Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Help with anger

I'm pretty new and love SFQ. I know Master Lin talks about having to get rid of strong emotions such as anger to truly get to the healing. I'm having real difficulties with my temper and yelling lately (especially at my ex-husband!).

I have worked on these issues for years, but sometimes they rise up again. I know anger and liver are related. Does anyone know if there are any specific SFQ exercises or techniques to work with anger? I really want to get to the root and move past this unhealthy way to deal with issues and I think SFQ must have some methods.

Thanks

This is where sitting meditation comes in.

I have the same issues with anger and frustrations. Meditation helps a lot. Small Universe and Self Concentration don't necessarily need to be the ones you use.

I've meditated for decades. But it's a good reminder just to keep working at it. Thanks

Somewhere in my travels somebody once said to me, "If you're upset (angry / irritated / frustrated) then YOU'RE the one with the problem."

I found that to be a particularly irritating and annoying thing to hear. After all, if somebody's doing something that ticks me off, then it seems like if they would quit doing it I'd be happy so why am I the one with the problem?

What I finally realized (after being told about a gazillion times) is that I choose to indulge in my own emotions and therefore I become angry by choice, and that the reason I become angry is usually related (somehow, one way or another) to fear.

Perhaps I'm afraid of losing something I already have (independence, freedom, power, authority, status, etc) or that I will not achieve or gain something I want to have.

The way I have found to handle it (it works for me) is through detachment. I let whatever happens be OK. Most of the times, situations resolve themselves with very little effort on my part.

And often, they resolve themselves into better resolutions if I keep my cotton-pickin' hands off of it!

So I often find myself (or strive to ) doing nothing, saying nothing. Ever see that episode of Seinfeld called 'Opposite George'? George Costanza discovered that every instinct he had, every move he made was wrong. So Jerry suggested that if this was true, then doing the opposite would have to be right. For the rest of the episode George did the opposite, and he became very happy and very peaceful!

Great. Life advice from Seinfeld.

Still, letting things unfold and not resisting them does work for me. Some people call it to "act as if.." others call it "fake it till you make it."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

I don't have to indulge in every emotion that flickers across my consciousness. I can observe the emotion, name it, take a breath and let it pass through me without allowing myself to seize, pursue and act on it.

I'm working on picking my battles and winning the ones I pick.

I wonder how much of our anger stems from our need to control.




Tao te Ching 56

Who understands does not preach;
Who preaches does not understand.

Reserve your judgments and words;
Smooth differences and forgive disagreements;
Dull your wit and simplify your purpose;
Accept the world.

Then,
Friendship and enmity,
Profit and loss,
Honour and disgrace,
Will not affect you;
The world will accept you.

In doing the active exercise and the sitting meditations (in regards to all spiritual practice, I always ask "how is that working for you?" By all means, keep doing the meditations you have been doing for decades, if they help you in other ways. And add more time with Small Universe--see below), add the intention just before you go into the emptiness--for example: "My anger is excess energy--like all energy, neither good nor bad. I see my anger as excess energy turning into _______ (add the imagery of your choice) and leaving every part of my body to return to the Universe (or the earth)".

Also, to return to my parenthetical above: meditations are also exercises. In qigong, the type of exercise includes the type of meditation. A huge part (maybe as much as 50% or more!) of all qigong (active, sitting, standing, or lying down) is in fact meditation.

The essence of your question is not "what movements will help?" (although there might be certain movements that are helpful), but what qigong exercise will help. And qigong exercise includes meditation.

Here, part of the answer is the nature of what meditation you do (not only how much time spent in meditation). The Small Universe is a very powerful qigong exercise, probably the MOST powerful exercise in the Spring Forest Qigong.

Master Lin has said that if time is limited, spend more time in Small Universe.

So one direct answer to your question is "Small Universe".

I cannot emphasize this enough. What exercise can help with your anger? If you have been meditation for decades and this does not seem to help enough, add more Smalll Universe. If your schedule is already packed, take time either from SFQ active exercises or from other meditation exercises or disciplines.

And for guided meditations, although I like Self-Concentration, there are two other ones that Master Lin has that I like much better: the "Butterfly Meditation" and the "Healing Our World" meditation. They are both a few minutes longer than "Self-Concentration", but I like the tone and the content better on these (I alos like the glass of water at the beginning of the Butterfly Meditation.

I think both of these could help with anger issues. Most especially "Healing Our World", since this one focuses on increasing love energy from the heart.

Both of these are available from the Spring Forest Qigong center store.

I know that sometimes emotional energy is often difficult to let go of. Although I am not very experienced at it, I find the Sedonna Method helps with letting go. It seems to me that sometimes my habitual emotions are even harder to let go of than physical pain. And certainly, there is nothing like righteous anger to trigger the inner response, "Oh, no! I am not letting go of THAT! Forget about it!". Even when we think we are ready to let it go, it has often become so much a part of what we (at least, think) are, that letting it go, often seems to our ego minds like letting go of a limb.

And this is where the nature of what meditation you do (as well as how long spent in meditation) can really help.

I hope this helps. Helps me!

Thanks for asking.

According to the Tao Te Ching quote from Jeffrey's post above, I do not understand.

I agree: I don't!

I like that quote from the Tao Te Ching.

That's why I write these things out. To help myself understand.

I hope it helps others as well.

That's what I was going to say as well. I must admit that I felt somewhat offended when I read that quote from the Tao. I wrote what I wrote not to preach, but to share my own experience on the topic. I was careful to speak in the 1st person singular and not suggest that anyone do what I was doing or take what I wrote as advice.

I'm really grateful to everyone who presents their ideas. Everyone's experience helps someone going through the same thing. I sure do agree that the anger is MY problem because I'm sure the other person doesn't have a lingering stomachache, headache, etc., long after the episode (well, maybe, but I'm the one vibrating with it). Detachment is what I seek, but it's still elusive. I agree too with doing the opposite. These are lessons I've learned, but it's so great to hear them again, because it's so easy to forget.

I did Small Universe this morning and my stomache actually felt a bit better. But I think the key is to back it up, to get conscious of the start of the annoyance or whatever that LEADS to the anger and nip it in the bud right there. Not when I've started falling off the cliff.

So please know, everyone, that this is just great. We all can "take what we need and leave the rest." It's so cool that with SFQ I can also find people who are moving along the same spiritual path as I am, though perhaps using different "vehicles" to increase their connection.

Kudos again to you for both bringing this issue here and recognizing the benefit of sharing experience.

And congratulations for that healing with the Small Universe (SU). Thanks for sharing that with us.

Those kinds of testimonials always helps the rest of us stay motivated (in my little SFQ practice group, we always leave at least 5-10 minutes for sharing success and progress, as well as questions, challenges etc).

I do believe that SFQ is something very, very special. I know that everyone who does any kind of energy healing (or whatever), thinks the same thing about their special method/school/form/teacher etc.

And like you, I have been practicing various ones for many years. All I know is this SFQ really, really works.

I only say that to let you know that, though perhaps not a panacea, the more that you do it, the more you will indeed become more aware of energy in all its forms. So your "key", as you say, "to back it up, to get conscious of the start of the annoyance or whaterve that LEADS to the anger and nip it in the bud right there...", will INDEED manifest itself.

The thing is, it will happen by itself as long as you put THAT intention into your meditation (including active exercise, SFQ meditation and any other meditation that you do).

It is like adding a "secret" ingredient to a recipe. What comes out is a delicious dish.

It is much harder to ward off a negative than it is to focus on a positive. So, in addition to releasing the excess energy, I often try and focus on the "love, kindness, forgiveness". This includes most especially, myself. This is often the most difficult. But the more we "gong" (work) on the "qi" (energy), the more it will happen.

Anyway, for what it's worth...

Thank you for your appreciation and for sharing this issue with all of us who are still working with these kinds of issues.