Qigong

Hello! My year has begun, and I've started school. One of my assignments is to keep a journal of my developing Qigong practice. I am posting some of the parts I feel like sharing and adding some details I'd like to add.
Breathe, take care of yourself, and enjoy.

9/22

Our class began Thursday afternoon.
We did intros in which we shared something of ourselves that we think people would not know about us at first (or second) glance. I quickly threw out three (ha ha). That I was a gymnast as a youngster, I forgot the second now, and that I like Kung Fu movies, which caused an uproar (elated exclamations)...and later we started formulating ideas for study-horror/KungFu movie watching sessions.
It's going to be a good year.
We then went through some of the beginning movements, which cleansed a surface layer of my being....can't wait for some more. As I hear through the grapevine, it will go deep. I will change. I will watch my fellow classmates transform as well. I felt elated after the class and through the evening, in love with school already.

This morning I awoke at 8:15 to begin a practice, not quite meeting the goal of arising before 8 a.m. I hope to awake at 7 in the future to do this, someday in the 6 a.m. hour. This week practicing self-massage by Master Liu He: breathe.....
rest right hand over left, thumbs touching.
Rub hands together. massage face. shake hands(removes old Chi). rub together. massage scalp. shake hands. rub together. cup eyes. shake....
this goes into a series of other small movements that include tapping some acupoints (lung 1, kidney 1)...
end with quiet meditation. So far I can keep it up for a short while. A friend suggested meditating by staring into the flame of a candle. which helps.

The other day I did some of this practice after work, and studied a bit about the meaning of each finger, which I shared with friends at gatherings later in the evening. Friends were interested and conversation ensued, in and out of my presence. I love igniting conversation.
This self-massage technique feels great-very self-caring and loving, giving of self-attention, something I am needing right now as well as in general, having a tendency to be so heady: like Oh yeah! There is a body here that has thoughts and feelings too.
I look forward to the awakened communication that I (my mind?) and my body will cultivate in the coming year and beyond.