Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Sitting Meditation

Hi all,
I might be starting a new job soon that requires me to be out of the office for lunch everyday.
I am still currently able to use my lunch hour (12 pm) and do a one hour small universe sitting meditation in my office space when I shut the door. This time has been optimal for me for some time.
While I realize that it is possible to wake up 1/2 hour or 1 hour earlier in the morning to focus more on active excercises, I still would wish to continue to have my small universe meditation, either during lunch time or another time. Can anyone offer some helpful advice here?
I've also tried doing small universe at midnight just before I go to bed but on occasion have found it pepped me up too much to fall asleep after!

Curious, it's curious how that meditation has different effects. If I wake-up at night and am a little stressed and have issues getting to sleep, I've often done the small universe while still in bed and just drifted back to sleep.

I may have a similar lunch time issue myself. I'm guess I'll just adapt and do some smaller meditations.

I have little advice, but some sympathy to offer. If you look you can find some place on the good-better-best scale of practice.

My current dilemma is to find time for some nice 2 hour meditations.

You are perfection,
Iam2

Curious1,
Maybe there is a public library near by. You can find a quiet corner to do a version of small universe sitting there.
Or
If you could block out the noise of the others, sitting under the shade in a park on a sunny day for a meditation is not that bad.
Should stay away from remote area; I guess one does plan to close one's eyes during the meditation.

When I started the practice, I did not care to do it but went ahead with practicing the exercises. After about three months of practice, one day as I was listening to the tape, I thought I would give it a try and presto! the fingers did grew and shortened as I wished. Believe me, no greater effort was needed to achieve this.

I also experienced the other exercise of visualization namely, passing energy through the sword fingers. This required greater focus and concentration.

Curious

You don't say if you have a car to do the meditation in. I used to drive to a lay-by in my luch hour if pressed (that's a parking place off a main road if you don't have this word in the States)and that worked well enough. I have meditated virtually everywhere in the past. Including sitting in shopping malls - the only important factor is to feel fairly happy that you won't be disturbed. A concerned person once disturbed me in car park because they thought I was unwell but... From the outside it just looks like you are sitting there with you eyes closed enjoying a rest and anyone who sits next to you may cop for a bit of referred energy I guess!

Hi Curious:

I had this same problem on a recent job and I talked to my employer and told him that I would come into work a half hour earlier and then stay a half hour later but would need to take an hour off from 11 to noon. This still gets that good mid-day meditation in when Chi is higher. Some days due to meetings I couldn't get the full hour in so I would do a half hour before lunch and then a half hour later in the afternoon.

Once you make up your mind that doing the exercises are a priority you will find a way to get them into your life. Don't be afraid to talk to others about what you are doing. They will support you when they understand how it is helping you. You may eventually get a group of people at work to meditate with you. I know at Learning Strategies they do just that and everyone benefits. It is always more powerful to meditate in a group so try to encourage this if the opportunity knocks.

I found two Tibetians who mediate every Wednesday night and now we have over 40. It isn't SFQ but it is really fun to mix it up and be with them.

Agent B

Thanks all for your advice and sharing: it does help me think outside of the box and consider the many creative options i have available to make SFQ an ongoing potent part of my life.

take care n stay curious,
curious1

[This message has been edited by Curious1 (edited July 04, 2004).]