Relaxing Into Your Being, A Review and Recommendation

 Relaxing into Your Being is one of two books on Taoist Meditation that Taoist Lineage Master Bruce Frantzis published in the late 1990s.  This book, and The Great Stillness, introduce how to apply the water method when one meditates.  This method uses the breath and a technique called "dissolving" to help connect one's intention with energetic blockages that can be sensed in the body.   Dissolving practice helps release and relax physical and emotional  blockages, and it subsequently deepens inner awareness to deeper levels.

Meditation Exercises in the Book

In the twelve practices provided in the Relaxing book, the first nine prepare the mind and body to develop continuous awareness and the ability to feel within the body.  Dissolving practices are introduced before the fifth exercise so that practitioners can begin to clear and strengthen their energy channels for deeper work that releases repressed emotions.  This processes could be called "clearing the Red Dust."

Intermediate practices involve breathing with the kidneys, upper back breathing and breathing energy into the dantien.  Being able to advance to this stage requires diligent practice in learning how to sense and relax internally.  At this stage, you can encounter and neutralize attachments (positive or negative), traumas and your internal demons.  Stillness comes, making it possible to see where these polarities are produced. 

Other exercises introduced in the book are standing meditation and awareness exercises for the lower half of the body.  One of the exercises is the introductory or commencement move of Wu style T'ai Chi.  These exercises are used to help increase body awareness and they complement the static meditation exercises.  I highly recommend doing all of the exercises.

Consequences of Taoist Meditation

A stream in Northern Costa Rica.

These meditation practices develop conscious awareness to the point of being in the "now," or being aware of that slippery thing known as consciousness.   Reaching this point, you can develop an awareness of the Mindstream which contains subtle manifestations of the seven energy bodies.  Intermediate and advanced practitioners then practice inner dissolving to release these subtle energies which manifest by creating gaps in awareness of the Mindstream.  Inner peace nurtures one intermittently during the process and can help motivate you along the way.

Frantzis talks about the deeper challenges of meditation near the end of the book.  The fear of ru ding, or loss of the ego, occurs when one is in the deep into advanced stages of their practice.  One has to be tenacious to surmount this obstacle.  Also, a form of spiritual egotism can manifest when one develops knowledge of energy manifestation.  If one can maintain inner strength and not give in to power trips, these problems do not get in the way of enlightenment, or the unification of your being with the Tao.

A Testimonial for Relaxing Into Your Being

Jane Alexander wrote a review of this book that ended saying, "The practice of the material within its pages totally changed my life around and gave me a reason to live."  One cannot give a better recommendation than that.  In the web article, she outlines some of the contents of Frantzis's book and even wrote a book about her recovery from PTSD and depression, Possessing Me: A Memoir of Healing.
 

A Qigong Meditation Practice Direction Guide

For standing and sitting qigong meditation practices, it is relatively simple to use feng shui to help you determine the optimal direction to orient yourself.  The method requires calculation of a number based on your birth date and use of a reference table.  There are two of eight directions that are good for health practices and nurturing tranquility.  Go to this HubPage to find out the method.  It is a short article and it could give your practice a boost!

Qigong and the Principles of T'ai Chi. Part I

Qigong is based on the principles of T'ai Chi, maintaining circular continuity and on establishing a center between Yin/Yang dualities: substantial and insubstantial, full and empty, heavy and light, etc. The T'ai Chi, or Supreme Ultimate, provides the source of movement and stillness, and it births Yin and Yang. Our center provides a middle ground between excesses and deficiencies. Our movement from the center allows Yin and Yang to act independently. Stillness allows the two to merge into unity.

Establishing one's center requires mindful and persistent practice. Through diligent practice it is possible to understand one's energy field and attain spiritual enlightenment. Supernatural knowledge can be attained.

How can this occur? Developing familiarity with your intrinsic "empty and full" dualities will facilitate "letting go." It is this emptying which allows you to become sensitive. In learning a qigong form, the mind is persistently returned to what the body is doing. This introduces the practitioner to tranquility, it quietens and relaxes the mind, calming one's emotional nature.

A Chinese Self Massage in the Morning

A self-massage is good for you health, too.

Instead of a cup of coffee, right after you get out of bed, you can give yourself a Chinese self-massage to wake up your body and help balance your energy channels.  It only takes a few minutes, but it will give help you wake up and feel great about starting your new day. 

These techniques trace the energy channels of the body and help clear them for proper energy glow.  There are also closing massage techniques after meditation or movement exercises, as shown in the video at the end of the instructions.  Without further adieu, here is the sequence and methods that I use as I sit on the side of the bed when I get up:

1.  Place both hands with the palms facing the nape of the neck and bring both hands over the top of the head to the forehead, down to the jaw and back to the nape.  Do this eight times in this direction and reverse the direction for another eight times. 

2.  Place the second knuckle of each of the thumbs where the nose meets the bottom of the eyebrow and rub outwards eight times.  Also trace below the eyes in the same manner eight times.

3.  Roll the eyes in a circle eight times in one direction and then eight times in the opposite direction.

4.  Rub the ears with the thumb and the forefinger, starting at the top front, working your way backwards to the ear lobes.  Do this eight times and then do the same thing in the reverse direction.

5.  Rub with your first two finger tips on each side of the nose 20 times.  You may want to do more repetitions of this one if you are having sinus problems.

6.  Click the teeth together eight times, then roll the tongue three times in one direction and then three times in the next direction.  Swallow your saliva and follow it down to your lower dantien.  Repeat this sequence eight times.

7.  With the right palm, follow the left arm from the palm of the left hand to the armpit and then over the shoulder and down the outside of the arm to the hand.  Allow the palm of the right hand to whisk past the top of the left hand and then repeat seven more times.  Repeat this on the other arm.

8.  With the right palm, stroke the front left side of the body twenty times, going from the shoulder to the inguinal crease of the hips.  Do the same on the right side of the body.

9.  With the palms of the hands, massage the ming men or kidney area of the back twenty times.

10.  Stand and place the palm of the right hand on the lower dantien (2" below the navel) and then place the palm of the left hand over the right.  Rub in a clockwise direction, making larger circles until you get to the outer edges of the belly for a total of 36 circles.  Change the orientation of the hands, and move from the outer edge of the belly back to the dantien in a counterclockwise direction.  For men, use the opposite hand orientation.

11.  At the inguinal crease area on top of the thigh, place your thumbs with the palms of the hand on the side of the thigh.  Rub outward to the knee twenty times.

12.  Place the palms of the hands on the top of each knee and rube twenty times in a circle in one direction and then twenty times in the opposite direction.

13.  Place the thumbs on the shin below the knee and the palms on the outside of the calf and rub downwards twenty times.

14.  Place the palms of the hands at the inside of the ankles and rub up and down the inside of the legs twenty times.

15.  Put one of the feet on top of your knee and rub the bottom of the feet from the toes to the heel twenty times and then massage the K1 (Yong Quan) point in front of the middle of the foot.  If you don't know where it is, there is a depression in the foot between the first knuckle of the toes and the middle.  If you still don't know, there is a picture on this site. Do the same on the other side.

16. Place both feet on the floor and rest the palms of the hands on the lower dantien and take 20 abdominal breaths and focus your attention on the lower dantien, letting the energy settle there.  Then get up and do some qigong exercises to take advantage of the abundant energy that is flowing in the morning!

Bonus:

Here is a closing massage practice show by Master Pan Shaozu, who lives in Gansu Province of China.  He was 85 years old at the time this video was taken and was able to wield a broadsword deftly as well.

May your practice be rewarding!

Yahoo Group Qiresearch for Science Updates

An ancient character for Qi

About a year ago, I joined a Yahoo group that has updates on scientific research regarding the use of qigong, Tai chi and medical qigong for healing. This group is called Qiresearch, and it includes some members of the research community.  Join the group if you want to get updates on the research results. A lot of studies are ongoing in the United States and Europe, and it is great to see the results as they come in.

This testing is an important step in assessing the validity of qigong techniques for overcoming specific health challenges, because many of the past studies were not well-designed trials.  As a scientist, I appreciate the more robust methods that are being used, which lends greater credibility to the numerous personal testimonials of the healing power of qigong. 


Namaste.

Simple Qigong Exercise Set Stops Parkinson's Disease Symptoms

The video below by Cheyne Towers shows three simple qigong exercises. Cheyne goes through each move showing the mechanics for doing the movements.  At the end of the video there is testimony from a practitioner on how his shaking from Parkinson's Disease has stopped since he began his qigong practice.

I would add the following four tips to consider as part of the exercise set for more advanced practitioners:

1.) In the first exercise, the right and left hands need to be aligned with the right and left extraordinary channels of the torso as the hands are moving downward. As the hands move up, there can also be a vertical opening of the kwa, or inguinal crease at the hip and groin area. As the hands move down the body, the kwa closes.

2.) Turning at the waist, or kwa, should be a part of exercises 2 and 3, where there is movement to the sides. If you are turning your torso and not twisting it, you will move into the kwa as you move from side to side. The knees should stay stationary, but you will note that the muscles of the thighs will twist.  Having someone hold your knees will help you develop awareness of when they move and an awareness as to how much you can move before the knees move.  Over time, you will be able to move further into the kwa and the muscles of the upper thigh will twist outwards. 

3.) Aim towards performing the movements smoothly, slowly and without any jerky or mechanical-like motions.  When first beginning, the movements will be uncoordinated and less fluid, but once you know the moves, this will be the time to work on developing fluidity and continuity.

4.) Breathe naturally and abdominally. The movements are not coordinated with the breath; but even, relaxed breathing with the diaphragm should occur without any holding. If it helps, visualize the breathing as being like a wheel moving, never pausing at the beginning of inhalation or at the beginning of exhalation. If diaphragmatic breathing is something you need to learn, check out Stages in Abdominal Breathing

Many Parkinson's sufferers have reported a reduction in symptoms as a result of taking up qigong practice. Several studies have been summarized on the World Tai Chi and Qigong Day web site. It is one of the many types of diseases that improve due to qigong exercise. A variety of qigong exercise sets, as well as Tai chi styles, can confer these health improvement results. The great benefit of qigong exercises is that simple exercise sets can confer so many health benefits. For those with mobility problems, qigong and t'ai chi can also be done in a chair.  A book that illustrates how to do t'ai chi in a chair is shown below.  Good instructors will be able to teach how to adapt qigong exercises for those with limited mobility.

Qigong Postures and Postural Alignment Correction with the Egoscue Method

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PR: n/a  I: 29,600,000  L: 0  LD: 215,636,682  I: 791,000  Rank: 5  Age: October 12, 1999  I: 0  whois source Robo: yes Sitemap: no  Rank: 1841  Price: 749670

	SQ
PR: n/a  I: 29,600,000  L: 0  LD: 215,636,682  I: 791,000  Rank: 5  Age: October 12, 1999  I: 0  whois source Robo: yes Sitemap: no  Rank: 1841  Price: 749670 Info Links: 13|3 Density

The development of good qigong posture and alignments can be aided with cross-training using the Egoscue Method, developed by Pete Egoscue. His method can be adapted to people that have various body types and pain experiences. The exercises and stretches emphasize correct alignment and are based, in part, on your current posture.

I have used this method in the past and have incorporated various of the stretches and exercises to help correct postural mis-alignments that occur due to bad habits (like sitting too long in front of the computer writing articles). It is a method that definitely works, which is why I keep going back to it on a regular basis. I highly recommend looking at the video produced recently. A link to that video is given to the left.

Qigong standing meditation postures will reinforce correct postural alignment, starting with the wu wei posture where the hands rest at the sides. In this regard, I suggest looking at a recent post on Master Lam Kam Chuen's videos for various standing postures. This is a 10-video series on Youtube that includes some of the Eight Pieces Brocade qigong.  The series is meant to be practiced over a 10-day period to familiarize yourself with various standing postures and their benefits. All of the exercises are discussed in further detail in the blog post and in the book by Master Lam, "The Way of Energy."

Doing both methods simultaneously is a slam-dunk for improving your health. Poor postural alignment is the cause of many different health problems that people experience as they get older.  Doing both as an exercise routine can also increase your total body awareness and help correct long-term bad habits that prevent you from functioning at an optimal level.  So, if you want to live longer and with more vitality, correct your posture! 

Final exercise recommendations:  Be conscious of your breathing and follow the Taoist water method of doing exercises, which means to go into the exercise routine being gentle on your body.  Doing excessive repetitions of the exercises is not for everybody. Doing the full exercise routine should only be done as your body strength allows.  So, do the number of repetitions that you can do, but do all of the exercises in the routine to get a rounded and complete set.  "No pain, no gain," is a ridiculous phrase that has no application when you are using qigong for improving health.