Through-the-day Practices

[Kunlun Enthusiast]

Hello Tao Bums,

 

Are there practices that you do through the day - while shopping, travelling, sitting at your desk etc.? I sometimes recite a mantra, watch breath at times and try to be mindful.

 

What are some simple Taoist practices one can keep practicing all the time? Sifu Max says talking less is a big practice and conserves energy. What else? Belly breathing? Inner Smile?

Edited April 1, 2010 by Kunlun Enthusiast

[soaring crane]

[Machin Shin]

Ode to the Mongolian Shaman

 

O great shaman the dharma is vast where do I start?

 

O great shaman the deamons of my bad habits keep interrupting me how do I make them stop?

 

O great shaman the horns of a camel are neither dull nor sharp! When will you ride on one?

 

O great shaman the more drunk you are the better the fall?

 

 

If you ever see a drunken mongolian shaman on a camel with horns tell him not to worry, because you'll pay for his ride to the moon.

 

Is the mongolian shaman drunk? I know that it's debatable!

 

I would ask Max if I could...

[Kunlun Enthusiast]

Some amazing responses so far. Appreciate it, keep it coming

[lifeforce]

Zhan Zhuang outdoors during work breaks.

I've found a nice spot close to a wooded area where no-one can see me so I'm not disturbed.

If the weather's not so good (which can often happen here in the UK ), then I'll find a quiet corner and do some ZZ or some meditating on a chair.

 

Walking. I've got a nice route which takes me nearly all my lunch break to complete. Through woods and a quiet country village. Been doing this for years now. It's a great connection with nature during a hectic work day.

 

Good topic.

[Kunlun Enthusiast]

Ode to the Mongolian Shaman

 

O great shaman the dharma is vast where do I start?

 

O great shaman the deamons of my bad habits keep interrupting me how do I make them stop?

 

O great shaman the horns of a camel are neither dull nor sharp! When will you ride on one?

 

O great shaman the more drunk you are the better the fall?

 

 

If you ever see a drunken mongolian shaman on a camel with horns tell him not to worry, because you'll pay for his ride to the moon.

 

Is the mongolian shaman drunk? I know that it's debatable!

 

I would ask Max if I could...

 

Sorry, I am afraid I didn't get you

[RobB]

Hi All,

 

I'm mid-KAP1 and the things I'm trying to bring to my day-to-day at the moment are:

 

- Belly breathing esp inc awareness of breath in the pelvic floor area

- spinal suspension

- feeling my weight supported by the earth as I walk. Shaking my weight down.

 

I've done few other bits and pieces before. Some of the things we've done so far in KAP have just emphasised the things I should have been doing from BKFs nei gong. 'Making your warrior walk your everyday walk' is the thing I think - great thread idea!

 

Cheers

 

Rob

Edited April 1, 2010 by RobB

[Kunlun Enthusiast]

- Belly breathing esp inc awareness of breath in the pelvic floor area

- spinal suspension

- feeling my weight supported by the earth as I walk. Shaking my weight down.

 

 

Thanks Rob! I know KAP is a paid thing and all that, so if it is not a problem, can you explain a bit more on these, especially the last two points? Seem very useful to me.

 

Thanks again

Edited April 1, 2010 by Kunlun Enthusiast

[Birch]

MCO on the bus

Also whenever things get too much.

Secret smile spontaneously.

A female taoist thing in the bath in the morning.

Damo's cave from time to time before sleeping.

Random relaxation depending on whatever, whenever.

Some sending of whooshing upwards.

Always being aware of where I am.

[Gerard]

Do everything slowly, watch what you do mindfully. Even work...I know I won't last long at work with this attitude, but again who cares, everything is impermanent.

[Mal]

Yes I try to notice when I hide away, wrapped up in my thoughts, and instead be mindful and aware of what I'm actually doing. Secret smile and Tumo breathing I tend to utilise a fair bit during the day, whenever I want their effects. Also slowing down and really rooting into the earth as much as possible when I'm moving.

 

But part of my day is carving out time for practice, working week is Chi Gungs in the morning, Tai Chi at midday, Kung Fu in the evening. Weekends are a bit more haphazard but you can always make time. I still did my Kung Fu while on a 3 day dive trip by practicing every afternoon on the boat. I probably looked like a tool but nobody bothered me about it

[devoid]

Hello Tao Bums,

 

Are there practices that you do through the day - while shopping, travelling, sitting at your desk etc.? I sometimes recite a mantra, watch breath at times and try to be mindful.

 

What are some simple Taoist practices one can keep practicing all the time? Sifu Max says talking less is a big practice and conserves energy. What else? Belly breathing? Inner Smile?

 

Hi Kunlun Enthusiast,

 

That's a good topic indeed!

 

Here's what I plan to do every day for about half an hour (although, in reality, I don't always get around to it or only do some of them if I'm short of time or not in the mood):

1. A short set of Ba Duan Jin Qigong to get me started

2. Warm-up and stretching to get my joints and ligaments ready

3. Wu Bu Quan to practise low stance, movements and coordination (just two double-rounds)

4. Xing Yi Quan - five elements (1 set) + whichever Xing Yi Quan form I am currently trying to learn*

5. A couple of swings to cool-down

*this one I try to never to skip as I otherwise forget between class what I learned last time :-)

 

Apart from that - for the more internal parts and things to do throughout the day in parallel to whatever I am doing, I often do abdominal breathing, fairly often the microcosmic circulation and occasionally the Daoist 8 extraordinary vessels whenever I feel unwanted physical tension building up :-)

 

Not part of my daily practice: i.e. only when I get around to it, but what I hope to incorporate more is Master Shou-Yu Liang's sunrise and sun-set circulation, as well as the 14 meridian circulation (which I find difficult to practice because of the many acu points to memorize).

 

Finally, and only rarely (e.g. if I am dead cold and can't seem to heat up) I practice the Spiritual Flame. I find that this also works great for either falling asleep or prior to a session of deep meditation.

 

Sure, I try to use the inner smile often for relieving stress and irritation - it's funny how this simply tool works so very well

 

I wish you happy (daily!) practicing

[balance.]

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.

[Japhy Ryder]

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.

[sabretooth]

Hello Tao Bums,

 

Are there practices that you do through the day - while shopping, travelling, sitting at your desk etc.? I sometimes recite a mantra, watch breath at times and try to be mindful.

 

What are some simple Taoist practices one can keep practicing all the time? Sifu Max says talking less is a big practice and conserves energy. What else? Belly breathing? Inner Smile?

 

Deep abdominal breathing increases the amount of energy taken into and stored in the body.

So throughout the day I do deep abdominal breathing.

 

 

sabretooth.

[Old Man Contradiction]

Yiquan's six directions. It's a hell of a work out even when you are just sitting at a desk. On my disciplined days at school I'll even start sweating. Only problem is what other people think when they see you sitting at a desk shaking and sweating.

[thelerner]

I'll do some circular chest thumping ala Kaishan Golden Bell.

Do abbreviated Kap secret smile in the wash room.

When I walk and the suns out, I'll 'swallow' it from my 3rd eye to my dan tien.

I'll try to quiet my thoughts throughout the day. Meditate a bit at night w/ just sitting.

 

Some chi gung forms or guided meditations but I switch up on them often.

 

Michael

[RobB]

Thanks Rob! I know KAP is a paid thing and all that, so if it is not a problem, can you explain a bit more on these, especially the last two points? Seem very useful to me.

 

Hi,

 

Sorry for the delay - away on holiday. I'm afraid you're going to be a bit disappointed by my replies anyway - it's all plain vanilla stuff that you'll find all over the place around here :-)

 

- Belly breathing esp inc awareness of breath in the pelvic floor area

 

I've done various different types of diaphragmatic breathing - expanding the belly and lower ribs etc to facilitiate breathing and keeping the upper chest relatively still. New to me, although probably not to anyone who knows what they are talking about, is the idea of extending that expansion down into the pelvic region. Down, down, deeper and down (as Status Quo would have said)

 

- spinal suspension

 

Crown up : Tail bone down : spine elongated and slightly stretched inbetween the two. From my background it's pure BKF via my Tai Chi teacher.

 

 

- feeling my weight supported by the earth as I walk. Shaking my weight down.

 

I can't remember when I first came across this. Years ago. But this is one of the things that KAP is doing so well for me - integrating a whole bunch of things I've come across into a coherent practice. For me, right now, it's about connecting with an Earth feeling as I move around during the day. Feeling supported and in my place. Nothing specifically energetic in a meridian/energy flow sense. The shaking is working for me in the sense of releasing tension as well as feeling the bounce and recoil of my movements against the ground thus increasing my awareness of my relationship to it as a supporting body.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[MBZ]

As often as I can I place my awareness on my heart while belly breathing. If I'm by myself I make the "AH" sound on the exhale or sound The Divine Name.

 

BLESSINGS!!!

[RyanO]

Inner Smile all the way baby

[markern]

 

 

- Belly breathing esp inc awareness of breath in the pelvic floor area

 

I've done various different types of diaphragmatic breathing - expanding the belly and lower ribs etc to facilitiate breathing and keeping the upper chest relatively still. New to me, although probably not to anyone who knows what they are talking about, is the idea of extending that expansion down into the pelvic region. Down, down, deeper and down (as Status Quo would have said)

 

 

 

What is the effect of this? Of breathing down into the pernium like this.

[freeform]

I once met an old lady whose greatest joy in life was collecting antiques. Over the decades she became quite an expert... because she found the enterprise so fascinating she created distinctions that you and I would only dream of. She could look at a vase and in a split second recognise the glaze, the firing technique, the decade it was most likely made in and whether it is worth any money. And not only was this with vases... everything from furniture to cutlery to jewellery. Her attention to detail and level of expertise seemed almost magical.

 

My greatest joy is discovering more about myself and others. How we think, feel, move... So I have many distinctions on how we deal with our consciousness, awareness, emotions... how we think... how we relate with one another. Sometimes my (seemingly mundane) insights seem magical to others. Mostly they're nonsensical (imagine being shown the intricacies of the perfect golf swing by a champion golfer when all you want is to get the ball past the windmill at your local crazy golf course).

 

My current through-the-day practice is noticing 3 different perspectives on my thoughts, emotions and moods. I sense the thought from a first person perspective - from inside me... then I sense it from a 2nd person perspective - from outside of me and then from 3rd person perspective - objectively (all possible points of view simultaneously).

 

I watch my awareness, my thoughts, my movement and breathing and how I interact with others.

 

[z00se]

My current through-the-day practice is noticing 3 different perspectives on my thoughts, emotions and moods. I sense the thought from a first person perspective - from inside me... then I sense it from a 2nd person perspective - from outside of me and then from 3rd person perspective - objectively (all possible points of view simultaneously).

 

I watch my awareness, my thoughts, my movement and breathing and how I interact with others.

 

 

Yes you can become better and better at this. Also watching others. Especially the people close to you because you see them often you can read them like a book. You can know when they are happy, when they are worrying, when they are lying, or how they will feel even before they do. To others it may seem like you can read their mind but you're not your just predicting their actions based on the evidence you see and your past experiences with them. Also you can gain information from up above and you get that 'ah ha' moment when you just realised something - it's like you got told it and then all of your emperical evidence that you can see just fits into place and the truth shines through.

 

However i'm not sure it's so great. Some things are best left in the dark. Why? because you can't control it. The outcome is out of your hands. If you start trying to manipulate things you lose the ability to see whats going to come next. And should you manipulate things that would happen anyway? Apart from that if you manipulate something it's very easy to backfire and cause some other problem later on. It's like the gene giving you 3 wishes but when you wish for something, something else changes so that your in a worse position than when you started.

 

Perhaps you can control things a little. Some people are very good at manipulating others. But it takes practice, i would feel guilty, and it's not something i would like to do lots of to get enough practice to be able to do it well. But there are definately some things i wish i had the confidence to manipulate well.

[freeform]

Some things are best left in the dark. Why? because you can't control it. The outcome is out of your hands.

 

z00se, the idea in noticing patterns of behaviour in other people is so you can learn more about yourself. The distinctions are not 'real' - they are just constructed illusions that allow you to expand your consciousness, your awareness, and the range of behaviours open to you. Illusions can only help that way when they are recognised as illusions, and when you can let them go just as easily as adopt them.

 

This is a practice in observing - not controlling or manipulating. As soon as you start attempting control, you lose the magical innocence of observation - you take the illusionary nature of distinctions to heart and you entrench yourself further in the mundane world.

 

You see, trying to 'control' others - (even if you think it's for their own good) sets you back considerably. Control is what we attempt constantly... in the most subtle ways... manipulation is just another way of doing this.

 

One of the benefits of observing others is noticing subtle patterns and seeing if you can adopt them consciously. And by subtle I mean the the kind of process that happens is a split second... I have a friend who is very good at telling stories... so I watch him, noticing the process underlying the story... where his attention moves, the range of sensory representations he uses, his level of awareness of the people he's speaking to in comparison to the level of awareness on himself... there's also several rhythms of speaking, thinking, breathing and shifting of awareness... so I notice the different rhythms and how they change...

 

Similarly I have a friend who's terrible at telling stories... so I watch for the same processes underlying that.

 

Then I try to see if I can do both of these myself... We're trying to increase the range of behaviours and patterns available to us, not just pick what we think of as 'the best' ones (this is another form of control)...

 

We can play with illusions when we experientially know deep down that they're just illusions... and we can let deeper parts of ourselves lead, rather than having our ego attempt to control our surroundings to try to prove that it's really real!

[Sloppy Zhang]

I have started keeping my awareness in my dantien, and moving from my dantien, throughout the day. I have found that this really helps me energetically (keeping me grounded), emotionally (prevents from getting too stuck in the head), and physically (understanding how my body moves, especially helpful in understanding internal martial arts and keeping full body coordination).