Signs of the Times

In spite of the weather report that cold will be returning to the Midwest, I feel that Spring is just around the corner. Besides the unseasonably warm weather I've awaken several mornings to the chatter of many birds. Throughout the day they make their appearance more often on my balcony (in spite of the fact nothing is there for them), than during the months of December and January. I hope that it will not be as some have said who remind me of a season when birds froze to death because they came out too early. In any case I'm taking this as a sign that the remaining wintery days will be mild.

I haven't settled on a particular date to start cleaning, but hear that March is an ideal time to start. I imagine that there are planetary, seasonal, lunar and other things to be considered but I don't know of anything specific so I will no doubt start an active cleanse before the end of February. Besides, I think it better to rely upon my own internal resource to determine the best time for me to start.


One book I've reading is "The Belly and it's Power" by Allan Saltzman. Mr Saltzman has incorporated various Asian traditions in his bodywork practice. As interested in anything dealing with the belly as I am I was especially interested in his book when I saw that he refers to the work of Al Huang the instructor of my own Tai Ji and Qigong teacher. Saltzman shows that western man is ungrounded because he thinks too much and is light in the belly, in contrast eastern man is solid in his mid section and therefore grounded which Al H. calls secure, and light in the head. Remember the old clown toy with the weighted bottom? No matter how you hit it, it would fall and return to an upright postition much like what Al H is refering to.

My teacher teaches us to tap the abdomen for grounding when we find that in the course of our Tai Ji practice we have become unbalanced. I've learned to consider the abdomen and related dan tien as a major source of grounding and power. However, if you read other authors you will find some people consider the entire lower body for grounding. All I need do is practice to see what works best for me. In any case I find his book highly informative and practical with regard to the abodomen and related systems. He goes on to demonstrate abdominal self massage, breathing techniques and tells which muscles to focus on to bring balance and vitality to our central power house. I think it will be a very useful book to ponder as I prepare for spring cleaning.