Qi Gong literally means skill and represents systems of meditative knowledge that have a history of over 5000 years in China. These practices are very relevant for modern times. Qi Gong has been a transformative practice for both of us, and we are excited to share these tools with you to help you develop your skill in managing your own qi. We will be offering weekly qi gong classes starting in February at 4 Branches. We will be offering classes Tuesday evenings from 6:00-7:00 PM Continue Reading
December Qi Gong Classes for Children and Adults
We will be offering qi gong classes in December at 4 Branches for both kids and adults. Two classes for adults will be focused on supporting and strengthening your body and immune system to promote health and well being for the Winter season, and a third class will offer qi gong specifically suited for children (and great for adults too!). Winter Prep Qi Gong (December 1 and 8) With winter prep qi gong we will be showing you qi gong to help you strengthen and nourish your kidneys and lung Continue Reading
Learn to Dissolve Negative Emotions
Michele Collins and Andres Vergara We have all had moments when unpleasant emotions, whether it is fear, anger, worry, frustration, grief, come up with surprising force and cloud our judgment and leave us feeling unpleasant or upset. These emotions can drain your energy and cause unnecessary suffering to yourself and others. We (Andres and Michele) have found some practical and transformative tools in our qi gong practice that have taught us how to neutralize these emotions and use that energy Continue Reading
First Aid Herbal Medicine Making Classes
Aloe plant (sabila) taken in Colombia - this is an excellent plant for burns, sunburns, wounds, insect bites Nature offers an amazing pharmacopeia of brilliant and abundant aid that is available to anyone who knows how to make use of it. There are many simple and easy preparations you can learn how to make to help yourself, your family, and your friends with many common health concerns, such as insect bites, cuts, wounds, burns, sunburns, and much more. Michele will be teaching a series of four Continue Reading
Voted Top 50 Natural Health Websites for 2013
We are very excited and honored to announce that Spirit Rising Herbs was awarded the honor of top 50 Natural Health Websites of 2013 by the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. We are in the company of some of our very favorite educators and bloggers, such as Michael and Lesley Tierra's School of Herbal Medicine and blog (i.e. Planetherbs), the Mountain Rose Herbs website (one of our favorite sources of organic bulk herbs), the Herb Mentor site, and Dr. Andrew Weil's daily health blog (to Continue Reading
Short Downloads for Radiant Health
Michele Collins and Andres Vergara You can now download the individual meditation you would like to try. The individual tracks from Qi Gong for Radiant Health are now available on Amazon as Mp3 downloads for $0.89 each or you can purchase the whole album for $6.99 by clicking on the title. If you are trying to decide which tracks are best for you, here are some brief descriptions to help you figure out which one is best for you right now. To download a track, simply click on the highlighted Continue Reading
Qi Gong Meditation CD Available
Andres Vergara, M.Ac., L.Ac. and Michele Collins, RH (AHG), MPH Our new meditation CD, Qi Gong for Radiant Health, is now ready to order. On this CD we guide you through simple meditations grounded in the wisdom of Chinese medicine, that will help you release toxic emotions that can accumulate in your body, mind, and spirit. Qi gong is the living and breathing dance of Chinese medicine that everyone can learn, literally giving you the opportunity to practice Chinese medicine on yourself. What Continue Reading
Ayurveda and Menopause
On Saturday, December 7th from 1-4 PM at Sunrise Yoga studio, Valerie Kiser and I (Michele Collins) will be offering a workshop, Ayurveda and Menopause. Ayurveda, which translates from Sanskrit as Science of Life, is a 5000 year old wholistic health system that is rooted in achieving wellness and health through an individualized approach based on constitution of Dosha type. Learning about how to apply Ayurveda to your own life is essentially learning a language, the language of Continue Reading
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Media: Radio Show Starts January 15th
The first live broadcast of the internet radio show, Holistic Healing with Herbs and Chinese Medicine, will air on Tuesday, January 15th, from 7:00 PM- 8:00 PM EST. Michele Collins, RH (AHG), MPH and Andres Vergara, M.Ac., L.Ac., are the co-hosts for the show which airs on Voice America's Health and Wellness Channel. In the first show, Intro to Chinese Medicine: Chinese Medicine 101, Michele and Andres will be providing a broad overview of the basics of Chinese medicine. In addition to tracing Continue Reading
Wild Herb Weekend
The North Carolina Herb Association is hosting their annual Wild Herb Weekend on July 27th-29th in Valle Crucis, NC. It is a wonderful opportunity for plant lovers to meet like-minded people and learn about growing, harvesting, cooking with, and using herbs and medicinal plants. Bevin Clare from Tai Sophia will be the keynote speaker. I will be teaching 2 workshops there. One is about using medicinal herbs for common women's health issues. Another is about how to stay healthy in summer with Continue Reading