ENJOYING NATURE, THE EVENING COLOURS, THE WIND, THE BIRDS SINGING
I felt like I didn't need TV or a book, or people to talk with; I just wanted to be alone and enjoy nature, the evening colours, the wind, the birds singing. Though it was cold, I enjoyed being there outside, like I felt totally home and safe, nothing to worry about, no fears. Just being there and enjoying these feelings.
-- Inge Vandromme
Dear Sifu,
With this email I'd like to thank you and ask for your advice.
First of all, thank you very much for the wonderful Chi Kung teaching last weekend (29-30 May) in Brussels. Though I was quite nervous and uncertain, I enjoyed every minute of the course. It was all worth the waiting. I had had some plans to follow Tai Chi/Chi Kung courses a few months ago but I couldn't find a good teacher and after your email I decided to wait and attend your Chi Kung class. I'm glad to have you as my Sifu.
Sifu Wong in Holland
Six days later I couldn't help thinking over and over the fantastic feelings I could experience. And I'm still smiling when I recall the magnificent way by which you led the course and introduced us to the wonderful world of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung.
I was -- and still am -- much impressed by your radiant health (how did the Belgian chocolates taste?) and vitality, but most of all I was/am struck by your generosity and compassion for each one of us, for the encouraging, wise words and humanity you showed.
Thank you for transferring chi to me -- at least that's what I think what happened -- because at a certain moment my head and my body started to feel so heavy that I could hardly go on with my exercice (Lifting the Sky). My arms began to tremble and it was difficult to hear your voice. I didn't know what to do, so I tried to concentrate on the exercice but I would gladly have stopped the arm movements and see where this feeling brought me.
Nevertheless, ever since, something in me has changed. When I was back home Sunday evening I tried to analyse what and where in my body I felt different: right side of the head, right eye, right part of my chest. Could this be a meridian, I thought. So I looked it up and I was totally struck when I found out that the description of the Stomach Meridian resembled very well my feelings. Either this is right or I have too much imagination.
I'm calmed down a bit too. I feel less irritated and less afraid than before, which is good, especially now everyone here in Belgium begins to panic about animals for food consumption being contaminated with dioxine, which can produce cancer.
Strangely enough, I haven't become ill after having spent two days in a room where all the windows were open. Normally I would have had a good cold. It's striking that normally, when I have a cold it's always the right part of my head that suffers the most: pain in the right ear, in the right side of the throat; even my right eye is worse than my left. I looked it up.
And even more: during that weekend I found back my watch, which I lost about 4 months ago. It was beautiful weather (the first warm days since spring began here), and I got the good news that I 'm still in the run for the job I wanted!
Yes, Sifu, I have cried already. For joy and gratitude. I have thanked heaven for all the good things that have happened to me and will happen in the future; for sending you to make me learn how to become healthy and happy again. Thank you, Sifu, for the willingness to share your knowledge with me, with everyone who needs it and wants to learn from you.
Sifu Wong in Belgium
Of course I am practicing the exercices you taught us. I love practicing them and I always feel good after having done them. Either I feel relaxed or vitalised, but I'm always smiling.
Yesterday evening, after my exercice I felt the need to put on a jacket and scarf (it was rather cold) and go for a walk in the garden. I felt like I didn't need TV or a book, or people to talk with; I just wanted to be alone and enjoy nature, the evening colours, the wind, the birds singing.
Though it was cold, I enjoyed being there outside, like I felt totally home and safe, nothing to worry about, no fears. Just being there and enjoying these feelings. I wished I could merge in that atmosphere and become one with it. That didn't work out. But the wish stays.
Nevertheless, ther are some things that are worrying me. First of all I got a bit scared of performing the self manifested chi movements. Because of the speeding up, my muscles in my arms are aching and I'm wondering if I overstrained them or if chi is trying to break through some blockages.
Today, after my piano lessons my fingers and arm muscles ached terribly. When I got home my fingers and later on my whole arm spontaneously began to move vigorously. I even hadn't done the exercise! I was confused, stopped washing dishes and gave my arm the chance to shake as much as it could. Then I stood still for a few moments and with my eyes closed I told my chi to calm down and thought of my dan tian.
Was it a good thing to do? Or should I allow my whole body to move when this happens?
Actually, I almost continously feel chi flowing through me and sometimes I am afraid that I won't be able to control it (like I used to have when I was doing reiki a few years ago, when everything went wrong then and I stopped practicing it. It still puzzles me why blockages remained, because I always thought reiki too cleared blockages). Should I therefore concentrate on self manifested chi movement or are the dynamic patterns as good?
A second thing that worries me is the pain I feel again in my right knee. My knees are not straight. They are looking inward, so my feet are looking outward, instead of standing straight. When I perform Carrying the Moon -- by itself or in self manifested chi movement -- especially while bending over, there is this point at the inside of my knee that hurts. I always have had much trouble and pain there, so I'm pretty worried about it. Should I be extra gentle?
Dear Sifu, I am apologizing for the length of my letter. I hope I haven't wasted your time but I would be glad if you could give your comment and/or advice when necessary.
Gratefully,
Inge
Leuven, Belgium.
Writing at 22.30 p.m. Wed. 2
June 1999.