Jo Chern

Tag: mind/body

  • The Hubris of The Lone Wolf

    “Chutzpah. Nothing but ego-driven chutzpah” That has been my brain for the last few days as I try to keep going with setting up The Qi Gong Center. Not that my brain has been alone in this derision. I’ve also been asked why I don’t just go join the local Tai Chi center. “But Tai…

  • The Parable Series: Let It Go

      And so the parable goes: A master and his disciple are walking along the bank of a river (there’s a lot of walking goes on in parables: second of the parable series and we’ve already walked twice) when they come upon a lovely young gentlewoman, standing on the bank and crying because she cannot…

  • The Parable Series: The Tiger Below

    And so the parable says: A man is walking through the forest thinking about his past and his future, paying little attention to the trees and birds around him, when he hears a low growl behind him. Turning, he sees a large tiger bounding through the woods toward him, images of legs of lambs reflected…

  • More Qi for the Cheese State!

    I’m raising money through Indiegogo for the formation of The Qi Gong Center of South Central Wisconsin. It’s a very small campaign and donations of even $1.00 make me not only happy but positively delirious. I’d love to spread the health and meditative benefits of Qi Gong throughout the area (and beyond, if possible). You…

  • Who Ya Gonna Call?

    Does everyone have someone they can reach out to with whom they play no roles, someone who answers the call when the crying out is about to burst through, someone who can listen but not judge? Does everyone have this person except me? Why do I even ask this? The question started with a cup…

  • I Am I; I Am Not I

    The small pond is clear, not blue-sky clear but the grey-white clouds of winter clear, so I see deep into the water with nothing reflecting back at me, not my face, not the small trees surrounding the pond, just the water. And the stone at the bottom. This is my stone, the one I threw…

  • When The Cushion Doesn’t Call

    When the zabuton is stretched out on the floor, the zafu cushion sitting atop, Mario comes in and takes his place, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. At times, he will stay for an hour or more seeming barely to move, content as a cat. Of course, Mario has an advantage in this: Mario is…

  • My Breath; My Enemy

    In. Out. Follow the breath. Abdomen rises, falls. Pause at the top; pause at the bottom. Like waves on a shore. Yes, but… During meditation, keeping the mind still and in the present is the greatest challenge for most and while that’s true for me as well, what really brings me up short is my…

  • Watching Your P’s And Qi’s

    “Full lotus, now, everyone.” Meditation calms; qi gong relaxes; studying the Tao enlightens. So, why does this lead to such bad behavior from some practitioners? Some brief etiquette reminders: 1. You are not the Dalai Lama (unless you are the Dalai Lama, in which case, OMG, the Dalai Lama’s reading my blog!!!). Spending an hour…