Frequency Adjustment

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Date: 7/25/10

From: Jim info@apricotforesthall.com

Subject:  Frequency Adjustment

Hello,

     The two most common reasons for people to test out Qigong is to heal some sort of physical ailment (pain) and the other would be to help with an over active mind (anxiety/stress). So, lets talk a little bit about the arts thoughts on the mind and what it takes to have a little frequency adjustment. Traditional Chinese theory divides human emotions into seven categories: joy, anger, worry, over-thinking, grief, fear and shock. Each of these emotions effect ones energy and over all well being:

Joy: Makes energy relax

Anger: Makes energy rise

Worry: Makes energy low

Over-Thinking: Makes energy knot

Grief: Makes energy vanish

Fear: Makes energy descend

Shock: Disorients energy

     Zhan Zhuang is the game of awareness. Part of this tuning of your awareness is the study of Non-Attachment. By keeping light awareness on these three keys, Posture, Relaxation & Breathing one can begin to avoid attaching to random thoughts that are with all of us. During the practice of Zhan Zhuang one is not expected to "zen out" and not have any thoughts coming in! This is not realistic but what one must understand is that awareness of the breath has a gentle massaging effect on the central nervous system which gradually relaxes your entire system. This is one of the reasons why they state: The primary purpose for Lower Abdominal Breathing is to quiet the mind.   

     If one is struggling with many thoughts during practice all you need to do is not attach to them by keeping light awareness on the three keys. The stronger you attach to these thoughts later turn them into feelings, emotions or desires which disturb your whole system. In Zhan Zhuang when you begin to drift you tend to tense up by losing focus on what is the important. So, anytime your drifting off or day dreaming during Zhan Zhuan just return to the 3 keys of awareness. (Is my posture ok?  Am I loose/relaxed?  Is my dan tien breathing light and natural?)  This is one of the reasons natural Qigong say; In Qigong all we can do is aid in the breaking of physical and mental obstructions which allow the mind and body the heal, strengthen and unite thru tranquility.  

     Zhan Zhuang is a powerful lab for growth. Like any art, the more you put into it the more you will get out of it and its wonders are truly profound! Equilibrium (Zong Ding) is a gradual and smooth process but thanks to the core nature of this Zhan Zhuang Qigong platform we can directly cultivate and heal our entire being with minimal effort. Those who have come to MIT Qigong looking for a little Frequency Adjustment have found the simplest and most effective method known to humanity. All it takes is a little effort!

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I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I look forward to a nice work out tonight.  

Peace,

Jim 

www.ApricotForestHall.com  

Monday Qigong Schedule

Year One Exercises

5) Small Vibrations

5) Gathering Qi

5) Crane (L)

5) Crane (R)

5) Turning Cow 

5) Gathering Qi

15) Natural Post

5) Low Post

Seal/Wash

The Body Seeks Equilibrium - Fong Ha (1996)

Excerpt from T'Ai Chi Magazine, Vol 20, No 3 (1996)

Wuji Qigong: Harvesting Inner Resources

Fong Ha said that by putting yourself in a standing position such as Wuji, "You are activating your own automatic maintenance system. So it doesn't matter if you have bad posture. Every single cell in your body will want to maintain itself so you can stand up straight. Therefore, it is self-correcting at all times, regardless of your state of health, regardless of the state of destruction going on in your body. Your body is automatically self-adjusting and self-maintaining. By simply doing the Wuji stance, you are activating it already. There is nothing else you have to do. In my theory, you don't have to be able to stand in any special way. Just stand up and already the work is done."

"The body seeks equilibrium." Through the equilibrium, Fong Ha said, the mind and body become more integrated. "Integrated means the awareness comes from the center and extends to every extremity of the body. Then you have integration. Integration can also be talked about as evenly distributed tension, or even as density, as in matter. So the body, through the practice of qi, opens all the meridians and you become more and more integrated. The Chinese word is solid, meaning one, unity."

Fong Ha said that in terms of martial arts, "I have come to the understanding that knowing and developing awareness continues to be far more important than developing self-defense technique. Our awareness is there, we just don't know that it is there. So when we put our mind in the dantian, that is just a method to remind yourself it is there. That is the beginning of it."