Questions about the Left & Right channel.

[Oneironaut]

Hello everyone. I discovered that there are four quadrants in the human body. Front, back, left and right. The microcosmic orbit relates to the front and back channels. Now I want to become a little more familiar with the left and right channels so I have some questions.

 

What is the left and right channel?

 

What purpose does it serve?

 

How do you put it to use? Are there any meditations specifically designed for it?

[Mudfoot]

They are usually described as branches of the central channel. Although I am sure to be contradicted and corrected on this, the side channels are more related to this life and its issues, while the central channel goes beyond that.

 

Working with the downward flow in the side channels are one of the safety precautions recommended before activating upward moving flows.

 

In tibetan arts, you fuse these channels with the central channel at an advanced level.

 

IMA also open them up as a part of the mechanics behind effective execution of techniques.

 

As far as I know, there are specific zhan zhuan, mudras for this as with any other part of your energetic system

Edited October 23, 2015 by Mudfoot

[doc benway]

Hello everyone. I discovered that there are four quadrants in the human body. Front, back, left and right. The microcosmic orbit relates to the front and back channels. Now I want to become a little more familiar with the left and right channels so I have some questions.

 

What is the left and right channel?

 

In the Tibetan traditions, there are subtle energies in the body the Tibetans refer to as winds (lung). These are associated with channels (tsa) and chakras (khorlo). There are three channels and five chakras used in basic practice and a more complex system used in tantric practices. 

 

 

 

What purpose does it serve?

 

The basic 3 channels include the right which is associated with the obstacles of anger and aversion, the left which is associated with attachment and desire, and the central which is associated with ignorance. These represent the three primary poisons, or obstacles to health and awakening. Along the central channel are 5 chakras which correspond to the 5 major winds.

 

 

How do you put it to use? Are there any meditations specifically designed for it?

 

The basic practice is to clear the 3 channels and 5 chakras using the methods of the 9 Breathings of Purification and Tsa Lung, respectively. We clear the 3 root poisons with the 9 Breathings of Purification and we clear blockages in the 5 chakras using Tsa Lung. They are breathing exercises combined with physical movement and specific visualizations. 

 

A great and accessible resource for these practices is Awakening the Sacred Body: Tibetan Yogas and Breathing and Movement by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. 

 

You can spend a little more money and get direct instruction from Rinpoche in this online workshop. The teachings are mostly prerecorded and Rinpoche participates in a forum in which he addresses questions and gives support personally. It's not cheap but it's very worthwhile.

 

Here is a brief introduction by Rinpoche:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my Daoist training, we had neigong exercises which developed the central channel but none that worked with the right and left channels (at leasts none that I was taught). It would be interesting to hear if anyone is familiar with Daoist practices associated with the two side channels.

[Mudfoot]

Bruce Frantzis teaches how to access and work with these as a part of his 16 part nei gung system. But the teacher above (writes good books) gives more information about the channels.

 

In luo han gong, there are zhan zhuan where you connect to Earth through one of them, Heaven through the other. And other stances when the sides do similar work.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Mudfoot

[Miffymog]

Steve,

 

I was wondering where you got that blue picture/image of the person meditating from - the one with the circles, energy flows and the two white focal points? I'm only asking because that's crazily similar to what I'm experiencing at the moment in meditation.

 

A couple of years ago I promised myself not to do any projections of awareness/Qi above the head. But, recently I found myself doing it as a natural progression of my practice after clearing out most of the blockages in my body. There was the odd strange energy rush after my first projection, but that settled down after a day or two, and the image seems to represent a fairly stable state for me to enter.

 

I went to the links you suggested and I'm quite interested in buying the book, but any thoughts you have on it before I spend my very limited money would be gratefully received.

 

Cheers,

 

Miffymog.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Miffymog

[doc benway]

Steve,

 

I was wondering where you got that blue picture/image of the person meditating from - the one with the circles, energy flows and the two white focal points? I'm only asking because that's crazily similar to what I'm experiencing at the moment in meditation.

 

That's a fairly standard depiction of the channels and chakras in Bön.

A higher res and slightly different version is here - http://trulkhor.net/about/

You can also google Tsa Lung and see a variety of images.

 

 

A couple of years ago I promised myself not to do any projections of awareness/Qi above the head. But, recently I found myself doing it as a natural progression of my practice after clearing out most of the blockages in my body. There was the odd strange energy rush after my first projection, but that settled down after a day or two, and the image seems to represent a fairly stable state for me to enter.

 

I think the body/mind knows when it is ready and progresses naturally when we take the skillful approach you describe.

Rather than shoot for a particular goal, usually one that is well beyond our current reach, it is very healthy to simply work on letting go of obstructions. That's what 9 Breathings and Tsa Lung are all about. The results will naturally arise as is happening for you.

 

 

I went to the links you suggested and I'm quite interested in buying the book, but any thoughts you have on it before I spend my very limited money would be gratefully received.

 

Cheers,

 

Miffymog.

 

 

If you're thinking of investing in the book, read through the info on the trulkhor.net site. 

It's hosted by a good friend, Ale Chaoul, who is a senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and had extensive training in trul khor (similar to tsa lung but much more complex and physically challenging) at Menri Monastery in India then returned here and continued his studies with Rinpoche. He's been using these methods for treating cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas for years. He is just finishing a 5 or 6 year training program on trul khor and my be starting the cycle again next year. 

 

I cannot recommend the book highly enough but I am very biased.

Plus it comes with a DVD that demonstrates all the practices so I think it's a good value for $15

 

The other book that I recommend (and has been even more important for me) is Awakening the Luminous Mind by the same author. In it he teaches the practices of the Three Doors which are meditative practices that guide us towards connecting with the nature of mind. I always practice the 9 Breathings and Tsa Lung as preparation for practicing the Three Doors so they are a good place to start. 

 

Also, there are multiple free videos in which Rinpoche teaches the 3 Doors practices. They can be found on youtube and here -

http://www.ligmincha.org/index.php/en/programs/internet-teachings-podcast.html

About halfway down the page is a series of 5 videos called "The Gift of Inner Refuge."

At the time he was using a hosting site that shows sponsored messages so that's a bit annoying but the instruction is priceless.

 

Here is a convenient place to find many of his teaching videos. Not terribly organized but very comprehensive.

http://oceanofwisdom.org/

 

Finally, Rinpoche is working on developing a comprehensive online resource that will provide basic instruction in these methods in a more organized fashion. It will be intended to support students who don't have access to direct instruction but follow his online teachings, such as the Soul Retrieval program going on all year long - http://ligmincha.org/en/international-news/258-soul-retrieval-course-2015-en.html

 

Edit - off topic but worth mentioning, there will be a free, live webcast tomorrow broadcast from the Fall retreat on Healing with the 5 Elements - you can learn more here - http://ligmincha.org/index.php/en/programs/broadcast-page.html

Edited October 23, 2015 by steve

[Mudfoot]

His book Healing with form, energy and light is the most informative book about the five elements I have read so far. Answered a lot of questions I had about the structure of the style I am practicing. If the rest of his material is of the same quality, invest in it!

[thelerner]

Don't know what they do, but there's a good piece of Michael Winn's Fundamental II form that works the right and left channel nicely.  I think its called sun moon something something.  It's a simple movements, hands clutch an imaginary soft ball.  Standing, feet shoulder width apart, you breath in while slowly moving your hands up your right leg, up to your shoulder.  Feel the energy moving with it.  Try to breath from the right nostril. 

 

Breath out move hands slowly down right side til they're low and neutral by your waist.  Then breath in moving the hands similarly up the left hand side, feeling energy and striving to feel as if your breathing mostly through the left nostril.  Then it down and neutral again and you keep going like that.  On the down its almost like your sending energy into the ground, then neutral then back up the other side, initiated with a new breath. 

 

Sorry for the poor description but its actually a very simple movement and after a while you start feeling the energy moving up and down each side, and without touching your nose it creates one sided nostril breathing, which yogis recommend. 

[寒月 Hanyue]

The side channels in Frantzis system (that are also found and used in other Daoist arts) are not those discussed in Tibetan or Yogic practices.

 

 

Not better or worse just similar terms referring to different things.

 

Best,

Edited October 25, 2015 by snowmonki

[Spotless]

In the form of Qi Gong (Fohan Quan) that I practice the side channels and front channels were activated and increased in size and power to a degree that was astounding. They were for a time slightly divided and then fused.

My teacher when told said "ahh .... goood!"

 

This all happened without any knowledge of the formal existence of it and what was to happen. However I had already felt my channels clearly before starting Qi Gong.

 

Just prior to the fusing - I felt and looked energetically like the Micheline Man - huge tubes of energy - it felt odd walking around like that but extraordinary to say the least.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Spotless

[Spotless]

The side channels in Frantzis system (that are also found and used in other Daoist arts) are not those discussed in Tibetan or Yogic practices.

 

 

Not better or worse just similar terms referring to different things.

 

Best,

This corresponds to what I feel - where is this from?

Though the feeling near the top is not clearly to the shoulders.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Spotless

[Spotless]

In the practice that I do there are several reverse breathing exercises involved with the side channels.

[Spotless]

In the Tibetan traditions, there are subtle energies in the body the Tibetans refer to as winds (lung). These are associated with channels (tsa) and chakras (khorlo). There are three channels and five chakras used in basic practice and a more complex system used in tantric practices.

 

 

 

 

 

The basic 3 channels include the right which is associated with the obstacles of anger and aversion, the left which is associated with attachment and desire, and the central which is associated with ignorance. These represent the three primary poisons, or obstacles to health and awakening. Along the central channel are 5 chakras which correspond to the 5 major winds.

 

 

 

 

The basic practice is to clear the 3 channels and 5 chakras using the methods of the 9 Breathings of Purification and Tsa Lung, respectively. We clear the 3 root poisons with the 9 Breathings of Purification and we clear blockages in the 5 chakras using Tsa Lung. They are breathing exercises combined with physical movement and specific visualizations.

 

A great and accessible resource for these practices is http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Sacred-Body-Tibetan-Movement/dp/1401928714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445580565&sr=8-1&keywords=awakening+the+sacred+body]Awakening the Sacred Body: Tibetan Yogas and Breathing and Movement[/url] by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

 

You can spend a little more money and get direct instruction from Rinpoche in http://www.glidewing.com/twr/awakening_home.html]this online workshop[/url]. The teachings are mostly prerecorded and Rinpoche participates in a forum in which he addresses questions and gives support personally. It's not cheap but it's very worthwhile.

 

Here is a brief introduction by Rinpoche:

 

[/url]

 

 

 

 

 

In my Daoist training, we had neigong exercises which developed the central channel but none that worked with the right and left channels (at leasts none that I was taught). It would be interesting to hear if anyone is familiar with Daoist practices associated with the two side channels.

The side channels shown here are very different from the other chart - they are much closer to the main back channel and run near each side and "in" somewhat - completely different - very powerful and clearly part of the great channel.

 

As this fuses it feels like a mountain column fully some ten inches in diameter and a bit oval in cross-section.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Spotless

[doc benway]

The side channels shown here are very different from the other chart - they are much closer to the main back channel and run near each side and "in" somewhat - completely different - very powerful and clearly part of the great channel.

 

As this fuses it feels like a mountain column fully some ten inches in diameter and a bit oval in cross-section.

What other chart are you referring to? That of snowmonki?

 

In the Tibetan tradition, the right and left channels are not near the du mai (I assume this is what you refer to as the "main back channel.")  The are more central, on either side of the central channel. 

[寒月 Hanyue]

This corresponds to what I feel - where is this from?

 

That particular diagram is from Bruce Frantzis.

 

These are the deeper side channels running through the left and right sides of the body, they relate to the skeletal system and to yongquan and jianjing (the names are a clue).

 

They arguably relate to the side channels that "loop" the left and right sides of the body, the yin-yang qiao and yin-yang wei, see attached.

 

 

[Bearded Dragon]

Just open up the main gates and line them up so when you're standing it feels like the weight of the upper ones is sitting on the ones below. Particularly the 4 points in the shoulders nest sitting into the hips and the hips into the bubbling well points. I wouldn't put too much effort into them if you're unsure because you can mess yourself up. I spent too much time working on one side because I felt like they were out of balance, but then I really did throw them out of balance which then caused my back to have issues. It's more beneficial just to keep opening the spine because that can then go out to the side channels naturally and it's a more balanced practice.

[Mudfoot]

Are there many side channels, side by side in there?

Frantzis clearly states that the side channels are branches of the central channel. The chinese tradition places them slightly more to the sides than the tibetan does, at least on drawings.

 

If the side channels truly are different, can someone please post a drawing where they all are in. Just for clarity?

That would be appreciated.

[doc benway]

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is offering an online course to teach the 9 Breathings of Purification and Tsa Lung.

Check here.

The info presented will be similar to that in the book, Awakening the Sacred Body, but the video instruction and opportunity to get direct online support are worth the cost, IMO.

[Bearded Dragon]

Are there many side channels, side by side in there?

Frantzis clearly states that the side channels are branches of the central channel. The chinese tradition places them slightly more to the sides than the tibetan does, at least on drawings.

 

If the side channels truly are different, can someone please post a drawing where they all are in. Just for clarity?

That would be appreciated.

 

I feel it in the same manner that Bruce Frantzis' diagrams describe.

 

In regards to the central channel that could mean a few things. The Zhongding or central equilibrium is the column through the middle of the body. The full central channel, however, encompasses an area extending out a fair way from the body. That is the whole channel. Not just the middle bit. In that sense the other channels are a part of the central channel.

 

In a more basic manner you can get your spine going in order to feed the side channels. It's probably the easiest to start with, but you reaaaaaallly have to get it for it to have any noticeable effect on the side channels. I can only do it when I get set up by someone else.

[寒月 Hanyue]

Frantzis clearly states that the side channels are branches of the central channel. The chinese tradition places them slightly more to the sides than the tibetan does, at least on drawings.

 

This is the diagram of the "central channel" Bruce has provided. So if he says it relates, then this is what he is saying it relates to. This is zhongmai, which (in the torso) runs straight through the body from baihui to huiyin, but it also runs through the core of the limbs, it is not a spinal route.

 

Different systems use the term "central channel" in different ways, some to refer to a spinal channel, others to refer to the channel from crown to perineum. It's not right or wrong, just the same terminology being applied by different methods to different things.

 

His maps (like anyone's models) only really matter, when involved in his system. If not, put the effort behind working with the methods and maps provided by the teacher or system being studied, and don't worry about what the "neighbours" are up to. The grass is always greener...

 

Hope this helps,

Edited December 13, 2015 by snowmonki