Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong chills

During the last few weeks my qigong exercises have been followed by prolonged periods of semi intense chills. For instance yesterday by the end of the small universe meditation I was covered in goosebumps and felt chilled to the bone. I checked with the rest of my family who seemed to be quite comfortable in our 70* home. I, unable to shake it I ended up wearing a down filled parka around. This lasted for about 8 hours, until I went to bed.

I have been practicing meditation for six years now and have experienced similar chilling episodes on numerous occasions, therefore I know it is not specific only to Qigong.

I read the forum at least weekly and have searched the archives for any info pertaining to this chilling, but have found nothing. I do experience the heat that is widely spoken of in this circle but am as yet uncertain if any correlation exist between the two. I would be most interested and grateful to learn of others who have experienced anything similar.

Thanks for your input,
Marcy

I have not had any chilling experiences, but that just me.

I would consider reviewing the closing exercises to the meditations, as well as following some of the recommendations for the first 30 minutes after a meditation.

It may just be the way you are currently aware of the qi, as you are moving qi and clearing away blockages.

Stay will your practice and call upon your Master's energy for aid.

You are perfection,
Iam2

Thanks for your reply Iam2! I realize that the cold sensations are just a sensation in the end and are nothing to dwell on, but I can't help myself some of the effects call to me to understand their reason for being as they are. I looked up several leads on the internet and found many of them giving mention to heat and/or cold. They talked about various stages of kundalini awakening and said that the sensation can be felt as one or the other, or both by the same individual. I will also take your advice about the looking closer into the 30 minute meditation follow up and I will most certainly continue my qigong exercises. ( After I wrote this letter in entirety , I thought back- I alway harvest the qi and stay away from food, drink, bathroom, and cold everything-am I missing something?)

I see that you have been active in Qigong for several years now and I did have another question that you may have the answer to. I know that the practice of Qigong is wonderfully beneficial but what I need to know is-is there such a thing as too much of a good thing too soon. As I said before I have meditated for several years before starting qigong, sometimes 2-3 hours of sitting meditation each day. I began the Level One ex on Christmas day of this year. I started with 30 min active followed directly by 1hour sitting meditation. I have since increased my active to 30-60 minutes followed by an hour and a half of sitting med. I would like to up my sitting med to 2 hours of small universe following an hour of active. I find small universe at an hour very powerful and thought well if one hour is this powerful I bet 2 would be that much more. Yet I wanted to check with someone more experienced to see if they thought that would be alright or pushing the button a bit too hard. Thanks again for your time.

Marcy

She wanted to talk to someone more experienced and she checked in with me. So you experienced guys in the rafters get down here and post some more of your saged advice.

Marcy thank you, but I'm just like your learning as I go. Maybe I started before you, but I'm definitely learning. In fact I learn the most when I try and help others, here on the forum. I surprise myself by how often I answer my own questions when I try and answer other people's.

Now can you do too much? This will surprise people here because I'll start by saying YES. Now, I'll say No. What's important is not how much but your balance. If your energy is not in balance, in all aspects of your life you will create blockages. The NO comes from the fact that doing SFQ will not cause you harm.

So doing 2, 3, 4 or more hours a day is not bad for you unless you are denying other aspects of your life that need your energy too. When I started SFQ, I started up quickly and was doing 2 to 3 hours a day. This regular and signficant effort has given me lovely experiences.

Now in reference to the more experience folks in the first paragraph. My current practice is probably less than yours. I'm am mindful of qi, balance, and flow throughout each and every day, but I have fallen from my meditation schedule. I try not to berate myself, since I suspect there is more than one lesson I must learn and integrate into my life as I return to a Better path.

My self rambling complete, I'll say it is nice to do active before a sitting meditations. It does help. Most people find it difficult to set aside so much time for SFQ. I'm definitely one of them, as a result I've tried to use the Best time to practice the different meditations to my maximal benefit.

What I'm saying is that, maybe you could consider doing an hour of small universe at noon. Instead of two hours after a morning active exercise. I'm not trying to tell you to stop. Just be aware that benefit comes from following the six keys to success that Master Lin describes in the first course.

I always believe it is the quality of a meditation or practice that is more important. That said the more time you spend in the emptiness the better. The deeper (better quality) you can go into the emptiness is better still.

I've had some 30 minute meditations that were more power (at least that's how I interpret them) than some two hours meditations. My best meditations have always come when I follow the six keys to the point that I let them all go and just be in the meditations the best I currently can. Then wow I'm surprised.

As a closing I'll add follow your guidance and trust it. Review and review the training material from Master Lin. This is has been advice given to me, and I have followed it. It has served me well.

I believe we each can be as our masters are. I believe we can be like them, right now. However, most of us aren't. Not that be can't, it just that we aren't. Our beliefs are our pathways to being like them, they are also our blockages from being like them, right now. SFQ is a good practice to build the energy that supports us and release the energy that does not support us.

As the universe and your master for you direction you wish to travel, and trust that what you recieve (whether you understand it or not) is what YOU need to progress to where you should be.

You are perfection,
Iam2

Hi Marcy,

! hour of Active exercise followed by 2 hours of sitting meditation is the way Master Lin says to go. He says that you should aim to do double the amount of the time you spend on active exercise in the sitting meditations. As far as am aware there is no limit to how long you spend on SFQ. 10 minutes or 10 hours It is entirely up to you.
Personally I think the more the better, if you have the time, but do not forget that you are a body also and you need to balance yourself as a whole. So take time to do the simple things. Take a walk, breathe the air, enjoy your meals,
have some social time with your friends.
Enjoy your life,
Love and light,
Faune

Hi,
Chills, could be a side effect regarding a kidney deficiency.
I tend to agree that more qigong , more meditation is better, in general. If there is a deficiency somewhere, that might not play out as well if one pushes practice too hard. One does have to find 'balance' in one's practice too, and, that balance might be relative to your level of physical health in an energetic sense.
I present a possibility, please discern this with your sense of self.
One way you can feed the kidneys is with sword fingers. If you visualize yourself sitting with your back facing you, you can then extend both sword finger hands and feed yourself that way. Clearing the kidneys first would also address any blockages, aside from this.
Along with this, just sitting, and breathing into your lower dan tien. This, feeds the kidneys too. Visualize the kidneys as dark blue. Spend time with this like a meditation. See if it has a good effect on the chill factor. Your kidneys are a source of strength. Sitting doesn't tap them like standing. If you want to feed them, do it more in a non physically demanding way. I only say this relative to the possibility of deficiency there.
Someone can come from a meditation practice, but, perhaps not have spent time feeding the lower dan tien. Maybe more focus in the higher energy centers..
You can feed your kidneys just with that lower dan tien focus as an emphasis in your meditations and active exercise.
I do feel that level I active would eventually bring you where you want to go along with a sense of balance and gradual building.
If you try focusing on feeding your kidneys, given your experiences, you probably will be able to tell if this helps. It certainly won't hurt you in any way doing this.
love,
gallen

I would add massaging the bottom of the feet, the kidney points, sort of the center of the front pad, or bouncing , with focus on stimulating those same points...

Hi again,
I wanted to clearify something here. I regetted bringing in possibility of a kidney deficiency. Something more to 'think' about!
Your focus should just be the practice. The practice moves you in a way that simply, takes care of things.
In very general terms, you could look at where your focus is, in your practice. I speak in relation to the three dan tiens. If you are having a physical issue, focusing more, on the lower dan tien helps. The active exercises focus there. The meditations can. Everytime you start a meditation, if you are doing it more with a CD, you can stay longer in the lower dan tien, focusing there with your breathing in of energy, before say, you start a specific meditation process. Also closing, staying with your focus there longer, at the end of a process, say like small universe.
Any sensations or side effects, are just that. Part of a healing and opening process. You can be at a place of that seemingly going on for a long time. Just stay in the present, do your qigong, and see or know a side effect as a 'healing' result, not a lingering problem. Change, perhaps if it is the case, how you see this chill. A good chill that is something touched and opening/healing, as opposed to a limitiation or something not working.
Again, me saying that you possibly have a kidney deficiency is something I now regret saying! I made a mistake in doing that. It is irrelevant. That kind of information can be a limitation for you. My apologies. Just do your practice, focus on level one active as a tool for physical transformation. It works. It doesn't matter what is going on, keep your mind on the given focus and process. Reign in any other thinking! Physical body / lower dan tien.
love,
gallen

I meant to say that you have more freedom to compose your meditation, 'without' the CD. You can still do , say, small universe, for a full cycle of 30 minutes, or an hour, even if you focused and breathed energy into your lower dan tien for ten minutes first. ..

Dear Iam2,

Thankyou! I am really grateful for the time and thought you gave to my questions. SFQ practice has actually freed up more time that was once spent in a relentless search of truth. I have become much more relaxed with this practice, in leaving much of the intellectual pursuits behind in lieu of the experiential. I am fortunate to be a stay at home mom and my kids are at school much of the time that I practice. I do not practice in the morning. I do it all at 11:00. My mom started the same time but cannot give as much time to it due to a hectic work schedule; yet at the end of the day we both share similar experiences irregardless of differing time spent, so perhaps there's something more at work there.
Well now I am rambling so I'll stop here.

Thanks again for wonderful input,
Marcy