Opening up the leg meridians.

[Encephalon]

I don't feel like I'm making the progress opening up the legs as I did with my upper torso. I'm assuming that's normal, at least for westerners. Is there a particular posture that is best suited for this? Standing, sitting on zafu, MCO chair style?

 

Also, I've been using Frantzis' map of the energy gates lately with some good results. I find it practical to concentrate on opening, or dissolving, specific gates, and then connecting those gates along the meridians. Any other groovy visualization/sensory tricks I can utilize?

[ryansmith]

I don't feel like I'm making the progress opening up the legs as I did with my upper torso. I'm assuming that's normal, at least for westerners. Is there a particular posture that is best suited for this? Standing, sitting on zafu, MCO chair style?

 

Also, I've been using Frantzis' map of the energy gates lately with some good results. I find it practical to concentrate on opening, or dissolving, specific gates, and then connecting those gates along the meridians. Any other groovy visualization/sensory tricks I can utilize?

 

Shaking while inhaling up the legs should help, knee breathing, squats. Hope this helps.

[RobB]

I don't feel like I'm making the progress opening up the legs as I did with my upper torso. I'm assuming that's normal, at least for westerners.

 

Hi,

 

I practice standing and dissolving as per BKF. I felt similarly in that most of the duration of my standing sessions would be taken up with areas around the head and shoulder girdle and less time would be left for the pelvis, legs and feet. I asked my teacher about this and he told me not to worry about it - that my attention would naturally be drawn to the areas where work needed to be done at that time. This has proved to be the case (even with my patchy practice schedule). Now there are sessions where I seem to skim over the upper body and end up spending much more time on the pelvis and legs. I've aslo started to notice that dissolving areas around the head, neck and shoulders can cause openings/relaxations on the same side of the body but lower down, in the kua and legs.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Gerard]

Bagua, Xingyi as far as I know and other IMA which I don't practice. Low horse stance in Zhan Zhuang does a pretty good job and also Santi Shi. Vipassana meditation non-Goenka style as well.

Edited January 13, 2010 by durkhrod chogori

[buscon]

Horse stance and squats are quite good to open the legs. For meditation, full lotus position keep them open - at the same time you can do macrocosmic circulation opening the channels and the single points.

The exercise "Seven Steps of New life" of Spring forest qigong is quite good too in order to keep the legs' channels open.

Cloud hands from bruce frantzis is a great exercise too, for the entire body's channels.

 

Maybe I misunderstood your question, you sounds like a guy who's practising since a long time, what do you mean exactly saying that your leg meridians are not opened ?

 

Cheers

Edited January 13, 2010 by buscon

[Encephalon]

Horse stance and squats are quite good to open the legs. For meditation, full lotus position keep them open - at the same time you can do macrocosmic circulation opening the channels and the single points.

The exercise "Seven Steps of New life" of Spring forest qigong is quite good too in order to keep the legs' channels open.

Cloud hands from bruce frantzis is a great exercise too, for the entire body's channels.

 

Maybe I misunderstood your question, you sounds like a guy who's practising since a long time, what do you mean exactly saying that your leg meridians are not opened ?

 

Cheers

 

Great response. I've only done nei kung - Embrace Horse - for less 2.5 years, but a lot of body work and yoga before that. My leg meridians are stubborn, not opening up as quickly as my upper torso. I'm learning SFQ these days so thank you for that encouragement.

 

I'll have to stick with Burmese style sitting meditation - full lotus is just too hard on my knees and ankles. Thank you, and everyone else, for fine feedback.

 

Hi,

 

I practice standing and dissolving as per BKF. I felt similarly in that most of the duration of my standing sessions would be taken up with areas around the head and shoulder girdle and less time would be left for the pelvis, legs and feet. I asked my teacher about this and he told me not to worry about it - that my attention would naturally be drawn to the areas where work needed to be done at that time. This has proved to be the case (even with my patchy practice schedule). Now there are sessions where I seem to skim over the upper body and end up spending much more time on the pelvis and legs. I've aslo started to notice that dissolving areas around the head, neck and shoulders can cause openings/relaxations on the same side of the body but lower down, in the kua and legs.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

 

I felt similarly in that most of the duration of my standing sessions would be taken up with areas around the head and shoulder girdle and less time would be left for the pelvis, legs and feet. I asked my teacher about this and he told me not to worry about it - that my attention would naturally be drawn to the areas where work needed to be done at that time. This has proved to be the case (even with my patchy practice schedule).

 

Thanks for sharing this experience and feedback. I can completely relate.

[Trunk]

I've found self-acupressure to be tremendously helpful with leg opening. A little bit prior to practice helps a lot.

 

You can do it without any technical knowledge. The channels run between muscles, so massage along the major grooves between muscles up the inside and outside of legs. Inside is more tender tissue, do it by hand (link) (or with a tool if you like). Outside is denser, use a bonger (link).

 

[joeblast]

full lotus is just too hard on my knees and ankles.

that's a hip thing then

[soaring crane]

I've found self-acupressure to be tremendously helpful with leg opening. A little bit prior to practice helps a lot.

 

This is related to what I wanted to say. First, learn the meridians by heart. Get a good chart if you don't have one and really memorize them and integrate the images into your own legs, visualize them intensely and, yeah, massage the heck out of them. There are quite a few key acupoints along the leg meridians that you should get to know really well and the most important is of course Yongquan.

 

Part 2 of what I wanted to say is learn Yongquan/Dantian breathing. Or just think of it as foot breathing, it'll work well, maybe better. Should I write out a simple instruciton on how to do it?

[Encephalon]

This is related to what I wanted to say. First, learn the meridians by heart. Get a good chart if you don't have one and really memorize them and integrate the images into your own legs, visualize them intensely and, yeah, massage the heck out of them. There are quite a few key acupoints along the leg meridians that you should get to know really well and the most important is of course Yongquan.

 

Part 2 of what I wanted to say is learn Yongquan/Dantian breathing. Or just think of it as foot breathing, it'll work well, maybe better. Should I write out a simple instruciton on how to do it?

 

Making instructions available would be a generous act for us all. Before you do, though, I should say that I've blown a small fortune on my library, so if you're taking it from written materials, let me know. I do have terrific meridian/gate maps and regard them as essential to my own progress thus far.

 

I can make the Yongquan pulsate at will, and with patience I can get all the gates (a la Frantzis) pulsing nicely too. Coursing through the meridians is a different story. Maybe I'm just looking for more speed and am being impatient.

[Trunk]

... pulsing nicely too. Coursing through the meridians is a different story. Maybe I'm just looking for more speed and am being impatient.

In my own practice, meditating on various key acupoints has been helpful, massaging a few key acupoints more helpful, massaging lots of acupoints on a channel more so, and massaging along the whole channel ... Well, the latter has been absolutely critical for me in getting things to initially open up well.

 

From Owl's quote at my site, this hint opened up the experience and idea, whole new world, for me... was such crucial help for me

I suggest palpating the entire length of the liver channel and dissolve all the knots. There is no one fixed point. And point locations are not static. There could be many blockages along the river and individual variations are expected.

 

Just think during your physically most formative years (everything up through high school). How often did you get an acupressure massage? How often did you practice tai chi (or any of the internal martial arts) or qi gong? How it was for me: zero. So there's a lot of catching-up to do.

 

In the asian cultures, massage and qi gong are just there: their culture is saturated with it. I live in L.A. and in the asian parts of town there are foot massage parlors where there's maybe 20 comfy chairs with people receiving leg & arm massages. And these foot massage parlors are in lots of the mini-malls, often with 2 in a mini-mall and more in the mini-mall across the street. How can they stay in business?: The people in the asian cultures just stream through there as a normal part of life.

 

- Trunk

[idquest]

If you have a Shou Yu Liang book, you can refresh the Song technic for the leg point and macrocosmic circulation. Massaging those points will help as Trunk is saying. In Liang's version of macrocosmic only legs are included, no arms. Huiyin point is critical in that IME.

[Encephalon]

In my own practice, meditating on various key acupoints has been helpful, massaging a few key acupoints more helpful, massaging lots of acupoints on a channel more so, and massaging along the whole channel ... Well, the latter has been absolutely critical for me in getting things to initially open up well.

 

From Owl's quote at my site, this hint opened up the experience and idea, whole new world, for me... was such crucial help for me

 

Just think during your physically most formative years (everything up through high school). How often did you get an acupressure massage? How often did you practice tai chi (or any of the internal martial arts) or qi gong? How it was for me: zero. So there's a lot of catching-up to do.

 

In the asian cultures, massage and qi gong are just there: their culture is saturated with it. I live in L.A. and in the asian parts of town there are foot massage parlors where there's maybe 20 comfy chairs with people receiving leg & arm massages. And these foot massage parlors are in lots of the mini-malls, often with 2 in a mini-mall and more in the mini-mall across the street. How can they stay in business?: The people in the asian cultures just stream through there as a normal part of life.

 

- Trunk

 

There's a Thai woman who does traditional Thai massage, right along the meridians, and it hurts like a mother. She grinds her knees into the back of your calves!! She's on the NW corner of DeSoto and Nordhoff (in Chatsworth, for you Angelinos) and I'm tempted to stop in next $day. It's been ages since I've been there, and the last time may not have been too healing as I had about four very large bong hits before going in

Thanks again.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Blasto

[Trunk]

Oh!, slipped my mind that you're in L.A.

Here's the place that my friends and I go to.

The rates are:

$15/hr for chair massage (hot foot soak, arms, legs, back)

$25/hr for full body massage

(a tip of at least $10 per hour is expected, so add 10 to each of the above)

 

Happy Foot Massage

250 W. Valley Blvd., Suite H

San Gabriel, CA 91776

phone 626 457 1789

(Many of the staff speak only a little english, even to the extent that they're not able to give good directions to the place if you call.)

 

I have to say that I've received some of the best full body massages of my life at that place, and I used to be a part time massage therapist in my younger days (in Santa Barbara) and I'd trade with other professional massage therapists. And the rates are just unbelievably inexpensive.

[soaring crane]

 

Making instructions available would be a generous act for us all. Before you do, though, I should say that I've blown a small fortune on my library, so if you're taking it from written materials, let me know. I do have terrific meridian/gate maps and regard them as essential to my own progress thus far.

 

I can make the Yongquan pulsate at will, and with patience I can get all the gates (a la Frantzis) pulsing nicely too. Coursing through the meridians is a different story. Maybe I'm just looking for more speed and am being impatient.

 

lol, no, no copy/pasting but if you've already reached the level you describe then I want to know what you expect. What do you actually see as the problem? Is it maybe just that you really are impatient? Impatience will keep you from connecting with your lower half, even if that lower half is actually quite ready to connect with you.

 

Get the monkey under control first, then relax, and let the Qi flow where it needs to. You can only push Qi so far, and then it stops, it turns stubborn. To get past that point, you have to learn to work with it and not try to be its master, if that makes sense to you.

 

The exercise I was going to describe is extremely gentle. It just involves pulling the Yongquan cavities inward while inhaling, and pushing them out on the exhale. I find it works best lying flat on the back. You can also try sitting, but try it in a chair or on a sofa high enough that your feet just touch the ground. Hmmm, maybe sitting on one those nice high american beds?

 

The extremely truncated version: You start out very gently, barely any movement at all, but you let the physical activity grow gradually. You intentionally tense the feet a bit and pull Yongquan up higher with each breath. You should very consciously regulate the graduation of movement with each breath. An internal movement of Yongquan is of course best but ppl who can't do that can curl the toes and arch the foot a bit, a little further with each breath.

 

The exhale can really just be a releasing of tension. Or you can push outward, again a little more each time.

 

A good internal image would be that Youngquan is eventually travelling right up through the legs into Dantian. Once you reach that point, reverse it, let the physical movement gradually subside until you reach the border between physical and energetic, virtually no physical activity at all. And then cross the border to where there's no more intentional physical movement, yet you continue to, how do I put this correctly... nurture the energetic movement. Nothing really changes except that the only movement left is Qi movement. Remain very relaxed and alert through the entire meditation.

 

Concluding routine is important but it's probably redundant to go into that here, lol.

 

Once you get this down, it's a pretty easy step-up to the lower half of the grand circulation, use the lower Dantian as the turn-around point.

 

Another variation would be to breath alternately up one leg and down the other.

 

And of course it can be built up larger to include the entire body, the whole Grand Circulation... It's actually a way of entering the whole-body breath state which is the context in which I learned it.

 

Maybe something like that is what's missing from your routine? You seem to need some softness in your practice. But then, I'm a softy to begin with, lol.

[Encephalon]

lol, no, no copy/pasting but if you've already reached the level you describe then I want to know what you expect. What do you actually see as the problem? Is it maybe just that you really are impatient? Impatience will keep you from connecting with your lower half, even if that lower half is actually quite ready to connect with you.

 

Get the monkey under control first, then relax, and let the Qi flow where it needs to. You can only push Qi so far, and then it stops, it turns stubborn. To get past that point, you have to learn to work with it and not try to be its master, if that makes sense to you.

 

The exercise I was going to describe is extremely gentle. It just involves pulling the Yongquan cavities inward while inhaling, and pushing them out on the exhale. I find it works best lying flat on the back. You can also try sitting, but try it in a chair or on a sofa high enough that your feet just touch the ground. Hmmm, maybe sitting on one those nice high american beds?

 

The extremely truncated version: You start out very gently, barely any movement at all, but you let the physical activity grow gradually. You intentionally tense the feet a bit and pull Yongquan up higher with each breath. You should very consciously regulate the graduation of movement with each breath. An internal movement of Yongquan is of course best but ppl who can't do that can curl the toes and arch the foot a bit, a little further with each breath.

 

The exhale can really just be a releasing of tension. Or you can push outward, again a little more each time.

 

A good internal image would be that Youngquan is eventually travelling right up through the legs into Dantian. Once you reach that point, reverse it, let the physical movement gradually subside until you reach the border between physical and energetic, virtually no physical activity at all. And then cross the border to where there's no more intentional physical movement, yet you continue to, how do I put this correctly... nurture the energetic movement. Nothing really changes except that the only movement left is Qi movement. Remain very relaxed and alert through the entire meditation.

 

Concluding routine is important but it's probably redundant to go into that here, lol.

 

Once you get this down, it's a pretty easy step-up to the lower half of the grand circulation, use the lower Dantian as the turn-around point.

 

Another variation would be to breath alternately up one leg and down the other.

 

And of course it can be built up larger to include the entire body, the whole Grand Circulation... It's actually a way of entering the whole-body breath state which is the context in which I learned it.

 

Maybe something like that is what's missing from your routine? You seem to need some softness in your practice. But then, I'm a softy to begin with, lol.

 

"I find it works best lying flat on the back." I think you may have isolated it for me. Standing or sitting in half lotus doesn't give birth to movement of energy. I can sit and focus on specific gates, and I'm grateful for that in spite of my impatience, but there is very little movement along meridians. I've seen this suggestion somewhere in my library before and I paid no heed. Thank you so much for this advice.

[soaring crane]

 

"I find it works best lying flat on the back." I think you may have isolated it for me. Standing or sitting in half lotus doesn't give birth to movement of energy. I can sit and focus on specific gates, and I'm grateful for that in spite of my impatience, but there is very little movement along meridians. I've seen this suggestion somewhere in my library before and I paid no heed. Thank you so much for this advice.

 

 

I thought of something else, in your case, I'd suggest concentrating most on the three big yang meridians, espeically the stomach as it's the one that has the most yin quality to it. A lot of ankle, knee and pelvis-loosening spirals would be good, too. They're always good, lol.

 

Some Tangential Ramblings...

 

Something that alway throws me for a loop here at TBB is all the mention of Lotus, half or full. Mainly full. The intention behind sitting in full lotus, with the "foot chakras" aimed upward at heaven, is so obviously to cut the Earth out from the meditation, concentrating as much on the "more important" yang things like the "crown chakra" (using quotes for the chakras because they're not really part of my vocabulary) that it suprises me that not more people pick up on it. I'm not calling it bad, not at all, but if you've (I don't mean you, I mean anybody) don't already have a very high level of development to begin with, it can be quite unbalancing. Or it can exaggerate preexisting imbalances. There's a lot of evidence around to support my idea

 

Yongquan doesn't belong at the top, that's why she's at the bottom.

 

Sitting is not a natural activity for the human animal. There, I said it, lol. Neither is "enlightenment".

 

Our survival for 100s of 1000s of years depended on our ability to take off running, super fast within a split second. Squatting, Standing, Walking and Running - that's what we're built to do. So, in your standing meditation, try to remember that. Think like an Aborigine, keep a sharp lookout for the Lion, or for the Antelope. Your legs will apreciate it and they'll stay charged-up, ready for action.

 

Another tangent...

 

I took part in a really intense standing session once. We held the arms outstretched upward, with the fingertips, all ten of them, aimed straight up, palms forward. The idea was to really bring all the meridians into their most natural position, so the yin meridians of the arms were aligned the way the yin Qi flows. Was pretty intense after a while. I think the teacher was just messing with us, though, lol.

Edited January 14, 2010 by soaring crane

[Mark Foote]

 

A good internal image would be that Youngquan is eventually travelling right up through the legs into Dantian. Once you reach that point, reverse it, let the physical movement gradually subside until you reach the border between physical and energetic, virtually no physical activity at all. And then cross the border to where there's no more intentional physical movement, yet you continue to, how do I put this correctly... nurture the energetic movement. Nothing really changes except that the only movement left is Qi movement. Remain very relaxed and alert through the entire meditation.

 

 

This is my experience, although I am coming from a different perspective. I can sit the lotus or half-lotus now for 40 minutes most of the time without losing significant feeling, whereas even two years ago most of the time I lost significant feeling. There is motion at the sacrum, and that motion projects into the balance in the abdomen. The real trick is that the stretch of ligaments and fascia generates muscular contraction, and the activity is side to side as the fascia from the sacrum to the sitbones stretches, around left and right as the fascia from the sacrum to the bottom front of the pelvis on each side stretches, and forward and back as the stretch at the hips and between the sacrum and pelvis coordinates with the motion of the sacrum. The mind does indeed go to the area where balance can utilize the cranial-sacral rhythm to open blockages. Feeling throughout the body to the surface of the skin is the best intention, and any other intentional activity prevents the reciprocal activity out of the stretch of ligaments necessary to a fluid alignment and feeling. That's a western understanding, of experiences I have that match with Soaring Crane's description; I have diagrams of the principle muscles and the fascia from the sacrum at the mudra of zen, as here: fascial triggers. Hopefully my written descriptions are straightforward, if the diagrams are somewhat primitive.

 

a p.s.- it took me years after I understood this, and knew the anatomy involved, to realize that I had to open my mind to feelings that were close to painful in order for the reciprocal activity out of stretch to develop. Let me rephrase that; I had to open myself to the experience of consciousness in places where the associated feeling was close to painful, before the stretch in the ligaments was sufficent to generate muscular activity. Once I got the hang of it (literally), the ability to feel opened up for me, as though part of me trusted that I would let the mind move and allow feeling to arise appropriately.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Mark Foote

[Eric23]

 

Something that alway throws me for a loop here at TBB is all the mention of Lotus, half or full. Mainly full....

 

Sitting is not a natural activity for the human animal. There, I said it, lol. Neither is "enlightenment".

 

Our survival for 100s of 1000s of years depended on our ability to take off running, super fast within a split second. Squatting, Standing, Walking and Running - that's what we're built to do. So, in your standing meditation, try to remember that. Think

 

Thank you This makes so much sense.

[Encephalon]

I opened this post on Jan. 12 and 25 days later my leg meridians are opning up. I've been able to devote 2-3 hours a day on this. It's been a combination of BKF dissolving, lying down circulating in bed, and some Robert Bruce techniques for the feet. Dissolving the pelvic gates takes longer, but once I connected the perineum with the top of the thigh the meridians started opening well.

 

 

Another really handy visualization tool for me is Chia's spiraling energy graphics. Spirals are key.

Edited February 8, 2010 by Blasto

[Encephalon]

Mark, thanks for that important reminder.

 

Blasto, good to hear you're feeling into your legs better. I also have more trouble feeling into my legs. When you are doing standing, are you making sure to create more room in the abdomen? Relaxing the tailbone and letting the pelvis hang down more and also opening the back of the knees has helped me.

 

Let me make sure I'm hearing you correctly, because as I understand it, strict adherence to Embrace Horse, and many other standing postures, call for the pelvis tucked in, to bring the 3 dantiens into alignment. Are you suggesting that this practice be abandoned here in order to move energy through the legs?

Edited February 8, 2010 by Blasto

[Encephalon]

No, I don't do horse stance. I was referring to B.K.Frantzis' method of standing, since you also mentioned him in an earlier post. His main refrain for beginners is to relax into the body. So, with a more relaxed pelvis/top of legs, the energy can move more clearly through that area. (Of course, with much practice.) Honestly, I can't speak to your other practice(s).

 

If you can get the proper alignment with the least amount of muscular force (and tight nerves), you will be successful in your goal. The feeling is very different when you are relaxed! (From my experience from Frantzis' instructors...)

 

 

Roger. BKF does stress relaxed standing postures, as do a few others.

[Lucky7Strikes]

Take a hot bath, don't soak the upper body, just up to the lower dan tien. Sweat it out for 30 min to an hour, drink lots of water.

 

Ahhhhh....

 

Circulating the sexual energy through the legs also helps.

 

Bone/hair breathing is great.

 

And Kunlun.

Edited February 8, 2010 by Lucky7Strikes

[tyler zambori]

I opened this post on Jan. 12 and 25 days later my leg meridians are opning up. I've been able to devote 2-3 hours a day on this. It's been a combination of BKF dissolving, lying down circulating in bed, and some Robert Bruce techniques for the feet. Dissolving the pelvic gates takes longer, but once I connected the perineum with the top of the thigh the meridians started opening well.

 

 

Another really handy visualization tool for me is Chia's spiraling energy graphics. Spirals are key.

 

It's very interesting to see how people mix techniques.

[Encephalon]

It's very interesting to see how people mix techniques.

 

It is interesting, and honestly, it is sometimes counterproductive, and I try to remain mindful of the risks as I move forward. Reid, Chia, Frantzis, Jwing Ming, Ming-Dao, Chunyi Lin, Bruce - I've read them all, and I try not to betray anyone's teaching. As long as I'm not forcing my energy I pretty much use any/all visualization techniques that are out there. If I do nei kung in the morning and SFQ at night, I'm cool.