Best way for a newbie to spend 15-20mins each morning

[quadrant6]

If I have roughly 15-20 minutes each morning before work, what's the best thing I can do for overall health/energy.

 

I've been doing the silk brocade based on a book which i got from the library. i know that's probably not ideal but i don't know of any teachers in my area. before doing this, i tried yoga and also just seated meditation. when i get time in the evening i do seated meditation - just zazen/mindfulness, no mantras or anything.

 

I'd like to be mindful all day but find it pretty difficult. i went to china last year and a traditional doctor said i have too much internal heat - he was shocked when he saw my tongue (very red). So I've taken the prescribed herbs, i eat cooling foods and teas etc but the red tongue and other symptoms come back. I think I just need to counter/handle stress from work a bit better.

[Protector]

Do empty mind meditation, set a timer in case you forget the sense of time

 

It will charge up your mind and will get you ready for what the day has to offer

[Encephalon]

I don't think it's possible to assign a proper regimen without an adequate audit of your strengths and weaknesses. We don't know if you're sitting at a desk getting soft and frumpy or getting tight and misaligned busting up concrete.

 

Generally speaking, Chinese medicine assumes that mere existence is hot and that health and longevity depend on cooling the fire; this is particularly true for people who eat western food. I don't think you can beat the Water Method of standing meditation as taught by Bruce Frantzis - "Opening the Energy Gates of the Body." It's Very safe, cooling, it doesn't demand the precise alignments called for in other Nei Kung postures (which also call for proper instruction), and it's relatively quick and easy to learn. It's physical, but the attention you bring to bare on your energy gates is a form of mindfulness meditation in itself.

 

"Opening the energy Gates..." is a modern classic that all newbies should get anyway.

[Dimon Blya]

Go here and just follow this, you'll be set for life

http://thepresenceportal.com/One-onone%20session.htm

 

I could talk about it long, I'd rather be short,

The more you focus on something the more you become in tune with it/desensitize from it,

this practice is focusing on negative emotions to learn to feel that negative shit,

it takes time to develop the taste, but youll get high on fear, anger, and sadness, thats a promise

 

combine it with standing tree...

 

breath out

[Sloppy Zhang]

I don't think it's possible to assign a proper regimen without an adequate audit of your strengths and weaknesses. We don't know if you're sitting at a desk getting soft and frumpy or getting tight and misaligned busting up concrete.

 

Generally speaking, Chinese medicine assumes that mere existence is hot and that health and longevity depend on cooling the fire; this is particularly true for people who eat western food. I don't think you can beat the Water Method of standing meditation as taught by Bruce Frantzis - "Opening the Energy Gates of the Body." It's Very safe, cooling, it doesn't demand the precise alignments called for in other Nei Kung postures (which also call for proper instruction), and it's relatively quick and easy to learn. It's physical, but the attention you bring to bare on your energy gates is a form of mindfulness meditation in itself.

 

"Opening the energy Gates..." is a modern classic that all newbies should get anyway.

 

Seconded, times a thousand.

 

On top of that, the way of breathing that he teaches is a manner of breathing that you can incorporate into your life 24/7, which means it is a lifetime of practice in itself beyond whatever time you have allotted.

 

On top of that, the way it teaches you to be aware of your body beyond mere visualization or pre-programmed exercises means that you can begin to asses what is healthy and not healthy for YOUR body in each and every unique situation, without having to rely on a prescribed manner of standing/sitting/moving. When you can recognize when your energy is being blocked and when you are moving past your own 70%, you will start to recognize what you need to change in your life to be healthy, and you will start making much more progress, because instead of taking two steps forward and one step back, you'll be taking a step and a half forward with no steps back. In this way you can also start to align your body better, which you can also carry with you 24/7.

[quadrant6]

Thank you, Much appreciated. I will look into the recommend titles and links above.

 

I agree re: consultation. Best done in person I guess. Nevertheless, FYI:

 

• 28yrs old. work in front of a computer, 9-6pm.

 

• Eat mostly rice/veges/pasta/meat/eggs/nuts/grains, very little refined food, sugar, or pre-made products. No dairy, caffeine. tobacco & minimal alcohol.

 

• Outside of work I swim and work out with bodyweight exercises a few times a week.

 

• I'm tall, lanky body type.

 

 

I've seen 3 chinese doctors but only one in China. Aside from the internal heat, they also mentioned a lack of stomach enzymes which might help explain my poor digestion/absorption. One of them actually said my long term prescription was to exercise for 40mins every single day - specifically swimming, running failing that. After a while, I could reduce to 4x, 3x a week. I haven't done this recently. I should. I am however continuing to drink honeysuckle tea, chrysanthemum tea and mung bean juice regularly and avoid spicy food.

 

I always had an interest in spiritual practices, eastern philosophies. There was a period before I got this job where I was meditating a lot and also trying astral projection (no interest in this now). During that time I was the healthiest I remember. I don't know if it was the exercises for astral projection (robert bruce) which maybe raised/balanced my energy, the meditation or something else. But I guess that's how I came to post here.

 

I do have a problem with following complex programs of any sort though. So the simplest (not necessarily the easiest) always appeal to me!

Edited November 21, 2011 by quadrant6

[Aetherous]

http://becalm.ca/

 

I think doing the BeCalm balls might be best for you, if ~20 mins is all you've got. If you combine it with gentle unforced continuous breathing, it can be extra balancing. Simple! I recommend this above all else.

 

I also recommend Kunlun Nei Gung, since it has a general balancing effect on the body in the long term, moreso than other practices.

 

Be cautious with following simplified advice regarding supplements. For instance, a red tongue can be many things besides excess heat, as you can see on this website for instance:

 

http://www.sacredlotus.com/diagnosis/tongue/index.cfm

 

It can be excess heat, deficient heat, stagnant blood, yin deficiency, etc...also thin people tend to have tongues which are more red...

 

In fact I think your condition is probably not excess heat, since what you've been doing isn't taking care of the symptoms. Maybe chrysanthemum tea and other things are making your condition worse! It'd be best to consult (again) with a local acupuncturist, and be sure to get a clear diagnosis.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Scotty

[Fluidz]

If I have roughly 15-20 minutes each morning before work, what's the best thing I can do for overall health/energy.

 

I've been doing the silk brocade based on a book which i got from the library. i know that's probably not ideal but i don't know of any teachers in my area. before doing this, i tried yoga and also just seated meditation. when i get time in the evening i do seated meditation - just zazen/mindfulness, no mantras or anything.

 

I'd like to be mindful all day but find it pretty difficult. i went to china last year and a traditional doctor said i have too much internal heat - he was shocked when he saw my tongue (very red). So I've taken the prescribed herbs, i eat cooling foods and teas etc but the red tongue and other symptoms come back. I think I just need to counter/handle stress from work a bit better.

 

Well as a TCM student, I'd go 1st saying for overall energy I'd recommend deep breathing. As of internal heat..OK thats fine but the question that comes to mind is what kind of internal heat? Theres various reasons why one would have it..so go to a professional further- its never one thing. So in that regard- don't view it as such- your not the same person as you were a year ago. Your not the same person as you were yesterday by Chinese medicine. Really..even 1 hr ago your a different person. So in that respect, the old information you have is useless.

 

That said, yes..most ppl given the culture have leanings to heat excess syndromes- but without knowing why..its trying find a needle in a haystack. Consult a professional. On self work, watch your diet- exercise via qigong. Relax via whatever de-stresses ya- a walk in the park is nice.

[Clarity]

My 2 cents and personal favorite is T'ai Chi Ch'uan in the morning. Standing meditation is a good idea also, but I like to move first thing in the morning.

 

When I was working a desk job, I made a point of getting away from my desk during the day to practice. All of that sitting puts a lot of pressure on the sacral plexus; you can counter that by using focused tensing during the day. Tense your buttocks before you sit up and energize your entire midline.

 

The tensing will counter the hyper-relaxation which is pretty much inherent to a desk job.

[thelerner]

I think a good system has emptiness meditation, a movement form, some standing, healing and rejuvenation modes and some dharma lessons.

 

Thats a lot for 20 minutes. So take a pick with what connects with you. But remember the shining prize is awareness; doing things with complete attention. Personally I'll chant in the shower, do kunlun sitting on the toilet. Get my dharma lessons from Infinitesmile.org or zencast when I have free time at night.

 

A person recently posted about keeping in mind 3 things. Posture, breathing, awareness. A 12 hour practice is watching and improving your posture, observing your breath and keeping it deep and long, finally focusing your mind on the proper attitude and what your doing.