It’s that time of year again already, when we look back at the events of the past year, and forward to new developments in the year ahead.
Courses
Of course, the main thing that has happened at Long White Cloud Qigong over the year is that we have continued to run the Small Universe and Inner Fire Qigong instructor certification courses. New graduates of those courses mean that there are now almost 350 Long White Cloud Qigong instructors all over the world sharing qigong with people in their communities. I like to think that makes a difference – that sharing qigong with people helps them to lead healthier and happier lives. Each of us make a difference to those around us in sometimes small ways, and collectively that adds up to a positive influence on the world around us.
New Logo
Another significant development in 2022 is that Long White Cloud Qigong finally got a new logo. For quite some time we had been using a logo that was only ever intended as a temporary placeholder. The placeholder was quite nice, but finally we have developed a logo that I believe represents the essence of Long White Cloud Qigong more fully. I love the visual look of the new logo and the principles it refers to within its symbolism. You can read more about the new logo and its imagery here.
New Resources
2022 saw the development of new Long White Cloud Qigong resources including a short course on Qigong for the Wrists and Hands, a variety of resources for our instructors inside our instructor community, including materials on how to make better use of the voice when teaching, and of course a number of new articles and vlogs on different qigong related topics.
In case you missed them, here are a selection of those articles and vlogs published during the year:
- Perceiving Energy in Qigong Practice
- The Mind Body Continuum in Qigong Practice
- Curiosity, Belief, Faith, and Knowledge in Qigong Practices
- Structuring Your Qigong Practice at Different Stages of Your Qigong Journey
- Why is Qigong Practiced in Sets?
- Qigong and Dancing – Vlog 135
- What is Qigong? – A Parable – Vlog 132
- Straight vs Curved Limbs in Qigong Practice – Vlog 131
- 4 Qigong Techniques for After a Traumatic Experience – Vlog 126
- What Happens to the Flow of Energy in a Meridian When an Organ is Removed? – Vlog 124
And of course there are many more that you can find on the Qi Life vlog channel, and in the articles section of the website.
The Year of the Podcast
2022 was a big year for Long White Cloud Qigong on podcasts, with John Munro being interviewed on six different podcasts to talk about qigong. You can find those podcast episodes in the links below:
- Healthpath: https://youtu.be/USsdAWAPGi4
- Zestology with Tony Wrighton: https://tonywrighton.com/podcast/waking-the-qi-john-munro-378
- Zero with Sam Tripoli: https://rokfin.com/post/96201/182-Qigong-With-John-Munro-
- Innerverse: https://youtu.be/lYnNH2IlC2E
- Chat Off the Mat: https://chatoffthemat.buzzsprout.com
- Accelerating Change: https://fb.watch/dbLf-lEdyY/
All of these podcast appearances inspired John to also start his own podcast interviewing people on a diverse range of subjects relating to energy in our lives. You can find the video version of these interviews on the Qi Life youtube channel here, or the audio only versions here. There has been an interesting range of subjects so far, and we look forward to many more in the future.
Retreats
While there were no official Long White Cloud Qigong retreats in 2022, some Long White Cloud Qigong alumni organized a retreat for other students and instructors to get together. The retreat was held from November 4-7th at Fair Oak Farm in East Sussex, England. 17 participants came together to practice qigong and share in other sessions with one another.
It is wonderful to see initiatives like this, and to see stronger connections being formed between members of our qigong community! I understand that the retreat was such a success that they have more planned for 2023. You can contact them here for more details.
Achievements in the Wider Community
Several of our instructors in the wider community have had significant achievements related to their qigong in 2022.
Clayton Crosley has been appointed as the vice-president of the National Qigong Association (NQA) the largest professional association of qigong practitioners in the United States. This is a testament to Clayton’s tireless work in sharing qigong with the general public and also helping and supporting other qigong instructors in their efforts as well. I’m sure Clayton will do great things to help an even wider group of qigong instructors within the NQA in his new position.
Kerry Ruiz has been appointed to the Governor’s Challenge Suicide Prevention Committee of New Orleans, and the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Veteran Affairs for the city of Baton Rouge. It is great to see him bringing awareness of qigong into these public committees to help the people in his area.
There are also now nine certified Long White Cloud Qigong instructors participating in the Veteran’s Affairs clinical wellness program in the US bringing Tai Chi and Qigong to veterans in need of support. It is great to see more of our instructors actively taking part in this and serving their communities!
Looking ahead to 2023
As well as our primary focus of continuing to train new qigong instructors through the Small Universe Qigong and Inner Fire Qigong programs, and continuing to support our existing community of instructors – we also look forward to offering the Elemental Alchemy Qigong instructor certification program for the first time in 2023.
Elemental Alchemy
The Elemental Alchemy Qigong program will focus on practices that relate to the foundational transition of our energy between the states of Wuji (primordial and formless), Taiji (polarity – yin and yang), and Wuxing (the five elements). These practices are part of the Sage’s path and their effects can be quite profound as we harmonize the energy within our being and with our environment – so I’m quite excited to share these with you. There is a massive amount of work that goes into preparing each of these instructor certification programs, so that we can present them in a way that is clear and concise while giving participants a deep experiential understanding of the practices focused on within the program. As such, we don’t have a specific date yet for when the Elemental Alchemy program will be ready, but at this stage our best estimate is sometime in the second quarter of 2023. If you would like to be one of the first to know when this new course becomes available – send us an email and we will put you on a waiting list for it.
Retreats
We are also hoping that situations will make it possible to have some official Long White Cloud Qigong retreats again in 2023 for the first time in several years. There may also be some opportunities for some international workshops. We don’t have any specific dates to announce just yet – but make sure you are signed up for our email newsletter to hear any announcements about these when they happen.