By WILLIAM J. BROAD
On a cold Saturday in early 2009, Glenn Black, a yoga teacher of nearly four decades, whose devoted clientele includes a number of celebrities and prominent gurus, was giving a master class at Sankalpah Yoga in Manhattan. Black is, in many ways, a classic yogi: he studied in Pune, India, at the institute founded by the legendary B. K. S. Iyengar, and spent years in solitude and meditation.
New research adds weight to the increasingly recognized theory that trauma is a factor in the development of chronic pain.
By Jennifer Davis
Muscle Deterioration In Patients With Lung Disease Seen Connected To Heightened Carbon Dioxide Levels In The BloodScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2009) — Muscle deterioration in patients with lung diseases might be a direct consequence of high carbon dioxide levels in their blood, an international team of researchers headed by Prof. Yosef Gruenbaum of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found.
EOY 2008 Letter
We are most grateful to our faithful students, clients, family and friends who share in our belief that what we do each day makes a difference in people's lives. Fayne and I are truly humbled by the love you share and faith you have in us. Our boys comment often on your generosity, love and support of our family. What amazing examples to be sharing with them as they begin their journey towards adulthood.
As we move into 2009 please consider that each of us matters greatly; we CAN make a significant difference in this world, one smile, hug, kind word or gesture at a time.
Our family would like to wish your family a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year filled with the blessings you so richly deserve.
Please read on for our SimplyAware review of 2008 and a preview of 2009...
As usual, the year has flown by so fast; we have come to the end without realizing what’s hit us. Looking back, it’s hard to remember everything. With so many categories to choose from, where do we start: Work, scouts, family, school, friends, and fun. Sometimes there is crossover and things get a bit blurry. During the year, we have happily made some new friends, and sadly lost some that were dear to our hearts.
In our SimplyAware life, we have had many interesting experiences. Early in the year, Sifu Chris was an integral part of an important Stress Management Study with the nursing staff at Medical City, Dallas. The results haave not been published yet, but we’ll let you know when they are. He also participated in an interesting research project through University of Texas at Dallas. He donned a motion capture suit and was recorded doing Tai Chi & Qigong in one of the premier motion capture labs in the country. It was quite interesting to watch. Results of that project are not out yet either but students now use his Tai Chi forms as foundational motions for video game characters.
We had a great time at our 4th annual World Tai Chi and Qigong Day (WTCQD) event, which was followed by some beginners’ workshops for the Tai Chi for Arthritis program and the Yang Tai Chi program. The feedback was good and it really helped some of our new students feel like they caught up a bit to the flow of the classes. We also conducted some intermediate & advanced workshops in the spring. Look for more of those this year. Also in the spring, we had an amazing opportunity fall in our laps. We invited internationally renowned, Daisy Lee, to come from Hawaii to conduct special Qigong workshops in Dallas. With only 3 weeks to pull it off, we had a tremendous success in filling the workshops including a special women’s only, Radiant Qigong Workshop. We all became instant friends (really more like instant family). We are thrilled that Daisy will be coming back again - this time to join us for World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 2009. Soon after WTCQD 2008, we were honored with another special guest, who also now feels a bit like extended family - Master Chen Bing came back to Dallas for his 2nd annual Tai Chi workshops. He too is planning on coming back to Dallas this summer, but his dates have not been finalized.
As the summer continued, Sifu Chris was invited to make his first visit to Natchitoches, Louisiana for a special workshop he developed on Tai Chi Principals. The workshop was very successful, so we will likely offer this workshop in the Dallas area in 2009. Other presentations this year included "Caring for the Caregiver" a stress management seminar targeting caregiver challenges at the first annual Dallas Area Caregiving and Aging Conference. Sifu Chris also presented (for the 3rd year) Tai Chi and Qigong for Health Workshops at the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center - Alternative Healing Conference. The feedback from the participants on these was very encouraging.
The assisted living community has begun to seek our special niche services in our “Smiling Heart Qigong” program. As a result, we have welcomed Veranda Preston Hollow and Sunrise at Hillcrest Senior Living Community as our newest clients. We have also introduced our first public Qigong classes at MoveStudio in North Dallas.
On a special note, the National Qigong Association nominated Sifu Chris for two committee positions for 2009 (Membership Services and Internet Communications). This is quite an honor; so somehow, he will fit this into his already hectic schedule.
Looking ahead, we have begun planning for an exciting 6th year for SimplyAware with new classes, amazing workshops and visits from some very special friends. Sifu Chris has been invited to create a Qigong based program for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients in a clinical setting. We will be celebrating our 5<sup>th</sup> annual World Tai Chi and Qigong Day with some very special guests - Daisy Lee, Dr. Roger Jahnke and Jampa Stewart will all be there to giving us a rare opportunity to bring focused attention on the healing power of Qigong. We will also be hosting some amazing Qigong and Tai Chi workshops from: Dr. Roger Jahnke (in April), Jampa Stewart (in April), Daisy Lee (in May), David-Dorian Ross and Coach Wei (in June), Master Chen Bing (TBA) and more for the 3rd & 4th quarters of 2009.
In addition to all the Tai Chi & Qigong activities that we focus on through SimplyAware, Fayne will be adding a new dimension to our offerings. She will remain dedicated to her Tai Chi students; however, she is also responding to a calling that she can no longer ignore. For years, Fayne's closest allies have been telling her how she has the ability to help them reach deeper into themselves for the strength to keep moving forward, even when they feel stuck. Fayne has begun to realize what a special gift she has in helping people understand themselves better, in effect, clearing the fog that has them bogged down so that they may move confidently towards a brighter future. With a degree in Developmental Psychology, and over 30 years of personal exploration, independent study in communication, relationships, spirituality, birth and death, and with many willing guinea pigs along the way: Fayne is officially stepping past her boundaries and hanging out her shingle as a Life Coach!
On a more personal note, this year has also been busy for the family. School & Scouting keeps us all hopping about. Chris became certified in Advanced Wilderness First Aid through the Wilderness Medicine Institute and he became a certified Rock Climbing Instructor for the Boys Scouts. He also continues to act as the Cubmaster of our Cubscout Pack for Jaden & Galen. Fayne continues to act as the Committee Chairman of the Cubscout Pack - talk about another fulltime job. It’s like she runs two companies. Fayne also continues to teach a class on love, ethics, values and making decisions on Sunday mornings. Working with those 9th grade students is a passion that continues to grow with every passing year. In September 2009, Kamin will be in her class. Hmm, that will be interesting.
Kamin has been busy with school making straight A’s. At the beginning of the year, he took the SAT (as a 7th grader) and received State Recognition for his scores. He did better in the 7th grade than Fayne did as a senior in High School! As an 8th grader, he’s taking 9th grade level classes and he was just accepted to the Garland High School International Baccalaureate program for next year. During all this, he managed to get to the rank of Life Scout and he’s been personally invited to staff several Boy Scout camping and leadership training events. His next big effort will be working towards the rank of Eagle Scout. He also continues to remind us that he will be eligible to drive (with a parent) in less than one year. He’s always looking for an excuse to start the car for us.
Jaden manages to stay on the “A” honor roll throughout the year and he continues to play cello, although getting him to practice is quite the challenge. This year, Jaden began his own business enterprise, "Animal Attractions", creating unique, animal pendant necklaces to help raise money for he and Chris to go to Camp Goddard (5th grade science camp). He managed to raise enough money and they both had a great time. Now that he has the bug for entrepreneurship, we can look for more great ideas to come as he continues to raise money for his upcoming transition to Boy Scouts in February.
Galen is working hard to find his outlet. He also maintains high grades, and is working to balance homework with fun. He’s quite a ball of energy. It will be exciting to see how his amazing insight and negotiation skills develop. We’re also very interested to see how his gift of hand-eye-ear coordination develops. He is still asking on a regular basis for us to fix the viola that a close friend gave to us for him.
This year had some very memorable events for our family. We took our first real family vacation, which was made possible by our beloved Grandma Ruthie. (HINT: mouse over the picture above to see her) We spent a glorious week with the kids at Disney World, and we spent a few wonderful days with Fayne’s sister’s family on a private island on the west coast of Florida. (Thanks Aunt Janna and Uncle Mark!) We also go to spend time with Fayne’s parents. On our drive home, we shared the boys first caving experience at the Florida State Caverns and we walked through one of only 3 petrified forests in the nation while in Northern Mississippi. For anyone that is interested, we have some great pictures posted on our family Flickr account.
This year was also a landmark year in the political arena. The boys were all very interested in the election process and the schools took full advantage of it too. We made sure that they were exposed to the most unbiased information possible. We taught them how to handle opinionated friends and we even took them to the polls and let them press the buttons. On election night, they stayed up anxiously watching the results. This was truly an historic event.
As always, we are most grateful to our faithful students, clients, family and friends who share in our belief that what we do each day makes a difference in people's lives. Fayne and I are truly humbled by the love you share and faith you have in us. Our boys comment often on your generosity, love and support of our family. What amazing examples to be sharing with them as they begin their journey towards adulthood.
As we move into 2009 please consider that each of us matters greatly; we CAN make a significant difference in this world, one smile, hug, kind word or gesture at a time.
Our family would like to wish your family a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year filled with the blessings you so richly deserve.
Professional Member of the National Qigong Association
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