It's been such a cold winter in the Northeastern US this year, that even Niagara Falls has frozen over.

Every night, students come in to class shivering, that is, once they've resolved to venture out in the cold and the dark. And many haven't even been up for that.

Today I want to tell you about an important practice lesson you can learn from all this cold. You will develop a better feel for the chi of your etheric body and stay warmer in the process.

Normally, when you step out into frigid temperatures, your reaction is to tense up, contract your body, and shiver to keep warm.

You should do the opposite.

Here is a short qigong practice you can use to relax, warm-up, and even improve your sensitivity to the energy that runs your physical body.

Embrace the Cold

1. Stand, with your arms by your sides, legs relaxed and weight balanced through the feet.
2. Feel the cold air around you and how it's making contact with your body, through all your layers of clothing.
3. Notice any reaction to contract or withdraw.
4. Gently, from the outer edges of the body, expand to meet the cold, reversing the tendency to tense up.
5. Focus on the contact between your body and the cold air around you.
6. With time, expand the mind into the space around the body, feeling out into the cold, as if you were sensing for temperature.

Now, when we tell people to extend their minds beyond their bodies, that can often seem strange, esoteric, or even impossible, but we do this naturally.

Have you ever felt someone walk up behind you? Can you feel the heat without touching the fire? I hope so!

Learning to sense the chi in your etheric field requires the same kind of sensory activation that you use for many mundane activities. When you embrace this winter's cold, you have another great opportunity to enhance your senses and expand your awareness of chi.