Surf Happy Qi: 7 Secrets

[Featured Article]

Surf Happy Qi: 7 Secrets 

Nadia Linda Hole MD 

Fall 7 times. Stand up 8 – Japanese proverb

It’s always easier to ride the wave in the direction it’s going – Gerry Lopez

Happiness depends as Nature shows, less on exterior than most suppose – W Cowper

Start the day with Love, Fill the day with Love, End the day with Love – Sai Baba

There is a wisdom in the wave – Dorian Paskowitz MD 

Surfer

 

Spring has come & gone.  Surf’s up.  & Life moves on.  Is happiness for the birds?

Why all the challenges, personally & globally? What in the Yin Yang is going on? Thank heaven the birds wake singing, & the bees, at least in Hawaii, are coming back!

From solar flare CME’s & earthquakes, orange & green revolutions, to relationship challenges, & more; the “Shift” is undeniably upon us. Speaking of birds & bees, I happened to fall in love this year, with a kind of man, offering me a kind of life, I’ve spent much of my life running from…

I fell in love with, & married, a Surfer – a lanky, blond, blue eyed surfer, larger than life tall, with a heart of gold, unquenchable passion for dolphins & whales, humongous dreams for humanity, & an Attitude!!! – radically different from the meticulous orderly traditional Chinese culture I was born into.

No matter what the news headlines are, no matter what turmoil we’re facing, inside or out, my hubby somehow manages to find “Happy.”

As I lay in bed one night, pondering what makes my hubby, & people in general, Happy, my fortune cookie’s message made me smile, “One key to happiness is a bad memory.” Among the happiest times I’ve had with my hubby, are surfing, where my hubby’s notoriously “bad”   memory becomes an asset.

It’s hard to successfully surf a wave, or relationship, loaded with “bad” memories, of old hurts.  Thanks to my hubby, I’m learning how to “surf” life.

Surfing is about celebrating the waves of life, no matter what the last wave “did.”  Each wave is a new experience, which can smash you or carry you.  Whether you dive under, or let the wave carry you, you’ve got to relax & let go. You’ve got to trust, trust, trust, & celebrate whatever the wave brings you. Each wave is another chance to let the water of life, of love, wash you free. Surfing sweetens surrender.

I woke the next morning to surprise messages from friends – one mourning a death in the family, another celebrating a new baby, birth in the family.  Even as I write, urgent messages keep coming in from friends, clients, & patients – one from a forest ranger in shock over the 2nd suicide in days in his extended family, another from a CEO best selling author who’s afraid she’s losing her mind.

Holy Shift!  Has life been a bit of a wild ride, with an unexpected wave or two, for anyone else?  Whoa! Time to catch our breath… before the next wave.Surfer2

As individuals, couples, families, communities, as a global, awakening, collective consciousness, we’ve very real, turning point, choices before us.

Our everyday choices, as mundane as what we eat, wear, think, & throw away, inevitably effect, & will continue to effect, the lives of others, our loved ones, our children; Mother Earth, Father Sky, the Ocean; & Web of Life, for generations to come.

What if, when we in choose to drive a car, rather than walk, some child in New Zealand has an asthma attack?  What if, whenever we gulp down another bottle of bottled water, a child in Pakistan goes thirsty? What if, when we conveniently use yet another plastic bag, yet another sea creature’s life is put at risk?

As Qi practitioners, mothers, fathers, friends, & lovers of life – How do we fully wake to the ripples of our choices?  How do we best support each other? “Don’t worry – Be happy!” can ring hollow.

Realms of research inform us however, that happy people live healthier, wealthier, & longer lives, with probably happier sex to boot.  Furthermore, happy people, in work & love, tend to have greater “success,” “meaning.” & purpose in their lives as well, making a difference in the lives of others.260310_118293611592689_117732484982135_169061_1223998_n

What’s the magic formula? How do we inspire others, not to mention ourselves, to break free of old self indulgent habits, to fully live, fully “meaningful” lives?

Chicken vs egg?  How? Why? What if? What now? How? … If you’re Surfer…, who cares?

Interestingly, the new prime minister of Bhutan, a country known for its Gross National Happiness measure as an alternative to gross national product, did not include Happiness as one of his campaign promises, “Rather than talking about happiness, we want to work on reducing the obstacles to happiness.”

Interestingly, surfers are often passionate activists in deeply caring, about & for, our cross cultural extended family, the Ocean, & Mother Earth; quietly serving, behind the scenes, reducing obstacles.

As a newly wed, madly in love with a mad surfer, I’m discovering the paramount importance of facing our inner obstacles to happiness, & re-learning how to apply traditional Qi tools, in very real life ways. When the waves keep coming in, when the sun sets, & all’s said & done – what’s the bottom line, for living as Qi centered, happy, full filled, a life as possible?

Notice the Qi glow surfers so often have? & Attitude!! What Qi secrets can we learn from my surf happy hubby?

1)    KEEP BREATHING, one breath at a time, as deeply as possible, out “bad” Qi, in “good” Qi. When you don’t know how to possibly navigate the next wave, next emotion, next thought, next challenge; keep breathing. Feel as authentically as possible, your body, your heart, your feelings, the truth of your hearts of hearts, without any self judgment. We can demo, via kinesiology, how taking even 2 or 3 deep Qi breaths, fully into your heart,  belly, & body, can instantly & measurably change your state of being.

2)    KEEP LOVING.  Know that beyond the “It’s all up to ME” vs “It’s all up to YOU,” that we’ve a greater WE.  While no one else can ride my wave of life for me, or your wave of life for you; it’s easier, when we’re out on a wave, alone, to know that we’re Loved. Somehow, we’ve got to do all we humanly can, to keep Loving & trusting one another thru the waves of life, no matter what the waves may bring, for the greater WE.  Qi masters, & AHMA doctors, both teach that Love is the greatest healer of all.

3)    KEEP TRUSTING the process. Whatever I’m feeling, out on a wave; whether it be anger, hurt, & disappointment; or peace, bliss, & joy, from heaven knows where, there’s no one on the wave, besides me, to hold accountable for my feelings, my choices, my life.

All we can do, each moment, each wave, is make the “best” possible next choice, from our heart of hearts, a choice aimed for relishing the gift of this wave, this relationship, this love, this moment, NOW! … Bah the last wave already past, or next wave yet to come.

We’ve got learn to trust that on some level, each choice of our life has been the “right” choice, to bring us the perfect life lessons, at the perfect time.  We’ve got to trust that somehow each wave is bringing us exactly what we need, to grow, on our path Home.

4)    LET GO – There’s absolutely nothing you, or I can personally do to change the waves – yours, mine, or anyone else’s.  Especially when someone projecting “strong” emotions, or judgments, that’s their wave – not mine, not yours.  We’ve got to own & let go any reaction, judgment, stories, or agenda we ourselves may personally have. As a colleague, Jim Self puts it, “What you think of me, is none of my business.” The waves of life, & emotions, high & low, come & go.  We’ve got to be willing to simply observe, with detached loving compassion, rather than reaction, people, including ourselves, releasing “stuff.”

5)    SAY NO – Give yourself permission to say No, to be true to your own gut, your own heart.  At times, some waves are simply too big for me.   When the wave’s too big, & all I can see are clouds, fore casting a possible storm, I’m learning that it’s wiser to bite my tongue, & simply wait out the set. I’ve got to discipline myself to choose NOT to engage, & trust that when the skies calm, sooner or later, a wave will come, before the sun sets, that we can once again ride together, & come celebrate in Peace.

6)    SAY YES, to a bigger, happier, NEW STORY.  Are you aware of the stories we tell ourselves? As Einstein used to ask in his later life – What if it’s a friendly universe, & there’s some force that wants only the best for You?  What would it take to say Yes!  How about doing our best to become aware of our inner, unconscious, voices?

We can demo via kinesiology & other medical tests, how your every thought effects your muscle strength, EEG brain waves, neurotransmitters, heart rate variability, & immune system. More importantly, negative thoughts weaken not only you, but also everyone else in the room. Positive thoughts strengthen BOTH you, AND also everyone else in the room.

Rather than focusing on “harm reduction” negatives, what about focusing instead on the blessings in disguise? Perhaps it’s time to reframe the story of our lives?  – yours, mine, – &  recognize how we’re all interconnected?  Time yet for a new, greater, WE story?

7)    REMEMBER YOUR INNER SMILE & GO FOR IT– There’s a “no mind,” “no expectation,” freedom, peace, stillness, ease, & bliss, that’s possible in the waves, like making Love, born out of gratitude, beyond words, & not necessarily sexual. Catch it, Ride it, Remember it. With each & every breath, every thought, every action, every wave, do your best to Remember your Inner Smile, & connection to the infinite universal Qi.  In this infinite stillness, anything & everything is possible. Feel the “Yes!” in your heart of hearts, for your dreams, your purpose, your passion, your true Love, & GO FOR IT!!!

Dr Seligman, Positive Psychology Center, U Penn, describes 3 ingredients of happiness – pleasure, engagement, & meaning. The meaningful life “consists of knowing what your highest strengths are, & using them to belong to, & in the service of something larger than you are.”

Sounds like some surfers I know. I’ve yet to meet a surfer unhappy surfing, surfing life.  Is happiness for the birds? YES! & for Surfers, Lovers, &  Qi family too! Happy Surf, Happy Qi, & Blessed Be.

 

REFERENCES:

Butler, Nigel; Long Distance Swim, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idgIvwwN7YY

Hole MD, Nadia Linda; Holy Shift, YS Dec 2011; Yin Yang of Solar Flares, YS June 2012; & A New Love Story, YS Feb 2014

Self, Jim, & Roxanne Burnette, What Do You Mean the Third Dimension is Going Away?, Inner Sight Press, Scottsdale CA, 2013

Seligman PhD, Martin, http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/world/asia/index-of-happiness-bhutans-new-leader-prefers-more-concrete-goals.html

 

Dr. Nadia Linda HoleDr Linda Nadia Hole MD is a pioneer QiGong“master” in bridging Qigong & medicine, with degrees from Princeton, Duke, Oneness, & USHS Universities. She has served on numerous faculties, including the American Holistic Medical Association, & American Academy of Pain Management; is a contributing author of chapters on Qi-KHT for complementary medicine textbooks; consulting editor for Chinese Medical Qigong; co-founder of the Free Distance Healing Qi Project, & IAMQI. Besides dancing, dolphins, healing in the way of Love, the practical science of “miracles,”& Peace; Dr Hole’s passion is bringing a more heart centered, Qi approach, to families, communities, business, & medicine. For upcoming Dolphin Qi, & Kilimanjaro Pilgrimages, visit http://AlohaMD.com    
 
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