Am I doing something wrong?

[Yuki7992]

I used to meditate a lot as a kid and focus on pulling energy to what I now know is the Dan tien. I started getting back into it within the past month or so and in that time I've passed out in the shower twice. I haven't found any existing techniques that fit my needs so have been working on my own. 

Description of what I do: sit in normal cross-legged (not lotus) close my eyes and expand my senses to feel the energy around me and focus on pulling it in as I breath deeply into my stomach. Then I contract my stomach and slowly breath out trying to focus on storing the energy as a pearl. Any insights or help would be greatly appreciated.

[Iliketurtles]

[Yuki7992]

I mean, yeah. So any helpful tips or guidance?

[Iliketurtles]

Get a teacher.

[ralis]

1 hour ago, Yuki7992 said:

I used to meditate a lot as a kid and focus on pulling energy to what I now know is the Dan tien. I started getting back into it within the past month or so and in that time I've passed out in the shower twice. I haven't found any existing techniques that fit my needs so have been working on my own. 

Description of what I do: sit in normal cross-legged (not lotus) close my eyes and expand my senses to feel the energy around me and focus on pulling it in as I breath deeply into my stomach. Then I contract my stomach and slowly breath out trying to focus on storing the energy as a pearl. Any insights or help would be greatly appreciated.

Since you passed out perhaps seeing a medical professional is a good idea. 

[freeform]

12 hours ago, Yuki7992 said:

I haven't found any existing techniques that fit my needs

Consider that these traditions aren’t really about your needs - that they were created with a particular path of development in mind.

 

11 hours ago, Yuki7992 said:

I mean, yeah. So any helpful tips or guidance?

 

What are your needs? Do they align with the aims of the creators of these traditions? Do they align with the aims of the teachers of these techniques?

 

Get back to the drawing board I’d say.

 

The way up to the top of Everest is dangerous and difficult enough - even if you follow a well trodden path… but the likelihood of harming yourself is almost 100% if you make up your own path as you go.

 

Consider that maybe climbing the Everest isn’t what you actually want.
 

So look at other options and follow the advice of the most competent people in that field.

 

I find that what most people want when they go for esoteric methods can actually be achieved with good exercise, diet and sleep. 

[Earl Grey]

28 minutes ago, freeform said:

Consider that these traditions aren’t really about your needs - that they were created with a particular path of development in mind.

 

 

What are your needs? Do they align with the aims of the creators of these traditions? Do they align with the aims of the teachers of these techniques?

 

Get back to the drawing board I’d say.

 

The way up to the top of Everest is dangerous and difficult enough - even if you follow a well trodden path… but the likelihood of harming yourself is almost 100% if you make up your own path as you go.

 

Consider that maybe climbing the Everest isn’t what you actually want.
 

So look at other options and follow the advice of the most competent people in that field.

 

I find that what most people want when they go for esoteric methods can actually be achieved with good exercise, diet and sleep. 

Please publish your book🥺. I can read everything you say and never lose interest. Could probably read cover to cover in one go with all the insights.

[Indiken]

2 hours ago, freeform said:

Consider that these traditions aren’t really about your needs - that they were created with a particular path of development in mind.

 

 

What are your needs? Do they align with the aims of the creators of these traditions? Do they align with the aims of the teachers of these techniques?

 

Get back to the drawing board I’d say.

 

The way up to the top of Everest is dangerous and difficult enough - even if you follow a well trodden path… but the likelihood of harming yourself is almost 100% if you make up your own path as you go.

 

Consider that maybe climbing the Everest isn’t what you actually want.
 

So look at other options and follow the advice of the most competent people in that field.

 

I find that what most people want when they go for esoteric methods can actually be achieved with good exercise, diet and sleep. 

 

Is the method of doing what feels pleasurable(or one has irrational desire to do) dangerous?

 

[freeform]

50 minutes ago, Indiken said:

 

Is the method of doing what feels pleasurable(or one has irrational desire to do) dangerous?

 

Not necessarily…

 

It depends on Causes (what you do) and Conditions (who you are)…

 

As a rule, the process of growth is invariably unpleasurable… waking up at 5am to train before work is not pleasurable… the training process is not pleasurable… earning money is not pleasurable - but vegging out on the sofa with a good movie and some tasty snacks and a glass of wine is indeed very pleasurable… But which of these activities cause growth and which are just coasting along?

 

Similarly, I can do my training in a way that is pleasurable - I literally call it coasting on skill… this means I just let my pre-developed skill express itself and appreciate that expression… that’s very pleasurable - but it doesn’t develop me beyond my skill level.

 

Developing my skill level is always uncomfortable and unpleasant - even though afterwards I may feel good having done it.

 

The other issue is knowing where you’re going.
 

From your personal perspective, you cannot see beyond your level of skill… just as a seasoned weightlifter might know that not aligning your posture in a certain way will trash your knees in 10 years - a novice will have no idea because they don’t have the skill or the experience to understand this.

 

So that’s a long winded way of saying that when it comes to skill development - pleasurable things tend to keep you where you are - at best, and be causing damage without you knowing at worst.

[anshino23]

6 hours ago, Earl Grey said:

Please publish your book🥺

 

Freeform is writing a book? This is news to me! But great news! 

[freeform]

3 hours ago, anshino23 said:

 

Freeform is writing a book? This is news to me! But great news! 

It’s very much a hypothetical book

 

Ive discovered that even though I write a lot, I rarely have anything to say - other than in an attempt to help.

[Trunk]

On 12/5/2021 at 12:20 PM, Yuki7992 said:

I used to meditate a lot as a kid and focus on pulling energy to what I now know is the Dan tien. I started getting back into it within the past month or so and in that time I've passed out in the shower twice.

 

That's very unusual.  I've never heard of that happening.  This is not typical of a mistake in meditation technique.

Something is wrong.  Get checked medically.

 

*If* you choose to continue with similar meditation at this time, I suggest ...

That you not gather all your energy into the pearl, to form it.  (Yes, gathering some energy is often part of it).

Just go to the center and visualize a gently glowing pearl, and let whatever energy that naturally interacts with the pearl (gets refined, magnetically interacts with, gathers, etc).

[Eduardo]

1. The first thing is to stop doing that exercise.
2. The second is a complete medical check-up.
I think that contracting the stomach strongly may be blocking meridians in that sector of the belly, so do not continue with your practice on your own.
A similar case tells Master Wong Kiew Kit in his book "Chi-kung for health and vitality"
Exercises practiced without the supervision of a qigong master are extremely dangerous.

[dwai]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:20 PM, Yuki7992 said:

I used to meditate a lot as a kid and focus on pulling energy to what I now know is the Dan tien. I started getting back into it within the past month or so and in that time I've passed out in the shower twice. I haven't found any existing techniques that fit my needs so have been working on my own. 

Description of what I do: sit in normal cross-legged (not lotus) close my eyes and expand my senses to feel the energy around me and focus on pulling it in as I breath deeply into my stomach. Then I contract my stomach and slowly breath out trying to focus on storing the energy as a pearl. Any insights or help would be greatly appreciated.

What many others have said is valuable advice.

1. Stop doing this until you get your health issue sorted out by a trained professional. 
2. After it is sorted out, if you want to continue your practice, first learn to stand and sink your qi to the stomach/lower stomach area. It is not a good idea to consolidate qi in that region before you can get to a point where the qi sinks to the stomach and then starts flowing back out to your extremities. 
3. Find a good teacher (either in person or online) 
4. Moderation is key in these kinds of things -- not too much, not too little. How does one know when it is enough? When you find yourself straining too much mentally, physically, or both, you have gone too far. You should feel energized after you do your practice, not feel exhausted. The "no pain, no gain" attitude is extremely detrimental to this kind of stuff. 

 

[exorcist_1699]

Comparing to  emptied Mind stuff , Visualization is more interesting and easy to start  , and it  gives people  a feeling of  more effective because they pre-tell themselves the results , and it must  be what they want .  However, it is unlikely be anything really effective , for example , consider someone  gets a malice tumor in his brain , right inside his consciousness , can it be cured by his imagining it shrinking be got rid of  ?  The answer is likely not .   Accustomed to visualization also makes people later return to emptied Mind stuff more difficult .

 

Edited December 16, 2021 by exorcist_1699

[awaken]

金丹並非是把氣感凝聚在一個點上面，正好相反，氣感必須讓他順其自然，走自己該走的路。

 

丹道當中所謂的金丹，和黍米，都是光的展現，金丹是陰盡陽純第三階段陽生之後，所顯現的虛空定當中的光，而黍米則是烏肝狀態下，介於烏肝與兔髓之間的一種粒狀的光。當然有些古人會將金丹與黍米混為一談，但是根據悟真篇，金丹與黍米是不同的。更別說粒狀的氣感了，不管是金丹還是黍米，都不是粒狀的氣感。

 

至於呼吸和氣感之間的關係，是一種動力和路線的關係，呼吸是動力，氣感是路線，氣感會在身體各處移動，直到氣感穩固之後，會化為烏肝，此時就開始進入光的狀態，因此請不要使用任何方法，將氣感凝聚在一個小點上，我知道會傷害身體，但是第一次聽到說練到昏倒的，請珍重身體。