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My first entry in this forum. Just subscribed as I have a crucial question regarding the roll of the mind while practicing Dragon & Tiger Qigong. I have been practicing for 3-4 months now following Bruce K. Frantzis DRAGON AND TIGER-MEDICAL QIGONG Vol 1 and Vol 2.. I have been unable to find so far direct instruction on the mind focus, target activity, awareness or even emptiness if so, while following each one of the movements implied on the 7 stances choreography. I will deeply appreciate your insight, properly speaking the what is the established rule or procedure assigned to the mind during this D & T Qigong ?
I am very grateful for your input,
DS
in my opinion
all the principles in Tai Chi and bagua of how the mind leads the Qi
applies to D&T
in Taoism the mind is a very specific faculty such that when a person dies, the physical body perishes but the mind and consciousness is the same. That is how a human can have a life after death. Mind is the main topic in spiritual practices, it is our ultimate eternal self and is what religion call it an image of God. However, in science, the doctor is not able to identify any part of the brain that can shade light on the working of the mind. There is no existence for a mind in science.
For Qigong as well as in normal life, the mind is our self that has consciousness or attention. Our mind is our consciousness. It is used when someone said “be mindful” “put your mind on the job” “I don’t mind that “. These are example where mind is commonly understood in our everyday life. Mind is also used in that sense in understanding qigong exercise. Nothing special, not something that you don’t understand.
Hello Daniel,
Sorry for not answering earlier. I found your answer only today. So, thank you very much for your kind answer which has a wider scope beyond the very practical purpose of me getting to know if the mind for instance in the 4 th stance of Dragon and Tiger choreography is visualizing pullling and sending the Qi through my arms or the mind is only following the movements prescribed without intending to “see” the Qi coming and going. Hope this is not a quite pragmatical question related to my practice which I am just starting.
All the very best,
Hernando
Hi Hernando,
You seem to be asking what is qigong and how to do the exercise? How do I know what I am doing?
Qigong is a completely new or exotic energy health exercise and many questions is to be expected.
It is not difficult to do, even doing it wrong in your own peculiar way can have benefited. More important is to be natural, be relaxed, or soft, or free and follow the basic principle which the book explains. Practice regularly and go back to the book regularly and slowly it will be drawn on you what it is all about. In a way, it is not difficult to practice given that it is a powerful and very subtle exercise.
In the energy arts community, the instructors are able to teach the exercise and help you to feel what is going on inside you which will put your understanding to a new level and immediately become clearer about everything.
Bruce Francis qigong books are very informative and are amongst the best you can find. If you only have the books to help you, be assured you can go a long way with it unless you want to learn more advanced version of the exercise.Enjoy yourself.
Hi Hernando
I think it may be correct to say that during d&t your attention and capacity for attention (from the mind) hopefully builds over time as you learn the mechanics of the moves. Firstly learning and integrating the mechanics takes a lot of attention, then as capacity builds I have found during repetitions that you begin to focus on smoothing out and simultaneously staying connected on the energetic pathways you are tracing with your hands over your body from the approximate boundary of etheric field. You are trying over time to allow your hands/mind to sense connection to the skin and beyond inside as you move them. In my experience as a learner the more you can smooth it out and soften the moves the better. So in answer to your question you want your mind to stay as gently connected to the pathways and physical movements as you can….I think that is more than enough for the mind to deal with, otherwise we begin to project ideas about chi rather than trying just to be open to feel what is going on. Most important to notice anything that gives strain/discomfort- and back off from that. It is a very rewarding QiGong, also recommend the online course , but above all if you can find a qualified instructor to see what you are doing once in a while to make corrections on what you are learning it makes a huge difference and saves you going too far wrong which is easy even with best of intentions when learning alone (peaking from experience) you can find D&T instructors on this site somewhere – some also will look over skype if you have no one near
Good luck
Nick
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