Category

Meditation

Aug 18
2

The Power of Peace–Cultivating Quietude In an Age of Noise

By | Meditation

“All changes and motions are conceived and touched off in the stillness of absolute quietude. . .” –A Mnemonic of Thirteen Tai Chi Chuan Movements

A few weeks back, Josefina and I were at Suzie’s Studio for our Saturday morning Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong class. In the warm quiet of this lovely space the class participants had relaxed into what we would describe as ‘a state of healing peace.’ Then, into the stillness of the morning came the sound of a rolling, rackety skateboard. The sound persisted. The sound grew louder. The skateboard and its rider were now in the parking lot and it appeared the rider had found the perfect place to practice—right in front of our studio door. . .

This experience brought home in a humorous way some of the more profound benefits one can realize from practicing the Internal Martial and Healing Arts, including: mental clarity, focus and stability, calmness, joy and peace of mind.

We live in an increasingly noisy world that competes for our attention with whispers and bangs, and everything in between. In addition to the sounds of life and activity all around us, our focus is often distracted by numerous technological ‘connections,’ and our minds are filled to the brim with thoughts and concerns of all kinds that continually intrude upon the precious moments of quiet we try to carve out for ourselves. Over time, this ‘noise’ can have a cumulative and sometimes damaging effect upon our nervous system, our general health and well-being.

In our Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong classes, we speak about the many benefits of cultivating an all-encompassing awareness—the ability to be deeply aware of what is happening in both your inner and outer environments, without being distracted away from whatever it is you are engaged in, be it the practices of Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong, or any life activity. It is this gently-penetrating focus that allows the practitioner to deeply rest, relax, release—and quite literally—let go of stress, trauma or discomfort on all levels of body, mind, emotions and spirit. Perhaps even more importantly, it allows one to find quietude, clarity and peace of mind amidst chaos, and that ability is no small thing.

It was inspiring to see how well the class participants maintained their gently-relaxed focus, despite the persistent, rolling racket just outside the door. Towards the end of the class, the rider rolled away and continued on down the street. I found it interesting that of all the places in the neighborhood the skateboard rider could have chosen to practice, he chose the place right outside our studio. The timing of it all was interesting, too. A few minutes later, we brought the class to conclusion and looking at one another, smiled in understanding.

“Thank you,” Josefina said, her palms covering her heart. “Thank you for helping support our meditations.”

Yes. Thank you!

© 2012 Elizabeth Meloney—All rights reserved.

Jun 15
0

The Bright Smile of Spontaneously Present Joy

By | Authentic Nature, Breathing, Healing, Intention Driven Action, Meditation, Practices, Qigong | No Comments

We begin every class and every practice session with the radiant awareness described below.  This gentle, profound practice helps lift us out of the stresses of life into wholeness and limitless potential and positively supercharges our health, our outlook and every activity in our lives, both on and off the practice court.  We recommend incorporating this practice daily, and then notice what changes have taken place over the course of a week, a month, a year!

  1. Begin by sitting in a chair, feet shoulder width apart and parallel, palms resting on the tops of your thighs, arms relaxed.  If your back is strong, sit more forward on the chair, if not, scoot your body to the back of the chair and use the backrest for support.  Feel the feet connected to the earth.
  2. Become aware of the fold in the body where the hip meets the thigh, the inguinal curve, or kwa.  Feel the bottom of the torso, the perineum, where it contacts the chair.  Gently press the feet into the floor and the perineum into the chair without strain or tension, and lift up through the midriff, allowing the chest and shoulders to remain relaxed and full.  This helps to release any strain/compression from the lower spine.
  3. Allow the crown of your head to gently lift upwards, creating an elongation in the torso.  Align the crown of the head over the perineum, and notice the gentle fullness and integrity of the central energy channel in the body.  The head is aligned with the centerline of the body.  The chin is gently drawn in towards the neck and remains parallel to the floor (not tilted up or down.)  The eyes are softly on the horizon.  Maintain this gently full, upright posture throughout the practice.
  4. Now focus on the breath.  Gently breathe into the lower abdomen: long, slow, even, smooth and continuous.  Notice the diaphragm gently sinks on the inhalation.  Then exhale in the same slow, even manner and notice the diaphragm gently rises.  Allow your gently-focused mind to follow the breath in and out.  You want the belly to rise and fall gently without strain or tension, and you never want to force the breath.  This is known as diaphragmatic breathing or natural breathing.  (We will cover more on breath in future posts.)  Breathe in this manner for several minutes, and build up the time you spend in this gentle breathing practice—the more time you spend in this deep breathing, the better for your body, mind and spirit.  This is the way babies breathe!  As we age and are exposed to the stresses of life, illness and injury our breath becomes shallower, the respiratory apparatus becomes tense, restricted, and consequently we have less available oxygen.  The daily practice of deep, natural breathing has far-reaching benefits for health and peace of mind.  Ultimately, your practice will naturally deepen and expand, constrictions and tensions will be released and this will become your way of breathing.   “When one gives undivided attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can become as a tender babe.”  —Tao De Ching, J. Legge, Trans.
  5. Now, focus on the heart center and imagine a very bright seed of purest light in the core of the heart center.  This seed of light is so bright–as bright as 10,000 suns and moons–this light is divine, luminous joy.  (One can liken this joy to the quality we feel when we see a much beloved family member or friend from whom we have been separated for a long time.)  Allow this seed of luminous joy to expand in size and spread throughout the heart center.  See it.  Feel it.  Look for a felt-sense experience of the radiance of divine, limitless joy.  Then allow the light to move throughout the body, bathing every cell and particle in the body, mind and spirit with luminous joy.  Notice that the lips cannot help but turn up in a gentle smile; feel the same gentle smile in the eyes and throughout the body.  Gratitude permeates every cell and you have become a beacon of joy.  Continue deep, slow, even breathing and rest for as long as you wish in this joyful, limitless awareness.

Begin and end the day with this practice, and call upon it at anytime.  The idea is to cultivate this limitless, joyful awareness so that we are never separate from it.  This simple, yet profound practice creates a healing atmosphere and inner/outer unity that is filled with divine potential and helps us reconnect with our authentic nature.  This practice is known as “The Bright Smile of Spontaneously Present Joy.”

© 2010 Elizabeth Meloney—All rights reserved.