Iron Body Problems

[Anonymous]

Hello my fellow practitioners (Ywah, I know, I am only rarely seen on the Forum… I intend to change that. ),

At the moment I am encountering a certain problem during my training, which I havenot yet understood.

For quite a while I’ve been following an Iron Body training routine, which I would estimate is 80% external and 20% internal.

In the past I never had a problem with this regimen, quite on the contrary, I makes me feel very well, like recharging my batteries.

I do not follow this routine as intensely as in the beginning, as I have a lot of other stuff to do, and it also is integrating very well, so (at least thats the opinion of one of my teachers) you do not have to do it every day anymore, just do it regularly to continue to improve slowly.

But ever since I starteted to do the Energy Arts material intensely, the Iron Body training causes my Qi to rise up and get stuck in my chest. This makes my breath short and also makes me feel really stressed out. Which is funny, because at the moment, I am not stressed emotionally. As Qi stuck in the heart area may potentially be dangerous, I just ask you if you had similar experiences or some advice – I have not yet identified the cause.

The only thing that at the moment comes to my mind is that I am not doing enough sitting meditation anymore. Back than I was told that this kind of training will put the body into a yang state, which has to be balanced out with meditation (or other suitable means) to balance it.

[Anonymous]

Hey Markus,

I can’t comment on your specific situation. I’ve never done any Iron Body training.

But I can share my own experiances. Often, when I get lots of energy flowing it feels like it gets stuck in the area around my heart. I have found doing lots of inner dissolving in that area has helped with the congestition and emotional pain that arises. Actually, I can’t stress this enough. Inner dissolving was a godsend. It made a massive difference for me.

I also find it helpful to do Heaven and Earth. When I bring the hands down the chest I do a variation where I move the hands off the side channels and instead try to triangulate them towards my heart (or whatever area feels the most congested). Doing this allows me to grab a piece of the congested energy each time I do a repetition. After 20 repetition of MHE, I find that I can usually get rid of a lot of the stuck energy.

Hope this helps,
Janak

[Anonymous]

Hi Janak, thanks for the reply,. How do you manage to answer seemingly every thread?

At the moment I find it really helps the issue to meditate more, and to conentrate on sinking my chi. Not onlly during training times, but also at work – whenever I have nothing do, I try to sink my Qi. This seems to help.

[Anonymous]

I think these forums are a great resource for students of the system. They behave like a giant store of knowledge. Chances are if one person has a question, so do many other people. Whenever I see a question that I can comment on, I try to write as much as I can. In the hopes that my comments might help other students in the future.

Also, I work on a computer all day long. So answering questions is a great way to take a small break ; )

[Anonymous]

Thanks for replying and answering a lot of questions Janak! Ive often had questions myself others have written on the forum and you have answered it. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Hello Markus. two thoughts came to mind to me, in regards to Iron Body training (depends upon the type- as was commented- not sure of the particulars which might change this) but my experience of a few different kinds (both “ext’l kung-fu” methods, as well as more “Fire” int’l-ext’l methods) there is often a locking down of the system and sort of a squeezing (either literally, or in an energetic sense, like pressing dough or plaster upon an uneven surface so that is enters into the gaps/the surface depths, fills).. this can be a sort of infusing, but usually happens by stopping/inhibiting the overall flow (it is very local).. which can continue after the practice.. and is taken up as a base-line tension and separation of the parts…
As the Water-Method (espec Egates, but the others also) not only doesn’t do this, but as the chief practice impact is undoing this affect (most ‘non-practitioners’ have a sense of concrete in the tissues as well as like fluidic linkage… so to work on changing that- already changes quite a bit (one how does this art for a while feels quite different “inside” but seems to take a while to go-beneath-the-surface).. and so any practices that contrast that…
Thus one possibile interp is that as you are doing sinking/dissolving and alignments.. you have parts linking up- then just as a tube of toothpaste or water balloon under-pressure did feel full, and now is redistributing that pressure.. (as you both “do” the practice, as well as after-practice body re-balances.. that underlying “partial” linkage isn’t fully-linked.. but isn’t fully-partitioned as it was before- so halfway state now…)

---

The other thought was “I try to sink my Qi” -just as a possibility, I might recommend, now and then, seeing what is “in the way” of the Qi sinking by itself? (ie the assumption is it won’t go until you “make it” .. is that so? is there any sense of subcon or residual tension from you that is “holding it up” trying to lift it up even? or at least that you have to fight/contrast to sink it? ) just as a thought that might not be the answer itself, but that may illuminate something else- the treasure hunt that finds…__

luck

PS Janak’s comment responses are a contribution he is making, kind of him to take the time (espec the time I know he’s been practicing/exploring these arts) -as fewer others post here these days

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your input!

With “trying to sink my Qi” I meant avtively doing it. Not of course pushing it, but removing everything that holds it up and getting aware of my root, the downward current, etc.

I like your image of the tube of toothpaste. It acually feels a bit like that.

At the moment I get great results from limiting the localised tension. Instead I gain the necessary hardness more from intention instead of tension, as well redistrubution of internal pressure instead of creating internal tension. I also engage in sitting meditation right after the training, insure that nothing gets stuck.

So far, this works great, the adverse effects have almost disappeard, and I think they will be gone soon.

The interesting question is: Why did I encounter them only after starting the Energiy Arts? Have they been always there, and I have not been sensitive enough? Or has the new training somehow changed how my body reacts to Qi exercise?

[Anonymous]

You’re welcome

[Author]

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