Chi Running

I was never one for running. I tried it, admittedly without conviction, motivation nor pleasure, many years ago and just found it too jarring and not my thing. I was happy just walking, doing my pilates, rebounding, doing everything slowly.  But then the forties hit and those who are there with me know what that means for the body. I felt I needed to do more and though I love rebounding, I live in a fantastic neighborhood for walking and, well, running. Yup, I felt the time had come to add that to my regimen.

So I sent an SMS to all my runner friends asking for numbers of trainers. I was going to get into this with proper training. Stories of running injuries abound and I didn't want that at all;  I wanted to start properly. Well, one text message mentioned Chi Running. That intrigued me so I googled it and got very excited.

Chi Running incorporates core work, proper alignment, body awareness, relaxation and enjoyment into your running technique. It teaches you how to let gravity work for you. There is a wisdom here that I already live by in the many platforms of exercise and movement I continue to use in my life. Danny Dreyer, the founder of Chi Running leads a holistic lifestyle and believes that running doesn't have to mean injuries. He runs with a focus on the body-mind connection and that really appealed to me.

The best thing about learning Chi Running is there's a local certified instructor, Lit Onrubia.  We waited a few weeks before he could come out to our neck of the woods but it was worth it.  He gives workshops regularly, so I'm sure you'll be able to find one that will fit your schedule. If you're contemplating running, do this first! I used to pant going uphill and put on invisible breaks going downhill, but a few hours with Lit and I already have a technique that works. Now I look at hills with zero dread--ok--greatly diminished dread.

You guys, Lit makes running a pleasure! Chi Running rocks!

What's Up With That?

After years of initiatives and having to deal with charging fees for workshops and lectures, I have come to the painful conclusion that Filipinos need to come into a healthier relationship with money. Our view is one of scarcity and fear. Mind you, I understand that, because I also have that in me, but I am conscious of it and try to work towards an attitude of abundance.

In the last two lectures we organized, we pegged the price at P500 and then P200 for teachers and students. We used to have a "pay what you can" policy but always ended up with too many people not paying at all, or paying so little, even if they could clearly afford to put their money towards the extras like t-shirts and snacks. So, enough of that. We all know by now that Pinoys need boundaries, so it's better to set the fee.

Well, it's funny the things you learn about people and their attitude towards money. Even those who can afford the fee, will try to pay the lower fee. Others sneak in and evade paying completely. And I know every one of them. There were those I told point blank, and they nodded and pretended to be called away and never came back. Others just came in, sat, and just left. Quickly. Well, some I let go because I couldn't keep track and also I just believe in karma anyway, but those I could keep track of got a text message today. I have yet to receive evidence that I have not been ignored. A dear lady gave extra and told me not to give her change as she wanted to donate it. She also received a message of profound gratitude for that gesture of consciousness and uprightness.

They came to hear someone share his life's work. There is value to that and clearly everyone took from it. Well, the money you pay to hear him is recognition and support of his work, from which you take and that is just. You pay what you can. By contributing financially to this lecture that YOU decided to partake of, at the level you can truly afford, you are acknowledging the speaker's hard work, his wisdom, and everything that you are receiving from it. You are also putting value on what you are receiving from his sharing.

As for me, the gloves are off. I find that I also have difficulty being forthright in asking, face to face, for what is due. So I acknowledge that I have a part in enabling this abhorrent and selfish behavior. I'm getting better at it, but I still need to be able to do it for those who keep trying to escape. The bottom line is, if you do not want to give, then please do not take.

Money is energy and what will return to you will be equal to what you put out. I find solace in that. Those who refuse to put out, even though they can, will also be on the receiving end of stinginess and contraction. Never expansion. Yup, there is much solace in that.

The Art of the Heart

Frank Chester blew us away and so many begged to hear him again. So, if you missed his first talk, here's your chance! Please click on the image, or here for more details.

You MUST hear Frank Chester!!!

I know this is small, as usual, so please look at the details here.

CLICK ON THIS!

Unplugged

That's what we were forced to be, thanks to storm Basyang.  It's weird how naked we feel without our phone (I had to charge mine in the car), computer, and other gadgets. I was out of sorts for the first hour or so, before I hit my unplugged stride.

It was a good day for art and spring cleaning. My son and I did wet-on-wet painting, and I did my paintings over and over again until I got them dark and vibrant enough, then I decided to organize the bookshelves. Kids have a way of taking books out of the shelves and returning them wherever so that over time, like anything untended, it becomes a mess. Well, I got that sorted today so the next time they ask me for a book they can read, I know exactly where to go.

It's night time now and obviously I'm plugged again, but I have to say it was nice to be really quiet again, to be present and active in things that truly make a life.

"Get on with the business at hand"

This was surprisingly painful to watch (you can watch the rest on youtube). The name "Marcos" hits me straight in the solar plexus. My brother's father was a crony, so our family experienced what it was like to be in the periphery of that brand of power. My children carry the Lopez name and I know what the Marcos family did to their family. As with all families injured by that regime, their lives were forever altered.

I tried to watch this with a certain amount of openness and objectivity. I see Irene Marcos from time to time, walking around, and I ask myself what it must be like to be in her shoes. I try not to lay the sins of the father on the children, and yet I carry so many questions: Do they really believe their parents innocent? Have they participated, through their silence, in the crimes? Do they not question the source of their wealth? Do they burn to make restitution for charges against them, for the sake of their children and those yet unborn, but already fated to carry their name? Are they angry, defiant, in denial? What?

What about the torture, murders, lives torn apart, billions stolen and never recovered, plunging the country into misery, from which we have yet to recover? How can anyone living here today talk about healing this nation when all we do is gloss over the past? That's not healing.

President Noynoy Aquino said it himself, "There can be no reconciliation without justice." There can only be justice and healing if there is truth. This applies to every pain and trauma in life. We can only heal when we can see the truth and find our place in it. When we see the whole picture, we can make sense of it and define how to move within it. Only then can we "move on" and "heal" and "unite". Until then, there is no real resolution. How can anyone find peace in the face of darkness? We need to be able to see to make sense of things. You cannot keep travelling on a road strewn with debris. You have to create a path, the more well-lit it is, the better able you are to move. That's the way of humanity. Anything less diminishes it.

Let's stop this nonsense about "moving on" and "uniting" and "healing", as if we could just step into it with glee. Everyone wants that, but there is a process that must be followed. We have to take the steps that will bring us there authentically. There must be a plan that supports truth and justice. Once that road is paved and lit, everyone would gladly walk it.

Until then, the first and only step is the truth. All of it.