Should I turn off the fan to practice?

[liminal_luke]

[ChiDragon]

No, it won't interfere with your Chi Kung practice, but just don't have the fan blow directly in front of you to affect your breathing.

Edited July 29, 2011 by ChiDragon

[JohnC]

[dawei]

I would say the general principle you want to follow is to not have your practice environment be that much different right before and after your practice. Don't expose your body to a changing environment around practice time.

 

And agree with ChiD if you use a fan, keep it very indirect to your body in light of the idea above. Wind is considered the #1 external pathogen affecting the body. (See Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine). So be careful even when not practicing.

Edited July 29, 2011 by dawei

[ChiDragon]

Thanks for that info, dawei. Generally, I am averse to wind. Especially near the ocean. The only time I can tolerate it is when very warm, on a hot summer day at the beach. Should I still be mindful of wind during my tolerable moments?

 

Your main concern is to tolerate the summer heat other than the wind. The most effect only takes place inside the body, during Chi Kung practice, not externally. At the same time, your body will generate heat, it's better to have the fan helping you to reduce the body temperature. Thus the fan does more good, to your body, than harm.

[mewtwo]

If anything the fan will help more than hinder in your early stages. Once you can block out the external then the fan would not matter. but as for right now the fan helps keep you cool and focused. so that you wont be to distracted by the heat. Also you can create a meditation with the fan in that you try and block out everything but the fan.

 

 

Edit darn i missed it my 500th post lol.

Edited July 29, 2011 by mewtwo

[liminal_luke]

[Taomeow]

[ChiDragon]

Please don't forget, TCM was only apply to a normal person or ill person. Chi Kung is suppose to make oneself to resist all adversities. FYI A Chi Kung practitioner is much more healthier and stronger than any normal person; when attained at a higher level, he/she is capable to meet any adverse situation. There are all kinds of tales that people can tell you. Thus I wouldn't be overwhelmed with a little thing like a fan that might bother me.

[liminal_luke]

Interesting Taomeow. If the massage therapist can work without a fan figure I can at least try it that way too.

[dawei]

I think that the reason I used (and maybe Taomeow but I don't want to speak for others) used the word "in general" is because it's just that. One has to know themself and what they can tolerate or feel affected by.

 

But to simply believe that the wind is nothing more than a regulation for body temperature is like believing that drinking alcohol is only going to affect the body with a hangover; no other effects on the body

 

That being said, I am highly tolerant of not just wind but rain, chills, etc... I tend to attribute this to participating in many sports throughout my life regardless of the weather. For this reason, I actually like warmer weather than colder weather. Meaning, I don't sweat a lot. My body adjusts fast to even warm weather. On a recent business trip going through IAD, the A/C was off in half the airport. Everyone was fanning themselves and complaining. I truly thought it was quite comfortable.

 

But, I don't know purposely expose myself to such conditions if I can avoid it since it can still affect my body without my knowing exactly how. But there are extreme cases of where it does not affect people because of their training to counter-act the conditions through Tibetan Tummo breathing. But I doubt if many of us are among that level.

 

Hi RV: I would not let your mind setup an antagonist position to the wind; the wind is without purposeful harm; it comes to greet you from the divine level. I would put my mind on the whole universe of which the wind is but a part. But know your body's tolerance and act accordingly. Maybe you need to 'get warm' to prepare to face such conditions. Specific advice is hard without really see your bodily reaction but you know best.

Edited July 29, 2011 by dawei

[dawei]

Interesting Taomeow. If the massage therapist can work without a fan figure I can at least try it that way too.

There is an interesting observation I have made in my years traveling to china; that chinese men will walk around with their shirts pulled up to expose their stomach; and roll up their pant legs to expose their shin/calves. I have always taken this to mean they are naturally trying to regulate their body heat in the moment. They feel a need to cool off so just do it however they can. But I don't see them stand in front of fans to achieve this since it is not considered good for your body.

[Taomeow]

There is an interesting observation I have made in my years traveling to china; that chinese men will walk around with their shirts pulled up to expose their stomach; and roll up their pant legs to expose their shin/calves. I have always taken this to mean they are naturally trying to regulate their body heat in the moment. They feel a need to cool off so just do it however they can. But I don't see them stand in front of fans to achieve this since it is not considered good for your body.

 

Yup, I've seen the same thing... looks very funny actually. But sensible.

 

A TCM doctor in China told me that he used to think Westerners have very strong bodies because he'd often seen them wear shorts in cold weather, but then he got to work on some Western bodies and discovered it was not the case, it's just that they don't know any better.

 

Someone with a very strong body can tolerate both heat and cold quite well, but if there's a preference (e.g. cold is well tolerated but not heat, or vice versa), it's usually a sign of a problem with internal "climate."

[dawei]

Yup, I've seen the same thing... looks very funny actually. But sensible.

 

A TCM doctor in China told me that he used to think Westerners have very strong bodies because he'd often seen them wear shorts in cold weather, but then he got to work on some Western bodies and discovered it was not the case, it's just that they don't know any better.

 

Someone with a very strong body can tolerate both heat and cold quite well, but if there's a preference (e.g. cold is well tolerated but not heat, or vice versa), it's usually a sign of a problem with internal "climate."

Since we're sharing china stories

 

I went to a energy healer in the northeast and she had a very unique style I had never seen before but was a family lineage technique. She agree to "work on me" and release what she could.

 

She worked on me for about 70 minutes and when done was sweating like crazy. She went to sit down immediately. She said the normal treatment is about 20-30 minutes and without much work on her part... It was not what she had experienced with eastern clients. (I was the first western client she had ever worked on). Yes, the 'internal climate' not what she was accustomed to all. Too much internal energy is not necessarily a good thing.

 

I have read RV say in other threads about there are energy areas to "unblock". I think this is part of the internal climate that most are oblivious to... until an energy healer gets a hold of you

[ChiDragon]

Sorry, I held this to the last. I have been meditating with a fan on in the summer heat and under my lemon tree with a cool breeze blowing at the side of my face. Fortunately, I still have no side effects and healthy as a horse. To answer your own question, I'll let you be the judge of that and find your own conclusion as you have stated...

[Informer]

JohnC was joking.

[mYTHmAKER]

You might also try facing the fan towards the wall so it doesn't blow directly on you but still cools the area.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

ooo, ooo, I have another opinion..

 

Though wind might be bad by TCM, it also says that if heat gets in you too much you will get chills, if cold gets in you too much you will get fevers. So it's not good to suffer in the heat either.

 

What I do when the room is too humid where the fan is barely doing the trick is to face the fan out the window. This blows the hot air out of the room, and stops some of the hot air from coming in. Just make sure that the screen is clean so it can pull the air from behind.

 

The Native Americans had a very close connection to wind and felt it was cleansing. This is one culture that always had incredible healing knowledge too. An electric fan is not necessarily the same thing though as it has no real "life" behind it (not the time to get into the form of the formless form now. words okay. w-or-dzzzu. lol).

[Cat Pillar]

ooo, ooo, I have another opinion..

 

Though wind might be bad by TCM, it also says that if heat gets in you too much you will get chills, if cold gets in you too much you will get fevers. So it's not good to suffer in the heat either.

 

What I do when the room is too humid where the fan is barely doing the trick is to face the fan out the window. This blows the hot air out of the room, and stops some of the hot air from coming in. Just make sure that the screen is clean so it can pull the air from behind.

 

The Native Americans had a very close connection to wind and felt it was cleansing. This is one culture that always had incredible healing knowledge too. An electric fan is not necessarily the same thing though as it has no real "life" behind it (not the time to get into the form of the formless form now. words okay. w-or-dzzzu. lol).

 

I had not heard before this thread that wind was ill-regarded by TCM. I LOVE the wind.

 

One of my favorite experiences in Minnesota was to stand outside in the evening, watching as a big storm rolled in, and feeling the wind against my body. A cool, clean wind is just one of the best feelings for me. Add to that a light show and beautiful cloud formations...bliss.

[Aetherous]

I've heard that when you're sweating and your pores are open, if a cold harsh wind blows on your skin then it causes problems. I think there's some truth to it.

[C T]

I've heard that when you're sweating and your pores are open, if a cold harsh wind blows on your skin then it causes problems. I think there's some truth to it.

Yes you are right, Scotty. There are implications of this in TCM.

 

Apparently 'wind' can enter the body via the gross and subtle openings and orifices, besides the usual nasal/oral passages.

 

Even icy cold drinks are to be avoided if at all possible, especially taboo after working out. Apparently, when ingested, the body becomes like a sponge soaking up external wind.

 

I wonder if there is more harm being done in the long run to those who frequently ingest cold beers other than simple alcohol-related complications. Just a thought.

 

 

(i just read some of the posts above this... there seem to be a misunderstanding about Wind. Nothing wrong with being exposed to wind. Just at certain times and under varying conditions one ought to take precautions. For example, most Asian and Chinese people do not have sex with the fan blowing on the bodies... Other than this, they have no aversion to having a fan or two switched on around the house to ward off humidity.)

Edited July 31, 2011 by CowTao

[mewtwo]

I dont know mabye to someone very rooted in chinese thought the fan might affect them. But I think it would help someone practice qigong in the begining and mabye take the fan away later. just my thoughts.

 

 

Edit what about the whirling dervishes of sufi? they move so they sweat and the movement causes wind to blow so its bad for them to do this?

Edited July 31, 2011 by mewtwo

[Mal]