Yonkon

@Apech@awaken@Vajra Fist

Thank you for your perspectives!

Intuitively speaking, reducing movement makes sense. But when it hurts badly, i don't want to force it.

This is a position that feels good to me even for longer periods. Are there some downsides when you meditate like this and not in lotus position?

2 hours ago, Giles said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

You'll probably find this

 

 

and @awaken's own book

(ASIN B09HK1L3RL) together with her Q&A topic on Wuwei Dan Dao is quite enlightening.

 

 

 

Thank you!

I can't speak chinese, so getting into the books will not work. But I will check out the QA.

Dear Bums,

my meditation sessions are getting longer and longer now. The focus is there, but my body aches after a while.

What is your approach? Just staying with the pain, making it conscious, growing with the pain?

Or is a more gentle approach appropriate? I thought about changing from cross legged sitting into another posting after every 40 minutes. (Maybe my knees or laying on the back?)

Would love to hear your perspectives!

Thank you all for contributing, this forum is truly something special.

I learned a lot but also i have thousand more questions as a result. 

A main theme that i picked up is that it is wise to choose a certain style/school and commit to it.

I feel overwhelmed with the diversity of styles but one thing seems to attract me the most:

"Zifa Gong", "Katsugen", "Spontaneous Qigong" - There are many names for it and this topic attracts me endlessly and i always come back to it. There are many names of this "automatic healing force" but sadly i can't find any in depth and high quality material about it. There are no courses in my area and i have no luck finding a book about this topic.

So if any of you can help me out i would be very grateful. I really want to explore this phenomena but i don't know where to start.

2 hours ago, Rara said:

Taiji

What's the difference between qigong and Taiji? And where would i start with Taiji if i don't have a teacher around?

10 minutes ago, liminal_luke said:

 

This practice, https://shengzhen.org/, is very much oriented towards your goals.  I took several workshops with Master Li years ago and highly recommend the practice

great, thank you!

I tested out a fair share of spiritual practices and qiqong seems to be the most suited for my personality so i want to commit. (I love to move and i can't sit still) 

But now a questioned entered my mind: Has qiqong the same purpose as sitting meditation or yoga? I want to become healthy in body and mind, calm my being and open my heart. Is QiGong the right practice for walking this path?  

Imagine that i commit to a life long mastery of Qiqong, where would this lead me, what will get out of the practice?

Another Question that is related: will all practices lead me to the same thing the one way or another?

1 minute ago, ralis said:

http://www.mirrabliss.com/uploads/1/7/7/9/17790039/agenda.pdf

 

 

https://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/sriaurobindo/writings.php

 

 

Awesome, thanks! Sooo, where to start? The amount of information seems a bit overwhelming. 

31 minutes ago, alchemystical said:

The most important part of this is your awareness and the recapitulation that occurs at the end so a prolonged Shiv Asna is essential to absorb the practice and reconfigure the mind body from the nervous system upwards.

Can you explain what you mean with Shiv Asna and with the recapitulation?

8 minutes ago, alchemystical said:

 

Care to share some of these grounding techniques of which you speak? Thanks

 

 

Yes. The whole point of yoga is letting the pose get into you ie let your body/energy lead and the mind follows instead of the inverse you see in so many studios. The most important part of this is your awareness and the recapitulation that occurs at the end so a prolonged Shiv Asna is essential to absorb the practice and reconfigure the mind body from the nervous system upwards.

 

One thing I do wonder is how do you know its a Kunadalini awakening? What led you to that conclusion because that experience is life changing to say the least and I feel you wouldn't be asking such an elementary question had you already crossed the threshold as you'd be guided from within. I'd be willing to wager you've just taken a tentative step toward awakening your energetic aspects (ie are on the path to Kundalini but not there yet) based on what you've said as it sounds like prana moving its way around the nadis.

wow this is great! Sounds very intuitive. See my post above for my "awakening".

3 hours ago, moment said:

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record!  But, here goes, caution is okay as long as you don't tense up.  Go a little deeper and withdraw as you feel comfortable.  Never just let yourself  fall deeply all at once.  While you are exploring this phenomena, study grounding techniques.  Become an expert in grounding techniques.  Be constantly on the lookout for new grounding techniques. Plus, what ralis said above.

I am also interested in your grounding techniques! 

For everyone who wonders, i described my "kundalini awakening" in my Introduction Thread: 

On 17.10.2018 at 7:41 PM, Yonkon said:

well.. as already stated above i had my awakening through the influence of weed while meditating. I saw a light and felt energy moving up my spine. I felt better and better, probably the best i ever felt. Than i hit some sort of a bottle neck, the light stopped and i heard voices. The voices became louder, like i big crowd. They where incredible real, and i never experienced something like this before. Anyway the crowd had a very negative vibe. They booed me, and the more interesting part is they called me a faggot. 

So then i had this huge flashback that my father shamed be for being gay at a very young age (i touched the willy from my best friend in kindergarden). This confused my quite a lot. I learned a few things about me  since then: I am bisexual, i am a homophob and i am deeply afraid of being gay. So this is my gay kundalini story, don't know what to do with this.. any help is appreciated 

 

Also after this experience my body changed quite dramatically from being weak and unenergetic to very fit and strong. And girls suddenly where interested in me that was nice too :D

Thank you for bringing me to the conclusion that i over identify with kundalini and that it is probably not the case. It was the first thing that i found that described my symptoms but i will leave this narrative now. 

2 hours ago, freeform said:

 

It's just a natural reaction of your body and mind as it lets go of tension, mental and emotional debris and habitual patterns and traumas. It's similar to a sneeze. What's important is not to indulge in it... not to get too attached to it or to find meaning and importance in it - just as you would not do that with a sneeze.

 

There is an end to this process... eventually, most of the debris that can be gotten to with this process will be cleared out - and you will reach a kind of ease and stillness in yourself. This is the goal - not more movements, not more experiences or anything like that.

Thank you, very insightful. I'm sure that i didn't reach the end, my body feels quite restless far from ease and stillness. With what practice should i continue after i reach this stage?

1 hour ago, ralis said:

I recommend conducting research into ones that have mapped out these experiences. 
 

Gopi Krishna’s books.

 

Sri Aurobindo/Mira Alfassa AKA The Mother. In particular her “Agenda” and Aurobindo’s “Letters on Yoga.”

If i had to choose between Agenda and Letters on yoga, wich one should i choose? 

28 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

First of all I can suggest that you have your kundalini awakening verified by an experienced teacher. If there are any Sikh groups in your area that would be the place to start.

 

 

What would be the benefit of doing so?

Since my Kundalini Awakening some years ago i developed something that is described by some as automatic yoga or spontaneous yoga. When i let go, my body begins to move on its own. When i am lying down, my body slowly twists, bends and sometimes shakes. Sometime my body goes into classic hatha positions, but most of the time it's a dynamic blend between different kinds of stretching and yoga.

Most of the time this is very pleasurable, sometimes even blissful. But here is something i noticed. When i do this longer than 50 minutes, i go very deep. I am not too experienced, so i get scared when i go to deep. I worry about not doing it "right" and screwing something up. Because i go freestyle, without any guidance or rules, i worry that it could be damaging to me in some way (it definitely feels great and develops without force)  I just let it happen as my body pleases.

My question is: should i trust my body completely? Should i just let myself "fall" into the pit, fall so deep as my body wants to? Or should i be cautiousness with these kind of practices? Maybe only follow a teaching and don't go wander on my own? 

Hey guys, i have the opportunity to go into physiotherapy and get my spine corrected. I have my doubts and i thought the best way to gather different perspectives is to ask here. 

My main concern is that through forcefully straightening the spine, my body gets damaged. 

I have strong tension in the neck area and i am certain that it is a result of blocked emotions and trauma. Heal the trauma and the neck is free. But maybe through physiotherapy i get faster relief, maybe even helps with the healing process?

So has anybody done something similar or can share his experience or point of view? I would highly appreciate it.

23 hours ago, Everything said:

As it's not about the rush, but rather just simply being on the leading edge of all creation

Yes Yes that's it, thank you - this is my wish.

Man do i love this forum.

23 hours ago, Everything said:

Many people are already downloading information non-physically. Meaning, matching the frequency by which you wish to receive whatever information and intent. I experienced some of that and it's pretty much the way to go. It bypasses technology by far as all of nature is simply always gonna be the most advanced technology there is, period. 

This sounds very interesting, though i don't quite understand it. Do you mean "information" in the esoteric knowingness sense or more literal, like i could download information about how to cook an Omelette just right?

21 hours ago, thelerner said:

me three.  Look for Yin Yoga, there are many youtubes and its one of the styles taught at my health club.  Its about slow movement, holding poses for two or three minutes.  Mostly easier poses too, hold breath, stretch, relax. 

Niice, thank you will check it out.

Greetings,

I have the feeling that most yoga courses, especially the mainstream ones, are crazy fast. This one instructor jumps from one pose to another and i can't even get 3 breaths in between let alone become more aware of my body. It is so hyperactive!

But the thing is even the more spiritual and consciousness focused courses and videos are still way to fast for me. To be honest it annoys me a bit. I am a rather slow person, when i walk to buy some grocery even old granny's are speeding past me  So my question is, are those courses, especially hatha yoga, supposed to be fast? Is there maybe a reason for the speed, has it an effect? Or is it just a product of our hyperactive and restless culture?

I would love to get some outside perspective on this. 

52 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

 

To really accept all things as they are requires emotional bliss, which is what you feel during the enlightenment experience.  

I always thought it's the other way. First you accept, then you feel bliss... 

21 minutes ago, idiot_stimpy said:

 

Yes, it can be quite liberating.

Nice, will do.

It's a bit off topic but i have a related question: Can i practice meditation like "sitting still" while lying down on the ground? I find it more comfortable and can focus better, but i heard that the spine must be straight and upwards because of energetic reasons.. What about that?

18 hours ago, idiot_stimpy said:

What you're searching for is your immediate existence right now. Therefore, nothing needs to be done to exist right now, and there is nothing you can do to search for your immediate existence right now.

so basically i should sit still and accept existence as it is? Don't know if i got you right. 

3 hours ago, MuadDib said:

I think the key here is finding an activity where you lose track of time. While you are bored, time slows down. While you are doing something you enjoy, something that engages you fully, time speeds up. This activity may or may not be martial arts/meditation.

You mentioned giving piano lessons. Maybe you lose track of time while you play the piano?

To be honest I already got that, i'm a music fanatic and love writing songs and producing music. But lately the purpose of all behind is lacking. Sure it feels nice and is fun, but sometimes it feels kind of meaningless. Sometimes i think it's even something like masturbation, i just do it to pleasure myself. Of course there is nothing wrong with that per se, but i want to create music with a real purpose. To really help people and give something back.. So i want to slowly make a shift to contribution, away from soley self pleasure. And it's kind of hard and scary because my sense of meaning and purpose is radically shifting...  but it seems to me that this is the path i have to walk..  I will figure it out.  

7 hours ago, moment said:

 

Qigong and Taichi together is the ultimate, especially for the needs you have laid out here.  Tai chi practitioners are called players, because part of the practice involves a certain type of joy.  Joy is something that you may presently be a little confused about at this moment in time.  Be well.

Now i'm intrigued. When i could only start with only one and add the second later, with wich practices should i beginn? 

The Thread is dying so i wanted to thank you to all who contributed so far, you guys really helped me out  Have a nice one

17 hours ago, silent thunder said:

I'd recommend Bagua Circle Walking or Aikido.

13 hours ago, Nungali said:

It think Aikido would do you wonders !  The right school that is . It can teach you a LOT about 'holding your centre' and the sphere around you and how others influence it and can penetrate it and then what you do about  those that come into your 'sphere of interaction' 

Aikido sounds great! Will check it out. Maybe i try out Qui Qong/Tai Chi as well. 

1 hour ago, escott said:

Did you look to see if there is any Krav Maga near you? If I wanted to learn modern self defense that is what I would choose. For spiritual/internal development I do Tai Chi and Qigong.

indeed, i can do krav maga here. But I'm looking for a more "flowing" practice, becoming like water, stuff like that...