Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Exercise value in Qigong?

Hi everyone, 1st post .....

That Subject line is a little confusing. My question is if it is possible to advance my quality of healing and advance in my Qigong studies without doing the exercises? I understand and correct me if I'm wrong; but the exercise session is highly structured and each movement builds upon the last and is very important. What if my doctor won't allow most of the movements, and they also cause alot of pain? Will I not loose most if not all of the benefits of the course and practice?

Dennis Staley

Dennis,

I have two slipped discs that I am working diligently to adjust so I am often in a lot of pain when I stand for very long. While you did not describe which of the exercises cause you pain or what type of pain, I can share that I do most of my exercises laying down flat on my back and I do what I physically can.

Depending on the day I also do the "sitting" meditations laying down.

As you read all the posts you will see lots of different ailments that have been helped by practising SFQ and how many of us just start slow and build.

Best to you

Deb

I'm sorry, your right I was vague in what my condition is. I have a spinal fusion which does not allow me to bend, twist nor put any lateral movement on my spine. It also makes it to where I can stand for very limited times and spend a few hours a day, if I overdue, in a wheelchair. I found that the simplest movement causes pain in disks that are on the verge of collapse, hence my neuro surgeon has told me not to do the excersises at all. But the excersises are an integral part of Qigong and I don't think I will gain any advancement by not doing them.

Dennis J Staley

Have you tried just doing the sitting meditations (also which can be done in any position)? Everything doesn't have to be at once. Just ten minutes on Small Universerse or Self Concentration helps me manage pain. Granted my condition not as severe, but my muscles try very hard to make my hips meet up with ears, especially after any exercise. I sit, usually with my back supported by my elbows on my knees or I lay down and follow Master Lin on the Small Universe.

By all means listen to your doctor. Master Lin says on all his teachings that this is complementary. Also make sure you put your name on the group healing list. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Deb

Hello Dstaley,

I agree with Deb.
I too started very slow, doing all the exercises lying down as following surgery to my feet I could not stand. I had arthritis in my feet , hands, knees hips etc etc. Eventually I managed seated exercise and finally standing but my balance was poor so sometimes I'd go back to sitting. Though I am an 'oldie', just two days ago I was up ladders with electric cutters trimming the trees in my garden!

You need to be aware though, that it is not necessary to do ALL the exercises - simply do what you can manage and are comfortable doing. It is not the purpose of Qigong to cause you pain. If you can only spread your arms a certain distance then that is OK. If you can only lift your leg an inch -fine! Do not do anything which hurts.

How is your imagination? Can you visualise? If you can then finish the exercise in your imagination - See it! Feel it ! and the brain won't know the difference - it will think that you are doing the exercises physically! Try to become very aware of how your body feels. Take note of any changes however small, they can tell you a lot.

Very important is the meditation. I personally found Small Universe to be a
huge boost to me. I did it in bed every day and feeling the Qi running freely round my body was a great experience, but again, getting rid of the blockages can take a bit of time.

It took 12 weeks before I noticed a difference, so stick in , practice when and what you can and be patient. Try to cultivate an attitude of Gratitude and you will succeed.

Take care,
Love and light
Faune

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

Hi Dennis,
It is a very limited view of qigong framing it so much in reference to a physical practice, or physical accomplishment or ability in reference to active exercises. If you remove some of the content/thinking/extra energy of how you see yourself and your practice, you can make progress in an unlimited sense.
Your current body, as well as being "Dennis", is this lifetime. You are an eternal being. In meditation, you engage with a process that aligns with the eternal aspect of you. I continually find that to be a wonderful thing. "The thing." Nothing physical about that. It would be very beneficial to you , to engage with the meditations, and leave out the content regarding perceptions of time, relative to your practice, or physical limitations, or anything else in this lifetime. When you sit down or lie down to meditate, try letting go of all the content regarding this lifetime. It can be a simple little letting go sensation or visualization or feeling/intention as you enter your meditation. No more Dennis, no more Dennis with the bad back, no more 'I'm doing my exercises in a limited way', or Dennis engaged with a compromised version of SFQ. This is not the case.
We all start somewhere, when we engage with qigong. Where, at what level, or ability, is not important. The practice , is important. From whatever point we engage, we then begin to transform. This is the best we can do in regards to self healing, transformation, regeneration, or self realization.
You have a mind, a body, a spirit and soul. The soul is perfection. The spirit, is another deal. How do you feel? How is your spirit? How is your spirit relative to how you perceive youself, your situation? 'You' can make unlimited progress regarding your spirit, in your qigong practice. You can accomplish emtiness, regardless of your physical limitations. With spiritual transformation, spiritual focus, all non physical aspects of self, you can transform your overall being. You can approach the physical aspect of this practice from focus on the meditative piece of the practice. You don't have to think about that! Just do the meditations, they take care of themselves, and they are transformative. You will feel different about yourself, gain new, positive perspectives on working with your body, or approaching that. Wisdom, also comes through meditation.
Approach the active exercises grounded in the meditations and the truth of who you are. An eternal being. Do whatever is doable. Relax and enjoy it. One exercise can be enough. No reactions or opinions about it. It will grow from wherever you start, doing however much you can. It is a life style practice of continual transformation, without limitation. You have an opening within this practice, through the inactive exercise that is unlimited. Spiritual energy is unlimited. Spiritual and universal energy work together,,,,touch each other..
love,
gallen

gallen, that is an excellent answer! I hope Dennis reads it and gets it.


I too appreciate your answer. It helps me as well. Thank you.