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.