What Stops You From Mindfulness Practice?
14 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted in Mindfulness Meditation
Tag Archives: chicago meditation center
Master Jiru in Little Village for Tai Chi Dec. 11
11 Sunday Dec 2011
Posted in Tai Chi
Master Jiru will join us for class tomorrow!
Sunday Dec. 11 from 2-4pm for class in meditation, tai chi and sutra study. Hope you can make it for an enlightening afternoon of practice and peace together. 2752 S Central Park Ave. Chicago, IL 60623 Join Us!
Time Magazine says, “Tai Chi is the Perfect Exercise”
10 Thursday Mar 2011
Check out this terrific article from Time Magazine and share it with your friends who may be curious about what all this tai chi business is.
Here is the link to the article.
I’ll just add that the article closes with saying that younger folks might need a greater aerobic challenge than tai chi presents. Maybe. Everyone is different but there are many forms of tai chi some of which move at a pretty good clip. Even the Yang 24-form which is normally done fairly slowly, can be done fast to increase the aerobic potential. And, I can tell you doing the form over and over, nice and slow gets my heart rate up to 135 easily.
As well, for advanced students, as you move through the form slowly, chewing on the fine details and uncovering the buried treasure for mind and body, one of the things you find is the forms natural centrifugal tendencies. This allows you to develop and make the most of those on many levels.
Let me know what you think. Come on in and try it out. Got nothing to lose but your stress!
Tai Chi Shi Ba Shi Video
08 Tuesday Mar 2011
Posted in About our center, Stress reduction, Tai Chi
Just wanted to let you all know, that Calm Chicago is on You Tube. You’ll find our short videos about the 18-form qigong to help support your practice.
Each video deals with just one posture right now. And while getting to a class or involved with some kind of one-on-one instruction is ideal, in the meantime, I hope these can help answer questions you may have.
Let me know what questions you might have.
And if you’re interested in studying but can’t make it into the center, let me know because we’re be happy to come to your home, office or community space. We’re right here in Chinatown, so the South Loop is particularly close by.
Stay well.
Hillary
Hillary in 1st posture 18-form Shi ba shi
Getting Profoundly Empty at Calm Chicago
06 Sunday Mar 2011
Posted in About our center
Tags
chicago meditation center, meditation, private lessons, tai chi, walking meditation, world tai chi day
So sweet, a student sent me this message recently after a private class where we practiced walking meditation. An exercise in which we focus on the fine points of the experience of walking. If you want to go forward you must shift the weight to one foot entirely, that leg becomes full…the other leg, ready to step forward, has become empty. The heel touches down to the floor or earth, the shifting of weight begins, filling that leg, the other becomes empty. And so on, over and over. Each step, like each breath a bit different. Arises, exists for a time, then passes away.
Thanks for the one-on-one session today. I tried to be mindful of things being empty and full–just during lunch hour–and there’s a lot, like maybe everything. Things have to be empty before they can be full, and vice versa. Wow–new concepts to consider!
I was exhilarated by her discovery. Way to go. And many thanks.
mindful of body, breath and mind.
Sifu Matt and Calm Chicago visit the Boy Scouts
04 Friday Mar 2011
Posted in About our center
Tags
chicago meditation center, kung fu, meditation, ving tsun, ving tsun chicago, vtsda, wing chun chicago
My husband, Ving Tsun Sifu Matt, and I had the pleasure of visiting a group of Boy Scouts this evening. It was really great.
The kids learned a little sitting meditation (they were SO silent and still! Amazing!) and Sifu Matt talked to them about having respect, patience and a quiet mind before training kung fu.
Check out our video slide show.
If you like, we’d be happy to come do a similar class for you. Let us know. We’re so happy to share with others what we’ve been so grateful to learn.
Many thanks to our teachers, family, students and friends.
Everything Old is New Again
02 Wednesday Mar 2011
Posted in About our center
We’ll be returning effective immediately to our old space at:
2147 S Lumber St Suite 504 (free parking! near red line and busess)
Call or email me for the access code before your first visit.
Nice to be back with Sifu Matt (my husband) and sharing the space for our various teachings.
There will also be adjustments to the schedule in consideration of my new routine with Storycatchers Theatre.
Now that spring is nearly here, we’ll also soon be holding all tai chi and qigong classes in Ping Tom Park, with its lovely aromatic cypresses, water and pagoda.
Ping Tom Park Pagoda
It’s very easy to find and a clearly identifiable landmark … So, come join us! New schedule coming soon. Happy Spring everyone. I hope the new changes will serve to support your practice. Thank you for stopping by.
One Solution to Anything Life Kicks Up…
08 Tuesday Feb 2011
Posted in About our center, Meditation
…more meditation. 
Buddha at Sunrise at MABA by Ven. Kongmu
Mind too busy to sit or stand?
Then do some tai chi or qigong. It’s helps to settle the mind down. To train the mind to observe … only observe. Not offer analysis. Not engage in conversation. No useless chit chat.
Just allow the mind to begin to find its natural state … quiet, empty, blissful no matter what. Not sticking to moments, opinions, carving the world up into bits we like and bits we dislike.
What ever life kicks up. Stress. Anger. Jealousy. Greed. Defensiveness. and so on … we can let it all go with more meditation.
Will it go away all at once? I don’t know. Not for me so far…but I can tell you this. The more I practice, the more life gets simpler and more peaceful, not only for me but those around me too.
And that’s a start. Come try with us, if you like. We even have some free classes.
Wishing peace and happiness to all beings.
(xian huang) hillary johnson
Dharma name given by my teacher, Master Ji Ru
Calm Chicago Has a New Address
22 Saturday Jan 2011
Posted in About our center, Tai Chi, Taiji
Tags
body, body and mind, breath, Chicago, chicago meditation center, chicago yang taichi, chicago yang taiji, Compassion, enlightenment, happiness, loving kindness, meditation, meditation center, Metta, mind and body, mindfulness, qigong, retreat, sitting meditation, stress-management, stress-reduction, tai chi, taiji, world tai chi day, world tai chi day calm chicago, world tai chi day chicago, Yang tai chi, Yang Taiji
We have a great new location in Chinatown Square. We owe many thanks to Dr. Richard Li, an excellent chiropractor who’s sharing the space with us. (So, if you need some tuina massage or an adjustment, we got you covered!)
2155 s china place unit b (above t-mobile)
Walking distance to the Red Line, Cermak and Archer buses, parking lots.
Check out our new class schedule.
We also have FREE classes to get everyone ready for World Tai Chi Day on Saturday, April 30th. Join us!
Drop by any time to see what we’re up to. Just call ahead since we’re not there 24/7!
One Thing Tai Chi Practice is Not
06 Thursday Jan 2011
Posted in Meditation, Mindfulness, Stress Management, Tai Chi, Taiji
Tags
body and mind, Chicago, chicago meditation center, happiness, loving kindness, meditation, meditation center, mind and body, mindfulness, tai chi, tai chi 24, taiji, taiji 24
Tai chi (or taiji) is not something you can learn by thinking about it or by doing some complex analysis.
Beginners and more experienced practitioners learn the same way … through direct experience. It’s through this direct experience, this intense, sharp focus, maintained throughout the form, with the total object of the mind, the body/breath/mind, brought totally together as one that does the teaching.
A teacher can guide you but even that only goes so far. It’s our own practice that is the real way to discover how to move in the very beginning and later, how to chew on the subtle nuances that take you endlessly deeper into understanding.
Then we experience ourselves, through practice what we can not otherwise describe. We are all the owners of our own practice. If we want to enjoy the fruits of tai chi, qi gong and meditation, no one can do this for us.
The great thing is that our ability to deepen our practice is always in our own hands. We have the power to make our bodies stronger, our minds more sharp and clear and our lives more soft and peaceful.
I love tai chi for so many reasons. Yes, it’s beautiful to watch a real master. It feels so wonderful to do. And it’s an awesome gateway for anyone to have a better life. Whether you’re a spiritual seeker or just want to feel really good in the body and mind.
Tai chi, qigong and meditation can help you slow your mind down, so that each day feels like it opens more slowly, gradually letting go of the frenetic buzz of contemporary life.
No fancy gear required. Soft clothes and soft soled shoes of some kind (or barefoot if you like) And you can practice anywhere.
Wishing peace and happiness for all beings.
Thanks for stopping by,
hij
