19 Comments

I’ve been so curious about qi-gong! I suspect I would love it...that barred owl!! And the irresistible merganser, you’re right.

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I'm still quite new but I really love it. It moves the body so much better than I imagined - in fact I've had to go slowly to keep from having overly sore muscles. More than that, it's a bit easier of a way for me to come into a meditative state often then trying to just sit down and meditate. I'm really interested to see how it helps balance things out over time.

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Oooooh that sounds lovely. I adore when slow movement is toning and intentional, such a yummy mix! I really relate to preferring movement in my meditation and recently have been listening to interviews with folks who point to this very need. (I feel so passionate about this topic, even though sitting meditation sometimes works for me! But/and sometimes there are periods in life when outdoor or upright focus is required, or even just practicing receptivity in relationships…I am so interested in expanding the definition of meditation to include almost every practice you can think of 💞🦉👯‍♀️) All to say, very happy for your exploration! Thanks for sharing.

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Beautiful words Karen ✨️

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Thank you Hayley

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Thank you for this, Karen. My sentiments exactly, I'm holding on to the end of winter. 💟

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Thank you Sue

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Lovely! I too am hanging on to winter before the rowdiness of spring arrives. Thank you for sharing the quiet. (P.S. That owl photo is incredible. Wow!)

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Thank you Jeanne

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Thank you, Karen, for sharing your peaceful world. Your lovely poem demonstrates how perspective (and POV in writing) shifts everything. I'm "allergic" to winter. Each year I try to embrace some of its special qualities but the short days, cold, and lack of green really gets to me after a while. I am always looking forward to spring, which in New England is "iffy" and sometimes jumps into summer, my favorite season. I already notice in mid-February a change in the morning sunlight.

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Ha ha - I get it!! I remember in the late 90s when I lived in Seattle and worked for a company in Vancouver. Everyone there it seemed were winter people. In the winter the office was empty at 4 PM as they all went to the ski hills. I totally resisted - I was a golfer and a summer person completely. I think I made bold statements like I will never be a winter person. Lol. Now here I am some 25 years later and I've become such a winter person who basically hibernates when it's hot.

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I enjoyed a quiet moment of winter peace this morning watching your video of sunrise. Thank you! And I subscribed to your YouTube channel!!!

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Thank you Janisse! (I really only use YouTube to put things up so I can put them in these newsletters or share on social, so don't expect too much! I don't take a lot of video.)

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Loved the video….so peaceful……with the soft bird calls as they wake up… awesome. I don’t think I could handle the 17 degrees though 🤷‍♀️😳. The serenity of your pictures ❤️😍🙏👍

One of the things I miss about my house(the one in Raytown) in Missouri is the sunrise I could see from my bedroom window on second floor over my neighbors trees and the treed hill beyond 🌄🌅. My private view to the sunrise every day 🥰🥰🥰🥰

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:) It's all about the clothing - truly! I'm so bundled up. (And no wind makes ALLLLL the difference.) Mmmm, that was a nice thing about that house!

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Your poem touched my heart, Karen. Thank you! Also, I'm a qigong teacher and can vouch for its wonderful, body & soul nourishing benefits. You probably already know this, but your back will thank you for the practice, too! 💖

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Thank you Kerri! Oh, I didn't know you teach qigong. I am madly in love with it. It really seems to be helping me with calming down my mind and it is definitely nourishing for my body. I feel like I have so much to learn.

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I felt really overwhelmed when I first started qigong, and approached it in my very Type A, 'gotta learn it all' kind of way, which lead me nowhere. Once I surrendered to the practice and let the qi guide me, I fell in love and then did teacher training. I've learned along the way that qigong practice is akin to a beautiful unfolding over time rather than something to learn, conquer and repeat. It took me a while to get there, but when I did, the real benefits started to appear. I hope you'll write about your experience as you feel moved to! (I hope that didn't sound like I was trying to tell you how to experience qigong! 😬 Just sharing my experience of it! xoxo)

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That is good advice!

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