MCO Standing?

[MBZ]

Can someone please tell me if it's ok to do the MCO standing, as in instead of seated? Thanks!

[Inedible]

Standing is good and even walking. It just takes practice, and remember to gather the energy in your tan tien from time to time.

[MBZ]

Standing is good and even walking. It just takes practice, and remember to gather the energy in your tan tien from time to time.

Thank u!

[New Dawn Fades]

It isn't OK to do* the MCO either standing or sitting, but it won't hurt you real bad if you are healthy to start with.

 

By do* I mean the mind games type of MCO as taught by Chia and others of his spawn. Real chi kung does the MCO in countless ways while you are standing, with movement, and you don't even have to think about it.

[Encephalon]

MBZ, you've solicited very important information in TTB. In the course of a mere two responses you've gotten information that is completely inconsistent. It may be true, or it may not be. Are you in a position to evaluate the truthfulness of the advice one way or another?

 

You're not alone. But my guess is, if you truly possess MCO ability, you have the means of ascertaining the answers to your questions from a more legitimate resource than the Net.

 

Best of luck. Tread with care.

[King Kabalabhati]

What happens to me often is that I get a good feeling like a happy thought or just a feeling of bliss and I notice the MCO flowing up the back channel by itself. Can happen in whatever situation/position. Then if I get a more challenging feeling like sadness or anger, it usually makes the qi flow down the front and collect in the navel. It seems to help somehow... I don't do it consciusly, it simply happens.

[MBZ]

Thank u everyone! I guess I was just wondering if I could kill 2 birds with one stick to help save on time.

[doc benway]

Thank u everyone! I guess I was just wondering if I could kill 2 birds with one stick to help save on time.

There are no shortcuts.

While it is certainly OK to practice the orbit while standing, the refinement of the orbit is best done seated.

Combining sitting and standing practice will NOT yield the same results as if one were to have a dedicated practice of each, IME. So do it if you choose but you're not killing two birds with one stick, just crippling them both a bit...

Just my $.02 FWIW

[fiveelementtao]

As I understand it, Tai Chi, standing postures and other internal arts will automatically and naturally open the "orbit" and accomplish more than just focusing on the orbit by itself.

[Secrets Of Longevity]

The Li family qi-gong practices work with the orbit while standing and even circle walking. The Li family were a lineage of martial artists in China who worked as bodyguards for a living. They used and refined their qi-gong exercises for the purpose of improving their health for faster healing and increasing longevity.

 

I don't see why working with the MCO while standing or walking would pose any problems unless you're trying to force something to happen sooner then it's meant too.

 

Prepare the "vessel" (entire body) properly and the contents you hold in them (qi) will stay pure.

[doc benway]

As I understand it, Tai Chi, standing postures and other internal arts will automatically and naturally open the "orbit" and accomplish more than just focusing on the orbit by itself.

Taiji postures and the form itself as well as a variety of QiGong practices do assist the Qi circulation and accomplish wonderful things. On the other hand, there is a great deal of subtlety and complexity contained within proper practice of the MCO itself that lends itself to a focused and separate practice best done seated.

[z00se]

Both seated and standing are good.

 

If i sit i feel more comfortable, i can relax more and concentrate more, and control the qi better.

 

If i stand i am strengthening my body and muscles and practicing meditation in a way that will help me meditate while i am standing, walking etc -- in a way i can practice more in every day life. In those spare moments waiting in line, etc.

 

I do both. Sit down when i can. Stand up when i can't sit down. Stand up when i want to increase my standing meditation abilities.

[doc benway]

Both seated and standing are good.

 

If i sit i feel more comfortable, i can relax more and concentrate more, and control the qi better.

 

If i stand i am strengthening my body and muscles and practicing meditation in a way that will help me meditate while i am standing, walking etc -- in a way i can practice more in every day life. In those spare moments waiting in line, etc.

 

I do both. Sit down when i can. Stand up when i can't sit down. Stand up when i want to increase my standing meditation abilities.

I agree 100%.

I think it's important to identify what you are looking for from practice and prioritize accordingly.

For me, the first priority is sitting, second is form, third is standing.

It's a personal choice, not meant to be necessarily best for anyone else.

It would be nice to have more time each day to devote to practice so I didn't have to pick and choose...

It's the price I pay for choosing to cultivate while continuing to live in the world.

[Inedible]

The more you practice a technique, the easier it becomes. Then you need less effort to make it work. Even things like the microcosmic orbit get easier with practice, so that you need less of your awareness to cause the energy to flow through the orbit. At some point in your practice you even find that the energy is flowing on its own and then it is better if you stop pushing and just go along for the ride. It only took me a couple months to get to this point, but my teacher hadn't warned me about it and the worst part was that the energy kept trying to flow in the wrong direction. My teacher said up the back and down the front, but my energy wanted to go up the front and down the back. I grabbed it firmly with my concentration and made it go the way it was supposed to, but it resisted even more. I concentrated harder and got the energy to go the way it was supposed to. It didn't take long for me to start feeling congested, like my body was full of snot. Naturally I kept going anyway. It was getting results, so why quit? Then I found that I was having trouble keeping food down. My teacher eventually told me that in the beginning you guide the energy with your mind, but when the energy flows spontaneously and the orbit runs itself, it is important to just ride the flow - even if it wants to go the wrong direction. He said that he didn't teach that part because it didn't occur to him that any of his students would actually do the meditation enough to get it to work that way. It took me several months of using the Six Healing Sounds to balance out my condition and by then I was planning my meals based on how they might taste coming back up. Anyway, I have since learned a technique from Huna where when you breathe in you focus on the crown chakra and then you shift your attention to your tan tien when you breathe out. As your attention alternates from tan tien to crown and back again, the energy follows through the most suitable route available. This may or may not be the actual microcosmic orbit, but sometimes you just have to trust yourself. It takes very little attention to do this technique correctly so you may find it easier to use sooner in standing, walking, and doing tai chi. Most of the effort will be in getting the flow started. You can do this sitting down and let it warm up, then stand and let it keep going. Just watch it a little, to encourage it to keep going.

[Art]

As I progress in my understanding of the various Taoist practices, I often try to relate them to something else I have learned along the way.

 

I cannot explain why, but as I read through this thread, I am subtly reminded of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

 

Of course we are not talking about electrons, speed, and position, but perhaps an analogy could be made between qi, sitting (steady position, allowing for proper observation of qi qualities), and standing/walking (changing position, more difficult to accurately observe qi qualities)?

 

Edited November 11, 2009 by Art

[doc benway]

... but perhaps an analogy could be made between qi, sitting (steady position, allowing for proper observation of qi qualities), and standing/walking (changing position, more difficult to accurately observe qi qualities)?

 

Exactly my experience

Also - if you're working with a teacher, once you get into more advanced exercises you will need to sit so that you can devote all of your 'attention' to the practice.

Edited November 11, 2009 by steve f

[Inedible]

Energy goes where awareness is directed, but that does not mean it is necessary to be aware of the energy and its qualities. It is only necessary to hold awareness where you want energy to gather and to trust the process.

[fiveelementtao]

As I understand it, Tai Chi, standing postures and other internal arts will automatically and naturally open the "orbit" and accomplish more than just focusing on the orbit by itself.

Taiji postures and the form itself as well as a variety of QiGong practices do assist the Qi circulation and accomplish wonderful things. On the other hand, there is a great deal of subtlety and complexity contained within proper practice of the MCO itself that lends itself to a focused and separate practice best done seated.

 

These forms do more than just aid in Qi circulation, they are very effective ways to open the MCO and will safely and automatically open both the microcosmic and macrocosmic orbits without mental effort when performed correctly.., I was trying to point out that if one wishes to open the orbit while standing, in my experience, standing postures like Yi Chuan and moving forms like Tai Chi are safer and more effective than simply standing and "opening the MCO." with the imagination.

 

In my experience, seated meditations for the MCO are much more powerful after the standing postures or moving forms... Some schools will not teach any seated meditations until after the energy channels have been opened through standing postures and moving forms. There is a possible problem when people try to open the MCO solely with their imagination before opening the meridians through postures and forms. In my experience, imagination is effective after the fact, but beforehand can trap one into their intellect and the exercise is purely mental which can result in a false impression of success....

[doc benway]

Some schools will not teach any seated meditations until after the energy channels have been opened through standing postures and moving forms. There is a possible problem when people try to open the MCO solely with their imagination before opening the meridians through postures and forms. In my experience, imagination is effective after the fact, but beforehand can trap one into their intellect and the exercise is purely mental which can result in a false impression of success....

My school is one of those - we generally require a student to be practicing Taijiquan and standing for a year or more before offering instruction in seated meditation. And we will teach a simplified technique for the MCO to practice while standing early on.

[Inedible]

It seemed to me that the question was from a person who can do the microcosmic orbit meditation while sitting down, and wondering if it would be possible to run the orbit while standing, too. The simplest answer is just "yes". I'll even go so far as to say that it is possible to run the orbit for hours at a time while going about ordinary activities. Driving may not be the best choice, but anything you can do while daydreaming is good. It involves the same sort of splitting of awareness.

[electric chi magnet]

yes it is ok. You should also do the macro cosmic orbit and unit it with the mco. You should get to a point to where your mco kicks up automatically.