in this issue
	1) Carolyn’s Comments 2) Calyco Healing Trainings 3) Featured Article: Tai Chi & Qigong for Women 4) Group Phone Sessions: Uncovering Your      Talents/Creativity 5) Carolyn Recommends 6) Closing Thought

Can you believe we are already into the second quarter of the year, how are you doing on your yearly intentions? Great, I hope! Refer to your intention list often so you can keep on track!

One of my goals for 2009 is to do more outdoor activities-I tend to spend a lot of time in my office. So two weeks ago I went rappelling for the first time! I must admit, going over a high cliff with no support but a rope to hold me made me a little nervous at first. But after the first few steps it was really fun! In fact, my 7 year old daughter River was a maniac going down the mountain! She was only there because we couldn’t find a babysitter that day, so I was not going to take a turn and just stay put with her. But you know this generation of kids; they seem to have no fear. So we let her go on a small cliff and she was hooked! She did it several times, and keeps asking me when we’ll go again. That kind of spunk comes from not doubting yourself or your abilities and trusting that everything will turn out well. I think that’s something we can all develop!

Coming up THIS WEEK:
Monday, April 13th 5 pm Mtn. time (4 pdt, 6 central, 7 edt)
Fr*ee Preview Call for the new “Basics” teleseminar.
If you are thinking about taking the “Energy Healing Basics Clean and Simple” 5 part teleseminar which begins April 21st, please join us for this preview call! A Special BONUS will be announced! Register for Monday’s call here.

Thursday, April 16th Group Energy Clearing call
Topic: Uncovering Your Talents & Creativity
Do you feel stifled in this area? Like you have some restless creativity, but not sure what direction to head with it? Or perhaps that you got skipped over in the talent area? Everyone has his or her own unique gifts and talents. Join me on this call where we will clear out the blocks, find clarity to move forward, an open up those dormant expressions of you! Read more about Group Energy Sessions and register here.

And don’t forget World Tai Chi and Qigong day on Saturday, April 25th. Celebrations around the world at 10 am in every time zone. To find out details about a celebration in your city go to:
www.WorldTaiChiDay.org Note to locals: I will not be leading a group in St. George this year, as I will be in Canada that week. As far as I know, my fellow instructors are not available that day either—sorry!

Learn more about Calyco Healing and how it can change your life in amazingly positive ways.

St. George, Utah
Level One - May 27, 28
Level Two - May 29, 30
For more information and to register for this class click here.

Salt Lake City, Utah
Level One - July 14, 15
Level Two - July 16, 17
For more information and to register for this class click here.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Tai Chi article in the newsletter, so in honor of the upcoming World Tai Chi Day, this month we get to learn a little more about the benefits of Tai Chi.

Did you know that modern medical research indicates that Tai Chi can boost your immune system resistance to viral infection by 50%, lower high blood pressure, reduce anxiety and depression, treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, treat type 2 diabetes, and much, much more?

Tai Chi and Qigong are some of the most effective stress management tools known, and the multi-dimensional benefits they offer can make them perfect for today's modern woman. Emerging research indicates that Tai Chi offers cardiovascular benefit, meditation's emotional and mental benefits (reducing anxiety and depression), an effective caloric burning effect, an increase in bone mass and may help slow some aspects of the aging process by reducing the damage caused by free radicals and the stress that can increase their number.

This is like getting two time consuming programs, an aerobic workout, and a meditation time, and rolling them all into one easy low impact program that can save you time in your busy day.

An additional reason why Tai Chi is the ultimate exercise for women is its ability to cultivate both elegance and power. Tai Chi's ability to cultivate an inner sense of confidence can be very helpful for women in the workplace as well as for stay at home moms.

However, there are many biological reasons Tai Chi can be helpful to women as well.

Heart Disease

Contrary to popular thought, each year Heart Disease kills more women than men, according to the Center for Disease Control. And not just older women, for Heart Disease is the third leading cause of death among women aged 25 to 44 years.

Stress is one of the major factors in both the development of heart disease, and in rehabilitation after it occurs. In fact, the British Heart Foundation now advocates Tai Chi as a treatment for Heart Failure.

Bone Loss

Bone loss is a big problem with many women. Studies indicate that stress may be a major factor contributing to the loss of bone mass in even relatively young women. The daily stress relief Tai Chi promotes provides a powerful preventative therapy to help ensure a long active life for women.

For women, including those over 45, one study's results indicate that QiGong practice may raise estrogen levels. This is highly desirable because reduced estrogen levels after menopause cause a loss of calcium from the bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Type 2 Diabetes

According to the CDC, more than half of the 15.7 million Americans with diabetes are women. 8.1 million American women, to be exact, suffer diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes rates have increased at alarming rates for African-American women, a 2003 report revealed. Emerging research suggests Tai Chi may offer hope.

Immune System

At UCLA a Tai Chi study on the immune system's resistance to the Shingles virus (the herpes virus that causes chicken pox) found that the Tai Chi group boosted their immune system resistance to viral infection by 50%. Researchers believed that result would carry over to other types of viral infection.

Such research results suggest that Tai Chi may offer much to women's immune function, which could improve life quality on many levels. The stress relieving qualities Tai Chi and Qigong offer may help regularly unload the stress that can inhibit the natural defense systems of the body, thereby improving immune function.

Eating Disorders

Women suffer from eating disorders ten times as often as men. Although often thought of as an adult problem, anorexia and bulimia most often start in the teenage years while the sufferer is still at home. Although I am unaware of any studies on the effectiveness of Tai Chi as therapy for anorexia or bulimia, the underlying issues and symptomology seem to suggest that much of the treatment criteria are embodied in Tai Chi practice.

For example, it is recommended that anorexia or bulimia sufferers strengthen their inner core of self and self-worth. The self-esteem that Tai Chi practice builds and encourages can be a highly effective way to discover the power within one's self. The need for a restoration of biochemical and hormonal balance may be facilitated with Tai Chi's ability to create a homeostatic effect throughout the body, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Tai Chi addresses the need to balance internal rhythms and needs with life's demands by those who practice it so they can become quietly mindful of subtle feelings and needs before they become a crisis born out in acute stress or panic.

Mood swings and depression are a part of bulimic bingeing, and feelings of lack of personal control are a part of many teenagers' anorexia or bulimia. Food, or denying ourselves food, provides us with a feeling of self-control over a world out of control. Tai Chi's regular practice is designed to help us realize that we have a great deal of control over how we are impacted by the world. This centering enables us to feel more accepting of the fact that much of the world is beyond our control.

Tai Chi Flow dvds are the ideal way to get started with Tai Chi. Filmed mirror-image, they are easy to follow and you can enjoy them in the comfort of your own home. We offer dvds for Every-Body, for Kids, and for Pregnancy.

Information for this article taken from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tai Chi” by Bill Douglas.

Here’s what’s coming up for April:

Evening - Thursday, April 16th ~ Uncovering Talents/Creativity
6:00 pm Mountain Time
Do you feel you have some unused talents? Or maybe you feel like you have some creativity just waiting to burst forth, if only you knew what to do with it. Join us for this call where we will uncover and unleash your hidden or dormant talents, and open the way for clarity and creativity!

Read more about how Group Sessions work and register here

Sometimes we all just need a little validation. Here’s a fun video for you to watch, I guarantee it will make you smile!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

“If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.”

C.S. Lewis.

Blessings,
Carolyn