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Month 4: Whole Body Awareness
The first half of Month 4 will focus on the Back of the Body.
1. The first few minutes-repeat everything you have previously done–front, side, (open up collapsed parts–connect to dantien)
2. Increase awareness and activate the nerves from Bottom to Top beginning with buttocks
3. Buttocks, Lower back, upper back, bottom of chest, back of neck, then the legs
4. Awareness of front, side, back–all together
5. Use 2 part process–Recognize the part, breath into it and lift it.The second half of Month 4 will have us aware of the whole body at once.
Physical energy body
Emotional energy body
Mental energy body
Psychic energy body
Karmic energy body
Essence energy body
Joan, thanks for your helpful notes on this month’s practice.
I listened to the second half of Month 4 where Bruce uses a Guided Meditation.
He seems to recommend 20 minutes of seated followed by 10 minutes of standing meditation. This is the end of what he calls the first section of learning Taoist meditation.
What we are doing doesn’t seem as clear to me as the more specific instructions. Am I right in assuming we must find our own way of recognizing our nerves and increasing our awareness?
This is the part where we are supposed to put together everything we have learned so far. I understand it is a matter of letting everything sink into a unified process rather than, now I feel the front, now I feel the side, now I feel the back, now I connect with the dan tian, now I lift my buttocks, now I … So as such, I think it is more a matter of not doing than of doing. The time it will take for all to sink into a single process will vary greatly, depending mostly on the success of the separate steps and the capacity to let everything be merged, which I feel like an “emergence” process rather than a “synthesis” process.
Bruce recommends to continue doing this final practice for quite some time. I can relate to it as a meditation proper. Also the idea, I think, was to give people something to take home for those who only wanted to do 4 months. Next, I understand he will be moving unto different ground.
This may seem strange but I don’t really understand the lifting the buttocks thing. How can you do that without putting a curve in the lower back? Thinking the lower back should not be arched. Lifting the muscles of the back and neck and sinking the shoulders I can see.
Thanks and good luck all.
…….is it about lifting and lengthening upwards through the whole buttock musculature (whilst maintaining alignments)? If it’s 6 inches from the crease at the base of the buttocks to the top of your buttocks, then gently lengthening the buttock musculature upwards might increase that distance to 6.5 inches or more depending on the capacity to release and lengthen. Whether seated or standing this should help lift, lengthen, open and straighten the lower back. Are you pushing your buttocks out backwards and upwards – that’ll put a curve in your lower back.?
Thank you Colin. I believe that I was looking at it from the wrong angle and going back and up.
One session I’ll feel focused and having some success recognizing body parts, distractions, and bringing body awareness to the dantien. The next session I can be distracted and spaced out making the session a struggle. I hope I’m not the only one with this inconsistency.
Hi Ted,
Sometimes I have sessions that seem to flow well and I feel like Im “doing” what I should be, and Ive had more than a few where there are so many internal and external distractions and struggle to remain focused that I feel like ending the session. Its the memory of the good sessions that keep me going.
Just finished my session and gotta say I do feel good. Again, thanks for the break-down on for month4, Joan.
I think Bruce mentions focusing on a random body part and focusing on it and be aware also of emotions if any connected to it. Is that to be done in the first few minutes of the session before we begin with the Buttocks for example?
So far, I have found it helpful when breathing into the buttocks to give a quick little flex of the buttock muscles now and then to increase my awareness to that area.Kevin
I’ve discovered that I’m holding more tension than I imagined. I started to become aware of this in month 4 but the month 5 practice has really brought this to the fore. I have some tension points that are particularly stubborn.
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