I am a practioner of SFQ and also other qigong forms. And as I learn from my local teacher and from Chunyi, I realize how important
THE MIND is to all qigong!
Chunyi Lin says something along the lines that the
real work is done in the sitting meditations. The movements are to open channels and often to help focus
the mind along certain channels, in addition to whatever physical energy one is moving around.
But recently, my local teacher, Professor Huixian Chen (she healed herself of late stage cancer back in the 1980's and then became a qigong adept studying, writing about and eventually teaching various forms of qigong) told me that "the secret" of qigong is really that the thinking and the mind is the most important part. This echoes exactly what we learn from Master Lin!
As you have already read from others, you can do the sitting meditations, Small Universe, and Self-Concentration (I can tell you, I have learned many forms of Tai Chi and qigong, but not only is SFQ, my favorite and I think for many people, the best--certainly ti is for me--, but Small Universe is, again for me, the best of SFQ. I get so much benefit from it, I can't say enough about it). As Faune says above, if you can visualize the movements, that alone is a good form of practice the Active Exercise. Remember, Chunyin Lin has given us this wonderful hierarchal tool of "good, better best".
Yes, you are right,
IF you could do the movements, that would be better or best. But it will still be
GOOD if you cna practice the movements in your mind. In fact, if you visualize well enough, it is even possible that you might feel a small amount of pain just from thinking the movements! If so, back off and do them less or do only a few of them. But just do them lying down.
Watch the video a lot of times, listen to the 4 CD's of the theory, background and philosophy by Chunyi (these alone are worth the entire price of the course for me. I tell you: I get healing benefit just from listening to those alone!), and when you are ready to practice that you can see the movements in your mind's inner eye, just play the coaching tape/CD and lie back, close your eyes and do the Active Exercise movement in your mind. You might start with one exercise at a time. Begin with just Forming of Yin and Yang and maybe Moving of Yin and Yang.
Then, you cna either just listen to the rest of the audio or continue practicing. The movements that have breathing might be particulary good for you (Breathing of the Universe, Harmony of the Universe and Seven Steps of New Life) because at least if you can breathe (and I assume that you can do that!
), you can use the breathing and your mind to move the energy
as if you were doing the movements. So you are doing 2 out of the 3 things (the movements, the breathing and the imagination) associated with those exercises and that is good (maybe not better and certainly not best, but good enough to get the qi moving and healing).
And then do the sitting meditations. Both are great, but Small Universe really can be very effective and since both meditations can done as has already been said, in any position, do them in whatever position is most comfortable.
And there is another thing you can do, perhaps, that can be filed under "better" or even "best":
Maybe you can do SFQ (the Active Exercise in your mind in any position and then so-called "Sitting Meditations" also in whatever position) MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY! If you can do that, you actually offest the lack of movements! Many people can only or will only do qigong for a few minutes and/or once a day. Still good, but not better or best. But if you can fill in THAT area of "best", i.e. doing it multiple times per day, you almost certainly will see, and feel results faster than if you only do it once a day. In the midst of your pain, if you can try to devote an hour or even a half hour, but 2-3 times per day, you will be opening up the channels and you will expedite the moving of the energy and the opening up of the channels.
And as Deb says, add your name to the healing list. That too will help.
Have a confident attitude while doing any of the above. And that too will enhance what you already can do. Which actually is still a lot and more than most people in the world are doing now.
Much healing to you and with your permission, I will also add you in during my qigong practice.
Steve
