October kicks off the season of fear – Halloween is near!
Have you ever let fear prevent you from trying something new?
Recently I was teaching a meditation class to a group of hardworking superheroes – frontline men and women who work in hospitals. Before the start of our first class, a participant approached and confided he was a lot more than stressed out, emotionally exhausted and overworked: “What I’m REALLY feeling is a lot of fear. I’m afraid of meditation because I’ve never done it before and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Like I said, these men and women are superheroes, and one of the most powerful superpowers on the planet is to acknowledge and honor our feelings, especially a scary right-in-the-gut feeling like fear.
I congratulated this person for taking the first step, facing his fear by showing up and staying open to change. After an hour of Qigong movement and meditation, the man’s frown had turned upside down. He was smiling. He was relaxed. His courage to face his fear was rewarded in the currency of calm confidence. He had accessed the peace and joy that comes when we quiet our minds and transform fear into love.
The reason we share this tiny tale with you is because fear is universal. We’ve all felt it and although the ways we stuff it down, fear always dishes out the same choice no matter who you are: will you give in to your fear and shut down? Or will you transcend your fear and open up?
We all have a deep fear of failure and rejection. When I was first introduced to Qigong and Chinese medicine, I was afraid. I thought there was no such thing as Qi; I was turned-off by the concept of “God.” Back then I thought I had to be someone else to fit in. I felt isolated and alienated by my family and friends. What inspired me to overcome those feelings and dive into change and healing was fear’s cousin: pain. I was in physical and emotional pain, and I was out of options. Nothing I knew worked. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So pain (thank you!) and fear (thank you!) collaborated and pushed me into the arms of Qigong… and toward my future!
Halloween approaches and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. In the spirit of Halloween, I can scare myself and contemplate what my life would look like if I hadn’t found these life-affirming, courage-building traditional practices. But I’d rather honor my journey and be thankful that fear drove me into the ditch so I could spin around and zoom into a brighter, better future.
Here at Morning Crane we are on a mission to show people they do not have to live in fear or with chronic pain. Our goal is to give people tangible tools that empower people to take control of their health and live happy, fulfilled, pain-free lives.
That’s why we’re super excited to announce a new Qigong Teacher Training program starting in January. If you’re are interested in teaching people how to balance their physical and emotional health or you’re looking for ways to increase the value and impact of your health-and-wellness practice then this is the course for you.
Qigong empowers people to heal themselves through simple, non-invasive techniques and movements. This course is ideal for people committed to increasing their awareness of the mind-body-spirit connection to accelerate physical health and inner healing.
This is not your average Qigong certification course. We are looking for people who are ready to apply these practices to their own life, experience profound transformation and well-being, and are ready to share this information with their community.
Say BOO! to fear this fall and join our Qigong Teacher Training community. This course promises to transform your life and the lives of those around you. Sign up now and look forward to a new, beautiful, healthy year in January.
Fear is a trick and you’re always a treat. Happy Halloween!
Love & gratitude,
-Chris & Parisa Shelton