The water method - Inner/outer dissolving questions

[kudos100]

I'm experimenting with some of the practices in the book, Relaxing Into Your Being. I have a few questions that I hope some more experienced practitioners can answer:

 

With the dissolving practice do you always place the tongue on the roof of the mouth?

 

When Dissolving, do you combine the practice with the internal breathing exercises, or can you do the two separately?

 

Do you keep some attention on the LDT when dissolving, or just let your mind scan for blockages?

 

How much time do you spend dissolving a particular blockage before moving on, and how long do you take to do a full scan of the body before starting at the top of the head again?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kudos100]

Thanks for your reply Malik. I have the breathing and tao of letting go CD's.

 

I have a better grasp of the breathing meditations than the dissolving process. Although there is some good info in the books and CD's the dissolving process seems more difficult to get my head around.

[RobB]

Hi,

 

[Edit: Have just realised that my post could have been summed up as 'Yeah, what malikshreds said.]

 

I've done a little of this (and I mean a little). I also took a seminar with (my Tai Chi teacher at the time) Brian Cooper, who taught a transmitted version of this practice. This transformed my practice of the method and was another example of the value of seeking out a good teacher.

 

1. Yes. In general,rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth/behind the front teeth unless you've specifically been told otherwise.

2. I was specifically told, as a beginner, to separate the two. The aim is to be able to dissolve independently of where you are in the breathing cycle. The temptation is to link 'breathe out' and 'dissolve' - you want to avoid that.

3. Scan downwards for areas of tension/blockages/not-quite-rightness

4. How long have you got? You need to do the whole body. If you have ten minutes then it takes ten minutes. If you have 6 hours then take six hours. When I was into it, a full practice would take me between 40-50 minutes but plenty of people went longer than that - plenty of people went shorter too. The important thing is consistency - better to do 10 minutes every day than 40 minutes twice a week. As you practice you'll find a balance between the time you have, the full body scan, and the desire to 'hang out' with certain blocked areas.

5. Bruce's 'Energy gates' book went into this specific practice in more detail IIRC - might be worth taking a look at that.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

Edited September 5, 2014 by RobB

[kudos100]

Well what about it is difficult?

 

The process of dissolving seems much more subtle and open to interpretation than the breathing exercises, and is not covered in as much detail in the book.

[kudos100]

Hi,

 

[Edit: Have just realised that my post could have been summed up as 'Yeah, what malikshreds said.]

 

I've done a little of this (and I mean a little). I also took a seminar with (my Tai Chi teacher at the time) Brian Cooper, who taught a transmitted version of this practice. This transformed my practice of the method and was another example of the value of seeking out a good teacher.

 

1. Yes. In general,rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth/behind the front teeth unless you've specifically been told otherwise.

2. I was specifically told, as a beginner, to separate the two. The aim is to be able to dissolve independently of where you are in the breathing cycle. The temptation is to link 'breathe out' and 'dissolve' - you want to avoid that.

3. Scan downwards for areas of tension/blockages/not-quite-rightness

4. How long have you got? You need to do the whole body. If you have ten minutes then it takes ten minutes. If you have 6 hours then take six hours. When I was into it, a full practice would take me between 40-50 minutes but plenty of people went longer than that - plenty of people went shorter too. The important thing is consistency - better to do 10 minutes every day than 40 minutes twice a week. As you practice you'll find a balance between the time you have, the full body scan, and the desire to 'hang out' with certain blocked areas.

5. Bruce's 'Energy gates' book went into this specific practice in more detail IIRC - might be worth taking a look at that.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

 

Thanks Rob, that is helpful.

[Cookie Monster]

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Edited May 5, 2021 by Ocean Form

[寒月 Hanyue]

I'm experimenting with some of the practices in the book, Relaxing Into Your Being. I have a few questions that I hope some more experienced practitioners can answer:

 

With the dissolving practice do you always place the tongue on the roof of the mouth?

 

When Dissolving, do you combine the practice with the internal breathing exercises, or can you do the two separately?

 

Do you keep some attention on the LDT when dissolving, or just let your mind scan for blockages?

 

How much time do you spend dissolving a particular blockage before moving on, and how long do you take to do a full scan of the body before starting at the top of the head again?

 

Thanks.

 

Don't experiment, follow. Bruce lays out very specific and easy to follow exercises that build on each other.

 

Longevity Breathing (LB) is not Dissolving (D). Don't consider them as related, it'll be easier. So are you working on LB or on D? They are different neigong components, so make it clear what you want to do. Focus solely on one component for a period of time, or attempt to work with two concurrently. If you decide to try to work with both, fine, but do so in separate practice sessions and keep things clear for yourself.

 

LB has many aspects, in RIYB LB is being applied to laying a foundation for meditation work. In the neigong books LB is about developing whole-body breathing, and later subtle breath work. Don't confuse them. Stick with one progression from one program and work that.

 

Tongue is always on the roof, in neigong or meditation.

 

No you don't combine breathing with dissolving. Dissolving is neigong not qigong. Breath naturally. If you also/later practice LB then the 'natural' breath will have been improved.

 

When learning the dissolving process, just work on that. Read what Bruce has written, listen to what he says if you have the cd set. Follow those to the best of your ability and then appreciate things can take time to learn, to experience and to figure out.

 

You do not want to be trying to split your awareness to start with. Its too hard for the majority of people. So no, no dantian awareness, just the dissolving and releasing downward. Later things change. But take the step infront of you, not the one across the room okay.

 

Please note, the the stages of practice in Bruce's 1st edition of OEGB are simpler, but it seems people wanted more, and so the 2nd edition adds things, including a section on LB that wasn't in the original book.

 

Bruce address length of time in all his books. You dissolve until it clears or until you feel it isn't going to dissolve/release any further even if you stayed there for years.

 

A full head to toe scan can take a LONG time, or can be done quite quickly. My advice is simple, follow the plan in the book OEGB, Bruce lays out a detailed way to work with this stuff, more detailed than many teachers give. Sometimes the detail helps, sometimes not. But if you want to work with his method, follow his plan, it is that simple.

 

Good luck and happy practice

 

General note, Yes other systems talk about or state things differently to the above, but the above is how it is taught in Bruce's system, and that is what the questions are about.

 

Best,

[kudos100]

Cheers, I now have a better understanding of the dissolving process