“Even though I don’t know how it works, I deeply and completely accept my ability to heal on every level.”

This is my favorite “set-up phrase” for doing EFT – and for Qigong Tapping.  When we tap on various parts of our bodies, we are stimulating the skin, the flesh, the blood vessels,muscles,  tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, bones, and the very marrow of the bones.  We are stimulating the Qi channels – the meridians used in acupuncture – if you believe they exist.

The idea behind EFT and Qigong tapping is that we can re-program old thought and body patterns, by unlocking stored trauma and  replacing it with new, healthier patterns.  You can google “EFT” to learn more.  Gary Craig founded the EFT technique, and his website is comprehensive.

Qigong tapping is less specific than EFT.  We tap all over the body – there are acupuncture points and meridians everywhere – and according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the points and channels can move.  So by tapping everywhere, we are bound to hit something, right?  Plus it feels good, like a free full body massage!

There is more and more research confirming that the mind can override the DNA, and that positive thinking assists in healing.  So when I’m doing a tapping sequence, I like to harness the energy to good thoughts by using affirmations or a set-up phrase, like this one – my favorite.  I hope you enjoy it too.

This is excerpted from Dr. Evelyn Higgins‘ most recent newsletter:

The 90-Minute Principle:  “The first 90 minutes of your day sets the tone for the remaining 1350 minutes.  Take a look at how you begin your day.  Is it rushed, behind schedule, chaotic?  Is it answering emails, which are truly other people’s agendas?  Or is it, prayerful, meditative, exercising the mind as well as the body?”

My day usually begins before sunrise, to the sound of my husband tip-toeing around, soft, distant music from my alarm, or birds outside the window.  My habitual first thought in the morning, and last thought at night is “Thank you for a good night’s sleep, and thank you for abundant energy for my day.”  I enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, while I read two daily devotionals and spend a few minutes in meditation.  Then I walk to my favorite spot on the beach, and practice morning Qigong as the sun comes up.  Three or four pieces of fruit, and handful of nuts in the Vitamix blender makes the best breakfast ever.  Today was five Florida peaches (they’re small!) with flax seed, ginger and turmeric root.  “Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates is quoted as saying.

“For each five minutes spent in listening, a thousand minds are opened to the truth.”

So says A Course In Miracles.  “If you will lay aside the ego’s voice, however loudly it may seem to call; if you will not accept its petty gifts which give you nothing that you really want; if you will listen with an open mind…then you will hear the mighty Voice of truth, quiet in power, strong in stillness, and completely certain in its messages.”

In our Integral Tai Chi training, we develop an appreciation for meditation.  When I sit in the silence, I first imagine I am laying down my thoughts like tools, and allowing myself a moment’s rest.  Then I listen…listen…listen to the silence.  When thoughts arise, I say “Thank you, not now,” and return my attention to listening.   For me, listening is synonymous with looking within.  When I can get past my self and all my distractions, the experience is both astonishing and comforting.

In The Teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda writes, “For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length–and there I travel looking, looking breathlessly.”

Listening and looking….breathing deeply….breathlessly….comforted and astonished.

“I am open and courageous as I follow my heart to new adventures.

I give thanks for divine discontent – that inner stirring to do or be more.  With each inner nudge, I have an opportunity to express more fully my divine potential.  I open to my higher voice, the whisper of Spirit in my heart, compelling me forward on new quests and rewarding life experiences.”  from the Daily Word April 12, 2016.  www.dailyword.com

Last night I set up my first website, full of trepidation, questions, concerns that it wouldn’t be right…but moreover, excited, empowered, and open to new possibilities.  I awoke an hour earlier than usual this morning, abuzz with creativity and optimism.  Thank you for visiting Three Keys Tai Chi.  To join the discussion about Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation, please register and share your thoughts.