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Hi Paul,
I heard your radio discussion with Dan kleiman and read the Tao Journal for new students. I can safely say most of us know enough about qigong to be interested but it is very hard to get a practical knowledge. It is the most mysterious and secretive of the various arts, although the qi concept permeates the whole Chinese culture and is the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Journal not only shows us how to go about learning qigong in general but also explains clearly the system Bruce had created for us to follow safely and effectively. I really appreciate it and will go through it every so often.
I hope you could clarify my questions below:
1) I understand that the exercise should be done as slowly as possibly but it is quite a struggle to constantly remind myself to slow down. The mind and body simply don’t have this slow speed. Sometimes I remind myself to slow down to the speed of qi, which is quiet and still. Sometimes I simply go about the whole session in slow motion. Is there another way to go about it?
2) In this slow motion, the mind is too free and I will be either conscious of the alignment, feeling the qi if any, thinking of the moving mechanics or thinking I am establishing qi pathway in the body. Is there some general advice for this? There are common qigong instructions like being conscious of the luo-gong of the two hands or being conscious of yong-qjang of the two feet or to pour qi down the bai hui on the head. Do we have such practice?
3) I come across the words ‘rooting of qi’ regularly but nobody seems to have mentioned how to root the qi. Do we practise rooting? What is the benefit of rooting? Is it rooting when we dissolve below the feet, when we stand in cloud hand, in circling or in dragon and tiger stepping?
Regards,
Hey Daniel,
Glad you liked the episode. I know Paul is answering these kinds of questions, especially 2 and 3, inside the 5 Keys forum because they relate directly to the lessons there. Would you mind posting this again inside the forum to be sure he sees it?
“As slowly as possible” is a really interesting phrase, right? Often it feels like we’re fighting ourselves to slow down…and to me, that goes beyond, “as slowly as possible.”
I try to start with the smoothest slow speed of the body I can manage in a given practice session. I know that once the body gets going smoothly, the mind will eventually slow down to meet it. And if I can get the mind and body in sync (in terms of feel the physical body with my awareness, often in ways you’re describing), then the stillness of the energetics will eventually follow too.
We often say that “the mind moves the chi and the chi moves the blood (body).” Sometimes, you have to start at the other end…move the body to tether the mind….and the chi will be revealed if you listen right.
Hope that helps!
Thanks,
Dan
By the way, this is the link Daniel is referring to above: http://dankleiman.com/2013/10/23/chasing-secrets-and-shortcuts-in-taoist-energy-arts/
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