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Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children
We are excited to announce that PDP II Research Foundation has been invited to teach a Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children program at St. Vincent’s School for Boys. We’ve developed a six-week pilot program that will start up in two weeks, offering a three-times a week class.
One of our long-time students, John Heenan, works at the School, and last year he was asked by one of the boys to bring in a Tai Chi teacher, he had seen a television program on Tai Chi and was eager to learn it. John called us, and asked us to put together a program for the boys.
Many of you may recall our popular Five Tigers Martial Arts Summer Day Camp, which we ran for five years. We had so much fun working with our Tigers, we mixed forms work, meditation, arts and crafts and field trips (hiking and practicing Shao Lin Chuan in the restorative, breathtaking nature found in Marin County). Our kids came from all socio-economic levels of Marin, many on scholarship, and they all took away self-confidence, inner strength and cooperation from those magical summer weeks.
We have had the pleasure and honor of mentoring many exceptional young people, who are now phenomenal adults making a positive difference on this planet.
Tai Chi Chuan is the foundation of our Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children program because this profound Asian internal art is a holistic approach to health, fitness, healing, personal improvement and growth.
As we teach it, the practice of Tai Chi Chuan involves the development of the complete person, the practitioner can attain the highest physical and mental condition possible. In this context, although Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art we won’t be teaching it as a competitive sport, the emphasis is on the practitioner advancing in skill by personal reflection and practice.
For at-risk youth, practicing Tai Chi Chuan can give benefits that are far-reaching and life-changing. Daily practice will improve balance, build self-confidence, and boost health, fitness, self-awareness, concentration, discipline and motivation. This Chinese internal art also helps to direct and focus the practitioner’s mental and physical energies, and develop those forces and potentials which are already within us. From our own experience, the discipline carries over to into everyday life, we have found that we can accomplish any task with ease, simply by using positive energy and concentration.
We’ve developed The Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan with four elements:
- Warm-ups
- Stretching
- Form work
- Standing or sitting meditation
Within each of these elements are fundamentals of mind-body awareness:
- Relaxed abdominal breathing
- Body alignment and stances
- Mindfulness and relaxation practices
The three-times weekly classes incorporate strengthening and toning the body, reducing the symptoms of stress, developing patience and a sense of personal achievement through gradual progress. The practice will assist the students in increasing their rhythm and coordination, balance, cardiovascular health, flexibility, strength, and endurance.
We put a lot of thought into selecting the right person for this important work, someone who would best serve the children and impart the values of the Paul D. Pickens II Research Foundation: integrity, excellence and honesty.
We are proud to announce that we have chosen Robert Bergman as Program Director for our Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children program. Robert, the founder of Spirit Boxing Association, is a dedicated martial artist with 40 years experience, and teaches mind-body integration classes at youth centers, clean and sober schools, Youth Gang Task Force facilities, adult treatment facilities and abused women’s facilities. He has been working with people in recovery, teaching healing and self-empowerment meditation and movement exercises, and has committed his life to helping people find strength, self-respect, self-confidence and compassion. He inspires and motivates adults and children alike with his humor, integrity, and focus on loving-discipline, showing by example how to live an authentic life and help others.
We know, with certainty, that the boys will have fun, and learn life skills that will serve them all their lives.
My Father’s Magic Rock Soup – story continues…………..
And so began my father’s tale of Magic Rock Soup:
As all good stories began in the past with ‘Once Upon a Time,’ so does this one. Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there had been a great war, a war that seemed to have lasted for an eternity.
Epic battles had been fought, countless villages had been sacked, thousands of acres of crops had been burned and great swaths of land made barren. There was little to eat, for both peasants and soldiers, and resources were scarce.
The war had finally ended and the soldiers were wearily journeying through the scarred land back to their homes. One soldier, in particular, was trudging homeward and had scant provisions for the long trip to his own village. Although he was in his late twenties, he seemed older, his tired eyes reflecting the trials and tribulations of the extended war. The Soldier had wavy dark brown, almost black, hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and a short, curly, light brown beard that covered his lower face. His uniform, the white linen of the southern Italian regiment of the French Army, was shabby and had been patched in many places. His gaiters were torn and muddy and the soles of his shoes had been repaired many times. He carried his goatskin knapsack over his shoulder.
The Soldier had been Cook in his regiment, and his knapsack was stuffed with the tools of his trade: a large wooden spoon, a sharp knife, a tinderbox, and a battered pot that had belonged to his best friend Brieuse that The Soldier took with him when he left his regiment to remind him of the men for whom he had prepared food for so many years. Hearing the clanking coming from his knapsack as he walked along, he recalled something his friend had told him, “I’ve heard it said, on good authority, that army cooks can affect the mood and actions of the soldiers and thus influence history through their spoons.”
<MORE TO COME!>
What do the Five Elements have to do with Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong?
In Taoism and in traditional Chinese medical theory, the system of the Five Elements describes the interactions and relationships between phenomena. All of nature and the universe can be defined by the elements and all aspects of nature contain the principles of the five elements.
Tai Chi Ch’uan, all forms and all styles, is based on the Thirteen Movements, and the practitioner, over time and with the right teacher, learns to incorporate the limitless qualities of all of nature within every set, and by practicing your Tai Chi Chuan sets this way, you become one with the limitless characteristics of all of nature in every thing you do, whether it’s cooking, walking, working, interacting with others, and especially being an activist for positive change in our world.
The Thirteen Movements are the Eight Directions and the Five Elements. The Eight Directions are the four cardinal directions, East, South, West and North, and the intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest.
The Five Elements correspond to the Eight Directions: East, wood, green, springtime. South, fire, red, summer. West, metal, white, autumn. North, water, blue, winter. The diagonal, or intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest correspond to earth, yellow, the later stage of the four seasons.
Five Element Star
When we were writing our Primordial Qigong book we designed a directional star to illustrate our understanding of the five elements and the eight directions. You’ll notice that the Five Element Star is different from the Western compass, as East (green, wood) is represented at the top of the star. East represents the beginning of all things, the sun rises in the East and the day begins. We recommend to our students to begin their Tai Chi Chuan sets facing East, and in Primordial Qigong the form always begins with the practitioner facing East.
While we were in Europe this past summer, Donald taught his inner-door students the deeper meaning of this design.
In fact, Donald and I have taken the essence of the martial, internal, healing and meditation arts that we have been studying for almost forty years (we started as young teenagers in the late ’60′s and early ’70′s, a time when the martial and internal arts were relatively unknown to most Americans) and have been teaching our close students how to achieve a deeper connection to the mystical, spiritual and limitless potentials of universal energies, going beyond the limitations of physical form itself.
We decided the time is right for the public to learn ’Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements.’ We are opening it up to practitioners of every style and form, as we believe this vital information is not limited to any one style and should be shared for the benefit of many. In this unique day-long workshop we will be revealing how to develop a felt sensation of all of the Five Elements and deepen one’s understanding of Taoist principles, in nature, and within ourselves.
- The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Tao Te Ching
This workshop will inform and empower practitioners of Tai Chi Ch’uan (regardless of style or form), Qigong, Hsing Yi, Bagua, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, tuina, and all other internal martial and healing arts, and take you to higher levels of accomplishment.
We are a microcosm of the universe, not separate from nature, and all the elements and their corresponding qualities are deep within us, in our DNA. We want you to learn how to embody the Five Elements to deepen your connection to nature, enhance your practice and positively influence these exquisite universal energies.
We believe that anyone can integrate and express the Five Elements within themselves to bring about lasting inner and outer harmony through the Five Forms, the Five Tastes, the Five Colors, the Five Sounds, the Five Seasons, the Five Directions, the Five Expressions, the Five Yin and the Five Yang Organs and the Five Remedies to the Negative Emotions.
Check out our webpage, and if you’d like to learn the Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements, on November 14, 2010, please feel free to register!
If you act soon, the first 11 people who refer five others who pay will attend the workshop for free. Have your friends register and pay, and tell them they must mention your name when they pay. They can register online here, or call 415.459.9098 to pay with a credit card.
Cooking with Chi! at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, during our Primordial Qigong Workshop
Cooking with Chi! dinner during the Primordial Qigong Workshop!
Donald clearing IONS kitchen
When Claudia Holt, of IONS, asked us to consider doing a Cooking with Chi! experience for the retreatants during our Primordial Qigong workshop at IONS’ EarthRising Center, it was such a perfect idea that Donald and I said yes immediately. Menu ideas soon started popping up in our minds.
Donald and I went up to the retreat center, and Claudia introduced us to the chef Trecey and her assistant Debbie, and we had a delightful chat about logistics, menus and qigong. Donald then did an impromptu teaching on Five Element cooking, chi cultivation, clearing the kitchen space and bringing in positive, joyful energy.
We are honored that our retreatants will join us in IONS beautiful kitchen to get a hands-on lesson in how to be one with the process of cooking, with all senses fully engaged, being in the moment and the activity; an activity that has such a profound effect on us and our loved ones (and in fact the world.)
Donald and I have always cooked with all of our senses engaged, measuring and adding ingredients by sight, by taste and by smell. We believe body, mind and spirit should be as one with the process of cooking a meal.
Our good intentions, joy and healing energy are then infused into our food, lifting the spirits of everyone eating our meals; as our food settles in our bellies we feel so good that it ripples out into the world with a calming effect on those around us.
Every time we visit the EarthRising Center, in Petaluma, we are struck by the beauty and natural setting, it is a perfect location for learning the profound Primordial Qigong. By observing and integrating the elements of nature, you will increase your sensitivity, deepen your intuition, gain a profound awareness of the world around us and develop extraordinary abilities that lead to re-aligning yourself with the natural order of the universe.
In its simplicity, Primordial Qigong covers the full range of Taoist theory and philosophy. You begin the form with emptiness, and from that emptiness is born yin and yang, and then from the two comes all things. Practicing Primordial Qigong brings harmony to Heaven, Earth and Humanity as you are moving through all of the directions of the Ba Gua, balancing the elements, and reversing the seasons. The practitioner returns back to the beginning, returning to a primordial state of being. You will experience a mystical rebirth, a perpetual renewing and continuation of the cycle of life.
If you’d like to join us for the Primordial Qigong workshop, and experience for yourself the profound benefits of this ancient system of healing, there’s still a few spaces available for this immersion in nature workshop, sign up now!
NEW! Primordial Qigong T-shirts! Become One with the Universe!
We are proud to offer the only Primordial Qigong t-shirt in the world!
Be one of the first to wear this beautiful T-shirt!
Drawing on our artist lineage, Donald and I designed this original, exquisite Five Element Star based on the Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The star represents the five elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, the four primary directions and the four intercardinal directions.
Five Element Star Rubbo Art of Energy
The directions as represented here are based on the creative, or generating, cycle of the Five Elements. Starting at the top and going clockwise: Green/East/Wood, Red/South/Fire, White/East/Metal, Blue/North/Water and Yellow/Intercardinal/Earth. The element Wood creates Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth creates Metal and Metal creates Water. Earth is also the stabilizing force of all the elements, lubricating and harmonizing the interaction of the other elements, in nature and within the human body.
On the back of the T-shirt is the Chinese calligraphy for Primordial Qigong, done by a calligraphy master in San Francisco’s Chinatown, in the beautiful brush style.
Primordial Qigong is a gem from the treasure chest of Taoist Mystical Qigong. Donald was a direct student of Master Zhu Hui, the lineage holder of this profound, ancient system. The founder of Tai Chi Chuan, the Chinese sage Chang San Feng, developed this form prior to creating the form that became known as Tai Chi Chuan.
Primordial Qigong is one of our favorite forms, out of all of the many forms of Qigong we have learned. Donald and I have been able to deepen our intuition, expand our hyper-sensory awareness and heighten our diagnostic abilities through our Primordial Qigong practice. As we explain in our digital eBook, Primordial Qigong, the pineal and the pituitary glands, which are associated with mystical powers, are stimulated and this action amplifies your awareness, sensitivity and intuition.
Order your Primordial Qigong T-shirt here!
Primordial Qigong calligraphy on back
We hope that your Primordial Qigong practice heightens your sense of the limitless interconnectedness and interdependence of humans and nature!
Primordial Qigong at the Institute of Noetic Sciences – June 2010
Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self requires strength; He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. Tao Te Ching
We are delighted to be invited to present this profound, ancient, transformative system at the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
Our philosophy, vision and mission at Rubbo Art of Energy closely parallels the Institute’s: ”….to support a shift in consciousness that transforms present global conditions into a world grounded in freedom, wisdom, and love. We serve an emerging movement of globally conscious citizens dedicated to manifesting our highest capacities.”
The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS):
- Explores the frontiers of consciousness
- Builds bridges between science and spirit
- Researches subtle energies and the powers of healing
- Inquires into the science of love, forgiveness, and gratitude
- Studies the effects of conscious and compassionate intention
- Seeks to understand the basis of prevailing worldviews
- Practices freedom of thought and freedom of spirit
Their Mission: Advancing the science of consciousness and human experience to serve individual and collective transformation.
We have dedicated our lives to teaching people how to shift their personal paradigm of healing and self-awareness to be more present in their own lives and to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We encourage every person to live their authentic self in every moment – with every breath – with mindfulness, compassion and generosity. By getting beyond gaining factual knowledge alone to instead become changed by what one learns in some meaningful way – questioning assumptions, beliefs and values, and considering multiple points of view, Rubbo Art of Energy graduates are changing the world.
The beautiful, rustic outdoor setting of the retreat land at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, in Petaluma, CA, is perfect for learning Primordial Qigong. By observing and integrating the elements of nature, our students will increase their sensitivity, deepen their intuition, gain a profound awareness of the world around us and develop extraordinary abilities that lead to re-aligning oneself with the natural order of the universe.
In its simplicity, Primordial Qigong covers the full range of Taoist theory and philosophy. One begins the form with emptiness, and from that emptiness is born yin and yang, and then from the two comes all things. Practicing this form brings harmony to Heaven, Earth and Humanity as you are moving through all of the directions of the Ba Gua, balancing the five elements, and reversing the seasons. After this journey, the practitioner returns back to the beginning–to a primordial state of being. The experience is that of a mystical rebirth, a perpetual renewing and continuation of the cycle of life.
Primordial Qigong, sometimes referred to as Tai Chi Enlightenment, Enlightenment Qi Gong, WuJi Gong, is one of the oldest forms of qigong; the mythical Taoist sage Zhang Sanfeng, said to be the father of Tai Chi Chuan, is credited with creating Wu Ji Gung (Primordial Qigong.) Master Zhu Hui, the lineage holder of Primordial Qigong, taught this system to Donald Rubbo.
For those interested in learning this ancient, exquisite Taoist alchemical system, visit the Institute of Noetic Science’s website to register!
We wrote our book, Primordial Qigong, as a digital eBook; it’s our belief that publishing eBooks online helps to preserve our precious resources, our forests, waterways and earth for future generations. To enhance the experience at the workshop, the eBook can be purchased and downloaded on our website, CultivateChi.com.
Magic, Myth or Science? Intentional Healing Skin Creams
Cheryl Lynne Rubbo
Now that science has proven that thoughts affect physical mass, that our intentions actually do affect our reality, intention-enhanced products such as my hand-crafted skin cream will become more in demand. As the Institute of Noetic Sciences and and Princeton University has shown, human thought, properly focused, has the ability to affect and change physical mass.
My Aha! moment came several years ago, in 2004, after seeing photos of the different shapes water crystals made, beautiful or malformed, when positive or negative thoughts were directed at droplets of water before they were frozen.
If thoughts and intentions can influence the structure of water, and thus how we feel when we look at these water crystals, then what would happen if I prepared a small batch of skin cream, using natural ingredients, and directed my thoughts of healing, love and joy into the molecular structure of the ointment?
I set about doing this, and gathered all the necessary components. I prepared my body, mind and spirit with purifications, rituals, deep meditation and energy cultivation. As I mixed everything together, in deep concentration, I one-pointedly directed my intention into my compound, ‘seeing’ and ‘feeling’ the ecstatic emotions merging with the cream.
My secret? The intense discipline and mind focus of my 35 years in the martial, internal and meditation arts.
To test my theory, I gathered a group of women together for a facial party. I purchased a small jar of a luxury skin cream, and put it on the table next to a jar of my skin cream, both jars without labels, under a napkin. I had each woman in turn close her eyes and first apply the expensive skin cream to the back of one hand, and then my skin cream to the back of the other hand. Each and every woman felt that her hand with the expensive skin cream had no distinct sensation, maybe a cool feeling, and the hand with my skin cream on it had a delightful sensation of warmth which penetrated deep into the layers of skin, and they all reported that they felt a blossoming of joy in their hearts.
Tens of millions of women worldwide use skin creams daily, to moisturize and nourish the skin on their faces. Millions of these women are concerned, and rightly so, about the quality of the ingredients that are used in these mass-produced formulas. Many women insist on organic, cruelty-free ingredients in their cosmetics. I’ve found though, in my research, that most women aren’t aware that the creams and ointments they slather on their skin (which is then absorbed deep into their cells) are empty of meaning, empty of any intention at all in the manufacturing process from start to finish.
I developed my skin creams to solve this problem, and I infuse every batch with love, compassion, calmness and vibrant health.
Through my extensive research, I’ve found that there is no other skin care product like mine in the world. Although the field of mind-science is growing, I am only one person doing this particular work, merging positive, healing intention into a luxurious skin cream that benefits the people who use it beyond just the effect of the ingredients, and thus my skin creams are rare and precious.
My focused intention of healing is in every jar of my Intentional Healing creams, the first and only skin cream in the world infused with the power of healing intention.
I invite you to try Intentional Healing and experience for yourself the power of my healing intention.
Please visit my website http://cultivatechi.com/products/intention.html for more information on how to order my intention-enhanced skin creams.
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