Qigong fundamentals

[Athanor]

I was watching the Wild Goose Qigong practice and some questions occurred to me.

It's ok that people a long time ago watched animals and they thought that those movements might be vital and healthy. But beside this, why did they think (and why do we still think today) that this actually benefits us in a special way?

I mean just because the goose needs to shake its wings to get rid of water on its feathers, it doesn't mean that if we imitate that movement then it's going to be good for us. We don't have feathers, we don't have wings, why should we do a like movement with our hands? How does this whole thing connect to qi energy?

If qigong's fundamental principle is to align ourselves with nature, then shouldn't we align ourselves with OUR OWN nature instead of animals' nature?

 

Edited:

Thank you for all the valuable and helpful comments and information. I appreciate everyone's help.

Edited March 4, 2010 by Athanor

[Sahaj Nath]

I was watching the Wild Goose Qigong practice and some questions occurred to me.

It's ok that people a long time ago watched animals and they thought that those movements might be vital and healthy. But beside this, why did they think (and why do we still think today) that this actually benefits us in a special way?

I mean just because the goose needs to shake its wings to get rid of water on its feathers, it doesn't mean that if we imitate that movement then it's going to be good for us. We don't have feathers, we don't have wings, why should we do a like movement with our hands? How does this whole thing connect to qi energy?

If qigong's fundamental principle is to align ourselves with nature, then shouldn't we align ourselves with OUR OWN nature instead of animals' nature?

 

wow, this is such a good and TREMENDOUS question, i don't even know where to begin. i won't answer all of your question because it's just too big and i don't feel like writing a book right now, so let's just get the ball rolling with small stuff.

 

here's what i believe:

 

first, you're looking at this from a place of thinking rather than feeling, which suggests to me that you're either a beginner or you don't practice at all. the masters of old (and present) don't just daydream and decide they should imitate animals. there's a matter of harmony and resonance. beauty & grace speaks to us organically. it's not an intellectual process, and it certainly wasn't for the shamans of old who first blazed the path. we dance the animal forms for their beauty, both inside and out. it's our nature to be drawn to beauty. the science of it is mapped out later.

 

in the west we tend to dismiss our feelings as meaningless, but beauty has the power to heal us, rejuvenate us, inspire us to create more beauty. beauty makes us feel. and if we simply open ourselves, we can effortlessly discern medicinal movements from poisonous ones. it's music beyond sound. even a complete novice on the piano can discern pleasing chords & sequences from unpleasant ones. that much is already natural within us. the classes are for learning the different beauties already created, and to acquire the skills so we can create for ourselves. qigong is actually very much like that. but too few teachers are teaching at that level. this is actually why i respect innovators like Michael Winn (though i HATE the production quality of his materials) more than the staunch traditionalists who only duplicate what they've been taught. too many internal arts practitioners forget that IT IS, in fact, AN ART! this is a very mundane interpretation.

 

at a somewhat deeper level, the shamans and masters of old were so attuned to the life force around them that they were able to recognize themselves in the life force, and in doing so, were able to see ALL phenomena as a reflection of themselves. your question assumes a separation of things that i would argue the old masters didn't take as a given. i've studied HUNDREDS of qigong forms, and i've received transmission from a number of different masters, but my highest expression of the art comes from my examination of clouds, the wind, and trees. for another practitioner, who has a different karmic past, they might be more moved by the play of squirrels and birds, or insects at spring time.

 

there is no one correct protocol, no matter how much energy we spend trying to map out all the benefits of certain practices. the highest expression, in my opinion, is to simply make ourselves available to the life energy of the moment, as it arises, without expectation of form or outcome. but this is a very difficult thing to do. so forms have proven themselves to be a good compromise in terms of health.

[wudangspirit]

While watching the animals in nature it allows us to get back to our own essential nature and reminds us to connect with our own original spirit. As for the movements, Qigong is grounded in stillness and the flow of qi can only be activated while in stillness then the body can begin to move. So going back to the Goose shaking his feathers, that was an inspired movement and intended for us to shake of the bad qi.

 

This movement is also done in white crane kung fu. It is not about imitated the animal exactly but when you can visualize a goose shaking off wateer off his wings you can also see how that relates to shaking off stagnate qi.

 

In healing work we also do this. You need to go beyond post heaven intelligence and realize the essence of the teaching and movements.

 

 

I was watching the Wild Goose Qigong practice and some questions occurred to me.

It's ok that people a long time ago watched animals and they thought that those movements might be vital and healthy. But beside this, why did they think (and why do we still think today) that this actually benefits us in a special way?

I mean just because the goose needs to shake its wings to get rid of water on its feathers, it doesn't mean that if we imitate that movement then it's going to be good for us. We don't have feathers, we don't have wings, why should we do a like movement with our hands? How does this whole thing connect to qi energy?

If qigong's fundamental principle is to align ourselves with nature, then shouldn't we align ourselves with OUR OWN nature instead of animals' nature?

[Riyue]

I was watching the Wild Goose Qigong practice and some questions occurred to me.

It's ok that people a long time ago watched animals and they thought that those movements might be vital and healthy. But beside this, why did they think (and why do we still think today) that this actually benefits us in a special way?

I mean just because the goose needs to shake its wings to get rid of water on its feathers, it doesn't mean that if we imitate that movement then it's going to be good for us. We don't have feathers, we don't have wings, why should we do a like movement with our hands? How does this whole thing connect to qi energy?

If qigong's fundamental principle is to align ourselves with nature, then shouldn't we align ourselves with OUR OWN nature instead of animals' nature?

 

... getting a feeling for animal's "nature" - we have a chance to see behind of all these variations... to see the principle of nature ... to get an impression of ziran... of dao

---

there are qigong sets not imitating animals

for example Lin Zhong Peng's Identification with Heaven and Earth...

It mediates the underlying principle of all ...

the interaction of

Heaven - Earth - Human Being...

[Athanor]

there is no one correct protocol, no matter how much energy we spend trying to map out all the benefits of certain practices. the highest expression, in my opinion, is to simply make ourselves available to the life energy of the moment, as it arises, without expectation of form or outcome. but this is a very difficult thing to do. so forms have proven themselves to be a good compromise in terms of health.

So then, what makes it possible to determine whether a movement is to our own good or against it? If there is no one correct protocol, then what is the guideline or directive or particular feeling or whatever that can tell how to move, which move is natural and which is not? I mean "making ourselves available to the life energy of the moment" is very nice, but find me just 5 people on Earth who understand this the same way.

Moving without expectation would mean not to expect the movement to increase my health, wouldn't it? Then how to practice qigong?

It's like if the whole thing would be simply the joy of moving. As if it wouldn't matter at all how to move, which way, and how far, or how fast, but the only thing that matters would be to enjoy it. So you'd move in a way as you enjoy it. But then, isn't it kind of unethical to teach qigong for a high fee instead of saying "move as you like"?

 

 

You need to go beyond post heaven intelligence and realize the essence of the teaching and movements.

This sounds very nice, but I have absolutely no idea what it means. Avoiding such sentences in general when talking about qigong and related issues, or strictly defining the terms used in it, like 'post heaven intelligence', so that they would mean roughly the same to everyone, would make it much easier to understand these practices.

[steve]

I was watching the Wild Goose Qigong practice and some questions occurred to me.

It's ok that people a long time ago watched animals and they thought that those movements might be vital and healthy. But beside this, why did they think (and why do we still think today) that this actually benefits us in a special way?

I mean just because the goose needs to shake its wings to get rid of water on its feathers, it doesn't mean that if we imitate that movement then it's going to be good for us. We don't have feathers, we don't have wings, why should we do a like movement with our hands? How does this whole thing connect to qi energy?

If qigong's fundamental principle is to align ourselves with nature, then shouldn't we align ourselves with OUR OWN nature instead of animals' nature?

Excellent question!

I think the best way to answer such a question is to practice some different forms and see what, if anything, you get out of it.

Find what is right for you - physically, emotionally, psychologically.

 

When we try to answer questions like this verbally, I tend to find the answers gratuitous or rote.

Physical movements combined with focus and breathing are valuable for a lot of reasons - physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual. Different patterns will be beneficial to different individuals and this may change over time depending on where you are at any given period in your life. I think that almost any movement of the human body combined with focused attention and breathing can be instructive or valuable when practiced appropriately. All muscle groups and joints benefit from stretching and strengthening. Often this will mimic other animals, sometimes not.

 

Your idea of "aligning ourselves" "with OUR OWN nature" is absolutely reasonable and as, or more, valid than any other.

This does not apply to us only as a species (although that's part of it) but also as individuals.

The only way to do this, I believe, is to learn a variety of methods (or no methods) and either find what works best for you as an individual or develop your own.

 

Be wary of putting too much faith in all Qigong systems, however. The vast majority of Qigong systems practiced worldwide were developed by opportunists during the Qigong "boom" in China in the past few decades or by non-Chinese riding on their coat tails. Most of what is practiced was not developed by ancient shamans who were deeply in touch with nature but by modern Chinese looking for something to believe in after the decimation of the Cultural Revolution. This Qigong craze started in the 70's in post-Mao China and really gained momentum in the 90's as China progressively opened to the west.

 

The publishers of multiple Qigong books and videos are not sharing priceless, ancient secrets for the most part but anything that looks like it could sell. A very famous publisher of Qigong videos approached a friend of mine, wanting to put the Qigong sets we practice on tape and package and sell it to the public with a fancy name and history. Buyer beware...

[Sahaj Nath]

So then, what makes it possible to determine whether a movement is to our own good or against it? If there is no one correct protocol, then what is the guideline or directive or particular feeling or whatever that can tell how to move, which move is natural and which is not? I mean "making ourselves available to the life energy of the moment" is very nice, but find me just 5 people on Earth who understand this the same way.

Moving without expectation would mean not to expect the movement to increase my health, wouldn't it? Then how to practice qigong?

It's like if the whole thing would be simply the joy of moving. As if it wouldn't matter at all how to move, which way, and how far, or how fast, but the only thing that matters would be to enjoy it. So you'd move in a way as you enjoy it. But then, isn't it kind of unethical to teach qigong for a high fee instead of saying "move as you like"

 

before i continue, PLEASE try to keep in mind that there is really no way for me to answer the whole of your question here. it's a HUGE question and you could easily read a dozen books without having it answered completely. but that being said:

 

you seem to have latched on to my very last paragraph, as if to ignore the three paragraphs prior, which i believe answer what you're re-iterating here. maybe my answers come across too abstract for your taste?

 

not sure i can satisfy your questions empirically. i know the esoteric theories and i know my lived experiences. many teachers would tell you to practice until you understand it for yourself. as i suggested right at the start, i believe you're trying to think through something that isn't necessarily intellectual. so i draw on analogies, like music. moving without expectation would be like Miles Davis just letting it flow through him in a jazz session. a novice couldn't achieve what he did, unless they were uncommonly gifted.

 

i would liken many of the old masters to musical geniuses. they see phenomenon and quickly understand what imitating abstractly representing the phenomenon will do for the body. they can feel it. they can see it. they're not novices with no conscious connection to the life force. they are master artists that can fashion these expressions into teachable forms.

 

so yeah, beauty of the dance is a big part of it. it's not the whole of it, and there are a TON of 'no frills' forms out there. you just won't catch me practicing a whole lot of them.

 

but what i've been getting at here is that it's a matter of being able to really open up and see and feel things deeply. no one has to teach a child that running around in the grass is healthy activity, or that warm days can nourish the body.

 

and as for "making ourselves available to the life energy of the moment is very nice, but find me just 5 people on Earth who understand this the same way," i could find you 50 right here in Sacramento. it's not as novel a concept as you think. it's just new to you.

 

i'm glad that i don't have to re-invent the wheel all the time, but sometimes it's good practice. i can feel the meridian lines in people's bodies, but i'm not yet skilled enough to actually see them. masters who came before me could see them, and the mapped the energetic body. i've studied their work and verified their findings for myself. and with that knowledge alone i could create qigong forms that mimic whatever i want. but i never do this. i do the reverse. after having studied hundreds of qigong forms as well as formless moving meditation, i can allow my body to express as it will and allow that to teach me.

 

Mikaelz recently posted about his experience with Sifu Jenny Lamb, where he learned a set of exercises that she learned from her own body's spontaneous postures. not everyone can do that, but that kind of discovery and teaching is far from unheard of, and many of the older forms, having shamanic roots, were developed in similar ways.

[Athanor]

before i continue, PLEASE try to keep in mind that there is really no way for me to answer the whole of your question here. it's a HUGE question and you could easily read a dozen books without having it answered completely. but that being said:

 

you seem to have latched on to my very last paragraph, as if to ignore the three paragraphs prior, which i believe answer what you're re-iterating here. maybe my answers come across too abstract for your taste?

 

not sure i can satisfy your questions empirically. i know the esoteric theories and i know my lived experiences. many teachers would tell you to practice until you understand it for yourself. as i suggested right at the start, i believe you're trying to think through something that isn't necessarily intellectual. so i draw on analogies, like music. moving without expectation would be like Miles Davis just letting it flow through him in a jazz session. a novice couldn't achieve what he did, unless they were uncommonly gifted.

 

i would liken many of the old masters to musical geniuses. they see phenomenon and quickly understand what imitating abstractly representing the phenomenon will do for the body. they can feel it. they can see it. they're not novices with no conscious connection to the life force. they are master artists that can fashion these expressions into teachable forms.

 

so yeah, beauty of the dance is a big part of it. it's not the whole of it, and there are a TON of 'no frills' forms out there. you just won't catch me practicing a whole lot of them.

 

but what i've been getting at here is that it's a matter of being able to really open up and see and feel things deeply. no one has to teach a child that running around in the grass is healthy activity, or that warm days can nourish the body.

 

and as for "making ourselves available to the life energy of the moment is very nice, but find me just 5 people on Earth who understand this the same way," i could find you 50 right here in Sacramento. it's not as novel a concept as you think. it's just new to you.

 

i'm glad that i don't have to re-invent the wheel all the time, but sometimes it's good practice. i can feel the meridian lines in people's bodies, but i'm not yet skilled enough to actually see them. masters who came before me could see them, and the mapped the energetic body. i've studied their work and verified their findings for myself. and with that knowledge alone i could create qigong forms that mimic whatever i want. but i never do this. i do the reverse. after having studied hundreds of qigong forms as well as formless moving meditation, i can allow my body to express as it will and allow that to teach me.

 

Mikaelz recently posted about his experience with Sifu Jenny Lamb, where he learned a set of exercises that she learned from her own body's spontaneous postures. not everyone can do that, but that kind of discovery and teaching is far from unheard of, and many of the older forms, having shamanic roots, were developed in similar ways.

Sorry that you needed to repeat yourself, however, I think I understand you more clearly after this. I still don't know the answer to my question, but "intuitively" I think I understand it better. The problem in my case might indeed be that it's new to me, and that I don't have practice experience. I mean I practiced for a while, but I wouldn't call that real experience - it would need more time I guess.

So thank you

[Athanor]

Excellent question!

I think the best way to answer such a question is to practice some different forms and see what, if anything, you get out of it.

Find what is right for you - physically, emotionally, psychologically.

 

When we try to answer questions like this verbally, I tend to find the answers gratuitous or rote.

Physical movements combined with focus and breathing are valuable for a lot of reasons - physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual. Different patterns will be beneficial to different individuals and this may change over time depending on where you are at any given period in your life. I think that almost any movement of the human body combined with focused attention and breathing can be instructive or valuable when practiced appropriately. All muscle groups and joints benefit from stretching and strengthening. Often this will mimic other animals, sometimes not.

 

Your idea of "aligning ourselves" "with OUR OWN nature" is absolutely reasonable and as, or more, valid than any other.

This does not apply to us only as a species (although that's part of it) but also as individuals.

The only way to do this, I believe, is to learn a variety of methods (or no methods) and either find what works best for you as an individual or develop your own.

 

Be wary of putting too much faith in all Qigong systems, however. The vast majority of Qigong systems practiced worldwide were developed by opportunists during the Qigong "boom" in China in the past few decades or by non-Chinese riding on their coat tails. Most of what is practiced was not developed by ancient shamans who were deeply in touch with nature but by modern Chinese looking for something to believe in after the decimation of the Cultural Revolution. This Qigong craze started in the 70's in post-Mao China and really gained momentum in the 90's as China progressively opened to the west.

 

The publishers of multiple Qigong books and videos are not sharing priceless, ancient secrets for the most part but anything that looks like it could sell. A very famous publisher of Qigong videos approached a friend of mine, wanting to put the Qigong sets we practice on tape and package and sell it to the public with a fancy name and history. Buyer beware...

Can you tell me some qigong systems that were developed by earlier masters? Btw, is the date of creation a guarantee to quality? Can't a newly formed qigong system be better, simply because of the experiences the world has on qigong today?

Edited March 3, 2010 by Athanor

[gendao]

Can't a newly formed qigong system be better, simply because of the experiences the world has on qigong today?

Theoretically, yes. Realistically, the ancient schools have so much accumulated experience and insight in them that their depth is just astounding. Giants standing on the shoulders of giants...

 

Now, oftentimes a fresh look can rediscover a lost concept or add a new angle or breakthrough, but to recreate an entire body of knowledge that evolved over centuries is just bloody unlikely. Or in more contextual terms, try reinventing the automobile or computer from scratch today.

[wudangspirit]

So then, what makes it possible to determine whether a movement is to our own good or against it? If there is no one correct protocol, then what is the guideline or directive or particular feeling or whatever that can tell how to move, which move is natural and which is not? I mean "making ourselves available to the life energy of the moment" is very nice, but find me just 5 people on Earth who understand this the same way.

Moving without expectation would mean not to expect the movement to increase my health, wouldn't it? Then how to practice qigong?

It's like if the whole thing would be simply the joy of moving. As if it wouldn't matter at all how to move, which way, and how far, or how fast, but the only thing that matters would be to enjoy it. So you'd move in a way as you enjoy it. But then, isn't it kind of unethical to teach qigong for a high fee instead of saying "move as you like"?

 

 

 

This sounds very nice, but I have absolutely no idea what it means. Avoiding such sentences in general when talking about qigong and related issues, or strictly defining the terms used in it, like 'post heaven intelligence', so that they would mean roughly the same to everyone, would make it much easier to understand these practices.

 

This is a key term for Qigong practice. Post heaven intelligence is using the conscious mind that has been gathering all the information and storing it since your were born. It is what creates judgement and bias. In order to do Qigong correctly you need to have a still mind without the attachment of this type of thinking. You need to utilize the stillness to tap into your original spirit. THE REAL YOU without judgements. This allows you to trust yourself and begin to sense the real qi inside you.

[Athanor]

This is a key term for Qigong practice. Post heaven intelligence is using the conscious mind that has been gathering all the information and storing it since your were born. It is what creates judgement and bias. In order to do Qigong correctly you need to have a still mind without the attachment of this type of thinking. You need to utilize the stillness to tap into your original spirit. THE REAL YOU without judgements. This allows you to trust yourself and begin to sense the real qi inside you.

To me this sounds like if I would need to become enlightened to practice qigong properly...

[Ya Mu]

Can you tell me some qigong systems that were developed by earlier masters? Btw, is the date of creation a guarantee to quality? Can't a newly formed qigong system be better, simply because of the experiences the world has on qigong today?

Theoretically, yes. Realistically, the ancient schools have so much accumulated experience and insight in them that their depth is just astounding. Giants standing on the shoulders of giants...

 

Now, oftentimes a fresh look can rediscover a lost concept or add a new angle or breakthrough, but to recreate an entire body of knowledge that evolved over centuries is just bloody unlikely. Or in more contextual terms, try reinventing the automobile or computer from scratch today.

 

Athanor,

Qigong practice is experiential. YOU have to feel these things for yourself. We could speak and debate these things for years (and have ) but until a person discovers qigong for themselves the real meaning is missing.

 

To address what you asked here and Vortex replied to I will give an example. The main qigong form I practice is called Stillness-Movement and is an OLD method that is very powerful. Only after practicing this method for over 15 years was I able to, over another 15 year period, develop a highly energetic qigong movement system called Gift of the Tao. There is no possible way I would have been able to develop the Gift of the Tao without having studied and practiced the old knowledge system.

[Athanor]

Athanor,

Qigong practice is experiential. YOU have to feel these things for yourself. We could speak and debate these things for years (and have ) but until a person discovers qigong for themselves the real meaning is missing.

 

To address what you asked here and Vortex replied to I will give an example. The main qigong form I practice is called Stillness-Movement and is an OLD method that is very powerful. Only after practicing this method for over 15 years was I able to, over another 15 year period, develop a highly energetic qigong movement system called Gift of the Tao. There is no possible way I would have been able to develop the Gift of the Tao without having studied and practiced the old knowledge system.

So you spent 30 years with it. OK, I'm not even alive for 30 years yet but almost...

It's just that I don't really find qigong exciting. I think it's boring. I started to practice one style (I don't know how to write its name in English) but I didn't enjoy it. I enjoy taijiquan, but not qigong. But taiji is different, and it has a different effect, and I'd really like to receive the effects of qigong. But it's so boring that it makes me nervous instead of tranquil

I don't have the least doubt that I do something wrong, this is the reason why I'd like to know these things - to figure out how to do it right.

[Ya Mu]

So you spent 30 years with it. OK, I'm not even alive for 30 years yet but almost...

It's just that I don't really find qigong exciting. I think it's boring. I started to practice one style (I don't know how to write its name in English) but I didn't enjoy it. I enjoy taijiquan, but not qigong. But taiji is different, and it has a different effect, and I'd really like to receive the effects of qigong. But it's so boring that it makes me nervous instead of tranquil

I don't have the least doubt that I do something wrong, this is the reason why I'd like to know these things - to figure out how to do it right.

You just haven't yet discovered the right qigong system for you. Keep searching and you will. When you do I assure you that it will not be boring.

[Athanor]

You just haven't yet discovered the right qigong system for you. Keep searching and you will. When you do I assure you that it will not be boring.

I thought this too, that's why I asked which qigong systems are worth to practice - I mean the ancient ones, not the new age ones. However, I think sooner or later taijiquan will also result in a higher ability to perceive qi-flow, yet, without the extraordinary healing benefit.

[steve]

Can you tell me some qigong systems that were developed by earlier masters? Btw, is the date of creation a guarantee to quality? Can't a newly formed qigong system be better, simply because of the experiences the world has on qigong today?

Not reliably - all have been so modified over the years that I'm not sure I could honestly say any particular system is true to its ancient form. That said, a few relatively old sets are Eight Brocades, Five Animal Frolics, and Shiba Luohan Gong.

Date of creation is certainly no guarantee although successful systems tend to last and weak systems tend to be modified or discarded over time. Certainly a new system can be better but there are only so many ways the body can move and I suspect the old masters investigated this quite thoroughly.

 

 

So you spent 30 years with it. OK, I'm not even alive for 30 years yet but almost...

It's just that I don't really find qigong exciting. I think it's boring. I started to practice one style (I don't know how to write its name in English) but I didn't enjoy it. I enjoy taijiquan, but not qigong. But taiji is different, and it has a different effect, and I'd really like to receive the effects of qigong. But it's so boring that it makes me nervous instead of tranquil

I don't have the least doubt that I do something wrong, this is the reason why I'd like to know these things - to figure out how to do it right.

The Taiji form is Qigong. It is not broken down into short, focused bits like most Qigong exercises are. I think that proper performance of the Taiji form will, arguably, yield as much benefit as other Qigong systems. If you like Taiji, stick with it.

[Aetherous]

It's just that I don't really find qigong exciting. I think it's boring.

 

Qi is never boring. Although some practices really are.

[Athanor]

Qi is never boring. Although some practices really are.

Maybe I'm just impatient, or too tense for qigong... I like to do things. I don't like to imitate being a tree for half an hour... It seems like a total waste of time to me. If I would at least photosynthesize...

[Aetherous]

Yeah it just takes a while until it gets better.

[forestofemptiness]

I felt the same way. I personally do not believe that qigong works for everyone. In fact, until I found that I could calm down my mind, I found that I received more health benefits from light-to-moderate Western exercise than qigong. Besides, you can always Intu-Flow!

 

 

 

 

*written in E-Prime

 

 

Maybe I'm just impatient, or too tense for qigong... I like to do things. I don't like to imitate being a tree for half an hour... It seems like a total waste of time to me. If I would at least photosynthesize...

[Andrei]

Maybe I'm just impatient, or too tense for qigong... I like to do things. I don't like to imitate being a tree for half an hour... It seems like a total waste of time to me. If I would at least photosynthesize...

 

I was like you, until i found that after many years of movement exercises still I had no results and then I met my teacher who was tough like metal. I asked his secret and he told me "standing like a tree and meditation". I tried it and he was right, these two practices added to moving exercises doubles if not triples your energy and power. You imitate a tree but it is not easy, it would be if you'd be a tree, a human imitating an animal is easy, but an animal imitating a tree is very hard, and during this practice you DO A LOT OF THINGS. You just discover things inside yourself that were hidden before. You have to experience by yourself, no book or sacred text can describe it, it would be good to leave the preconceptions aside.

 

[sifusufi]

Wow!!! Miles!!! Yeah he had to learn to basics, blow for years, work with all the cats (there it is cats)! Play with Bird (OOPS! there it is again). Funny how the Beatles had to tell us the walrus was Paul. Talking Heads had Animals. The Animals had Animalism, The Stones had Monkey man, Gabriel shocked the monkey, Flock of Seagalls ran so far away, Survivor had eye of the tiger. Hungry like the wolf? Phish? Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict? A horse with no name, Horses? Spiders and snakes, The Unicorn... but I digress. May I digress again?

 

Sports teams... Bears Cubs Dolphins etc..

Street gangs....Cobras Panthers etc...

Think we opened a can of worms here! ... I better be quiet like a mouse, sly like a fox, Fly like an Eagle. F@#$ like a bunny (help can't stop) I better send this before I chicken out over all my typos

Obrigado from Chicago

[Athanor]

I was like you, until i found that after many years of movement exercises still I had no results and then I met my teacher who was tough like metal. I asked his secret and he told me "standing like a tree and meditation". I tried it and he was right, these two practices added to moving exercises doubles if not triples your energy and power. You imitate a tree but it is not easy, it would be if you'd be a tree, a human imitating an animal is easy, but an animal imitating a tree is very hard, and during this practice you DO A LOT OF THINGS. You just discover things inside yourself that were hidden before. You have to experience by yourself, no book or sacred text can describe it, it would be good to leave the preconceptions aside.

 

As I think about this from a viewpoint outside my comfort-zone, I think you're probably right. Maybe impatience and tension are just excuses for my chaotic mind to be able to remain chaotic.

[Trogdorf]

It is interesting.

Shamans of all cultures have been mimicking animals for millennia. It defiantly has some sort of spiritual significance..

 

 

Remember that a cat stretches instinctively when it needs to!

 

 

Like said: The more you do the stillness the easier it will get.

It may help if you start with a relaxation breath meditation.

It can also depend on where you are in your life. I am only just starting to enjoy the benefits of this meditation myself.

 

 

Good luck.