Japhy Ryder

Last weekend, I was initiated into the First Degree of the Usui System of Reiki. It was a wonderful experience, and practicing the self-care routine I learned is a wonderful complement to my qigong practice. I'm planning to take the Second Degree course this fall. I have several questions for reiki practitioners: Do you do other energy cultivation and/or meditation practices in addition to reiki? If so, what do you do? Many thanks.

No. I received my attunements from Suzy Wienchowski in Ann Arbor.

If you're referring to the blessing that begins "Today I will feel no anger, have no worries, be gentle in all undertakings...," then my understanding is no. The Reiki Blessing is a cool centering prayer. The Reiki Blessing is different from the Reiki attunements; the attunements are used to open the person's system to the reiki energies.

This is a wonderful thread! Lately I've been cultivating my standing and sitting posture, with help from this website: http://www.drbookspan.com. Thanks to the Bums who posted this link a few months ago. My back feels much better, and I'm feeling healthier generally (and I was feeling pretty healthy before). Namaste.

What a blessing this is! How do the breath cycles work? Do I inhale as I bring the energy up from my toes, then exhale as it goes down to my belly before swallowing it? Or do I just inhale and exhale as necessary? Thanks, Santi

Hi rodgerj: Bless all who love you and your father, and all you love. Be well.

Hey Bums: Recently I've become conscious that the abdominal exercises I've been doing for years to build strength (and keep a slim, six-pack waist) may not be so good for me anymore. I'm starting to feel that what works for me aesthetically isn't necessarily healthy energetically. The abdominal contraction exercise I used to do (video here: http://www.transformetrics.com/exercises) involves pulling in the abdomen, but I'm realizing now this process is a physical manifestation of how I've habitually drawn in my emotions rather than feel and expand into them. Thanks to the Alchemical Taoism site, I've started doing the Pilates Hundred daily instead of the ab contraction. The Hundred feels much healthier to me, but I'm looking for other tools, too. What do you folks do to work your abdominal area in ways that strengthen the muscles and support healthy expansion? Is it possible to have both a healthy dan tian and a six pack, or are these goals mutually exclusive?

mjjbecker, what are these "better ways"? Take care.

You're very welcome. I felt moved to share my story because, reading yours, I felt strengthened and validated. It's apparent that lots and lots of people are doing (or at least have the opportunity to do) huge work on their emotional and sexual selves these days. I find that studying astrology is helping me to put my own situation into a universal context, that learning more about how the universe expresses its intelligence through the movements and energies of astral bodies helps me see myself as part of their expression. Here's an astrology blog that's blowing my mind: http://planetwaves.net/pagetwo/. The synchronicities continue for me. My parents gave me the itemized receipt sent to them after my birth by the hospital in which I was born. I learned that my circumcision--a procedure I have no memory of but realized several years ago that I grieve--cost $3. Later in the week, I began reading and practicing exercises from Mantak Chia's book The Multi-Orgasmic Man. And the other night I dreamed that a red hooded sweatshirt I have had for 20 years was swept out to sea during a hurricane. I almost dove in after it before I realized it was time to let it go, so I let it drift away. After I woke up, I put that sweatshirt in the wash and will be giving it away. Be well, Christopher.

I quite agree. Dis-ease is a lot for anyone to handle. But Christopher, your courage, willingness to grow, and mindfulness are obvious. And insiring. May your healing journey honor and grow those qualities, whichever healing modalities you pursue. I hope that sharing your music with the world is one of those modalities! Your story resonates with me because, like you, I also realized recently a deep truth about myself. In my case, I realized that I don't know, and have never loved myself, sexually. My great grandfather, my father, my uncle, and an older cousin have all had bladder or prostate cancer, and I've realized that it's part of my work in this life to address the energetic issues surrounding that, to heal them for myself and for my ancestors. I'm turning 44 next month and have felt all my life that I was incomplete. I feel blessed to know why--finally--and to have begun to heal and grow into a self I've never known. I don't know where my journey will lead me, but that's okay. Mostly I'm just glad to know and feel what my journey is. How fortunate you are, Christopher, to have begun your work so young! Thanks for sharing your story with us. I hope you'll check in from time to time and let folks know how you're doing. May your healing be blessed.

Hi, DanC: Looks like you've gotten some great advice. I second Starjumper7's recommendation of Master Lam's The Way of Energy. If visualization-intensive qigong has left a bad taste in your mouth, you might enjoy Master Lam's stripped-to-essentials approach: "just" standing. Several years ago, my approach to qigong changed after participating in a workshop with the Garripolis. The movements we learned felt wonderful, and I bought their Qigong Beginning Practice DVD. I guess I'd gained enough from standing meditation to have a basis for practicing those moving forms, which are now the foundation of my qigong practice. Another option, book-wise, is Roger Jahnke's The Healing Promise of Qi. It documents and teaches a dozen or so very simple forms, including moving ones, that can be used in combination or singly. I don't own any of Ken Cohen's DVDs, but everything I've read about them has been very positive. Take care and have fun!

Satyagraha: You've received some excellent advice here, and while I'm definitely no expert, I agree with freeform that your situation calls for grounding. Here's a link to an excellent free e-book on kundalini with plenty of advice on grounding: http://biologyofkundalini.com. I hope this helps. Take care.

Great reminder indeed! It inspired me to tweak my own sigline, with props to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Thanks for posting this link, Yoda. I've been doing nothing but half-squats for years, mostly because I lack the flexibility to squat deep with my feet flat on the floor. Full squats while balancing on my toes hurt my knees, but the exercise described in the article doesn't bother them at all. Would this exercise be a good one for developing the flexibility to sit in full lotus? If you want to enjoy the benefits of squat-style pooping but lack hip/thigh flexibility (or the desire to perch atop a toilet seat), just sit on the toilet with your feet resting on a low stool. Works great.

Hey Bums: Last week, on the Lama Dorje thread, Turbo and Yoda each typed a bit about their experiences with AYP. Both of them seemed to have positive experiences with AYP, but neither of them (if I remember correctly) is still doing those practices. I came to AYP after doing various qigongs (standing ala Kam Lam Chuen and Wuji qigong ala the Garripolis) and supplement my I AM meditation with qigong. I've felt for years that I "should" do seated meditation and have attempted several methods, but I AM is the only approach I've felt comfortable with. For me, qigong is wonderfully grounding after meditation, but I'm curious to learn what others have experienced. If you used to do AYP, what do you do now? If you've given up AYP for qigong (whether Lama Dorje-style Red Phoenix or something else), do you use qigong as supplement to seated meditation or as a substitute for it? Thanks!

If we're asking whether astrology (Vedic or otherwise) "works," it's essential to ask "Works for what?" Personal experience hasn't yet shown me whether astrology works for predicting specific circumstances in the future. But based on the work of cultural historial Richard Tarnas, astrology does seem an incredibly elegant tool for understanding past historical events and personal experiences. I read Tarnas' latest book on this subject, Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View awhile back. It freakin' blew me away.

Thanks, Spectrum. It's good to be back. I completely agree with you that one's intention (and any quantification of sets, repetitions, duration, etc.) distinguishes exercise from movement.

nightwatchdog and taomeow, props to you for expressing the difference between purpose-ful and purpose-less movement so clearly. I lifted thousands of tons of weights and ran thousands of miles before I began to feel and understand the difference. I quit running about nine years ago and quit lifting four years ago when I realized I was experiencing an energy and health deficit; I was writing checks my body couldn't cash, and I didn't know why I was still writing them! I literally didn't trust my body's ability to express health and wellness on its own--I thought I had to fight to develop these qualities. Now I practice AYP, which I supplement with qigong and self-resistance exercises. Much better.

G'day, Mal: You've got a good memory; I've done both the Five Tibetan Rites and Combat Conditioning, both separately and in combination. Currently, I'm doing neither. My basic practice these days is built around AYP's meditation method, which I supplement with dynamic self resistance exercises (ala John Peterson) and some qigong. I quit first kettlebell work, then Combat Conditioning a few years ago when I got tired of being tired after workouts. Besides, as the returns on those practices diminished, I realized my goals had shifted; I was becoming more interested in developing my spiritual self. The dynamic self-resistance stuff I do satisfies my desire for resistance training and qigong grounds my seated meditation practice, although I'm wondering these days "Gee, why should I resist myself, let alone PRACTICE resisting myself??" With that in mind, I just ordered Scott Sonnon's free Flow Fit course (http://www.makeamericastronger.us/) and am looking forward to trying it. How are you doing with the Five Tibetans?

You're very welcome, circlewalker. My wife gave me a copy of Carnie's book for my birthday, and I'm looking forward to reading and working with it. Take care.

Thanks very much for posting this review, circlewalker. I enjoyed browsing this book at Borders a year or so ago but decided not to buy it because, at the time, I wanted a more structured approach to qigong. Thankfully, that phase of my relationship with qigong has passed, and your review reminded me just how wonderful this book is. It's full of ideas for extending and deepening one's play with qi. Thanks!

Welcome, JoseFreitas! Do you still practice qigong?

I hear and feel you, Spectrum. I've played alto saxophone and guitar and love to sing, and for me music has always implied movement. Once, when Pete Townshend was discussing music with his dad, Pete's dad is reputed to have said "I don't care what you call it, as long as it swings." If my body starts moving while I'm listening to it, it swings. The connection between music and movement is on my mind today because last night my wife and I watched the movie Happy Feet, in which a tap-dancing penguin is ostracized because he can't sing a sonorous heart-song. In time, he learns that his tap-dancing IS his heart-song, and his community survives because its previously movement-mute members come to realize that movement and music go together. Happy Feet is amazing, particularly for its juxtapositions of familiar (for me) pop/rock songs (by Prince, Queen, Elvis Presley, and many others) and movement. This may sound corny, but watching animated adolescent penguins (who'd just graduated from school) swim while singing the Beach Boys' "In My Room" gave me chills. Some real genius there.

Hi, Mal: I'm glad you're doing well with the Five Tibetans; it's an excellent first-thing-in-the-morning practice, but probably no substitute for getting so little sleep. It takes courage to return to school, especially if you've been away for awhile. My wife earned her Bachelor's degree over twenty years ago and started grad school last year. She'll have her degree by Christmas and I'm inspired by her. As for the Combat Conditioning, it looks like you've reached a plateau. At this point, you may want to experiment with doing fewer reps but under greater tension. To learn how to do this, check out John Peterson's books Pushing Yourself To Power and The Miracle Seven as well as the forums on his website: http://www.bronzebowpublishing.com. Take care.

Sean: Have a very happy birthday! Thanks so much for hosting this perpetual virtual gathering.