Clayton Crosley successfully completed the Long White Cloud Qigong Level One certification a little while ago. Thoughtfully, Clayton has shared some of his experiences with the certification courses for the benefit of other students and those who might be thinking about starting their practice.
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I previously wrote about the benefits I had received in a short period of time while taking the Long White Cloud Kung Fu Qi Gong online studies. I am going to share with you all that I have learned about myself from regular practice and integrating the lessons into my daily life.
I committed a regular time to practice daily and followed the lessons as they were laid out. I took my time doing them being sure not to rush or force an outcome. I think that if you practice slow you learn fast and it is a deeper learning experience. Many times I would do the weeks lessons more than once to ensure that I was receiving all of the benefits that could be gleamed from the exercises. Some of the classes took my several weeks to completely grasp what was happening with myself. Most importantly is I continued to practice and take the time to journal all of the experiences I felt or didn’t feel.
I am amazed about the progress my body, mind and spirit have achieved. I am a more patient person and a better listener. This was gained from doing the meditations and having to be patient with myself and listening to my body. I had to be more aware of my body; the cadence of my breath, the feeling of the Q moving through the meridians, the warming and electrical sensations and the overall activity of the energy within my body. I had to be more mindful of mental activity. By participating in the meditation portion of the course I found myself to feel more at ease, peaceful and patient. In the quiet moments I think I learned the most about myself. I began a process that educated me in how to slow down my mental race, to become still and just be. Once I got to this point my meditation took on a new meaning for myself. It became a retreat that I looked forward to everyday. It was a hard process as I am naturally an active person. Learning to be still was a true gift. It has furthered my understanding of the Qi process too. I can direct the Qi with physical activity but I learned to direct and feel the Qi just using my mind which is incredible. I always feel rejuvenated after doing the meditation and then move on to the physical exercises of Between Heaven and Earth and the 12 Qi Gong exercises. After completing the mental/spiritual meditations and then the physical exercises on a regular basis I found that all areas of my life improved.
The improvements are a better physical condition with increased strength, flexibility and stamina. Other aspects were a regulated breath that I could use in all of my daily activities and an increase in natural energy flow. Mentally I was a more present person being engaged with people on a new level. By meditating I became a better listener and could relate on a deeper level to people. This led to having more compassion for all things. I was renewed each day through the meditative guidance provided by the courses. The courses improved my quality of life physically, mentally and spiritually. I am so grateful that these courses were available. I encourage anyone with a genuine interest to give it a go you won’t be disappointed.
I plan on using what I have learned to help others. I am currently in the process of setting up a free class to help Veterans. I am also hopeful to complete the second level of certification too.
– Clayton Crosley