I'm also wondering about the tounge on the roof of the mouth, are there exceptions to that to? I sometimes tend to feel more energy without connecting the channels.
There are a few exceptions to that, usually that is so you can 'clear' some of the meridians (channels) by inhaling with the tounge on the roof, then move the tounge to 'cut the circuit' and exhale through the mouth. For the most part, I've seen this mainly in the 'fighting arts'--when practicing certain palm techniques. ...but let's move on to why you'd mainly want to keep the circuit open, especially for healing purposes...
The more 'obvious' energy you are experiencing is 'Yang' and the much less noticeable, for the most part but equally important is Yin energy. Even when you feel fatigued or tired you still have a tremendous amount of energy flowing through the body, it's just that the 'Yin' is in a more seemingly dominant state.
Just keep working with it and as you open the channels, your energy will become very smooth. At first, when this happens it seems like 'you have not so much energy feeling' as you did when you started, this is quite alright. It means several things, one your current energy capacity is expanding so you will be able to store more energy. Secondly, your energy is smoother so the 'obvious' blockages have melted away. Third, in time, you will start to feel a deep, subtle but VAST power awakening, that is very real to you. This may not be obvious right away, it's power is that it is subtle, and as you practice your sensitivity will deepen and you will know it more and more. "It" cannot be explained to someone else in words, but you will know it for yourself.
Also why are the ending exercises so important?
This is so that you can seal your centers and they won't continue to run at full capacity when you jump back into your daily activities. Think of it like 'turning down' the faucet or slightly dimming the lights since you aren't 'actively' using them. However, they will continue to function perfectly and will actually continue to filter after you are done practicing/meditating and go on to your normal activities.
Also if the duration of the exercise is a half an hour, what is meant by doing them for an hour does it mean doing them for longer, or repeating the sequence?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge,
Yechiel
2-5mins for the closing is good. If you are increasing amount of practice time, I think it's better to do each sequence longer that it would be to 'do them all and go through them again'.
~Z
