I don’t watch television but maybe twice a year… I sit for a couple of hours during those times and try to get an update on the “group think” that rides on the airwaves. Humans are so well programmed by TV and corporations, governments, the military and any clever person with enough money to manipulate images and audio uses this tool to move massive amounts of money into their coffers… or get massive amounts of people to think as they wish… or vote in an election they way they’d like them to… all this obviously affects our ability to be a very conscious “waking dreamer”…

So being generally out of touch, I was surprised by this television clip that my brother-in-law Patrick - a very well-respected dental surgeon - just watched and then sent me… see what you think (or what someone else thinks as the case may be)…

So what is �wealth� anyway? Being here really brings that question home and makes me reevaluate how I judge my life�

Television was introduced here about 6 or 7 years ago� and has taken its time to get into homes that wish it. Many people like it and have it on a lot. The programming is a curious blend between several commercial channels from India � replete with Bollywood epic dance/dramas, the National Geographic Society nature/science channel, HBO, and a couple of Bhutan channels including BBS � Bhutan Broadcasting Service and a very culturally-oriented movie channel. All in all the selection seems innocuous enough, and when you watch adults, they seem to be transfixed for a few minutes after a TV is turned on and then lose their attention to things more interesting like talking and eating. Children on the other hand stay focused on the screen, hungry for something � the stimulation? Information? We�ll have to see how it affects the flow of this culture into the 21^st Century.

My faith was restored after hanging out with a bunch of middle school kids as they waited to be part of the festivities at the Dzong. Preparing for what was to be an amazing array of cultural performances, they were dressed in their traditional clothes � �gho� for the boys and �kira� for the girls � they one by one moved in closer and closer to me until we were in a joyful huddle, asking each other questions in English. Being a critical part of their school curriculum thanks to the King�s mandate, these teens spoke English with natural command, and were clearly trained in their native Dzonka language as well. Their bright eyes reflected their curious minds, as they asked me where I was from and if I liked Bhutan. It is obvious that they love their country with a natural pride and at the same time were very well educated about the rest of the world. When I told them I was a teacher in the health field, they asked me to question them on the subject. I was impressed with their knowledge of anatomy, which they cleverly segued into asking me about my tattoos � a looming question that they were too polite to ask without cause. Quickly a few mobile phones appeared from the natural pocket formed from they way a gho is worn and they asked if they could take my picture, convinced I was a movie star. They were a little bemused that my own Blackberry cell phone didn�t have a camera, even through the array of still and video technology hanging around my neck was worth more than most of their families make in a year.. I was in Bhutan as a diplomatic guest shooting a television documentary to help support the 25 year-old Truelku Jamgoen Rinpoche find funding to maintain his Sewala Monastery and the 85 young monks living and praying there. Part of the documentary also includes the Youth Development Fund who I�ve donated my custom-designed Mentor Ohana software to help support their exciting teen programs.

Hundreds of youth joined these middle school students to perform cultural dances for hundreds of adults in celebration of the grand opening of the new cantilevered bridge that links the river-island based Punakha Dzong with the village. Washed out by a massive flood, the 400 year old original bridge has now been replaced with a wonderful new one. It took a long time for this bridge to come into being, and not for any lack of willingness on the government�s part. It was the King who put the project on hold. He takes his role seriously and as the one who upholds conserving the culture for his kingdom, he would not approve any design that did not honor traditional design. The challenge was that the ancient design could not accommodate the new, wider river that was gouged out from the flood. In such a Bhutan-like move, a high-tech solution was merged with the original, cantilevered architecture and the new Punakha Dzong Bridge stands as a monument to the meeting of old and new. In his speech to the gathering, the new Prime Minister � the �first� PM of the new democratic government � so eloquently reminded the audience of the importance of this merging of cultural preservation with moving into modern times. This bridge is really symbolic of the new Bhutan. To me, Bhutan is taking a leadership role in the world in its own gentle way. By maintaining her cultural roots, by keeping her spiritual foundation strong by empowering the Buddhist Monastic Body, by putting self worth and self reliance high in the priority list, and by engaging judiciously with other countries to bring in technology for carefully planned growth, Bhutan is sending a message to the world to do some deep introspection on their own policies and visions for the future.

Before leaving to come here, we all agreed that my host Karma Wangpo�s 84 year old grandmother should get her wish � a blessing by Rinpoche. How could we deny this amazing woman the opportunity to receive a traditional Buddhist blessing by the third reincarnation of this line of Rinpoches that she had the good fortune to meet in her long lifetime� this means she outlived the previous two incarnations and now was able to tell the current Truelku Jamgoen Rinpoche stories about his predecessors first hand� and I managed to get much of this on video and some great still photos.

Lunch was had late today as the two hour ride from Thimphu didn�t even get started until 1:00 pm. The Rinpoche came to pick me up in his monastery�s Toyota SUV along with his older brother and assistant who was also a monk at the Sewala Monastery, our destination high in the mountains above Punakha. After passing the two military and immigration check points just outside of the capital, Rinpoche pulled over and asked if I would like to drive. I politely said no, not relishing having to drive on the left-side of the road British style and having to shift the standard transmission with my left hand� but the question was more like a request and the next thing I know I�m commanding this SUV through the heart-pounding turns of Bhutan�s windy, one and a half lane roads�

After our lunch of red rice and emadase � very hot chili peppers with melted cheese, a Bhutanese staple at nearly every meal � Rinpoche and his aides left to secure the horses that we will need tomorrow to help carry our video gear and supplies as we make the 6 hour trek up the mountains to the monastery. The hike will begin a dawn, just behind the Punakha Dzong, one of the grandest of the 17^th Century fortress-monasteries that mark key locations around this country. Fittingly, the Dzongs were all built under the guidance of Guru Rinpoche, the first in the lineage that the current Rinpoche is now carrying on.

I feel blessed to be documenting some of this story to weave into the footage I�ve been shooting of interviews with high-level Lamas from the National Monastic Body, the director of the Youth Development Fund, and even Bhutanese movie-star-turned-politician. My hope is to tell a story of an old country evolving into the modern world under the leadership of some amazing men and women all under the age of 30 � including the new King, His Majesty Wangchuck who is 27� It will be a story of youth empowerment and mentoring� of hope for the future�

Peace�

Francesco

Aloha!

It’s always a miracle when I can actually get a “Breathe Deep” e-newsletter out… welcome to another miracle! I find myself unsubscribing from a lot of lists because these organizations send me too many emails… but people write me and complain that I don’t send out enough! I’m trying…

There’s actually SO much to share… moss doesn’t grow under my feet or Daisy’s as they say. I’m really proud of Daisy for going out there and teaching on her own… check out this issue for the schedule she’s keeping - and these classes are mostly all requests for her to offer her Qigong workshops - especially the Women’s Health and Empowerment Project we’ve been working on.

I made it a promise to get this newsletter out before I leave on Saturday for two months of travel. You’ll read below about the group trip I’m leading in India to one of my favorite places - Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama. After that I head to Bhutan again for a month of immersion in to that magical land. It’s curious how many group trips I have lead over the past 12 years and our groups encountered the depths of human nature… from being the first international flight out of the US after 911, to being in China during the peak of SARS… we were there during the Falun Gong crackdowns too… and now, our India Healing and Study Trip will be in the midst of the Tibetan community during this sad situation of Chinese oppression. In my heart I know that our groups carry a lot of healing intention and focus, and maybe there is something in the energetic equation that puts us where we are most needed in life… I hope that we bring positive energy to all those we encounter. We’ve always had amazing experiences and were always protected.

Can you trust that you are “where you are most needed” in your life? So many people ask me about their “life’s purpose”… wondering what it is, or seeking it out… I think the more we doubt, the more we feed the fear that blocks our natural flow. Fear disengages the heart from our decisionmaking process, and when the heart�s �Shen Qi� is not fueling our life, it�s like driving a car dangerously low on gas.

Many times we don�t consider what we are experiencing is �fear�� but �doubt� is fear of an outcome not turning the way we�d like� �distrust� is the fear of letting go� �frustration� is the fear of decisiveness� and the list goes on. These are some examples to help us recognize where fear lurks� and it�s ok to admit and accept fear. Only by knowing and embracing it�s presence can you transform it back into love� which in turn gets the heart back in gear. Ultimately we are either on the path of love or fear. I do my best to choose love every time, but I am constantly amazed how fear can creep into my day when I least expect it. I feel I work so hard on my life, to stay awake, to remain conscious and present� but something can trigger fear and the whole thing comes tumbling down� I�m learning to stop beating up myself and simply accept it, and then reduce �recovery time� � the time to move from fear back into love.

We are human and as such, we are designed to experience all things in this magical and infinite Universe� that is how our soul evolves and what it requires to recognize its divine nature. To drop into fear every now and again is as much part of the process as is dropping into love and kindness. What we know though is that wallowing in fear, feeding fear, and fighting fear is not growth-oriented or empowering at our core. The challenge then is to reduce our recovery time and simply slip back into heart-centered love quicker and quicker each time. I think this is the work of the sage, of the real Master. It�s not that they have eliminated fear from their way of being � they just learn how to transform it back into love as quickly as they can after it rears its head.

Qigong is one of the great tools to reduce recovery time as it brings us into deeper engagement with the subtle energy of Qi. Knowing ourselves as �energy�, as Qi helps us recognize shifts in our field. Catching shifts at the most subtle levels comes with daily practice of exercises like Qigong. Observing and listening and being courageous enough to admit to yourself to seeing emotional/energetic shifts is one of the great gifts of Qigong work. Catching things like fear when it begins to rise and then transforming it into love in the shortest �recovery time� is our hope. Learning this is a high-level gift� and takes a lot less energy than dealing with emotions when they�ve gotten to �red alert� level. It�s not that we are suppressing emotions at all� it�s to feel them, embrace them, recognizing that we are NOT them, and then transforming them� all in the shortest recovery time we can� effortlessly � �wu wei� - as that too is the promise of working with all in life as energy� dancing with Qigong�

Peace…

Francesco Garri Garripoli

Blog: www.francescogarripoli.com

Qigong Study/Healing Trip to China September 2008

People have been asking about our annual September Qigong Study Trip to China… Be assured that this is still on, even with the Olympics trying to upstage us. We’ve got an amazing trip lined up - one week in Beijing with Master Wan and his awesome young students (you may have seen them featured in our award-winning PBS TV documentary) where we stay at his Taoist Qigong Institute and get personal, daily Qigong treatments and foot massages along with our training and visits to ancient temples and power spots. For our second week we will be flying to the mystical Sichuan Province on the Tibetan border, in and around the western city of Chengdu to study with a renown Qigong Master. He is a well-respected master of Qigong, Master Zhao Shi Hua, the gifted teacher that Daisy has been studying with in Australia. We will be flying Master Zhao and his wife May to China to meet us in Chengdu for this Qigong journey into the misty Taoist and Buddhist mountains where ancient temples call back a time of natural simplicity and set the stage for deep training. This impressive Master was brought to Australia from China after healing the ex-Prime Minister’s daughter of chronic fatigue. There still some spaces left on this unique journey, so let us know if you are ready for this empowering experience. To learn more about our 2008 China Trip - Click here

Qigong For Women - Daisy’s Radiant Lotus Qigong Workshops in Honolulu, San Diego, Boulder, Palo Alto and Walnut Creek - and Kaua`i

Daisy Lee will be doing an all-day Qigong workshop for women at the Kahuna Valley Retreat on the garden island of Kaua`i, Saturday, April 12th. This will be followed up by a US mainland tour to teach her very popular Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women’s Health & Empowerment, as well as co-ed programs for both men and women this May and June. The Women’s Qigong will be taught on Saturdays and will
address health issues particular to women. Learn how to reduce or alleviate low back pain, menstrual imbalances, menopause symptoms, as well as techniques to improve breast and reproductive health with Qigong exercises passed down to Daisy from her Tibetan Qigong master.

Here’s what one student from her Australia workshop said about Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women:

“I wanted to really thank you very much for giving such a great teaching on Tibetan Healing Sounds. I have been practicing every day the sounds themselves (sorry don’t have time for the acupressure points) and my second period finished without drugs! I am so happy. The blood clots have dissolved almost completely. The flow is strong and unobstructed. And my voice is so strong! All of this is hard to believe after 4 years of really bad menstrual pain. I will continue practicing these maybe until the end of the year, to stabilize the improvement. Thank you Daisy so much!

One very important point about these sounds, when I feel really tired and I practice them, the mind and body wake up and feel better, kind of like life comes back to you. Also, I have been doing exercises sometimes sitting and quite a few times while lying in bed - it still works great and the energy flows well!” - Elvira Byrnes - Sydney, Australia

Below are the dates and cities Daisy will be teaching in. For more information and to receive a copy of the flyer for your city, please email Daisy at radiantlotus@gmail.com or contact her organizer in each city:

April 12: Kahuna Valley Retreat, Kaua’i. 9:30 am registration, 10 am to 4 pm workshop. For a copy of the flyer and to register, email radiantlotus@gmail.com.

May 15-18: Virginia & Metro DC area, hosted by Peaceable Dragon. To register for one or more workshops, call 703-625-8431 or visit www.PeaceableDragon.org.

May 31-June 1: Oahu at the Body/Mind/Spirit Expo in Honolulu. Email radiantlotus@gmail.com for Daisy’s teaching schedule.

June7-8: University of San Diego, Hahn Center, Room 107. Contact Susan Haymaker at Susan@ajoyfulmovement.com for more info and to register.

June 14-15: Boulder, Colorado. Special Father’s Day discount for fathers attending on June 15! Contact Katia Wilder at wilderkatia@yahoo.com for more info and to register.

June 21-22: Palo Alto, CA. Contact Mary Donoghue for more info and to register at radiantlotus@gmail.com

June 28-29: Walnut Creek, CA. Contact Katharine Ferguson for more info and to register at katharine_ferguson@yahoo.com

If you are interested in setting up a workshop with Daisy to teach Radiant Lotus Qigong in your area, let us know.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Qigong Classes at Kahuna Valley

Saturday morning classes continue at the Kahuna Valley Retreat on the Garden Island of Kaua’i from 9:30 am - 11:00 am… For more information on Kahuna Valley schedules, including workshops and special events,

Click here to see our calendar of events
… or click here to contact Daisy

Qigong Workshops with Francesco and Daisy in Michigan and Maryland this August

Francesco and Daisy will be teaching all-day workshops in Livonia, Michigan on August 2 and 3 (with one day being an “all women class” and then in Baltimore, Maryland at the Annual National Qigong Association Conference on August 9 and 10. Visit www.nqa.org to register for their excellent conference. These classes will cover many of the Qigong forms that are on their award-winning DVD series, with special focus on the Organ Cleansing and Strengthening Qigong set.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Francesco’s Qigong Classes in NJ and NYC

After last winter’s well-attended but COLD Qigong class in Rutherford, NJ, I think we’ll try a mini-workshop in the warmth of summer. I’m still working on securing the same beautiful church we were in last time, but the date is fixed, Saturday, July 26th from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm. I also would like to offer a class in New York City as it has been a long time and people have been asking. If anyone can help with a venue in NYC for Sunday, July 27th, I’m willing to come teach a Qigong mini-workshop.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Study/Healing Trip to India in April 2008

The unique “Qigong in India” trip set for April 14 - May 2, 2008 is now sold out and our excited group is ready to depart for Delhi and Dharamsala in less than a week. I’m glad that people were attracted to this interesting itinerary that mixes Qigong with ayurvedic medicine. I’ve designed this trip - like all the trips I’ve organized over the past 12 years, to be something I really like - combining culture, spirituality, and personal healing and training. With daily Qigong training, personalized Ayurvedic panchakarma diagnosis and 10 days of treatment, and a certification course in Hindu Energy Healing, this trip will be a pretty amazing life-enhancing adventure. Set in Dharamsala, India - the home of the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan monks, we will be immersed in the magic of a small mountain village so ideally conducive to healing and personal growth. We’ll also visit India’s capital city Delhi and will be staying with my Tibetan friends along the way…

Click here to learn more and get your name on our list for next year’s trip

Qigong DVD Packaging Changes

The award-winning Qigong DVDs featuring Francesco and Daisy have recently been repackaged to better address the “wellness” market according to our distributor. We got to see them for the first time at the giant Natural Products Expo in Anaheim last month. It was an honor and a treat to see Qigong so prominently postured at the show thanks to Gaiam. The video content hasn’t changed, only the artwork on the packages have. You’ll start seeing them in more and more retail outlets and our hope is to reach more people searching for self-empowering healthcare solutions.

Note that “Qigong for Cleansing and Strengthening” is now titled “Qigong for Detox”. Keep an eye out for the newest DVD featuring Daisy teaching Tai Chi Fan that was just shot here at our Kahuna Valley Retreat on Kaua’i - it should be available in the next couple of months. We appreciate your support through your DVD purchases… and remember, purchasing them through our secure website helps to support our youth mentoring programs.

Click here to check out our DVD teaching tools

Francesco’s Bhutan Trip

Francesco is heading back to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, only this time on a solo journey as a guest of a high-level Rinpoche, the Royal Family and the government. Actually no longer a “kingdom” as the country just completed it’s very first democratic elections, Bhutan is on the verge of change. Francesco will spend one month there with a broadcast quality Sony HDTV camera, Nikon digital SLR still camera, and digital audio recorder. His goal is to create a unique television documentary on this magical country and its people, featuring the 24-year-old Buddhist Rinpoche and his Sewala Monastery as well as some other wonderful characters. I’ll try to update my new blog site along the way:

Blog: www.francescogarripoli.com

Our group trip last November was amazing, focusing on personal healing while helping to support a financially challenged Buddhist monastery with 398 young monks. Francesco, through the non-profit Kahuna Valley organization, will be donating its Mentor Ohana software to one of the Queen’s youth programs that works with challenged teenagers. This trip will help to raise awareness and money to support Bhutanese youth and the Rinpoche who is responsible for hundreds of young Buddhist monks.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Mentor Ohana - Mentor program management software

This online software tool is evolving in a most amazing way and I wanted to keep those of you who are interested in working in the area of mentoring or coaching - whether it is with youth or adults - abreast of our developments. I’ve been working on this unique software system for nearly five years and it is now being used across the state of Hawaii to collect evaluation data from a myriad of teen and parenting programs. Sponsored by the Hawaii State Department of Education, the County of Kaua’i, and a couple of drug prevention grants, we have been able to customize the Mentor Ohana tool for the special needs of our islands. With this, we will have the ability to monitor the status, effectiveness and outcomes of these educational programs in real time. The core Mentor Ohana program (www.mentorohana.org) is designed to provide powerful tools for any mentoring or coaching program. These range from assisting in the matching process, activities scheduling, participant communication, administration, journaling, survey evaluation and database management. The powerful Survey Builder and Tracking Survey components are indespensible for bringing integrity to any program and helpful in creating reports for grants and funding organizations. I know the power of this online set of tools for organizations ranging from small coaching firms to large county and city government offices that need to track data and manage programs of any kind. If you are associated with a group that may be interested - or know of someone who is - let me know and I will share more. I’m looking for some people who are also interested in working in the business area to get this software implemented in your area and generate some income through your efforts.

Click here to contact us and find out more

Kahuna Valley Retreat on Kaua’i - Watsu, energy healing, massage…

Kahuna Valley donated a one-week stay in our Aloha Suite on the Garden Island of Kaua’i, Hawaii to the National Qigong Association (NQA) for their silent auction fundraiser. Bill Edgar was the lucky bidder/winner and we will be honored to have him at our retreat… We thank Bill for joining us in helping raise money for the NQA and their work to promote Qigong. For more info on our personal and group retreats and healing spa services, click here and visit http://www.kahunavalley.org/retreats.htm
Donations and Support

If you are feeling generous and would like to channel your taxes from the federal government to a worthy cause, we would be most grateful to accept your tax-deductible donation to Kahuna Valley. We are an IRS recognized tax-exempt organization and any monies that you donate to us will not only help support our work with at-risk youth here in Hawaii, but it will help you make a statement by choosing to put your monies to a good cause instead of to the IRS coffers. Interested?

Learn about our tax-deductible donation options

Thank you for your support and good energy… see you next issue!! Peace…

Francesco Garri Garripoli

Kahuna Valley
P.O. Box 1921, Kapaa, HI 96746, USA

Breathe Deep Newsletters Online

You can view all our back issues for free online!

It’s been seven or eight years that I’ve managed to get this e-newsletter out… Enjoy perusing back issues… and thanks for telling your friends to sign up!

Click here to view our newsletter archive, enter your email address or enter a friend�s

It�s 10 pm at the foot of the Himalaya Mountains, a majestic snow capped peak of the Dola Dar range looms over this still warm valley teeming with evening life� several families and laughing friends enjoying alfresco dinner in the open-air restaurant, shops lit by single fluorescent bulbs still attracting customers like moths to a flame. A horseman guides his beast of burden laden with supplies up the steep, broken concrete roadway to waiting families in the upper valley. The ubiquitous dog barking punctuates the night, adding to the concert of failing mufflers on the three-wheeled tuk-tuk cabs and screeches of evening birds. In the distance an Indian tabla player drums his ecstasy, the Hindu puja prayers resonate beyond, and somewhere else, Tibetan monks finish their evening chants. Dharamsala is anything but quiet�

�yet I am at peace in all this chaos� there is some lovely familiarity that brings me a certain calm, as if everything is in it�s place and I am in mine, integrated, yet pleasantly disconnected. It seems funny to have so much technology in my room � what with all the video and audio gear I need for the HDTV documentary I�m preparing to shoot in Bhutan starting next week� funny because this village is lost in time� donkeys are the major goods carriers, cement is mixed in a mound on the earth, fine work in the many outdoor tailor shops is done with manual sewing machines, and sweeping is done with handmade brooms that are lashed together branches. This is a world of extremes, of broad contrasts, of brilliant colors, of exotic smells, of abject poverty and immense wealth. I float through it all as one would navigate through a dream� wearing a smile all the way�

Selecting a location such as this to bring a group for the deep healing experience of panchakarma treatment may have seemed a little absurd at first, but after tonight�s sumptuous dinner and the royal treatment we received by the owner and staff of this restaurant that felt as if it was hovering out over the valley hundreds of feet below, I believe we were all reminded once again of how we�ve been nurtured by this place and its people.

Maybe it�s the influence of the Dalai Lama who makes his home here along with thousands of Tibetan monks. Maybe it�s the joy of the people that know what a gift it is to live way up here in the pine covered mountains so cool and clear and gentle compared to the scorching 100+ degree Indian plains just a couple dozen kilometers away. Maybe it is the grounding, moral influences of Hinduism and Buddhism that are woven into lifestyle of nearly everyone. Whatever the reason, the people here � a mixture of Northern Indian, Tibetan, and Nepalese � are as hospitable and friendly and welcoming and gracious as one would expect in a dream like this. I am honored to be amongst them� and I watch the group, now two weeks into this healing journey - replete with equal doses of panchakarma from the awesome ayurvedic doctor here and Qigong classes I’ve been teaching daily - warming up and falling in love in that way that happens when you open your heart and start seeing with compassion and non-judgment.

There are a million stories to tell, all layering themselves like the sediment of the Himalayan foothills. There is the ongoing saga of the Tibetan protests of the Olympics and they way their people are being mistreated by the Chinese government. There is the story of the rapid growth of this area � reflected in the seemingly endless construction projects pushing their way up from the earth in response to the need of the new rich in India who need resort accommodations. Then there are the thousands of never-to-be-produced documentaries on the lives of dynamic players in the �new India� � the upcoming ayurvedic doctor who is making her major mark upon a male-dominated world; the brilliant young entrepreneurs who are expert in their fields of gemology, ancient artifacts and textiles but who combine this with a certain grace and joy that gives you hope in the future� and there is the story of the beautiful transformation that I�ve been watching in the faces and spirits of each person in my group. They are a courageous group of 15 people from 5 different countries who have taken responsibility for their health and well-being and made the commitment and investment to come on this healing adventure.

I�ll talk more about all this next time, but for now, suffice it to say that I feel blessed to have the opportunity to facilitate these journeys and be reminded of the awesome and positive aspects of human nature� when we are willing to trust in our potential, when we can remember that the world we experience is our co-creation� and when we �get it� that we are waking dreamers, dreaming our bodies and thoughts and emotions and all we experience, well that�s when we are truly free to start living and experiencing our true potential and divine, infinite nature.

Peace�

Francesco

Welcome to our New and Improved e-Newsletter! After over 10 years of putting out our free, e-newsletter as part of our website, I’m moving with the times and will start distributing it as a blog… this means that it will take advantage of the massive technology behind this process and allow me to write the newsletters in a more timely fashion, post them faster, and allow for you to be notified each time they are posted in an automated way. In may prayer for “ease and abundance” I pray this is a step in the right direction! Enjoy! In this issue:

Qigong Classes at our Kahuna Valley Retreat in Kaua’i

India Healing & Study Trip with Francesco in April 2008

Daisy’s Qigong Workshops for Women’s Health and Empowerment on Oahu and in Australia - and US Tour with Master Zhao

China Qigong Study Trip with Francesco & Daisy - September 2008

Los Angeles “Natural Products Expo” in March with Francesco & Daisy

Qigong DVDs and Books

Aloha from Francesco!

Welcome to our new-and-improved Breathe Deep e-Newsletter! It’s got a whole new look as it now lives inside of my new blog site affectionately called “Blog-i-poli.” Behind this website is a very powerful technology that I have my dear friend Kirk VandenBerghe to thank for. A successful web consultant and entrepreneur, Kirk has spend years designing the software and design technology that has gone into making this blog concept work - and six months bringing this site into reality… thank you! Besides helping me to put out the “Breathe Deep” e-newsletter out in a more timely and easeful way, it is jam-packed with search engine optimization (SEO) features that hopefully will make it easier for people to find information when they are web surfing. Your help in letting friends know about it and getting them to subscribe is still the best way to help this service grow… so thank you for your caring and support.

So how has your month gone since 2007 melted into 2008? Was it as crazed as mine? I’ve heard so many people say that they felt like they were being tested on a deep level… Well I feel that pretty much EVERY DAY, but I have to admit that there was some heavy stuff going on. This first month of the year is a traditionally busy one, what with guests from the mainland coming to rest at our Kahuna Valley Retreat on Kaua’i, school starting up after holiday break kicking off our Mentor Ohana Career & Vocational Teen Mentoring program, two, back-to-back 1,000 + attendee events we co-sponsor - the Inspiration Kauai Wellness Expo and the East Side Family Summit.

And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve decided to sponsor three amazing monks from the Kingdom of Bhutan to stay at Kahuna Valley for two months. When the King requested that I take the young, 24 year-old Rinpoche Mepham - the 4th highest spiritual master in the country - under my wing to learn English and leadership skills, I was honored and felt so blessed. With the Rinpoche, his assistant Hodo, and teacher Lama Kinley as guests of Kahuna Valley, one can’t expect things to be anything but exciting and magical. Daisy has cooked them a few delicious meals before heading off to Australia for the next month or so (check out her itinerary below - she’s got a great line-up of Qigong workshops lined up) and many friends who went with me on the November Study Trip to Bhutan will be coming by to offer a helping hand. My dear friend Kyong Ho Lee, a licensed acupuncturist from Oahu will also be staying here to help me take care of our revered guests. This is going to be fun!

So I guess that it’s a good thing that I can function at the high level I do with only three hours of sleep each night… I’m not sure exactly how else I can do what I do any other way… and those of you who know me attest to the non-stop 18+ hour days I put in… but I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be doing things that I love, to live the philosophy that I espouse - that this life is a waking dream and when we can get in touch with the “physics” of that way of being, the whole fabric of time and space around us shifts. I hope to make more opportunities for myself to write on this subject in the Category area on this blog site in the upper right there called “Awaken Dreaming.” If your are interested in these ideas, then subscribe to this blog via the link in the right column and you will be automatically updated when I add new entries. I’ll do my best to respond to comments… but what I’m hoping more is that people will respond to each other’s comments and create lively dialogue on the subjects that arise.

My hope always is that whatever I get involved in it will lead to the empowerment of all. Through empowerment we find peace… in peace we access our presence… with presence we realize our potential… and in that potential lies the compassionate wisdom of our true nature…

I’m not going to write too much more as it’s 3:30 am and I’ve had quite a week today (as the joke goes) and tomorrow is the big tent set-up day in prep for our Family Summit event on Saturday. Rinpoche is kind enough to join a Hawaiian Kumu Hula and a Christian Minister to offer a Buddhist blessing to open the event… Are we ever blessed… we all have so much to be grateful for… Mahalo nui loa (Hawaiian for ‘thank you very much’). Enjoy this issue! Peace… Francesco

Qigong Classes at our Kahuna Valley Retreat in Kaua’i

Saturday morning classes continue in the Octagon Classroom from 9:30 am - 11:00 am each week. It is a treat to see both the “regulars” who help create the consistent energy of our weekly Qigong join with newcomers eager to learn about this wonderful healing modality from China. There will be no class on February 2 or 9… On the 2nd Francesco will be offering Qigong at the 5th Annual Eastside Family Summit from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm at Kapaa High School here on Kaua’i. This free event is co-sponsored by our Kahuna Valley non-profit organization and is dedicated to celebrating Kaua’i families. There are free activities, a stage full of music performances, talks by people such as Lt. Governor Duke Aiona. Last year we served over 1,000 free meals to local familes. On February 9th Francesco will be in Honolulu at the invitation of Kamehameha Schools - the state’s premiere private school for those with Hawaiian blood - attending the Mentor Hui Hukilike. He’ll be presenting the Mentor Ohana software solution that he designed to help manage mentor programs - or any program that needs tracking, evaluation, and management of relationships between any two people or groups. The software is currently being used by the state department of education and the County of Kaua’i government.

Qigong classes will resume from 9:30 am - 11:00 am on February 16th and every Saturday throughout February and March. Following each class, Rinpoche Mepham from Bhutan will lead a one-hour Buddhist Sangha meditation.

Click here to see our complete Calendar of Events

India Healing & Study Trip with Francesco in April 2008

There are still a few spaces available on this unique healing journey to Delhi and Dharamsala, India, home of the Dalai Lama where we will experience an authentic and powerful ayurvedic panchakarma treatment in the shadow of the Himalayas - mixed with daily Qigong practice and instruction. Trip dates are April 14 - May 2. This is going to be an amazing journey - one of deep healing from a renown Indian doctor (I hope you enjoy her intuitive abilities as much as I did) and a three-day certification course in energy healing. A full itinerary is available. Click here to contact us

Daisy’s Qigong Workshops for Women’s Health & Empowerment

Daisy will be teaching her Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women’s Health and Empowerment on Oahu and in Australia in the next two months, as well as co-ed classes where she will share techniques to revitalize and energize your mind, body and spirit. Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women has been extremely well-received in US, China and Japan and is a powerful addition to regular Qigong practice as it addresses health issues specific to women, from breast and uterine tumors to menstrual pains, menopause symptoms and more. Ladies, be sure to attend one of these workshops while Daisy is in town, or book a private health consultation with her to help you progress on the path to truly radiant health. Below is Daisy’s teaching schedule and locations for both the women’s and co-ed workshops: Radiant Lotus Qigong for Women’s Health & Empowerment Workshops (sorry gentlemen, these are women-only workshops, but scroll down to see the dates for Daisy’s co-ed workshops)

Oahu, Hawaii: Saturday, February 2 from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm at the YMCA in Kaimuki located at 4835 Kilauea Ave. Please eat a light lunch before class. There will be a tea break at 1 pm, so bring a snack and something to drink. Cost is $75. Pre-registration is recommended by emailing radiantlotus@gmail.com or by calling (808) 346-4623.

Sydney, Australia: Saturday, February 9, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm in Chatswood. Hosted by Tiandi Qigong at Master Zhao and May’s Studio. Email radiantlotus@gmail.com or call May at 0425-277-123 to register. For more information, see attached flyer.

Mackay, Australia: Saturday, March 1 , 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Hosted by the Queensland Keep Fit Association. Registrations prior to the workshop are essential to ensure your place in the workshops. Early bird discounts available. Registrations for workshops close 15/02/08. Contact Suzanne McLauchlan 07 4955 3737 or smclauchlan@netspace.net.au for more information.

Daisy’s Co-ed Workshops will also be offered on Kaua’i, Sydney and Mackay on the following dates:

Sydney, Australia: Sunday, February 10, 9:30 to 3:30 pm at Master Zhao and May’s studio in Chatswood. Daisy will be sharing techniques from her 102-year old master and from her and partner Francesco Garripoli’s award-winning ‘Qigong for Healing’ series. Emergency Qigong stress relief techniques will be taught as a bonus. Space is limited, so please email radiantlotus@gmail.com to register or call May at 0425-277-123 to reserve your spot.

Sydney, Australia: Saturday, February 16, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at Master Zhao and May’s studio in Chatswood. Daisy will be sharing the award-winning Qigong techniques from her ‘Qigong for Cleansing’ series. This form is excellent for both detoxifying the internal organs as well as clearing the qi field outside the body to attain optimum health. Students have reported weight loss, clearer complexions and more energy from regular practice of this Qigong. As an added bonus, Daisy will share ‘Qigong Walking’ for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Email radiantlotus@gmail.com to register or call May at 0425-277-123 to reserve your spot.

Mackay, Australia: Sunday, March 2, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Daisy will teach Qigong for Stress Relief - learn simple, effective techniques to unblock stagnant energy and release the flow of qi from pent-up emotions. Especially helpful for grief, anger, high blood pressure and hypertension which can lead to more serious conditions of the heart, lungs and liver. Learn techniques that will relieve stress while also boosting the immune response. Hosted by the Queensland Keep Fit Association. Registrations prior to the workshop are essential to ensure your place in the workshops. Early bird discounts available. Registrations for workshops close 15/02/08. Contact Suzanne McLauchlan at 07 4955 3737 or smclauchlan@netspace.net.au.

US Tour with Daisy Lee and Master Zhao Shi Hua from Australia… for the month of May and the first week of June, Daisy, Master Zhao and his wife May Sun will be in the US to do a Qigong teaching tour. Click here to read more about Master Zhao

If you wish to attend a class or join us for our annual Qigong Study Trip to China this year (which will include Master Zhao and May), Click here to contact us

China Qigong Study Trip with Francesco & Daisy - September 2008

We’ve gotten all our confirmations now for this year’s 12th annual China Qigong Study Trip with Francesco and Daisy from September 15 - 29. We start off in Beijing visiting the renowned Master Wan Sujian at his International Red Cross Chinese Medicine Medical Exchange Institute, learning and receiving treatments by him and his 30 live-in students. After that we head off to Chengdu on the Tibetan border of China and study with Master Zhao - the wonderful Qigong Master that Daisy has been studying with in Australia for over a year now. His wife May will also join us as she is a talented instructor as well and lived in Chengdu with Master Zhao before they moved to Australia.

A full itinerary will be available soon.

For more information, Click here to contact us

Los Angeles “Natural Products Expo” March 15th with Francesco & Daisy

At the invitation of Gaiam - the global wellness product company - Francesco and Daisy will be promoting Qigong to retailers from all over the world on the evening of March 15th in Anaheim, California, USA. Come by the show - it’s supposed to be quite something!

While they are in Southern California Francesco and Daisy are hoping to offer a morning Qigong class on Saturday the 15th. If you have a location as a venue for this class between Los Angles and Anaheim - or if you’d like to attend a class that they would teach that morning, please Click here to contact us

Qigong DVDs and Books

Many of you already know about the award-winning Qigong instructional DVDs that Francesco and Daisy offer and thank you for your support as the proceeds from the sale of these educational products supports the youth mentoring programs at Kahuna Valley. If you want to see the complete list of DVDs and books by Francesco Garri Garripoli, please click here

Back Issues

Interested in reading back issues of Breathe Deep? click here

Thank you for enjoying and supporting this month’s Breathe Deep e-Newsletter! See you next month… and check out the rest of this blog site too! Peace…

Ten years ago when I had the idea to create a professional, journalistic television documentary on the subject of Qigong (pronounced “chee gong”) it was just another crazy idea - underfunded and from my heart. After a couple of years of living in China and studying with Masters of this ancient healthcare modality, I realized that it was something that really needed to be done in a fair and objective way - and with the quality that the subject deserved - after all, it was the healing practice that I adopted for my own personal health preservation. Here’s the opening clip from the one hour program… then scroll down for more on the history of this project. PBS TV told me that their viewers really weren’t interested in subjects such as this, but after much loving persistence, they said that they’d give it a shot and allow affiliate stations to air it. We mounted a grassroots campaign to let PBS stations around the country know that the program was available and that there was a willing audience interested in viewing it. Needless to say, our efforts worked and after less than one year, over 88 million viewers got to see “Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century” on PBS TV. I went on many stations and was interviewed, brought Qigong Masters on like Master Duan, and helped with fundraising campaigns. At Detroit Public Television we raised over $350,000 for the station through the airing of this little documentary. People around the country showed that they wanted programming like this and were willing to make substantial donations to their local stations to have their voice heard. I donated the documentary to the stations - making it available to them for no cost. We had no corporate underwriters and didn’t get a penny from PBS… but we received the awesome satisfaction of knowing that if you follow your heart, anything is possible. All these years later people are still using this documentary to introduce Qigong in their workshops, at hospitals, doctor’s offices, schools, senior centers, and the like. Click here if you’d like to learn more or support our Kahuna Valley non-profit organization and purchase one of these DVDs.

Too Many Things?

Want to take a test to see if you have too many things going on in your life? OK, answer the following questions:

1. How many windows do you have open on your computer desktop right now?
2. How many of those miserable yellow Post-Its do you have plastered around your desk area?
3. How many inches deep are the piles of paper within arm’s reach?
4. How many pieces of paper with important notes or reminders are within your field of vision?
5. How many empty cups are scattered on your desk? (and the last tie-breaker…)
6. How many unopened, non-spam emails are sitting in your inbox?

OK, now count up all 6 numbers. If number is between 6 and 50, you are most likely a Zen Master. If the number is between 51 and 100, you deserve a job as an Administrative Assistant and wouldn’t get paid enough for your gifted talents. If you are in the 200+ range, you are entering the “too many things” zone. If your cumulative number is higher than 1,000, you are probably in deep trouble and should seek administrative, if not mental, help. Welcome to the 21st Century.If you are interested, my numbers–at this very moment–are 16, 9, 18, 28, 1, 2292. Total: 2,364

The Year of the Rat

So, as we enter the Year of the Rat in Chinese cosmology–I’ll write more on this as we closer to the actual new year date in early February of 2008–we have lots of powerful energy available to us to not only change old, stagnant patterns, but to accomplish tasks that we didn’t seem like we had the energy for in the past. How to access this ability is the key…

Getting Back in Sync

For me, Qigong practice is the fastest and easiest pathway to accessing my untapped energies. This ancient practice of breathing, movement, and visualization helps me get in touch with my subtle energy (Qi, pronounced “chee”) and then put it to work. Ultimately, it is a process of “remembering”… getting back in sync with our latent abilities and remembering that this life is a dream… a waking dream. Remembering and working with this will free you of the fear and limitations that have held you back from living the life you’ve wanted.

Let Go & Trust

This is the stuff we’ll be discussing here… so stay tuned. We’ll explore exercises, meditations, music, and thoughts that hopefully will inspire you to let go and trust… to open to your potential…Thanks for coming along on the adventure… I wish you ease and abundance… Peace… Francesco