personal alteration of forms

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I am interested to hear perspectives on alteration of forms to suit the experience of practitioners.

 

When is it not advisable to alter traditionally prescribed forms and practices?

 

One example, doing the 8 section brocade is it better to do each section with 8 repetitions, or just do it until it feels the right time to change?

 

I'm sure there's a point where doing what feels right might lead to wasting time rather than benefit.

 

Another example, adjusting seating position in the midst of meditation rather than suffering through leg and foot pain for 20 minutes+ (this numbness leads to arthritis apparently when you sleep on your arm).

 

Changing the mudra after 10 minutes because it feels spent.

 

Benefits of spontaneous Qi Gong?

Edited June 21, 2011 by Harmonious Emptiness

[Otis]

Personally, I don't follow any forms. I let them inspire me, but I let my body make as many choices, as possible. I do inside-out, whenever possible. Outside-in always feels like an unnecessary side-trip through my thinking head.

 

When I do try on asanas, or breathing techniques, it's to raise a new awareness, not to perform a rote action. The awareness is always what I'm after, and it is the awareness that I follow, when I dance and play.

 

It's been very good to me, thus far.

[henro]

I see the benefits of spontaneous movement, and letting the body guide the form. I had the good fortune to work with a monk in the mountains of China doing spontaneous tai ji several years ago, and it was incredible. . . . but, there is a point to some forms, and prescribed movements - and especially yoga asana. The time spent in a posture or going through a form is often required to help the practitioner burn through the stuff going on in their head (quiet the monkey mind), some say to burn through karma, or even just to experience the physical process of muscle exhaustion. Some famous yoga teacher said you're not doing yoga until you hold the postures for at least 3 minutes. I kind of hold that thought when I don't feel like doing the right number of repetitions in my qigong.

 

So my thought would be to allow your body to guide the movement, but make sure you are conscious of the changes. Are you just doing it because you're bored, don't like the movement, or don't like what it brings up ????

Edited June 21, 2011 by robmix

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I see the benefits of spontaneous movement, and letting the body guide the form. I had the good fortune to work with a monk in the mountains of China doing spontaneous tai ji several years ago, and it was incredible. . . . but, there is a point to some forms, and prescribed movements - and especially yoga asana. The time spent in a posture or going through a form is often required to help the practitioner burn through the stuff going on in their head (quiet the monkey mind), some say to burn through karma, or even just to experience the physical process of muscle exhaustion. Some famous yoga teacher said you're not doing yoga until you hold the postures for at least 3 minutes. I kind of hold that thought when I don't feel like doing the right number of repetitions in my qigong.

 

So my thought would be to allow your body to guide the movement, but make sure you are conscious of the changes. Are you just doing it because you're bored, don't like the movement, or don't like what it brings up ????

 

For sitting, it's usually due to intense physical discomfort that I'll adjust my posture. I know that in Zen temples you might as well have went to go comb your hair if you adjust your posture before the given time. The idea being that that "the iron cools down" when your trying to shape it, I believe. I've read that it takes 20 minutes "before the water starts to boil" for sitting meditation.

 

For 8 section brocade, I'll usually do more than 8 reps. I'm sure this is not harmful, per se, but I thought someone might have reason to disagree.

 

Another big one would be doing parts of a qi gong series without the rest of it. For example: doing 8 section brocade, followed by walking qi gong (basically like tai chi walking but doing ocean wave breathing, expanding on the step, contract when feet come together), followed by sitting meditation.

 

I'm sure there would be more benefit to doing entire systems since the movements tend to come together holistically, but it is so bad to do just a few of the movements without the rest? Will this end up causing imbalance in the other organs if one is generally healthy?

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Personally, I don't follow any forms. I let them inspire me, but I let my body make as many choices, as possible. I do inside-out, whenever possible. Outside-in always feels like an unnecessary side-trip through my thinking head.

 

When I do try on asanas, or breathing techniques, it's to raise a new awareness, not to perform a rote action. The awareness is always what I'm after, and it is the awareness that I follow, when I dance and play.

 

It's been very good to me, thus far.

 

Yeah, that pretty much describes my approach... If it feels like doing some sitting qi gong in the middle of sitting meditation will increase the awareness then I'll do some and then continue from where I left off. Though, to describe awareness is difficult because it's more like I just let things happen and so I happen to be aware of them (chi flow, muscle relaxing..) rather than being aware of them intentionally, since I find that distracting and tensing.

 

Speaking of distractions, I also meditate with distractions around me since it helps to train the mind to focus past them. This is maybe not so conventional but useful nonetheless. I find almost nothing makes me jump anymore, not that I've ever been super jumpy..

[Otis]

Yeah, that pretty much describes my approach... If it feels like doing some sitting qi gong in the middle of sitting meditation will increase the awareness then I'll do some and then continue from where I left off. Though, to describe awareness is difficult because it's more like I just let things happen and so I happen to be aware of them (chi flow, muscle relaxing..) rather than being aware of them intentionally, since I find that distracting and tensing.

 

Speaking of distractions, I also meditate with distractions around me since it helps to train the mind to focus past them. This is maybe not so conventional but useful nonetheless. I find almost nothing makes me jump anymore, not that I've ever been super jumpy..

Agreed on the awareness part. I could describe my experience this way: my awareness is open, and something calls me to it. Sometimes it's pain in my body, sometimes it's openness, or the desire to move. My awareness goes there automatically (if I'm not squandering it on thoughts), and the action, if there is any, arises without my willing it.

 

I'm also a fan of practice around distraction. Self-consciousness is the most reliable way of knocking me out of flow, so it's very worthwhile practicing in a place that challenges my self-consciousness.

 

The distraction can also become the meditation. With barefoot hiking, my attention is usually at the place my feet meets the ground, where the slight, but continual pain response keeps me present.