Finishing at the Dantien - Closing a meditation session

[z00se]

This closing move of collecting the chi in the dantien at the end of the meditation session. I've always done it, however I'm not sure i really get it.

 

For me it doesn't really end the meditation. As soon as i step up, unless i keep my mind on my dantien, the chi just moves to wherever i'm using it. Like the energy doesn't stay put in my dantien where i just spiraled, unless i stay centred. As soon as i start thinking about something the energy comes up to my head, or start sweeping the floor with bent legs and it goes to my legs.

 

It makes me wonder about the validity of needing to spiral in the dantien at the end of a meditation session. Infact if i place attention on the dantien during meditation for a longer period of time, the longer length of time tends to have a momentum type factor, and the chi seems to stay there longer, the longer i collect the chi there. But a simple spiraling 36x each way or doing other closings i've read about with massages, etc, don't really do anything for me.

 

What do you guys feel? Does the energy stay put? What happens to you if you don't end the meditation in the dantien?

[Perceiver]

I tend to get a more centered feeling when i finish the mco at the dantien. In which directions do you spiral, and how fast?

[Miffymog]

From my experience, you're describing something completely natural and nothing to worry about. Energy tends to flow to where your attention is so, after your mediation what you describe is exactly the same as me.

 

If I'm sat waiting for an interview then I'll quite often send my awareness to the LDT to help calm me down. But otherwise, my energy could  be anywhere. Actually, I'm quite pleased with my practice at the moment because if I'm walking along, my mind remains relatively empty of thoughts and my energy/awareness is evenly and smoothly spread out over my environment. But it's taken a while to get here and I've had to work through a lot of stuff. And, of course, various thoughts do crop up and I'm off on some internal mental dialogue again, until I bring myself back to where I am.

[dwai]

This closing move of collecting the chi in the dantien at the end of the meditation session. I've always done it, however I'm not sure i really get it.

 

For me it doesn't really end the meditation. As soon as i step up, unless i keep my mind on my dantien, the chi just moves to wherever i'm using it. Like the energy doesn't stay put in my dantien where i just spiraled, unless i stay centred. As soon as i start thinking about something the energy comes up to my head, or start sweeping the floor with bent legs and it goes to my legs.

 

It makes me wonder about the validity of needing to spiral in the dantien at the end of a meditation session. Infact if i place attention on the dantien during meditation for a longer period of time, the longer length of time tends to have a momentum type factor, and the chi seems to stay there longer, the longer i collect the chi there. But a simple spiraling 36x each way or doing other closings i've read about with massages, etc, don't really do anything for me.

 

What do you guys feel? Does the energy stay put? What happens to you if you don't end the meditation in the dantien?

The Lower Dan tien is like a golf ball and has a tiny pinhole in it. This is the way to the void. To finish your meditation, you have to very delicately put your intention into the pin hole. And the energy from your lao gong points should be beamed into this point. This is an infinite point (a black hole so to speak). This will ensure your Qi is not dissipated.

[Aetherous]

An idea:

 

If you do a no-method or no-mind meditation afterward for like 5-10 minutes, basically just resting without attention on anything in particular...letting go...then the 3 dan tend to line up and activate (versus the shen and attention going here and there, it is centered). To me that would be a better way of getting the qi back to the dantian...just relaxing!

Also, the "resting" is a good way to close down the energy which has just been manipulated in some way...first unnatural (during practice) and then natural (during a time of rest): that's more balancing. Best would be if you just went to sleep.

The whole point of a close-down is to have qi normalized when going out into the world, so you're not feeling weird things and potentially causing qi deviation. If a way doesn't work for that, then I too don't see the point of doing it (unless the teacher really knows what they're doing). If this "resting" works better than something like focusing on the lower dantian to achieve the normalization, then maybe this is a better way. Nothing wrong with being more natural and relaxed.

Also...walking in a calm way is really beneficial.

The lower dantian, if focused upon, tends to emit qi. If intentionally taking qi to that area for storage, then it has to be done gently and not for long. You kind of feel something there, then just forget about it. But yeah, I too don't find it effective for normalizing.

Just some ideas from an amateur.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Aetherous

[z00se]

Thanks for your replies guys, very helpful.

[dwai]

The lower dantian, if focused upon, tends to emit qi. If intentionally taking qi to that area for storage, then it has to be done gently and not for long. You kind of feel something there, then just forget about it. But yeah, I too don't find it effective for normalizing.

 

Just some ideas from an amateur.

Yes...too much effort is counter-productive. Too little effort is not effective. The effort has to be just right, and effortless