~ Workshops with Silver Dragon ~

We continue to work with different venues in Ellington, Wethersfield, Coventry and Mansfield, Connecticut to offer Qi Gong workshops throughout the remainder of 2008.   Check back periodically for dates, times, locations and workshop details (click workshop name for details).

~ Directions ~

Colchester - Colchester Federated Church; 60 Main St in Colchester at the intersection of Routes 85 & 16.  http://www.colchesterfederatedchurch.org/

Coventry - Patriot's Park: Rte 31 in Coventry, turn onto Lake St (across from Rte 275).   Go past the monument and the Community Center.   The Lodge is on the right just past the brown Patriot's Park sign (right after the crosswalk).  http://www.coventryct.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={5F075E57-9E9C-461F-982F-465702B603D6}

Ellington - Spirit Matters: Located in Pinney Office Park, 19 Pinney St (Rte 286) in Ellington, not far from 5 corners.  http://www.spiritmattersct.com/spirit_matters.htm

Mansfield - Community Center: 10 South Eagleville Rd, Mansfield.  Near the intersection of Rte 195 & South Eagleville Rd.  http://www.mansfieldct.org/town/departments/community_center/

Rocky Hill - The Tennis and Fitness Center: 1000 Elm St, Rocky Hill.  Take West St to Rte 3 and turn right.  Elm St is first right turn.  Tennis Center is on the right after passing the Big Y supermarket.   http://www.thetenniscenters.com/pages/index.html

Tolland - Breathe...more: 68 Tolland Turnpike (Rte 30) Colonial Square in Tolland, CT.  From I-84 take Exit 67.  At end of ramp turn toward Rockville & Rte 30.  Drive .3 miles to intersection and turn Right onto Route 30 (Hartford Turnpike).  Colonial Square is 1.3 miles on your left.  http://breathemorellc.com/directions/

Wethersfield - CT Institute for Herbal Studies: 900 Wells Rd (Rte 175)  Take the Berlin Tpke to Rte 175 East, turn East toward Wethersfield.  The Institute is on the right just after crossing the Wethersfield line.  http://www.ctherbschool.com/

MAPQUEST: http://www.mapquest.com/

~ Workshop Details ~

Qi Gong for Practitioners - 2 days

Scheduled at CT Institute for Herbal Studies, November 29 & 30, 2008, Saturday & Sunday, 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM - Price: $159. 

This course is designed for health and healing practitioners and offers a Qi Gong view of our energy body and immune system and exercises to keep ourselves healthy.  Learn simple exercises for immune system strengthening, marrow and organ washing and cleansing, energy balancing and Qi cultivation.  Come away with an exercise program you can do on a daily basis to help maintain your long term health and energetic balance.  NOTE: This class is approved for CE Hours by The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork and The Connecticut Chiropractic Association as part of the CT Institute for Herbal Studies' Traditional Chinese Medicine course.

Workshop includes:

• Qi Gong history, cautions and experiences

• Energy body overview: Vessels, channels, collaterals and energy balancing exercises

• Immune system simplified and immune system strengthening exercises

• Bone and marrow washing exercises to strengthen skeleton and immune system

• Five element theory overview

• Organ healing sounds, tonification and toxin elimination exercises

• Cultivating your Qi

• Suggestions for a full daily Qi Gong workout

Qi Gong Fundamentals and Balancing the Body's Energy

Scheduled at Spirit Matters, Friday, October 24, 2008, 6:00-8:30 PM - Price: $45.  Call (860) 742-5892 by October 21 to register - SPECIAL PRICING: Attend both October 24^th & November 21^st workshops for $75

Scheduled at Breathe...more, Friday, November 7, 2008, 6:00-8:30 PM - Price: $45.  Call (860) 875-9642 by November 4 to register.

The cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine is seeking balance in the body's energy system and eliminating excesses, deficiencies and stagnation.  This workshop includes an overview of the body's energy system (Vessels, Channels and Luo) and uses this framework to aid in better understanding how energy balancing works.  Learn simple stance, movement and breathing techniques to help balance your body's energy for improved health and emotional balance.  Come away with some simple exercises to help balance your Qi (life force energy) and a sense of how Qi Gong can play a role in your long term health and well being.

Workshop includes:

• Overview of the body's energy system (Vessels, Channels & Luo)

• Aligning the body to facilitate easy release of muscle tension, stress and stagnation

• Abdominal breathing technique to optimize the body's intake of oxygen and enhance circulation

• Exercises to balance the body's major energy systems including: Whole Body Breathing; Smoothing Qi and Small Circulation

The Gift of Balance - Stress Management with Qi Gong

Scheduled at CT Institute for Herbal Studies, Friday, December 12, 2008, 6:00-7:30 PM - Price: $25.  Call (860) 742-5892 or 666-5064 by December 9 to register

Stress and how to manage it are all too common problems in our fast-paced daily lives.  Too much to do with too little time in which to do it leads to an accumulation of tension, stress and associated physical and emotional impacts.  Conquer your stress with relaxed breathing techniques, optimized body posture and focused intention that can help you rebalance your body's energy and release stagnant energy, stress and tension. 

This workshop includes:

• Details of proper stance and body alignment to facilitate release of tension and stress

• Diaphragmatic breathing technique to optimize the intake of oxygen, improve oxygenation of the blood and enhance circulation

• Qi Gong movements to balance the body's energy and release stress and tension on a daily basis

• Simple meditative techniques using breath and imagery to regain mental balance

• Ways to identify your body's stress indicators and develop strategies for ongoing daily stress management

Qi Gong for Bone Marrow Cleansing & Strengthening the Immune System

Scheduled at CT Institute for Herbal Studies, Friday, October 10, 2008, 6:00-8:30 PM - Price: $45.  Call (860) 742-5892 or 666-5064 by October 7 to register - SPECIAL PRICING: Attend both September 12^th & October 10^th workshops for $75

Scheduled at Spirit Matters, Friday, November 21, 2008, 6:00-8:30 PM - Price: $45.  Call (860) 742-5892 by November 18 to register - SPECIAL PRICING: Attend both October 24^th & November 21^st workshops for $75

This workshop includes a simple overview of the body's immune system as viewed in Chinese and Western cultures along with material on some of the body's major energy vessels.  We'll use this framework as an aid to understanding how energy vessel and focused intention exercises can help us cleanse our bone marrow, strengthen our bones and enhance the effectiveness of our body's immune system.  Learn simple stance, movement, breathing and focused intention techniques to help strengthen your whole body and have a positive impact on your long term health and well being.

This workshop includes:

• Simple over of the immune system in Traditional Chinese Medicine & Qi Gong

• Review of some of the body's major energy vessels

• The role of intention in health and healing

• Bone marrow washing exercises for stronger bones and immune system.

• Bone breathing and compression exercises will be introduced if time permits.

Beginner's Guide to Cultivating Your Qi

Scheduled at CT Institute for Herbal Studies, Friday, November 14, 2008, 6:00-8:00 PM - Price: $35.  Call (860) 742-5892 or 666-5064 by November 11 to register

Scheduled at Spirit Matters, Friday, December 19, 2008, 6:00-8:00 PM - Price: $35.  Call (860) 742-5892 by December 16 to register

Cultivating Qi is one of the most widely known yet least practiced arts in the Qi Gong practitioner's repertoire.    Standing Post, Zhan Zhuang, Pile Standing and Standing Meditation (all different names for the same process) are simple techniques for building and cultivating our life force energy (Qi) and can produce profound results in our overall health and well being.  These easy to learn concepts and exercises can have a significant impact on our over all health and enhance benefits we receive from Tai Chi or Qi Gong practice.

This workshop includes:

• History and benefits of Zhan Zhuang practice

• Stages of standing and Qi cultivation

• Details of proper posture and body alignment to enhance Qi cultivation

• Simple postures that facilitate cultivation and movement of Qi throughout the body

• Tips for building and maintaining your practice

Focus Your Tai Chi Form Practice - Scheduled based on demand

We've all heard profound tips and guidance from our own teachers and various masters we've encountered in workshops and other events on how to guide our bodies to the optimal position to enhance our martial and energetic skills.  This workshop consolidates more than 20 of these tips gathered from class and workshop notes from more than 15 years of study.  You may have heard some of them before - but here they all are in one place, at one time, on a list you can use in your daily practice.  Practicing your form on a daily basis with one or more of these focal points will profoundly improve your Tai Chi.

This workshop includes:

• A simple approach to practicing your Tai Chi forms using the Focus Your Form list

• The list itself - more than 20 focal points for your use

• Practical application of each tip using pieces of your own Tai Chi form

• Implementing a practice strategy

• Questions, feedback and discussion