balance.

Quoting from Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming's "Qiqong for Health and Martial Arts" "Once the Qi passes the Jiaji, the last major obstacle on the spine is called the Yuzhen, or Jade Pillow by meditators, and Naohu by acupuncturists. This cavity is located at the base of the skull on top of the occipital bone. Because of the skull structure, the channel is constricted here. If the energy does not pass smoothly through, it may pass into other channels on the head or into the brain. If this happens, you may experience headaches or feverish thinking." Following after-meditation exercises to dislodge errant qi within yer noggin could prove to be beneficial.

I remember attending hockey camps in my younger days where the wall-sit was the preferred method of punishment... Sitting wall style with a few other ne’er-do-wells.. passing weight plates back and forth for the duration of the sentence... awfully fond of those memories... .. and I'm especially drawn to your "Have fun with it and enjoy doing it (rather than planning it). " ... tremendous advice. I too have always tried to maintain a sense of childhood exploration/joy/fluidity when pursuing various physical regimens.. but of course that attitude needn't and shouldn't apply only to the affairs of "Workout World" .. balance.

A snippit from Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming's "Embryonic Breathing" ... perhaps this is what you're interested in. " Refine the Essence and Convert it into Qi This first step is also called: "One Hundred Days of Building the Foundation" (Bai Ri Zhu Ji). Daoists always visualize the achievement of englightenment in terms of forming a "Spiritual Embryo" (Ling Tai) or "Holy Embryo" (Sheng Tai), and then its feeding, nursing, and education until it can be independent. For many Xi Sui Jing laymen practitioners who are looking only for longevity, this spiritual baby is considered a "baby elixir" which will lead them to longenvity. It is believed that the heahlthy and harmonious interaction of Yin and Yang Qi is necessary to form this spiritual baby. Yin is considered the mother while Yang is considered the father. In order to make this happen, Yin and Yang Qi must be abundant, and both the mother (yin) and father (Yang) must be strong enough to balance each other. In order to obtain abundant Yin Qi and Yang Qi in your body, you must learn the methods of building up these two Qis. In order to make Yin and Yang interact harmoniously, you must also learn how to adjust Kan (water) and Li (fire). Therefore, in this stage, you are leading both Yang and Yin Qi to Huang Ying (i.e. Yellow Yard), and causing them to interact harmoniously. This process is called "Kan and Li". " Again, just a slice from an introductory chapter... He goes into a tremendous amount of depth in those that follow... But if this appears to be what you're looking for, I suggest you track down this book... Or if Eric Yudelove feels confident about his offering, perhaps defer to him.. I can only speak for this book personally though. best. balance.

Much of what is taught in taosim emphasizes a return to basics.. a disintegration of the unnecessary and superfluous constructions that we've built up over the years since we were children. We've adopted these unnecessary constructions in order to live and behave more effectively within the world around us, but these steps that we've (largely unconsciously) taken serve only to separate us further from the true, unadulterated nature each of us embodied when we were babies... The spiritual path is largely about stripping these additional layers away so we can realize our true, Buddah Nature. One of the first steps we take once we begin to walk down whatever spiritual path we've chosen is to move from the high-chested breathing most adults have adopted over the years and return to the deep belly breathing we did naturally as babies. Such a return to basics would be seen as effortlessness/non-doing/non-action simply because this is most natural thing for us... and the high-chested, shallow breathing that we find ourselves doing as we grow up is actually an additional step and would be seen as with-effort... simply because it separates us from natural, effortless action. So, Effortlessness etc. means (in my experience) that these are things that we do innately and so should require no special effort to accomplish.. somewhere along the lines of Yoda's great maxim, "There is no try" and Nike's "Just do it." Over-intellectualization of the process (whatever that may be) can create energetic roadblocks that prevent the unhampered blossoming of action and subsequently robs whatever task you've undertaken of its natural, spontaneous, truthful and unadulterated flow... I feel intent plays a very important role as well. Laziness is most certainly not non-doing or effortlessness... Negligence might be a better descriptor... My feeling is that Scotty did a good job of summing that up. I hope this meandering reply was at least moderately helpful. balance.

The warmth/tingling means that your practice has been effective so far and the lower dan tien has begun to awaken. It may seem like an attractive prospect to rush onward to the more advanced movements... but the time spent carefully building and establishing (explore this site!) the foundations within your abdomen will make successive internal constructions that much more stable in the long run.. but of course, if you feel that you are ready to progress, by all means, push forward. Scotty mentioned Embryonic Breathing by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming... A tremendous collection of knowledge.. I've found it to be an indispensable reference and strongly recommend you shell at the 29.95 to acquire it. Just do it. You may also find that many of your questions can be answered by paging through the website I linked you to first... balance.

Sounds like you've started the fire and begun to accumulate energy in your lower dan tian... ..... King Kabahlabhati is absolutely right though... Keep practicing..

Delightful read.

I agree with NeiChuan. Zen calls these visions/hallucinations/fantasies that are encountered occasionally during meditation Makyo.. Ma means "devil", and kyo "the objective world" ... So, these are disturbing or diabolical phenomena that appear to the practitioner during meditation... Some of these illusions involve vision, but there are numerous others that relate to the other senses as well.. ... quoting from the "Zazen Yojinki" ... ".. the body may feel hot or cold or glasslike or hard or heavy or light. This happens because the breath is not well harmonized with the mind and needs to be carefully regulated..... One may experience the sensation of sinking or floating, or may alternately feel hazy and sharply alert. The disciple may develop the faculty of seeing through solid objects as though they were transparent, or he may experience his own body as a translucent substance. He may see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Penetrating insights may suddenly come to him, or passages of sutras which were particularly difficult to understand may suddenly become luminously clear to him. All these abnormal visions and sensations are merely the symptoms of an impairment arising from a maladjustment of the mind with the breath." Don't dwell too long on your own experience... Keep following your breath.

Why does the Sage Seat call for one heel to be sat upon so that it presses into your perineum during sitting practice? Glen Morris mentions it briefly within "Path Notes.." but never explains the reasons behind the position... concluding only by saying that "The perineum press is important, particularly when working on your sitting smile." ... I'd be immensely appreciative of any further information. edit... Miller=Morris... yup.

Haha, no, not I... I'm still just a young, crude, whelp.... and I took this particular class far from the windy city only just this fall..

I appreciate the replies and am following up on the leads given. ...but Markern, I haven't been able to locate this modified intermediary position that you were mentioning... any chance you could beam a link my way? Thanks again.

Not sure how this one passed me by. ...but if ya'll are interested.. Here's a good video to swallow down. http://www.vimeo.com/3164191

Only just read about the technique recently.. so I've yet to develop a strong attachment to it. Good to know though about the possible sinking of the banana boat through extended practice. Does the sock offer gentler treatment?

Haha, yes, Glen Morris, not Miller... Fragments from my Jazz History class no doubt.... ... But, once in this position then, is it still helpful to gently push and pull with the huiyin to encourage movement?

Just recently picked up both "Principles...." and "Zen Body-Being" ..... I'll begin grinding through both quite soon here.... Collegiate mid-terms have my literary focuses diverted elsewhere at the moment... but give me a week or so (Sorry I can't contribute sooner)to read and partially digest and I'll see if I'm able to add something constructive to this discussion.

I swear by Rishi Tea..... (www.rishitea.com) .... They keep it real by offering only loose-leaf tea.... which means you'll need to procure empty tea bags or proper brewing kettles etc...... well worth it though. .. I only use filtered water... Tap water butchers the flavor of even the highest quality teas... The water used is all important.... ..After that,I set the kettle on.. wait for it to boil, pour off what I require, and keep track of the temperature with a thermometer so that I can steep whatever tea I've chosen to indulge in at the proper temperature... Green teas (for instance) are sensitive and can be burned easily, making them bitter and unpleasant... so knowing just how hot the water is becomes essential.. Once the water has reached the desired temp, add in your leaves (in whatever way you've found most convenient) and steep for the time stipulated for that particular tea... Most teas will provide you with an ideal steep time... and once you gain a sense of how you enjoy your tea... heavier/lighter in taste.. you can adjust the steep time accordingly... but keep in mind that not all teas respond well to violent alterations in their ideal steep time/temp.... You can get away with less, but longer steep times can become erratic. ...and I realize that some have offered up instructions for the preparation of specific teas. I've done no such thing.. but this approach will equip you with the wherewithal to properly prepare and enjoy a wide variety of different teas...

I'll have to check it out... if only because I'm currently grinding through "Encounters......"

Mm.. Deep, slow belly breathing with my tongue on my palate.. I do this for as long and as often as I can all the day long... helps me stay mindfully aware throughout the whole day as opposed to finding my center only when I'm able to sit alone with my zafu.

I grew up in a household with four cats.... Gods, all of them. ...I also find myself... compelled to drive at the sort of excessive speeds that sends the blood to the back of the head upon acceleration... ..should I be worried?

Woah, I leave for a few days, basking in the sunshine and salt water of the Florida Keys... and I return to find this post inundated with great responses that all provide me with new threads to follow up on... Markern: Is Kundalini the same thing as chi? Just another term for internal energy? And is this the book of which you spoke? http://www.amazon.com/Path-Notes-American-Ninja-Master/dp/1556431570/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267478654&sr=1-1 Creation: Yes. Your post was indeed rather long in the making, but it seems to me that it was well worth it. I've just informed Amazon of my desire to possess all three books... and so I'll be absorbing all of them soon.. My zen practice has by and large been separated from my physical cultivation, so I'm excited to read into this integrated approach. I find it interesting how things I've seen as generally disparate end up proving to be part and parcel... though I suppose that's true of most everything (if not everything..) ... That is, the illusion of division. The benefits derived from conscious manipulation certainly do seem to be manifold... and being able to apply that knowledge to enhance your own path is tremendous.. So thank you for further emphasizing gray area. As for the Microcosmic Orbit, am I right then in seeing it only as a milestone in internal development? And what about not needing to consciously spin your energy within the orbit after you've gained sufficient proficiency? Is that in the vain of muscle memory or never forgetting how to ride a bike? Once you've developed the orbit enough, it continues to spin without you consciously guiding it...? ...allowing you to divert your attention to other areas of the body? Vortex: Neidan? I've only become familiar with the term quite recently... knowing only that part of the practice is to develop qi within the body and then lead it to the limbs to strengthen them.. but I'm curious if you could expand upon it, or point in me a direction where I could learn more myself.... Or is qi naturally developed and distributed by focusing upon my elixir field while meditating? Thank you. RyanO: I was not at all under the impression that Zazen, or emptiness practice was "Lifeless and stale.." ..And I'm sorry if that was the impression I happened to give, but I was only looking to better understand why Taoism emphasizes the importance of conscious manipulation of energy while Zazen emphasizes only the breath, or depending upon the practice, Koans. Reading farther up to the quote you've given me by Erich Schiffman, I feel that we're both on the same page with regards to personal perceptions of stillness/emptiness practices. Breath and energy are, of course, interrelated.. and it's my feeling that Zazen accomplishes a great deal of energy development by focusing on the inhalation and exhalation of the breath.. or the rising and falling of the tide of energy... the cycles Taoist meditation seeks to start in motion may start naturally within Zazen... From what little I've come to learn about Taoist meditative practices, it seems that many coming to such methods for the first time might find focusing on both the breath (learning to still the mind) and the manipulation of energy a bit confusing and heavy.. As Vortex alluded to, Zen could provide the strong foundation necessary for successful energy practice. Scotty: You've given me yet one more reason to pursue Neidan practice in great depth... and I'll ask you as I did Vortex if you could please point me in the direction of some literature so I could move further upon this path. Thank you.

How nice to run into another Sun Ra appreciator... His brand of truth certainly isn't for everyone haha... And thank you (for the compliment), I enjoy it as well. As far as "Nuclear War", I am indeed familiar with it.. Though I must say I prefer Ra's early sixties to mid seventies work the best.... Through perhaps "Space is the Place" .... That's not to say 'Nuclear' doesn't hold a place in my heart... It receives playtime when I'm looking to unhinge, but still maintain some grip on the real... To me, "Nuclear.." feels more tangible (Granted, this is still Sun Ra) than his earlier work... a little more solid form... But don't interpret those as negative evaluations, it is the 80's after all.. and to look at what Ra is doing in the face of Flock of Seagulls and all the rest is still remarkable.. That guy truly marched to the beat of his own drum... Anyway, I feel if you enjoy Ra, you can dig all of his work on some level... But we all have our favorites. The world wouldn't be a very interesting place without some variety.. Or without Sun Ra for that matter. Anyway, best of luck on the recovery, and keep those interstellar vibrations going.