Visualizing during practice

[Anonymous]

I received this question via email (please post in the forum or on a webpage on my blog at http://www.circlewalking.com rather than sending questions by email):

My
persistent problem over the years is that with eyes closed I continue to
visualize the area of the body on which I’m concentrating.  I’ve been unsuccessful in preventing the distraction
of the brain’s internally “seeing” where I’m working.  Sometimes when keeping eyes open and looking
at something natural (eg, the garden) I’ve been more successful in feeling the
areas in which I place my mind. Will keeping eyes open diminish the practice of sinking
chi?  If so, any suggestions about how I
can ward off the pesky visualization? 
Thanks for any suggestions.

First, when moving, never close your eyes. If you’re discussing sinking qi or dissolving during standing/sitting practice, then yes, you could leave your eyes open if you’re able to
concentrate better and focus for a longer period of time. The aim of the
game would be to get over the hump of visualising and, once the pattern is broken, go back to closing your eyes. Check in say once a month to see if you could do better than before with closed eyes. In Water method training, we always focus on feeling the body and making any adjustments necessary to develop the kinestic sense.

I could offer more specific and personal advice if you come to see me in person. Usually it is quite obvious what is going on for an individual if they have a persistent issue such as this one; however, I can’t offer more without seeing you. Good luck!

[Author]

Posts