Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Dizziness while practicing during menstruation

I have been doing Level I of Spring Forest Qigong for two years and previously did not practice at all during menstruation as I had been advised against it. After recently attending Level II, I was told that it was ok to practice during menstruation as long as you focused on your heart center, rather than your lower dantian. I have tried this and have found that doing some of the exercises is ok for me, but other exercises are not ok. Also, several of the ending exercises have made me feel so dizzy that I thought I would faint. Is there any definitive answer to what is the BEST meditation or exercise to practice during menstruation and which are the safest ending exercises to do? Trial and error for me has proven to be rather unpleasant, and I would welcome any suggestions from others who have already discovered what works and what doesn't. I would like to be able to practice during menstruation, because if you get out of the habit for several days, it is much harder to begin the habit again. Thanks so much for any advice!

I wish I had some knowledge to share. I had not heard anything special about menstral cycle and SFQ. I had heard some about pregnance, but I can't even give that information off the top of my head (a sign I should review my material again).

You are perfection,
Iam2

The main exercise my wife recommends to women coming to the Spring Forest Healing Center for in-person healing sessions is the Breast massage found in your Level II manual. It has a wonderful ability to balance out the female cycles and energy. Consider doing it a couple times a day.

Then depending on the blockages found, she may or may not have a suggestion regarding the exercises. How do you do with the Moving of Yin & Yang and the Small Universe? I mention these to keep the front channel open for you.

Chunyi tells and interesting story regarding menstruation. He was working with a person with severe migraines and the root blockage didn't show up. He asked to keep working with her over a couple weeks, and a couple days later during her menstruation, the root blockage showed up. Once it showed up at that time, and was cleared - no more headaches

Much Love, Shawn

Hi Shawn-

Thanks for the advice. I have already been doing the breast massage several times a day. I'm ok with doing Small Universe, but only for two rounds, after that I get dizzy. Moving of Yin & Yang isn't good at all. I guess 5 minutes of Small Universe is better than nothing. Thanks!

Aloha greenc,

Don't get caught up in his breathing length during the Small Universe. If you need another breath in there, go for it. You want to be able to relax and focus on the visualization, rather than trying to inhale or exhale as long as he does.

That may assist your practice. That goes for the rest of the exercises as well - one the ones that are in sync with your breath (Breathing of the Universe, Seven Steps, Harmony of the Universe), do it to your own breath rather than the timing shown on the video.

Much Love, Shawn

Hi Shawn-

I think you may have missed the point, although I do appreciate your advice. My practice does not cause dizziness when I am not menstruating, and Master Lin's timing on the breathing is pretty much in psynch with my own.

I am specifically asking about what might cause dizziness when I am practicing DURING menstruation. I have read in many other materials that one should not practice Qigong at ALL during menstruation; however, Darcie (is that your wife?) told me that it is ok as long as you focus on your heart center. Despite focusing on my heart, I experienced extreme dizziness and almost fainted. The other materials I have read, which were not written by Master Lin, indicated that Qigong can thin the blood and therefore there are certain contraindications for practice, which included menstruation. As my own experience seems to corroborate this, I will probably avoid practicing Qigong during menstruation in the future.

I had simply hoped to find out if any one else out there had experienced the same thing and whether or not they had found that certain exercises or meditations were ok to practice during this time of the month.

If this helps to clarify my question and anyone else has any advice, I'd love to hear it!
Thanks!