Kunlun 1 - deep breathing & heartbeat

[Owledge]

After 8 days of practicing Kunlun I have now experienced something where I think I need advice.

 

I will just summarize the practice up to this point as "no bliss yet, but feeling energy".

 

I was bending over again, back arched, head over my right hand and sensing forces in my forehead, especially on the left side (but less focused on the left side this time).

Because of the posture my body was aching at several places, so I wanted to straighten up, but in a natural way, and I accomplished that by deep breathing instead of the very relaxed, shallow kind. Also I smiled more and warmly.

Now it was a bit like my spine straightened up by a broomstick and in it I felt a low amplitude but high frequency energy bubbling kind of buzz/tingle. It was like a turbocharger had kicked in. But this was also accompanied by a significantly accelerated heartheat. I kept the deep breathing and my heartbeat further accelerated to maybe around 180, and even for me that was a bit too much. My eyes got the urge to open. I eventually let them open and began to close down. Unlike before, my hands were sweaty. Now I felt a high amplitude, low frequency trembling in the legs and lower dan tien area for quite some time.

For some reason I began to experiment. With my eyes open I tried to kinda retreat to a point inside my head and look out from there. Beginning from the center, my view began to be consumed by a grey haze (might have been just an effect of eyes open for too long and/or attention unfocusing). I cancelled this because my heartbeat was increasing again.

After that, during normal closing down, my heartheat was at normal pace, but powerful.

 

This kind of heartbeat acceleration I only experienced once before, several years ago. I don't know whether it was during a stillness meditation attempt or maybe in bed while trying to attain a half-awake-half-asleep-state. Does the accelerated heartheat maybe have to do with fear of the ego to unattach, to let go?

Edited March 11, 2009 by Hardyg

[Trunk]

There are often differences of pressure amongst the lower, middle, and upper. With integration exercises this (at best) gets exposed and evened out some, harmonized maybe even.

 

Sounds like you're depressurizing a bit from your lower and it's a bit much for your upper. Slow your practice some (maybe shorter sessions, maybe less frequently), if you feel that's appropriate. Do any exercise that you like that circulates blood (biking, swimming, etc.). Give things some room to even out.

..and I accomplished that my deep breathing instead of the very relaxed, shallow kind.

Part of 'basic training' is learning to breathe comfortably deep. During practice your breath should be comfortably deep (not shallow) and several times a day you should simply notice your breath and - if you're breathing shallow, notice your mood and shift to a deeper breath. It's a big key.

 

cheers,

Trunk

[Owledge]

Hm OK, so it was good to stop the heart-pounding. ... Well, who'd have thought it: Doing what feels natural/good. The same advice for everything Kunlun.

 

I began focusing on deep breathing some days ago and will focus more on it, and also during practice.

 

 

By the way... I close down until all energy feels 'down there', but the next day (right now, too) it feels like the energy of my heartbeat is distributed to my entire chest. I has become difficult to feel my heartbeat right at the heart because it blends in with the faint energetic trembling of my upper body.

Edited March 11, 2009 by Hardyg

[freeform]

I would get a heavy heart-beat from kunlun a while ago.

 

don't force the deep-breathing - you know when you naturally sigh? effortlessly taking in a deep breath and then just releasing - it should feel like that, rather than concentrated effort on your muscles... you can still do the concentrated effort, but then I would say do it separate to kunlun - in kunlun it's best not to 'direct'.

 

If you want to directly work on lower belly breathing, you could have a look at the book called "Unwinding The Belly" - it's very well written and presented; and the exercises I found very effective.

 

Regarding the energy in the heart - what I found useful, and you might as well (bearing in mind that you don't want to direct - just let go) - notice if you're 'holding' your arms - could you let go more? notice also if you're holding your throat tight - do any sounds want to come out? could you let go more in the throat... (and by letting go - you should let go all expectations - your throat might tighten more or your arms might even get stiffer or they could relax or start vibrating - or you could start making noises or not just let go more and observe what happens)

 

and since the forum is filling up with political idealists, here's a disclaimer - I am no expert, this is all based on my own experience - this advice is not representative of any school in particular. I'm suggesting an avenue of exploration - and not prescribing anything specific.

 

[joeblast]

[Owledge]

Well, when something aches and I move it, I can really feel the energy holding it in place. When my right shoulder aches, I try to let go and smile more and when I'm successful, the pain will vanish. Also, more than one time the right hand would eventually change angle and wander down, one time even making a certain finger connection to the left hand that had settled on the lap.

But it's also a great advice from joeblast to just keep the elbows narrow. I still have to remind me that these details are not so important.

 

Now I' ll have to see how it continues. I don't know whether the center channel did open (or whatever then happens), but as long as my hand posture doesn't dissolve by itself, I will keep it. My practice has been mostly unspectacular so far. I think I have to do more practice on the stillness. Every now and then a thought occurs, and I got the feeling that there's a difference between the mere discipline to not think of anything and real stillness of mind. Maybe it's the sensual perception of the outer world that's still interfering too much.

Edited March 11, 2009 by Hardyg

[joeblast]

It could also be the analysis that is interfering Make sure you are comfortable, check things like posture every so often but dont ride thoughts of it. Whether you create the feeling or the feeling creates you, that is less important than the intent, which is the most important. If you do this practice with the intent on having some omniscient blissful experience, you're going about it all wrong, what are you really looking for? - if you dont have love in your heart, how will you feel it being reciprocated. Or if you are looking for something else already created in your mind, that is already treading an illusory path. Seems like some people think this practice is going to be like having mom put a warm snuggly blanket over you like when you were a kid or something. Utilize that Yi and get real! What do you want, what are you doing? Are you just mentally running in circles, or are you already moving? Its in the intent, its in the doing with intent.

[Aetherous]

It can help to practice in the state between sleep and wakefulness.

[Owledge]

... its just a posture that helps get the energy going...once you can recognize it, you can raise/generate with simply an intention, no particular posture necessary.

How do I recognize it? I'm not sure when the process is running, so to speak.

Last time it was totally unspectacular. The only new thing was that my hands weren't held in place by energy, so I could freely move them. But nothing to do with them, so I suppose I just build the energy up and then bring it down to the lower dan tien during closing down.

I'm wondering whether I need a certain level of energy charge first before it can do anything significant in my body.

 

Another thing I was able to identify is that smiling prevents me going even deeper in mind-stillness. If I could forget the smiling, 'surrender' would come easier. Also I'm not sure how to smile correctly. It should be inner and outer, OK, but it contributes to confusion that the photos in the book show Max not smiling at all.

[freeform]

Be patient.

 

Don't get too serious about all this 'mind emptiness'.

 

It's good to smile - if it helps, before you start with the Kunlun, remember a time when you smiled an innocent child-like smile, and let the feeling fill you up and lift up the corners of your mouth. I personally remember how a baby beamed a huge smile at me when I was having a horrible day, and it just turned the whole day round - remembering this makes me smile.

 

With the smiling feeling still present get into the posture, and just be patient.

[joeblast]

How do you recognize it...its an experiential thing, find it in experience. I know that's not the answer a lot of people are looking for, but all of these halfass descriptions are about as close as words are going to get you. Like describing red to a blind person...well not that bad, as we do have some fuzzy reference frames to crutch us. I'm able to recognize it because I've done enough practice and trained with max a few times, after a bunch of practice its more easily noticeable when the energy is huge right there in front of you, then you can go oh, ok, now I know how to do that. With max it almost seems like some sort of a magnetic infrasound-but that is just a grasping at terms.

Would I be able to recognize it if I hadnt done enough practice? I seriously doubt it, given my previous general level of awareness. Would I be able to recognize it if I HAD done enough practice, and not seen Max? That I cant say with complete certainty - but having done a certain amount of practicing in combination with in-person training, I've been able to go much deeper into the practice far more quickly than if I hadnt. But the practice definitely had benefits for me before I met Max, so...it is what it is

[Owledge]

Things worked well last night. I might be over-interpreting, but funny how the principle that Kunlun is different and adapted for every person worked with my nature. I think I was able to combine the energy flow with the 'option' to think, to talk to myself in my mind and give myself direction or motivate me. Because that's what I did.

 

What really helped was healthy breathing ... and smiling, which came natural due to a mnemonic hook I use and also due to occasional positive insights that came from my active philosophizing during the practice.

 

You know how it feels in your arm when you touch 100 Volts (minus the pain)? This strong tingling buzz? That (in a lower magnitude) was how it felt along my center channel and/or spine, combined with a kind of pingpong effect in a normal heartbeat frequency. This started when the legs stopped jumping, and I kind of shifted gears twice after I got used to the strength. When that happened, the legs again started jumping, it felt more powerful, and after a while again, I got used to it. Closing down was mostly unspectacular. Felt a little heat at the lower dan tien.

I did this session from 3 to 4 am, was wide awake, went to bed, fell asleep roughly at 5 am, woke up without alarm clock at 9 am refreshed. Had a pretty long dream that didn't have a clear message and was kinda weird ... like dreams often are.

This was the first time that it was restorative and invigorating... and during the practice it actually felt entertaining/nice.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Hardyg