May 31, 2004, Monday
Memorial Day Holiday. Gardening, home repairs, party with Debbie and
Jordan.
Updated Eight Section Brocade.
Walking and Tai Chi at dawn. Very hot in the afternoon.
Lakers defeat Minnesota to win series 3-2. On to the NBA Finals next Sunday.
May 30, 2004, Sunday
Walking and Tai Chi at dawn. Irrigate property. Gardening
projects.
Gerber School Board hiring committee work.
Updated the Wild Goose Qigong
webpage. Study books and videotapes
about the Wild Goose Qigong.
May 29, 2004, Saturday
Gerber School Board hiring Committee work.
Irrigation projects. Lakers loose to Minnesota.
Walking and Tai Chi at dawn.
Updated Valley Spirit instructional program.
May 25, 2004, Wednesday
The
Wonders of Qigong. A Chinese Exercise for Fitness, Health and
Longevity.
Compiled by the China Sports Magazine, Beijing, China. Published by
Wayfarer Publications, Los Angeles, CA, 1985. 111 pages.
275 line drawings. ISBN: 0935099077. Includes the Eight
Section Brocade
(pp.28-33), Taiji Qigong, Wuqin Qigong, Wild Goose
Qigong by Yang, Meijun
(pp.46-62), Yininjing, Seven Star Boxing, Ten Minute Qigong, etc. MGC.
Added material to the Eight Section Brocade.
Extremely busy with work projects and School Board duties.
Unable to get
much fitness training.
May 24, 2004, Tuesday
A very busy day at work. Yoga class at night. Watch Lakers/Wolves.
Added numerous entries to my popular String Figures webpage.
May 22, 2004, Sunday
Weekend of gardening, home maintenance, painting, walking, Taiji, reading,
and writing. Beautiful clear mornings: perfect for qigong.
Read the informative book:
Chi Kung: Taoist Secrets of Fitness and Longevity. By Yu,
Wen-Mei. Burbank, CA,
Unique Publications, 1998. 167 pages. ISBN: 0865681651.
Instructions in Wild
Goose qigong. Yu, Wen-Mei was a student of Madame Yang, Jun-Mei, the
legendary
grandmaster of this popular and complex school of energy cultivation.
Instructional
videotape is available.
Expanded and improved the Wild Goose (Dayan) Qigong webpage.
May 21, 2004, Friday
Walking, Taijii, and gardening in the morning. Writing and yoga in
the afternoon.
Go to party with Karen's coworkers. Watch Game 1 of Lakers/Wolves in
Western
Conference Finals of NBA.
Began work on outdoor electrical systems for moving water.
Reading:
Wisdom
of the Body Moving: An Introduction to Body-Mind Centering. By Linda
Hartley.
Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1989, 1905. Index,
bibliography, 346 pages.
ISBN: 1556431740. Excellent information on the human body, movement
patterns in
infants, touching, yoga exercises and sensation-feeling aspects of
movements. BMC
is a therapeutic style of bodywork.
Continued research and practice of Wild Goose Qigong.
May 20, 2004, Thursday
Writing in the early morning. Added more entries to the Wild Goose (Dayan)
Qigong webpage.
Walking and Taijii in the morning.
Use the CSU Chico University library.
Nap and TV in evening. Fighting a common cold.
May 19, 2004, Wednesday
No exercise today. Relax.
Gandyev McCord called me last night to tell me the Yoga for
Diabetics Workshop was
cancelled. I was going to go to Ananda Expanding Light Retreat Center in
Nevada
City for four days for this workshop. An insufficient number of people
signed up for
the workshop.
May 18, 2004, Tuesday
Posted the first version of the Wild Goose Qigong webpage.
Dragging a bit due to a sinus/allergy condition. Walking and Tai Chi in the warm evening.
May 17, 2004, Monday
Reading: Qigong
Empowerment: A Guide to Medical, Taoist, Buddhist, and Wushu Energy
Cultivation. By Liang, Shou-Yu and Wu, Wen-Ching. Edited by
Denise Breiter-Wu.
Rhode Island, Way of the Dragon Publishing, 1997. Index, glossary, 348
pages.
ISBN: 1889659029.
Updated the webpage on Taijiquan and Arthritis.
May 16, 2004, Sunday
We enjoyed our visitors from Seymor, Indiana, Rosie and Ralph Michaels. We
did
some local touring, enjoyed meals, and shared many stories. Karen and
Rosie are
cousins. We will visit with them again this summer.
Rosie and four others attended my Saturday Tai Chi Chuan
class. I also taught
Kevin Weaver's Tai Chi classes on Friday morning. I need to teach another
qigong
set.
Great news at work on Thursday: CUESD was awarded a Reading
First grant,
$275,000 each year for three years. I also figured out how to reduce the
workload
in our library reorganization plan.
Less emphasis on exercise this week. The Lakers won four
games in a row and
beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 to move to the Western Conference finals against
either Sacramento or Indiana. Excellent team effort, good defense,
superstar performances
by Kobe and Shak, and a lucky shot by Derek Fisher to win game 5. Onward!
May 12, 2004, Wednesday
"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of alling or
catching fire. I choose to inhabit
my day to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible,
to loosen my
heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my
significance; to live so
that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes
to me
as blossom, goes on as fruit."
- Dawna Markova
"Education is not filling a pail but lighting of a fire."
- William Butler Yeats
May 11, 2004, Tuesday
Updated my webpage on Fitness
and Aging.
Read an interesting article about Sue Johanson.
" Staying up late with Sue" by Anne Matthews. AARP Bulletin, May
2004, p. 24+.
The New
Love and Sex After 60. By Robert Butler and Myrna Lewis.
Ballantine,
2002, Revised Edition. 400 pages. ISBN: 0345442113.
Sex, Sex and More Sex. By Sue Johanson.
Sex
Over 50. By Joel D. Block and Susan Crain Bakos. Prentice Hall
Press, 1999.
320 pages. ISBN: 0735200580.
Still
Doing It. Edited by Joani Blank. Down There Press, 2000.
288 pages.
ISBN: 094020827X. The sex lives of people 60-80 years of
age.
Weightlifting and yoga class (moderate workout). Starting
to not get so out of
breath doing strenuous yoga poses.
May 10, 2004, Monday
"I am beginning to explore qigong and taijiquan. I believe I have
found a
competent teacher (near Seattle,) and am reading Kenneth Cohen's
Way of Qigong book. I am impressed by your bibliography and
resources
pages. You have amassed a lot of resources. Of course, one doesn't
need
a lot of them. My tendency is to read rather than to do, so I have to
work
against that tendency.
I am blind, and hence would like to know of any of the books and web sites
you index that stand out as having very good, clear, assume-nothing verbal
instructions. If you have any such recommendatioons, I would be very
interested to know them.
I was impressed by your descriptions of the 8-Section Brocade."
- Dean Martineau, Seattle
Dean also had some interesting comments to make about the formatting
of my webpages. Blind persons use specialized browsers, and html tags
function in special ways for them.
I gave Dean some suggestions about authors, and recommend he also
look into yoga.
Taught a private qigong lesson to a teacher from Redding. Next session
to focus on Eight Section Brocade.
May 9, 2004, Sunday
Yoga Research and Education Center
Manton, CA Yoga Studies
Informative and
extensive website, education programs, newsletter, articles, and information
about the
outstanding writings from Georg Feuerstein.
Updated the yoga webpage.
Walking, Tai Chi, balancing exercises, home cleanup, Lakers vs Spurs, and reading.
Working on a number of Gerber School Board work assignments.
Installed additional RAM in Karen's computer. The least I could do for
Mother's Day for
my wife. She was very pleased.
Reading:
Mindfulness
Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind. By Frank
Jude Boccio.
Wisdom Publications. 320 pages. ISBN:
0861713354.
May 8, 2004, Saturday
Taught my Tai Chi class from 9:30 to 11 at the TFFC.
Yoga class is now offered on Saturday by Sam (Cynthia) at TFFC from
11 -12:30 and 12:30 - 2. I can now attend yoga class five days a week.
I will attend after I teach my Tai Chi class. She teaches a Iyengar
style
of Yoga. An excellent opportunity for me to learn more and practice!!
Gardening and reading all
day. A beautiful cooler spring day for outdoor activities.
May 7, 2004, Friday
Walking and Tai Chi at dawn, work a half day at school, weightlifting at the
gym.
Added some of my new poems to Cuttings - May.
Listening to Jai Uttal's new double CD: Kritan:
The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chanting.
Very enjoyable and uplifting.
Some of my haiku poems appeared in the May-June 2004 issue of Simply Haiku.
Wide-eyed cows
taken in a trailer--
fruit in a basket.
The cows have vanished down the road,
and the last clouds have floated away.
We sit together, the valley and me,
until only the valley remains.
(With a nod to the Taoist poet Li Po.)
May 6, 2004, Thursday
Walking and Tai Chi at dawn, work all day at school, weightlifting at gym
and
a yoga class led by Gudrun at night.
Improved the Nine Temple Exercises webpage.
May 5, 2004, Wednesday
Updated the Kriya Yoga and
Temple Qigong webpages.
Busy with work, school board responsibilities, and home chores.
Walking and Tai Chi
Chuan for 90 minutes in the early morning.
Enjoyed the Lakers and Spurs second game. Impressed with the
Spurs and disappointed with the Lakers.
May 4, 2004, Tuesday
Walking for one hour in the evening. The irrigation ditch was
running so Karen and I
watered everything we could starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
I was a bit sore in the lower left abdomen and groin areas, the location of my
double
hernia surgery last September. Yesterday's vigorous exercise had taken its
toll.
The
Upanishads. Translated with comments by Eknath Easwaran. Tomales
Bay,
California, Nilgiri Press,1987. 311 pages. ISBN: 0915132397.
May 3, 2004, Monday
Weightlifting and a very challenging Yoga session with Lauren.
Spent the day reading, home chores, and relaxation. Talked with a new
Qigong
student, Don G. from Redding.
Read for many hours from
Bringing
Yoga to Life:The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living. By
Donna Farhi.
Harper San Francisco, 2003. 250 pages. ISBN: 0060091142.
An insightful discussion
of the meaning of Yoga practice, its place in a spiritual life, and the
philosophy of yoga.
Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind.
By Frank Jude Boccio.
Wisdom Publications. 320 pages. ISBN: 0861713354. A very
good introduction to Buddhism.
Outlines the connections between Yoga and Buddhist views and
practices.
May 2, 2004, Sunday
Worked outdoors on finishing the back screened porch woodwork and trim.
A beautiful hot spring day. We also mowed, pruned excess spring growth,
removed limbs downed in the recent windstorm, removed dead trees,
and planted vegetables. The thermometer read at 100 degrees F, and
90 degrees F in the deep lath house shade.
Gardening is one of my main "practices." My research into the
"spiritual"
aspects of gardening can be found at my Spirit
of Gardening website.
Some of my gardening aphorisms can be found at Pulling
Onions.
Listening and chanting frequently along with Krishna Das's Pilgrim
Heart.
These spiritual chants do have a way of working into subtle and deeper
layers of consciousness. I have no idea as to their
"authenticity" vis a vis
traditional religious chants in India; although the extensive liner notes
indicated
that Krishna Das did spend a number of years in India and was respected
there for his ability. He has a strong, deep, and rich voice. Many
raised
on the hymns of Christianity, and their extensive lyrics, might find this
style of religious chanting too repetitious. I have found, to my surprise,
that the experience is quite enjoyable, uplifting, and meaningful to me.
His version of Om Namah Shivaya has a great rhythmic pace and excellent
vocals. The Goddess chants set was excellent!
Gardening and good music - what an inspiring combination.
May 1, 2004, Saturday
Walking, T'ai Chi practice, teaching T'ai Chi at TFFC, and weightlifting
in
the morning hours.
I enjoyed reading:
Bodywork:
What Type of Massage to Get and How to Make the Most of It.
By Thomas Claire. New York, Quill, William Morrow, 1995. Index,
bibliography, resources, 440 pages. ISBN: 0688149529.
I spend four hours this afternoon helping Debbie remove a new worm-virus from
her computer.
It would shut down her computer when she went online. Quite a challenge!
Valley
Spirit Tai Chi Chuan Club
Red Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, Northern California, U.S.A.
Cities in the area: Oroville, Paradise, Durham, Chico, Hamilton City, Orland,
Corning,
Rancho Tehama, Los Molinos, Tehama, Gerber, Manton, Cottonwood,
Anderson, Shasta Lake, Palo Cedro, and Redding, CA
© Michael P. Garofalo, 2004, All Rights Reserved
Cuttings: Haiku and Short Poems
Subject Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Ch'i Kung Website
Alphabetical Subject Index
Cloud
Hands Website
Taijiquan, Qigong, Taoism, Classics,
Weapons: Sword and Staff
Fitness and Well Being Website
Gardening, Meditation,
Walking, Yoga, Strength Training,
Fitness for Older Persons, Aerobics, Relaxation
The Spirit of Gardening
2,700 Quotes Arranged by 130 Topics,
History, Guides,
Psycho-Spiritual Aspects of Gardening
Web Guides, Bibliographies, Links, Directories, Quotes, Notes
Alphabetical Subject Index
Alphabetical Subject Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Ancient Goddesses - Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Prayers, Songs
Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi): Tiger, Bear, Crane, Deer, and Monkey
Arthritis Therapy - Exercise: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung
Bear, Standing Bear, Level 1 Ranking, Valley Spirit Taijiquan
The Bear: The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Bird - Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
California (Northern) T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Charkas (Energy Centers of the Subtle Body)
Ch'i Kung: Bibliography and Links
Ch'i Kung Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Classes, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Instructional Program
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Ch'i Kung
Cloud Hands T'ai Chi Ch'uan Journal
Cold Mountain Poets: Wanderers, Mystics, and Sages
Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu) (551 - 479 BCE)
Crane - Bird - Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Crane, Soaring Crane, Intermediate Program, Level 3, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Cuttings: Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
The Deer: The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Diabetes Therapy - Exercise: Taijiquan and Qigong
Disclaimer of the Cloud Hands Website
Eight Section Brocade Ch'i Kung
Embrace the One - Zhan Zhuang - Standing Like A Tree
Entering Tranquility (Ru Jing) Meditation
Exercise - Diabetes Therapy - Taijiquan and Qigong
Feedback, Kudos and Reviews for the Cloud Hand's Website
Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi): Tiger, Bear, Crane, Deer, and Monkey
Five Elements (Wu-Xing) and Taijiquan
Five Stepping Movements of Taijiquan
Gardening: Quotes, Poems, History, Sayings
The Four Gates: Grasping the Sparrow's Tail
Michael P. Garofalo's Biography
Michael P. Garofalo's T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Practice
The Goddess - Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Prayers, Songs
Goose - Bird - Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Green Way Research - Taijiquan and Qigong
Gu Shen (Valley Spirit) Taijiquan Instructional Program
Health and Fitness - T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Hidden Tiger, Beginning Program, Level 2, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Instructional Program, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Kundalini (Coiled Serpent) Energy
Kwang Ping Taijiquan of Kuo Lien Ying
Links and Bibliography: Qigong
Links and Bibliography: Taijiquan
Long Form 108 Yang Style Taijiquan
Master Chang San-Feng (circa 1350)
Master Cheng Man-Ch'ing (1901 - 1975)
Mastery, Self Control, Self Mastery, Choices, Will Power, Strength of Character
Meditation Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Meditation Methods and Techniques
Meditation - Standing Like A Tree
Meditation - Wu Ji - The Edge of Emptiness
Michael P. Garofalo's T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Practice
Months of the Year: Quotes, Poems, Links
Moving Hands Like Clouds: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong
Northern California T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Nine Movement Temple Ch'i Kung Exercise Set
Older Persons Exercise and Well Being Programs
Oregon T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Original Waving Hands Like Clouds URL
Pranayama: Breathing Techniques from Yoga
Private Instruction by Michael P. Garofalo, Instructional Programs
Qigong: Bibliography and Links
Qigong Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Instructional Program
Reviews of the Cloud Hand's Website
Self Control, Self Mastery, Choices, Will Power
Senior Citizens Fitness Programs
Sensing Hands: Push Hands - T'ui Shou
Shoong, Sung, Song - Loose, Relaxed, Open, Yielding, Responsive
Short Form, Yang Style, Beijing Simplified 24
Simplified 24 From, Yang Style
Soaring Crane, Intermediate Program, Level 3, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Speaking to the Spirit Meditation
Staff Weapons: Jo, Bo, Can, Staff, Spear
Standing Bear, Level 1 Ranking, Valley Spirit Taijiquan
Standing Like A Tree - Zhan Zhuang
Stork - Bird - Five Animal Frolics
Subject Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Swordsmanship and T'ai Chi Ch'uan
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Bibliography and Links
T'ai
Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information, Workshops
Northern California,
Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia
T'ai Chi Ch'uan Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
T'ai Chi Ch'uan Short Form, Beijing Simplified 24, Yang Style
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Links and Bibliography
Taijiquan: Bibliography and Links
Taijiquan For Good Health, Fitness and Vitality
Taijiquan Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Taoism, Nature Mysticism, Alchemy
Temple Qigong - A Nine Movement Exercise Set
Thirteen Postures: 8 Gates and 5 Steps
Thirteen Treasures Walking Qigong
The 300 Missing Poems of Han Shan
The Tiger: The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Tiger, Hidden Tiger, Beginning Program, Level 2, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Tree Qigong - Zhan Zhuang - Standing Like A Tree
Trees - Quotations, Poems, Lore, Wisdom
Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan Club
Valley Spirit Taijiquan Journal
Valley Spirit Taijiquan Instructional Program
Vancouver, B.C., T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools
Walking - General Fitness Exercise
Washington T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Waving Hands Like Clouds: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong
Will Power, Self Control, Self Mastery, Choices, Strength of Character
Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form 108 Movements
Yang Style Taijiquan Short Form 24 Movements
Yin-Yang Sensitivity Training: Sticking Hands - T'ui Shou
Zhan Zhuang - Standing Like A Tree
Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan Club
Red Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, Northern California, U.S.A.
Cities in the area: Oroville, Paradise, Durham, Chico, Hamilton City, Orland,
Willows,
Corning, Rancho Tehama, Los Molinos, Tehama, Proberta, Gerber, Manton,
Cottonwood,
Anderson, Shasta Lake, Palo Cedro, Igo, Ono, Redding, Shasta, Dunsmuir,
Shingletown, Burney, Mt. Shasta City, Weaverville, Yreka, Williams, Colusa,
Chester, Susanville, Weed, Gridley, Marysville, Yuba City, CA, California.
June 13, 2004
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Ch'i Kung
Tai Chi Chuan, Taijiquan, T'ai Ch'i Ch'uan,
Tai Chi, Tai Ji Quan, Taiji, Tai Ji Chuan, Tie Jee Chewan
Chi Kung, Qi Gong, Qigong, Chee Gung, Qi, Chi, Tu Na, Dao Yin, Yi, Neigong, Gung
Fu
Valley Spirit Blog, Gu Shen Blog, Valley
Spirit Taijiquan Journal, Tai Chi Diary
Tai Chi Chuan, Taijiquan, T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Tai Chi, Tai Ji Quan, Taiji, Tai Ji
Chuan, Tie Jee Chewan
Chi Kung, Qi Gong, Qigong, Chee Gung, Qi, Chi, Tu Na, Dao Yin, Yi, Neigong,
Tai Chi Journal, Tai Chi Diary, Taijiquan Journal, T'ai Chi Ch'uan Journal
Ch'i Kung Journal, Ch'i Kung Diary, Qigong Journal, Qigong Blog, Qigong Diary
Yoga Journal, Yoga Blog, Yoga Diary
Walking Journal, Walking Blog, Walkng Diary
Meditation Journal, Meditation Blog, Meditation Diary
Valley Spirit Taijiquan Journal Blog
Cloud Hands Tai Chi Journal
Taijiquan Notes, Comments, Reflections
