The term "practice" has many definitions and emotions that surround it. 

Originally when I started hearing about Practice, the following childhood phrases would come to mind:

• Practice makes perfect...
• You HAVE to practice your flute/trumpet/language/tennis now...
• I can't play with you...I have to go practice my....

In the above examples, practicing is a hassle, a burden and in the way.

As an adult I've come to understand and appreciate the Practice concept. 

Practice does not have to lead to perfection.  Practice is something that I am able to engage in to explore something.  I practice by choice, because it serves me, not because I've been told I have to do it.

What are the areas where you are engaged in a practice?  Raising your children, studying a new subject, changing your eating habits?  These are all opportunities to practice both for improvement and enjoyment.

Qigong is a series of gentle movements, self massage, breath work and visualization.  Qigong is done as a practice.  Every time we do it, we are engaging in learning more, about our body, our health, our mind and our connection to the environment.

When we engage in a qigong practice we build our ability to respond in healthier ways to stress which can lead to dis-ease and dis-comfort.  We strengthen our bodies internally and externally.  We learn with practice to calm our mind and to improve our body's own innate healing abilities.

And the way to do this is simple, it's just practice. 

One exercise - 5 minutes a day - to begin making a difference.  When you do it with focus and intention, you'll be amazed at what this practice has in store for you.

What one exercise can you do today to begin your regular practice to reap those benefits and feel good?!

Much time is spent in figuring out how to improve our lives.  And often that includes taking on new behaviors and actions, the goal being to make a change that serves us.  That means we are looking to develop new habits. 

For me, developing bad habits seem to come so easily, and based on what I see when I walk down the street, I'm not the only one. 

I was told recently that keeping the toilet cover down is a way to energetically attract more to one's life.  Seemed easy enough to me.  So I began the process of changing this habit, prompted and cheered on by a dear friend and adviser.  Happily I can report that the attraction component has indeed been a plus.  However, the challenge of replacing a lifelong practice of leaving the cover up has proven infinitely more challenging than I would have ever thought.   It reminds me of how much support we need when making change, e

We woke this morning to hear the news of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake in the NorthEast of the island of Japan.  As I contemplated this devastating situation, I was hit by the idea of how there was a time when what happened overseas was just overseas.  It's no longer that way, as we all know from our experiences with the econ omy, jobs, uprisings and more. 
When I saw the diagram map showing the after effect waves across the Pacific and how far reaching the powerful impact will be, I was humbled.
And that experience exists on an energetic level as well.  Our personal energy transcends our individual body and mind.  What attitudes we have, manner in which we operate, tone we use to communicate all have an energy that impacts us and then leaves us and gathers with other like energies.  We are all Connected. 
So what can you do today to power up your personal energy in love and peacefulness.

Have you ever wanted to remove pain quickly and easily?  Learning to apply EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique tapping is the answer.  This is a simple painless system that involves talking to yourself and gently tapping on various pressure points.  It is a real gift and I encourage anyone interested to check out the free 2011 Tapping World Summit to experience the information and power of the process that can help you remove all sorts of blocks and pains that get in your way. 
To your continued good health and happiness.  Give it a try!

Walking on a gorgeous Chicago afternoon, I came across a man who was doing using his grocery bags as weights and doing bicep curls. I had to stop and compliment his good use of time and resources.
I like to single task. I like to be focused and present. I also like to use my time efficiently and sometimes that means doing more than one thing at once (walking and listening to a book, walking and running the neighborhood errands). 
Using the resources wisely and with intention, helps us improve the energy and gives us more time and space to do the things we love to do.

About 8 years ago I realized that I wanted and needed to get rid of some of the noise of my overactive brain. Life was overwhelming, every decision took on massive proportion and I was generally left with a sense of less than-ness. So I learned how to meditate. The goal was to quiet the thoughts at the outset and later become a process of not attaching to them. 

But what I really was learning was to show compassion for myself in my process. To lessen the judgement and inner dialogue that was so filled with how I was not ________ enough - you can fill in the blanks if this resonates for you.

I've been practicing meditation now for over 8 years. Mostly alone, sometimes when I'm lucky, on a multi day retreat, and lately in a new setting for me.

There's a Meditation center in my neighborhood called Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago. I wandered in after being told by a friend that she had visited it and thought I'd like it. And was she right. There is something about sitting silently in a group that provides an entirely different experience to the meditation journey. You are doing it yourself, but you are not alone. When you stand you see others, and you realize that you are not alone in your desire to find that peacefulness and help repair the world, one mind at a time.

Lately I've been involved in a number of conversations about simplifying our lives. When I mention that I've been trying to lessen the stuff I buy, everyone looks with that same longing look of "oh, I wish I had less stuff."
Now this may be a function of my age and who I know but I think it has more to do with a desire to connect with what matters to each of us. And for so many, all the stuff just gets in the way of that.
We are overloaded with clothes, books, technology and in my case, yarn. 
Sometimes all the things that surround me can make me feel safe. And often times all the things around me can make me feel stuck. It's a fine line. But what I know for sure is that none of the stuff actually does make me safe, the only thing that makes me safe is my thought of being safe.

Some of my home simplification steps are:
1. Keep a paper handled bag in my office to put books in when I look through my shelves. If I don't use the book, it's time for it to go.
2. There's a space in my closet, on the floor, where I pile up clothes that I no longer wear. At least once a quarter I bag them up and take them to the Howard Brown or Salvation Army Resale stores in my neighborhood.
3. I try to use up the food in my house.
4. I clean my closets once a quarter and my drawers twice a year. 

I remind myself that
a. If I am holding on to something I don't use, I'm keeping someone else from it.
b. More choices do not always add anything to my energy or my life. 
c. It's ok to like oatmeal for breakfast everyday.

With each new simplification step, I feel my energy grow. There's nothing like lightening up.