A Life of Innergy ... and Energy

Acknowledgments

Before I describe my Life of Innergy ... and Energy, as it is today, I would first like to extend my special Mahalo (Thanks) and Aloha (Love, Hawaiian style) to all who have contributed to my Life.

First of all, my parents, for the wonderful prenatal Qi (life energy) that they poured into my mind, body and spirit at my conception and birth, way back in 1950. Due in part to their contribution, I have enjoyed a lifetime of relative good health and happiness, both internally and externally. Like everyone, I am not without challenges in terms of overall health, but at least I can be thankful for a strong foundation that directly came from their DNA and the DNA of their ancestors. Thanks for the great head start!

Second of all, I want to show my sincere appreciation to the family members, friends, teachers and associates who have passed into and in some cases, out of my life. During my lifetime, I have had the good fortune of meeting and knowing, in various degrees and capacities, some of the most wonderful people who have ever walked this planet. In my view, we are all students and teachers of each other, no matter what our differences in age, nationality, culture, language or gender may be. In fact, I feel that the bigger the perceived difference, the more we have an opportunity to learn from each other. It is our duty to seize those opportunities with great interest and vigor, as it strengthens our bonds with other individuals and broadens our understanding of life.

Third, as it relates to my path of learning and teaching the Qigong Innergy Arts, my chosen path of life, I would like to thank all of my teachers, students and associates, as you have contributed to my growth and understanding in ways that are impossible to describe in words. Your sharing and caring, and your participation in what you also love and cherish, has had a terrific impact on who I am. This extends to people who I've never met in person, but whose books, articles, audio and video works that I have read, heard and seen. I thank you all and I hope that I have reciprocated to you in some way.

And last but not least, I would like to recognize a very special student who signed up for one of my Tai Chi classes in September of 2004. Since that time we have developed a very special relationship of love and caring that grows deeper every day. She has embraced Innergy cultivation into her life as a dedicated practitioner, for health and happiness. We have also cultivated a wonderful friendship and daily communication that has enriched my life immeasurably. I am thankful to my Innergy practice for bringing such a wonderful lady into my life as Marlene. I love her dearly, and always will.

Martial Arts Roots

Long before my knowledge or interest in Qigong or Tai Chi as an Innergy Art, I loved the fighting arts. First was boxing, with my favorite boxer being none other than Muhammad Ali. In college at Central State University in Ohio, I saw martial arts practiced for the first time in person by Bill Swift and the Wilder twins, Melvin and Calvin. I did not study with them, but I enjoyed their masterful exhibitions. It wasn't until I moved back to Ohio from grad school in Wisconsin, in the mid 70s, that I began studying and practicing Shotokan Karate under Mick Lewis, a student of Swift and the Twins. I studied under Mick for a year, earning a green belt, before moving to California in 1976. I did not take karate classes again after that, but by that time I had seen Bruce Lee's movies and was fascinated at the way he practiced his movements in slow motion. I later read that Lee, as part of his training and discipline, had been trained in the internal energy arts of Qigong and Tai Chi. I began to practice my own katas that way, feeling the Energy build during the slow, deliberate movements. I felt Qi for the first time, in a martial arts sense, while practicing this way. I was hooked and needed to know more.

In 1993, at the age of 43, I signed up for a summer class in Tai Chi at a local park in Anaheim, CA. I wanted to learn an exercise form that I could do for the rest of my life. My first love, in terms of playing a sport, had always been basketball, but it was potentially very damaging for my ankles and knees. I figured that I would try something else before any serious injuries occurred. The instructor was Neil Malley. Neil had studied under Maoshing and Daoshing Ni in Santa Monica. Their father, Master Hua Ching Ni, had brought Qigong and Tai Chi from China to the USA and represented a lineage of 70 generations of Masters. To my good fortune, Neil not only taught Tai Chi very expertly, but he also used a warm up and additional exercises from a set known as the Eight Treasures, a system of Qigong that has been practiced by the Ni family for over 2000 years. Within a few weeks of beginning Neil's classes, I decided that I wanted to teach also, and the books Neil had loaned me to read would form the foundation of my interest in Qigong and other Energy Arts, the philosophies of Taoism, Yin/Yang theory and the Tai Chi symbol. I knew, based on my hunger for more and more information, that this would become my life path. Over the years, my thirst has become unquenchable, and to this day I read, watch videos, do my own research on the internet, and practice my breathing techniques daily. My thanks to Neil for his interest in my path, and his contributions to my growth.

It is my Life Work to continue cultivating my own internal energy, or Innergy (the word I made up in 1994 to describe this phenomenon), and to share it with anyone who has this as a common interest. Innergy is known by many words all over the world, depending on region, culture, language or philosophy, but it all comes down to the same thing --- the Energy of Life -- Life Energy -- Breath -- Origins. It is the basis of the existence of the Universe. We, as humans, exist as models of the Universe, containing all of the elements and principles within us.

A Life of Innergy ... and Energy

My life is very basic and very simple right now. It has not always been this way, as I have gone through the processes of raising a family with two sons who are now grown. I worked an incredible number of hours per day, for many years, in order to afford 'the good life', which is now a vague memory and way down on my current list of priorities. I have traveled all over North America for both business and pleasure, and I have literally started over from scratch so many times I've lost track. One important thing I've learned to do is balance the material and non-material sides of life, and as I've reached a mature age, I've further realized that without good health and peace of mind, the material side of life has a lot less priority. So at the tender age of 58, I am comfortable in my thoughts, I have reconciled the mistakes of my past, and I can now wake up each morning with a new sense of adventure and challenge, with confidence that I can handle most anything that comes my way.

With that said, I am back to the basic foundation and ingredient of all Life --- Energy. Einstein is quoted as saying that since everything is Energy, then anything is possible. My internal path has not tended toward belief or non-belief in anything, but I sense the truth in what I hear and see intuitively, and accept/internalize that truth based on my own level of understanding at that moment in time. This way I allow for truth within me to evolve and grow over time, as new insights are presented. So with Energy and endless possibilities as fundamental realities of Life, I describe my path.

My Life of Innergy is reflected in what I practice and cultivate each day. I am fortunate to be in a position to share my experiences in Qigong Innergy Arts with others. The wonderful staff and administration at Moanalua High School have supported my classes in Adult Education by providing space on the schedule and rooms in which we can hold classes. Each semester, I am thankful to reconnect with returning students, and meet 30-60 new faces as well. Every one of the students, through their presence, their interest and input, have helped me to become a more dedicated student myself, and hopefully a better teacher. My interests are now more and more directed toward the healing aspects of Innergy. We have ourselves to heal --- our bodies, our minds, our spirits, our relationships. And we have each other to heal. When we have cultivated our own Innergy to a surplus level, then we can assist others in their path to a more healthy and self-healing lifestyle. It all begins with Innergy cultivation.

My Life of Energy is reflected in my profession, what I do all day. I am an energy consultant, dedicated to working with clients who want reduce their energy costs and implement more efficient methods of running their businesses.

Of all the issues we face on this planet, there is no issue more central to our growth as a civilized society of nations and people as Energy. When the electricity goes off, everything stops. We recently had this experience in Hawaii when there was an earthquake off the Big Island. Food spoiled in the refrigerators, the airports and supermarkets closed, traffic lights and street lights were off, communications and computer systems operated only on standby power. Our world came to a screeching halt and for some citizens it was quite traumatic for nearly 24 hours. This happens every day somewhere in the world, through natural disaster or due to system overload/failure.

I am happy to be an integral part of the solution. This planet's quest for efficient, affordable and  renewable Energy is one of the central themes of our lives today. This quest should be at the forefront in the minds and daily habits of all of us. We have no time to spare. All we need to do is look at the effect of Energy on our world economy, on the wars and threats of wars, and on the quality of our international political relationships. We must continue to work on this challenge with inexhaustible creative human Energy, individually and collectively, within and between nations and cultures.

My path in Life, as twisted and varied as it has been, has led me full circle to Innergy ... and Energy. The journey has definitely been worthwhile, as I tend to remember more of the good than the not-so-good, which I choose to interpret as opportunities to learn and grow. We have all heard that it's not what happens to us, it's what we choose to do about what happens to us. I hope that my choices provide positive opportunities for others to realize the meaning and improve the quality of their lives.

I encourage everyone who reads this message to make an effort to learn more about and cultivate your internal energy, your Innergy. We cannot help others until we have helped ourselves. We cannot effectively lead or be of service to others until we have raised our level of Innergy to a high enough level that we have Innergy to impart to others. Our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual Innergy are all related in this endeavor. In some cases, our health or the health of a loved one is at stake. It has been said that Qigong and Tai Chi are an inexpensive form of health insurance. We can no longer overlook the healing and restorative powers of our Innergy.

And I encourage you to make the conservation of Energy a personal priority, as each of our individual actions has a ripple effect on the overall Energy situation of our planet. We can no longer afford to merely give lip service to the importance of Energy, nor can we afford to ignore the implications of our actions. In this sense we are all part of the world community of Energy producers and consumers.

Love and Peace to All ... We are One under the Sun ...

Stuart Holloway
December 5, 2008