Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Wu Tao Nourishes Body and Soul in Winter!

Hi there, 

Today I am in awe as I watch a new world flowering!   I can feel it and I can see it all around me.  In the people I meet and especially through the internet which has become a point of connection and community for so many.  It is like a flower blossoming. There are still a few parts of the pod that need to fall away, so the bud can fully open, but what is amazing is that nothing can stop this process because this is LIFE!  And Life is upgrading us to a new level of being.  How wonderful to be on planet Earth at this time.  What a gift!  I am humbled to be here to witness and grateful for the opportunity to serve Life.
So, on one hand I am totally involved in my ‘little’ life. Doing what I do in the way that I do it.  And on the other hand, I am the observer, watching our awakening world.  It is happening to me and I am also the witness.  It really is quite beautiful.
The life I choose to live is in answer to the question:  How can I best serve Life right now?  I realise its not just about what I do or create in my work with Wu Tao, family, lifestyle etc.   Its about how I choose to be when I do my life.  What I think, exude and say.  When I move with the energy of Life, I am an expression of love, gratitude, appreciation and compassion.  Being anything else is to deny reality.  This is where Life is at!  She is moving so powerfully now, taking us with her.  It is so much easier to go with her flow than hold on to the old ways.  To resist is futile.  We are so blessed.  We are transforming into the divine beings we have always been.  We are remembering the truth of who we are and the limitations and illusions we have placed on the world are falling away. 
Don’t believe the doom and gloom you see on the tv.  Look deeper, and see what is really going on.  People are changing and mobilising themselves for the good of others and their communities. Its powerful and its happening in every walk of life. The littlest positive change can have a large ripple effect.  We can do it by changing the words we use daily from negative self talk to positive.  Giving encouragement and support to friends and family.  Sharing resources with our neighbours.  Making time to celebrate, connect and renew relationships.  We honour our existence when we are present and flowing with Life as it is.
I wish for all of us that our hearts continue to flower and bless this beautiful earth of ours.

The photo above of people doing the Tao Dance is from Aniko Scarabello, a Wu Tao Instructor who teaches at the Wu Shin Monastery in Tambourine Mountain Queensland.  I adore this picture! 
Have a lovely winter
Warmest regards
Michelle
Wu Tao rejuvenates body and spirit in Winter!
The Water Dance in Wu Tao builds the energy in your Kidney and Bladder organs.  Try these movements from the Water dance to stimulate your Kidney and Bladder Qi.  Lie on your back with knees bent.  Rock your knees gently to each side and then roll over into the foetal position and back again.  You can learn more of the Wu Tao dances  at www.wutaotransformation.com,  or best of all attending a Wu Tao class!  Classes are held across Australia and New Zealand and all our teachers details can be found at the website www.wutaodance.com




















Makko Ho Stretches for the Kidney and Bladder

“The Tao does nothing, yet everything gets done”

“The three months of winter are called the period of closing and storing…. People should retire early at night and rise late in the morning and they should wait for the rising of the sun.  They should contain their wishes as though they had no internal purpose, as though they had been fulfilled.” (Yellow Emperor’s Classic)

Lets look at what this means for us.  Firstly, closing and storing. My interpretation is to close the spaces where we lose energy.  Turn the focus within and retain the energy.  Ways we can do this include: less talking, less action and less work.  Ask the question, Through what gate(ways) am I losing energy?  Then, stop doing them for a couple of months.  Ie If you lose energy through talking, don’t talk for a while. 
‘People should retire early at night and rise late in the morning and they should wait for the  for the rising of the sun’.  Winter is the time of the deepest Yin, which corresponds to the Kidney and Bladder organs.  Kidneys store Qi.  The best way to restore Kidney Qi is to rest.  So sleeping, specifically in winter time is one of the best ways to build up Kidney Qi. 
‘They should contain their wishes as though they had no internal purpose, as though they had been fulfilled.’  Winter is the time to dream and imagine.  To be completely free of expectation, yet to feel deeply what you really desire and want for yourself and your life.  Imagination is a powerful tool of creation!  Let your mind go wild with imagining what you really want!  Keep it focussed on these things.  (ie dont let it wander around imagining what you don’t want!).  Most importantly, keep these imaginings to yourself.  If you talk about them you disperse the energy before it is ready.  Build the energy in your imagination and contain your wishes until springtime. Then the seeds you have sown (in your mind) will be ready to be birthed.

A recipe to build your Kidney Qi and sustain you over the winter months

Miso and Kidney Beans
4 cups kidney beans / 6 cups water / 1 tspn fresh grated ginger / 3 tbspns rice miso / 1 sweet potato / 3 carrots / 2 onions / 230g tomato paste / sea salt / 3 cloves diced garlic / 1 tspn each of cumin and coriander /dark sesame oil to taste.
Soak beans overnight, drain, add fresh water and cook until tender.  Saute garlic, onion and ginger in sesame oil.  In a separate bowl mix miso, tomato paste and water to thin.  Put all ingredients into a pot and simmer for 45-60 minutes.
Thicken with kuzu if needed.  Garnish with fresh coriander or parsley and serve over noodles or rice.  
(Recipe from the book ‘Take this Pebble from my Hand” by Geoffrey D. Wilson)
Upcoming Events

Wu Tao Couples Retreat Bali
December 3 - 9 2010
If you have a partner and need time out to reconnect then please join us for a very special retreat in beautiful Bali.  Numbers are very limited so register now and start dreaming of the blissful time you are going to share with your beloved in December.  
We can’t wait to meet you there! Its going to be a divine time!
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