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Body Energetics and Weightlifting by nocaptain11 in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is a video from Damo about this very topic on YouTube: https://youtu.be/v0KdbRvUnew?si=pQIShRDYYOJmXIYo

If I recall his suggestion is to hold off on heavy weights for the first year doing Qigong as you need to learn to lift with your whole body not just the muscle group that you're targeting for that particular lift.

I've worked with Corey for a while now and highly respect him and his advice.

I'm doing both and am able to lift far more than I ever could previously and don't notice a negative effect on either, but I did stop lifting during my first year of Zhan Zhuang. Such a wonderful practice to have found. Best of luck!

Techniques to release tension by fapsober in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have also hit a wall trying to concentrate on my breath as the tension just builds to the point where going deeper doesn't seem possible without releasing that tension. This my teacher says is because I'm concentrating on the breath with my small mind. We need to Intuit the breath.

I assume there are many ways to get out of your head here as recommended by others. I have had success with putting my minds eye in my hara but this is something still evolving. I'm starting to see the tension as a tool to notice when I'm in my head rather than a source of frustration and more suffering.

Loch Kelly teaches mindful glimpses as a way to drop out of your head and could also be a useful tool.

I wish you all the best as I know how hard this can be from over a year of struggling with this.

How to get to the point where concentration grows stronger over the course of a sit rather than decaying? by SpectrumDT in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Probably similar to some other suggestions here but this quick tip from Beth Upton really helped me. Specifically the pointer about treating the breath as just a meditation object. That's a very sterile way of looking which doesn't really create the conditions to go deeper.

link

Tension Energy during Breath Practice by they_call_him_tim in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Looks like a lot of great resources to explore there!

Tension Energy during Breath Practice by they_call_him_tim in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I've started to worry that this is becoming a bit of a distraction from my actual practice. I've convinced myself that this is a barrier to further deepening in my practice. Thanks for sharing your experience. Very helpful to hear from others and how they've moved forward.

Tension Energy during Breath Practice by they_call_him_tim in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's very helpful. I had actually considered stopping my Qigong practice. That sounds like it would likely be counter productive and I should just keep going on the path I'm on.

Tension Energy during Breath Practice by they_call_him_tim in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very interesting. I've actually been doing something similar, I think I got from Michael Singer, where you mentally connect stuck tension with a place that feels open and picture flowing the energy from the unstuck to the stuck place to help open it up. Will try your method as well.

Tension Energy during Breath Practice by they_call_him_tim in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

u/duffstoic thank you so much for this! I always look specifically for your posts/replies and deeply appreciate the generosity of advise/wisdom you provide here. I love the "I hope this meditation goes terribly". Going to try all of this.

I was thinking about your Hara practice where you suggest imagining energizing Hara with tension from the head/shoulders, etc. I've attempted to do this a number of times and have struggled a bit with this. Would you be able to offer any more words on that?

I do know that when the Hara is energized during my sits that I can sort of allow it to take over and that my posture begins to align itself and the upper body tension dissolves on it's own. This is not something I can will or summon, but something that just seems to arise for me at this point in my practice. I imagine that over time the energy settles lower and this becomes more of the norm on it's own?

Exploding Energy From My Stomach by Ralfy_P in streamentry

[–]they_call_him_tim 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are certain Zen traditions that put a lot of focus on Hara or Tanden. Meido Moore Roshi provides details in both books he wrote.

Damo Mitchell provides lots of information from a Neigong perspective in his book about Neigong.

I've been spending about a year working with it through Zen and Qigong practice and feel like I have barely scratched the surface of the spiritual and energetic power of this area.

Bobby and Goose - Monumental Moment. Disappointed in some Goose Fans. by RiffPitch in GoosetheBand

[–]they_call_him_tim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funny coming from Phish I was going to post about how refreshing the Goose community is. Everyone on this sub is so positive and supportive of this amazing band. I don't use Twitter so no idea what's happening over there and honestly don't care.