Our qi gong practice this past Sunday was memorable in so many ways that it couldn't possibly be illustrated with a photo. Even if I had been able to take a video it wouldn't have captured half of the experience. It stimulated my senses so completely that I was only able to be in the moment, being and experiencing, and feeling and seeing and smelling and hearing.
Experiences are always fleeting - here now, then gone and replaced by another here now. We try to capture many with photographs. But they only convey what we see with our eyes. A video adds sound. However, this included so many other impressions.
We practiced outside in the shade under big old trees, a gentle breeze wooshing through the trees that gently caressed my skin, the perfect temperature barely making an impression, neither too cold, nor too warm. The many garden flowers and grasses gently stimulated my sense of smell in a complex symphony of scents. Two baby squirrels scampered back and forth along the fence ahead of me. A deer appeared in the bog below, while the teacher's voice guiding us through the qi gong movements mingled with nature's sounds. I felt the slightly uneven terrain under my soft soled shoes and repositioned my feet for better balance. The complexity of the experience was almost dizzying, and words can never convey it all.
Life becomes so amazing and precious when we manage to experience it in all its glorious complexity, if only for a fleeting moment. It's a meditation in and of itself to stop and take it all in, and it's way more interesting than counting from one to ten and starting over. Try it sometime and be awed.