I had a great chat with one of the new members of our Qigong class last Thursday. I appreciated her feedback, because as I told her “I share a ton of information in every class, and I’m never quite sure what lands.” She said something so helpful that I want to share it with you: “I’ve taken lots of different kinds of classes, but this isn’t like anything I’ve ever done,” she said. “With this, you kind of come as you are!” I just love that! It’s another way of saying: Be honest. Be clear about what’s going on with you in the moment. Accept that how you are is fine. As I wrote last week, that’s where we start, knowing where we are right NOW, and trusting we’ll grow in the right direction as we learn a few new skills and perspectives.
The description of Qigong as “come as you are” reminds me of come- as -you- are- parties. Does anyone even have them anymore? Spontaneous get-togethers, where you kind of hope someone will show up in their pajamas? You hope that because maybe you will be wearing your baggie work pants and t-shirt, or whatever god-awful thing you love to wear because it’s so comfortable, and you know you won’t be the only one feeling a little silly yet exuberantly self-accepting at the same time.
Qigong is a lot like that. Our goal isn’t to polish the external, it’s to enrich the internal. In Chinese medicine, “the true treasures lie within,” the treasures of health, peace of mind, compassion, love, joy. We search for those feelings externally in shiny Instagram selfies, or a flashy new car, new clothes, impressive achievements, etc. But those things tend to give only temporary satisfaction, if that. More lasting is the inner, peaceful fire of well-being and youthful longevity that we work (“gong”) to bring into fruition and balance when we get together in our come- as- you- are Qigong classes.
