Breathe Deep eNewsletter – March – April 2008

By Francesco Garripoli

* Personal Message from Francesco
* Qigong Study Trip to China in September – Magical Sichuan…
* Qigong For Women (and Men) – Daisy’s Radiant Lotus April, May & June workshops in Kaua’i, Metro D.C., Honolulu, San Diego, Boulder, Palo Alto & East Bay
* Qigong Workshop with Francesco & Daisy in Michigan and Maryland (NQA)
* Francesco’s Qigong Classes in New Jersey and NYC
* Qigong Classes at Kahuna Valley
* Francesco’s Bhutan Trip
* Study/Healing Trip to India – sold out
* New Qigong DVD packaging
* Mentor Ohana – Mentor program management software
* Kahuna Valley Retreat on Kaua’i – Watsu, energy healing, massage…

Aloha!

It’s always a miracle when I can actually get a “Breathe Deep” e-newsletter out… welcome to another miracle! I find myself unsubscribing from a lot of lists because these organizations send me too many emails… but people write me and complain that I don’t send out enough! I’m trying…

There’s actually SO much to share… moss doesn’t grow under my feet or Daisy’s as they say. I’m really proud of Daisy for going out there and teaching on her own… check out this issue for the schedule she’s keeping – and these classes are mostly all requests for her to offer her Qigong workshops – especially the Women’s Health and Empowerment Project we’ve been working on.

I made it a promise to get this newsletter out before I leave on Saturday for two months of travel. You’ll read below about the group trip I’m leading in India to one of my favorite places – Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama. After that I head to Bhutan again for a month of immersion in to that magical land. It’s curious how many group trips I have lead over the past 12 years and our groups encountered the depths of human nature… from being the first international flight out of the US after 911, to being in China during the peak of SARS… we were there during the Falun Gong crackdowns too… and now, our India Healing and Study Trip will be in the midst of the Tibetan community during this sad situation of Chinese oppression. In my heart I know that our groups carry a lot of healing intention and focus, and maybe there is something in the energetic equation that puts us where we are most needed in life… I hope that we bring positive energy to all those we encounter. We’ve always had amazing experiences and were always protected.

Can you trust that you are “where you are most needed” in your life? So many people ask me about their “life’s purpose”… wondering what it is, or seeking it out… I think the more we doubt, the more we feed the fear that blocks our natural flow. Fear disengages the heart from our decisionmaking process, and when the heart�s �Shen Qi� is not fueling our life, it�s like driving a car dangerously low on gas.

Many times we don�t consider what we are experiencing is �fear�� but �doubt� is fear of an outcome not turning the way we�d like� �distrust� is the fear of letting go� �frustration� is the fear of decisiveness� and the list goes on. These are some examples to help us recognize where fear lurks� and it�s ok to admit and accept fear. Only by knowing and embracing it�s presence can you transform it back into love� which in turn gets the heart back in gear. Ultimately we are either on the path of love or fear. I do my best to choose love every time, but I am constantly amazed how fear can creep into my day when I least expect it. I feel I work so hard on my life, to stay awake, to remain conscious and present� but something can trigger fear and the whole thing comes tumbling down� I�m learning to stop beating up myself and simply accept it, and then reduce �recovery time� � the time to move from fear back into love.

We are human and as such, we are designed to experience all things in this magical and infinite Universe� that is how our soul evolves and what it requires to recognize its divine nature. To drop into fear every now and again is as much part of the process as is dropping into love and kindness. What we know though is that wallowing in fear, feeding fear, and fighting fear is not growth-oriented or empowering at our core. The challenge then is to reduce our recovery time and simply slip back into heart-centered love quicker and quicker each time. I think this is the work of the sage, of the real Master. It�s not that they have eliminated fear from their way of being � they just learn how to transform it back into love as quickly as they can after it rears its head.

Qigong is one of the great tools to reduce recovery time as it brings us into deeper engagement with the subtle energy of Qi. Knowing ourselves as �energy�, as Qi helps us recognize shifts in our field. Catching shifts at the most subtle levels comes with daily practice of exercises like Qigong. Observing and listening and being courageous enough to admit to yourself to seeing emotional/energetic shifts is one of the great gifts of Qigong work. Catching things like fear when it begins to rise and then transforming it into love in the shortest �recovery time� is our hope. Learning this is a high-level gift� and takes a lot less energy than dealing with emotions when they�ve gotten to �red alert� level. It�s not that we are suppressing emotions at all� it�s to feel them, embrace them, recognizing that we are NOT them, and then transforming them� all in the shortest recovery time we can� effortlessly � �wu wei� – as that too is the promise of working with all in life as energy� dancing with Qigong�

Peace…

Francesco Garri Garripoli

Blog: www.francescogarripoli.com

Qigong Study/Healing Trip to China September 2008

People have been asking about our annual September Qigong Study Trip to China… Be assured that this is still on, even with the Olympics trying to upstage us. We’ve got an amazing trip lined up – one week in Beijing with Master Wan and his awesome young students (you may have seen them featured in our award-winning PBS TV documentary) where we stay at his Taoist Qigong Institute and get personal, daily Qigong treatments and foot massages along with our training and visits to ancient temples and power spots. For our second week we will be flying to the mystical Sichuan Province on the Tibetan border, in and around the western city of Chengdu to study with a renown Qigong Master. He is a well-respected master of Qigong, Master Zhao Shi Hua, the gifted teacher that Daisy has been studying with in Australia. We will be flying Master Zhao and his wife May to China to meet us in Chengdu for this Qigong journey into the misty Taoist and Buddhist mountains where ancient temples call back a time of natural simplicity and set the stage for deep training. This impressive Master was brought to Australia from China after healing the ex-Prime Minister’s daughter of chronic fatigue. There still some spaces left on this unique journey, so let us know if you are ready for this empowering experience. To learn more about our 2008 China Trip – Click here

Qigong For Women – Daisy’s Radiant Lotus Qigong Workshops in Honolulu, San Diego, Boulder, Palo Alto and Walnut Creek – and Kaua`i

Daisy Lee will be doing an all-day Qigong workshop for women at the Kahuna Valley Retreat on the garden island of Kaua`i, Saturday, April 12th. This will be followed up by a US mainland tour to teach her very popular Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women’s Health & Empowerment, as well as co-ed programs for both men and women this May and June. The Women’s Qigong will be taught on Saturdays and will
address health issues particular to women. Learn how to reduce or alleviate low back pain, menstrual imbalances, menopause symptoms, as well as techniques to improve breast and reproductive health with Qigong exercises passed down to Daisy from her Tibetan Qigong master.

Here’s what one student from her Australia workshop said about Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women:

“I wanted to really thank you very much for giving such a great teaching on Tibetan Healing Sounds. I have been practicing every day the sounds themselves (sorry don’t have time for the acupressure points) and my second period finished without drugs! I am so happy. The blood clots have dissolved almost completely. The flow is strong and unobstructed. And my voice is so strong! All of this is hard to believe after 4 years of really bad menstrual pain. I will continue practicing these maybe until the end of the year, to stabilize the improvement. Thank you Daisy so much!

One very important point about these sounds, when I feel really tired and I practice them, the mind and body wake up and feel better, kind of like life comes back to you. Also, I have been doing exercises sometimes sitting and quite a few times while lying in bed – it still works great and the energy flows well!” – Elvira Byrnes – Sydney, Australia

Below are the dates and cities Daisy will be teaching in. For more information and to receive a copy of the flyer for your city, please email Daisy at radiantlotus@gmail.com or contact her organizer in each city:

April 12: Kahuna Valley Retreat, Kaua’i. 9:30 am registration, 10 am to 4 pm workshop. For a copy of the flyer and to register, email radiantlotus@gmail.com.

May 15-18: Virginia & Metro DC area, hosted by Peaceable Dragon. To register for one or more workshops, call 703-625-8431 or visit www.PeaceableDragon.org.

May 31-June 1: Oahu at the Body/Mind/Spirit Expo in Honolulu. Email radiantlotus@gmail.com for Daisy’s teaching schedule.

June7-8: University of San Diego, Hahn Center, Room 107. Contact Susan Haymaker at Susan@ajoyfulmovement.com for more info and to register.

June 14-15: Boulder, Colorado. Special Father’s Day discount for fathers attending on June 15! Contact Katia Wilder at wilderkatia@yahoo.com for more info and to register.

June 21-22: Palo Alto, CA. Contact Mary Donoghue for more info and to register at radiantlotus@gmail.com

June 28-29: Walnut Creek, CA. Contact Katharine Ferguson for more info and to register at katharine_ferguson@yahoo.com

If you are interested in setting up a workshop with Daisy to teach Radiant Lotus Qigong in your area, let us know.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Qigong Classes at Kahuna Valley

Saturday morning classes continue at the Kahuna Valley Retreat on the Garden Island of Kaua’i from 9:30 am – 11:00 am… For more information on Kahuna Valley schedules, including workshops and special events,

Click here to see our calendar of events
… or click here to contact Daisy

Qigong Workshops with Francesco and Daisy in Michigan and Maryland this August

Francesco and Daisy will be teaching all-day workshops in Livonia, Michigan on August 2 and 3 (with one day being an “all women class” and then in Baltimore, Maryland at the Annual National Qigong Association Conference on August 9 and 10. Visit www.nqa.org to register for their excellent conference. These classes will cover many of the Qigong forms that are on their award-winning DVD series, with special focus on the Organ Cleansing and Strengthening Qigong set.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Francesco’s Qigong Classes in NJ and NYC

After last winter’s well-attended but COLD Qigong class in Rutherford, NJ, I think we’ll try a mini-workshop in the warmth of summer. I’m still working on securing the same beautiful church we were in last time, but the date is fixed, Saturday, July 26th from 9:30 am – 1:00 pm. I also would like to offer a class in New York City as it has been a long time and people have been asking. If anyone can help with a venue in NYC for Sunday, July 27th, I’m willing to come teach a Qigong mini-workshop.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Study/Healing Trip to India in April 2008

The unique “Qigong in India” trip set for April 14 – May 2, 2008 is now sold out and our excited group is ready to depart for Delhi and Dharamsala in less than a week. I’m glad that people were attracted to this interesting itinerary that mixes Qigong with ayurvedic medicine. I’ve designed this trip – like all the trips I’ve organized over the past 12 years, to be something I really like – combining culture, spirituality, and personal healing and training. With daily Qigong training, personalized Ayurvedic panchakarma diagnosis and 10 days of treatment, and a certification course in Hindu Energy Healing, this trip will be a pretty amazing life-enhancing adventure. Set in Dharamsala, India – the home of the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan monks, we will be immersed in the magic of a small mountain village so ideally conducive to healing and personal growth. We’ll also visit India’s capital city Delhi and will be staying with my Tibetan friends along the way…

Click here to learn more and get your name on our list for next year’s trip

Qigong DVD Packaging Changes

The award-winning Qigong DVDs featuring Francesco and Daisy have recently been repackaged to better address the “wellness” market according to our distributor. We got to see them for the first time at the giant Natural Products Expo in Anaheim last month. It was an honor and a treat to see Qigong so prominently postured at the show thanks to Gaiam. The video content hasn’t changed, only the artwork on the packages have. You’ll start seeing them in more and more retail outlets and our hope is to reach more people searching for self-empowering healthcare solutions.

Note that “Qigong for Cleansing and Strengthening” is now titled “Qigong for Detox”. Keep an eye out for the newest DVD featuring Daisy teaching Tai Chi Fan that was just shot here at our Kahuna Valley Retreat on Kaua’i – it should be available in the next couple of months. We appreciate your support through your DVD purchases… and remember, purchasing them through our secure website helps to support our youth mentoring programs.

Click here to check out our DVD teaching tools

Francesco’s Bhutan Trip

Francesco is heading back to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, only this time on a solo journey as a guest of a high-level Rinpoche, the Royal Family and the government. Actually no longer a “kingdom” as the country just completed it’s very first democratic elections, Bhutan is on the verge of change. Francesco will spend one month there with a broadcast quality Sony HDTV camera, Nikon digital SLR still camera, and digital audio recorder. His goal is to create a unique television documentary on this magical country and its people, featuring the 24-year-old Buddhist Rinpoche and his Sewala Monastery as well as some other wonderful characters. I’ll try to update my new blog site along the way:

Blog: www.francescogarripoli.com

Our group trip last November was amazing, focusing on personal healing while helping to support a financially challenged Buddhist monastery with 398 young monks. Francesco, through the non-profit Kahuna Valley organization, will be donating its Mentor Ohana software to one of the Queen’s youth programs that works with challenged teenagers. This trip will help to raise awareness and money to support Bhutanese youth and the Rinpoche who is responsible for hundreds of young Buddhist monks.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Mentor Ohana – Mentor program management software

This online software tool is evolving in a most amazing way and I wanted to keep those of you who are interested in working in the area of mentoring or coaching – whether it is with youth or adults – abreast of our developments. I’ve been working on this unique software system for nearly five years and it is now being used across the state of Hawaii to collect evaluation data from a myriad of teen and parenting programs. Sponsored by the Hawaii State Department of Education, the County of Kaua’i, and a couple of drug prevention grants, we have been able to customize the Mentor Ohana tool for the special needs of our islands. With this, we will have the ability to monitor the status, effectiveness and outcomes of these educational programs in real time. The core Mentor Ohana program (www.mentorohana.org) is designed to provide powerful tools for any mentoring or coaching program. These range from assisting in the matching process, activities scheduling, participant communication, administration, journaling, survey evaluation and database management. The powerful Survey Builder and Tracking Survey components are indespensible for bringing integrity to any program and helpful in creating reports for grants and funding organizations. I know the power of this online set of tools for organizations ranging from small coaching firms to large county and city government offices that need to track data and manage programs of any kind. If you are associated with a group that may be interested – or know of someone who is – let me know and I will share more. I’m looking for some people who are also interested in working in the business area to get this software implemented in your area and generate some income through your efforts.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Kahuna Valley Retreat on Kaua’i – Watsu, energy healing, massage…

Kahuna Valley donated a one-week stay in our Aloha Suite on the Garden Island of Kaua’i, Hawaii to the National Qigong Association (NQA) for their silent auction fundraiser. Bill Edgar was the lucky bidder/winner and we will be honored to have him at our retreat… We thank Bill for joining us in helping raise money for the NQA and their work to promote Qigong. For more info on our personal and group retreats and healing spa services, click here and visit http://www.kahunavalley.org/retreats.htm
Donations and Support

If you are feeling generous and would like to channel your taxes from the federal government to a worthy cause, we would be most grateful to accept your tax-deductible donation to Kahuna Valley. We are an IRS recognized tax-exempt organization and any monies that you donate to us will not only help support our work with at-risk youth here in Hawaii, but it will help you make a statement by choosing to put your monies to a good cause instead of to the IRS coffers. Interested?

Learn about our tax-deductible donation options

Thank you for your support and good energy… see you next issue!! Peace…

Francesco Garri Garripoli

Kahuna Valley
P.O. Box 1921, Kapaa, HI 96746, USA

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