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How to practice qigong meditation |
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Jun 05, 2009 at 04:55 PM |
In the summer, there are rivers which run dry and only here and there are left puddles. After few days, the water in them darkens and starts to stink due to the forming of microorganisms and fallout from outside contaminants. The same happens in the energy channels within the human body, when the bioenergy decreases and like the puddles of the river banks is retained only in some deeper places. The retention of qi gradually turns into an environment for decaying and inflammatory processes and a potential base for developing of viruses and bacteria. During the spirng, the melting snows and rains restore the river level, and the current carries away the sewage and the marshy waters. The rivers again become clean and high-water. Similarly, by doing the qigong meditation everyday, one accumulates qi (energy), which gradually cleanses the unpassable places and restores the contacts with the natural energy reserves.
The qigong meditation can be done in standing, sitting or lying positions. Each posture has a definite meaning and goal, however, ultimately they all lead to one and the same result as the postures are only a form, while the most important is the content, the meaning of meditation.
Let's take for example the sitting form of meditation. We chose a medium sized chair or a stool, but not a soft sofa, in which the body "sinks". We take up only half or one third of the seat, in order to not lean. During the meditation, the body is straight - neither bent, nor stretched too tight, but in relaxed, natural state.
With the left hand, the women hold the thumb of the right hand, while men hold the left hand's thumb with the right hand. This is done in order to create a closed loop, on which the energy current, like the electrical current that lights up a "lamp". This is very important for our body: if we draw in our body an imaginary line, connecting the acupuncture point qi hai ("sea of energy"), on the surface of the abdomen, about 3,5 cm (three fingers) below the navel, with ming men ("gate of life"), an energy pass on the back, located between the second and the third lumbar vertebrae, then, on this imaginary line, on two thirds from the surface of the abdomen and one third from the back's surface is located a small cavity, which is visible in an anatomical cross-section. This is dantian - "the elixir field", or "the field for cultivating the energy". Dantian is the place, where in the embryonic stage the body has been connectedf with the mother through the navel string. Now this place represents a natural reservoir of the primordial vital forces and a field where they integrate with the new energies formed during the quiet exercise. That is why, in order to cultivate our vital energy, we put our hands, held in a specific way, next to dantian.
During the whole meditation we also should not think about the way of breathing. It is a natural and self-regulative process, and if there are some changes in it, than they are natural occurrences in the process of readjustment and reharmonization and they stiop with the end of meditation.
After the body is relaxed and the eyes closed, it comes time to relax the mind. With the help of the consciousness and the will, we try to relax as much as we can and forget our thoughts and problems.
The first stage of qigong meditation is namely the relaxation. There exist many techniques for mastering relaxation. Before all, there is an approach to the chaotically rushing and obstructing thoughts. First of all, we should not worry that some thoughts still remain in our brain. This is natural and temporary. Meanwhile, there are thoughts, which are intrusive and persistently unwilling to leave our mind. In such cases, it is important to try to avoid thinking in details.
There is a technique against the wandering and obstructive thoughts, which is especially good for beginners: concentrate your attention on dantian. The energies, which are in it, can be expressed in the form of a light (the same electicity is manifested in the mode of a light). We imagine this light in dantian as a small sun during the day or a small moon at night, which glows inside dantian - "the energy field". We concentrate on it and try to see it inside the body with closed eyes. This has a broad significance. It connects one's consciousness with qi, or in other words, it opens the gate of energy storage (dantian) in order to let a part of the pure primordial energy come out, and together witht the energy that flows in the channels, stimulates the processes of purification, unblocking, and formation of new qi and the various positive changes in the body.
The meaning is an optimal relaxation not only of the body, but also of the mind, after which to enter in a state of deep inner relaxation with little or no sense about the surrounding environment. It is better to choose such techniques, which more directly and quickly lead us to this state.
The second, the most essential stage of the qigong meditation, is called "entering the boundaries". This refers to the boundaries of subconsciousness. In the process of a deeer inner relaxation, one comes to a moment when, althought awake, one almost or completely does not hear or feel the outside auditory and light irritants, as if nothing can make an impression on him. His being is completely directed inwards.
The process of brain activity is also not completely interrupted; from time to time thoughts appear in the mind, which the consciousness only detects, but does not analize. As if the body, mind and spirit have turned on the inside - towards the subconsciousness. This process is completely natural and is achieved gradually in the course of time.
The entering in the boundaries of subconsciousness has two levels - shallow and deep. The shallow level represents namely the aforementioed state of inner self-contemplation, in which the body, mind and spirit only detect the outer and inner occurrences, but do not analize or react to them. The deep level of entering refers to a state, similar to the deep phase of sleeping (REM), when one does not feel oneself, and in the sphere of consciousness it has achieved a unity with time and space.
During this moment, along with the vanished sense of one's existence, it is as if everything around has become bodiless. One does not have a sense about the environment - everything has merged in the great void. This is the state of "wuwei" (non-action), in which one follows his inner nature and acts according to the natural laws, and by this, achieves oneness with Nature. One has a feeling that his body and the surrounding environment have dissapeared, but at the same time, his consciousness is absolutely clear. Some people achieve such a level earlier, other people - later.
As a duration, this state of full detachment and deep inner serenity is usually very short, about 1-2 minutes. However, this is the stage of the best, the most qualitative performance of the quiet exercise. Of course, for the highly-advanced qigong practitioners, the duration of the deep inner serenity and state of wuwei is longer.
The third, the closing stage of qigong meditation is called shou gong("returning", "closing"). When we spontaneously start to feel that the time for ending the quiet exercise is apporaching, we should not open the eyes and the hands suddenly, but gradually and with ease to return to reality. Similarly, we do not suddenly jump out of bed after sleep, but instead, remain laying for a few minutes in order to adapt ourselves.
During the closing stage of meditation, first, we make several deep inhalations and exhalations and then wait 2-3 minutes for the energy to return, "to sink" to the lower dantian. Like in the first stage of meditation, during this stage again we use our mind to lead qi back to dantian. The concentration of the mind, aiming to direct the energy toward the lower dantian should be made with ease. We simply have to think about dantian and to direct our attention to it without a special concentration, and qi will start to return to it. In 2-3 minutes, we open the hands and the eyes. The qigong meditation is completed.
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Last Updated ( Jun 04, 2009 at 11:05 PM )
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Qigong 
