HeartMind Pearls Newsletter

Kamala Quale, MSOM, LAc
October, 2010

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

 

Maui Renewal Retreat

For People in the Helping Professions

Rejuvenation, Transformation, Adventure

January 22-26, 2011

With Kamala Quale, Chinese medicine practitioner and bodymind therapist, and Nina Cherry, business coach and Maui resident

Bright shiny day

Recharge and replenish your personal and professional life this winter with an unforgettable five-day retreat on the exotic island of Maui.

The abundance of sunny skies, ocean and nature will rejuvenate your body and mind. You will discover new ways to balance your life and revision your career while you swim with tropical fish, snorkel at a pristine wildlife reserve and walk on beautiful, white sand beaches.

I will guide the group to use the metaphor of the five elements, and qigong practice, to connect with inner qualities that bring clarity and resolve to personal and profesional issues.

Nina will guide you to reinvent your business by clarifying what’s working, what’s not working, and finding solutions to any issues in the way of success. You will be able to look at beliefs and habitual behaviors that drain your energy, and hold you back from attaining your goals, and becoming a better practitioner.

For more information and pictures go to our Winter Renewal Retreat in Maui 2011 page and NinaCherry.com/winter-retreat

Contact me at kquale@moonandlotus.com.
Inquire about ceu’s.

 

China Trip Highlights: Travel, Transformation and Tea

My month long trip to China in August was amazing by many counts. The tourist sites were beautiful, the silent retreat I experienced was personally and professionally transformational, and I found a new appreciation for tea. I travelled with a group of 30 Chinese medicine practitioners from around the world. The trip was organized by Heiner Fruehauf and the Heron Institute. The purpose was to participate in a unique Chinese system of healing, which cures disease by self awareness, emotional release and spiritual realignment. Unusual for China? Yes.

Li RiverThe first three days I toured a very scenic area with three other women We took a river cruise along the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, which are cities in Guangxi Province in southwest China. This area is known for its picturesque beauty because of the rounded peaks of the limestone mountains. Fisherman with their cormorants on bamboo skiffs are a classic site, along with water buffalo along the banks.

The second part of the trip revolved around the 12 day silent retreat, and the practice of Jin Jing Gong qigong. I took an 11 hour train ride northwest to the city of Changsha in Hunan province where we connected with the rest of our group. We then took a four hour bus ride to the Jiashan monastery in Shimen county, Hunan. This is an old Zen monastery with an interesting history and beautiful grounds. Everyone in the group, including myself, felt very nourished, comfortable and safe here.

The essence of the retreat was to immerse ourselves in a classic system of physical, emotional and spiritual healing. The system, originated with, Wang Feng-Yi, 1847-1937, who correlated the Five Elements of Chinese medicine with Confucian values about proper relationship with parents, family, friends and community. His goal was to help fellow peasants heal from disease quickly and inexpensively.Zen Monastery

Wang Feng Yi correlated disease in specific parts of the body with relational problems the patient has with certain family members. He “turned the heart” of the patient by telling stories of how others had healed by seeing the mistakes of their interactions with family, and sincerely realigning their lives in a profound way with universal principles. Patients typically go through a purging process that can involve crying, laughing and coughing up phlegm (vomiting).

His motto for the work is, let go of negative patterns, transform your shadow, and embrace your heavenly nature. Wang Feng Yi was not only interested in healing disease but changing the world. He wanted his patients to become better, and even saintly, people. He educated women so that families would improve and newborn children would be more evolved.

Wang Feng Yi was interested in how the elements manifest in human interactions. He talked about the negative or yin manifestations, and the positive or yang manifestations of each element. In the retreat we evaluated ourselves for each element and talked about our mistakes, or “leaks”, in front of the group.

Wang Feng YiWe had to drop our stories and justifications, and take responsibility for our actions towards others. Letting go of blame, judgment and criticism were high on the list. We were encouraged to look positively at others and see how we could have adjusted our behavior. We also talked about our commitments for change and how that might look when we went home. I thought about how essential this kind of work is for all practitioners. Once we clear ourselves, we are much more effective healers for others.

I have likened the whole process as going to confession with 28 other people as witnesses and fellow compassionate souls. It was very intense for everyone and I witnessed a lot of transformation in myself and my colleagues in a short amount of time.

The work has interesting implications for the practice of Chinese medicine in the west. It fits with our concept of bodymindspirit wholeness, and adds an important focuson relationship. I have started to look at the problems my patients bring with new eyes. I find that mindfulness and bodymind focusing skills are essential for this kind of comprehensive work, which goes much deeper than symptom relief. Together, we have another potent way to clear the roots and open the heart.

I’ll be writing more about my discoveries in subsequent newsletters and will bring this new information into my webinars and workshop retreats. The next retreat is in Maui, January 22-26, 2010. (See the related article in this newsletter).

 

Travel, Transformation and Tea – China Trip Slide Show

If you are close to Eugene, and want to see and hear more, join me for an evening of pictures, stories, tea and Q&A about this trip. I’ll go into more depth about the teachers, the qigong, the retreat, and Chinese tea ceremony.

Date: Thursday, Nov 4, 2010
Time: 7pm – 8:30pm
Where: Tamarack Wellness Center, 3575 Donald St., Eugene

Free of charge

Please RSVP so I know how many people to expect: kquale@moonandlotus.com, or call 541-345-2220

 

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