Guard the Mind

credited to Yun Hoi:  www.yunhoiwingchun.com

All suffering in this life and others is created by the unsubdued mind. Similarly, the basis of all the practices of the six paramitas, such as generosity, moral discipline, and so on, is the mind.

Nothing is more important than guarding the mind. Let us constantly keep watch over the wild elephant of the mind, curbing it with mindfulness and vigilance. This is how to avoid being influenced by different external conditions. But even in retreat in a very secluded place, if the mind is not kept under control, it will wander all over the place. Even completely alone, we can have an enormous amount of negative emotions.

How are we to guard the mind? We should use attentiveness to watch our thoughts and use mindfulness to judge whether we are acting correctly. With these two we have the means to annihilate all adverse conditions. But without them, we will not see whether our thoughts are positive or negative or whether we are doing right or wrong, nor will we then be able to use antidotes as necessary.

- Kundun, Dalai Lama Sonam

TED Talk: Stepping back for 10 minutes a day

Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes.html

"All it takes is 10 mindful minutes a day... We are so distracted that we are no longer present in the world in which we live. And the crazy thing is that most people believe that that is just the way it is, so let's get on with it. But that's just not how it has to be. When I first started meditating, I thought that it was just like aspirin for the mind. I didn't realize that meditation could be so preventive. I gave up everything and became a monk to completely give in to the present moment. By that, I mean, not being lost in thought, distracted, but instead, learning how to be in the here and now, mindful, present. I think the present moment is so under-rated, and yet we spend so little of our time there. Research has shown that humans spend almost 47% of their time lost in thought. In just ten minutes a day, you can impact your entire life. Meditation is familiarizing ourselves with the present moment. Most people assume that meditation is about stopping thoughts, controlling the mind. That's not true. It's about stepping back, watching the world with a relaxed, focused mind. It's only in learning to watch the mind in this way that we can learn to let go. Don't feel surprised if you feel a bit agitated when you first sit down to meditate. Meditation offers the opportunity to step back and get a different perspective and see that things aren't always as they appear. We can't always change every little thing that happens to us in our life... but we can change the way we experience it. You don't have to burn any incense or sit on the floor. Just take 10 minutes a day to step back and familiarize yourself with the present moment so you get to experience a better sense of focus, calm, and clarity in your life."

Qi Magazine: Walk this Way

By Julian Wilde
From Qi Magazine - Issue 90
Winter 2009

Among the many aspects of the wonderful Taijiquan of Chen Village that I noticed was the emphasis on vertical alignment. From the youngsters who practised every afternoon, through the teenagers who were training on the edges of the central courtyard most of the day, to the older guys who popped in a few times to go through their routines, everyone was very careful to keep upright, to keep the spine vertical as much as possible. Generally, their posture was superb. Though rooted and steady, the straightness of their posture made their stepping look very light and precise. I could have spent hours watching and making notes!

The vertical alignment of head, hip and heel is quite important in Taiji but there are times in our practice when we inadvertently let the posture slip. When we do, we lose Peng, ground connection, and we distort the body, thereby robbing it of maximum efficiency. One of the most usual times we sacrifice posture is when we step. If our legs aren’t strong enough, if we can’t relax and sink enough, we unconsciously lean the body, forwards, backwards or to the side when we extend the leg. You can check this for yourself with a variation on the Chen walk.

The Chen Walk is an exercise we use as part of the warm-up in all Taiji classes. It’s simple but such a versatile sequence that I feel it deserves a little more attention. Basically it consists of crossing the arms in front of the Dantian, sliding the heel diagonally forward, and then transferring the weight over. While we’re transferring the weight, we turn on the forward heel and then pick up the back foot. Also, as the weight transfers forward we let the arms “swim” open. Simple. But here are three ways to use the same exercise. No doubt you can think of others.

Firstly, working on the afore mentioned vertical alignment: - stand on your left leg, the toes of the right foot resting on the floor. You can keep your arms by your side or behind your back, it doesn’t matter. Sink the body as much as possible and extend the leg, heel first, to the side as if preparing to step. Feel any tension resulting from this movement and get a friend to check your posture to see if you’re leaning slightly. Adjust accordingly, which usually means coming up a bit or taking a slightly shorter step.

Shift the weight to the right leg, turning the toes of the right foot out as you transfer. Before you pick up the left foot, check your posture again. It‘s common to lean forward slightly to get the weight fully over, but this means again that your step was too wide for your ability. Now try and pick the left foot up cleanly. If you have to drag it a bit, your step was too wide for you or you’re not able to sink enough for the movement to be clean. Now try the whole sequence on the other side and see what happens. Often one side is stiffer than the other.

We tried this one in class, being really careful to lift the crown of the head, which automatically tucks the chin in slightly, and trying to lengthen through the whole spine. Everyone was reminded to try to put this into their 19 step form and were surprised how different it felt!

We can use the Chen walk to exercise other aspects of our Taiji. For instance, we can train diagonal energy by making sure we push from one foot to the opposite hand when we do the walk. Transfer the weight by pushing the back foot into the floor, using the energy to push the arms out. This will definitely result in a loss of good posture for some students but it’s still a great exercise! Step as wide as you like but make sure you push from the back heel rather than just sink onto the front foot.

We can also perform the Chen walk trying to keep the head at the same height throughout the exercise. This, as you will find out, definitely works the legs hard! It will also force you to adjust the width of your step. Most people tend to come up a bit when they move on to the forward foot and sink again when they step. Just as an exercise, try and keep your height constant.

And then, of course, you can try the above three exercises all over again, but this time stepping backwards. That’s another class over! Where does the time go?

We all want to learn the exciting forms, the Cannon Fists, the spear and broadsword etc, but if we can’t even step forward or backward without distorting the body and the basic principles of Taiji, it’s better to rein in our enthusiasm and pay attention to basics. Again!

Mentally Fit in the New Year

By CHELCEY ADAMI
Link to original article

People often forget to exercise the most important part of their body, their brain. Valley resident Maria Elena Marcello has been practicing yoga, reiki, tai chi and kung fu for years and also teaches tai chi in the city of Imperial’s recreation department. She said these activities not only provide physical exercise but also mental exercise, helping with one’s cognitive abilities and preventing issues such as Alzheimer’s.
“The No. 1 sicknesses are produced by stress so you have to really try to calm down and calm your mind,” she said.

Marcello enjoys the kung fu for the cardio-aspect but makes sure to balance it out with the more relaxing activities such as yoga.

“It’s gentle movements and believe it or not, it strengthens your body, tones your muscles. You’ll lose weight and you enjoy it because it brings you peace,” she said. “Tai chi is a good beginning for anyone making a resolution to be healthier in the New Year. You have to balance hard exercises with soft exercises.”

She added that activities such as yoga and tai chi can be practiced by people of any age. "If you don’t want to try something like that, just go for a walk," Marcello said. "Just enjoy your surroundings, look at the trees, look at the flowers, just try to relax. You have to be trying to be healthy in all aspects of your life.”

"Even if in office all day, one can take five to 10 minute to relax and mediate," she added. "Just close your eyes and relax your body, try not to focus on anything, your mind, and then continue with your work."

Ken Cohen is a worldwide renowned health educator, Qigong Master, practitioner of indigenous medicine, speaker and author. Qigong are ancient Chinese exercises, breathing techniques and meditations “used to create a full supply and smooth flow of Qi which means ‘life force,’” that serve as a complimentary medicine.

“Stagnation equals disease whether physical, mental or spiritual. We’re meant to be in a state of flow and connection,” Cohen said.

"While it’s not meant to cure every disease, it can be a powerful complimentary medicine to mainstream practices. If someone is in distress due to a relationship, life circumstances or more, then they are more likely to become ill," Cohen added.

“There’s no question that the mind communicates with the body,” he said. “If we can exercise more control over the mind, we can lessen the stresses that cause disease.”
It’s important to remember that while focusing on mental health is key, it doesn’t take the place of the physical exercise. “Some people make the mistake of thinking ‘I’m doing tai chi and don’t need to do more,’” he said. “We want both the external strength but we also want internal, or metabolic, strength.”

When taking personal control of one’s responses to outside influences, such as pollution and its corresponding breathing health issues, Qigong can be particularly beneficial.

“To the extent that you can’t control the external environmental, it becomes more important to control the internal environment,” Cohen said.

Staff Writer Chelcey Adami can be reached at 760-337-3452 or cadami@ivpressonline.com

Qigong in the News: find the right kind of meditation

The right kind of meditation for you; Mantra, mindfulness, zen, and qigong visualization are different ways to relax

New research suggests you could be missing out on all the health benefits of meditation by simply starting out with a technique not well matched to your personal tastes.

NY Daily News : Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 11:32 AM

Did you give meditation a chance and decide it's not your cup of tea? New research suggests you could be missing out on all the health benefits of meditation by simply starting out with a technique not well matched to your personal tastes.

Adam Burke, director of San Francisco State University's Institute for Holistic Health Studies, suggests trying another method to see which one is best suited to you.

"If someone is exposed to a particular technique through the media or a health care provider, they might assume because it's popular, it's the best for everyone," he said. "But that's like saying because a pink dress or a blue sport coat is popular this year, it's going to look good on everybody. In truth, different people like different things."

Burke and colleagues recently conducted a study of college students new to meditation and their preferences among four meditation techniques -- mantra, mindfulness, zen, and qigong visualization.

The participants learned all four different techniques, with 31 percent rating mantra as their preferred choice and another 31 percent choosing mindfulness. However, 22 percent said zen was their favorite, and 15 percent voted for qigong. Participants who opted for mantra and mindfulness said they thought the techniques were easier to practice, more calming, and less complex.

Partly accounting for the differences in tastes, the researchers note, is age, with older participants opting for zen, while younger participants preferred mindfulness. The results of the study appear in the July 7 issue of the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.

Another type of mindfulness meditation known as integrative body-mind training (which focuses on breathing and posture awareness) has recently been a hot topic in the media with a new study that found that the technique can have a positive physical effect on the brain, boosting connectivity and efficiency. The study appears in the June issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Meditation shopping? While it may seem strange, it is perhaps the best approach to finding a technique that works for you, at least according to a new study from San Francisco State University's Institute for Holistic Health Studies.

Published on July 7 in the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, the findings reveal that by finding a form of meditation that works for you, you are less likely to quit. The result of sticking with it? Research-backed benefits of reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and help with addiction problems.

While meditation styles vary, you'll want a comfortable, quiet room, perhaps a cushion to sit on, and anywhere from five to 20 minutes for beginners.

Here are a few traditional seated meditation techniques used in the study that you may want to try:

Vipassana (or mindfulness) - This meditation dates back to the times of Gautama Buddha and translates to "seeing deeply." You can start out by breath awareness and then advance to stages of being mindful of your perceptions and thoughts at any time, regardless of what you are doing. Some people attend 10-day Vipassana retreats, or "bootcamps," to delve deeper into the practice.

Mantra - This style involves the repetition of a word, phrase, or sound, or repeatedly envisioning a specific image. In the San Francisco State University study, participants imagined a ball of light in the area of their heart. For sounds or words, basically every sound-vibration you can think of is a potential mantra, but one of the most popular ones is Om.

Zen - Zen is similar to mindfulness in its focus on presence of mind, but it involves a more general awareness, rather than a focus on something specific. The practice typically asks you to silently focus on breathing and posture with eyes open in a quiet place and to dismiss any thoughts that pop into your head, essentially "thinking nothing."

Qigong visualization - This Taoist practice utilizes several techniques to help restore health and balance to the body, including the Inner Smile, visualizing "smile-energy" penetrating your internal organs; Moon on Lake, visualizing the moon's reflection on a lake; and Holding Heaven in the Palm of Your Hand, imagining the energy of the galaxy in the palm of your hand. Other simpler techniques, such as those used in the study, involve imagining a beam of light running along the spine.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Or you can join us FOR FREE at MIT every Monday for soft natural Yiquan Qigong taught by Coach Jim Roselando from ApricotForestHall. All the benefits of meditation, yoga, and taiji in one simple exercise!! 

Tonight, we meet in the basement of the prestigious Kresge Auditorium from 7-8pm. See you there! To join our email list for updates on locations and special events, click here: http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/qigong

Video: Coach Jim Demonstrates the Turning Cow

Coach Jim Roselando demonstrates the Turning Cow exercise

from Year One of the MIT Qigong curriculum.

The Five Fundamentals of the Mind (By WXZ)

Date: 8/15/11

From: Jim info@apricotforesthall.com

Subject: Building 1/Room 242

Hello,

     For the next THREE WEEKS the MIT Qigong Club will be meeting in Building 1/Room 242.  I am looking forward to another fantastic work out with everyone.  Our classes on Monday night are FREE so bring some friends and test our simple yet profound method of cultivation!

See you soon!

Peace,

Jim

***

MIT Qigong

7:00-8:00

Building 1/Room 242

Cost is Free!

***

The Five Fundamentals of the Mind (By WXZ)

(This article originally appeared in Wudang, Vol. 10, #'s 2 and 3)

There are five basic fundamental concepts which will provide the insights or background needed to achieve higher levels in Martial Arts/Qigong. These concepts will help you in your overall relaxation skills.

The importance of your ability to relax is connected to several other factors: First and foremost, when you are in a relaxed state, your breathing is not constricted, but full and natural. Secondly, your alertness is clear and refined, and finally, your reactions are quick and uninhibited.

In order to achieve this relaxed state, you must practice meditation. The usual method of meditation emphasizes the physical acts of monitoring your breathing, becoming aware of any stress or tension, etc.

The following five guidelines will help you control your state of mind, a precondition of one’s behaviour.

Respect Respect makes reference to how you treat others. You should always maintain a sense of mutual respect. You should not take on a position of superiority, whether or not it may appear justified. There is an infinite amount of experiences, and any single person cannot possibly have witnessed all of them in his or her lifetime. Therefore, your fellow man has experiences and ideas that you may never have encountered or contemplated before. This is why you can always learn from others.

In the area of the Martial Arts, your classmate/opponent possesses different ideas, levels of skill, etc., all of which are legitimate. There may exist better, faster, more effective techniques, but nevertheless, your opponent’s techniques are real and must be addressed. No two persons will attack or react in the same way (power, angle, or methods). If you are perceptive, you can learn from any variation/situation. When you take on a position of superiority you create an artificial barrier between yourself and others. This barrier will automatically create tension. Tension is the single most important hindrance you must avoid in order to achieve higher levels.

Care Be thoughtful and careful when acting. It is important that you analyze self and commit yourself to whatever actions you take. You should believe in your decision-making processes. If you do not believe (have faith) or do not understand, you will create a mental block, which will hinder your results. Once you understand how a process can help you, then your mind can accept it, giving it value and allowing you to concentrate. It will also allow you to expand, gaining greater insights of how other issues are related to one another.

Thought This is a simple process. Understanding that you are only capable of doing one thing at a time, you can only process (solve) one issue at a time, you should not try to do two things at once. This will only split your focus as you move from one problem to another, and cause anxiety and stress. Single-mindedness will allow you to face the opponent with unrestrained whole-body power.

Focus You must understand completely what you are trying to achieve, clearly defining the end results of what is to be gained. You must therefore strip away all the minor processes and methods in order to focus on the essence of the subject matter. By focusing, you will understand which processes and methods enable you to achieve the desired goal.

Harmony Your interaction with others should be based on self-respect and honour. You should not take a position of superiority, nor one of inferiority. In this harmonious (neutral) position, you will be at ease with others, allowing you to be relaxed, calm, and composed.

Why Meditation is Important to the Martial Arts

Why Meditation is Important to the Martial Arts

by Jáchym Jerie, January 24, 2011

Disciple of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming at the YMAA CA Retreat Center

Also featured in the Spring 2011 Issue of Qi-Journal: http://www.qi-journal.com/

To reach the full potential as a martial arts practitioner, you must begin by training your mind. One way to accomplish this task is through sitting meditation. Through meditation your awareness, calm, and focus will increase. These are all very important factors in martial arts. Without awareness, you will not be able to fight in a battle without getting hit or even killed. Without focus, you will not be able to catch the right opportunity to strike or defend, which could be disastrous. Without calmness, you will not be able to focus or relax. If you tense up out of fear, you will burn out quickly. You must learn how to manipulate your energy, which will be referred to as Qi (氣) of the body so it will not disperse unused. Also you can activate more energy when it is really necessary.

All these benefits can be gained through embryonic breathing, which is the type of meditation focused in this article.

Embryonic Breathing Theory

To understand the concept of embryonic breathing, you have to know the basic energy system of the body. The human body has two polarities, one resides in the brain, and the other is in the abdomen region. The latter is called the real lower Dantian (丹田), while the former is known as the upper Dantian. There is another Dantian positioned at the solar plexus area, but not covered in this article. The lower Dantian is the battery for the whole body. It resides in the abdomen region. The structure of the abdomen allows Qi to be stored to a high level and from there it can supply the whole body.

The upper Dantian is in the limbic system located between the ears. Some Qi Gong (氣功) practitioners believe that this is the residence of the spirit and your true self.

The lower and upper Dantian communicate through the spinal cord. The communication occurs here because the spinal cord is composed of material highly conductive to Qi. This enables the two brains to act as one. Physically, they are two, but in action, they are one.

Yin and Yang

The energy of the Dantians has two polarities; the lower Dantian is the Yang (陽) side, and the upper Dantian is the Yin (陰) side. The two polarities regulate the whole energy system of the body. The Yang side supplies the quantity, while the Yin side supplies the quality. The quality of the energy will improve as the practitioner learns how to focus better. However, it is not a task that can be finished since there are unlimited levels of focus. Only through practice can you attempt to achieve a level of focus where outside distractions will not register. To improve the quantity, you have to condition the lower Dantian. For further information please refer to the book Qigong, The Secret of Youth—Da Mo's Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Classics, by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming.

False Dantian

The whole abdominal area is called false Dantian and can store energy to some extent, but once it is full, the energy will be distributed and consumed. The energy that is stored there comes from fat conversion, which happens as we move our abdomen, in normal or reverse abdominal breathing, which will be discussed later in this article. About one and a half inches below the navel, there is a cavity which is called Qihai (氣海) or false Dantian. Through this cavity one can lead Qi into and out of the real lower Dantian.

Semi-sleeping State and the Mind

The Chinese believe that human beings have two kinds of minds. One is called Yi (意) and the other one is called Xin (心). Yi is steady like a horse and represents wisdom. Xin is like a monkey and represents the emotional mind. To calm down the emotional mind, you should focus on your breathing. The semi-sleeping state is very important for meditation. Once we get to the semi-sleeping state the subconscious mind starts to wake up. The control of the conscious mind gets thinner and thinner. Once you meditate for a while, you might experience the surfacing of emotions such as anger or sorrow. Those feelings are most likely trapped emotions from the past, and you should release them.

Despite this, the semi-sleeping state is a condition in which we can best concentrate. When we are in the conscious state, our mind registers a lot of things and gets distracted by the outside world. Once we reach the semi-sleeping state, those distractions from outside fade away. Of course it is not easy to keep the semi-sleeping state without falling into the sleeping state. Through regular practice you will be able to do so.

Normal Abdominal Breathing

As you inhale, the diaphragm drops down and the abdomen pushes out. The Huiyin (會 陰), located between the anus and the testicles (essentially the perineum), also pushes out. As you exhale, the abdomen withdraws and the diaphragm moves back up to push air out. The Huiyin also gently pulls in.

This breathing technique is mostly used for relaxation purposes and is a very natural and familiar way to breathe. Babies instinctively use abdominal breathing. However, most people develop the habit of breathing with their ribcage as they grow older.

Reverse Abdominal Breathing

Reverse abdominal breathing is the opposite of normal abdominal breathing. As you inhale, the Huiyin and abdomen draw in. As you exhale, the Huiyin and abdomen push out. This breathing method helps to lead and build Qi more efficiently and should be used during meditation. Reverse abdominal breathing occurs naturally quite often, such as when laughing or crying. Reverse abdominal breathing also helps to energize muscles to a higher level, so it also occurs without thought when power or strength is needed, for example, when pushing heavy objects.

Embryonic Breathing

Embryonic breathing is the foundation for many kinds of meditation and Qigong exercises. Please note, it is very important to establish a good foundation before you can move onto any advanced exercises. If you want to master embryonic breathing, you have to practice the normal and reverse abdominal breathing techniques.

Embryonic breathing itself is basically the reverse abdominal breathing exercise with the mind placed into the lower Dantian. A step by step approach is discussed below. When the mind is placed into the center, one stores the energy there, since the mind and Qi are connected.

How does Meditation Work?

To get a deep understanding of meditation requires time and a lot of practice. To achieve success, you need to be patient and have perseverance. If you would like to start meditating, think about an available time in your schedule. It is preferable to meditate at the same time each day. This will establish a routine, and will make it easier for you to settle your mind faster.

Meditation can be practiced in almost any position. Here, at the YMAA Retreat Center, we like to sit on a cushion with crossed legs. This is practical as we will do further exercises in this position. You may prefer to sit on a chair or even lay down. The first step of embryonic breathing is to calm down your emotional mind. You do this by focusing on your breathing and relaxing your body. In the beginning, you might get distracted and think about other issues instead of paying attention to your breathing. If you get distracted, simply bring your mind back to your breathing. It will take some time until you feel comfortable with focusing inward and pushing external thoughts away.

Benefits Gained Through Meditation

As you progress, you will naturally start to inhale into your abdomen and this will have a great effect on your health. The diaphragm drops down as you inhale which massages the organs that are below it, in particular the kidneys, liver and spleen. The kidneys produce hormones and through the massage, the production goes up. These hormones are a bio-catalyst which helps make chemical processes in the body run more smoothly. As we age, the hormone production goes down; therefore it is important to keep the hormone production at a proper level.

Through proper, relaxed, and smooth breathing, you take in a lot of oxygen. This will ensure that the practitioner has a faster metabolism. Only with air are we able to change food into energy, therefore, it is extremely important to build up the right breathing habits.

In addition, you will learn how to manipulate your energy. Using the correct technique of breathing, you can manifest more energy or store it in the center and in the bone marrow. That’s why you can store energy when there is abundance, and manifest it when it is really necessary. Through meditation, the mind calms down and becomes more focused. This is crucial since focus is needed for all the tasks we face in daily life. It helps to solve them efficiently and thoroughly. You will find a solution to a problem faster when you are focused and calm, rather than when you are distracted and agitated.

Often we read that our life will get easier through meditation. This is only partially true. Meditation is hard work and it requires a tremendous amount of discipline. It will bring you to the point where you face your true self, and this might not be an easy task.

I believe that one of the reasons why we have so many things that keep us occupied is because we don't want to listen to our inner selves. No one really likes to look into a mirror and see all the flaws you have. But this is the only way we can evolve. As you meditate, you might feel emotions coming up without any apparent reason. Those emotions are the ones which we hold back. The only way to deal with them is to let them out. Mediation can be a very powerful tool in your life for improving mental well being as well as physical health.

Jáchym Jerie is a disciple of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming at the YMAA CA Retreat Center, which is located in Humboldt County, CA. Jáchym grew up in Switzerland and has been training Kung Fu since he was 17.

For more information: www.YMAA.com

Relaxation: using metal to cool fire (Qi Mag 1995)

Qi Magazine - Issue 17 (1995)

Relaxation, Focus and Meditation

These terms are widely known, but alas, widely misunderstood. This misunderstanding can have quite marked effects on your practice. So now it's time to clear up all the confusion.

The concept of relaxation often seems to be a problematic linguistic distinction between Western and Chinese cultures. In the West, relaxation seems to be almost wholly associated with sleep and unconsciousness. To the Chinese, especially to those associated with the martial arts or meditation, relaxation has some quite specific qualities. 

The first quality of relaxation is simply 'not tense', which does not mean 'limp' or 'floppy.' You quite often see this mistake in Taiji classes, when the teacher tells students to "relax" or be "soft." In fact, what the teacher is usually trying to tell the students is that their movements are too rigid, that they should be more fluid, flexible and light, rather than hard, heavy and stiff.

Unfortunately, when the teacher says "relax" the students don't just become limp they also tend to half-shut their eyes and go into a mental mode that can only be equated with that of a sleep walker or zombie. This is not too much of a problem when students are meditating because all they do is waste their own time, but so far as martial arts are concerned, this attitude is a positive liability.

This problem is compounded by the Western misinterpretation of phrases like "without force," "no mind," "empty mind," "go with the flow" and so on. "Going with the flow" for instance may well include a certain 'acceptance' of situations but it doesn't mean accepting a punch of the nose. "Going with the flow" means not using 'direct' resistance. You don't let things just happen to you and nor do you necessarily meet them head on like two rams clashing their horns together; instead you simply step off the line, avoiding hard attacks or even helping them on their way. Likewise, keeping an 'empty mind' does not mean being vacant. It means that you should got concentrate on particulars above the 'gestalt.' In other words you should not be concentrating so hard on your technique that you miss what the other person is doing to counter you.

When you understand how these ideas apply to the martial arts it is relatively easy to apply the same principles to meditation. Relaxing does not mean letting your postures collapse or going to sleep. It means letting go of tension, deepening and slowing your breathing. When your breathing relaxes your heart will naturally slow as well. Five element theory explains this as using metal to cool fire.

Keeping an empty mind means not concentrating on particular things. If you imagine that your body is like a theatre stage, your organs are like the dancers and your mind is like the lighting. The idea is that you watch everything that happens rather than focusing your mind on one thing like a spot light; because when you focus say on your heart, the rest of the stage goes dark and the liver might fall over. In this way you can let your mind be like a lantern shining on now.

With regular practice the energy of your body becomes smooth and your organs become healthy. It is easy to see and deal with problems before they become too advanced. As your meditation improves, your skills of concentration and relaxation will benefit your martial arts and also improve the quality of your whole life. 

-by Glenn Gossling

The Benefits of Meditation (MIT News)

The Benefits of Meditation

Anne Trafton, MIT News Office

In a study published online April 21 in the journal Brain Research Bulletin, the researchers found that people trained to meditate over an eight-week period were better able to control a specific type of brain waves called alpha rhythms. 

The researchers did brain scans of the subjects before the study began, three weeks into it, and at the end of eight weeks. At eight weeks, the subjects who had been trained in meditation showed larger changes in the size (amplitude) of their alpha waves when asked to pay attention to a certain body part — for example, “left foot.” These changes in wave size also occurred more rapidly in the meditators. 

Subjects in this study did not suffer from chronic pain, but the findings suggest that in pain sufferers who meditate, the beneficial effects may come from an ability to essentially turn down the volume on pain signals. “They learn to be aware of where their attention is focused and not get stuck on the painful area,” says Kerr, first author of the paper.

The subjects trained in meditation also reported that they felt less stress than the non-meditators. “Their objective condition might not have changed, but they’re not as reactive to their situation,” Kerr says. “They’re more able to handle stress.”

The researchers are now planning follow-up studies in patients who suffer from chronic pain as well as cancer patients, who have also been shown to benefit from meditation. 

Catherine E. Kerr, Stephanie R. Jones, Qian Wan, Dominique L. Pritchett, Rachel H. Wasserman, Anna Wexler, Joel J. Villanueva, Jessica R. Shaw, Sara W. Lazar, Ted J. Kaptchuk, Ronnie Littenberg, Matti S. Hämäläinen and Christopher I. Moore. "Effects of mindfulness meditation training on anticipatory alpha modulation in primary somatosensory cortex." Brain Research Bulletin. 2011 Apr 8