When I thought about writing a blog for our one-year pandemic online anniversary I confess to being speechless. Those who know me know I am not a woman of few words, but the notion of trying to pen an articulate line encapsulating these past 365 days just made me want to take a nap. A really long nap. I wrote plenty at first, a trusted method for finding some meaning or logic or path through the landscape of the unknown. But a year later whatever this time was and continues to be seems less at a shocking forefront of life and more simply the day in and day out of what we are all doing. Nothing much to say, really.
Throughout this year I have worked harder than I ever have in my life to teach something of value, to hold a container for people not just to learn but to find their way through this very strange time. And all the students worked hard to see, stay steady and learn within this uncanny place called a screen. No one would have planned it thusly, however, it worked. We learned much this year. Both skill and dedication definitely improved. Yet it’s been more than that.
Through our process together we created sometime bigger. Every week, if even for just one hour, we logged on and well, we might say we logged on and entered our Pandemic Temple. This Temple held everything for all of us and something different for each of us. This year, in this temple, we experienced so much – we aged and yet we also became renewed. We breathed in and out stillness and movement; we shared in each other’s joys and despairs, our wishes and fears, our knowings and our having no idea at all. Perhaps most importantly though, in our isolation we stayed connected and deepened into those connections in ways we could otherwise have never imagined. This time, our practice, in this temple, kept us present with it all.
As our lives shift again, may we not soon forget all we have felt and learned.
I asked a cross-section of the Moon’s long-time students, who had history with our school pre-pandemic and who stayed with their practice during this past year, and a few of the distance learners who came to the Moon this year, to speak a little about what their retreat to this unforeseen temple meant to them. What follows are their words, unedited with the exception of all the specific appreciation they each said to me, which I prefer to keep personal between each student and myself. If you wish to leave your own comments about what this year of your practice, whatever it was, meant to you, I invite you to do so in the comments section. Who knows, perhaps someday in some time capsule someone will find these words and think, “wow, that must have really been something.”
I practice every day. I have sign in my workspace that says: “Practice is what I say it is.” My practice has now become who I am. Yes, I aim to do my form each day, but not out of a feeling of obligation but out of thankfulness for letting me feel grounded and for the joy of moving. Sometimes practice is making art, or taking a walk. It’s about saying to myself, “today, this is my practice.” I miss practicing alongside of people, but not attending class just wasn’t an option. I’ve still made progress online and even digitally the community is strong. Thankful for my practice.
Fiona, Luohan 15+ years
***
Your question took me by surprise because until now, it never occurred to me NOT being able to have class! You made the transition feel effortless, at least for me as a student. It was different, yet the same! It has been the “thread of normalcy and continuity” all this time. Having a practice that is able to connect people, no matter the physical distance, is amazing! To breathe in and out together has been amazing!
Joyce, all classes, 25+ years, founder
***
This year, with all of its challenges, has had more "silver linings" thanks to the Moon. It has offered a space to continue to learn, to grow, and to connect to the world around me. The gifts of community, the opportunity to learn a system I've been wanting to study for years (and from a teacher dedicated to keeping the teachings pure) have indeed been like the moon- a force of gravity and source of light!
Tonya, Luohan 1+ year (and many more prior to the Moon)
***
Being able to continue Qi Gong online kept me nourished during this time of deprivation. It kept me anchored amid all the waves. And best of all was when we practiced in Volunteer Park, in the early morning, under the tree, nourished by the air and the green, anchored on the earth.
Deborah, Luohan, 15+ years
***
I am not going to lie. My Sunday trip to Seattle was a meditative way to seal the end of my week. As an only kid who had to survive weekends with an unhinged dad, Sunday evenings carried that depressive residue for most of my adult life. The trip to QiGong became a decade long re-do and I looked at the evenings as a new comfort and sanctuary. When COVID hit I watched that live comfort disappear almost over night. Kim reacted immediately by creating a zoom alternative and being extremely diligent to keep us all safe. This year of Sundays has been an anchor, something I can put into my body. In my bedroom or front porch and stay connected to something lasting, ancient and good.
These practices that Kim continues to share with supreme integrity are durable and so are we. There is something simple and true about Sunday evenings for me that is changing my older pattern and the pandemic didn’t interrupt or end our continuation. I'm glad I stayed with the rest of us and that Kim kept the space going. Doesn't matter if it's a big studio, a park or my front porch, the form continues and so do we.
Lucas, Luohan 10+ years
***
Being at-risk for the virus and living alone has meant considerable isolation for me this year. The Moon has proved once again to be an anchor during a period of crisis in my life and I am extremely grateful that Kim has been able to keep the community together. By working hard on improving my practice every day I’ve been able to turn this year into a period of growth and progress instead of stasis. I am greatly looking forward to the return of hands-on correction and in person group classes, however.
Kirk, Tai Chi 15+ years (and many more prior to the Moon)
***
Who knew that such a positive experience could come out of a tragedy such as the Covid epidemic? Although I miss being with our Qigong and Taiji friends in-person, I’m very happy to have “met” new friends, from Seattle and around the globe. The simultaneous class-instruction and solo practice (at home during class), I believe, has led to a deepening of my practice. The classes have helped to stave off loneliness and give my weeks structure. Being a teacher gives me a sense of purpose, to help others through their pandemic-time journey as well as filling me with joy to be with groups of such lovely people.
Laura, all classes, 15+ years, Instructor with the Moon
***
I moved to a new town in a new state just in time to quarantine for a pandemic. No new friends, no playing with my grandson, no traveling, no playing Chen Tai Chi. Agony! But with incredible luck, I discovered Embrace the Moon classes had gone virtual. I've spent this pandemic year taking up to five/six Zoom classes a week, cross-continent. SC to WA. Building on the little bit I knew, learning fascinating new skills way beyond my capabilities, in classes with strangers who filled my friendship void merely by studying together. My kudos and my thanks to Kimberly and all teachers for somehow knowing how to teach a martial art on a computer, thus keeping me sane, grateful, and surviving. Pandemic or not, I'm all in for virtual classes forever!!
Ann, Tai Chi, Qigong, 1+ year, and many more before the Moon
***
It has been important to me to be able to access Qigong classes during the pandemic. I remember one lesson last spring, as we were all still wrapping our heads around what Covid was, when Kim focused some of her instruction on breathing. In that session, and since it has been powerful to connect to my own lungs, my own breath as a way to ground in a time when respiration carries so much fear and possibility of disaster.
Candance, Tai Chi, Luohan, 10+ years
***
My qigong practice has been essential to getting through year one of the pandemic, and it has deepened considerably. Somehow the introvert in me has relished doing my practice alone on-line. It’s one of many weird paradoxes that exist in the time of corona. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll beat feet right back to the dojo when we can go. But this kind of practice has forced me to take a deeper look into each aspect of the form because you aren’t around to make corrections. In that sense I’m a more self-reliant practitioner. We continue to learn in small and large ways.
Anon, Luohan, 15+ years
***
Attending class always increases my sense calmness, strength, and flexibility, but attending class during the first 6 months of the pandemic was a lifesaver. When my normal routines and interactions suddenly disappeared, I felt anxious, lonely, and disoriented. It was grounding and reassuring to have QiGong class twice a week, and it helped me feel connected not only to the teacher and the other students, but also to my internal processes, the natural world, and thousands of years of culture and tradition: a sense of the eternal rhythms of life, in the midst of pandemic dislocation. It was especially wonderful to take class outdoors (with masks, socially distanced!) in parks during the summer.
Elizabeth, Luohan, 10+ Years
***
Practice in a Year of Pandemic
Well, THAT happened - 12 months of uncertainty, chaos, and loss. And yet, we are still gathering, still standing, still practicing. This year it has been especially important to be able to depend upon ourselves, to exercise the discipline of routine, and to remember that there is very little that any of us can control. My practice with the Moon keeps me grounded and connects me with a community I value. When we breathe in and breathe out - when we flow the form together, the cacophony of daily life quiets and I encounter the present moment with a quiet sense of gratitude.
Cyndi, Luohan, 15+ years
***
This past year, knowing that come Friday I will be joining my virtual Luohan community for an hour of practice with has been like heading to a harbor in the storm. I come away centered, connected and refreshed, with gratitude for Kim and my fellow practitioners spread across the globe and zoom screen.
Steven, Luohan 10+ years
***
Qigong in a Pandemic Year:
Stillness
Introspection
Growth (?)
Lao Tzu - Wisdom
Breath - Connecting body to earth and sky
Xie Xie Ni, Laoshi
Zoe 5+ years (and more prior to the Moon)
***
Tai Chi classes and practice have and continue to sustain me, both physically and mentally, through the pandemic, which included a cross-country move. It has allowed me to focus on the positive and settle into calm. I don't want to think about what this past year would have been like without four weekly sessions immersed in Tai Chi.
Carol, Tai Chi, 2+ years
***
Connections and continuity. The Zoom practice was integral in keeping me sane and helping me take my practice deeper.
Barbara, Tai Chi 10+ years
***
My qigong practice with Kim and Embrace the Moon community has been such a gift during the pandemic. Centering my mind on my body and seeing others do it at the same time have helped me stay connected to community and the celestial heavens! Thank you everyone!
Paula, Luohan 10+ years
***
I've been extremely grateful to be able to be able to continue my Luohan practice via Zoom. I'm over 60 -- one of the groups that was identified as vulnerable early on -- and I didn't feel safe practicing at the dojo with others around me once it became clear how widespread Covid was becoming. So much has changed as a result of the pandemic, but the through line of our Luohan practice has remained.
Lindsay, Luohan, 20+ years
***
Although there is a communal feeling about practicing in person with others and benefits to getting hands-on corrections, home classes have provided a chance to take short breaks or observe you for details that might have missed.
Bill, Tai Chi 15+ years, instructor
***
While I haven't attended the real-time Zoom versions of Kim's Monday 10:15 tai chi class, I have downloaded and watched and practiced with the recorded versions of each session. I've missed out on individual live corrections (other than in a few private lessons with Kim during the year). But being able to watch Kim's instructions on individual movements over and over again has been immensely helpful. That ability to repeat and repeat the instructions was something I often longed for when I was still attending weekly in-person classes. Kim deserves a lot of credit for learning about and using the technology so adeptly.
Connie, Tai Chi 15+ years (and many more prior to the Moon)
***
Zooming into Qigong classes this last year was like coming home - there you were, there were all the familiar faces (and a few new ones) of my classmates on this journey, and there was the practice, unchanged. What a welcome touchstone in this world that had suddenly become turned upside down. I have been so grateful for those hours, to have this place - and our definition of “place" has expanded - to come to each week, to be together with one another and our practice.
Carol, Luohan, 15+ years
***
Virtual tai chi classes have helped give me a sense of normalcy and routine during the pandemic. They have helped me continue to feel the sense of community that I have always gotten from classes at the moon. It has helped keep my body healthier during a time when I am experiencing more bodily stress and injury from doing all of my work in front of the computer. I think I am making it to class more regularly because it is one of the few things that feels so reliably good and grounding during a time when my access to those kinds of activities is reduced.
Joanna, Tai Chi 10+ years
***
I appreciate how Qi Gong helps me keep grounded no matter what is happening. I attend the Monday Qi Gong class, and it is always such a good way to start the week - in a gentle but powerful way, getting in tune, resetting energetically, getting supple and flexible to face whatever the week may bring.
Izumi, Qigong 15+ years
***
As the structures of my life shifted and changed with the winds of COVID news, recommendations and developments the constancy and regularity of Embrace The Moon practice anchored my body and spirit.
Michelle, Qigong 5+ years (and many more before the Moon, Instructor)
***
After two years lost to poor health (2018 and 2019), 2020 was to be my year to really get going again. Then Fearful COVID restrictions kept me fairly homebound; but Zoom "attending" Monday morning Qigong practice put some structure in my week, tone in my body, and hope in my spirit. I am so thankful for those blessings.
Lynnette, Qigong, 25+ years, Founder
***
My own Tai chi journey started back in 1996, but with as many years training as not! A chronic knee injury, working abroad in the Himalayas, starting a family and then moving away from my original inspiring Chen teachers after only 2 years, meant I became used to being a part-time, distant, drop in student.
Amidst this year of 'Covid' suffering and unimaginable losses, the rhythm of zooming, downloading and practising, has become the heart beat for my year; I have felt nourished and nurtured by the Moon. I am so grateful for the opportunity and access to a weekly flow of robust training, guidance and inspiration that has deepened my love of Tai chi. I feel like a mature student, who has returned to study with the excitement and hunger for knowledge, and so grateful for this unique and special experience.
Anon - Tai Chi, Luohan 1+ years with the Moon, and many years prior
***
The practice for me has been learning how I learn, and what gets in the way: Impatience at myself for not figuring it out as fast as I want to, or for forgetting, or for being lazy and skipping a practice day. But then bringing compassion to myself when this happens, and realizing that the learning process is nonlinear, that forgetting and remembering are like yin and yang, that I'm learning to be more playful and humorous when making mistakes and just explore. The plus side is that Tai Chi has helped me become more graceful and mindful when moving in everyday life and work (walking, running, sitting, and working as a professional massage therapist!)
Brian, Tai Chi 1+ years
***
Go with the flow, flexibility in mind, introspective and sense of calmness independent of what's going on outside. I garden (adopted plants, gave them home, made my own organic compost, grew organic food, brought smiles to passersby as they stopped and took the time to smell the flowers, etc) more than I ever did along with the practice to keep myself grounded and connected with Mother Earth. Nourishing the Earth and mySelf through qigong, taichi and all the other special classes and workshops this year greatly nourished my overall well-being (body, mind and spirit). Despite the social distancing, the zoom classes taught by Kim made us continuously feel the authentic connection with trueSelf and humanity and along with my meditative/mindful gardening more, I’ve extended the energy vibration to have met and connected with my neighbors and passersby more than I ever have.
Delia, all classes, 2+ years with the Moon, and many more prior
***
Qigong had been keeping me sane. Between the politics and the pandemic I sometimes felt like I should crawl under my bed and stay there for the duration. But the process of moving and breathing and focusing together, even though we're in different spaces is very grounding. The act of doing something positive, if only for myself, helped me through the worst of times. The fact that others were doing it too made me feel connected to them, a secret network of breathing, moving, mindful people. Without it I would have seized up physically and mentally.
Elaine, Qigong, Luohan 15+ years
***
When we first went into lock down, I felt so isolated and alone. It was great to attend multiple classes a week, and I felt like I was able to make more progress than I had in quite some time because of the repetition. It was wonderful to see people in person "on line" and practice with a group. As someone living alone, and before my school knew how we could teach online, I really needed the contact. It was great to have a chance to do a Qigong class which I had been curious about after years of Tai Chi. With my back issues over the last few years, I have had to leave early frequently. It's been nice to be able to sit when I need to and then rejoin class when I am able. And most recently I have loved having classes with Scooter. He's an awesome teacher. Even though I really miss in person classes, the weekly opportunity to check in and practice with everyone has so helped me to maintain my sanity (well, mostly) during this very challenging year.
Mira, Tai Chi, Qigong, 15+ years
***
"Body like an Ess"
From waist up, moving,
We own our Hollywood Squares.
Screens, Sunshine, Streaming.....
Dean, Luohan 15+ years
This is the Word Art that came as an amalgam from our contributors. The larger words are the most frequently used. You can zoom in to read the smaller ones. Feel free to contact me for the high quality jpg or png if you would like one for yourself and I’m happy to send you one with our compliments.