working with lao gong

[solxyz]

I feel a slightly disconcerting dullness in laogong (center of palm). Ive been experimenting with ways to bring qi here and work this out, but nothing ive thought of feels quite right. If I push a lot of qi into the area, it starts to feel like laogong is supposed to be more empty/receptive. If I work on opening or expanding the laogong, the sense of dullness becomes pronounced.

 

Does anyone have any interesting exercises or techniques I might try? Im interested in any ideas, but please mention whether it comes from a lineage, or teacher, or if it is something you invented for yourself, or something you just thought of for me.

 

Thanks.

[Edward M]

Hello mate, one exercise i learned from a qigong teacher is to sit on a chair high enough for your legs to be at right angle feet on the floor.

 

You put you palms on thigh so fingers are 2" away from edge of knee. You then start breathing as in meditation with eyes closed. On the outside of the palm, the side facing the ceiling/sky there is an outer lao gong point... each time you breathe out you move energy from outer lao gong to inner laogong point.

 

The outer lao gong is directly opposite the inner one.

 

Then when you have done that for ten mins, you put your attention fully on yao quan on bottom of foot. There is no outer yao quan, so just attention of bottom of foot.

 

Do Not connect lao gong to yao quan point, it's tempting, but unless you have built up a lot of qi and opened up leg channels over some years, you can hurt yourself.

 

Hope that helps!

 

peace

Ed

[joeblast]

Best not to overuse qi manifestations. If you're doing it with an intent and purpose, that is of course fine, but if you're just screwing around then you arent getting much benefit and its a minor depletion. Calm laogung breathing is good, be gentle!

 

Do you do any palm training or anything? How did you come about this...do you do anything more fundamental?

[zerostao]

was wondering if anyone here does any candle training? the type where you extinguish the flame with qi coming out the finger tips or the palm.

[Maddie]

was wondering if anyone here does any candle training? the type where you extinguish the flame with qi coming out the finger tips or the palm.

 

I've done a little candel training, but so far can't extinguish anything. Though I have been able to bend the flame, and do some cool stuff with smoke from incense by throwing chi at it. Also hanging a mobile and spining it with chi is a realitvely easy exercise to do that gives you a good feel for projecting chi.

[thelerner]

I was reading this playing with gigong balls. Sometimes they're called Tai Chi balls. They're the small hollow balls you roll around in your palm. They make two different tone as they move. They're a number of techniques, roll'em one way, the other, keep'em from touching etc.

 

They're under $10 at most chinese shops. I don't know if they'll help, but it might be worth a try.

 

Michael

[Maddie]

I was reading this playing with gigong balls. Sometimes they're called Tai Chi balls. They're the small hollow balls you roll around in your palm. They make two different tone as they move. They're a number of techniques, roll'em one way, the other, keep'em from touching etc.

 

They're under $10 at most chinese shops. I don't know if they'll help, but it might be worth a try.

 

Michael

 

Good suggestion

[zerostao]

I've done a little candel training, but so far can't extinguish anything. Though I have been able to bend the flame, and do some cool stuff with smoke from incense by throwing chi at it. Also hanging a mobile and spining it with chi is a realitvely easy exercise to do that gives you a good feel for projecting chi.

start at close range, maybe 5 or 6 inches. the more relaxed you can get the better. if you are tense , dont try it.

when you start off close you learn about the aim(focus) and what it feels like when you connect the qi to the flame. it is like anything the more you play with it , the more you learn about it. maybe starting with fingertips is better.

[joeblast]

I was reading this playing with gigong balls. Sometimes they're called Tai Chi balls. They're the small hollow balls you roll around in your palm. They make two different tone as they move. They're a number of techniques, roll'em one way, the other, keep'em from touching etc.

 

They're under $10 at most chinese shops. I don't know if they'll help, but it might be worth a try.

 

Michael

found a lot of good ones at www.baodingballs.com - they even have 1lb hematite

[cheya]

found a lot of good ones at www.baodingballs.com

 

The REALLY good ones are the old ones, made before 1985.

The new ones are much lighter in weight, and the "action" in the hand is very different. While the old ones definitely initiate an energy current from my hands, the new light ones don't. I find the "magic" seems to be related to the sound/vibration of the chime, so I don't recommend the solid balls.

 

Here's what I wrote in a Baoding thread from a few years back:

 

"A couple years ago, I inherited two identical sets of Baoding balls. They were two inches in diameter, much bigger than the single small set I'd had for years, and I thought they would just be too big to handle. I'd been working alot with feeling energy in my chi gung practice, and when I finallly did pick them up, I was shocked at what I felt. The energy traveled up my arms to my head, down to my feet, back up to my head, back out to my hands. It wasn't a perfect circuit, and it didn't follow meridians, but it was very palpable. I was stunned. I mean, that is what the Chinese say the balls do, but it just never occurred to me that the effect would be palpable! I didn't expect to be able to repeat the effect, but indeed, it happens every time I pick up the balls!

 

I've become somewhat obsessed with Chinese balls, and have bought many pairs on eBay, which I make available for my massage clients. Some balls precipitate the energy effect more than others. Some hints: In general, I need balls in both hands to feel the effect. The old heavier type of balls are much more effective than the new lighter balls, which hardly do anything at all. The heavier balls, having more mass, have a stronger physical vibration. Look for two sets of balls that are at least two inches in diameter (6.5 inch circumference) that weigh at least 13 oz per pair without the box. That's not so easy to do. The new balls are plastic or something, weigh even only half as much as the old ones (pre 1985). Some of the 2" ones weigh as little as 6-8 oz.! Their chime sounds all right, but the sound doesn't convey vibration the same way, as you can imagine. I think it is the vibration, not the sound, that generates the energetic effect.

 

Some martial arts places sell big stainless steel balls which have fairly good chiming resonance even though they aren't from the old stocks. Easy to get two matched sets that way. If you can examine them in person, you can pick sets with more appealing and harmonious sound, which is a plus. My dogs leave the room when I start using those stainless balls though!"

 

Here's the thread URL:

http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/11820-bao-ding-balls/page__p__146242__fromsearch__1entry146242

Edited March 7, 2011 by cheya

[joeblast]

I find the "magic" seems to be related to the sound/vibration of the chime, so I don't recommend the solid balls.

The solid ones are a different sort, also dependent on the material, e.g. solid hematite will act differently than solid metall...or solid jade, for that matter (if you're spendthrift enough to spend a few hundred on a real pair )