Thank you so much for these wonderful videos. You two have amazing energy. I have never done CI per se myself, but I want to try it and transfer the knowledge you thought me to a group of youngsters. I believe CI can teach people a lot about energy and synergy, partnership and respect, connection and boundaries, and many more things. Thanks once more and regards from Croatia x
First, let me be sure to thank you for these videos! I intend to use them as referrence for teaching others CI. You do such a good job of articulating all the details of dancing in this form. I'm 63 now and haven't danced in a few years. Back in the day, though, mostly through my thirties, I was in love with CI. I miss it and must get back to it. In this episode, I find an interesting concept in the entering and exiting of a dance. I don't disagree with your sentiment, your way of managing this aspect of the dance. And, in fact, I can share with you an example of how your thinking (and feeling) about it makes a lot of sense. I once exited a dance and the woman I was having a duet with was so disappointd that it was clear to everyone in the room (roughly 12 people). It was as if she had just been abandoned. Having said/shared this, it is of my personal interpretation that her reaction represents an overreaction. One of the aspects of CI contributing to what has me loving it so much is the very fact that I am free do enter and leave at my will and with complete spontiniety. If I felt like I had to "take care" of someone elses feelings, I would feel burdened to participate in the first place. Now, I'm not saying that I am insensitive to the feelings of others. On the contrary. This also is one of the beutiful aspects of the form. I love that we are "feeling in" to one another. The question then, I guess, has to do with the degree to which a given participant might appropriately be responsible for what someone else is dealing with emotionally? And I am appreciating the way that you talked about emotional vulnerability and sensitivity. I agree, this form can be, and often is, powerful with regard to what goes on emotionally in the space. So, in conclusion, I want to thank you just for the very fact that you are talking about this and provoking me to think about it, more. What is a given individual doing with her/his emotions? What are their expectations stepping into the space for CI? How do they process their experience during and after? Good stuff, Nando and Shaun! (spelling?)
Thank you John for your thoughtful comments! CI is so nourishing, I am glad you are finding your way back to it. This question of how responsible you are for the emotional experience of a person you dance with is such a rich question and one that has been discussed a lot recently within the context of consent and privilege. I encourage you to follow that thread into Contact Quarterly if you wish to. For myself, I am willing to extend myself to help other people feel respected and cared for, partly because I like it so much when folks treat me with that consideration. (As we've seen culturally with the mask wearing controversies, people have different positions on this.) I want to enter, dance and exit dances so that my partner will look forward to dancing with me in the future. And despite my best intentions, I am not able to read people's minds, and have unintentionally offended dance partners in the past. I've learned to be a little self-protective about this and be a little cautious of who I dance with and in what manner.
Hi, The DVD is generally available through my website store, www.nando-r.com, however I'm having some supply chain challenges getting copies right now. To address that, I've prepared a series of private youtubes you can access by purchasing a PDF on Swimming Dragon, also on my website store. Thaks for the inquiry and wish you many benefits from your practice! - Nando
Thank you! This is the only video on YT that demonstrates the Swimming Dragon form exactly as it is presented in the original book! I had to learn it that way 20 years ago because there was no social media to learn it from. Back then, I used to do from 20 to 60 cycles a day. But then, a few years ago, I began to experience an almost excruciating pain in my feet when I did it. Others that I have taught Swimming Dragon also complained of pain in their feet. I still practice but I can only do a maximum of ten a day in intervals of three cycles at a time. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Judy, I would experiment with your foot position to listen closely to what your feet are trying to tell you (like "ouch I do not like this position" or "yikes, you are tensing your muscles unnecessarily!). They might also be saying, "Hey Judy, as we get older we lose some of the fat pads in the soles of our feet and things we used to be able to do as youngsters don't work so well any more". My 60 year old feet are different from my 20 year old feet..... You might be interested in some of my other material that gives you some of the gains and benefits of swimming dragon through different movements. Check out the rest of my youtube material and I also have DVDs and PDF/video based courses available (as well as teaching online the days). Keep moving! Nando
I love that you are doing these videos, Nando! Your are a true wealth of skills and resources for self relations! Thank you for adding value to my self-awareness and inner relationship.
Subpersonalities are habitual strategies for managing situations. You can also find them called "ego states". They are so robust they literally have a life of their own. Keep track of them or they will grab the steering wheel of your life!
On the clip there is no explanation on any type Qi gong breathing pattern or visualizations, what is this???? Those are key elements of Qi gong and internal energy development , they are missing
My qigong teacher does a very similar version of this form and he doesn't include any special breathing or visualization either. Done correctly, the method is powerful enough without them! After only a few repetitions I was starting to sweat.
Mr. Raynolds- I found this to be an excellent review of SWIMMING DRAGON, the most helpful to me of the YT vids of SD that I have watched thus far.Very clear action and precise verbal description. Thanks! I look forward to your DVD! PS. My teacher Master Maurice Haltom taught us several excellent variations of SWIMMING DRAGON, saying,as you do, that it has a myriad of benefits, and is excellent for weight control and losing weight, potentially very helpful for diabetics.
