Level I Workshop Description

How can ZYQ practice serve us in our daily life? And how can we incorporate the ZYQ practice with other modalities we may be practicing?

I have been developing a spreadsheet attempting to explain, in a big picture sense, the stages of spiritual development we attain through ZY Qigong practice and how this process is comparable to that of other spiritual disciplines. You may get a sense that all paths lead to the mountain top, the same panoramic view, though each process may have a different emphasis. Please see attached document “Stages of Spiritual Development in ZYQ and Other Spiritual Disciplines.” (If you’d like to peruse a more complete chart, please go to our website: www.zyqigong.org Your input from your own ZYQ practice and your experience with other disciplines is warmly welcomed!)

This weekend at our Seattle ZYQ center, we will be offering our Level I workshop, or Stage I in the three-stage spiraling process. This marks the beginning of our ZYQ yearly curriculum with consecutive workshops in Level II and Image Therapy I, II and III following. At this workshop, we will be developing our “gut instincts” from our lower dantian (first, second and third chakras), focusing on our relationship to Earth, our feminine within and our maternal energies. We will work on our rooting, our physical wellness—the foundation of total well-being, physically, energetically/emotionally and spiritually.

Work in this area opens the main energy channels which decreases pain, leads to general physical wellness, and helps us experience deeper levels of relaxation that lead to the next stage: stillness. Other benefits:
· creates our sense of security and general well-being
· provides us with a supply of raw energy and is directly related to our instinctual nature
· works with our knees and feet, energetically to keep us connected to our planet
· gives us the feeling of being grounded
· reduces fear, strengthens trust
· reflects our connection with our mothers, and how we feel about being on this planet
· determines the sexual disposition and appetite for men and women. The lower dantian is associated with the reproductive function. The blockages and stagnation of this energy center are common to many modern day citizens.
· helps us express creativity, dance and movements especially in the pelvis and hip area
· regulates our personal power, vitality, confidence and self-esteem
· increases our "gut instincts"
· helps the digestive system
· offers characteristic of fire - with the qualities of expansiveness, warmth, and joy
· especially important for those engaged in healing work of any sort, because this is where we build foundational energy for healing
(Please see attached document “Correspondence between Yoga and Qigong Energy Centers” for expanded info.; above bulleted info. taken from http://healing.about.com/od/chakratheseven/Seven_Major_Chakras.htm)

In western spiritual practices and healing modalities (including alternative), energy is a pervasive blind spot. This is why qigong complements most other spiritual practices and healing modalities. The physical and spiritual aspects of qigong also complement many energy healing modalities.

On Friday evening, we will tap into our intention. Why are we on this spiritual path, this wellness path? What do we want to transform? What is our vision of our complete wellness? By the end of the weekend, we will release more deeply into our true self and our soul, and our inner voice will become clearer, firmer and more powerful.

The Level I Workshop Schedule:
Friday the 24th: 7—9pm; Saturday 25th: 10am—6pm; Sunday 26th: 9am—3pm.

$180 for students new to ZYQ. $100 for ZYQ students repeating Level I. (This will be our last discounted pricing for workshops since we will be renting space for workshops after this weekend.)
ZYQ Center on Capital Hill: 626 Malden Ave E #2, Seattle, 98112 (206)726-0088
Instructor: Claire GuYu Johnson

We look forward to sharing this experience with you!