Center offers in-depth look at spirituality
Sifu JC Cox told people when he was young that he could shoot fire out of his hands.
More than 20 years ago, while working at a health food store called Stay Healthy! in Las Vegas, he read a book on Qi Gong. It described the process of moving energy through the body.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not crazy,’ ” he recalls. “’Here it is in a book.’ ”
But “shooting fire” isn’t the only activity on his to-do list these days. Cox says he cashed out of co-ownership of Rainbow’s End Natural Foods in Las Vegas. He risked everything to open Naturally Organic Healing Center, at 1171 S. Buffalo Drive, about a year ago. And, he can sometimes be found crouching over an array of tea-making paraphernalia, jasmine, and calendula flowers, preparing for a workshop on tonic teas.
Cox is an ordained Chan and Taoist priest. A medalist in the Las Vegas International Chinese Martial Arts Championship, he specializes in herbs, Qi Gong, tai chi, meditation, protection chants and ceremonies, and blessings for homes, businesses and babies.
His healing center isn’t limited to the realms of Buddhism and Taoism. It consists of one-part health food store, one-part gallery for local artists, and an airy studio for classes, events and workshops ranging from Tantric yoga, the basics of essential oils, and Reiki circles to medical Qi Gong and tai chi.
Other events include monthly vegan potlucks, often tied to a charitable cause; Holistic Toastmasters club; and opportunities for spiritual singles to meet the like-minded. Reiki practitioners offer sessions, as well. Cox himself offers Qi Gong treatments based on the centuries-old Chinese healing tradition.
The treatments involve mild acupressure or massage, combined with prescription Qi Gong exercises as homework. Movement, sound, color, breath, the seasons and changes in temperature all come into play. Examples of other homework include dietary changes, meditations, and even the writing and burning of a letter.
His center offers an expansive menu, he says, because “I realize that there’s different strokes for different folks. You might connect with one teacher more than another teacher.”
Working at a small health food store also taught him that sometimes people need direction to avenues that transcend supplements. “People need a yoga class. They need some Qi Gong. Or they need a treatment. Putting all the modalities together is my vision. That’s why I think this is so different than any other place in town right now.”
The opportunity for students to learn an “authentic” practice is another distinction that he believes sets his center apart from some others.
“A lot of people teach meditation, but they’re just making up their own,” he points out. “I teach a detailed approach to meditation, and steps that you need to truly do it, going from concentration to contemplation.”
In addition to the stages of meditation, Cox teaches stretches that assist people in sitting longer. And, regardless of religious faith, his students also benefit from elements of Qi Gong that allow them to access personal guidance, becoming one’s own “personal oracle,” Cox says.
Spencer Davis observes that in the year he’s been studying with Cox, his posture has improved, along with his emotional stability and ability to deal with problems. Plus, he hasn’t run into his usual yearly bout of sickness.
Davis heard about Cox from someone at the Las Vegas Valley Bible Fellowship. Although he’s had an on-again, off-again relationship with churchgoing in general, Davis says he likes Qi Gong “because it’s not a religion. There’s Taoist beliefs with it, but you can use it for immense health benefits, or you can use it to make prayer stronger, in my opinion.”
“Taoism” translates as “the Way,” explains Cox — a practice of following the cycles of the planet, building on a knowledge of herbs, diet, the earth and semi-precious stones — and balancing the “Three Treasures,” representing earth, mankind and heaven.
“There’s a saying in Taoism — you can only embrace as much heaven as you can be grounded to the earth,” he adds. “A lot of spiritual people are too flighty. Taoism talks about connecting with the earth so you stay grounded.”
In the face of flighty spirituality and weekend teacher certifications, Cox is offering one-year, three-year and five-year Qi Gong curriculums through his Golden Dragon Holistic Arts program. Students immerse themselves in the material, commit to practice, and prepare to teach.
“I like that you have to earn it,” Cox says.
His own initiation by Dashi Steven Baugh, abbot of the Lohan Spiritual and Cultural Center and founder of the Lohan School of Shaolin in Las Vegas, took 10 years, not to mention 12 years of Wednesday night classes on esoteric teachings and the path of the spiritual warrior. Twenty years ago, Cox met Baugh while working in the health food store, soon after encountering the Qi Gong book that conjured images of shooting fire. He attended class that Wednesday, and has stuck with Baugh ever since.
“He’s been like a second father to me, and he’s challenged me in multiple areas of my life,” Cox says. “Physically, mentally, spiritually.”
Cox is one of only eight ordained by Baugh in his career. What struck Baugh about Cox was his ability to learn and carry on the tradition.
“I tell my students to not stop learning,” Baugh says.
Cox’s center reflects that piece of advice. Ileana Stefanescu, who teaches varied levels of Tantric yoga there, coordinates U.S. Yoga Academy’s two-year teacher training in Las Vegas. After years of teaching at other locations, what strikes her about Naturally Organic are the opportunities for the serious-minded student to keep forging ahead.
“We have a very well-structured curriculum, where people can learn spirituality from the basics to very high, vast levels,” she observes.
For more information about Naturally Organic Healing Center, go to: www.naturallyorganiccenter.com. For further details on Golden Dragon Holistic Arts, go to www.earthpowers.com.
