Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Meditation questions from indebted and grateful newbie

Hello beautiful people!

I have been spending the last few weeks gorging myself on this forum. A friend told me about it and I'm grateful that she did! I've been doing SFQG for 3 months now and have been to Level 1/2 classes plus have had 5 healings (phone and in person) with Master Lin. I'm struggling with chronic pain issues, esp tooth pain, headaches, painful bladder syndrome, IBS, lymes disease, and fibromyalgia. (I know they're just labels for blocked energy.) I'm enjoying practicing the meditations to help release my blockages.

I would greatly appreciate advice with a few questions I have. I understand good/better/best, and am just hoping I can continue to increase the effectiveness of my practices by learning more tips from the more senior students. Thank you!!

1) When you are doing sitting meditation with the tongue against the roof of the mouth, do you move your tongue to swallow or just kind of intentionally hold it there? I find it awkward to hold it there but and worried about breaking the connection if I move it. I notice a lot more saliva when I meditate, so it's a frequent occurrence with me.

2) When you take the three deep breaths, as Master Lin indicates on the video, between moving of yin and yan and breathing the universe, do you keep the tongue against the roof of the mouth, or is it ok to break the connection? I hold the tongue there cuz I don't want to lost the energy connection, but then my deep breaths feel forced and not relaxed as I'm sure they are intended to be.

3) During my meditations, I often find my closed eyes squinting or even completely flying open beyond my control. Is this just my way of experiencing qi, or is this a liver issue (since eyes are connected to the liver)? I find it distracting and a little funny, and was wondering if I should force my eyes shut after it happens, or just allow it to happen and continue the mediation with my eyes open. I find right before they fly open, a lot of white light beams in and forms different shapes behind my eyelids. I wasn't sure if this was qi or simply my eyes taking in the light around me.

I am indebted to this forum for helping and supporting me! I had so many questions, and most of them have been answered just by reading old posts and doing searches. Thank you very much for your kindness!

Have a happy day!
Hugs,
Carebear

1) I just swallow at the start and my tongue becomes well connected to the roof of my mouth. If I don't then the tip stays in contact.

I don't move it. Relaxed stillness, in the correct position, is what I try for during sitting meditation.

I've had the "sweet water" in a mouth a few times. I found I spend more time thinking "do I swallow or not". It became a distraction from the meditation. So I recommend that if your consciousness has come to a mouth of saliva, then swallow and get back to the meditation.

2) Once a meditation starts I keep my tongue against the roof of my mouth until it is down. However, during a walking meditations, I often breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Thus breaking contact every breath. (good, better, best... for now it's better to get enough air).

3)My guess is that it is just your way of experiencing qi. Stay with the meditations as best you can, in a calm and confident manner. You may find that your experience of qi will change as your develop in the practice and open your channels wider.

You are perfection.
Iam2

Hello and welcome,

I'm just going to answer the first question you pose.
The easiest way of holding the tongue and which seems to me to be the most natural, is to think where you place your tongue when you say the letter L. You find that your tongue sits gently on the roof of your mouth just above the teeth. I have no problems holding my tongue there and it doesn't restrict breathing etc.
and you can still swallow without breaking the contact.

I too had a great many pain issues and found that SFQ got rid of all my pains, arthritis, trigeminal neuralgia,included. However I would say that to completely get rid of ALL pain took about 8 months but as I had pain for 10+ years I am delighted and would recommend SFQ to anyone. Just persevere and be positive.
Hope this helps,
Love & light
Faune

[This message has been edited by Faune (edited February 14, 2006).]

Thank you so much to Iam2 and Faune for your answers. They do indeed help!

Faune, I'm absolutely delighted for you - to have SFQG reduce your pain like that. What a blessing! I will continue to do my practices and hope it helps my pain problems. Even if it's not helping the pain/health issues, I know it's doing something for my stress levels, which have fallen in the last month.

I am so happy I found this forum! I love reading the postings and feeling the great energy from this group.

Hugs,
Carebear

Aloha Carebear,

That's a helpful suggestion by Faune regarding the roof of the mouth. Notice how the tongue in that instance goes to the roof, just behind the teeth.

The three breaths you take in between those two exercises are all through the nose. When he says "Take three deep breaths," you're not doing an over exaggerated breath in and out, like one tends to do when a physician is listening to your lungs. Deep, mean allowing the time for the breath to enter and fully fill your body.

Much Love,

Shawn