CHI KUNG. NATURE. PRENATAL INTEGRATION

CHI KUNG. NATURE. PRENATAL INTEGRATION

Know yourself, Know your center

labyrinth petrogliph

Do you dare to know your self?
The importance of creating or moving from the center, has been emphasised by martial artists, dancers, body-therapies, writers, painters, singers, etc. The common point is the basic recognition of the center as the source of our power and true expression.

Know Thyself…

There were times in my life, when I didn’t had even a glimpse of what this was all about. I was too far from myself, numbed, forgotten, scattered. Then, questions started to arise: who am I? What am I here to do? What is missing?

Well, questions lead to radical action, and I found myself enrolling first thing in the Chi Kung Facilitators Training in the Traditional Chinese Medicine School in Lisbon-Portugal. For the admission’s interview I brought with me the confidence that only a background with marathon running, weight lifting, kickboxing and diligent aerobic exercises could offer: my body is ready for pain! Nevertheless, I was accepted. And I’m so thankful for that. What I came to discover during the three years of training, was not how much I could take, but how much I needed to let go. The same layers of tension, protecting me from feeling - the fear, anger and defeat - were also preventing me from connecting with my power.

So I set my course in a completely new direction: my center!
Resourcing myself with several practices such as Chi Kung, Meditation, Somatic Experiencing, Dance, Sound, Abdominal Therapy, Art Therapy and the right community, I came to deeply understand and care for my wounds and triumphs. And I came to recognise the humanity of suffering - that are wounds touching us all. The wound of the feminine is transversal to so many. It has a wide spectrum, manifesting itself not only at the level of our physical, energetic, mental and spiritual bodies but also in our relationships, in parenting, educational systems, culture, politics and community. I realised how most of us women lost, in one way or another, the connection to our own feminine centers.


Know Thycenter… mother, culture, community and womb.

walkinglabirynth
The path to my center, presented itself circular, with unpredictable turns, offering me a variety of perspectives and experiences. One interesting point, is that I always knew the center was there, despite of how far or how unaware I was from it. Here I present some topics that came along my labirynthine journey and, which I believe, to belong to the journey of many of us.


The Mother: “what has my mother to do with my center?” Well, I can tell you - she is our first earth, the very center of our physiological, emotional, energetic and cognitive experiences as babies. If mother, the primal center, is herself stressed, depressed and emotionally or physically disconnected, then baby experiences his/her own center as unsafe - for us women, this center is intrinsically associated with our uterus. Sometimes, the association between uterus and insecurity (or fear) is so great, that we dissociate from it. We take our trust and awareness away from our cores. You can question yourself: How is the relation with my mother and women in general? Do I sense that I can relax into a secure-solid base in myself? How would I describe the relation with my body and more precisely, with my center?

Culture: most of us are raised in a social environment primed by masculine principles. When the center is moved away from the creative principle, in which everything is connected and inter-dependent, to separation and dominance, then woman - and man alike - are taught to believe that they only can rely and trust in themselves. How many of us live like this, doing most of everything by ourselves? Rarely asking for help, or if doing so, feeling weakened by it? Or keeping the tears for the moment’s when we are alone?

Community: this used to be the wider circle sustaining us and our families. Wether in times of abundance or trouble, true community supported us in being whole: who we are and in doing what we are meant to do. However, the “village” is no longer part of the way we live, specially within the city’s environment. If our centers are broken or forgotten, then where to return to in time of need? Where to feel at home?

The Womb: for us women, center and womb are deeply interconnected. Women raised away from their centers, are women growing apart from their own authority , primal wisdom and nature. One way to reconnect with the inner knowing, is to pay attention to the womb rhythmical cycles. “The menstrual cycle is the most basic, earthly cycle we have” says Dr Christianne Northup, and she adds “Our moons cycles and our blood are our connection to the archetypical feminine”. Naturally we can extend this into other blood mysteries, such as childbirth and menopause. Disconnection from our womb and her cyclic wisdom, has profound implications in childbirth, motherhood, health, sexuality, fertility, empowerment and creativity… just to point a few. We can question together, how do we relate with our cycles? Is there pain or discomfort? How do we deal with change?

At last, I dare to say that the way we relate with our center greatly determines the way we connect to the feminine. Restoring this archetypical energy, can be a precious contribution to the times we live in, bringing more harmony and peace into ourselves, our children, communities and in raising a supportive culture for future generations.

gatheringposture

Do you dare to know your self? Then you need to know your center.