Sinking chi

[Anonymous]

Hi Everybody!

Thank you for being a part of this community. I have a questions that Ive been wondering about for some weeks as Ive been training Bruces material. Im relatively new and have startet doing sinking the chi in the basic standing position. I have followed the instructions from opening the energy gates book and I work on sinking the chi from the top of the head and down to my feet or below during a session. I spend between 10-25 minutes during this and I makes sure I sink all the way down. In the first qigong segments in this training circle bruce recommend only sinking to the throat after week 3 or 4. He do not mention sinking the chi further down. In the meditation book, relaxing into the being, siking can be done on only one part of the body, but any remaining sensatons are to be sinked down to the feet or below.

Im very curoius why the difference in the instructions and are there a reason for it. So far Ive noticed that if I sink all the way to the feet I feel clearer and with more energy. I felt more stuck below my body and the session left me feeling tired when I only sinked my head. Ive only had a little experience with it so I make to conclusion. Anyway, sinking and releasing all the way down to my feet have proven me to give me very much in therm of energy and positive emotions during some months of training. Im very interested in some of your experiences and if you could explain me the differences and why bruce might give different instructions.

Thanks

Endre

[Anonymous]

Hi Endre,

When Bruce teaches he often gives instructions in two different ways. He’ll teach the “optimial” way to do something and then he’ll teach various “stopgap” ways to do something.

In the case of sinking chi, the optimal way is to sink the chi all the way down below your feet. If you can do that, then that’s the way you want to do it every time.

But what happens if you are teaching a beginner and they have a really difficult time sinking chi? In that case, you might have them stop at some point in the middle of their body. You might have them sink only until the bottom of their throat or to the height of thier lower dantien.

This gives a beginner something managable to do. Then as they get stronger and stronger, they can make it through more and more of their body in a single practice session. Until eventually, they can sink all the way down below their feet in one practice session.

Janak

[Anonymous]

Hi Janak!

Thank you for your answer and Im very happy about your answer. It makes me more understand my reactions during sinking chi and why Bruce chooses to give different instructions. It makes sense.

By the way, I love doing the standing. Im so amazed at the benefits. At the moment Im in sort of awe of the training and the way it releases my physical, emotional and mental blocks. Its been a lifesaver.

Endre

[Anonymous]

Hi Endre,

If you think sinking chi is powerful, wait until you learn how to do outer dissolving. It will make your standing practice many times more powerful!

Janak

[Anonymous]

As another (two) wrinkle(s)… I would add that first- I find the ‘sinking’ is the doorway to access An (as in one of the TaiChi energies)….
and as “an” is radiated by any part of the body.. for ex palm/back of hand or from the forearm… down “through space”- not “through body”…. also part of the WaiSanHe (of the LiuHe- 6combinations)- wrappings, sinkings, liftings.. the posture-align is built upon different parts “sustaining” a “sinking” (as well as a ji peng= ~lifting)..

thus it isn’t a descending through the body, but a field in a place… just there is a distinction between “sinking” through a pt- while moving that pt downward (ie like touching the wall with your finger, and slowly sliding down the wall.. such that where the finger-touches there is sinking through it, and yet as the finger descends the pt changes… but to be truly ‘sinking’ – the “whole-wall” is sinking.. thus even if you “touch high” (ie. sinking at your shoulder-lvl) the ‘wall’ below is sinking also.. (ie as you ‘sink’ at shoulder-lvl, the chest, and the waist and the hips.. legs.. is sinking below it, and above teh shoulders.. neck… head.. is sinking “onto” the shoulders- as the shoulder-lvl sinks)…
In other words- its not just that where your make it happen moves and all else is static-fixed-dead.. it is alive (yes, this highlights the stuck.. obstructions.. blockages). Thus connection-continuity-linkage…

I think a big change for me was experiencing the change from feeling if I am not “making it happen” =nothing happens, and all the rest is doing nothing….. to feeling that, even before I “intend” some action, or practice, the body is moving (breathing, let alone heart-pulsing, and “All Jts-pulse constantly”-even if slightly and unbalanced.. the accu-meridians & thus myofascia is rippling in circ.. etc twist/turning… as part of the balancing-reflex, fluidic-flux/cellular-breath (S-K xchange)… so the idea that say before doing “Heaven&Earth…. that one is not pulsing.. then one “makes it pulse” and then stop practice means it ends… vs sense-become aware of how it is fluxing already, and then harmonize-tunein and enhance it…

---

Thus in the same way, Sinking.. experiencing “gravity’ (and inertia-momentum, holding and density) as the body (phy.. energetic.. consciousness of the field.. etc). Thus tune in- and sink at the “hip level” (rather than start at the top and descend- as an exper.. focus in at hip lvl)- and generate sinking there- and sustain the sinking at the hip.. don’t track and descend where the sinking is generated from… -thereby: what is at the hip-lvl sinks (thus you feel ‘movement’ down legs.. but also “above” hips- in torso- descends into the hip… ie as that below ‘sinks’ that which was/is stacked-onto that below… like an elevator-conveyerbelt.. rope descending.. that above also…)
and the relation of the above (pulsing, and body is ongoing living vs dead and static.. and thus an ‘image’ in mind).. sink a bit, at a pt, and feel when you ‘tire’ and lose the ability to continue to “generate” that sinking there (~hip lvl).. rest start it up again, feel how body is changed by this…
does its affects “ripple out” and incorporate more of the system? (like “pulse” “only” 1 jt.. like right-wrist.. and yet keep that up, more of the right arm.. and also-sympathetically the left-arm joins (note whether your mind shifts intent, vs how the body response in reaction)..
and then change sinking from “hip lvl” to in one knee… peek with attention to the hip… as you generate sinking at the R knee.. do you feel the entire sinking? (or do you feel as if you “sink” only in part? -or as if you are in a waterfall? can the lower “sink” without the upper also…. ) and again, if pause, does it immediately stop? (I might propose if you “sink” with intent and feel something, and then stop “intending” and it immed ends… one might wonder if that is visual-mental-imagery concept, vs the felt-bodily reaction….)

Likewise- if you are in a passenger seat of a car- and reach over and yank the steering wheel.. (dangerous yes.. but it isn’t instant).. the car resists a bit, the car reacts and gravity-momentum.. and timing depends.. likewise, if you “sink” in different places, there is a different “engage” time.. (depending how reactive act “part” is).. also as it warms-up, gets UpToSpeed.. it creates movement (other of the 16neigung, or dynamics- engage)… the more it builds up, changes your “state”…
The more your system resists, and/or puts the brakes on, those are either “blockages” to your flow, or else knee-jerk reactions that say- stop, or get parts of the whole stuck.. (thus unbalanced- parts move and other parts dont… the sphere is dis-torted)… thus the evening out progress…

……….
also, slightly related but different from above, Sinking is an access-pt to Density (the Soaking into a part- which can combine with either Kai into Fission or He into Fusion (opening/closing relating to dissolving) -not ‘packing’.. but flow… and all the aspects of “how we think energy can move” is distorted by “imagery” we want to SEE energy going “down” when sinking.. like a light or picture is going down (down the image of our body).. that is visual-pverlay, and can result in trying to impose unnatural action- as it seems “logical’ but how does the ‘part’ feel it can move? -feel what is actually there…?

How then is “sinking” if not visual (if not create a picture and see it a bit further down- but in a vision-less darkness- which “feeling” is down? -down is usually a direction that links another pt to the current pt.. that second pt is related in “a line” per the picture… does “down” feel diffferently (at pure feeling lvl) then other directions?
-also sinking moving through a pt, vs changing the pt feeling- down… differentiate those two?

just in case adds

[Anonymous]

Wow Janak. Exciting! Ive tried now to sink only the top part of my head since we talked last time. It feel much more stable to to like that like my system is coping with it more. The difference is very interesting. How does a dissolving method transpire for you and do you still outer dissolve?

Thanks taokua B for you answer. I have some problems understanding what youre writing, but I understand some parts of it. Its very technical for me. I will try to read it over again later.

[Anonymous]

Hey Endre,

Yes, I still practice Outer Dissolving. It’s a powerful way to heal the physical body. If my leg cramps up, outer dissolving helps. If my hips are tight and I want more range of motion, outer dissolving helps. If my back hurts, outer dissolving helps. If my knee aches from the knee surgeries that I’ve had, outer dissolving helps.

It’s a very useful technique and one of the core techniques of Bruce’s system

Janak

[Anonymous]

Okey!

Im looking forward to begin to do more of the outer dissolving method. Im working my way back from chronic fatique and have to take the traning very gradually. So far its really helping me. At the moment I seems to be facing the biggest block and Im resting for two days now and I’m really feeling bad. It could be that Im gradually opening my body and now that this block is on the forefront I feel really bad again. Excited to see what happens in the upcoming days. Ive not feel strain in my nervous system while training, so I hope my body in under controll.
Bruce talks about chi reactions and I guess its just one of those.

Good training

Endre

[Anonymous]

Good luck working through where you are at (I get stuck and/or in reaction-mode oft), seems your finding some neat stuff.
(as you say, its easy to slip into nervous-sys strain, as we aren’t used to feeling/recog that- let alone our cultures-today actually push for that. -feel like ‘working’)

Anyway- just a thought that came up when you mention the momentary ‘feeling bad’ .. I’d be sure and have the soft-tissue to move the fluids (gently- gradually, but easily moving in ways- like the body is a water balloon that you just slightliest move the shape of; not contort-squeeze… but enough to get some of the ‘fluids’ (espec blood and lymph)…. for ex: like on the ground, slow-easy, roll a bit, while changing shape (the lil-kids ver of roll like a log, then “stretch’ like ‘waking-up” -reach this way, then across that way, have legs twist a bit… go out of, or within, this range- without it being a shock, or too much of a stretch… not ‘effort… but just a “wake-up’ type stretch (without it being a real-pull).

like L-hand touch outside-R of R knee, while reach R-ankle closer and or further from L ankle.. (just as an ex)..
……..
anyway- takes a few moments to “show the idea” (and style, easy, vs exertion which shuts-down systems releasing).. but took a while to write what seems easy to interp.

Anyway- just like in body-work.. a release can feel “funky” -but then re-estab the circulation, find that parts of system “disconnected flow’ -thus the ‘stagnant’ feeling. (deep Breathing work with Bruce always gives me this feeling, so its come up 4me) -but, again, not vigorous, as counteracts this.

Which is why after BaguaNeigung- where the inner-movement (say Pulsing-Twisting) really strong, recommended to “walk’ a while just to wind-down… even though “walking the circle”– different kind of walking (the finally walk, more continue to move- while allow locked-down parts to unravel and join in… before just “stop” (as then can ‘set like concrete’)..

luck in your seeking

[Anonymous]

Hey Endre,

I’ve also battled severe chronic fatigue. Pay close attention to how much you can practice and don’t over do it!

I figured out several tricks that worked really well for me

• I would practice a lot while laying down in bed. This was harder in some ways because it was easy to fall asleep. But in other ways it made life a lot easier because I wouldn’t get tired out so quickly, so I could practice for much longer. Being able to practice longer was very very helpful!
• When you feel exhausted, search around your body and try to find the places in your body where you strongly feel the exhuastion. These are the places you want to pay special attention to when you sink chi and later when you dissolve those areas. Finding and dissolving hundreds of spots in my body where I acutely felt exhuastion was a big part of my receovery. I can’t stress this enough, I’m still finding places in my body that have pieces of exhaustion stuck in them. Each time I dissolve one, I get a little stronger!

Hope this helps,
Janak

[Anonymous]

Hello Janak, I like your second point in this comment:

<<>>
reading that brought to mind what I found for myself of also (not sure if this makes sense to another) to feel a part that is ‘leaning’ /affecting those spots

. -in other words, sometimes I find a “tender” (however the details of this one are- its off) spot, and yet by listening I sense that another place is actually affecting there (say just to the left of midback spine, back of heart… and yet front-right of diaphragm area I sense is pulling there… or another time perhaps the same left spine area, but feel inside the pelvis-hip area is pulling ; and thus, I found a difference if focus/work with (dissolve, ease up/re-align, sink- or breathe into, etc.) that 2nd, affecting pt, as well as a tiny-bit on the ‘tender spot’… vs primarily there (contacting the underlying energy-behind, through what arises).

<> That’s great phrasing I think, should illume those that read it. (contexts with the new perspective of “strength” being one of the 4 quals to dissolve- ie feeling good isn’t I can’t feel in my body.. if I scan to release, and can’t feel, I’m numb… so better to feel not-so good than nothing.. but feeling dis-comfort or feeling a sense of strength is both blocked (as fully “capable” is just easy-alive)…
and “exhaustion” is a trickier set of this, as we tend to ignore/blind-spot tired areas (vs numb, or ouch, which is easy to scan for),

-how to ‘not’ avoid-ignore-skip-over the exhaustion places… ><

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Very good inputs.

Janak, Ive now tried for a month to just sink the etheric field over my head and the top of my head. When I do I can feel many parts below in my body trying to open up and release. I see that i have no real progress in terms of my energy during this months. Its as if my body gets more buildup of negative energy. Can it be because Im not sinking all the way down?. Remember that Im having CFS and this could be a reason this method is not working well for me. Im thinking since Bruce recommends it. I dont know. Any thoughts?
Im going to try to sink all the way down to the feet or below now during a session and see how that goes and follow the Egates book instructions. It gave me very much more energy when I first did this a couple of months ago.
i tried to sink exhausted points today. For me I find this a bit intense from todays sinking session. Sinking the whole front of my solar flexus for example, feels better than zooming into smal painful spots.
When you sink, generally, do you feel front, sides and back or do you feel smaller areas?

Can I ask you hows your health now? Have you made yourself out of it?
I really hope this training does it for me. Sinking all the way seems the best for me and it gave me some pretty amazing results in the beginnning.

Thanks for the input Taokua B. Interesting read. I understand more now.

[Anonymous]

Hey Endre,

In the end, I don’t know wheather this will work for you or not. People are very complicated and there is a huge variety in how different people react to different practices. I can tell you that it has worked very well for me so I think it’s worth a shot. Do your own experimentation and see what works for you!

Yes, not sinking all the way down below your feet can definately cause problems. When you are scanning through your body with your mind, you are powerfully waking up energies that have been dormant. These energies will start swirling around inside of you and if you don’t give them a place to exit the system, it can become very unpleasant. So the moral of this story is to always finish below your feet. If you don’t have much time, then just quickly scan down the rest of your body. I’ve experianced this problem many times, so your not alone in this experiance

Since you’re battling CFS, you want to be careful about practicing too intensely. You want to remember that this is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. You don’t want to do lots and lots of very intense practice in one day and then not practice for the rest of the day.

Instead, you want to have a very gentle consistent practice. Make it a game, try to find out the most gentle pleasant way to practice. You want to practice in a way that causes you to look forward to the next time you can practice. If you begin to dread practicing, you know you’re on the wrong path.

My health continues to improve the more I practice. My CFS was extremely bad at one point, I remember being so tired that it once took me several hours to summon the energy to get up out of bed and walk to the bathroom. The whole time I needed to piss really badly and I actually started to wonder if I was going to wet the bed.

Things have gotten way better since then! The more I practice the stronger I get. I feel really fortunate to have come across this material

Hope this helps,
Janak

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for sharing. Its really appreciated. Ive been sinking all the way down now and so far its really making a difference and I’m having a clear sense of progress. I notice if I stop practice for two days and expend much energy those days, its takes at least two days to get the momentum running again. I’m looking forward to look learn more about this in the future.
Its very interesting and important for me to try to track my progress and reactions to different types of practice.

Im wondering how long Im going to be sinking my chi while standing. I have no hesitation going further. That belongs to my youger days where I would want progression of techniques all the time and I just could not manage to take things slowly and I know very well how damaging it can be. When I first read Bruces taching, its was a blessing for me; 70% rule, master one level before going to next, safe qigong practices ect.

How do we know its time to progress to dissolving chi while standing? I guess one important thing is when sinking is felt all the way down in a solid way and that this level is stabilized. Im could be curious about your opinions and or experiences.

THanks for sharing a little of your health story. Im really happy you are feeling better and I know well how horrible it can be when there is so little energy in the system.

Endre

[Anonymous]

Ive also trying a new technique when Im standing. If at some point I feel I’m getting over 70% limit, I sit down and take a rest. Usually after 5-10 I feel much better and start standing again and I resume from the point in the body I stopped at. This usually happens one or two times in a session. Never tried to do more than that, but I gives me more momentum because Im standing more totally and my body is more warm when I stand up for the second or third time.

Endre

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