Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Caroline Schumach?

Hi Carol,
I apologize for inquiring this way but I did not see an email associated with your name and would like to get some feed back. I have several questions that pretty much fell flat on the forum. I know that they are a bit on the anal side since I tend to over anal-yze everything. But some of these questions need answering and I was wondering if there is another resource available to find these answers.

For example the latest question I have is related to the “Harmony of the universe” where the hand rises in step 9 from the manual. In the video there is a definite delay at the top when palm is point to head. Is there a hold the breath moment or is there a real slow elongated inhale going on during that length of time?

I hesitated to ask this question because I still had some outstanding unanswered questions from other posts. The teacher in me demands to know the particulars so I am getting nagged at. Eventually I suppose I will find away that works for me but I would like to know up front what is the intended correct approach. Both approaches have value and a different effect but Master Lin may have a specific intention that should be considered and incorporated.
P.S.
I ask this question humbly and put it in this package filled with love and light.

Many thanks in advance.

Breathe

The thing I learnt about qi gong there are as many ways to do it as there are people to do it. Someone also told me if you pay attention to the energy moving you find yourself breathing at exactly the right place and right lenght for you and your energy.

Perhaps someone can be more specific. Personally I found the easiest way to do qi gong is to to just allow myself to relax into it. If I breathe in at the wrong time I figure I may lose 0.5% of the benefit of doing qi gong however at the end of my practice I have at least 80 to 90% benefit and enjoy it more than concentrating on when to breathe where my hands have to be. I like the emptiness more so I admit. I check my anayliser at the door when I do qigong.

Alex

Ascending1, I have tried a few variations. This is since posting what I think is the correct interpretation. I have found two breathings that feel equally correct for me.

[1]
1) Inhale: Ball moves up, release, hands separate.
2) Exhale: starts as soon as hands start moving inwards.
3) Hold breath: as hands contact and pause over head.
4) Continue exhale: as hands start to move again.

[2]

1)Inhale: Ball moves up, release, hands separate, then start coming together.
2) Hold breath: As hands contact and pause over head.
3) Exhale: as hand start to move.

I find that I pause for about 2 seconds, but my hands contact about a second before pausing. So I get a three second held breath.

I like having to variants. It allows me to stay relax and account for changes in rythmn of the body movement and breathing activity.

Sending love, if not the answers you want.
Iam2

Ascending1,
I had a hard time with your previous posts. When I got to the part referring to paragraphs and bullets, etc., I felt I was in a tax form of sorts, and my mind fuzzed out!
Okay,,,one question here on step 9 of Harmony of the Universe.
- Inhale up to the full extention of the stretch. Anytime you do an inhale, there can be an element of "holding the upper breath". This is not holding the breath, but rather a period of time experienced, in a heightened, elongated upper breath(top of the inhale), where you are totalled replenished and full, and experiencing a slowed down shift from yin to yang, inhale to exhale, or that point travelling around a circle when it goes from moving up to moving down, etc... It is a slightly extended 'transition'. One doesn't have to do this, but it can be there. The idea of 'holding the upper breath" is mentioned in many systems, sometimes as predominate as a phrase like 'suspending the crownpoint". This transition can have a somewhat euphoric experience to it too,,,,a heightened moment of something completed, and transitioning. Slowing down, and feeling transition points in movement is very pleasant. Nothing to rush.
-In this exercise, I heard Master Lin, when I first learned it at a clinic, only really emphasize two points. One, no matter how you breath, 'hold' the breath when you get up to that point where the hands come together over your head the second time(where you are supposed to hold your breath). The other, was pointing out the bend of the upper hand in that stretch, being key, in that it opens the channels bending the hand that way. That was it.
At another time, he mentioned once how slow movement can be executed, with any exercise. In Tai Chi, alot of the styles of start, with a movement picking up the hands and lowering them down. He mentioned seeing a very high level master doing this form, and that it took so long for this master to pick up and lower his arms, that most people left, and lost interest. The idea being, that you 'can' change the pace of things, and slow down the breathing. The only 'key' reference point is that top point where you hold the breath. In theory, although not in the manual, you could take several slow breaths going up to that point, not just one, as given. I am not saying change the exercise. I am just saying there is some possible variation, without compromising the desired effect sought from doing the execise. I pay no attention to the breath, until, I get to that holding the breath point. I do at least one full inhale/exhale as I lay my head on my folded arms, and one as I stretch. The first movement, opens up to heaven, so much, that you should perhaps, focus more on 'feeling' that thinking and marking time. The simple position of opening your arms to the sky, can be full of wonderful 'experienced feeling'. Same with laying your head in your arms and feeling heaven shine down on your face. Time and cadence become secondary to feeling the blessings within the movements.
One person's moving through these positions or alignments, might be a totally different experience than anothers. The outward 'appearance, or structure to the exercise "aligns" one with the universal and spiritual energy. You are merging with it at this point, feeling it, letting go, opening up, relaxing. Thinking in a linear, one, two, three way, will keep you from the felt ectasy in the movement. The pleasure to aligning, merging, healing...
There is another important concept, always in play. There is a saying too, of, 'the mind moving the energy', or 'the energy moving the mind'. You start out with your mind focused on a specific thing, as you yield to the exercise, and this conscious directed thought, you slip into emptiness here and there, or completely , and the exercise does itself. The energy moves you.
love,
gallen

Good morning.

I can honestly say that when we all do SFQ as a group here at LSC, we do not do all of the movements at the same time and in the same way.
As per Master Chunyi Lin, form is not so important, what is important is the connecting with the universe and going into the emptiness and being in a place of love, kindness and forgiveness.

I just went for it in the beginning and it has served me extremely well.

Be happy
Caroline

Thanks for that post gallen. Especially the latter portion. I look forward to my mind following.

Sending love,
Iam2

Please forgive the typos,,,I hope you can glean the intentions from the word errors...

Oh yes,,,,Alex,,
I like your approach, and I don't think you are down 15-20% from maximum benefit! :-)
The feeling part, relaxing part, is more difficult for many, and it is more important, in my opinion. The body is an expression of what your intention is. The intention and visualization are at the center of what one is creating. The breath and movement can coordinate with that, or harmonize with that, as expressions of these visualizations and intentions. The mechanics are useful, and have importance, but the core of this whole activity stems from something felt, and experienced on a deeper level, and utilized in a specfic template, like small universe. The feelings, relaxation, intentions to self heal and transform, merging with the universe and master's energy, all are consistent within these different exercises. Going more into the emptiness, customizes the experience more to what's beneficial to you, at that specific time. Remember that the master's energy is there too, and that you have set that in motion, to help you. The master's energy does its helping, whether you are consciously aware of it, or not.
-g

Thanks Gallen for your thoughts on 'seeking out' the feeling aspect of this. Partly because I had just recovered from an operation when I started doing this and it was uncomfortable at the stretching parts I think I have carried some of this into my present experience of this exercise so your comments are timely. So much to work at...!

But I know that through pursuing the feeling aspects of breathing of the universe and the ball of energy movement (I always forget its name - joining of yin and yang??) I have experienced moments of great bliss over the past few weeks. I can't believe how much energy is generated in those exercises. So I look forward to reeasing myself more into the Hmarmony of the Universe too.

Love

Kev

Thank you all for your response. Gallen you found the right set of combinations that has set this issue to rest for me. Tank you tank you & did I say tanks. Funny how sometimes things you already know you just need to here for conformation. I spent way to much time with needlessly complicated systems and will try to back off so to speak and go with the flow and get back to that beginners mind.

Ahh I guess this means there is no other resource available for responding to questions?

My apologies to all I have a bad habit for writing to much a complaint I get at the office as well. I guess that means I should quit now.

Tanks again love & light.