Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Pain while practicing

Hello to all,
I have a problem with my lower back which gives me a lot of pain after practicing just for a few minutes. This is quite frustrating because I feel that doing the exercises while standing is the most effective. Is it as effective to do the exercises while siting on a chair? I would appreciate some comments.

Regards

Doing the active exercises is fine in a sitting or lying position. I do believe that the standing position is best. Your thoughts and signals for moving setup energy patterns. These movements and mental focus are designed to work together for best health results.

Don't under estimate the value of good. You are the best judge of what is right for you. This is not a race, so if you feel a slower progression is right for you I would suggest you follow your guidance. If that means sitting until you feel ready, until you've seen enough improvement, until you gained enough confidence, then that's what you should do.

I currently have a knee injury, and I can tell you the moment I start saying the password the sensation of pain just magnifies like crazy. I know that Master Lin would say that my energy is flowing more freely and that is why I feel it more intensely. During this time I have been doing a self-concentration meditation to start. During this portion I have been using a variation of the Feeling Exercise by Arnold Patent. I effectively acknowledge and feel the sensation. No labelling or judging since there is no good or bad energy. I then feel love and appreciation for the energy in the sensation. I use SFQ style visualizations. I then progress to more traditional SFQ techniques of healing and meditation.

Also in the past I have experience temporary leg or upper back pain from doing the active exercises. These I just see as the physical manifestations of my better health (sore muscles and repositioning body).


You are perfection,
Iam2

Hey Charlie,

I like standing the best for maximum effectiveness. Is the pain centrally located? Sciatic perhaps? How old are you? It's best to do as much as you can, even in inperfection, whatever imperfection means here. I'm a tad older, in pretty good health and need to stretch at least 10 minutes before starting. Kind-of-like a mini workout so to speak. However, if I do get a little cramping after beginning, I do visualize energy to the concerned area for relief and this hasn't failed me yet. So, keep on keeping on!

flipstick

Hi Charlie,
I feel the good , better, best measure is there, to allow a positive sense of engaging with the practice, at any level of ability. It is that engaging with the practice that counts, and feeling good about it, and you shouldn't bring into the practice experience, any sense of limitation, or measure of accomplishment, relative to your position. With a content of both active and inactive, along with the possibility of helping others, your cup is full.
If I viewed a more intense level of standing, like someone who could stand in a deep stance, I wouldn't reclassify my standing, as 'good'. I wouldn't go there, as I usually don't think of my position in those terms,but rather, just experience my practice. It doesn't enter my mind. Perhaps someone who can levitate, is best, and that moves the low stance guy to better!!
One could look at meditation positions too. Most people can't sit in a full lotus. I don't think the measure of good better best is necessary to realize in that practice either, relative to position. Not that it is wrong, , ,it gives us a benchmark. I don't think it should come 'into' the practice experience though. Someone sitting in a half lotus, that perceives themselves as normal or somewhat healthy, probably doesn't think of their sitting position as just better... It seems to come up more, when some negative perception is felt, and the good better best is a way to experience a positive. It is most useful there. Again, I would suggest keeping the sense of where you are, relative to your position , out of your practice experience itself.

In a sitting position, you remove the challenge of standing. Again, in a more extreme, deep stance, if one did that practice, the stance can be very distracting to feeling energy. You feel your weak/sore legs more... Remove that physical/external work, and you can really focus on feeling the subtleties of qi. You could perhaps, focus on this heightened sensitivity, without having to deal with standing. Focus on feeling the energy. You might accomplish a heightened experience in the hand movements,breathing , visualization....that you later bring into standing, that you may not have found, working in the standing position and having your back distract you.

You have so many choices to engage with and go forward with.
I would check your physical alignment, just to make sure you are standing with a straight back. Check your lower spine alignment. Standing too sway backed creates discomfort. If you back up to a wall in your standing position, you can see how straight your back is. Sometimes, curling the pelvis slightlyunder and forward , aligns the lower back. You don't want tension there in adjusting that. Continually relax the buttocks/pelvis, so you have a sense of floating in there, not locked up tight,,, but open.
There are two energy points on the upper buttocks . Relaxing that area, is a muscular thing, but also can help open that area energetically. I find that area can tighten up frequently, and needs to be continually relaxed. Tension, can cause back pain too, especially if you are out of alignment.
I would suggest trying your active exercise sitting. Sit on the edge of the chair, back straight, chin tucked. Be aware of a good connection to the ground, feet flat. This is a more attentive way to sit, as opposed to sit back in the chair. Have all the alignments in place short of standing. Afterward your session, try just standing.
Just the first position in level I, of just standing. Work on your alignment, relax the buttocks/pelvis, and mostly focus on lower dan tien breathing. Just stand. It is powerful qigong to just stand too. Keep your arms clear of your body's sides, slightly spread the fingers to fill with qi. You might find you can reconstruct your initial alignment to just standing, and make progress with that singular element.
Give it your focus.
Standing, in essence and sequence, is before the forming of yin and yang. Look at that from a creation event standpoint relative to the forming of the universe, the forming of yin and yang. Standing is big, and very singular. You stand in great possibility.
After your session sitting, you will have a good warmth , be more focused, all your channels will be open, and then you can try standing, coming from that, and focus on the alignment, opening the pelvis, breathing ....lots to engage with on this fundamental level.
love,
gallen

I recall this famous martial master who was in older martial arts films. There was this scene , with him sitting in a chair. Someone sneaked up behind him and pulled out the chair. He remained sitting, without the chair. Think big. :-)

Charlie,
When I first start practice SFQ, my standing posture was incorrect and caused me back pain. Before I practice with the correct standing posture, I have to let my body heal first. I did the active exercise with one change.
I did not bend my knees and just stand with a relaxed posture.
I found myself continue to benefit from the practice.
Later, I returned to the position as Master Lin presented in the lesson.
Take it slowly, the best way for yourself, if sitting can carry you through the exercise, do it that way first. In time, you might found your back pain is gone and able to go on to “your” next step of practice.

Charlie -

I had painful gout that attacked my feet, knees, elbows and hands. When I started Qigong, the pain actually got worse (I got really angry over that, but kept at it.) Initially, I physically couldn't stand to do the exercises, so I had to sit. (Doing the seven steps from a sitting position must have looked very interesting.) I realized after about a month of practice that the pain had greatly diminished, as had the inflamation, so I started standing. Often in the middle of a session it got to be too much, so I always had a chair handy in case I needed to sit to continue.

The inflamation is now 99% gone and the pain in my legs and feet is 100% gone. (I still have a little stiffness and pain in my hands, but that doesn't stop me from standing... ) And I've only been practicing now for about six months!

All this is to say - do what works for you. Don't suffer. Allow yourself to progress at the degree your body can.

Geoff