|
Chinese New Year
"Behave toward everyone as if receiving a guest." -Chinese Proverb
The Chinese New Year, also referred to as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. This year, it takes place on Tuesday, February 5. Celebrations and festivities begin the evening before the New Year up until the Lantern Festival, which is held on the 15th day of the new year.
This new year brings in the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac. The element for the year is Earth. The Year of the Pig is also considered a Yin year, which is about receiving more and striving less. This year is also about allowing ourselves to take a big sigh of relief, because we have reached the 12th and final zodiac sign in this system. It’s a year of joy, celebration, and success in all areas of life.
Whether of not you officially celebrate, you may take a cue from these Chinese traditions to hold your own personal observance:
- Enjoy a reunion dinner with family and friends. In Chinese culture, the New Year's Eve feast is a "must do" dinner with all family members reuniting. A wonderful excuse to gather with loved ones if you haven't connected with them in awhile!
- Clean the house. This may not sound too celebratory, but Chinese people carry out a thorough ‘winter-cleaning’ of their houses during this time. They refer to this as, "sweeping away the dust," and it represents a wish to put away old things, bid farewell to the old year, and welcome in the New Year.
- Listen to (or ring your own) New Year bell. A bell is a traditional symbol of Chinese New Year, and Chinese people believe that ringing a large bell can drive away bad luck and bring good fortune.
No matter how you choose to celebrate, we hope this Year of the Pig brings you happiness, luck, prosperity and above all, good health.
Be well,
Your friends at the Healer Within Foundation
5th Saturday Gatherings
We were asked recently, "What exactly is a 5th Saturday Gathering on the Cloud?" The short answer is, "Awesome!" That said, this special series of virtual informational meetings includes a wide range of topics, to help you with your own personal practice, while also enriching your development as a leader/teacher.
Our 2019, 5th Saturday Meeting Schedule:
March 30 - Starting and Sustaining a Community Practice Group with Dale Allen
June 29 - Teaching Special Needs Populations: Dementia, Parkinson's, etc.
August 31 - Healer2Healer: Unlocking Inner-Outer Powers and Resources with Self-Care thru Mind-Body-Spirit Medicine with Michael Fortier
November 30 -Tai Chi and Qigong for Emotional Health and Well-Being with Cynthia Mealer
Gatherings on the Cloud begin at noon PST/3:00 pm EST and last for approximately 60-90 minutes.
If you haven't already, please sign up now to RSVP for this special series of Zoom meetings to make friends, get support, and stay in touch with others who lead practice and care about health and wellness! Space is limited so secure your spot on the cloud today!
Volunteers Needed
 The Healer Within Foundation could use your time and talents on their Community Practice Group (CPG) and Sustainability Work Teams.
The CPG Team works to engage and support Community Practice Group leaders around the world. They focus heavily on relationship building and mentoring. Team meets on a bi-monthly basis.
The Sustainability Team works to secure the long-term financial security of the Foundation through grant writing, fundraising and community support. Team meets on the third Monday of each month at 4:30pm PST/7:30pm EST.
If you would like to learn more or if you are interested in serving, please contact Christie Ward. Thank you!
Please Be Our Valentine
No candy or flowers required! Help us bring the gift of good health to more people in 2019. Click on the heart to make your donation today!  The Tai Chi Easy™ Dissemination Project is the catalyst of our goal, “Training thousands to improve the health of millions”. Your support makes it possible for the Healer Within Foundation to bring community-based Qigong/Tai Chi and other self-healing body-mind-spirit-practices to greater numbers of people. Please consider making your contribution today!
Community Practice Leader Spotlight
Dale Allen (shown above practicing in rare Tennessee snow) is a recent Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader graduate, completing his certification at the Wyoming, Michigan training which was held in November of 2018. Since then, Dale's progress as a Community Practice Leader could certainly be described as inspiring. He currently has approximately 35 participants from his community in Knoxville, Tennessee attending his weekly practice group. He has also decided to support the Healer Within Foundation by joining the HWF Leadership Circle, donating the offerings from his group to support HWF sustainability. Thank you, Dale!
The picture below was taken during the first meeting of Dale's Tai Chi Easy™ practice group. He states, "It features two Chinese born US citizens (who are my neighbors), a 97 year old man (orange shirt), and a 90 year old woman (red vest), in the foreground." He also reports, "My Chinese neighbor was a practicing physician in China, Japan, and the United States before his retirement – he and his wife absolutely adore the inclusion of Traditional Oriental Medicine references in our Tai Chi Easy™ practice – as do the two retired western culture (US) educated medical doctors in the group. Working and Playing with Qi with this group is a great deal of fun!"
If you would like to meet Dale and learn a little more about how he has launched this successful community practice group, please be sure to join us at the March 30, 5th Saturday Gathering on the Cloud meeting (see article above). Dale will be a guest on our panel sharing pointers and resources which have helped him engage his group and get them off to a great start!
Bring Tai Chi Easy™ To Your Area!
Did you know anyone can organize a Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Training event. Yes! YOU can - and HWF will be happy to help you make it happen!
If you would like to know more about organizing a Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Training event or have questions about the process contact Christie Ward for information.
Click HERE for a full list of Practice Leader training dates and check back often as new training opportunities are being added regularly.
Healer Within on Facebook and Flickr
Please follow the Healer Within Foundation Facebook and Flickr pages. Find our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/HealerWithinFoundation/ Our Flickr albums can be found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/healerwithinfoundation/albums
 
Login Instructions - Please Read!
We'd like to invite you to explore the Healer Within Foundation website! We continue to add new content, most recently launching the HWF Blog, which we hope you will read and add your comments, too. To login, you will first need to set up your password. Click here to update your Password. Once updated, you can login here, using your Username - - and new Password.
While you are logged in, please complete your profile (it is searchable to help other HWF community members find you)! Logging in allows you to make a donation securely, see our community member-only content such as the files on the Organize an Event page and to sign up for events such as the Gathering in the Cloud meetings.
|
