I'm really becoming very interested in this Chi Kung stuff. Aside from the classes, which are great, I have started reading a few books that I found at the library. I've dug into one book, 'Harnessing the Power of the Universe: A complete Guide to the Principles and Practice of Chi-Gung' by Daniel Reid. It explains things quite well, but there are so many concepts to learn and understand; Chi, three Treasures, Polarity of Yin and Yang, Three Elixir Fields, Three Powers, Five Elemental Energies, Meridians, Eight Extraordinary Channels, an on and on. It would be overwhelming if one was in a rush to learn it all. I have decided to take my time, and enjoy and contemplate what I am reading, and reflect on the reading and the classes in a special journal. And this will be incorporated into my UBBT7 goals.

Chi Kung is very much a form of moving or standing mediation, according to the book I am reading. On this vein, I'm reading another exciting book; 'Mindful Knitting; Inviting Contemplative Practice to the Craft', by Tara Jon Manning. I was drawn to this book because the last three months of preparing for the black belt test were so intense that I began to yearn for a simplification, relaxation and a slowing down of my life. I love knitting, and as the author of this book states, 'There is a relationship between the work of the hands and the qualities of the mind'. Knitting, for me is both grounding and fulfilling; mindful knitting promises to create a quiet, calm state of being, where my thoughts become kinder, towards myself and my world. The book contains directions on mindful, meditative practices of knitting as well as some simple projects - dishclothes, scarves to knit as we engage in the practice. I hope to include these activities in my UBBT7 goals also.

Related to the above projects in chi kung, meditation and mindful knitting is the concept of Charity Knitting: knitting a blanket, hats, etc to donate to homeless people in Canada or needy people in other countries. Both of the books mentioned above address the concept in engaging in activities that benefit others.

In the Chi Kung book:

'In human life, most people enslave their minds and spend their energies to serve their bodies and satisfy their desires, thereby mistaking the servant for the master. In the higher orders of the universe, which human life was designed to reflect, spirit is the master, and energy is the tool through which the spirit expresses its creativity in the material form. . . one must learn to balance physical health and vitality with spiritual awareness and virtue. . .'

In the Mindful Knitting book:

Through our mindful activities, we first begin to feel our own tender hearts and discover, perhaps to our amazement, that they have a rich capacity to hold joy and sadness. Now that we're finding this quality within our own hearts, we can almost magically begin to see this capacity in others. The bridge for making this connection to others is our deepening understanding of the basic goodness inherent in every moment. As our experience of basic goodness matures, it hits a sort of saturation point, and its focus begins to shift automatically from our inward situation to the world at large. . . Just as our notion of basic goodness expands and spills over, so do our mindful actions in the world at large, making it a better place, situation by situation, person by person, stitch by stitch.'

The UBBT7 requires a spiritual education\growth component. This is how I will address it.

This week went quite well.

I did a 7 day cleanse. As a result, I experienced an increase in energy, more positive mood, less stiffness in the joints, much better sleep, and significant weight loss. The significant weight loss was the worrisome part. I believe I lost 10lbs. According to all the conventional wisdom, this is bad (a maximum weight loss of 2lbs per week is reccommended by the medical and nutritional experts), and I wonder if the wieght will stay off. We shall have to see. Other than that little worry, I would do the cleanse again because I do feel alot better. In the meantime, it would be nice to find more 'scientific' research results on this cleanse, which was the Master Cleanse, or Lemonade Diet. Its been around since the 1940's; my grandmother used it and reccommended it to my parents who drink a lemon, honey, cayenne pepper adaptation every mornining before breakfast. Of course, certain naturopathic 'gurus' such as Tom Woloshyn have written books about the cleanse, and claim to know what we are doing to our bodies when we adhere properly to this diet. However, the books contain no scientific backup, and the author's credentials are self claimed experience only. I blame the establishment for this; our medical institutions steer clear of naturopathic research and regulatory systems and so the public is left to fend for themselves.

Chi Kung class started on Thursday. What a surprise to see far more than the maximum capacity of 12 students at this class. My estimate is 15 - 18 students. It seems that alot of the guys really loved it - didn't get feedback from the females yet. Though this is a repeat class for me, Sifu Oslvik introduced many new components to the warm-up and teaching. Highlights of the class were Sifu Oslvik's demonstration of power as he transitioned from horse stance to pushed in bow stance. The power generated from his grounded leg, up to the hips and on. One got the impression that the recipient of a punch generated in this fashion would have been propelled backwards several feet at least. I look forward to working on this myself, and incorporating it into the Lao Gar form.

Sihing class was small due to continued flu-like issues. The Pandemonium circuits were completed with little time left over for discussion, during which time Sifu Brinker spoke about the stances for tiger claw in Lao Gar (alot of work still needed to achieve the power and stability required - but that will come with the practice of Chi Kung stance transitions mentioned above), and living in the present moment which is something I would like to somehow incorporporate into my UBBT requirements.

Lion Dance class was great. We have nearly finished learning the double lion dance. It is time now to focus on our own individuality during the freestyle portions of the dance. I had the opportunity to step in as the tail for Mr. Embury, who is in the role of the young lion in the double lion dance. This allowed me to appreciate what he is adding to the routine. We still need somebody who is interested in taking on the role of Buddha. The dance is not complete without someone who will take on this role seriously.

Saturday was a good day too. Helped role pennies for the Malawi girls. Shoalin class was a fun workout of the core - too bad we didn't have a camera to capture some of the partner work Sifu Frietag had us do. During open training, a few of us I Ho Chuan students worked hard on the bokken form assignment. Repetition beyond what we felt was enough took us to new levels of self critique and appreciation of the form. Though the form is short, there is actually alot to perfect and master. The only dissappointing aspect of open training was the lack of attendance - I'm sure the flu had something to do with that. Hope everyone is ok.

Well, that was my week, and I'm pleased with it.