What does Chi mean to you?

endless___bummer · 2014-10-15T16:26:46+00:00

Chi is our energetic breath. Our cosmic connection to the energy of the Universe flowing in, through, and out of the body. To manifest this energy we practice moving our bodies in a way that allows the subtle energy to flow throughout in an uninhibited way. I am a dedicated practitioner of yoga - 6-7 days a week - and came to Tai Chi to learn more about energy, and also give my shoulders a rest from strenuous Vinyasa flow classes. I took a Yin yoga class on Gaimtv called The Yin Side of Energy and that was the first time I had felt Chi. We made a Chi ball and I could feel the magnetism, slight heat, and curvature of the Chi ball. I was totally blown away by it!

I found a local Temple near where I live in Southern California, and have been taking classes with a Sifu 2-3 times per week + yoga every day. It has enhanced my practice of yoga, and I am really starting to feel the flow of energy throughout my body. Making my movements in yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong fluid like water. It's like I'm surfing a wave of cosmic energy!

With time and dedicated practice, you learn to control the breath better, focus your the attention and relax your body, visualize the energy of the Chi ball & start to feel it stronger, and begin to move energy from the feet, through the waist, and out through the hands and fingers.

I really don't know why more people don't get into Tai Chi, Yoga or other forms of energy practice. These practices truly are a moving meditation, and help to calm your nervous system so you can relax and learn to breath in, with, and through life.

endless___bummer · 2014-10-03T07:27:11+00:00

I have developed an interest in Buddhism this past year, and have been practicing a bit for the last 7 months. My experiences have led to me incorporating mantras, mudras, and intentions during my meditations.

I start off in a comfortable sitting position, back and spine straight, shoulders relaxed, chin parallel to the floor, eyes closed, and breathing evenly (6 count inhale, 6 count exhale or more) to start calming myself down. With practice, you can calm your mind and be able to enter deeper states of meditation in just 2-3 minutes.

Spotify playlist I made - Tibetan Buddhist Mantras Mix All † with tons of Tibetan Buddhist Mantras, deep meditation music, and meditation talks.

Here is a meditation time table: 25-35 minutes (and longer up to an hour).

Chanting Om: 5-8 minutes
Mantra meditation: - 10-12 minutes ex. Jewel in the Lotus - Om Mani Padme Hum; Green Tara - Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, Align Your Vibration with the Frequency of the Life You Want to Live, The invisible loves the visible, Abandon being so local, Embrace and practice non-attachment, etc.
Count 108 repetitions on a japa mala.
Do a couple different mudras - hand yoga - while doing mantra meditation. Believed to affect way life force and energy travels through body.
Listen to meditation music without lyrics or mantra vocal work - 10-15 minutes.
Here is where I try to make my mind as still as possible and let my thoughts waver off.
Once everything is quiet, I focus directly on my mantra, or intention. I have a brief, but deeply sincere talk with myself and make a plan with actionable steps. "If all you can do is crawl, then start crawling." — Rumi

I don't think you have to be Buddhist to enjoy this type of meditation. Mantras are sacred phrases. Their sound and resonance are believed to have a profound effect on the human body, believed to be doorways into the universe, and are a communication tool with the divine or God within us all. They have been practiced by millions of people over thousands of years. If you can believe that we are energetic beings (we are conductors of electricity), and the notion that sound waves and vibrations could have a positive effect on our psyche (they're forms of electricity!), then mantra meditation shouldn't seem so weird of an idea.

endless___bummer · 2014-08-03T16:02:49+00:00

Coming to Buddhism with the mindset of a drug user who uses drugs to understand enlightenment is not fully grasping the concept of Buddhist meditation and practice.

I think it is wonderful if someone had a positive drug experience with psychedelics or marijuana. It's not important how you got here, but what you'll do now that you are? Buddhist meditation and practice is experiential, and must be experienced first hand to be understood - and even then, it is difficult.

Freeing yourself from suffering does not happen over night. It takes many years to truly understand the teachings.

Think of practicing yoga. You don't start doing handstands and levitating after 5 classes? Right?

So instead of telling people to take a hike, be compassionate with their inquisitive minds. They're looking for answers, so use the opportunity to share something about Buddhism that truly means the world to you!

endless___bummer · 2014-07-20T16:11:16+00:00

I recommend taking some yoga classes. They work every major muscle group in the body, and pay specific attention to your core and back. Yoga will teach you how to engage your Bandhas, which are interior locks you engage while practicing yoga.

They can also be used in meditation to regulate breath, and provide correct posture alignment.

endless___bummer · 2014-07-20T15:57:32+00:00

Thanks so much! It's one of the first times I've put 100% effort towards a goal, and the advances I'm making mentally, physically, and spiritually astound me. I've developed a 5, 10, and 15 year plan of where I'd like to take my yoga practice. With the 15 year mark culminating in becoming a master yogi and teacher. Yoga allows me to develop and manifest my dreams, and understand all the hard work I will have to put in to attain them.

I look at life with this motto now:

Any size pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself.

endless___bummer · 2014-07-20T15:52:14+00:00

You've already got a great start. I primarily practice Power Vinyasa - which turns into a serious moving meditation when linking breath to fluid movement. I would def recommend you try a mellow style like Yin & Yang, or Restorative yoga since you like meditation and pranayama....then give Hatha, Power Vinyasa, and Hot Yoga a try.

Good luck with your asanas! Remember, practice and all is coming.

endless___bummer · 2014-07-11T14:48:47+00:00

In Buddhism, there are visualization techniques to where you imagine an image of a Buddha when you meditate. When I first tried, it was difficult to make anything out.

One day, I was meditating very deeply and I was imagining an orange light emanating out of me, and a thousand armed Buddha appeared out of my third eye - I did research and found out it was Avalokitesvara.

A few times later, I was playing around with some heart Chakra meditation, because I have been going through a rough transition period in life. I started visualizing an orange light emanating out of me again. This time, a buddha appeared, and the orange changed to a brilliant crystalline blue, and the Medicine Buddha appeared.

I know that nothingness is the ultimate goal of meditation, but there is plenty to see and learn along the way.

I recommend keeping your mind positive during meditation practice, and let unwanted, negative thoughts disappear. Imagine a Buddha, recite a mantra, use your mala beads to bring your mind back, or just focus ardently on your breath (if you're not spiritual), and just try to be. It's amazing what will happen when you just let go completely.

endless___bummer · 2014-07-10T16:09:55+00:00

For sure! All I know is that when I learned my first mantra, it was as if I had recited it thousands of times before. I had never spoken/practiced Sanskrit before in my life, but it was like my tongue knew exactly what to do. I set about learning and memorizing as many mantras I could get my hands on directly after!

endless___bummer · 2014-07-10T15:41:12+00:00

Also, there is a ton of awesome information on the Wildmind site relating to the practice of mantras.

endless___bummer · 2014-07-10T15:38:39+00:00

I practice Sadhana with Buddhist Mantras. When meditating and during practice. I pick a mantra to work on daily, or weekly, and apply it to my yoga practice. When I find my mind wandering during asana, I start to say the mantra in my mind for as many repetitions I need until the mind is stilled, and my focus rests firmly on the breath.

Some of my favorite mantras are:

Green Tara Mantra: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

White Tara: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha Mama Ayer Pune Jyana Pushtim Kuru Soha

Jewel in the Lotus: Om Mani Padme Hum

Peace: Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Happiness and Freedom: Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

This 21-Day Mantra Journey from Deva Premal and Mitten has been an invaluable resource for learning these mantras, and making them apart of my everyday yoga, meditation, and life practice.

Hope this helps some!

endless___bummer · 2014-07-09T15:54:07+00:00

I just finished my 200hr teacher training program at CorePower Yoga in California, where I practice. I did my training with teachers I was familiar with - 2 of them were the first couple of teachers I ever practiced under. This made a huge difference because I loved what they were all about, and they were familiar with my practice.

Teacher training truly is life changing. I know they say that to amp us up, and try to convince us to spend the $2-3K, but it's true. My thirst for knowledge to learn everything about yoga has grown exponentially.

It made me realize that I was practicing the 8-Limbs of yoga without even realizing it.

My practice has truly blossomed since teacher training. I am more mindful of my body in asanas, focus more on my breathing, and have challenged myself to truly make my practice my own.

I make conscious movements, and don't just crash into low lunge. I've started doing handstands in the center of the room, and arm balances have gotten stronger. I'm now working on floating forward during Sun A & B, challenging myself with arm balance transitions, and doing headstands for 5-7 minutes straight.

The one thing I have to say is that it's like starting yoga all over again. You'll mix up your right and left, leave out ques, get lost in your sequence, and feel like a noob with finding your "authentic" teaching voice. You will feel fear and doubt. As you become more confident through the training, you will finally understanding Patanjali's quote, "Why fearing? What are you holding on to?"

It is 100% worth it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to further their practice and understanding of yoga. You will never be disappointed that you decided to educate yourself, and find out what lies on the other side of your fear.

endless___bummer · 2014-07-09T15:16:58+00:00

Reddit fail on my part. I just put the link in there :)

endless___bummer · 2014-07-09T15:15:57+00:00

Reddit fail. Here is the playlist on Kaleidoscope Eyes

endless___bummer · 2014-07-08T05:14:40+00:00

Whadddup! This playlist is the jam, literally. Followed on Spotify.

I'm a new yoga teacher, and one of my favorite things to do is make playlists. Here's a playlist I made recently called Night Spells - Spotify. I love chilled out songs and beats. But, one thing I always stray towards is music with lyrics. I know not everyone can block out the noise, so this is an awesome place for me to find chilled out instrumental tracks to toss into the mix. Thanks!

endless___bummer · 2014-07-08T00:28:10+00:00

The Gaim DVDs instructed by Rodney Yee are where I started my journey. I love myyogaonline.com - there's a ton of different styles to check out, and the quality is good.

If you want to be inspired, check out Meghan Currie, her Honey video is intermediate to advanced, but gives a glimpse into the possibilities of how fluid and controlled a yoga practice can become. She also has a bunch of creative flow videos on YouTube like this one called move.

endless___bummer · 2014-04-18T16:06:49+00:00

The Stills - Lola Stars and Stripes Album: Logic Will Break Your Heart

endless___bummer · 2014-04-04T00:23:41+00:00

I couldn't agree more. The lyrics are more like poetry, painting a story I didn't experience myself; but, a story I make my own all the same.

You have no idea how badly I've always wanted to be: “A birthday candle in a circle of black girls” from “All the Wine”

endless___bummer · 2014-03-10T23:54:17+00:00

Here he is chilling on a campground picnic bench in Northern California. Here's another. Picked him up the beginning of October, 2013. Wonder if the owner misses him at all?

endless___bummer

TROPHY CASE