Hello Everyone

[Dan Tian]

Hello and Good Day to you all. A (hopefully brief) presentation...

 

A couple of years ago I started what I think may constitute my midlife crisis, but I reckoned that instead of doing the normal thing and running away with another woman or turning to drink etc., it would be better to try to face up to it and instead learn to deal with life. So I began looking at Buddhism and other paths that I like to call "practical" or "active" philosophy - in other words actually living it; if you just talk about it, but don't act on it, it's always going to remain a concept, but it won't actually exist in reality. (Actually I worry that that's exactly what Taoism remains for me for the moment, but maybe that'll change...) At around the same time my back problems started getting worse and to help heal that I started doing local classes in qigong. Unfortunately, being in a rural part of France, most of the rest of the group consists of middle-aged farmers' wives. Nothing at all wrong with that I know, but I think they're there for a bit of relaxation and light exercise; if you start talking about meditation and Taoist philosophy they run a mile. And probably just regard me as a mad Englishman.

 

I also felt that Buddhism, although appealing in many ways, is perhaps a bit too restrictive for me: is it not hypocritical to be both a pig farmer and a Buddhist? Is it even possible? Taoism though, as it seems to involve a very individualistic approach to ethics, is pulling me right in. What Taoist can preach ethics to you without contradicting the very nature of the Tao? But I also appreciate that one needs to be prepared to allow one's ethical viewpoints to evolve as a result of probing deeper into one's spirituality.

 

I love the idea of taking qigong further and seeing it as an active, physical form of meditation. My problem is that any form of meditation involves an incredible amount of self-discipline, as indeed does any cultivation of virtue. It also, I think, needs an involvement with a community of like-minded people for support. I'm working on it - hopefully with the blessing and encouragement of this forum...

 

Keep Well.

[三江源]

Ha. Funny username, dude!

 

Welcome to TaoBums.

 

Just want to say to you about the 'discipline' thing.

 

What happens,if this path is for you, is that you fall in love with the practises. So you dont need discipline, really. You just have to get into a good relationship with your inner saboteurs who dont want you to dwell too much in bliss...

 

Rural France! Which part?

 

Just thinking of it, I immediately crave good bread, cheeses, and a glass of wine...

[Dan Tian]

What happens,if this path is for you, is that you fall in love with the practises. So you dont need discipline, really. You just have to get into a good relationship with your inner saboteurs who dont want you to dwell too much in bliss...

Yeah, I have plenty of those; the main one tells me my back's killing me, so sitting in the same posture even for a couple of minutes is out of the question, let alone focusing the mind on anything but the pain. So how am I supposed to get into a good relationship with them?

 

Rural France! Which part?

 

The Basque country, at the western end of the Pyrenees, right near the Spanish border. It rains a lot, but it's a good place.

 

Just thinking of it, I immediately crave good bread, cheeses, and a glass of wine...

Why d'you think we moved here?

 

Thanks for your encouragement Cat, I'll keep at it.

[Taiji Bum]

Welcome to da Bums.

[三江源]

Dan, you dont have to sit uncomfortably. What are you doing? I mean, how are you sitting, and what are you doing while you sit?

 

Have you tried standing meditation? Or moving meditation? and is there actually anything wrong with your back, or do you need to take up a stretching practise?

 

There's a lot on this board about stretching, and about sitting, too, if you do a search, you will find you arent alone.

 

I have been to where you are. All those ox blood colour buildings! and seafood! I remember Ainhoa, St Jean de Luz, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and of course Bayonne & Biarritz.

 

I saw the biggest slugs I have ever seeni n my life, there. Huuuge ones. And I was told the locals ate them. this, I trust, was someone pulling my leg.

[Dan Tian]

Dan, you dont have to sit uncomfortably. What are you doing? I mean, how are you sitting, and what are you doing while you sit?

 

Have you tried standing meditation? Or moving meditation? and is there actually anything wrong with your back, or do you need to take up a stretching practise?

 

Well, I've done a lot of work on getting my posture right, and it's helped a lot. I made a zafu, but it was a bit squishy, so now I place it on top of a slanted wooden disc and sit on that with my legs crossed on the floor. That seems to give me the best basis for establishing a good posture, but it's still difficult. So far I've only tried some of the basic meditations such as mindfulness of breathing and some relaxation techniques I got from a qigong book. I thought I should try to get somewhere with those before moving into anything more advanced.

 

I haven't tried standing meditation, no; I have tried meditating lying down, but always tend to fall asleep! In fact, when I have managed to do sitting meditation without my back giving me grief, I've sometimes not been sure if I've been in a type of trance or just dozing!

 

As to moving meditation, isn't that what qigong is, if it's practiced properly? My teacher doesn't go into things very deeply, as I'm not sure people round here would appreciate it, so our qigong practice seems to me to be a bit superficial, but occasionally she touches on the idea of concentrating the mind on the qi flow, and each time I find that it makes me feel really good. Unfortunately at home I find it's much more difficult to concentrate on remembering all the movements and placing the mind in the right place at the same time.

 

As to whether or not there's anything wrong with my back, that's a really difficult question; it's been getting worse for about 13 years, since I gave up a sedentary life as a musician and started working physically. I endlessly went to chiropractors in England (which cost a lot but that was about it) and in France I've tried a physio, who uses the Meziere method, which involves a lot of stretching and which had quite good results, but which certainly hasn't solved the problem. But X-rays show nothing wrong and apart from a herniated disc 18 months ago no one can put their finger on the problem. My physio was suggesting that everyone has different ways of dealing with stress and that mine is to hold it in, and it's my back that bears the brunt of it. Nice theory, but if it's true, what can I do about it?

 

I have been to where you are. All those ox blood colour buildings! and seafood! I remember Ainhoa, St Jean de Luz, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and of course Bayonne & Biarritz.

 

I saw the biggest slugs I have ever seeni n my life, there. Huuuge ones. And I was told the locals ate them. this, I trust, was someone pulling my leg.

 

Yeah I think they were pulling your leg. Hope so anyway. We're a bit further east from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, near a place called Tardets. I've not seen slugs like that up here, but some of the toads can get pretty big, and the earthworms...

[mgd]

... But X-rays show nothing wrong and apart from a herniated disc 18 months ago no one can put their finger on the problem. My physio was suggesting that everyone has different ways of dealing with stress and that mine is to hold it in, and it's my back that bears the brunt of it. Nice theory, but if it's true, what can I do about it?

 

Hi,

 

Have you tried acupuncture with massage? It's worked for me. Went for hour long sessions initially every week, then that tapered to twice a month and now I go once a month for maintenance and general feeling of wellbeing.

 

Consider doing a search online for more info re the benefits of acupuncture for back pain. Good Stuff.

 

Gloria

[Dan Tian]

Hi,

 

Have you tried acupuncture with massage? It's worked for me. Went for hour long sessions initially every week, then that tapered to twice a month and now I go once a month for maintenance and general feeling of wellbeing.

 

Consider doing a search online for more info re the benefits of acupuncture for back pain. Good Stuff.

 

Gloria

 

Hi Gloria, thanks for that. Yes I have tried acupunture, although not combined with massage. I went for 3 or 4 sessions, then my acupuncturist told me it wasn't worth continuing, as it would only treat the symptoms and not the cause. The difficulty seems to be finding the cause in the first place.

 

I know for a lot of people acupuncture can be really beneficial, but have pretty much come to the conclusion that in a case like mine, it's not worth relying on others for treatment; that can help certainly, but basically I should be thinking of helping myself, hence the qigong. And hence my interest in Taoism also.

 

I reckon the answer might lie in what Cat suggested about doing stretching exercises.

 

Thanks.

[mgd]

but have pretty much come to the conclusion that in a case like mine, it's not worth relying on others for treatment; that can help certainly, but basically I should be thinking of helping myself,

 

We'll then if you want to take matters into your own hands, which I totally agree with by the way, then how about...self-massage?

 

It seems to have been of benefit to lots of folks here at Tao Bums....check out Trunk's journal in the personal practice section as well as his website and see how it feels to you...ya never know.

 

[Dan Tian]

We'll then if you want to take matters into your own hands, which I totally agree with by the way, then how about...self-massage?

 

It seems to have been of benefit to lots of folks here at Tao Bums....check out Trunk's journal in the personal practice section as well as his website and see how it feels to you...ya never know.

 

 

Thanks, I'll look into it.