Awareness, Energy and Healing

I'm sitting in a hotel room sensing the results of 11 days of this Qigong Healing Intensive. This was not a 'practice' intensive, though we certainly put in many hours of practice. This was a 'healing' intensive. Most of the participants were working with serious health issues ranging from cancer to advanced Lymes, to neurological disorders, to Parkinsons to adrenal exhaustion.

Buddhism speaks of the Heavenly Messengers and how they can profoundly help us wake and and reframe our lives. Sickness, Old Age and Death, when we truly 'let them in,' open up new worlds.

I certainly felt the poignancy of life and death in this intensive. Participants were deeply, sincerely and perhaps even urgently engaged into every aspect of the practices. One woman came just for an afternoon on her birthday. We found out she'd died the next day. Apparently about a year and a half earlier she was told death was just a few days away. She came to an intensive, experienced a profound resurgence of energy and gave herself fully to the practices. In the next year and a half, she enjoyed a deep healing with her family, an abundance of love and gratitude and died in peace.

Beyond just learning the flow, we did intensive practices to stimulate the movement of chi (energy), including using sound healing techniques.

At first, the idea of chanting specific sounds while visualizing organ systems seemed a bit esoteric, but I found myself getting deeply absorbed into the vibrations and inner felt-sense shifting. I had done chanting for years in the ashram, but never in this fashion, directing the sound currents inwardly with intense concentration.

Visualization is key to these practices. "Where the attention goes, the energy flows," is a standard saying in mind-body traditions, and our visualizations were both inner focusing and quite literally 'out there.' We visualized the spiraling Milky Way both outside and inside. We visualized the body as a column of light surrounded by oceans of light. We visualized our spinal bone marrow alive and pulsing and moving through every part of the body. We visualized energy flowing from the pads of our index fingers pouring into the center of the brain.

It was fun. It was absorbing. And it works. At least in the sense that it opens the frame of awareness. When I feel the aliveness of my body and connect it with the aliveness of the spinning galaxies, my sense of 'what's wrong' definitely shifts.

How will this affect my daily practice? I'm confident I'll do many of the exercises daily. I came to really appreciate the dreaded 'wall squats' - a full squat facing a wall, creating a 'spinal wave' as one stands. A few of these opens up this very long spine of mine in a way that both restores my energy and balances the vertebrae. The form, which takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes, is a choreography of movement that absolutely helps settle my mind. Particularly for times when I'm feeling scattered, I know this will be a great tool.

I appreciate more than ever the 'form' of a practice, particularly when the guiding instructions are to 'merge the form and the formless.'

For more on Mington's work, click here.

Concentration and "Transparancy"

Last night we did the basic qigong form, which can take anywhere from about 40 to 60 minutes. We did the longer version with Mingtong slowing things down with long pauses. The form is done standing.

After the form, we did standing meditation. Toes are pointed inward, knees bent, back of the neck lengthened and the hands form a 'basket,' placed over the navel.

Holding this posture can be quite challenging. The mind has to stay alert and focused. There's no room for wavering.

We held this posture for probably half an hour, maybe more.

Being rooted deeply in the body with concentration holding all the details of the posture along with the visualization of the chi can take the mind and consciousness all over the place. For me I noticed myself shifting from the details to wondering how long I could stay there to sensing deeper and deeper the instruction to 'merge the form and the formless.'

For me, this is the beauty of qigong training. While immersed in the physicality of the moment there is a constant opening to the space within and around me. The results are quite fantastic. Grounded and spacious. Present in flow.

Qigong and Healing

This post is an adventure in technology. I'm going to find out if I can post something on my blog from my iPad app. I am here at the Institute of Noetic Sciences near Petaluma, CA taking part in 11 days of a 30-day Qigong Healing Intensive with Master Mintong Gu and staff.

I am one of the very few participants not dealing with a physical healing crisis. The stories are touching, heart-wrenching and often inspiring. This place is the realm of miracles. A woman who 'cured' herself of Parkinsons. A woman with a rare medical condition that left her hand numb and like a claw now has full motion. One of our teachers was in bed for seven years and now looks vital and alive. The other teacher struggled with debilitating health issues for twenty years and now feels more vibrant and alive than ever. Their passion for this practice is palpable. The sense of hope and alive expectation among the participants touches my heart.

When we did our introductions I shared how much I felt self-conscious about being so healthy. I just had a physical and my markers are basically unchanged from my 20's. Whatever healthy side effects may come from participating in a 'healing intensive,' I'm here to explore these technologies and this relational field to wake up. I'm here to experience what is true and let go what is not.

This is an intense practice.

Qigong is different from Vipassana. Rather than allowing and investigating the phenomena of the moment, this technique uses a lot of visualization and directive energy. Rather than just 'feeling the space,' we are encouraged to consciously extend our energy and awareness beyond the horizon. We constantly feel both inside the body and at the same time extend awareness out into infinite space.

This 'in the body and in infinite space' awareness training has a powerful way of cultivating a sense of being both grounded and at the same time, quite light and spacious.

When we feel unpleasant sensation, the training has dynamic way of 'opening the frame.' When I feel my aching low back from the perspective of infinite space, it tends to shift with more ease. When I watch my mind judging how experiences are being led or wanting it different without his constant practice I can more easily let go back into the flow of things.

Perhaps the essence of this training is to learn how to shift from thinking into the immediate realm of sensing. Like all healing practices, it's all about entering the here and now through the body. The trick, again, in all healing practices, is to be intimately present in the body and aware of how everything changes, how we hold each moment with either a sense of grasping, aversion or balance.

The sun will be up soon and we'll be opening to the chi fields shortly. Another day of sensing, sounding, opening and, I'm happy to say, really good food.

Hard Times / End Times

Last night Collie shared his personal challenges as he contemplates the times ahead, among them imagining what our culture might be like post-election.  We explored how we can take refuge in the Three Characteristics.  Noting that all things change, that our relationship to what is happening determines the degree to how much we suffer, and how our sense of self determines our effectiveness. We contemplated some of the greats who created massive social change.  Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and others.  Acting from anger has a certain degree of effectiveness.  Acting from compassion has a different degree of effectiveness.

This is truly our work - to keep our hearts open and at the same time, to live in integrity with our highest values.

Jack passed along this clip of Adyashanti speaking about ego and of the possible challenges ahead:

[youtube]FxWZc1cRLnA[/youtube]

(Thanks, Jack.)

The Rally

My friend Corey invited me to drive to his house in Arlington to ride our bikes to the rally on Saturday.  A five mile peddle into town on my new bike on an adventure! Bliss. As Jon Stewart said, “I’m not exactly sure why we are here,” but I enjoyed everything about the day.  During our bike ride down past the Pentagon and across Memorial Bridge we shared in the joviality and spirit of celebration with the mix of pedestrians and cyclists streaming downtown.

The crowd got more and more dense as we made our way to the mall and after a while we were forced to walk our bikes with the throng.  Chaining our bikes to a tree I momentarily found myself fearful of leaving my precious new two-wheeler so exposed.  But this was a day of non-fear, so I let it go.

I’m somewhat agoraphobic.  One reason why I dislike being in crowds is that at over 6’6” with my boots on, my presence automatically generates ill will for those behind me.  Corey and I magically found a spot in front of some people sitting down, so that allayed my self-consciousness.  They weren’t going to see anything anyway, and weren’t expecting to.

Two women standing next to us were from San Diego.  During the opening music there was a spirited discussion about the last World Series game.  It felt so ... Wholesome and American.

The rally itself was a mix of good humor, some brilliant humor, great satire and little morality plays exploring the dance of fear and rationality.  With so many years living first in the Peace Corps, then in an ashram and now not a big TV watcher, many of the cultural references went zinging right by me, but the spirit of event touched me in many ways.

Moments of little rushes:  The enormity and diversity of the crowd.  The good cheer and camraderie.  The readiness to laugh and the openess to irony.  The signs.  At some times the sound level was too low, particularly way, way far away, so a chant of ‘Louder!  Louder!’ was passed from the back to the front, a distance of many blocks.

Perhaps the most poignant moment for me was at the end when the crowd began to disperse.  We moved slowly together, shuffling away from the mall and when I came up to our bikes, they were on their sides, dusty and looked like they’d been trampled on.

I immediately felt anger and started lurching them upright.  An Indian man said, “These bikes are locked.”

I replied in a tight voice, “This are our bikes.”

Once I got the bikes upright and saw nothing was damaged beyond dirt and grit all over them, I noticed two young girls in the tree above.  I assumed that since the bikes had fallen over, they couldn’t get down.  They looked a little frightened.

I figured this man was their father. He was a pretty small guy.  Without thinking, I stepped up to the tree and said, “Here, I’ll help you.” I reached up and slipped my hands under the first girl's armpits.  She let go of the tree limb and I pulled her toward me, swung her to my side and eased her down to the ground.

The second girl was a little more fearful. I assured her I wasn’t going to let her fall.  Eventually, she too let go of the limb and I managed to help her down, though her weight surprised me and she came down a lot faster than I expected.

Around that point I noticed my anger was gone and I started doubting that they were responsible for knocking over the bikes. For whatever reason, the family was either eager to dispel any tension or simply in their own rush of exhuberation. Within a very short period of time, we were bantering about the day and how it went, relaxed and smiling a lot.  The father spoke with an Indian accent, but the girls, pre-teens, had strong American accents.   I could see how close the family was.  They took a photo of me, commemorating me ‘rescuing them from the tree.’  I felt almost reluctant to say goodbye.

That last encounter summarized my day.   One of my worst fears was confirmed: I'd discovered my new bike on it’s side and apparently messed up.  In minutes I had moved from

1)  fear and anger to

2) seeing to someone needing help to

3) responding to

4) seeing beyond my sense of the ‘other’ to

5) deep appreciation and connectedness.

In those minutes I had shifted from 'my bike' and 'my anger' to something far more spacious and magical.

In the absence of "I" and "mine," the mystery arises.

The Right Use of Will

Any practice requires some discipline.  In yoga, the word 'tapas' means discipline and also means 'fire.'  The fire of discipline helps us stay present to all the wavering modifications of the mind.  Discipline also requires balance.  We must learn when to rest and when to let go. Here's an inspiring video of what sustained discipline can cultivate:

[youtube]8SbXgQqbOoU[/youtube]

(Thanks, Elizabeth)

An Insight into Concentration and Mindfulness

This week I gave a dharma talk on Concentration and Mindfulness, two distinct aspects of meditation training that help cultivate an awakened heart and mind. Concentration can be seen as the lens of a camera.  Mindfulness is the film ... or now the ‘chip’ that notices and records what is there.  I had a great insight into this recently.

This last weekend I was at a Quaker wedding held in an unheated Quaker Meetinghouse in north central Pennsylvania.

My niece Laurel Mutti married Kaustubh Patwardhan as the Quakers say,  ‘in the presence of family and friends’.

Kaustubh and Laurel

I was asked to be a photographer, so I went at it, armed with my my wonderful 70-230 and 17-75 lenses and a backup camera.  I shot about 500 shots and 20 video clips.

Through the day and into the evening I was focused on ‘my job,’ framing shots, monitoring the light, trying to get a balance of images and visually telling the story in a way the newly married couple and their families would like.  I knew I got some good shots and I had a great time.

Being the photographer, though, I am familiar with a sense of being somewhat removed and in the role of the observer and witness.

It wasn’t until I edited the images on Monday that I discovered a whole emotional side to the images I’d recorded.  A squeeze of a hand, an inter-generational hug, genuine laughter between old friends, the sensitivity and caring present through the event touched me in unexpected ways.

Concentration is our capacity to focus.  Mindfulness is that which monitors and registers our relationship to whatever is in the lens.

I’d been concentrated, but I came to recognize I’d not been all that aware of my relationship to what I was focused on and how I was impacted by everything I was viewing through the lens.

Meditation is 1) Noticing what is happening while it's happening and 2) Noticing our relationship to what is happening.  Concentration and Mindfulness are two wings of the practice that work in concert ... inevitably bringing us into greater aliveness.  The key to cultivating mindfulness is to relax and deeply receive the experience of the moment.

That is the art of living.

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A New Wave of Meditation Mentors

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What teachers have inspired, touched and influenced your practice? When you stop and think about it, chances are there are those in your life who made a positive impression on you either through their knowledge, their dedication, their compassion or their capacity to be an empathic listener.

One of the reasons I stayed so immersed and associated in a spiritual community was because when I was down, there always seemed to be someone who would inspire me.  Hopefully, I might have returned the favor.

As my old guru used to say, “Company is stronger than will power.”  For that reason, we are revamping IMCW’s Mentoring Program.  Pretty soon, if you like, you’ll be able to sign up to meet periodically with a mentor to discuss your practice and how you are applying the principles of mindfulness in your life.

Last Sunday we had a retreat to gather as a community and look at how we can organize ourselves to be available to those interested in deepening their practice.

We’ll be launching later in the year after Tara completes her Introduction to Meditation Series.  Stay tuned.  If you are interested in being a mentor down the road, we’ll have more information on the IMCW website.

What it's really all about

I'm getting some questions regarding the "What Am I?" Inquiry Retreat in December and I'll have more on that soon, but this might give you a hint as to what's possible when we look into the nature of reality. Amazingly clever. But then, I'm easily entertained.

[youtube]GZ5JjRTpEkQ[/youtube]

(Thanks, Dan.)

The Value of Retreating

We are just finishing up our week-long retreat here at Seven Oaks.  I've had the privilege of leading twice-daily movement sessions, giving an evening talk and doing many interviews.

Classic teachings suggest that if you are not living in a monastery and want to cultivate a living connection to spirit and the mystery of this life's journey, it is most helpful to have a daily practice of some kind - something that will connect you with what is most important in your life.

Beyond a daily practice, though, are times of retreat.  This week over fifty participants have stepped away from their routines and are here to engage in social silence and practices that cultivate a more intimate sense of presence.

When we pause with intent, a marvelous unraveling can happen.  Old, deep tensions begin to soften.  New possibilities can emerge.  As I've been sitting in interviews listening to the changes and transformations, I'm awed by not only the courage of the practitioners, but also by the fact that these practices work.

The practices you do on retreat are deceivingly simple - and not at all easy.When we seek to be present, whether through sitting meditation, walking meditation, meals in silence and time exploring in solitude, we are treated to an amazing display of all the ways the mind avoids being present.  All the flavors of aversion, clinging, worry, restlessness, numbness, doubt and fear come parading right out on center stage for our viewing pleasure.

What helps make it bearable is the fact that despite being in silence, you are not alone.  Collectively we open to what is present - the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows - and somehow, collectively, we find the capacity to make room for it all.

Our next retreat is over New Year's.  Do consider scheduling this into your life.  I think it's a worthwhile investment.

The DC Global Mala Gathering

Out of the last many months of too-dry weather, Sunday was wet and we weren't sure how many hard core yogis and yoginis would show up at Meridian Park to listen to a talk and then do 108 Sun Salutations as part of a community-inspired fund-raising event to sponsor Anahata Grace. I think about 80 folks showed up in the drizzle.  I gave a Dharma talk to start off the day, then folks headed outside.  By the end of the talk the rain lifted and by the end of the yoga, the skies had cleared.

If you feel inspired to support this work of supporting teachers to go to underprivileged areas to offer yoga and meditation you can follow this link.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this day happen.

Mindfulness of Emotions

This week I talked a bit on Mindfulness of Emotions.  From the Buddhist perspective you could say that emotions are psycho-biological phenomena.  They exist in the mind as well as in the body.  In fact, one perspective suggests they are first raw sensation, then form into thoughts. We can think of emotions as E-Motion.  Energy in motion.   Anger is a great example.  One can get a huge amount of housework done when one is really ticked off.  Lots of energy.

In mindfulness meditation, we train ourselves to 'stay with' the energetic experience without adding anything more to it.  When we can do that, strong feelings can move through us more quickly rather than sticking to us like velcro.

Liz passed along this comic, which offers an interesting angle on energy and emtotion: