meditation practices to cultivate compassion and mutual understanding while enriching our personal faith journeys. No experience necessary.
Meeting monthly on the 3rd Monday of the month, 6:30-7:45pm on a drop-in basis at various outdoor locations for the summer, weather permitting. Our back-up location is St. Martin's Lutheran Church, 2427 Church St, Cross Plains, WI.
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July 15: Forest Bathing - meet at Festge County Park (4894 Scherbel Rd, Cross Plains)
Bring a journal and something to sit upon.
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August 19: Outdoor Labyrinth Walking Meditation - Madison Christian Community Church (7118 Old Sauk Road). Bring a chair.
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Questions?
Contact Sandy
Come as you are. Come when you are able.
Weekly Qigong Classes:
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Monday 9-9:45am CT: Qigong via Zoom
Click Here for:
Monday 9am Qigong w Sandy via Zoom 2024
Meeting ID: 871 8831 7798
No Class Labor Day, Sept 2
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Wednesday 8:30-9:15am: Qigong at the Lake
Meet near the Boathouse, Marshall Park, Middleton
No Class on July 3rd
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Refer a Friend, Get a Free Class Yourself!
Any time you refer a friend who tries a free Qigong class, you will receive a free class yourself! It’s that simple - you keep track on your own. Let’s keep spreading the word about this amazing form of self-care!😊
Suggested Qigong Class Fees for 2024*
- No Inflation Increases Here!
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One-time drop in: $12/class
Class-Pass Bundle of 6: $54 ($9/class)
Class-Pass Bundle of 10: $80 ($8/class)
Class-Pass Bundle of 15: $102 (6.80/class)
*These rates apply to weekly online Zoom classes (Mondays, 9am) and weekly outdoor classes April-October (Wednesdays, 8:30am). Feel free to mix ‘n match as your schedule allows.
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Payment Options:
Or mail check to:
Sandy Salvo :: 7521 Oak Circle Dr, Middleton, Wisconsin, 53562
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