Letting Go, The Art of Not Grasping
- A Lesson in The Water Way of Taoism
photo credit: tony_the_bald_eagle
Things arise and she lets them come;
Things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn’t possess, acts but doesn’t expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
For a simple way of beginning a qigong practice, you can do the simple movements of T’ai Chi ruler as shown in this video. There are complicated variations, but the basics are shown in this video.
I will give you some advice on alignments and movements as well, that will supplement that information. I recommend using it at the end of the day or whenever you feel out of wack. It helps flush you out negative energies, balance and recharge. I feel re-calibrated after doing the exercise.
One principle of all qigong and T’ai chi is to have an erect spine. Part of that posture is to allow the tailbone to drop, relaxing it downward. Stand for a few moments before doing the ruler and allow that to occur, don’t force it. Keeping an erect spine also applies to forward and backward movements – don’t lean into forward movements. The movements should come from the waist. The lower dantien is the center of all qigong and T’ai chi movements.
The advice for the foot positions is fine, except that with practice, you can use a stance where the forward foot can be placed further forward. When moving forward, don’t allow the forward knee to go past the toes. And make sure that the knee is positioned so it moves over the foot, not to one side or the other. This alignment is very important.
Various schools differ as to whether the back foot should move. In the video, the heel of the back foot moves up when the weight is transferred to the front foot. Iff you want, you can keep the back foot planted. The forward foot goes from heel to toes and back.
You can see that T’ai chi ruler can be practiced with the ruler (chih) and without it. The ends of the ruler are positioned in the center of the palm over the lao gong points. If you don’t use the ruler, make sure that your lao gong points align and don’t angle away (as I see in the video). Relax the elbows downward and relax your shoulders while you are performing the movement.
The movement of the ruler should be circular. The direction can be changed. Tracing the circle up and away from the body helps bring qi and increased energy and blood circulation in the upper torso, arms and head. Tracing the circle down, out and then in towards the torso benefits the lower part of the body, legs and feet. Movement down, out and towards the torso helps remove blockages, while the other method promotes the increase of energy. Go in both directions to clean and recharge.
Keep breathing abdominally. If you need a few moments before doing the exercise, stand for a few minutes in the wu ji posture and let the breathing become regular and drop to the lower dantien.
Practice for 5 to 10 minutes on each side of the body. At the finish, place the palms of the hand over the lower dantien (right hand below left hand, or vice versa for men) and let the energy settle there for a few moments.
Okay, practice!
The following YouTube video shows a sonogram of a bladder tumor disappearing as a result of a type of medical qigong treatment that involves hand movements and chanting. This may seem impossible to someone who has little exposure to this healing modality; however, to practitioners who have been within a qigong community for several years, it is believable and it does happen. I personally have known people who have experienced remission from cancer following treatments at medical qigong centers.
The chant is directed at the tumor, helping effect dissolution of the mass, while the hand movements help the doctors make energetic contact with the tumor through the lao gong point in the palm of the hand. Qi can be emitted or absorbed through this point. The doctors are well-grounded to help shunt the dissolved energy into the ground.
Medical Qigong Research for Cancer Treatment
This obviously is not the type of cancer treatment you normally find in the U.S. or Europe, but there are several medical centers where the effect of this type of treatment is being studied, not as a means of eliminating the cancer directly, but as a method of benefiting patients who are undergoing traditional chemotherapy programs – complementary alternative medicine (CAM), in other words. Randomized clinical trials have shown that patients have an improved sense of well being, less fatigue, fewer side effects from the chemotherapy and reduced inflammation. Studies that have focused in the past on survival rates have not been researched up to current scientific standards. I look forward to seeing trials reported that focus on medical qigong as a primary means of reducing cancer.
Availability of Medical Qigong Clinics
Medical qigong treatment is available in many locations across the world. China, of course, but you will find centers in the United States and Europe as well. For instance, there is the International Institute of Medical Qigong which has clinics in 18 states of the U.S., and in Bermuda, Canada, Belgium, Guatemala, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Look online and you will find more. These centers treat various ailments, sometimes specializing in certain areas.
Resources:
1. International Institute of Medical Qigong Clinical Directory
2. Impact of Medical Qigong on Cancer
Cover of Taoist Meditation
The following quote is an excerpt from Verse 15 of the Tao Te Ching. It describes an essential consideration for those who wish to successfully engage in Taoist Meditation:
Can you find the patience to wait until your dust settles and the water becomes clear?
Alternatively, there is another translation:
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?**
Patience is the key. Meditation practice over weeks, months and years, conditions your physical, mental and spiritual presence. It is not like taking a tranquilizer pill, where you can expect almost immediate results. The results of regular practice condition your mind to maintain a state where disturbing energy, coming from within or outside, does not ruffle you or stir up your dust. In Taoist philosophy, the disturbing energy can emerge within or outside of you is called “Red Dust.”
The red dust consists of memories and attachments – opinions, desires, beliefs and fears.
Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase, “as within, so without.” * Taoist meditation directly engages the body, nerves, intellect and psyche to address the red dust, or the confused qi, within one’s being. It is an inner alchemy. Allowing the dust or mud to settle is complemented by dissolving meditation practice, which tames the central nervous system. Once the CNS is calmed, stillness can take foothold in consciousness, making it possible to experience Awareness, or Cosmic Consciousness.
Thus, with practice, this Consciousness can become a living companion within that can be carried into the world, making you an instrument of peace, compassion and tranquility.
*which was derived from the ancient saying of Hermes Trismegitus – “as above, so below.”
**The second quote from the Tao Te Ching is from the Stephen Mitchell translation.
This is a list of cancer centers that are promoting Qigong Exercises as complementary therapy for assist in healing from this disorder. This list is not all-inclusive, but it demonstrates the support for qigong exercises within the medical community.
Joseph Friend Cancer Resource Center, University of California, San Francisco. There is no fee for the classes, but you need to register (call (415) 885-3693) to join the group. The classes are taught by a registered acupuncturist, Dr. Joseph Acquah.
The Supportive Care Unit of The Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, 3838 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, Arizona. Call (520) 694-1812 for getting more information on classes that are scheduled for October. The teacher is Heather, who is experience in both qigong and Tai chi. She has studied under several masters of these arts. I recommend visting the web link to see an explanation on how qigong supports health and healing in ways that nutrition and Western exercise methods do not. Click to read more
Seated qigong exercise using turning at the waist.
Maintain continuous movement. Continuous, unbroken movement is an aspect of the circularity of movement execution. While some qigong movements may outwardly appear to have linear aspects, there is circularity built-in when you perform them in an unbroken manner. Pay attention to the transition aspects of movements as the hands or body change directions and allow a circularity of rhythm to develop at these points. The flow of yin and yang energies will be enhanced and the movement of energy from and to the dantien will be noticed more.
Slowness helps create balance and coordination. When using qigong for healing, slowness facilitates integration of mindfulness. Mindfulness allows feeling to occur, which is needed for allowing interior energy work to happen and create change. Feeling imbalances, you work towards achieving balance. For instance, if you notice if you are too yang (tight) on one side you feel that tightness and allow it to dissolve. As balance increases, coordination increases.
On YouTube, you can find valuable, free qigong video instruction by Master Lam Kam Chuen, who has moved to San Francisco recently from England. I have included all ten of the videos from his “Stand up, Stand Still” series here for your convenience. The videos are well-produced and have valuable instruction on zhan zhuang, also known as standing qigong meditation and standing like a tree. There is also instruction in Eight Brocades Qigong. These videos, set in beautiful settings, are presented as a series for practice over a 10-day period. Please take the time to look at these videos and practice along with Master Lam. The master advises you not to sit and watch in each video. You can discover the power of the standing qigong practice form for healing and maintaining health.
DAY 2
Here, Master Lam continues with his description of the Wu Wei posture that has the hands at the sides of the body. He introduces a warm-up exercises where the arms do circles in a plane in front of the body. As with other videos in this series, his teacher, Professor Yu, discusses the background of standing qigong meditation. The comments from his students regarding the perception of others who are not familiar with this exercise form are interesting, but not unusual, as many people find these kinds of exercises unusual.
Day 3
The Eight Brocades Qigong movement, supporting the sky, is presented at the beginning of this video. The next standing posture (Tan Po), holding the ballo0n in front of the heart is described. Hold the ballo0n gently, let it support your hands and let balloons support your elbows and your buttocks. Quote from this video, “it teaches you to be very patient.” He ends the video with a hip rotation exercise for warm ups. Click to read more
Image via Wikipedia
The “One Finger Zen Meditation” is a powerful way to activate the qi in your hands and facilitate healing. This Buddhist qigong involves the use of a 3-stage chant at the beginning and increases both your ability to sense the energy fields of others, as well as your ability to project healing qi towards others. Most of the aspects of the moves are demonstrated in the video referenced below by Ken Cohen, but there are a couple of small changes regarding the chants in the intial phase which can increase this meditation’s effectiveness. I also discuss the characteristics of the chants and their vibrational effects.
This qigong exercise is shown in the 24-minute video below and there is an Amazon link to the DVD to the left of this paragraph. It begins with the relaxed wuji standing posture, observing all of the alignments and postural recommendations which have been described in Standing Qigong for Healers. In the next phase, you do the movement with the arms going up the sides of the body and joining above the forehead and going downward with the three chants, in the order of OM, AH and then HUNG. Click to read more
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This qi chart explains the relationships between the elements that bring forth protective qi in one’s body and spirit. As you can see, there are many factors that affect one’s ability to be energetic, have a well-functioning body and fight off disease. There are some elements which one cannot change, such as the Tsung and Yuan Qi, however, a person’s practice and lifestyle can affect all other factors that build your protective qi.
One of the most important factors is what we take in, or our acquired qi. How we breathe affects the ability to take in Ta qi, as it also effects out ability to lose stagnant qi that accumulates in the body. Efficient, relaxed diaphragmatic breathing facilitates both processes. You can find several exercises within the Qigong Healing website that will facilitate improved breathing.
We obtain Gu qi from what we eat and drink. Good eating habits that don’t involve eating in excess, eating excessive sugary or starchy foods or too much animal protein will facilitate efficient intake of Gu qi. Specific eating recommedations will vary depending on the type of metabolism and body that you have. It is best to get specific recommendations from your doctor or a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The types of foods that are recommended for boosting your Gu qi will also vary depending upon the season of the year.
One can assist in the flow of energy by Click to read more
