odd thing

[Nightstrike]

recently i'v started meditating a bit to harness my chi.
and it sorta works but anyways
when i relax enough and sit up striaght
on both sides of my back, like an outline its line my kidneys hurt
what in the living heck is that?!

[doc]

What are you lying on when you meditate?

[Nightstrike]

I sit cross legged on my bed.

[doc]

Depending upon how firm your bed is, and, exactly how you are sitting, you might be putting unnecessary stress on your back, causing some lumbar strain.

[Asger]

Put some pillows under your tail so your back is straight. That is very important

[daodejing]

Ok, for starters, stop sitting on your bed. Sitting on a bed causes your butt to sink lower than your ankles and knees, which distributes the stress in a weird way on your back, particularly the sacral and lumbar spine. Try sitting in half lotus, on the floor, with a thick pillow or folded up blanket under your butt and your feet and legs folded on the floor. This will help you keep your spine straigh with less strain, and it should take the pressure off the muscle bundle which attaches to L3, which is the area in which you complained of pain. Doc can further explain the latin names of the muscles that attach there, and what they do, but that's the basic jist. Sit on the floor, not your bed.

[Nightstrike]

allright thank you.
and I don't really want to meditate to "enlightenment" for religious reasons. It sounds stupid but yea.
So what are some reccomended ways of meditation for harnessing your chi?

[daodejing]

Stay in your lower dan tien. In lieu of a qigong teacher, read up on small circulation meditation (aka lesser heavenly orbit, or microcosmic orbit meditation). Essentiall the practice involves focusing on the top of your head (du 20) as you inhale, thus bringing the Qi up the outside of the spine, and then focusing on the perineal arch as you exhale (ren 1, midway between genitalia and anus) thus leading the Qi down the front of the body. Always breathe through your nose (if possible) with the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth (this creates an electrical connection between the Ren Mai and Du Mai, which improves the efficiency of Qi circulation. Hope that helps. Dr. Yang Jwing Ming has some great qigong books if you can't find a local teacher.

[Asger]

Daodejing, can you recommend a book by Dr. Yang Jwing Ming for someone who has been training in kungfu for 3 years, but knows practically nothing about qigong and the cycle of qi?
I see he has written quite a number of books.

[Maestro]

well

wkks books explain the same methods, i highly disagree with learning the techniques from books though

amitabha

[Nightstrike]

thanks.
but better yet do you have a site for it?
thanks

[dragonturtle]

Asgar Ive read these two from YMAA.

one of his earlier books. good for basics , history, background and fundamentals of qigong

The Root of Chinese Qigong-The Secrets for Health, Longevity, & Enlightenment


one of his latest on how to incorperate qigong into the martial art

The Essence of Shaolin White Crane-Martial Power and Qigong

each one of his qigong books usually deals with a different way of using or incorporating qigong.ie, health, martial arts, spiritual, meditation

[daodejing]

These are the two books I would recommend as well. Read the root of chinese qigong first. Its all basic theory and it will greatly benefit your understanding of any qigong practice. Go for either "Qigong for Health and Martial Arts" or "Essence of Shaolin White Crane" both are excellent books for further understanding qigong, and learning sets of excercises you can practice.

If your looking for something about medical qigong, try "The Healing Art of Qigong" by Hong Liu.

But definatly read the RoCQ first. Its a wonderful book, and its written from physicicsts perspective, so it makes it a much easier read for us gwei lo.

[Nightstrike]

thank you for the advice. I don't feel that pain now.

[daodejing]

You're welcome, I'm glad to help.