Happy Birthday Wu Tao!

Hi everyone,  This month I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has ever taught, participated, listened, played and most importantly, danced Wu Tao! This month October 2010 is the 10th anniversary of Wu Tao!  I started my first class of Wu Tao in a beautiful hall overlooking the Perth Swan River at 6.00am.  How Wu Tao began is a long story but a good one.  If you want to hear it let me know and I will find a way to share it with you!  (The picture above is of my partner Steve - who composes all the music for Wu Tao - and I, at the Dockers Doig Medal Ball.  We had fun!) I have been very blessed to have been given the purpose of bringing Wu Tao into the world.  It has been a gift and a teacher to me.  I have experienced firsthand the benefits of the dances and the processes we use in Wu Tao.  They are powerful and transformative and have taken me to the depths of my Self and connected me in the deepest way with Life and Spirit.  Nothing has brought me so much joy as dancing and sharing Wu Tao. I really want to thank all the Instructors for their dedication and commitment not only for teaching Wu Tao and building the business, but to their own personal growth and spiritual development.  Wu Tao is so much more than a dance program, it's a spiritual pathway and the beautiful people teaching Wu Tao know that more than anyone. All the teachers embody compassion and wisdom in their own unique way and are a wonderful source of guidance and strength. I speak for myself, but every class, workshop, performance and business event I do for Wu Tao turns into a deep spiritual learning.  I have had to grow up, change, heal, expand and develop parts of myself I would rather have overlooked.  More than anything I have been challenged to do things in a different way, a way that is more flowing, balanced and Yin.  This often goes against the ways of the world and my old ways of doing things, but it has brought me so much joy, energy and inner peace. Nicky Castle, one of our very first Instructors and trainers shared this with me earlier this week.  Nicky is a powerhouse of energy and wisdom. I am so grateful for you Nicky and for what you have given to Wu Tao.  Dear Michelle, I can only begin to express the incredible gratitude that I have for you and Wu Tao Dance.  I am honestly not sure if I would still be here on this earth if I had not found my way to you 8 years ago.  I was so filled with grief and manically out of balance - there is no possible way that I could have continued in that way without manifesting some awful physical dis-ease.  Wu Tao the Dancing Way gifted me with the remembrance and knowledge of who I truly am and the peace that comes hand in hand with that remembrance. Life is a continual journey of mountains and valleys and Wu Tao is there with me each and every step of the way, always when I need it the most to gently remind me .....I am loved, I am supported, I am connected to all of Life. Blessings, Nicky Castle To Wu Tao instructors everywhere, I love and appreciate you so much.  Thank you for sharing the journey.  You are the ones that make Wu Tao what it is today.

Anniversary Gifts for You! To mark this special occasion of our 10th anniversary, I have some extra special offers that I hope you will take advantage of, if you deeply desire to create more beauty, balance and harmony in your life. Instructor Training Course Special  Enrol for the Instructor Training Course in October and receive theFood as Medicine Ecourse for free ($600 value) OR if you prefer, get $300 off the full Instructor Course cost. (You choose your special offer) The Food as Medicine home study course is one of our most popular courses.  It gives you a thorough grounding in Chinese Medicine and nutrition and will give you the skills to treat yourself, your family and clients with healing foods and dietary advice.  Click here for detailed information. PS.   If you love to dance and help others, and you want to be fit, healthy and balanced inside and out, this course is for you! Not quite ready to embark on a new career but want to delve deeply into Wu Tao?  Begin your study of Wu Tao and related programs at home!  Special! Start any of our stand alone Home Study courses (some of which can be accredited towards the Instructor Training and get a massive 30% of the cost of the course!  Yep, that means that a course that usually costs $600 you can get for $420 in October.  (gst excluded). The home study courses we are currently offering are:   Course in Transformation (This course WILL definitely change your Life) Food as Medicine (Build your nutritional expertise and become a great cook at the same time) Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine (All the basics to help you understand and integrate this ancient and powerful healing system into your daily life) Stretch and Relax Certificate Course (Do the course and you can teach this simple class to anyone who needs it) Click here to purchase at these special prices If you are just starting out on your Wu Tao journey and want to begin experiencing the maximum benefits of Wu Tao for yourself, here is my lastspecial gift. Purchase the Ultimate DVD package and I will send you the 'Living your Divine Purpose' seminar that I held on-line earlier this week for free. (That's if you didn't get to join in then).  Next month it will cost $27 to download.    Make sure you follow this link to get the specials. All these specials are my gift to you, but they are only available until the end of October, so don't delay in getting started.  Next month the anniversary is over and it will be back to business as usual.

Living your Sacred Purpose Webinar was a great success thanks to you!

Thanks to all those people who attended my first webinar event "Living your Sacred Purpose!  I really appreciated you all showing up! Thanks for your encouraging feedback and comments as well. I had fun and I hope you enjoyed it too. I look forward to sharing more with you in the very near future. Here's one of the many beautiful emails I received. (Thanks Barb!)

Hi Michelle,

I just finished listening to and working through the replay of the webinar and wanted to let you know that I loved it!   On a personal level, the topics you covered remain so meaningful for me and bring fresh insight every time I hear you speak of them. I've been struggling a bit lately, and know that your words of wisdom will help me find some focus.

I think the webinar was a wonderful way to bring attention to the emotional and spiritual aspects of Wu Tao - the aspects that are so powerful and make Wu Tao so unique - not just another fitness program.

For you, I once again applaud your courage in finding ways to reach out and share your inner thoughts, passion and wisdom...I hope you will plan more webinars in the future. 

Barb (WA)

(PS If you missed the webinar and would like to listen to it,  the podcast will be available in the very near future.  Stay Tuned!)

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Special Events!

Wu Tao Couples Retreat Bali 3-9 December 2010

We still have a couple of places left in the Couples Retreat in Bali!  Are you sureyou don't need a week with your beloved, away from the children, enjoying each other, connecting deeply and getting yourselves fit and balanced at the same time?  

I know its December and things are starting to get busy, but you know what?  Your relationship with your partner is precious gold and deserves to be nourished!

Steve and I are so looking forward to this retreat!  We get to hang out with each other, dance, play and have fun with other gorgeous couples!  It doesnt get any better than this for us.

Click this link to join us!

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Sondra Ray in Perth 25-29 November

Liberation Breathing Training.

Sondra Ray and her husband Mark Sullivan are back in Australia for another amazing week of breathwork training.  We have been going to India with this couple for the past 3 years and they are of the highest calibre and truly inspiring teachers.  If you want to change the limited thought patterns that run your life, I can highly recommend working with Sondra.  Click here for more details. 

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Tomorrow I am off to teach a new group of trainee instructors in Melbourne at a 7 day training intensive.  I am so looking forward to feeling the bliss that comes from dancing everyday. I hope you get to enjoy dancing this month too!

Have a fantastic month.

Michelle Locke

Wu Tao Dance x x

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!

Click here for details