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“Busy-ness is Laziness,” by Dr. Reggie Ray, from elephant journal’s Autumn 2005 issue.
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2008/09/dr-reggie-ray-busy-ness-is-laziness/
Photo Credit: Amy RM Stahl
Life emerges out of the silence of our inner being. The life that we have in our mind, the life that is a reflection of our planning, the life that has been constructed out of bits and pieces in our environment—external conditioning, things we have observed in other people, things that influential people have told us—is actually not who we are. That pre-planned life is rigid. It’s artificial. It’s unresponsive. It doesn’t reflect the life that we were born to live.
As a student of mine observed, obstacles—which are always with us—are not really obstacles when you work with them in the right way. And we have to work with them.
Many, many people tell me “I’m having a lot of problems doing this [meditation] practice because I am so busy. I’m really busy. I have a full life. It’s busy and I run from morning ‘til night.” People actually say that.
Now think about that for a minute. What kind of life is that? Is that a life worth living? Some people feel it is. America is probably the most extreme example of a speed-driven culture—and this is not my particular personal discovery, but something that has been said to me by many people from other traditional cultures. The first time this was said to me was when I was 19 and I went to Japan. Western people are running from themselves and they use the busy-ness of their lives as an excuse to avoid having to actually live their own life. We are terrified of who we actually are, terrified of the inner space that is the basis of the human experience.
We are actually incapable of being alone—of any work that requires genuine solitude, without entertainment, that requires making a connection with the silence of the inner being. The American family engineers a life in which there is never any time alone, where we never have to actually talk to each other. Even dinnertime is around the TV, at best—or we’re just grabbing something at McDonalds.
But it’s not the larger culture. It’s actually us. It’s me and it’s you. We load our life up to the point where it’s about to snap. And when you ask someone to sit down and be with themselves they go, “I can’t. I don’t have time for that.” Now you and I may realize that there actually is a problem. Most people don’t think there is a problem.
We run our kids in the same way—and it’s destroying them. The soccer practice and the music lesson and three hours of TV and homework—it goes on from the minute they get up until they go to sleep. They never have an opportunity to experience silence. Psychological development requires periods of solitude. Anthropological psychology—studying other cultures, as well as our own—shows that when children do not have completely unstructured time, when there are no parental expectations looming over them, they actually can’t develop normally.
We see this at higher levels of education, too. Even the unusual and gifted students at Naropa [University]. These people are disabled, in many cases, because they have lived a busy life, fulfilling all expectations that middle and upper-middle class parents lay on their children because of their fear. The underlying thing is fear of space.
We all have it. I have it in a major way. I am busy. I have all these things that I like to do. When one thing ends, the next thing starts. It’s all important and I have to do it and I don’t sleep enough. So we all have to take another look.
The problem with being busy is that it is based on ignorance—not realizing that by keeping your mind occupied constantly you are actually not giving yourself a chance. We even put an activity in our life, called meditation, where you practice not being busy. Think about it. It’s actually genius. You have added another thing on top of everything else you do, but you are pulling the plug for a period of time every day—so it actually has a reverse effect of opening up and creating space. So you are just going to be more busy now! But this is good, especially in Western culture. People put meditation on their To Do lists. This is something I tell my students: “If you don’t put meditation on the top of your To Do list, it will be at the bottom, and it won’t happen.” I find that if meditation is not the first priority of my day it won’t happen. You know if I am
foolish enough to say, “Well, I have to make this phone call, check my email…,” then it’s over. Finished. “I’ll do it later.” It never happens. Look at your life and ask, “Am I being honest with myself? Is it really true that I don’t have time?”
When I was in graduate school I worked with a Jungian analyst, June Singer. She used to say, “Work expands to fill all of the available space.” The problem is not the amount of things you have in your life, it’s the attitude. It’s your fear of space. Busy-ness in the Tibetan tradition is considered the most extreme form of laziness. Because when you are busy you can turn your brain off. You’re on the treadmill. The only intelligence comes in the morning when you make your To Do list and you get rid of all the possible space that could happen in your day. There is intelligence in that: I fill up all the space so I don’t have to actually relate to myself!
Once you have made that list, it’s over. There is no more fundamental intelligence operating. So the basic ignorance is not realizing what we are doing by being busy. What we are doing to ourselves, what we are doing to our families, what we are doing to our friends.
When my daughter Catherine, who is now 24, was a newborn baby my wife Lee and I went home to my mother’s house. My father had already died. I grew up in Darien, Connecticut—the ultimate suburbia. Everyone works in New York and they are all busy. My best friend from high school came over with his wife, who was also a close friend of mine, and my godfather came over. This succession of people all came in…and Lee picked up on it right away, because she is from Alberta and out there, there is a lot of space!
These people…we loved each other. We were so close. But it was always the same: after 10 minutes they said, “Well, we got to run!” Every single one did the same thing. And Lee said to me, “What are they so afraid of?” Not one of them was actually present. It made me realize why I left the East Coast and went to India. “How far away can I get?” But these patterns are deeply ingrained in us, and running away is not
going to solve the problem. It’s in us.
People on campus always say to me, “Gee, you must be really busy.” I could be standing there looking at an autumn tree. I say “No, I’m not busy, I have all the time in the world.” Now, I may not really feel that way—but somehow we have to stop this mentality. It’s sick. Literally. So I never say to my wife, “I’m busy.” Ever. I used to do it, but it didn’t evoke a good reaction. [Laughter]
“I’m too busy.” I am sorry. I don’t buy it. It’s self-deception: “I am too busy to relate to myself.” I don’t care if you have four children and three jobs—we have one human life. And if you can’t make the time, 15 minutes to relate to yourself, everyone else in your life is going to suffer. You have to realize that you are harming other people by making up excuses and not working on yourself. This is serious.
I do understand that things happen in life, and in the course of a week there are going to be times when you can’t practice if you have a job, a family. But to say that over a period of three months I can’t practice because I am too busy? That is the very problem that you came here to solve. I implore you.
My wife has developed some techniques to help with this problem. I am going to give them to you, and then I’ll ask her permission when I go home for lunch. [Laughter]
Being busy is tricky. We set up our life so we are busy. I do this to myself; this is one of my biggest obstacles. I get excited about things and agree to do things three months from now. But when the time comes I realize it is not a good idea because I can’t do it properly, because I have so much else going on. But I have no choice. I have to go through with it. “God, you idiot, how could you do that!” But getting angry
doesn’t help, because there I am and I’ve got a 16-hour day I have to get through.
Unless you viciously carve out time to work on yourself it’s not going to happen. You have to be brutal about it, actually. If your mind is always busy then you have no sense of the world you live in. Because there is no communication, there is no space within which to see what we are doing. We will end up destroying our lives, and you may not realize what you have given up until you are on your deathbed. By being busy you are basically giving away your human existence.
One of the things about being busy is that it is a un-examined behavior. It’s habitual.
What’s the Point?
So when something comes up and you think “I need to do this,” the first question to ask is, “Why do I need to do this? What am I expecting to get out of this particular activity? What is the benefit going to be?”
A lot of times we actually don’t even think what we are going to get out of it, or what it’s going to accomplish. Amazing. Say I need to call so-and-so right away. Okay: “Why?” You’d be surprised. You think
“Well, it’s obvious.” It isn’t. We have not thought through most of the things that we do at all. We haven’t looked at what the desired consequence is.
What are the Odds?
I may think I am likely to get something, and sometimes I do. But what is the likelihood that something is not going to happen? How sure am I that what I think I am going to get, will happen? What is the percentage of possibility?
Is Other Stuff Likely to Come Up?
This is the big one for me. Does this action have unforeseen karmic consequences? For example: I want to call up somebody and check on something. A lot of times they start telling me some terrible thing
that has just happened. I’d allowed five minutes for this conversation, and 45 minutes later I am still on the phone. We do this all the time. We don’t look at the consequences of a particular action.
It’s like somebody who goes into a café, and there is this huge cheesecake right there. You could buy a slice, but you get a cappuccino and sit down with the entire cheesecake and start eating. Now, from a certain point of view this sounds like bliss. And maybe for a short period of time you are going to forget all the pain of the
human condition. I mean, that is the great thing about cheesecake. [Laughter] It boosts your endorphins for 5 or 10 minutes. You feel great! But then, having eaten the entire cheesecake, you feel sick for the next three days.
Strangely enough, this is how we live our lives. We jump on things. Someone asks me, “Why don’t you come to Switzerland, teach for a few days and then hang out in the wonderful Alps?” By the time I get off the phone I am ready to pack. Then I talk to my wife. [Laughter] And she asks me, “Have you considered what a 17-hour trip is going to do to your bad back? Have you thought about that?” And then I get back on the phone. [Laughter]
But, because of our ambitions of all kinds, we are ready to fill our life up to the point where, even if I’m in Switzerland, nothing is different. This is one of the great discoveries: wherever I go it’s still lousy. [Laughter] It’s just me and my mind and I don’t feel good and I have got this work to do and I don’t have the energy. It’s the same story, no matter where I go or what I’m doing.
Except when I sit down and meditate. Then, I feel like I am creating an inner space so I can actually relate to the fact of what my life is, rather than just being in an out-of-control mode. So sit down and ask yourself, “What is important in my life, and what’s less important?” Almost on a daily basis, we have to look closely at the things that remain on our To Do list to see whether they are actually realistic.
Ten years ago, after I’d taught a Dathün—a month long meditation—some of the students said to me, “We feel bonded to each other and to you. We’d really like to keep going” And I said, “Well, we could start a meditation group.” And 10 years later I am trapped with a community of 200 people, called Dhyana Sangha. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful. But I got into it in a blind way. And there are many other things that I do not love in the same way that I get into blindly. We all do that all the time—and we wind up with a life that doesn’t work and isn’t helpful to others.
My ambition to accomplish things is going to be one of the last things to go. I can’t help it; it’s just the way that I am. I see a pile of leaves that need to be raked up and I start salivating. I love to do things. I love to be active. And you can say, “Well, that’s great.” But there’s neurosis in that. It’s a way of shutting out space. This is another thing my wife has taught me: when there’s no space nothing really happens.
I had a wonderful quotation by Chögyam Trungpa up on my wall during my [meditation] retreat. It goes something like, “If there isn’t a complete sense of openness and space, then communication between two people can not happen. Period. It’s that simple.” The communication we have with each other is often based on agendas: negotiating with other people to get what we want. That’s not communication.
My wife taught me that. Insistently. It’s to the point where that busy mind is just not acceptable in our house anymore. It doesn’t matter what’s going on my life. If she comes into my study, I have to be completely there. And that’s fabulous, because I’m never able to get invested in that neurosis. If I do, she’ll let me have it.
Giving up this state of busy-ness doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to be active, creative people. We’re giving up the mentality where you can’t actually relate to what’s in front of you because you have this mental speed going on. Let it go. I’m saying it to you. This is an issue that we are going to have to address if we want to be any good to anyone.
You’ll notice when you work in this way over a period of years—and this is something that I have discovered accidentally—the more you practice, the more you get done. If you sit for 2 hours in the morning, which is a lot for people, you will find that your day is 30 hours long. When you establish sitting, somehow, in your life—when you sit in the morning—your day takes care of itself. Things happen as they need to. There is a sense of auspicious coincidence throughout the day.
And when you don’t sit, things go to hell. [Laughter] Everything runs into everything. You say, “I don’t have time to sit ‘cause I have to do this email.” You run to your computer, turn it on and spend the next 4 hours trying to get your computer to work. This is just how things work.
Magic is actually very down to earth. It’s a part of our lives. It’s going on all the time, we just don’t see it. But when you actually take care of yourself, work with yourself and create openness in your life, life will respond by cooperating. And when you are unwilling to relate with yourself at the beginning of your day, your life is going to give you a hard time.
I got stuck on my first book, Buddhist Saints In India. If I wrote another book like that it would kill me. It was an unbelievable labor. I got stuck in the middle. So I started practicing more, I started doing long retreats. And the book started flowing. The more I practiced, the more the book happened. In a sense, when I meditated I was getting something good done.
I realized that the way you accomplish things in life—whether with family or going to work—is through practice. One hour of work with the practice behind you is worth two days when the practice isn’t there. Things just don’t work well—there’s too much neurosis in it. When I don’t feel busy, things I have to do fall into place. Going through my day with a sense of relaxation, I connect with people. I appreciate the outdoors when I walk to my car. I see the sky.
I encourage you to take a chance: put practice at the top of the list. Don’t make that call if it isn’t something that actually needs to happen—so many of the things we do is to make people like us. “I have to make this
call or so-and-so is going to be upset.” I have a pretty good idea that if you do that you will find that there is plenty of time to practice, no matter how busy you are. Busy people will look at your life and go, “I don’t see how you can do it!”
Here’s a teaching that Chögyam Trungpa gave that has changed the way a lot of people look at their work lives: learn how to invite space into your worklife. The space itself will actually accomplish most of what you
need to do. In the form of helpful people turning up, auspicious coincidences… And in so doing, you are not only opening up your self, you are opening up the world. It becomes a dance. It’s no longer your job to sit there for 10 hours doing your thing, it’s to respond to the way the world wants things to happen. It’s de-centralized.
In Buddhism, this is one of the paramitas: exertion. Exertion is tuning into the natural energy of the world. And when you tune in, you don’t get tired. You become joyful. That you are part of a huge cosmic dance that is unfolding, moment by moment. And you have to change your ideas of what you thought should happen. It requires flexibility on our part!
Busy-ness. It’s the most commonly mentioned obstacle that everyone faces, and I know for me it’s #1. So I thought it would be worthwhile spending a little time with it. I invite you to take a fresh look at your life. Relate to the fear that comes up when we are not busy. Am I still worthy? It’s that Calvinist thing, underlying our culture. But try letting go and lo and behold it’s a better human life, and much more beneficial for other people.
I hope I didn’t upset anybody by saying these things, but I can’t beat around the bush with you. I need to just lay things out as they come up.
The above is adapted from a talk Dr. Reggie Ray gave as part of his Meditating with the Body retreat.
Betty Handley
For EternallyBlissfulYoga Super Magazine
![[asset_small2.JPG]](http://sunyatanamaskar.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/asset_small2.jpg?w=250)
A new phenomenon is developing within the American Yoga world; the rise of Fundamentalist Yogis. These practitioners have started appearing at Yoga studios a little over a year ago and have become a distraction according to Yoga studio owners, teachers and students.
The Fundamentalist Yogis (they refer to themselves as True Yogis) apparently grew out of a reaction to the overly commercialized and trivialized contemporary Yoga scene today. These Yogis have not only taken on the beliefs and dress of the sadhus of India but are also doing Yoga according to the first recorded ancient text of Yoga, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. They have begun appearing in Yoga studios sometimes wearing nothing more then loin cloths and carrying tridents. They feel that the pastel colored Yoga mats and expensive chi-chi Yoga clothing is an abomination of the practice of Yoga. Some of these Yogis have an ashen tone to their skin from the ashes that cover their bodies which they claim are the ashes of the dead. When one of the Fundamentalist Yogis was asked if the ashes were from humans, that Yogi only smiled.
Cathy Freeman, a yoga student, whose yoga class has been visited by a Fundamentalist Yogi commented, “The ashes are weird but the trident he was carrying gave me the creeps.” She added, “He did have a nice ass though”. Jasmine-ji, the owner of the Laughing Buddha Yoga studio which has also been visited by Fundamentalist Yogis said, “I know, as Yogis, we are suppose to be accepting of all Yogis, but these guys are freaking my customer out. It’s bad enough that they don’t bring Yoga mats to practice on, but the fact that they leave all those ashes all over the studio floor has become a nightmare to clean up after. Plus”, she added, “they’re kind of smelly”.
An interesting take on posture and stance, adds a whole new level to stance training. Find entire article @ Voodoo Who Do
Shamanic Trance Postures – A Visionary Path To Esctastic Experience
By Howard G Charing
Shamanism offers a way for people to become aware of their potential, and begin to explore their spiritual relationship to the universe, to other forms of life, and to each other. The experiences which come from shamanism help a person to evolve a deeper bond and respect for all of creation, and from this perspective you are likely to lead a life which is vibrant and full in harmony and balance, and which encourages understanding and optimism. The Shamanic path is a way to experience this expanded view of universe.
One of the central practices of shamanism has been defined as the Spirit or Trance journey. One of the ways to embark on this experience of expanded consciousness is what is called ‘the shamanic journey’. In this Journey the shaman journeys to the Spirit world, (commonly referred to as Upper & Lower Worlds), to directly commune with the spirits who reside in the other realities. This is done for many reasons, for example to receive guidance for healing, maintaining both our own and by extension our communities spiritual wholeness.
| There are a number of ways to embark on a Spirit journey; these can be through dance, dream, using teacher plants, and by assuming certain specific physical postures. The latter is known as Shamanic Trance Postures, and are a method for achieving ecstatic trance and entering that place of both personal and collective vision. |
The word ecstasy and ecstatic is used in its original meaning, which is based on the Greek ex-stasis, meaning ‘outside of yourself’, outside of the everyday world. The ecstatic trance brings with it a shift in our perception, a way of becoming aware of a reality outside of the world of the ordinary, and the mundane. The trance makes us able to perceive the continuum of life, from what has been called non-ordinary reality, a reality which has been known to co-exist with our physical reality throughout time. Black Elk, the Lakota medicine man and great visionary whose life was recorded by John Neihardt in the 1930′s, tells of “the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. This is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that world”.
There are certain works of ancient art, glyphs, carvings, rock paintings which are more than creative expressions of their culture. They are visual teachings for a specific ritual. These paintings and statues from the ancients depict people adopting distinct bodily postures. Many of these bodily postures are ways to an altered state of consciousness, visionary experiences, and a way to embark on a spirit journey. There is an extensive geographic distribution of the Trance Postures, and indications are that they belong to all cultures and traditions. These postures have been rediscovered by Dr Felicitas Goodman after years of extensive research, and a full account has been documented in her truly outstanding and remarkable book ‘Where the Spirits Ride the Wind’.
When a person adopts a specific posture as shown in one of the ancient artefacts, with an accompanying rhythmic sound e.g. Rattle or drum, the person may experience a vision which although is personal , is also specific to the posture. It is as if, however personal the vision, it will conform within a consistent framework.
Ritual has great power in this reality; it is a way of combining, the heart, mind, spirit, and body in a single physical action and intention. Religions from all over the world have long recognised the importance of ritual. Ritual is a means of communication between the Spirits and ourselves, it is a way that the Spirits can cross over from their world into ours. In Western society we have forgotten that the ordinary and other reality belong together, they are two halves of one whole.
Ritual is a way to empower and enhance the trance state, and is a gateway to contain, translate, and safely guide an altered state of consciousness into a spiritual experience. Another way of saying this would be that a ritual carries an innate intention, a purpose.
Each of the Shamanic Trance Postures is in itself a ritual, and it is a ritual with such intrinsic qualities of exactness and power, that its objective is achieved outside the original cultural setting. This means that we in contemporary Western society can also successfully participate in the Shamanic Trance Postures. To understand the Shamanic Trance Postures they should be directly experienced, no amount of words can compensate for this. The best place to experience the ecstatic trance states is in a workshop environment. This brings with it the guidance and support of the workshop facilitator, and the collective energies of the group. The power of the group is important in that it helps in terms of the focus of the ritual, and provides indirect and direct feedback. Feedback is the way to obtain the ineffable quality of trust. Trust is one of the pillars of this work, and the group provides validation of your own experience. Another important factor is that the power of the trance postures is magnified, as each person supports and is a part of the collective visionary experience.
Read the rest . . . http://voodoowhodo.blogspot.com/2007/05/shamanic-trance-postures-visionary-path.html
Be sure to revisit earlier posts on stance training in light of this post . . .
http://sunyatanamaskar.wordpress.com/2006/08/05/hello-world/
http://sunyatanamaskar.wordpress.com/2007/05/22/taoist-standing-practise-core-stability/
http://sunyatanamaskar.wordpress.com/2007/05/22/stance-training/
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Do No Harm!
*** “DO NO HARM” WRIST BAND NOW AVAILABLE ***
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This is the start of a new movement, the “Do No Harm” movement.
We seem to be living in a world that is getting meaner every day. We are either oblivious of the harm we cause or we ignore the harm we cause. Could it be because no one taught us otherwise?
Could it be because no one ever asked us to do no harm?
If we look at just about any endeavor our species has engaged in, it would seem we are unaware of the harm we do to others, or we intentionally do harm for our own gain, and sadly in some cases for our own pleasure and enjoyment.
Since we haven’t been taught otherwise we see no harm in doing harm. We cause harm and shrug it off. We cause harm and laugh about it. We cause harm and brag about it.
Worse, our children bear witness to our actions and never learn to do no harm. Above all else we must teach our children, by example and instruction, this simple philosophy of life.
If we are to become a more evolved species we must begin to make better choices and treat each other with more respect, and that includes the other creatures who share this planet with us, and this planet we call home.
We believe that the first and most basic moral law is, “Do no harm.” Why? Because we can feel pain and suffering, we can imagine the pain and suffering of others. Because we can imagine the pain and suffering of others, we can act accordingly.
What does “do no harm” mean? For some it means arbitrary restrictions of action (not to strike or kill), speech (not to lie or insult), and thought. But what it ultimately means is thoughtful consideration. “Do no harm” simply means to consider how our actions may affect the world we all share, to be compassionate in our dealings with all creatures, and not to despoil our planet.
Doctors are asked to “first do no harm,” why not lawyers, businessmen, religious leaders and politicians? Why not us? Why not now?
The very least we can do is to attempt to do no harm, and leave the world no worse than as we found it.
It sounds like a simple idea, because it is a simple idea, but it just may be effective over the long run. Will “do no harm” solve all the problems in our world? Perhaps not, but this is an effort to decrease the nastiness in the world and to increase the kindness.
We hope that “do no harm” becomes that little voice that guides our actions.
And we hope you will join the movement and spread the message “Do no harm.”
Show everyone you care and use “Do no harm” to sign-off in your correspondence in place of “Best Wishes”, “Yours” or “Regards.”
If you have a web site, be proud of your support and add the words “Do No Harm” to the top of your home page where everyone will see it.
Be bold and creative in thinking of ways to expose as many as possible to the “Do No Harm” message, but please, do no harm in doing so.
It is not necessary to link to this web page or even to mention the source of the message. This is surely a case where the message is far more important than the messengers. All we ask is that you practice do no harm and take every opportunity to share the words “do no harm” with others.
If you wish to include this essay, or the link to the “Do No Harm” web page, that’s fine, or if you wish to change the wording or write your own, that’s equally fine. But if this movement is to succeed, and if we are ever to change our world for the better, we simply must share the “Do No Harm” message with family and friends, with neighbors and our community.
You can sign our guest book, or if you wish, send us your own thoughts or comments and we will add them to this web site.
Sometimes, all you really need to do is ask:
Do No Harm!
c.c.keiser & clyde grossman
updated July 7, 2007
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For a free “Do No Harm” bumper sticker and/or a semi-translucent, frosted wrist band, send a business size Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope specifying your preference to either:
east of the Mississippi west of the Missisissippi C.C.Keiser Clyde Grossman 4828 Maple Drive P.O Box 161088 Walnutport, PA 18088 Sacramento, CA 95816
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THE INTERNAL ALCHEMY OF THE TAO
Explanation of the Inner Alchemy Chart
This chart was never copied for over a couple of hundred years. There was only the original. It was never passed down to the rest of the world because it is so profound and mysterious that an ordinary person would have no way to understand it. It was rediscovered in the library at High Pine Tree Mountain in China suspended from the wall. It was carefully drawn and the printing was clear, so it was eventually reprinted at that time. When I first discovered this, I decided to reprint it with a complete explanation using the Healing Tao practices. By practicing the Healing Tao formulas you can start to comprehend the detailed illustrations of this mural connecting with our body and the universe. It is with this understanding that I give you this explanation of Internal Alchemy so beautifully illustrated in this ancient Taoist rendering.
The Tao adept saw human body as a microcosm of the natural world. Its anatomy was a landscape with mountain, river, streams, lake, pool, forest, fire, stars a natural harmoniously landscape. It shows a torso and head with few easily identifiable structures –
Master Mantak Chia
The numbered areas 1 to 5 are a series of nine sacred mountain peaks. These mountain peaks are like the funnels, which are able to draw down universal energy. This energy is then concentrated in the caves of the mountains. Taoist adepts go to mountain caves for initiation. In the human head there are nine different centers (peaks or points), which are able to extend to the heaven to make the connection to the cosmos. The cavity in the brain, the body and energy centers are like those caves in a mountain which you can concentrate, store and transform energy.
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1. IMMORTAL REALM is located in the center just in front of the crown. It is this point where our energy is able to ascending to heaven making the connection with the heavens drawing down even more powerful universal energies.
2. TOP OF THE GIANT PEAK is located in the back of the head. When we tilt the head and push the Chi back it reaches its highest point. This peak is connected to the North Star and the thymus gland. It is where we receive the descending universal energy.
3. MUD PILL is located in the center of the crown (Bai Hui or the hundredth meeting point) and when it is open it feels like soft mud. The crown point is connected to the Big Dipper and the hypothalamus gland. It is at this center that you can project your energy (soul or spirit) up or receive the energy down giving way to a two way street.
4. HOUSE OF RISING SUN is the third eye. At the middle of the forehead likely above, this center is able to receive the sun and moon energy, and is used to launch the soul and spirit bodies into space travel.
5. NINE PEAKS MOUNTAIN is more directly connected to the mid eyebrow and has a close connection to the pituitary gland. This center is used to received the cosmic force and used for launching the soul and spirit bodies the earthly plan or human plan traveling.
6. OBSCURE SPIRIT ALTER is between the Mud Pill and in front of the Giant Peak where the spirit and soul bodies are leaving and entering into horizontal flight.
7. CAVE OF THE SPIRIT PEAK is the jade pillow between the 1st cervical and the base of the skull which is know as the God mouth where we can receive universal knowledge.
8. TRUE JADE UPPER GATE is a water gate near to throat connecting to the brain.
9. SOURCE OF RISING LAW is behind the soft palate which is connected to the pituitary gland.
- 9a.The two circles representing the sun and the moon within us are the left and right eyes. By learning how to roll the eyes in a circle motion, we can blend these different energies together enabling us to direct the energies with our eyes. When we roll the eyes up looking to the crown, these energies along with the sexual energy will rise up to the crown. When we roll the eyes down looking to the lower Tan Tien, we bring the premixed energies down to our energy centers (reservoirs) storing them there.
- 9b. The figure of the old white headed man with eyebrows reaching down to the ground is Lao Tze (one of the founders of the Taoism). He is a seated figure with long eyebrows which is connected to the earthly energy.
- 9c. The blue eyed standing foreign monk holds the heaven in his hands. The standing figure is Bodhidharm, the founder of the Zen Buddhism in China, which is holding up his hands to reach the heavens being more connected to the heavenly energy. These two energies or natures are mixed together to form a new Taoist concept, the practice of the Modern Taoism or the Healing Tao system. It is the blending and the harmonizing of our heavenly destiny and our earthly nature.
10. The DRAWBRIDGE is the tongue and the POND OF WATER is the mouth which holds the saliva. In the Taoist practice, when you touch the palate with the tongue (the Source of Rising Law known as the heavenly pool), we connect the circuit forming the link between the governor channel (yang) rising from the perineum up the spine to the head then down to the palate and the conception channel (yin) descending from the root of the lower jaw to the perineum. Once the tongue touches the palate, the Chi is activated. The sexual energy is pumped up to the brain, activating the hypothalamus, pituitary and thymus glands secreting more hormones. The sexual energy, especially the orgasm energy, will help draw in the heaven energy from above and the earth force from below. When you mix these two forces with the sexual energy the hormone secretion is stimulated. This creates an abundance of Chi and fluid. This fluid which flows like a waterfall down through the palate across the upper palate to the back down to the mouth and the throat (Twelve storied pagoda) from where we are able to swallow it down to fill the other two Tan Tiens. This water is also know as the nectar, water of life or the golden elixir.
11. GOVERNING MERIDIAN is located from the perineum up the spine to the head then down to the palate.
12. CONCEPTION OR RELEASING MERIDIAN is located from the root of the lower jaw to the perineum.
13. TWELVE STORIED PAGODA or twelve story tower is the throat center, CV-22. When the sexual energy is pumped up to the crown (reversing the flow) due to the Healing Tao practices of Testicle and Ovarian Breathing, Power Lock, and the Big Draw through the spine to fill the Lower Tan Tien (kidney and sexual centers) (lower reservoir), the Middle Tan Tien (solar plexus and heart center) (middle reservoir), and Upper Tan Tien (brain, and crystal room) (upper reservoir). During its passage through the spine into the brain center the sexual energy is transformed. After the upper reservoir is filled, then the energy flows down the palate through the tongue down the throat into the heart nourishing it.
14. I TILL MY OWN FIELD (Tan Tien or Elixir Field). Inside my field is a magical sprout (the immortal fetus or the unborn spirit) that lives 10,000 years. The color of its flowers (opening of the consciousness and the wisdom) resembles gold and they do not wilt. Its seeds are like Jade pebbles. Its fruits are round. To cultivate it, I depend on the earth of the middle palace (the solar plexus). To irrigate it (the sexual energy reverse the flow up to the crown) I depend on the fountain of the upper valley. After much toil, I achieve the Great Tao and stroll freely through the earth becoming an Immortal of Peng Lai Island.
15. COWHERDER BRIDGE STARS symbolizes the yang elements of the heart, fire and compassion fire. He looks like a child which we call yang heart. In Taoist Text and the Christian Bible, they refer it as becoming like a child again which is the symbol of spiritual wisdom, innocence and simplicity. Extending out of the cowherder�s crown, you find the Big Dipper, which symbolizes the connection of the heart to the heaven seeking harmony with the cosmos. The Taoist regard the Big Dipper as the cosmic timepiece. During the course of the year, the Big Dipper makes a 360 degree rotation pointing to all the stars collecting all the universal power in the Big Dipper�s cup. The law of the heaven is called destiny and the law of the earth is called nature. The harmony between the destiny and the nature is the Tao, the great way. Those who follow the Tao fulfill their spiritual destiny and enjoy the fruit of the earthly nature. The Taoist way of life is to tap into the energies of the heaven and earth while blending and harmonizing them with the human energy in order to cultivate and conserve the vital force in our bodies. Heaven Forces manifest into the celestial energy and its power appears to us as thoughts, consciousness, fate and destiny. Healing Tao is the practice of connecting the heaven (destiny) and the earth (nature) together. Some system or religion separate the heaven and earth into two realm forcing us to choose one.
16. WITHIN THE 50 REALMS IS CONCEALED THE MYSTERIOUS GATEWAY is opposite the heart which has a close relation and connection to the heart that generates the Big Aura protecting the heart and the crown.
17a. LUNG SPIRIT HWA HAO FROM THE EMPTY IS COMPLETED is the power and ability of the lung to totally empty so it can received more. Each inhale and exhale of our body is the breath of the universe expanding and contracting.
17b. HEART SPIRIT TAN YUAN ALSO CALLED GUARDING SPIRIT is located in the liver area.
17c. GALL BLADDER SPIRIT LUNG AU ALSO CALLED MAJESTIC AND BRIGHT is located in the middle of the liver.
17d. LIVER SPIRIT LUNG YIEN ALSO CALLED CONTAINING WISDOM represents the liver, the largest organ of the body as a forest. In Taoism we regard the liver as the controller of the Chi flow. Too much Chi in one place can cause stagnation or congestion, and too little causes weakness and depletion. Both conditions are results of a liver imbalance. The weaver maid (kidneys) also receives the water from the sexual energy, but also makes water which helps the wood (liver) to grow while the liver provides fuel for the heart fire. Each organ is interdependent to each other.
17e. SPLEEN SPIRIT CH�ANG TSAI ALSO CALLED SOUL PAVILION is located in the spleen area.
17f. KIDNEY SPIRIT HSUAN MING ALSO CALLED NOURISHING THE SEEDS. The kidneys store the constitution of inherited energy from our parents.
18. MIDDLE TAN TIEN (heart center) is surrounded by the pericardium�s ring of fire.
19. WEAVING MAIDEN CIRCULATES AND TURNS is yin (kidneys and water element) and the cowherder standing above her is yang. The weaving maid has the ability to store energy, and to go inward to maintain quietness. She weaves silk like garments out of moonlight (Moon Light and the Milky Way energies accumulated and stored in the lower Tan Tien) by using the mind with the gently, soft, long and deep breaths like spinning or pulling silk drawing in the cosmic force and weaving into an internal Chi Web or Network. The Chinese legend says that the cowherder and the weaving maid were lovers once, but they neglect their duties and were change into stars and put at the opposite ends of the sky. One night a year, celebrated as the lover�s day about September 15, the birds make a bridge (the milky way) across the sky to join them together. Likewise our heart (spirit, fire, compassion fire, love, and destiny) and the kidneys (earth nature, water, sexual energy, and physical body) are separate since the day we were born and never met again. By reuniting again the heart essence (love and compassion fire) and the kidney essence (sexual energy) we can form the immortal fetus giving birth to it and growing it.
20. KIDNEY CAVE (GV-4, Ming Men, or Door of Life) is know as the door of fire which is the gate where the sexual energy will pass and help to transform us.
21. CORRECT TAN TIEN (Real Tan Tien) is located in front and below the kidneys just behind the navel closer to the spine.
21a. YIN AND YANG TAN TIEN are the four yin yang symbols represent the Tan Tien area (field of the elixir) located slightly below the navel approximately 3 inches near the sexual center. This area is the first alchemical cauldron. Tai Chi (yin and yang) represents the moving force. By using the mind, eyes and abdominal breathing to move the Chi and accumulate the sexual energy you will start to cook and be transformed it into Chi (steam) flowing through the channels of the entire body to repair and energize the cells.
22. NORTH SEA WATER FLOWS IN REVERSE is located the sacral hiatus (GV-2). When the sexual energy is pumped up to the crown (reversing the flow) due to the Healing Tao practices of Testicle and Ovarian Breathing, Power Lock, and the Big Draw through the spine to fill the Lower Tan Tien (kidney and sexual centers) (lower reservoir), the Middle Tan Tien (solar plexus and heart center) (middle reservoir), and Upper Tan Tien (brain, and crystal room) (upper reservoir). During its passage through the spine into the brain center the sexual energy is transformed. After the upper reservoir is filled, then the energy flows down the palate through the tongue down the throat into the heart nourishing, cooling, and irrigating it.
23. YIN AND YANG MYSTERIOUS WATER WHEEL is located at the perineum. Sexual energy is the most vital life force that humans inherit from their parents. We need this energy ( orgasm force) to run our life each day. In the Human way this sexual energy is like water, which tends always to run down and out. Each day we lose this force through sexual desire, greed, or unnecessary worldly materialism. We need to reverse this process causing the sexual energy (water and earth nature) to flow inward and upward. The boy and girl represent the testicles and the ovaries connected to the kidneys and eyes working on the water treadmill step by step pumping the water (sexual energy) upward. This is the beginning of the Healing Love practice with the testicle and the ovarian breathing. By starting to roll the eyes like a ball down the front and up the back, we begin to become aware of the testicles and the ovaries feeling them start rolling together with the eyes. Through this process a sea of sexual energy in the lower Tan Tien will transform into a lighter force flowing upward through the spine to the brain, glands, and organs rejuvenating them. 24. AGAIN AND AGAIN, STEP BY STEP is the yin and yang mystery (the boy and the girl, the testicle and the ovaries, the mind and the eyes) continuously turning the great pumps (the coccyx and the sacrum) to make the water (arousal and orgasm sexual energy) rise to the East (the crown). Even in a lake of 10,000 fathoms (Hui Yin, where all the yin energy of the body meets at the perineum) we should penetrate to the bottom where a sweet spring flows upward to the top of the south mountains (Trusting Meridian starts from the perineum up to the crown, and spreads out from the crown like a spring fountain).
25. THE IRON BULL TILLS THE GROUND AND PLANTS THE GOLDEN COIN is located at the lower Tan Tien around the navel connected to the spleen, ground and the earth connection to the spleen. The spleen center is the seed of the spirit and the life force (Chi). Once we are able to reverse the flow of the sexual energy, we can irrigate the dry land allowing us to till the soil to plant the magical golden sprout producing the golden round fruit
26. THE GOLD COIN. Once the land is ready, the seed of long life and wisdom (the immortal fetus or the gold coin) can be planted. All the land and the plants (our soul, spirit, mind, organs and glands) only need sexual energy to grow. The stone carving child strings them together. In one grain of rice the world mystery is hiding as the human form is the microcosm of the universe) and once we learn to understand and control our mind and ourselves, we will understand the mystery of the universe. In a small pot (either the lower, middle, or upper Tan Tien) we can cook all the mountains and rivers forces (natural forces), stars, moon, and sun forces (universal forces) and the primordial forces (cosmic particles) and combine them within ourselves to transform them into the higher force to form the IMMORTAL FETUS.
Three Jewels New York City, Lama Marut, Explorations of Emptiness Arya Nagarjuna 6/21/07
Way of the Warrior – Kalari, the Indian Way [1/4]
Way of the Warrior – Kalari, the Indian Way [2/4]
Way of the Warrior – Kalari, the Indian Way [3/4]
Way of the Warrior – Kalari, the Indian Way [4/4]
From: http://forum.dragondoor.com/training/message/312098%5C
The original farmer burns course is available online at
http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Burns/burnsindex.htm
The farmer burns stomach flattener is described on this page:
http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Burns/lessons/lesson03.htm
Look at page 2 and the section entitled “Breathing for internal exercise” and that is the farmer burns stomach flattener.
http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Burns/lessons/lesson03.htm
| The Myth of the Magical Scientific Method by Dr. Terry HalwesThis information is from http://www.dharma-haven.org/science/myth-of-scientific-method.htm visit this link to read full article. The procedure that gets taught as “The Scientific Method” is entirely misleading. Studying what scientists actually do is far more interesting. |
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 Halucigenia confused |
ON THIS PAGE: overview what’s wrong with this picture what keeps the myth alive? so is there a scientific method? teaching science with no method can we improve on the formula? loose ends resources Index of Science Haven Pages 
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| OVERVIEW Modern science is an amazing phenomenon, and people naturally wonder how it works. Oddly, science has never been thoroughly studied scientifically, so we have quite an array of different answers to this question, some of them accurate and some of them ridiculous. Unfortunately, the answer that became most popular was a guess made by some philosophers, which turned out to be worse than useless. Even more unfortunately, that guess is now commonly believed to be the simple truth about how science proceeds to develop new knowledge.Discussions of methodology in science are clouded by a dreadful confusion because the phrase “the scientific method” is used in two very different ways, one appropriate and one highly misleading. The appropriate one speaks in a very general way of science as a powerful process for improving understanding. People who use the phrase in this general way may be criticizing dogmatic clinging to beliefs and prejudices, or appreciating careful and systematic reasoning about empirical evidence. Although vague, this general use of the phrase can be more or less appropriate.On the other hand, the phrase is also commonly used in a much more specific sense — an entirely misleading sense — which implies that there is a unique standard method which is central to scientific progress. There is no such unique standard method — scientific progress requires many methods — but students in introductory science courses are taught that “The Scientific Method” is a straightforward procedure, involving testing hypotheses derived from theories in order to test those theories.The “hypothetico-deductive” schema taught to students was not developed as a method at all: It was intended a logical analysis of how scientific theories derive support from evidence, and it was developed in a process that intentionally excluded consideration of the process of discovery in science. Few people learn that this notion came by a tangled route from an unreliable source (philosophical speculation), or that actual research on how science proceeds is still in its infancy. The question of how science is so successful at improving understanding is hardly ever presented as a question at all. The current situation is harmful in many ways: People in some immature scientific disciplines are actually trying to use this “method” as a guide to research practice; Others are required to pretend to have followed it when they report their results; and everyone is denied the benefit of useful, insightful analysis of how science works. If you owned a swimming pool and had in your employ a swimming coach who wasn’t helping anyone — who was actually increasing the danger for some of your clients — you’d need to get someone who would actually do the job; and first you’d have to get the current coach down off the chair to make room for a replacement. Wouldn’t you? Before (or soon after) reading this page, I invite you to read two sections of another page, Dispelling Some Common Myths About Science. The section titled No Special Method is Required argues that there’s a good reason why the effort to provide a cookbook for scientific research failed: Science is just not that simple. There is no unique “Scientific Method.” Scientists use many methods of investigation and reasoning, and most of them are also used in other fields of human endeavor. Then a section titled So Why Is Science So Powerful? explores the factors that contributed to the rise and advancement of modern science, and concludes that there is no need to postulate an arcane new mode of reasoning to explain how science continually improves our understanding of ourselves and of the natural world.In this article I’m going to focus on what’s wrong with the hypothetico- deductive account of scientific reasoning as an explanation of what scientists do, in the sections titled What’s Wrong With This Picture and What Keeps the Myth Alive?. I’ll recommend some alternative ways of thinking about the logic of research, in a section titled So Is There a Scientific Method?, and offer some hints about better ways to teach science in a section titled Teaching Science Without the Magic Method; Can we Improve on the Formula? offers an attempt at developing a replacement for the standard methodological dogma. More |
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| The Secret Muscle-Building Technique You MUST Use In Your Workout Routines
http://allaboutfitnessonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Itemid=44 |
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| Written by Richelo Killian | |
| Saturday, 15 July 2006 | |
| By: Faisal Khetani Copyright 2005 Faisal Khetani Are you searching for that \”one\” solution that blasts your plateau and sends your muscles into an explosive growth phase all over again? The solution to your problem has been under your nose all along… I\’m not going to waste your time with \”exercise variety\” and \”switching rep schemes\”, because chances are, you already know these common techniques and use them in your workout routines anyway. What I want to share with you is something fairly known in the weight lifting industry, but seldom used correctly and maximized to its full muscle-building potential. The technique that can instantly force your muscles into growth is eccentric training, better known as \”negatives\”. Chances are, you have already heard of negatives, but you probably don\’t know how to use them for maximum muscle growth. WHAT IS IT? A concentric movement is your typical movement, in which the muscle fibers shorten to \”lift\” the weight. Eccentric, or negative, movements are when you lower the weight, or bring it back to the starting position. It is the opposite of \”lifting\” a weight. Negative movements unleash the power of the \”other half\” of your repetitions, the lowering phase. In an eccentric contraction, the muscle fibers lengthen to lower the weight. Now, it is not enough to simply lower the weight slowly in your regular exercises. For maximum benefit, you must isolate and do negative movements alone! WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Here is a brief list of the benefits of eccentric (negative) training: 1) Increase in Training Weight: You can add a lot more weight when doing a negative movement. It is much easier to lower a heavier weight than it is to \”lift\” that same weight, which means that you can increase your training poundages instantly. 2) Neural Adaptations: After adapting to your regular concentric, or \”lifting\” movements, you can shock your muscles and nerves into adapting to a whole new negative movement. This causes confusion at the neuro-muscular level and forces you muscles into growth. 3) Muscle-Fiber Breakdown: Eccentric (negative) movements have been scientifically shown to cause greater muscle trauma and breakdown than regular concentric movements, resulting in greater muscle gains. 4) Type II Muscle-Fiber Activation: A study published last year concluded that maximum weight eccentric movements recruit more Type II Muscle fibers, those responsible for strength and speed. 5) Long Term Strength Gains: New research also shows that maximal eccentric movements cause neural adaptations that result in longer lasting strength gains. THE BEST WAY TO DO ECCENTRIC (NEGATIVE) TRAINING 1) Choose a resistance level about 30% greater than what you would normally lift, and slowly lower that weight from the top position for a period of 3-5 seconds. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A PARTNER! 2) Perform 2-3 sets for larger muscle groups such as chest, shoulders, and back. Perform only 1-2 sets for smaller muscle groups such as biceps and triceps. 3) Rest for 3-5 minutes between sets, because negative training is very intense on your muscles. QUICK TIPS 1) It is best to dedicate one day out of the week and do a whole workout routine focused on negative movements only. 2) If you can hold, or lower a weight for longer than 5 seconds, consider increasing the weight as it may be too light. If it takes you less than 3 seconds to lower a weight, consider reducing the pounds as the weight may be too heavy. 3) Don\’t overtrain! Listen to your body…Stick to less sets, and once you reach a set where it\’s taking you less than 3 seconds to lower a weight, STOP! 4) If you don\’t have a partner, you can train uni-laterally, using only one side of your body. This can be achieved with dumbbells, machines, and cables. Your non-active side would spot or support your active side. CONCLUSION As mentioned earlier, eccentric, or negative, movements have been shown to cause greater muscle-breakdown, neural adaptations, & recruitment of Type II Muscle Fibers. This means that you can experience better muscle growth, greater strength gains, & more explosiveness. Make sure to dedicate one day a week to do an entire workout routine focused on negative movements only. You now have the knowledge to enter the fast-lane of muscle growth. How fast you want to go is entirely up to you… Until next time, have an absolutely muscle-blasting workout routine! About the Author Faisal Khetani is a health and fitness consultant, & editor of the Dream Body newsletter. Take a look at his website & subscribe to his newsletter to achieve fast, maximum results:http://www.weight-lifting-workout-routines.com |
| Use this platform with clients that have multiple goals by Dale Huff (This article originally appeared in the December 2000/January 2001 issue of ACE Certified News , an American Council on Exercise publication.)As a fitness model, functional strength training is surging in popularity. Thanks to the writings of numerous fitness educators, many personal trainers have been able to incorporate the basics of functional training in their programs, helping clients reach their goals in and out of the gym.
Functional training focuses less on appearance and more on improving one’s quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Just because an individual can bench press an impressive amount of weight at the gym doesn’t necessarily mean he or she can translate that same force to a completely different, “real-life” movement outside the gym. C.C. Cunningham, owner, PerformENHANCE, Evanston, Ill., defines functional strength as “training that carries over outside the gym to improve performance in movements during sport, work or daily activity.” Transferring strength to other activities is the complicated part of functional training. Successful functional strength exercises can’t just “look” like the goal exercise; similarity in body coordination is only one part of the puzzle. “Strength exercises that will transfer require the brain to produce a movement program with similar coordination, range of motion, type of muscle contraction (eccentric, isometric, concentric) and speed of movement,” Cunningham continues. “Matching these components teaches the brain how to use improved strength during the movement.” In this manner, functional exercise provides a base from which to improve goal movements from sport, work or daily life. Meeting GoalsThere is no set formula for creating a program that is truly functional for a typical personal training client. This is because many clients have multiple goals. For example, you may want to incorporate functional exercises into your program, but a more pressing goal for the client might be burning a lot of calories or increasing lean body mass. For this reason, strategically building unstable exercises into the program is optimal to keep the client moving toward multiple goals. This takes a little creativity on your part, but the outcome is worth the extra effort. Stable-to-unstable training is a relatively new concept and many personal trainers may already be utilizing a similar format. Incorporating traditional “stable” exercises such as bench or machine presses, seated pull downs, smith machine squats and leg presses, followed by more functional strength exercises such as unilateral cable chest press on the stability ball, single leg squats and balance one-arm rows, serves to prefatigue the prime movers while resting the stabilizing core musculature. This allows the prime movers to be more challenged by an unstable exercise that typically requires a lighter load. The abdominal region and other stabilizing muscle groups are fresh and better able to stabilize the client during the unstable exercise. Moderate to advanced exercisers in need of functional strength, core stability, increased lean body mass and weight management will benefit from this program. Even an advanced exerciser may view this platform as a new challenge as the variety may promote increased enjoyment and adherence. It also gives you an opportunity to showcase your skills in creating unique and individualized programs. A very important note: This platform prefatigues the primary movers, therefore, it should not be utilized with a novice strength trainer, or with individuals with poor postural awareness and/or balance. Because of the increased need for a trained eye to correct posture, cue technique and check range of motion, this platform should not be utilized by an internet-based personal training company. Please remember that it is most important to do no harm. Where Does It Fit? The stable to unstable platform is only part of a well-designed, individualized, periodized program. Depending on your client’s goals, this program could be included in a preseason power phase where the more stable exercise is completed at a repetition range of six to 10, and the unstable exercise completed at a lower weight immediately following at a similar repetition range. Here are some additional points to keep in mind:
Other programs could include doing exactly the opposite of the stable-to-unstable method. Unilateral to bilateral, tempo-specific or a split routine utilizing a stable push and an unstable pull and reversing the pattern on day two are all viable options. As a personal trainer your ultimate goal is to use these new platforms wisely with your client’s goals and safety in mind at all times. Ask yourself what the risk versus the benefit is, view the source and then decide if it may fit into a specific client’s exercise regimen. Glossary
To follow is a generic sampling of unstable exercises included solely to provide the reader with a further description of specific exercises that will enhance functionality. Single Arm Press on Stability Ball Single Leg Squat Sitting Cable Press Alternating Cable Pullover Balance Triceps Kickback Supine Cable Torso Rotation ### Dale Huff, R.D., C.S.C.S. is co-owner of NutriFormance Personal Training and Sports Nutrition based in St. Louis, MO. He is an ACE FitnessMatters Editorial Advisor, ACE spokesperson, ACE-certified Personal Trainer, NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist, registered dietitian, Life Fitness Academy member and frequent writer and lecturer for IDEA. Huff can be reached at daleh@nutriformance.com. |
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/69/
Pavel Tsatsouline Copyright 1999 Advanced Fitness Solutions, Inc.
This article was first published in MILO: A Journal for Serious Strength Athletes under the heading “Chain Yourself to the Squat Rack and Call Me in a Year.” Back issues and subscriptions are available from www.ironmind.com.
Grease the Groove for Strength
by Pavel Tsatsouline, Master of Sports
Our communist enemies, who are trying to bury us, have exercise breaks instead of coffee breaks.
-Bob Hoffman, York Barbell Club
Your grandmother used to tell you: to get good at something, you must do it often, do it a lot, and do it to the exclusion of other things. Yet you never listened, why you little..! If you did, how would you ever get the bright idea of deadlifting once every two weeks and doing ten assistance exercises for the bench press?
Specificity + frequent practice = success. It is so obvious, most people don’t get it. Once I came across a question posted on a popular powerlifting website by a young Marine: how should he train to be able to do more chin-ups? I was amused when I read the arcane and non-specific advice the trooper had received: straight-arm pull-downs, reverse curls, avoiding the negative part of the chin-up every third workout… I had a radical thought: if you want to get good at chin-ups, why not try to do… a lot of chin-ups? Just a couple of months earlier I had put my father-in-law Roger Antonson, incidentally an ex-Marine, on a program which required him to do an easy five chins every time he went down to his basement. Each day he would total between twenty-five and a hundred chin-ups hardly breaking a sweat. Every month or so Roger would take a few days off and then test himself. Before you knew it, the old leatherneck could knock off twenty consecutive chins, more than he could do forty years ago during his service with the few good men!
A few months later Roger sold his house and moved to an apartment. A paranoid Stalinist that I am, I suspected that he plotted to work around the ‘chin every time you go to the basement’ clause. By the degree of the Politbureau Comrade Antonson was issued one of those ‘Door Gym’ pull-up bars. Roger wisely conceded to the will of the Party and carried on with his ‘grease the chin-up groove’ program. Roger Ivanovich’s next objective is a one-arm chin. He just does not know it yet.
My father, a Soviet Army officer, had me follow an identical routine in my early testosterone years. My parents’ apartment had a built in storage space above the kitchen door (it is a Russian design, you wouldn’t understand). Every time I left the kitchen I would hang on to the ledge and crank out as many fingertip pull-ups as I could without struggle. Consequently, high school pull-up tests were a breeze.
Both Roger and I got stronger through the process of synaptic facilitation. Neurogeeks never got around to telling iron heads that repetitive and reasonably intense stimulation of a motoneuron increases the strength of its synaptic connections and may even form new synapses. Translated in English it means that multiple repetitions of a bench press will ‘grease up’ this powerlift’s groove. More ‘juice’ will reach the muscle when you are benching your max. The muscle will contract harder and you will have a new PR to brag about. Four times powerlifting world record holder Dr. Judd Biasiotto set up a bench in his kitchen, got in the habit of hitting it every time he was in the area and put up a 319BP @ 132!
Obviously, you do not have to be a Commie weightlifter with Rocky IV pharmacy to benefit from high volume heavy training. Here is how you can to set up a ‘grease the groove’ program for one rep max strength or for strength endurance in your dungeon:
1. Intensity
The science of motor learning explains that an extreme, all out movement is operated by a program different from that used for the identical task performed at a moderate intensity. As far as your nervous system is concerned, throwing a football for maximum distance is a totally different ball game than passing it ten yards, no pun intended. According to Russian scientist Matveyev (yeah, the chap who invented periodization), you must train with at least 80% 1RM weights if you intend to make a noticeable impact on your max. According to Prof. Verkhoshansky, another mad scientist from the Empire of Evil, for elite athletes this minimal load is even higher -85% 1RM. Yet many comrades will be very successful greasing the groove with 60-80% weights as long they emphasize the competitive technique -high tension, Power Breathing, etc.
Naturally, if you are training for strength endurance rather than absolute strength, you should train with lighter loads. To meet the Soviet Special Forces pull-up standard of eighteen consecutive dead hang reps stick to your bodyweight plus heavy regulation boots.
It is critical for the program’s success that you avoid muscle failure as aerobic classes and rice cakes. Do not come even close to failure, whether you train for max or repetitions! A triple with a five-rep max or ten pull-ups if twenty is your PR will do the trick. The secret to this workout is performing a lot of work with reasonably heavy weights. Pushing to exhaustion will burn out your neuromuscular system and force you to cut back on the weights or tonnage.
2. Repetitions
According to former world weight lifting champion Prof. Arkady Vorobyev, one to six reps are optimal for training of high caliber weightlifters and increasing this number hinders strength development. Or, as Luke Iams put it, “Anything over six reps is bodybuilding.”
Do more reps, and your body will think that you are practicing a totally different lift. Dr. Biasiotto who once squatted an unreal 605 @ 130 has switched to bodybuilding and knocks off 325×25 these days. His legs are no longer ‘a pair of pliers in shorts’ as they used to be in his days of heavy triples and world records, but he would be the first one to tell you that there is no way he could put up a massive single training this way.
Of course, for bodyweight pull-ups, push-ups, and other commando feats of staying power you will need to bump up the reps to satisfy the law of specificity. Roger Antonson worked up to training sets of nine by the time he set a personal record of twenty chin-ups.
3. Volume
Vitaly Regulyan, one of the top Russian benchers, does fifty to seventy heavy sets per lift! What are YOU waiting for? A permission from Mike Mentzer? Up the volume!
‘High volume’ does NOT mean a lot of reps with Barbie weights. Such training is good or nothing but a muscle pumper’s virtual muscle. Do I sound like Anthony Dittillo? -Good, the man is right, give him a cigar! ‘High volume’ on the synaptic facilitation power plan means maximizing your weekly tonnage with heavy weights.
‘Tonnage’ -or ‘poundage’ if you are not up on the metric system -refers to the total weight lifted in a given period of time, for example a day, a week, a mesocycle. Say your best deadlift is 500×1 and last week you did the following pulls: 400×5/20, 450×2/50. Here is how to calculate your weekly deadlift poundage: (400x5x20) + (450x2x50) = 85,000. As this number grows, so will your strength, at least up to a point.
Make sure that volume does not come at the expense of intensity. Average intensity is calculated by dividing the poundage by the total number of lifts: 85,000 : 200 = 425 pounds. Intensity can be expressed in pounds or % 1RM. In the above example 425 pounds is 82,5% of 500 pounds one rep max; the intensity is on the money.
The strong man must make an effort to gradually build up both the volume and the intensity while making sure his body can handle the load and does not overtrain. Trite as it sounds, listen to your body.
4. Frequency
Prof. Vladimir Zatsiorsky, a Soviet strength expert who jump shipped from the Dark Side of the Force to America, summed up effective strength building as training as often as possible while being as fresh as possible. An eighties study by Gillam found that increasing training frequency up to five days a week improved the results in the bench press, something big Jim Williams knew a decade earlier when he benched in the neighbourhood of 700. Ditto for Dr. Judd. Before Biasiotto took up benching in the midst of his kitchen appliances, he had worked out in his training partner’s spider web insulated and rat infested garage where he benched five times a week for fifteen heavy sets within an hour. That brutally efficient routine boosted skinny Judd’s bench from 140 to 295 pounds in nine months!
Russian strength researchers discovered that fragmentation of the training volume into smaller units is very effective for promoting strength adaptation, especially in the nervous system. In other words, one set of five every day is better than five sets of five every five days.
It is even better if you chop up your daily workload into multiple sessions. Motor learning comrades know that while the total number of trials is important, the frequency of practice is even more critical than the total volume. Paul Anderson had it all figured out when he supersetted heavy triples in the squat with gallons of milk throughout the day. If you can swing it -all the power to you, people!
5. Exercise selection
Concentrate your gains on the snatch and the C&J, SQ-BP-DL, or any other few select lifts and forget assistance work! The synaptic facilitation approach is very powerful because it greases the specific groove of your pet feat. Additional exercises will just distract you from your purpose. I plan to expand on the cloudy issue of specificity of strength in a future article. For now, be a good Communist and show some blind faith!
The synaptic facilitation power plan can be summed up as lifting heavy weights as often as possible while staying ‘fresh as a cucumber’ (Russkies have a thing against daisies, you wouldn’t understand). Contrary to what some snobby pantywaists believe, this heavy, high volume approach is not an iron fossil but one of the most scientific approaches to strength training there is. “Chain yourself to the squat rack and call me in a year.” Words to live by.
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Read about Clarence ‘Ripped’ Bass’ experiment with the above method on http://cbass.com/Synaptic.htm. Learn more cutting edge strength building techniques in Pavel’s books Power to the People!, The Russian Kettlebell Challenge, and Bullet-Proof Abs.
“Specificity + frequent practice = success” – Pavel Tsatsouline
http://cbass.com/Synaptic.htm
A Small Experiment in Synaptic Facilitation
My friend Pavel Tsatsouline, the Russian trained Master of Sports who invented the Ab Pavelizer (see article No. 47), says the way to do more chin-ups is to “grease the groove” by doing lots of chins every day. According to Pavel, repetitive and reasonably intense stimulation strengthens the nerve impulse to the muscles involved, making them stronger and more enduring. The technical term, says Tsatsouline, is synaptic facilitation.
Constant Repetition Works
Being a low-volume, high-intensity guy, I would normally dismiss such advice as mindless overkill. But I know for a fact that the Eastern Europeans, who have dominated Olympic lifting for many years, train heavy two or three (or more) times a day. For example, Galabin Boevski, the 152-pound Bulgarian lifter who snatched a record 358 and clean & jerked 432 in winning the 1999 world championship, does three workouts a day, using maximum poundages and a limited number of exercises. In the morning, he works up to maximum singles in the snatch, clean and jerk and the front squat. In the afternoon, he does it again, sometimes lifting more than in the morning session. He finishes with an evening session, where he repeats snatches and front squats, again lifting maximum poundages. The next day he does it again! (For further details, see the March 2000 issue of Milo, www.ironmind.com)
Bulgarian lifter Galabin Boevski on the way to a world record Clean & Jerk
with a massive 432 pounds. (Reproduced with permission from Milo)
I’m convinced this is true, because among other things, I have a copy of Milo publisher Randall Strossen’s 1998 Bulgarian-training-hall video, which shows Boevski in several back-to-back training sessions; in one session, he repeatedly attempts to snatch 353; he kept trying the weight until his coach, Ivan Abadjiev, made him stop. This is a huge weight for a man weighing only 152 pounds. As noted above, his snatch the next year with 358 was a new world record. The next morning, he was back in the training hall doing a clean and jerk with 419. Later in the day, he was shown doing a front squat with over 200 kilos or 441 pounds. So, yes, it’s true; these guys lift huge weights, several times a day, day after day.
Unappealing as such training may be to people who have a life outside the gym, it obviously works – at least for elite athletes such as Boevski, who are willing and able to spend the years necessary to develop the capacity to survive and benefit from this level of training.
Plus, Pavel persuaded his 60-year-old father-in-law, Roger Antonson, to do chins every time he went down into his basement; each day he would do between 25 and 100 chin-ups. After a few months of such training (and a few days of rest), Roger knocked off 20 chins, more than he had been able to do 40 years earlier in the Marine Corps. That did it. I decided to test Pavel’s formula: Specificity + frequent practice = success.
Stay Fresh
I limited the experiment to chin-ups, because I didn’t want to disrupt my normal training routine – which is both productive and enjoyable (see Challenge Yourself) – and I didn’t want to overshoot my recovery capacity. Pavel says the key to synaptic facilitation training is to gradually buildup both volume and intensity, but avoid overtraining. He recommends “training as often as possible while being as fresh as possible.”
Pavel says each set should be terminated well short of failure, because “pushing to exhaustion will burn out your neuromuscular system and force you to cut back” on volume. He recommends doing multiple sets of as many chins as you can without struggling, spaced out over the course of the day. That makes sense, of course, if the objective is to up the volume as much as possible without causing burnout.
As regular readers know, my heavy training days are Saturday and Sunday; I generally walk Monday through Friday. After a few weeks of adjustment where I tried doing chin-ups Monday through Thursday, I settled down to chins on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I chose this schedule because it allowed me to rest the day before and the day after my main workouts. It worked surprisingly well. Frankly, I enjoyed the extra effort during the week; it was challenging, but not enough to wear me out. Except for a few aches and pains in my shoulders at first, it felt good.
Testing Myself
I usually did three sets of chins each day (morning, noon and late afternoon) and occasionally an additional set in the evening. I start out doing sets of 10 reps, and over the course of four weeks worked up to 12 chins per set. At the end of the fourth week, I rested on Friday, as usual, and tested myself during my regular Saturday workout: I did 16 chins. “No problem,” I wrote in my trading dairy.
I backed off a bit in week 5, doing three sets of 10, and 11 sets of 11 for a weekly total of 151 chins. I did the same routine in week 6, and then moved the reps per set back up to 12 in week 7. I tested myself again at the end of week 7: 18 chins this time. Dairy notation: “Good job. The best I’ve done in a long time. Seventeen chins is the best I can remember doing in recent years – and today was easier.” Synaptic facilitation seemed to be working.
In weeks 8, 9 and 10, most of the sets I did were 12 and 13, with a few sets of 14 chins in the third week. Then, I tested myself for the third time: 19 chins. “Good effort,” I recorded. “The best in a long time.”
I took a week off at that point, which didn’t seem to help. As Pavel probably would have predicted, I felt rusty when I started doing chin-ups again the next week. “I believe the week of rest hurt my performance,” I wrote in my dairy.
Blasting the Groove
When I got going again – it didn’t take long; only a few days – I added a new wrinkle to increase intensity: I lowered myself very slowly on the last rep of each set. Pavel says emphasizing the negative “blasts the groove” or, technically speaking, it stimulates “synaptic potentiation.” Pretty fancy, huh? Whatever, there’s no doubt that doing a slow negative on the final chin produces a very intense contraction. Pavel warns against doing more than one negative-emphasis rep; doing more would unnecessarily extend recovery time and reduce the volume that can be done without overtraining. That’s why I kept the reps to 13 and 14 for the most part and only did 15 a few times in the final three weeks of the experiment. I thought doing a slow negative on the final rep of each set would be enough added stimulation to move me up to 20 chins, which would be the most I’ve done since I won the state pentathlon championship in high school.
Success! I did 20 full-range chin-ups,
the best I’ve done in years. (Photo by Carol Bass)
It worked! I replicated the experience of Pavel’s father-in-law. The last couple of reps were hard, but I did 20 good chin-ups. The experiment was successful.
Take-Home Message
So, what’s to be learned here? What’s the take-away message? Personally, I found my little experiment quite instructive. As explained in Challenge Yourself, both volume and high-intensity training (HIT) work, but for different reasons. Synaptic facilitation is probably one of the mechanisms at work in the volume approach.
Does that mean I plan to pile on the volume in my own training? No way. In my view, training like the Bulgarians would be a big mistake, for me and for most people. It would take the joy out of training. If one could survive the volume (a very big if), you probably wouldn’t have the time or energy to do anything else. But the idea of narrowly-targeted synaptic facilitation training, using carefully selected individual exercises, has definite appeal. The key, it seems to me, is to derive the benefits without overwhelming your recovery capacity and turning your life topsy-turvy.
In addition to chin-ups, parallel-bar dips seem like a good candidate for synaptic facilitation training. Almost any exercise, of course, should work. For example, Paul Anderson years ago applied a form of synaptic facilitation training to the barbell squat – with spectacular results. (See article No. 38, “Paul Anderson, King of the Squat.”)
If you try it, be careful. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
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Boevski update: I hope you saw Galabin Boevski lifting at the Sydney Olympics. It was on CNBC. It was great to actually see him lifting in competition. He’s not as heavily muscled as some of his Bulgarian teammates, but boy can he put up the big weights. He made all six of his attempts, tying his world record in the snatch with 162.5 kilos (358 pounds) and making 195 kilos (430 pounds) in the clean & jerk, for a gold-medal-winning the total of 357.5 kilos. His countrymen Georgi Markov broke Boetski’s world record with a snatch of 165 kilos or 364 pounds and took the silver medal with a total of 352.5 kilos. Remember that these guys only weigh 152 pounds!
You may have also noticed that two Bulgarian lifters, a woman and a man (not Boevski or Markov), tested positive for a banned diuretic and were ordered to return their medals. It was the second time in 12 years that Bulgarian weightlifters had been ejected from the Olympics for using furosemide, a diuretic known for masking steroid use. The last I heard, the entire Bulgarian weightlifting team was in danger of being thrown out of the Olympics and suspended from international competition for 12 months. That’s unfortunate because, drugs or no drugs, they are fantastic athletes. It takes a real lifting aficionado to appreciate just how good they are. The average man or woman on the street simply cannot comprehend the poundages they are able to put overhead.
| From:
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/94/ Scott Sonnon |
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| Specific Physical Preparedness for Combat SportsBy Coach Scott Sonnon, Co-Founder of RMAX Athletic Performance Enhancement Solutions, former USA National Sambo Coach, Distinguished Master of SportsRMAX.tv | Sonnon@RMAX.tv
As supreme action guy guru Mike Gillette once told me, “you can’t take someone where you haven’t been and you can’t give someone something you don’t have.” As a result, I have concentrated my focus on fighting efficiency and training effectiveness for combat sports. I didn’t invent club swinging. It’s been done for centuries by various cultures. I developed clubbells as a natural progression of wanting to make specific conditioning gains for combat sports, in particular grappling. As a former international champ and US Coach of SAMBO (the 2nd style of international submission fighting), I had vested interest in tweaking performance through any and all means possible. When you read my story, you’ll understand Roger von Oech’s comment that, “necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.” The model of training towards which I have naturally gravitated can be understood as a pyramid (which I call the Training Hierarchy Pyramid) with GPP on the bottom, SPP next upwards, Physical Skills (PS) next, with Mental and Emotional Skills (MES) on the top. GPP holds priority as the BASE of all solid programming because without this level of readiness the mind and body cannot effectively absorb specificity. My theory is much like Maslow’s Pyramid: meaning one cannot effectively address higher levels of training without the lower level’s fulfillment. One can practice MES, but without GPP, it’s a house on quicksand. Furthermore, without fulfilling the SPP level, PS and MES lay on a shaky foundation and have limited potential. Three notable quotes influenced me over the years and my concentration upon sport-specific conditioning:
I see in new clients continually from various pro and amateur sports I call over-practice. Over-practice is the notion of combining skill acquisition and physical conditioning. People try to get a work-out by practicing the skills of their respective sports as if the skill practice developed GENERAL attributes. Remember, everything you do competes for development and growth. There are many good coaches in the GPP methodology, but basically you can go Dino (simple, compound, abbreviated, heavy, and intense) for strength and go HIIT for endurance. After GPP on the bottom of the pyramid comes SPP. Sport-specific exercises to develop attributes as further refined platform for skills. The Soviets were genius at this and developed an array of exercises and apparati to augment attributes within the contexts of the specific sport. The development of clubbells was a just a result of my intention of utilizing exercises and methods of SPP for combat sports, in particular grappling. As a respected friend of mine once told me, “you can’t take someone where you haven’t been and you can’t give someone something you don’t have.” As a result, I have concentrated my focus on fighting efficiency and training effectiveness for combat sports. As a Distinguished Master of Sport (international champ) and US Coach of SAMBO, I intended on intensifying grooved-in development of my clients in the shortest time possible. But I always experiment on myself first, so… I began with conventional equipment such as barbells and dumbbells in odd exercises most closely approximating the range, scope and depth of motion for the activities of fighting. When I determined that these apparati were too bulky and awkward, not suited to dynamic motion, I moved on to kettlebells having first been exposed to this manner of training in Russia and then later from my friend Pavel Tsatsouline, Master of Sport in Kettlebell Lifting. I began to make modifications to equipment, understanding I did so at my own risk and did not ask any of my clients to follow suit. I cut-and-pasted, grafting whatever I could until my Frankenstein inventions were more readily crafted from junkyard reconnoitering. Old church curtain weights equipped with karabiners to load plates, to lead shot filled aluminum baseball bats, to sledgehammer heads on steel poles, to axes (don’t try that at home or anywhere else, please. I still shudder at some of the property damage that could have been flesh.) Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Slowly, this impossible design evolved with a lot of “play-time” spent in between the beginning of the journey and the final prototype. To understand how it evolved, I’ll share the thought-process of the investigation. I had two intentions that needed to be fulfilled. These intentions molded the design rather than some prefabricated mental blueprint. Firstly, I intended to maximize the physical ability to resist, stop and overcome the application of submission holds in fighting. I intended to create equipment that would allow me to build combat specific strength under what I named the Yield-Halt-Overcome™ protocol. In other words, ballistic motion needed to be slowed (eccentrically), stopped (isometrically), and reversed (concentrically) when the arm was taken out of the normal functional range. The equipment needed to be able to address this Yield-Halt-Overcome™ protocol in dynamic ranges of motion. So, I began to utilize my devices in ranges of motion most closely approximating the range, scope and depth of various submission holds. I would add inertia to the pendulum, slow the device as rapidly as possible, stop it “on a dime” and instantly reverse the motion or send it to an angle that countered the submission attempt. The equipment needed to function even at extreme ranges of motion where submission holds are typically final. I gained in sight from the sport science of the former Soviet Union in their concept of “dynamic flexibility.” Their Olympic Coaches would have their athletes train slightly outside the range, scope and depth of the ranges of motion “expected” to be found in their sport. They did so because WHEN the movements of the athletes deviated from the expected ranges of motion, they would effectively possess a “safety valve” to prevent injury. The intent of submission holds in fighting is to bring a joint to extreme range of motion until either the athlete receives so much pain that he concedes the win to the opponent, or his joint breaks and he loses the match. The notion of dynamic flexibility exhibiting both the characteristics of strength and flexibility enhancing properties became an invaluable standard influencing the design evolution of what would become the Clubbell. Simultaneous to the intention of thwarting submission hold attempts through superior physical conditioning, I held another agenda. I intended to cultivate EXPLOSIVE throws in SAMBO, which in addition to being the 2nd style of international submission fighting, was also the 3rd style of international wrestling and 2nd style of international jacket grappling. Throwing or taking an opponent to the ground requires a special combination of three characteristics:
I say that physical attributes are most important, because at elite levels, superior GPP conditioning becomes the measuring stick of success. Furthermore, SPP is the EDGE over the competition. SPP is the gap between GPP and Physical, Mental and Emotional Skills: a gap that’s too large in most sports training. I intended to research and develop equipment that could most closely approximate the range, scope and depth of motion in throws. Most throws occur at extreme ranges of motion; the strength required must explode over a fulcrum, like one’s shoulder or hip, and happens at the earliest portion in the range of motion, such as depicted in a “shoulder throw” or a “hip toss.” For instance, in the shoulder throw the power generation requires forward explosion from one arm in the position of hand behind one’s head and elbow pointed skyward. The other arm begins across one’s body fully extended gripping the opponent’s sleeve, and must explosively rip the jacket around in front circularly. More importantly, not only did I require explosion from “fit-in” positions, I needed the strength to continue to ACCELERATE throughout the movements of each throwing technique. I concocted various devices such as ropes on pulleys with nets containing various amounts of stones, rubber strands attached to dumbbells, and medicine balls attached to ropes and belts. These devices slighted improved performance that my client athletes specifically required, so I continued with the R&D in this direction. Honestly, I had no idea that these two intentions, to firstly thwart submission holds through superior physical conditioning and to secondly create explosive, speed strength for grappling throw and takedown techniques, would evolve into a singular piece of equipment – the Clubbell. Experience with fighters from other cultures and training with Olympic and National Team coaches from different countries allowed me to discover a rarely known aspect of old-time strongman physical culture: club swinging exercise. The most ancient weapon, the club, evolved over millennia into devastatingly effective martial arts worldwide. Many cultural martial traditions across the planet utilized the club not just for combat, but for restorative health and developed strength: Indian Kalaripayatu, Iranian Varzesh-e Pahlavani, Burmese Thaing and Bando, Philippino Kali, Russian Sambo and ROSS. Club Swinging can be traced to the to strongman competitions in Ancient Persia. “They created a definitive edge in strength and endurance training. During these times, the weight-lifter, wrestler or fighter was called a Pahlavan, or club swinging strongman.” The most popularized international form of Club Swinging originated in India, though originally deriving from Persia and ultimately from Ancient Greece. Regardless of the method, whether with the Philippino, Burmese, Indian karela, ekka, jori and gada, Iranian meel, Russian bulava, Club designs and exercises can be dangerous if not rigorously tested and trained. Sim D. Kehoe brought “Indian Clubs” to USA from Britain. In 1862, he opened a New York shop to manufacture clubs. To spread the word, he sent free samples of his clubs to prominent individuals in the hope of securing positive endorsements. The famous Civil War era boxer, John Heenan, wrote him that, “as an assistant for training purposes, and imparting strength to the muscles of the arms, wrists, and hands, together in fact with the whole muscular system, I do not know of their equal. They will become one of the institutions in America.” USA President Grant wrote to thank Kehoe for the clubs, “Please accept my thanks for your thus remembering me, and particularly my boys, who I know will take great delight as well as receive benefit from using them.” Bornstein stated that Clubs were, “the most universal method of developing the muscular anatomy of the human body. Schools, colleges and even theological seminaries have adopted their use in their respective institutions with the most beneficial results. For keeping the body in a healthy and vigorous condition there has as yet been nothing invented, which for its simplicity and gracefulness can be favorably compared with club exercises.” In 1866, Kehoe published Indian Club Exercise, A beautifully illustrated book which showing the benefits of HEAVY club training, with two aspects of significance. Firstly, he distinguished between the short, light-weight “bat” – a one to four pound club used in the popular Don Walker’s and Dio Lewis’ callisthenic drills. Secondly, Kehoe distinguished the “long Club.” Light-weight bats became the Ivy-league vogue in popular Victorian culture, and heavy club swinging was eventually phased out through social pressure – ironically simultaneous to the eventual phasing out of Catch as Catch Can wrestling and general Strongman enthusiasm. Despite distasteful comments for club swinging by Arthur Saxon, many turn of the century and modern strongmen such as George Jowett, Joe Nordquest, George Hackenschmidt, Paul Von Boeckmann, John Grimek, Steve Gardner, and “Slim the Hammerman” Farman, and of course, Ghulum “the Great Gama” Mohammed used many different types of clubs (and club variations , such as the Weaver Stick, Thor’s Hammer, the Fulcrum Bar and even store-bought sledgehammers as substitutes.) These exercises allowed them to pulverize stone into pasty-cakes! More recently, club swinging was implemented in the military physical training programs for both the USA and Britain. Posse (1894) stated that clubs were “the oldest known implement for military gymnastics.” In 1914, the US Army Manual of Physical Training explained that these exercises, “supple the muscles and articulations of shoulders, upper-arms, forearms and wrist. They are indicated in cases where there is a tendency toward what is known as ‘muscle bound.’” (There are opposing opinions regarding this statement in the physical culture industry.) Club Swinging became an Olympic Sport in 1904 (St. Louis, USA) which Americans won in all divisions. It endured until 1932 (Los Angeles, USA) which Americans swept again, and is still considered Olympic in Russia, used by various Olympic and National sports teams for strength and endurance conditioning. This method forged a long history of success in physical conditioning for combat specific strength, speed, endurance, agility, coordination and flexibility. My research and experiences with club swinging exercises evolved the final genesis of clubbells. It should come as no surprise to anyone that clubbells resulted from the singular intent of gaining superior physical advantage over opponents in hand to hand combat. I believe that clubbells and what I have named the standard of Circular Strength Training™ IDEALLY suit performance enhancement in combat sports and all forms of human fighting. I believe so simply because I journeyed through this evolution arriving at the final, functional design, rather than thinking of a hypothesis, creating some invention and hoping to “test” its merit. Birthed in ancient Greece from filling the hollow inside of a musical bell to use for strength conditioning, Clubbells offer unique advantages over barbells (BBs), dumbbells (DBs) and kettlebells (KBs). Lifting BBs, DBs and KBs adds weight to the end of the lever equaling linear strength, whereas Clubbells (and to a lesser degree – KB exercises) increase momentum of the pendulum. The unique benefits of leverage challenge progresses increasingly greater from BB to DB, then KB, to finally the greatest leverage challenge with clubbells. Consider that Clubbells are 2 feet in length with a center of gravity 6 inches from the base, and you have incredible leverage! Decreased leverage translates force more effectively to develop superior grip strength, as well as lower arm, upper arm and shoulder girdle synergy, stabilization and dynamic flexibility. NO other apparatus translates this amount of leveraged force! Understanding the evolution of this equipment should give you insight into my intentions behind clubbells and Circular Strength Training™. I am blessed to make “enough” of a living training my clients to have the financial and creative freedom to develop training programs and equipment that advance people to their greatest potential in the most expedient and safest manner possible. I’m not out to aggressively market clubbells and Circular Strength Training™ and I have no intention of doing so. Honestly, I developed it for myself and my client athletes alone. My partner thought the equipment coincided with our company credo of making clients “tougher, stronger, healthier, more prepared than the challenges they’ll face!” He convinced me that we should make the equipment available to the public after several clients having observed my prototype equipment and private training. I thought to myself, “Why not?” Businesses are not create to hemorrhage for financial altruism, so don’t expect to get the equipment or programs for free. It costs money to make these things available and to insist on the highest training caliber in preparing certified Circular Strength Trainers (CST). And in my opinion, if stranded on a desert island with only two pieces of equipment from which to choose, I’d take a kettlebell and a clubbell! So why not make them available to everyone? So, RMAX Productions resurrected HEAVY club swinging, with a first release model hitting the scales at a burly 15 pounds each, now used by strength coaches, collegiate football teams, world martial art champions, US Secret Service, US Army Rangers, and SWAT Team personnel. The debut program Olympic Clubbell Swinging™ would have made John Henry and Paul Bunyan squeamish. Do you NEED clubbells? No more than you need KBs; you can reproduce KB exercises with DBs, though not with the same amount of benefit due to design function and emphasis. Do you need DBs? You can reproduce the same exercises with a rock, but… Can you make homemade versions of clubbells? You can with the same sacrifice of design specificity, functional safety and commercial grade quality. How much of your training should you dedicate to clubbells? The answer lay with how much you dedicate to specific physical preparedness in utilizing these exercises, and in how much you emphasize grip strength, forearm and upper-arm synergy in speed-strength and muscular endurance, and shoulder girdle strength and dynamic flexibility. To understand how I design program for my clients realize that every person and team has SPECIFIC individual needs, and as a result I make them undergo an assessment interview and examination in order to: 1. Determine their entry GPP level. A basic physical examination something like the Soviet GTO helps both me and the client understand his or her current conditioning level. 2. Determine their entry SPP methods. This typically is not a factor since most client’s have never done any SPP methods. 3. Determine their entry Physical Skill level in their sport’s respective skills. Specificity determines all program design. 4. Determine their entry level Mental and Emotional Threshold. One’s threshold of performance equals their threshold of mental toughness and emotional control. Assessing where a client begins helps me understand his or her current potential ceiling of potential, and where the bar can be raised. 5. Determine their goals, expectations and commitment to accomplishing those goals. It’s important here to state that some people are more willing to work more intensely than others. Understanding a client’s commitment helps me create a program that neither bores them (under-motivates) nor overwhelms them (over-motivates). Furthermore, some people are willing to invest more of their hard earned money than others. Understanding how much a person is willing to invest determines frequency of personalized training sessions, equipment, gear, and facilities. Finally, understanding how much time a client allots for achieving their goals determines the nature of the program design. As you can see it’s all relative. However, one thing is common and that is the Training Hierarchy Pyramid: GPP firstly, SPP secondly, PS thirdly and MES finally. I harbor strong opinions regarding Clubbells. I believe they belong in their rightful place next to barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells – hence their name Club-BELLS. I do not believe that they should be shrouded in mysticism and antiquity. It’s STRENGTH training – it doesn’t matter if it’s circular or linear. Specific Physical Preparedness has rapidly become the highest dollar training addition to fitness gyms and sports teams, and Clubbells is the ONLY device specifically designed for the task of designing SPP programs for teams and athletes. The following suggestions derive from the OLYMPIC CLUBBELL SWINGING BOOK, which shall be available very soon. A. “Cardio Clubbell” Progressive cardio-endurance protocol: Choose an exercise (technically easy for you) so that you can complete with perfect form 8-12 repetitions in 8-10 seconds. Perform 5-6 sets, with 60 second rest periods. Over time the sets may be increased to 10-12 and the rest period compressed to 10-30 seconds. B. “Cardio Clubbell” program based on Indian Club program of Dr. Paul Phillips, MD: 1. Right Lunge with a left backward pendulum, return to standing in order. Repeat 8X. C. Here are some additional Endurance exercises from which to choose: 1. Hops: Forward Pendulum with a forward jump squat, landing with knees bent and clubbells in “order”. 2. Jumping Jacks: From Order slide clubbells laterally to 45 degree angle when legs go wide, then back to Order when legs come together. Park them. Clean to Order and repeat. D. Heavy Hands Fartlek – an additional beast to the Cardio Clubbell! Always take care that sweat and hand oils do not deteriorate your grip cohesion. Enjoy! |
http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/articles/scni37a7.htm
A traditional exercise practised by martial artists over the centuries, Standing Practise (Zhan Zhuang) is known for its surprising toughness (postures are traditionally held for at least 60 to 80 minutes) and for its ability to develop health, strengthen the bones and tendons, increase core stability, correct any muscular-skeletal misalignments (crucial for lop-sided sports like golf, javelin, tennis etc), increase sensitivity to balance, and develop a powerful competitive spirit
The six benefits of Standing Practise are as follows:
- Physical strength and stamina
- Relaxation
- Grounding
- Lower Abdominal Breathing
- Opening the energy gates of the body
- Cultivation of intrinsic energy
Other benefits include correcting misalignments of the skeleton and cultivating a calm, aware mental state (’Here and Now’ thought). The more advanced posture you are going to learn here, will continue to help train all the above, and due to its intensity and demanding nature, it will help to prepare your mind for increased focus, intent and competitiveness.
San Ti Shi – Three Body Posture
The foundation of Xingyiquan (Hsing Yi Ch’uan) is its stance keeping practise of San Ti Shi, which means “Three Body Posture” or “Trinity Posture”. Hsing Yi Ch’uan is one of the three Chinese internal martial arts, alongside the more well-known T’ai Chi and the more esoteric style of Ba Gua Ch’uan. To get a rare glimpse of these ancient arts in action, watch a film called “The One”, staring Jet Li, in which he plays two roles – a good guy and a bad guy – the first using the fighting skills of Ba Gua Ch’uan and the other using Hsing Yi Ch’uan . These arts are known for their physical toughness and for their ability to develop the practitioner’s mind to a level where the mind sets the intent for the physical movement – Hsing Yi Ch’uan actually means “the mind that forms the fist”. The exercise you are going to learn here will help you set your mental intent for the movement skills of any sport and is particularly good if you are a competitive athlete, as it will help to increase your level of intent or desire by training your mind, breathing and nervous-system to stay focused yet relaxed under pressure.
San Ti Shi – How to Stand
- Stand with your feet about half shoulder width wide, the toes of both feet parallel and pointing straight forward
- Gently tuck under your lower back to take out the lumbar curve
- Unlock your knees and sink your weight into the balls of your feet
- Turn your right toes out about 45 degrees and shift your weight onto your right leg – then step forward with your left leg, keeping your left toes facing straight ahead
- Keep your weight 70% on your right leg and 30% on your left leg
- Keep your centre of gravity mid-way between your feet, rather than predominantly on either the right or left leg
- Turn your hips and shoulders 45 degrees to the right, matching the direction of your right toes – your eyes and head point straight forwards, in the direction of your left toes
- Relax your shoulders – bring your left arm in line with your left leg, arm and fingers pointing straight forward and your elbow relaxed and in line with your left knee
- Bring your right arm in front of you – waist height – and touch the outside edge of your right thumb against your lower abdomen, about 2″ below your navel (this is your T’an Tien – the body’s natural centre of gravity) – your right fingers point forward and your elbow is relaxed and holding your ribs
- Keep your chin tucked under, to take the curve from the neck and hold your head upright, imagining the crown of your head is suspended by a balloon on a thread
- Gently touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth
- Breathe in and out through your nose
- Relax all the muscles of your body and try to be aware of your breathing
- Look straight ahead
For a left back-stance (the opposite of that described above), simply mirror the posture on the other side of your body. Try 3 minutes each side at first and gradually work up to 10, 15 or 20 minutes each side.
What to expect
With your waist and shoulders facing right, while your eyes, fingers and intent are directed forward, you are learning to train your ability to release energy from the T’an Tien – your body’s natural centre of gravity – which is used all the time in sports yet rarely trained in isolation. In the martial arts, this stance is used to develop Fa Jing or explosive power in your punches, and if you want to experience this, try this exercise once you can hold the San Ti Shi posture each side for at least 5 minutes:
- Starting in San Ti Shi, sink your weight deeper into your feet
- Make a loose fist with your right hand
- Throw your hips forward and release the punch at waist height, keeping your shoulder, elbow and wrist relaxed – your punch should end up in line with your T’an Tien (2″ below your navel) – your hips and shoulders will now be facing forwards
- As you punch, simultaneously grip and pull your left hand back to your waist, turning your left closed fist upwards as you do so – feel as if you are grabbing and twisting someone’s belt-buckle and are pulling them towards you with your left hand, while punching with your right
- Focus on the T’an Tien – the pivot point around which the hips turn – this is an energy centre about the size of a golf ball, located 2″ below your navel. Imagine the ball rotating and that in turn, your hips, shoulders, arms and fists are all thrown into place as a result
If you really want to give yourself a challenge, try this exercise standing in front of a lighted candle and use the intent, relaxation and speed combined in your punch to generate enough force to put out the flame. Once you can do this up close to the candle, step back a little and try again.
Learning to hold the San Ti Shi stance for 10 or more minutes each side will really train your core stability muscles to keep you relaxed and poised while keeping only a narrow base. Usually we are comfortable with a wider base and generally stand and play sports with our feet under our shoulders. Narrowing your stance like this while lengthening your stride will help to lower your centre of gravity and increase your relaxation response, which in turn makes your body denser and stronger. This type of training also strengthens the bone marrow and tendons and is used a great deal in Traditional Chinese Medicine where it is considered a form of Chi Kung or energy training.
Having a strong intent and competitive nature is vital to achievement in sports, whether you are competing against others, against your own self, or against the time-marker on the treadmill. Masters’ level swimmers who have trained in San Ti Shi, agree that their intent pool-side while warming up and getting ready to enter the water has increased dramatically, as has their opponents reactions to them on account of their indomitable body-language (a much over-looked weapon in the athlete’s arsenal). I believe San Ti Shi can be used to great advantage by any athlete who has to face the starting blocks in some form or another. I have even worked with a potential Formula 1 driver who has used San Ti Shi as part of her race preparation including psyching herself up on the grid at the start of a race.
Any time you need to initiate an all-out performance of pure action without heed to reaction, internal chatter or self-observation, then San Ti Shi is the training tool for you. But remember, the exercise really starts to work, just at the point when your mind wants to give up (”I’m bored”, “this hurts”, “God, is that only two minutes?”).
Stay with it, relax and breath and in no time you’ll be stronger, quicker, ready for competition, and above all, focused. Next time, we will look at elements of T’ai Chi for extreme and endurance sports.
Further Reading:
- The Tao of Yi Quan – Warriors of Stillness, Volume II, by Jan Diepersloot
- Xing Yi Nei Gong – Health Maintenance and Internal Strength Development, Edited by Dan Miller and Tim Cartmell
Article Reference
This article, written by Jane Storey, appeared in Issue 37 of the Successful Coaching Newsletter (November 2006).
bio(”JST”)
About the Author
Jayne Storey is a specialist in T`ai Chi and uses this to help athletes and teams with balance, posture, body-mechanics, attention control, co-ordination, stress management, mindfulness….and also to create the right internal conditions for accessing the sporting zone/flow state. Jayne can be contacted through her website at www.jaynestorey.com
Old School Training
by Zach Even-Esh
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=05-184-training
The Prisoner
I recently watched a documentary about the most-feared inmates in the prison system. One of these inmates was truly a freak of nature.
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He was locked up in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. The camera peaked through the small hole in the steel door and you saw this man churning out squats with a makeshift sandbag on his upper back. His abs were heavily muscled and shredded. His upper body looked like it was carved from stone. Veins ran all over him and each muscle was chiseled.
As the camera filmed, he dropped down with his squats at high speed and exploded back up, rep after rep. Then he’d do straight leg sit-ups with his ankles secured on top of a bench in his cell. This man did sit-ups old school: hands clasped behind the head, legs straight, up and down quickly. His body went below parallel until his head almost touched the ground.
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The guards feared this man because he’d break out of his handcuffs every single time they’d put a pair on him. In addition, he ripped through his straightjacket, which was supposed to be made of indestructible material!
I’m sure the rest of his workout included more sandbag training such as military presses, cheat curls, rows, and shouldering. With his upper body so developed, it was a given he was doing handstand push-ups throughout the day. Do you think he ever thought about overtraining or overstressing his CNS? I doubt it!
Gladiator Training
After watching the documentary, I was reminded of the training I did in Israel as a teen. I arrived two weeks prior to the Mr. Israel bodybuilding show and luckily there were two crazy SOB’s just waiting for some insane training. One of these crazy bastards was Joe, a Miami native who had plenty of screws loose and was busting his ass in an effort to become part of Israel’s elite Navy Seal team, the Shayetet.
After every workout, no matter how nauseating and brutal, Joe did his five sets of barbell curls with 135 pounds. Before every workout, Joe arrived early and did 100 sit-ups with his feet locked under a pair of dumbbells. Three times a week Joe got to the gym early to do five sets of heavy benching.
When I told him that he’d overtrain he replied, “Shit dude, you think the boys in the pen think about overtraining? They do their curls and benching every day.” (I was used to reading about Mike Mentzer and Dorian training for low sets, low reps, and low frequency. I never thought about breaking the rules!)
Joe spent his “off days” swimming for thirty minutes and running ten kilometers. He never worried about what the body could or couldn’t handle. His mind dictated what the body could handle and he didn’t back down from any challenge.
Training with Joe was nauseating. I knew that each workout meant we were going to war. As much as Joe supported and encouraged me during our workouts, he was still out to beat me on every set of every exercise.
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A young athlete trains old school with a heavy log.
Joe had the attitude of a warrior and he was tough as hell. It takes a special type of person to have this “old school” mentality. If you don’t have it, then training old school is going to toughen your ass up physically and mentally! Either that or you’ll quit and go back to your “regular” training program.
It’s time to bring out the gladiator within. You’ve been training modern-style too long. Just like when Apollo took Rocky back to “Tough Gym” in Rocky III and the way he trained in Rocky IV, you’re gonna do the same! The eye of the tiger – it’s time to get it back!
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Rocky runs with the log through knee deep snow.
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A police officer goes through some early winter training using a log.
Old School Tools
Here are some tools you’ll need for old school training.
• Sandbag
• Sled or tire
• Sledgehammer
• Truck
• Keg filled with water
• Logs
• Tractor tire
• Stones
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The sandbags will give you the most versatility, allowing you to do endless different exercises. Sleds or moderate-sized tires will offer great versatility as well, so they should also be a priority. I use sandbags for almost every exercise imaginable, including basic moves such as carries, rows, squats, rotations, lunges, and military presses.
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We also do combos and complexes using other movements such as Turkish get-ups, shouldering into squatting, burpees into snatches, clean, squat and press, and thrusters.
We also combine walking with movements. This way we work on conditioning, static strength, strength, and power, simultaneously. Try walking with a sandbag and every ten steps perform three to five reps of an exercise. Walk and squat, walk and bent-over row, walk and shouldering, walk and then clean and press. The possibilities are endless!
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Two variations when using two sandbags at the same time.
Wanna work on power? You can throw your sandbag: squat and push throw, scoop toss, or rotational throw. You can throw the bag by starting from the ground to work on starting strength and power, or you can pre-swing the bag before throwing it to gain some momentum.
For the combat athletes I train, we often focus on time-under-tension and keep cranking out sandbag exercises for up to six minutes straight without putting it down. This trains the body and mind in a variety of ways and allows us to mimic much of what the body endures during an actual grappling or wrestling match. The carryover this has on the athletes’ conditioning is phenomenal.
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Sleds and Tires
Sleds have become a staple in our athletic programs as well. We go beyond the basic forward, backward, and lateral drags. We sprint with the sled for starting power and power endurance. We also perform rows using two hands or one hand, one-handed rows with rotation, high pulls (two-handed and one-handed), chest presses, sumo walks and bear crawls.
Yes, I know. The experts say not to sprint with a sled because it’ll screw up your running mechanics. Forget the experts; you’re taking a trip back in time and you’re going old school. Jim Wendler said it best when he said, “When you’re running with the ball and a 250 pound lineman is on your back, your running mechanics aren’t exactly perfect.” Enough said!
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Rocky attacks the snow sleigh on all fours out in the elements.
If you don’t have a sled, use a heavy tire for dragging. Plug it with an eye hook, attach two tow straps, and you’re all set to go. Plus, these tires are free! Just ask for one at any tire yard. This is great for coaches who don’t have a budget to purchase a lot of sleds for a team. This training doesn’t look pretty, but the results sure are!
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The point here is to eliminate any limits and make due with what you have. My dad was in the military in Israel, and he was stationed in the mountains where the snow would come down hard. He and his buddies dragged all types of heavy equipment through the snow, so when he brought us to the States he used his kids for weight on the snow sleigh! We didn’t own those fancy sleds, but Dad found a way to stay fit while giving his crazy kids a hell of a good time!
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A sled awaits abuse at Joe DeFranco’s facility.
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Chest pressing a tire.
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Working on some pulling with the tire.
Be a Swinger
Need to let loose some frustrations? Incorporate wood chopping or sledgehammer swings into your training! If you’re going to use a sledgehammer, I prefer using a tire to swing on. If you like chopping wood, more power to you; save yourself some dinero and give the tree service guys a break.
We primarily use two-handed swings but some coaches have had great success with one-handed swings. We perform sledgehammer swings in a variety of directions:
• Overhead (left hand on top and then right hand on top)
• Across right shoulder and across left shoulder
• Side swings from left and right (like swinging a baseball bat)
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Rocky trains old school chopping down some trees.
Get ready to bust your ass here, my friend. Using the hammer or axe is best left for the end of the workout. Use reps or time, or create your own pattern for sets, reps, or time under tension. Old school training means less rules and more creativity.
Put your entire body into each swing, not just the arms. Get your legs, hips, core, and back into it here, and be ready for a kickass hands and grip workout. Start with a ten pound sledgehammer and progress to a twenty. You can always go heavier, but make sure technique doesn’t suffer.
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Just Push It
Pushing trucks or cars goes beyond training the lower body. You develop trunk stability, and the shoulders, triceps, and upper back get a lot of work during the pushing. This will kick your ass any which way you decide to incorporate it into your workout.
We sometimes push trucks with two athletes at the same time, or they might alternate every ten to fifteen seconds for a few sets. Another option is to push for a specified distance while working to beat your best time in that distance.
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Caption: The start of some truck pushing!
Lock your arms, hands on the bumper, and drive with the legs. If you’ve invested in a heavy duty shoulder harness, you can do forward or backward walking as well. But the hands-on-the-truck version allows you to attack the upper body, so I favor this method over using a harness.
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Steve Bodanis and Larry Jusdanis of SST get some Jeep pulling done using a shoulder harness. These guys have all their athletes training with old school and strongman exercises!
Find an empty parking lot with plenty of free room for your truck work. I go to an empty school lot on weekends or weeknights. Get ready to work when pushing the truck! Your entire body will get taxed here. I often do these at the end of a training session, but who’s to say they can’t be done first or in the middle of a workout?
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Old School Workout Ideas
A great way to introduce some old school training into your overall program is to supplement your current program with a different exercise each workout. When you train old school, the “rules” of program design aren’t the same. Get creative. Try sleds one day, sandbags the next, sledgehammer training another day, and trucks the next time.
Some strength coaches devote a full day to strongman events at the end of the week, after they’ve done their traditional training program. This training can kick the shit out of your nervous system at first, so start slowly and progress at your own pace.
Here’s a sample full day of old school training:
1) Warm up with calisthenics and joint mobility, 5-10 minutes
2) Sled training for 10-12 minutes, nonstop:
Forward drag for 100 ft.
Chest press x 8 reps
Row to chest x 8 reps
Backward drag x 50 ft.
High pulls x 5 reps
Repeat the above sled cycle until 10-12 minutes has ended.3) Sandbag clean and press, 3 x 6-8 reps
4) Sandbag shoulder and squat, 3 x 5 each shoulder (10 reps per set)
5) Truck push, 6 x 20 seconds each or 1 all-out set of 150 ft. nonstop
6) Sledgehammer circuit (start with one set and then progress to 3 sets total):
Overhead swing x 8
Across left shoulder x 8
Across right shoulder x 8
Left side swing x 8
Right side swing x 8
Overhead swing x 8
Enjoy the challenge!
About the Author
Zach Even-Esh is a strength and performance coach for Combat Athletes located in NJ. For more info on Zach’s methods, visit www.UndergroundStrengthCoach.com or www.ZachEven-Esh.com.
© 1998 — 2005 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
From Combat Fitness
Upper Body Exercises:
Core Body Exercises:
Lower Body Exercises :
| Boot Strapper |
| The Basic Bodyweight Squat |
| Burpees |
| Horse Stance |
| Hindu Squat |
| One-legged Squats |
| Calve Raise |
| Step Up |
| Platform Jump |
| Lunge |
| Sumo Squat |
Training in Accordance to the “SAID Principle”
Serious climbers would be wise to train and climb in accordance to the cornerstone principles of the field of Exercise Science. For example, knowledge of the “SAID Principle” (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) can be leveraged to maximize the effectiveness of your training for a specific climbing goal or dream climb.
The SAID principle explains that a certain exercise or type of training produces adaptations specific to the activity performed and only in the muscles (and energy systems) that are stressed by the activity. For example, running produces favorable adaptations in the leg muscles and the cardio-vascular system. However, the muscles and systems not stressed show no adaptation; so even heroic amounts of running will produce no favorable changes in, say, the arms. Of course, the adaptations that result from running do transfer somewhat to other sports that depend on the same body parts and systems (e.g. mountain biking). Bottom line: the SAID Principle demands that effective training for climbing must target your body in ways very similar to climbing (e.g. in body position, muscles used, energy systems trained, etc).
Similarly, your body adapts in a specific fashion to the specific demands you place on it while climbing. If you boulder a lot, you will adapt to the specific skill and strength demands of bouldering. If you climb mostly one-pitch sport routes, you adapt to the unique demands of zipping up, say, 30 meters of rock before muscular failure. If you primarily climb multi-pitch routes or big walls, your body will adapt in accordance to the demands of these longer climbs. Or, if your outings are alpine in nature, your physiological response will be specific to the very unique demands of climbing in the mountains.
The vitally important distinction here is that while all these activities fall under the headline of “climbing,” they each have unique demands that produce very specific physical adaptations. Therefore, the training effect from regular bouldering will do nothing to enhance your physical ability for alpine climbing. As shown in the table below, the specific demands of sport climbing are much closer to those of bouldering. Consequently, the adaptations incurred from frequent bouldering will carry over well to sport climbing (especially short sport climbs) and vice versa.
| Continuum of Climbing “Sub-Sports” | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouldering | Sport Climbing |
Multipitch Climbing |
Big Wall Climbing |
Alpine/ Mountaineering |
Due to the SAID principle, your practice and training on the rocks should be spent mostly on the type of climbing in which you desire to excel. It is no mistake that the best boulderers in the world rarely tie into a rope. Likewise, the best alpine climbers spend little or no time working on 30-meter sport routes. Targeting your training on the specific demands of your preferred form of climbing is the essence of the SAID Principle.
In the end, you must make a philosophical choice whether you want to specialize–and, therefore, excel–in one of the climbing “sub-sports,” or become a moderately successful all-around climber. Certainly, there is equal merit and reward in both approaches.
(Andrea Pesca bouldering at Morrison, CO. Courtesy of StewartGreen.com)
The 7 Conditioning Secrets
…of Successful Combat Athletes
by Jason Ferruggia
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1343138
Fighter or Runner?
It never ceases to amaze me that there are still combat athletes out there using outdated conditioning methods that have long been proven ineffective and useless. The methods I speak of include hours and hours of long distance running and other unproductive forms of aerobic activity.
Folks, please understand this: neither wrestling nor any form of mixed martial arts are aerobic sports. Therefore, aerobic training of any kind is a complete waste of your time.
Yet every single high school or college wrestler I’ve ever come across is still running each and every day like they’re training for a marathon instead of a six or seven minute bout of high intensity grappling. How is thirty to sixty minutes of low intensity jogging going to prepare you for six to seven minutes of absolute hellacious combat?
It isn’t. It makes about as much sense as trying to become a world champion skateboarder by practicing your golf swing for eight hours a day.
Well then, if that’s not the approach to take, then what is? To answer that question let’s briefly take a look at what occurs in a wrestling match. At the high school level, there are three periods consisting of two minutes each. At the collegiate level, there are three periods as well, the first consisting of three minutes and the final two consisting of two minutes each. At the Olympic level, there’s one five-minute period and a three minute overtime period, if needed.
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During these two to five minute bouts you’ll find yourself squatting, pressing, pulling, lunging, twisting, and bridging. You’ll make explosive movements, slow grinding strength-based movements, and you’ll hold isometric contractions a lot longer than you can comfortably stand.
For your off-the-mat training to have any carryover whatsoever, you need to be sure you’re doing all of these things in your conditioning program. The exact same holds true for any kind of martial art or no-holds-barred fighting. While some of the time periods and rounds may be different from one organization or sport to the next, the same general principle applies.
So, let’s get right into my best conditioning methods for these athletes.
The Top 7 Conditioning Methods for Combat Athletes
1. Strongman Training
Strongman training incorporates the use of odd objects such as stones, logs, tractor tires, sandbags, kegs, sledgehammers, anvils and just about anything else you can think of. The basics of strongman training are to lift and carry or drag heavy shit; that’s the gist of it.
Strongman training can be used as a conditioning day all on its own or at the end of a regular resistance training workout. There are endless amounts of exercises and events to choose from when putting together a strongman workout.
Those who are new to strongman training will have extreme difficulty with many of the exercises and will be winded quite quickly. Eventually, after getting used to this type of training, the goal will be to lower your rest periods and do more work in a given time period.
If you opt to have an entire training day dedicated to strongman training, I recommend that you pick five or six exercises that offer as much variety as possible. Below is an example of a good sequence of exercises for a strongman workout:
A) Car push
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B) Tire flip
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C) Keg clean & press
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D) Sledgehammer swing
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E) Farmers walk
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F) Hand-over-hand row with thick diameter rope
You can do the exercises for straight sets or in a circuit fashion. When your conditioning improves and you continue to try to get more “sport specific” with your training, you should aim for two to three straight minutes of work (or whatever length of time the rounds or periods last in your chosen combat sport) followed by a brief rest period.
For example, you could do one exercise for that long or you could do each exercise for 20-30 seconds and then move immediately to the next. While most matches don’t last nearly this long, the strongman workouts should take anywhere from 30-90 minutes.
If you choose to use strongman training as a finisher to your normal weight training workouts, you’d be best served to pick one or two exercises and perform them for ten to fifteen minutes straight with a brief rest period every 30-120 seconds.
2. Bodyweight Circuits
Using your own bodyweight in a way that will resemble what you do in a wrestling match or no-holds-barred fight is an outstanding way of improving your conditioning. I usually like to go outside in the fresh air to a park and perform these.
Grouping together four to six bodyweight exercises such as wheelbarrow walks, push-ups, single (or double) leg squats, squat thrusts, crab walks, inchworms, and mountain climbers and doing them in a circuit will get you in great shape in no time. Again, try to eventually work your way down to using work to rest ratios similar to that which you’ll face in competition.
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The squat thrust, shown here with dumbbells, but very effective with just bodyweight!
3. Sled Combos
A dragging sled is one of the most valuable tools any hard training combat athlete could have in his arsenal. The possibilities are limitless with the sled.
To choose an effective sled combo, try to pick movements that will work the body from as many different angles and in as many different ways as possible. Here’s an example of a highly effective sled combo:
A) Forward sled drag: 30 seconds
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B) Face pull: 30 seconds
C) Backward sled drag: 30 seconds
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D) Chest press: 30 seconds
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Repeat for two to three minutes straight followed by a brief rest period similar to what you’ll face in competition.
4. Sprints
While jogging is completely worthless, sprinting is tremendous for combat athletes looking to get in kick-ass shape. I like to use a variety of sprint workouts with combat athletes including hill sprints, stadium stair sprints, shuttle runs, sled sprints, and agility circuits.
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Before commencing your sprint workouts, be sure to complete a full dynamic warm-up in order to reduce the possibility of injury. To further reduce the risk of injury and basically eliminate any concern of pulled hamstrings, stick with hill sprints or do most of your sprint work with an empty sled dragging behind you. Just the weight of the empty sled is enough to slow you down slightly which greatly decreases the risk of injury.
5. Medicine Ball Throw and Retrieve
This is a great way for the combat athlete to mix explosive movements in with his conditioning. You’ll need a medicine ball which is not so light that you can throw it fifty yards, but not so heavy that it only goes two feet when you release it. Find something in the middle. Most athletes will use a ball somewhere between twelve and twenty pounds for this drill.
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I like to mix up the direction and kinds of throws when using this method. For example, we’ll start with a backward overhead scoop throw, sprint to the ball, do an overhead forward throw, sprint to the ball, side rotation throw, sprint, chest pass, sprint, forward scoop throw, side rotation throw in the opposite direction, sprint, etc.
This can be done for two to three minutes straight followed by a brief rest period and/or puking.
6. Barbell Complexes
For those of you who’ve never done complexes, get ready for a whole new in-the-gym experience. Barbell complexes consist of doing several exercises in a row without ever putting the bar down. This usually consists of six to ten exercises; each exercise is usually done for six reps.
The reps are performed as explosively as possible and you move from one exercise to the next without ever taking a break or letting go of the bar. Most athletes will begin with just a 45 pound Olympic bar.
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Below is an example of a barbell complex:
A) Deadlift
B) Hang clean
C) Front squat
D) Hang snatch
E) Overhead squat
F) Front press
G) Bentover barbell row
H) Romanian deadlift
Over time the goal is to be able to complete the entire complex faster than the previous workout. As I mentioned above, you should start with just the bar the first time you do complexes, but quickly work up to a more challenging weight in subsequent weeks. Ninety-five pounds will be absolute hell for even the strongest and most well conditioned of warriors!
7. The Whole Kit ‘N Caboodle
This method basically involves combining any two or all of the above methods into one conditioning session. These types of workouts can be grueling and are only for those with the heart of champion.
For example, you may start your workout inside with a few rounds of barbell complexes. After that you may proceed outside and pick up the medicine ball for a few rounds of throw and retrieve. When you’ve completed the throws, you might grab the sled and perform a few combos followed immediately by a car push, a sprint, and a farmers walk until you drop.
There really are no rules as to how you structure this. You can intermix whatever method you like and do straight sets or circuits. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
Addition Info
There you have it: the best ways to get in ass-kicking shape and outlast any opponent you’ll ever face. As far as the work to rest ratios go, you’ll notice that for most methods I’ve suggested that over time you try to work toward matching these up with what you’ll actually face in competition. This is an eventual goal but isn’t of the utmost importance.
Believe me, flipping a 600 pound tire for two minutes straight is a lot different and more exhausting than wrestling for two minutes straight, in most cases. Do the best you can and keep that goal in mind, but don’t be overly concerned if you can’t achieve those numbers. Even if you can only flip the tire for 30 seconds straight, that’s completely fine. That’s more than most people can take, and it’ll do wonders for your conditioning levels.
One final note is that you must be careful not to overdo any of these methods. While most combat athletes have the attitude that more is better, that isn’t always the case. Too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing. Too much conditioning will lead to losses in strength, size, and speed — all of which will lead to a decrease in your overall performance.
A Bad Analogy (Sorry)
Remember in high school when you knew your parents were out of town and you had a really hot girl coming over? What did you do that afternoon? You cleared the pipes, of course… several times. If you didn’t, you knew that the mere brush of the young vixen’s thigh against yours would make for an early and unhappy ending. But what about the time you did your preparatory ritual a few too many times?
At 16, three times was fine; it was what you needed to feel “prepared for battle.” If it was an extremely smoking hot chick, you might have even opted for four just to be extra safe. But by senior year of college when your Testosterone levels started coming down just the tiniest bit and you had significantly more experience, four times was beyond overkill. But you went for it anyway because you still lived by the mantra that more is better and because the young female en route to your apartment bore a striking resemblance to Carmen Electra, from head to toe.
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Finally, she showed up at your place and for some reason there wasn’t even a twitch when she hugged you hello. And when it came time for bumping uglies, you, my friend, were left with a limp noodle (come on, I’m not the only one). And as we all know, nobody likes a limp noodle.
The culprit? Too much “conditioning.” It happens to the best of us, but hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and find the cutoff point. The last thing you want to do is end up a limp noodle in the hands of your opponent. I mean, uh… wow, what a disturbingly bad analogy. But hopefully you get the point.
The key is to find the optimal level, the amount that gets you in the best condition possible, and do exactly that amount and no more. How much is that? No one can know for sure but you. My recommendation is four 30-60 minute sessions per week. On top of your classes, practices, and strength training workouts, this is usually more than enough to get most combat athletes in championship shape in no time.
Be sure to utilize all of the methods listed in this article. Bust your ass and make constant improvements. Victory will be yours.
About the Author
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Jason Ferruggia is one of the most highly sought after professional fitness coaches in the industry. For over a decade he has provided hundreds of clients with cutting edge training programs that never fail to produce outstanding results in record time. Jason has trained over 500 athletes from nearly 20 different sports and is renowned for his ability to rapidly increase speed, strength, and overall performance. He has also mastered the art of physique enhancement and has helped countless clients ranging from business men to fashion models lose fat and build muscle at astounding rates. For more information on training for combat athletes, please visit www.CombatConditioningSecrets.com.
© 1998 — 2006 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Home > Panorama
GoAnimal: the panorama
When we consider the state of the modern human body, we see a public health catastrophe in progress. Not only are we overweight, we’re suffering from a host of highly-preventable disorders, many of which can be traced directly to inactivity and sedentary living. Clearly, our current approach to physical fitness just isn’t working. We need a new orientation.
GoAnimal is an innovative approach to health and physical conditioning. The idea is that physical training needs to meet a few simple conditions: it’s got to have some relevance to human origins, it’s got to speak to the functional performance of the human body and it’s got to be fun. In other words, we need a paradigm for exercise and fitness that’s primal, practical and playful.
As you’ll discover, these three principles fit together in a complementary fashion. Each reinforces the other to form a complete, integrated approach to physical fitness and living. By studying these perspectives, you’ll be able to create a personal fitness program that is both satisfying and sustainable. In the process, you’ll gain a fresh enthusiasm for movement and your body.
The core principles of the GoAnimal philosophy are described in the section ideas. You’ll find essays on our physical predicament, the philosophy of exercise, evolutionary perspectives, movement education and integration. You can also find functional exercises and fitness games that you can try out on your own.
| all rights reserved © 2003 GoAnimal | Play as if Your Life Depends on It |
Home > Panorama
Chaos Training
by Rocannon
http://www.primalbodymoves.com/blogs/2007/02/chaos-training.html
My training partner Tara joined me this morning nice and early. I decided we would do what I call Chaos Training. By using many different types of training in one brief (50 min.) Primal Playout I get my body raging with fresh energy from the bones outward. Today’s play included Power Ropes, medicine balls, kettlebells, Woody sandbags and stretch bands.
We kept moving between play stations with no more than a 10 second break between any individual move. After each complete circuit of the equipment I would ramp it up a bit by selecting a more challenging set of moves for the next circuit. In a matter of minutes the sweat was pouring, the smiles were exploding, and we both were laughing out loud as we swung the KBs, waved the ropes, slammed the bags, kicked the balls, and pulled the bands. It was non-stop fun from minute one.
With all the variation (chaos) my nervous, myofascial, and proprioceptive systems never had a chance of knowing what was coming next. The difference in how I feel now when I do Primal Moves compared to 20 years ago when I worked out in a gym is the difference between dreaming of having a girlfriend when I was 12 and having a life-companion at 57. There really is no comparison.
As we re-packed all the gear we were discussing how much more alive and vital we feel after these kinds of movement times. It really takes no discipline to do them everyday. They are so much fun, so creative, and so completely engaging that it would be harder not to do them than do them.
Be sure that your daily movement practice draws you in the same way. Don’t waste time trying to do something because it is good for you, but you hate it. Find some kind of movement that you WANT TO Do and do that every day. Celebrate it. Explore it. Expand it. Integrate it into your life.
To loosen up this afternoon we took a movement snack doing horizontal pullups with our feet on a Swiss ball. After a couple of rounds we shifted to one-leg medicine ball throws with a 15 lb ball. I finished the snack with High Swings with a kettlebell. Yummy. I feel refreshed. I feel satisfied. I feel good. Remember that movement snack doesn’t have to take long. Ten or fifteen minutes is plenty of time for a re-charge. Play in the chaos whenever you can.
Juggle Your Way
To Improved Performance
By Ross Enamait – Published in 2007
In a past article, I discussed how an inexpensive jump rope could be used to enhance athletic qualities such as coordination, agility, quickness, and endurance. Contrary to what many Internet Gurus may suggest, these skills can be enhanced with nothing more than a $5 rope. Within this article, I will discuss another low-tech, inexpensive drill that will enhance qualities such as hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity, peripheral vision, depth perception, visual reaction time, and neuromuscular balance.
It may sound too good to be true, but you can perform this drill anywhere, with nothing more than a few tennis balls. You can practice this drill as long as you want without risk of overtraining or soreness.
So, what’s the secret drill that has been hidden to the masses?
Juggling!
That’s right… juggling three or four tennis balls is an ideal addition to any athlete’s weekly plan. At first glance, you may think I am joking. Teaching a group of athletes to juggle may seem ridiculous, but it is actually something that I highly recommend. So many athletes search high and low for training advice, but often overlook the obvious. Everyone wants to become stronger, faster, and more powerful, but what good are these qualities if you lack the coordination to use them?
Take a moment to review your weekly training plan. How much time do you spend working to improve qualities such as hand-eye coordination, peripheral vision, and visual reaction time?
Many athletes will answer this question with a big goose egg…
They don’t spend any time working to improve these attributes. They are either working to become stronger or working to improve endurance. Clearly, strength and endurance are important, but nothing can replace the need for coordination.
And in addition to the athletic benefits, juggling will also improve your brain. In a recent experiment (2004), University of Regensburg neurologist Arne May and colleagues found that juggling can increase grey matter within the brain.
As quoted within the report:
“The juggler group demonstrated a significant transient bilateral expansion in grey matter in the mid-temporal area and in the left posterior intraparietal sulcus…”
Researches went on to conclude the following:
“This discovery of a stimulus-dependent alteration in the brain’s macroscopic structure contradicts the traditionally held view that cortical plasticity is associated with functional rather than anatomical changes.”
In laymen’s terms, plasticity is simply the brain’s ability to remodel itself (ie. to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences).It was not long ago that scientists were convinced that the brain was hardwired early in life. Deterioration of the brain was seen as inevitable over time. The ability to rebuild and/or improve the brain was considered impossible. Fortunately, modern research suggests otherwise.
As quoted within a past edition of The Journal of Active Aging:
“Scientists now know that the brain remains plastic (or malleable) throughout life. At any age, the brain has the ability to revise its processing machinery – for better or for worse – in response to stimuli and activities. Just as the brain can deteriorate, it can also grow. Gray matter can thicken, trunks can remyelinate, and neural connections can be forged and refined, reinvigorating cognitive abilities.”
Juggling is one of many ways to revitalize the brain. One reason for this phenomenon is that juggling takes you out of your comfort zone. Most of us are not juggling experts. The average person cannot juggle their daily workload, never mind three of four balls.
When you are challenged with a new task, you must concentrate and remain relaxed to successfully develop the skill. The concentration and effort required to develop the new skill is clearly beneficial for the brain.
Remain Consistent
There is nothing magical about juggling, but this simple activity will lead to considerable improvements if you remain consistent with your efforts. There are countless juggling variations, ranging from easy to extremely advanced. You don’t need to be a circus performer to benefit from juggling.
Start with the basics, and gradually strive to improve, as you challenge yourself with more advanced patterns and tricks. When first starting, limit your juggling practice to just a few minutes. It is important to be fresh and alert when mastering a new skill. With just 5 minutes of juggling per day, you’ll notch up over 30 hours of juggling in one year. A five or ten minute investment each day is not too much to ask.
Additional Benefits
Aside from the scientific data presented thus far, there are many commonsense benefits to juggling. Think about it…
To successfully juggle, you must remain relaxed, as you visually track objects in space, and then physically react to the constant (mobile) stimulus. If you are tense, you will never succeed at juggling. The ability to remain relaxed is vital to any athlete, particularly a combat athlete.
Think of yourself sparring for example. If you are tense, you will always struggle with defense. A tense fighter will be as elusive as a snail. Consider all-time defensive masters such as the great Willie Pep, or more recently Pernell Whitaker. These men could stand directly in front of their opponents and avoid incoming punches like a magician. One reason for their success was their ability to function in a relaxed state. These individuals also had tremendous reactions, hand-eye coordination, peripheral vision, etc. (attributes that can all be enhanced with juggling).
While juggling will not turn you into the next Willie Pep, it will improve many of the physical and mental qualities that are required to become an elusive fighter. You must remain relaxed as you react to objects that move up and down, and on each side of you.
Now, think of an opponent who is throwing kicks and punches in your direction. You must see these incoming blows, and then react accordingly. Any drill that enhances this ability is worthy of your time.
Summary and Further Reading
In summary, juggling offers both physical and mental benefits. Juggling is:
- Inexpensive (any balls will work)
- Convenient (you can juggle anywhere)
- Relaxing
- Effective (physical and mental benefits)
- Not physically stressful (juggle as often as you wish)
If juggling is new to you, a quick search will offer more information than you can digest in one sitting. There are countless tutorials floating around the web. I recommend starting with a basic three-ball cascade (the most common form of juggling). Don’t limit yourself to this variation however. As with any type of training, you must progress to more difficult variations.
One of the better tutorials (that I could find) is linked to below. The site includes video demonstrations of several juggling techniques. You will never run out of ideas or challenges with the information contained within this link:
Happy juggling!
Works Cited
1.) Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Busch, V., Schuierer, G., Bogdahn, U. and May A. (2004). Neuroplasticity: changes in grey matter induced by training. Nature, 427:311-312.
2.) Merzenich, Michael. (2005). Change Minds For The Better. The Journal of Active Aging.
About the Author – Ross Enamait is an innovative athlete and trainer, whose training style is among the most intense that you will find. Ross is committed to excellence and advancements in high performance conditioning and functional strength development. He has a sincere interest in helping today’s athlete in their quest for greatness.
Ross has authored several training manuals, and is available for private training in the New England area. You may contact him directly at <!– var username = “ross”; var hostname = “rosstraining.com”; var linktext = username + “@” + hostname; document.write(“” + linktext + ““) //–> ross@rosstraining.com
©2004 Lawrence Gold
certified practitioner
The Dr. Ida P. Rolf method of Structural Integration
Hanna Somatic Education® See also:
“What You Can Do about Your Own Back Pain”
“What’s the Prognosis on Your Back Pain?”
Common opinion notwithstanding, the proper purpose of abdominal exercises is to improve coordination of the abdominal muscles with the other muscles of the trunk and legs (which include the psoas muscles), to improve alignment, and not to strengthen the back (a nonsensical proposition if one thinks about it). When the psoas muscles achieve their proper length and responsiveness, they stabilize the lumbar spine, giving the feeling of better support and “strength,” and cause the spine and abdomen to fall back, giving the appearance of “strong” abdominal muscles. To improve psoas functioning, a different approach to abdominal exercises than the one commonly practiced is necessary. Instead of “strengthening,” the emphasis must be on awareness, control, balancing and coordination of the involved muscles – the purview of somatic education.
A discussion of the methods and techniques of somatic education is beyond the scope of this paper, which confines itself to a discussion of the relation of the psoas muscles, abdominal exercises, and back pain. (For a view of self-help techniques, click excerpt. For a discussion of methods and techniques techniques of somatic education, article.)
The Relationship of Psoas, Abdominal Muscles and Back Pain
The psoas muscles and the abdominal muscles are agonist and antagonist as well as synergists; a free interplay between the two is appropriate. The psoas muscles lie behind the abdominal contents, running from the lumbar spine to the inner thighs near the hip joints (lesser trochanters); the abdominal muscles lie in front of the abdominal contents, running from the lower borders of the ribs (with the rectus muscles as high as the nipples) to the frontal lines of the pelvis.
Take a moment to contemplate each of these relationships.
- In the standing position, contracted psoas muscles (which ride over the pubic crests) move the pubis backward; the abdominal muscles move the pubis forward. (antagonists)
- In walking, the ilio-psoas muscles of one side initiate movement of that leg forward, while the abdominals bring the same-side hip and pubis forward. (synergists)
- The psoas major muscles pull the lumbar spine forward; the abdominal muscles push the lumbar spine back (via pressure on abdominal contents and change of pelvic position). (antagonists)
- The psoas minor muscles pull the fronts of attached vertebrae (at the level of the diaphragm), down and back; the abdominals push the same area back. (synergists)
- Unilateral contraction of the psoas muscles causes rotation of the torso away from the side of contraction and sidebending toward the side of contraction (as if leaning to one side and looking over ones raised shoulder); abdominals assist that movement.
Now, if this all sounds complicated, it is — to the mind. But if you have good use and coordination of those muscles, it’s simple — you move well.
Words on Abdominal Exercises
Exercises that attempt to flatten the belly (e.g., crunches) generally produce a set pattern in which the abdominal muscles merely overpower psoas and spinal extensor muscles that are already set at too high a level of tension.
High abdominal muscle tone from abdominal crunches interferes with the ability to stand fully erect, as the contracted abdominal muscles drag the front of the ribs down. Numerous consequences follow: (1) breathing is impaired, (2) compression of abdominal contents results, impeding circulation, (3) deprived of the pumping effect of motion on fluid circulation, the lumbar plexus, which is embedded in the psoas, becomes less functional (slowed circulation slows tissue nutrition and removal of metabolic waste; nerve plexus metabolism slows; chronic constipation often results), (4) displacement of the centers of gravity of the body’s segments from a vertical arrangement (standing or sitting) deprives them of support; gravity then drags them down and further in the direction of displacement; muscular involvement (at the back of the body) then becomes necessary to counteract what is, in effect, a movement toward collapse. This muscular effort (a) taxes the body’s vital resources, (b) introduces strain in the involved musculature (e.g., the extensors of the back), and (c) sets the stage for back pain and back injury.
The psoas has often been portrayed as the villain in back pain, and exercise is often intended to “knock the psoas out” (overpower it). However, it is obvious from the foregoing that “inconvenient” consequences result from that strategy. A more fitting approach is to balance the interaction of the psoas and abdominal muscles.
When the psoas and the abdominal muscles counterbalance each other, the psoas muscles contract and relax, shorten and lengthen appropriately in movement. The lumbar curve, rather than increasing, decreases; the back flattens and the abdominal contents move back into the abdominal cavity, where they are supported instead of hanging forward.
It should be noted that the pelvic orientation, and thus the spinal curves, is also largely determined by the musculature and connective tissue of the legs, which connect the legs with the pelvis and torso. If the legs are not directly beneath the pelvis, but are somewhat behind (or more rarely, ahead of the pelvis), stresses are introduced through muscles and connective tissue that displace the pelvis. Rotation of the pelvis, hip height asymmetry, and/or excessive lordosis (or, more rarely, kyphosis) follow, all of which affect the psoas/abdominal interplay.
Where movement, visceral function, and freedom from back pain are concerned, proper support from the legs is as important as the free, reciprocal interplay of the psoas and abdominal muscles.
More on the Psoas and Walking
Dr. Ida P. Rolf described the psoas as the initiator of walking:
Let us be clear about this: the legs do not originate movement in the walk of a balanced body; the legs support and follow. Movement is initiated in the trunk and transmitted to the legs through the medium of the psoas.
(Rolf, 1977: Rolfing, the Integration of Human Structures, pg. 118). A casual interpretation of this description might be that the psoas initiates hip flexion by bringing the thigh forward. It’s not quite as simple as that. By its location, the psoas is also a rotator of the thigh. It passes down and forward from the lumbar spine, over the pubic crest, before its tendon passes back to its insertion at the lesser trochanter of the thigh. Shortening of the psoas pulls upon that tendon, which pulls the medial aspect of the thigh forward, inducing rotation, knee outward.
In healthy functioning, two actions regulate that tendency to knee-outward turning: (1) the same side of the pelvis rotates forward by action involving the iliacus muscle, the internal oblique (which is functionally continuous with the iliacus by its common insertion at the iliac crest) and the external oblique of the other side and (2) the gluteus minimus, which passes backward from below the iliac crest to the greater trochanter, assists the psoas in bringing the thigh forward, while counter-balancing its tendency to rotate the thigh outward. The glutei minimi are internal rotators, as well as flexors, of the thigh at the hip joint. They function synergistically with the psoas.
This synergy causes forward movement of the thigh, aided by the forward movement of the same side of the pelvis. The movement functionally originates from the somatic center, through which the psoas passes on its way to the lumbar spine. Thus, Dr. Rolf’s observation of the role of the psoas in initiating walking is explained.
Interestingly, the abdominals aid walking by assisting the pelvic rotational movement described, by means of their attachments along the anterior border of the pelvis. Thus, the interplay of psoas and abdominals is explained.
When the psoas fails to lengthen properly, the same side of the pelvis is restricted in its ability to move backward (and to permit its other side to move forward). Co-contracted glutei minimi frequently accompany the contracted psoas of the same side, as does chronic constipation (for reasons described earlier). The co-contraction drags the front of the pelvis down. The lumbar spine is bent forward, tending toward a forward-leaning posture, which the extensors of the lumbar spine counter to keep the person upright; as the spinal extensors contract, they suffer muscle fatigue and soreness. Thus, the correlation of tight psoas and back pain is explained.
As explained before, to tighten the abdominal muscles as a solution for this stressful situation is a misguided effort. What is needed is to improve the responsiveness of the psoas and glutei minimi, which includes their ability to relax.
A final interesting note brings the center (psoas) into relation with the periphery (feet). In healthy, well-integrated walking, the feet assist the psoas and glutei minimi in bringing the thigh forward. The phenomenon is known as “spring in the step.”
Here’s the description: When the thigh is farthest back, in walking, the ankle is most dorsi-flexed. That means that the calf muscles and hip flexors are at their fullest stretch and primed for the stretch (myotatic) reflex. This is what happens in well-integrated walking: assisted by the stretch reflex, the plantar flexors of the feet put spring in the step, which assists the flexors of the hip joints in bringing the thigh forward.
Here’s what makes it particularly interesting: when the plantar flexors fail to respond in a lively fashion, the burden of bringing the thigh forward falls heavily upon the psoas and other hip joint flexors, which become conditioned to maintain a heightened state of tension, and there we are: tight psoas and back pain. (Note that ineffective dorsi-flexors of the feet prevent adequate foot clearance of the ground, when walking; the hip flexors must compensate by lifting the knee higher, leading to a similar problem.)
Thus, it appears that the responsibility for problems with the psoas falls (in part, if not largely) upon the feet. No resolution of psoas problems can be expected without proper functioning of the lower legs and feet.
SUMMARY
The psoas, iliacus, abdominals, spinal extensors, hip joint flexors and extensors, and flexors of the ankles/feet are all inter-related in walking movements. Interference with their interplay (generally through over-contraction or non-responsiveness of one or more of these “players”) leads to dysfunction and to back pain. The strategy of strengthening the abdominal muscles has been shown to be a misguided effort to correct problems that usually lie elsewhere – which explains why, even though abdominal strengthening exercises are so popular, back pain is still so common. Sensory-motor training (somatic education) provides a more pertinent and effective approach to the problem of back pain than abdominal strengthening exercises.
Instep Dance Magazine Articles
Reprints of monthly column as first appearing in Instep Dance Magazine.
April 1999
The Psoas – Stretching Revisited
http://www.cascadewellnessclinic.com/articles/97-99art/art32.shtml
By Rick Allen, DC
“Better health leads to better dancing.”
Last December we examined the anatomy and function of the psoas muscle. We saw how it is a hidden influence on posture and low back pain. My January/February article suggested stretches for the psoas. Last month I asked for suggestions from my readers for the April column. Thank you, Dan Roberts, Certified Muscle Therapist from Reading, Pennsylvania for alerting me to a better way to stretch your muscles, including the psoas. It’s called Active Isolated Stretching (AIS). While I had heard of the concept, it took Dan’s rave review by e-mail for me to research it further. Dan had taken extensive training with the developer of AIS, Aaron Mattes, a kinesiologist and massage therapist from Sarasota, Florida. Aaron is a consultant on stretching to the US Olympic Team. Likewise, Jim and Phil Wharton from Gainesville, Florida have worked with many top-level athletes, using the AIS technique to greatly improve their flexibility. The Whartons have popularized this technique in their 1996 book, The Wharton’s Stretch Book, and the associated video, Breakthrough Stretching. I contacted their company, Maximum Performance International (1-800-240-9805 or www.aistretch.com) and obtained permission from Ron Boyle to reproduce the figures shown below which illustrate the AIS technique.
As I pointed out in the January/February article, a key part of the answer to eliminating common mechanical low back pain is to keep the muscles of the low back in balance. This will improve your posture and dancing as well. Since the psoas often becomes tight and shortened from sitting, the answer must include daily stretches and exercises to counterbalance the tightening. I suggest you check out and incorporate AIS into your daily routine. (For further information, I suggest you also check out the good review of stretching techniques that appeared in Outside magazine’s Bodywork Column for March 1999.)
Active Isolated Stretching Technique
Active Isolated Stretching is similar to part of the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching method used by chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists and other muscle specialist. It uses the body’s natural counter-balancing neurological “wiring” to control muscles: when you contract a muscle (the agonist) your body automatically relaxes the opposing muscle (the antagonist). For example, when you tighten your biceps, your body automatically relaxes the triceps. The full PNF pattern is done with the assistance of the doctor or therapist telling you to “contract for about 6 seconds, relax, opposite contract, relax.” It is abbreviated Contract-Relax-Antagonist Contract-Relax or CRACR.
For example, to stretch the hamstring using the AIS technique, lie on your back with one leg bent and the other pointing straight up with a towel or soft rope looped around the arch of the foot (figure 1 above). (The Whartons recommend a 9-foot section of 5/8-inch braided polypropylene or dacron rope. I found some at Home Depot for about $.40/foot.) Next, draw that leg toward your chest by tightening the quadriceps muscles on the front of the leg. Go just a bit farther than your natural end point by pulling gently on the towel or rope while continuing to contract the quadriceps. Hold for 2 seconds. Release the stretch before the muscle reacts to being stretched – before it goes into a reactive protective contraction. The safe range is shown in figure 2. Repeat this 10 times for each leg. The Wharton’s video gives you an excellent sense of the extent and timing of the movement.
Active Isolated Stretching of the Psoas
As explained in the Wharton’s book, to stretch the right psoas, “Position yourself on your hands and knees (figure 3). Reach back with you right hand and grasp your right ankle. Reaching it will require that you lift your right foot to meet your hand. Hang on tightly.
Using the hamstrings and the gluteus maximus [buttocks], lift the exercising leg up until the thigh is parallel to the ground – or aligned horizontally with your body (figure 4). Be careful not to arch your back (hyperextension). [The safe range is shown in figure 5.] You may use your hand for gentle assistance at the end of the stretch.”
Wrapping up
The Wharton’s video and book give full sequences that warm up and stretch practically the whole body, so I suggest you look at them rather than just stretching one muscle. They show both stretching by yourself and with an assistant. Take care in doing the assisted stretches. An inexperienced assistant could use too much force and strain the muscle.
The AIS technique is one I suggest you add to your arsenal. It is not the only technique, so I suggest you work with it and compare the results with your current stretching routine. [You do stretch daily, don’t you?]
Once again, take care of your psoas, improve you posture and improve your life and, especially, your dancing!
Next article: I’ve received a few more ideas from readers. I’ll keep you in suspense until next month.
Dr. Rick Allen is a chiropractor, massage therapist and dance student in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Rick welcomes your questions and suggestions for future articles. However, he cannot make specific diagnoses or treatment recommendations unless you visit him in person. He can be reached by phone: 503-257-1324, mail: 221 NE 78th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213, e-mail or World Wide Web: www.CascadeWellnessClinic.com
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| The Almighty Psoas Muscle | |||
| http://www.myyogaonline.com/ | |||
| Your Body’s Center of MovementThe foundation of our bodies and our yoga practice lies at our feet. In order to incorporate both physical and energetic foundations, we must examine our body’s center of energy, movement and balance which begins near the psoas muscle — the pair of deep muscles extending from the sides of the spine to the femur that are activated in postures like forward bending (paschimottanasana) and Boat pose; and lengthened in poses like Warrior I and Bow.To understand the psoas muscles, we first need to describe some of the surrounding structures. Imagine looking at a body from the front (anterior) then stripping the skin away. Peel away the layer of muscles over the abdomen and then remove the organs.
You’ll now be looking at the front of the spine with its large vertebral bodies sandwiching those sometimes not-so- happy, but very important discs. You’re now looking at your back/spine from the front. Looking down a bit you see the inside of your bowl-shaped pelvis with your sacrum towards the back and the pelvic floor muscles in place connecting from it to your pubic bone. Lying over the front, and to the sides of your pubic bone, is a thick muscle that heads up to the sides of your vertebral bodies and drops down to connect to a spot on the inside and back of your thigh bone (femur). This is the almighty psoas. The psoas gets a lot of attention, and for good reason. Roughly triangular in shape, the top of the psoas attaches along five vertebral bodies starting at the last thoracic vertebrae (T12) and continues to attach to each vertebral body, usually terminating at the next to last Lumbar vertebrae (L4). This completes one side of the triangle. From the ends of this side, we create two more sides that slowly come together and attach at that spot on the femur. Because the psoas is triangular, the different portions of the triangle can have different effects on the spine, and therefore the body. Usually when we describe a muscle and the action that it does we talk about the bone that it makes move, in this case, the femur. The psoas insertion is on the femur. Movements happen at joints, so whichever joint is crossed by the psoas has the potential to be moved by this muscle. With the spine stabilized, as it mostly is, the psoas makes us perform flexion at the hip joint as in a forward bend. What happens if we stabilize the femur? Can the psoas then move the spine? You bet, and at this point we’ve reversed the origin and insertion. If we stabilize the femur, the upper half of the triangle has the potential to pull the spine down and forward as it attaches to the last thoracic vertebrae. The lower half of the psoas pulls mostly on the lumbars and therefore pulls them down and forward, which would make the pelvis, tip forward and down. This sometimes shows up as a sway back. If you stand up and tilt your pelvis down and forward you’ll probably feel how short your low back gets. Back pain anyone? How does the psoas show up in our yoga practice? Probably the most powerful place is in back bending in all variations such as Cobra, Bow, and Camel where we lengthen and open the front of our bodies, and important action that reverses most of what we do all day: sitting, driving, working on the computing etc. A tight psoas, along with other muscles makes back bends very difficult. When back bending, it’s often a good idea to tuck your tailbone (the opposite of the action described above). This will give length to your lower back. Yoga is about creating length in your body; find it wherever you can in your poses. Aside from back bending, the psoas muscles are commonly used in forward bends to pull you down and forward. All too often people rely on their arms to pull them forward. Because the psoas also helps regulate balance, it is used in every standing posture to stabilize the upper and lower half of the body. Our center of gravity is roughly at the top of our sacrum, and psoas just happens to pass on both sides of this sacred bone so it helps regulate balance around our center of gravity, which is where movement comes from. Chakras, Bandhas and Fred Astaire If you look at the space between the top and the bottom of the psoas, you will find some interesting pieces of yogic anatomy. Within its’ span are the lowest three chakras which control our instincts for survival, sexual energy and power. If you incorporate bandhas (internal energetic valves) into your practice you’ll find the mula and udhiyana bandhas within the realm of the psoas. If you come from this place, both physically and energetically, you will have an amazing practice. An example of someone who moved from this space is Fred Astaire who gingerly floated a few inches above the ground as he danced. His movement originated from his psoas. I doubt that he was consciously aware of it, but his movements emanated from his psoas to his toes and fingertips. I’m sure he didn’t know it but he also utilized the bandhas and the energy to move his body. Just like any of the great yogis teaching out there now, Astaire mastered this area of his body and called on it regularly for strength and energy. Using The Psoas In Sun Salutes Let’s do a sun salutation paying special attention to our psoas. With your weight evenly balanced on both feet, become aware of the space near the level of your navel. Imagine finding length from your psoas as your spine lifts from your center. Every time you inhale, feel yourself getting longer from your psoas and spine. Do your first sun salutation very slowly and imagine every movement growing and blossoming from this area of your body. After you’ve done a few Sun Salutations, find your way into Warrior I. Sink into your legs and feel how grounded you are. From that very grounded and strong foundation lift your torso out and up through your psoas; your arms are reaching from your psoas, your spine and head growing longer from — yes you got it — your psoas. This article was reprinted with the permission of David Keil. This article is the Copyright 2005 of David Keil and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. David Keil was introduced to yoga in 1989 by his Tai Chi Chuan teacher. Both the Tai Chi and Yoga practice at the ripe age of 17 began his research into his own mind-body connections. As an Instructor of Kinesiology at Miami’s Educating Hands School of Massage, David had developed a fun, informal and informative style of teaching. David has a private practice where he uses bodywork techniques to relieve chronic pain. A Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Neuromuscular Therapist, David has taught seminars in Body Mechanics for Massage Therapists and has also worked with other local and national audiences. David’s current practice is Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. For the past four years he has had the honor of studying with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in Mysore (four separate trips) as well as with John Scott, author of Ashtanga Yoga, who he also has the extreme honor of teaching with. David is authorized to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. For more information on David’s Ashtanga yoga schedule visit Ashtanga Yoga Miami or visit his other site www.yoganatomy.com |
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The pelvis: A keystone for yoga
By Liz Koch
http://www.yogachicago.com/sep99/lizkoch.shtml
The pelvis is the keystone of our physical structure and the foundation of a centered yoga practice. To feel centered and supported from within, our pelvis needs to be balanced and functioning as part of our torso without torques or twists. A balanced pelvis becomes a base of support for the spine, rib cage and head. It becomes a bowl containing and supporting the organs, nerves and viscera. A balanced pelvis frees the illiopsoas, the core muscle and increases range of motion in the hip sockets, preventing lower back and knee injuries.
The stable pelvis and the psoas muscle work in harmony-they form a partnership. The psoas muscle, a large, massive muscle, bridges the trunk to the leg. When used properly, it is a guide wire and as such, sensitively responds to the movement of the spine and the legs. When misused, the psoas muscle becomes rigid, limiting movement. Over time, misuse shortens the psoas muscle. A shortened psoas flexes and pulls on the pelvis, compressing the hip sockets and destabilizing the lower back.
As in any relationship, a dance occurs between pelvis and psoas. What often shortens the psoas is a destabilized pelvis, one that can no longer properly transfer weight from the trunk to the two legs. The psoas is then called upon to hold the trunk and leg together. Becoming a weight-supporting element, the psoas no longer can function freely as a muscle. It begins to function as a ligament and over time loses its suppleness as a muscle (i.e. begins to shorten).
In yoga asana, overextending, forcing a stretch and poor positioning can all stretch or tear pelvic ligaments, destabilizing the pelvis and shortening the psoas. Ligament damage or the overstretching of ligaments happens when they are under inappropriate tension. The pulling away of the bones one from another pulls, stretches, or tears the ligaments. Like the chicken and the egg koan, looseness in the sacrum and SI-joints calls upon the psoas to help hold the bones together. The body then further compensates by overdeveloping external muscles such as the hamstrings, gluts and adductors. This in turn pulls the bones further out of alignment and engages the psoas in holding the person together.
Proper positioning of the pelvis and releasing, toning and lengthening the psoas muscle is an integral part of stabilizing the pelvis. It is also an essential step in using the proper hip, pelvic and leg muscles, protecting the lumbar spine from compression and thus assuring the accuracy of each yoga posture. Focusing on the pelvis centers the work squarely inside the very core of your being.
To release the psoas, place yourself in the constructive rest position before you begin to practice asanas. Lie down on your back with the knees up and your feet on the floor. Arms rest below shoulder height to the sides, across the chest or on the pelvis. Place feet as wide apart as the width of the hip sockets, which are on the front of the pelvis to both sides of the pubis bone. In this position, the psoas will begin to release. No force is used to flatten the back. Just simply be in the position and focus your attention on the weight. Where is weight felt in the pelvis? Is one side heavier than the other? Do nothing but notice. As the psoas begins to release, after 5-10 minutes, the weight will begin to even out.
To tone the psoas, begin on all fours (cat pose) and explore the ability to shift weight from four points to three points. The position demands accurate placement of each bone in its socket perpendicular to the floor. Begin by releasing the psoas in the front of the right hip socket. Without shifting the pelvis, begin extending the right leg behind you, only releasing the leg to extend out. The movement begins at the hip socket-in the front of the socket-not in the dropping of the spine or the tipping of the pelvis. You can only extend the leg as far back as you can maintain a stable pelvis.
This is very exacting work. You cannot tone unless you can voluntarily release the psoas. Toning is the act of engaging the psoas properly. It is an eccentric muscle which means it never shortens. Engaging or toning the psoas means it never contracts, but falls back along the spine, always lengthening both the front and the back of the body.
For lengthening the psoas, the modified or full pigeon, when properly performed, is a psoas and iliacus stretch. Once again, positioning is crucial. Most people twist the pelvis in this pose. Rather, keep the pelvis balanced and stable, and release and stretch out from the core. Keeping the pelvis forward and stable may change the range of movement, but the stretch is deeper and you can isolate the stretch the psoas and iliacus muscle rather than pull on the pelvis. Lunges are psoas stretches.
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Liz Koch is the author of The Psoas Book, a comprehensive guide to the iliopsoas muscle and its profound affect on the body/mind/ emotions. Liz was recently featured in Yoga Journal (May/June 99) and Yoga & Health (London England Oct 98).
Liz comes to Chicago Friday, October 22, 7-10pm, to Transitions Learning Center, “A Beginner’s Guide to the Psoas” (lecture and demonstration; October 23, NorthRiver Chicago, “A Full Day Psoas Intensive,” and October 24, Lakeside Yoga in Evanston, a 3-hour yoga class for teachers and advanced students. To register for Friday night’s introductory class, call Transitions, 312.932.9076; for Saturday or Sunday workshops, call Lakeside Yoga Center, 847.866.2818. Liz Koch’s website is www.guineapigpub.com.
Welcome to the Machine!
http://www.jetcityorange.com//Buddhism/Endless-Knot.html
The Endless Knot is a symbolic knot used in Tibetan Buddhism. The Endless Knot is also known as dpal be’u in Tibetan or shrivatsa in Sanskrit. Other names include the Mystic Dragon, the Knot of Eternity, and the Lucky Diagram.
The Endless Knot is an intertwined knot without beginning or end, symbolizing the Buddha’s wisdom, infinite compassion and wisdom. It’s one of the 8 auspicious Buddhist symbols, known in as Sanskrit as Ashtamangala. The other 7 symbols are a lotus flower, two golden fish, a parasol, a treasure vase, a conch shell, victory banner, and eight spoked wheel.
The Endless Knot can be described mathmatically as 74, The Alternating Knot 74. Rob Scharein in Vancouver has a cool interactive plot of this knot online that you can play with (click and drag).
This site has a good overview reference about the Endless Knot, as does this site too.
Strong Lessons for
Engaged Buddhists
http://www.bopsecrets.org/PS/buddhists.htm
Have you learned lessons only of those who admired you,
and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?
Have you not learned great lessons from those who reject you,
and brace themselves against you? or who treat you with
contempt, or dispute the passage with you?
— Whitman, “Stronger Lessons”
In the middle of the Vietnam war Thich Nhat Hanh and a few other Buddhist monks, nuns and laypeople broke with the 2500-year tradition of Buddhist apoliticism and founded the Tiep Hien Order in an effort to relate Buddhist ethical and meditational practice to contemporary social issues. Members of the order organized antiwar demonstrations, underground support for draft resisters, and various relief and social service projects. Though the movement was soon crushed in Vietnam, Nhat Hanh has carried on similar activities from exile in France, and the idea of “socially engaged Buddhism” has spread among Buddhists around the world. One of its main expressions in the West, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, defines its purpose as being “to bring a Buddhist perspective to contemporary peace, environmental, and social action movements” and “to raise peace, environmental, feminist, and social justice concerns among Western Buddhists.”
The emergence of engaged Buddhism is a healthy development. Despite the bullshit that Buddhism shares with all religions (superstition, hierarchy, male chauvinism, complicity with the established order), it has always had a core of genuine insight based on the practice of meditation. It is this vital core, along with its freedom from the enforced dogmas characteristic of Western religions, that has enabled it to catch on so readily even among the most sophisticated milieus in other cultures. People engaged in movements for social change might well benefit from the mindfulness, equanimity and self-discipline fostered by Buddhist practice; and apolitical Buddhists could certainly stand to be confronted with social concerns.
So far, however, the engaged Buddhists’ social awareness has remained extremely limited. If they have begun to recognize certain glaring social realities, they show little understanding of their causes or possible solutions. For some, social engagement simply means doing some sort of volunteer charitable work. Others, taking their cue perhaps from Nhat Hanh’ remarks on arms production or Third World starvation, resolve not to eat meat or not to patronize or work for companies that produce weapons. Such gestures may be personally meaningful to them, but their actual effect on global crises is negligible. If millions of Third World people are allowed to starve, this is not because there is not enough food to go around, but because there are no profits to be made by feeding penniless people. As long as there is big money to be made by producing weapons or ravaging the environment, someone will do it, regardless of moral appeals to people’ good will; if a few conscientious persons refuse, a multitude of others will scramble for the opportunity to do it in their place.
Others, sensing that such individual gestures are not enough, have ventured into more “political” activities. But in so doing they have generally just followed along with the existing peace, ecological and other so-called progressive groups, whose tactics and perspectives are themselves quite limited. With very few exceptions these groups take the present social system for granted and simply jockey within it in favor of their particular issue, often at the expense of other issues. As the situationists put it: “Fragmentary oppositions are like the teeth on cogwheels: they mesh with each other and make the machine go round — the machine of the spectacle, the machine of power.”1
A few of the engaged Buddhists may realize that it is necessary to get beyond the present system; but failing to grasp its entrenched, self-perpetuating nature, they imagine gently and gradually modifying it from within, and then run into continual contradictions. One of the Tiep Hien Precepts says: “Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from enriching themselves from human suffering or the suffering of other beings.”2 How is one to prevent the exploitation of suffering if one “respects” the property that embodies it? And what if the owners of such property fail to relinquish it peacefully?
If the engaged Buddhists have failed to explicitly oppose the socioeconomic system and have limited themselves to trying to alleviate a few of its more appalling effects, this is for two reasons. First, they are not even clear about what it is. Since they are allergic to any analysis that seems “divisive,” they can hardly hope to understand a system based on class divisions and bitter conflicts of interest. Like almost everyone else they have simply swallowed the official version of reality, in which the collapse of the Stalinist state-capitalist regimes in Russia and East Europe supposedly demonstrates the inevitability of the Western form of capitalism.
Secondly, like the peace movement in general they have adopted the notion that “violence” is the one thing that must be avoided at all cost. This attitude is not only simplistic, it is hypocritical: they themselves tacitly rely on all sorts of state violence (armies, police, jails) to protect their loved ones and possessions, and would certainly not passively submit to many of the conditions they reproach others for rebelling against. In practice pacifism usually ends up being more tolerant toward the ruling order than toward its opponents. The same organizers who reject any participant who might spoil the purity of their nonviolent demonstrations often pride themselves on having developed amicable understandings with police. Small wonder that dissidents who have had somewhat different experiences with the police have not been overly impressed with this sort of “Buddhist perspective.”
It is true that many forms of violent struggle, such as terrorism or minority coups, are inconsistent with the sort of open, participatory organization required to create a genuinely liberated global society. An antihierarchical revolution can only be carried out by the people as a whole, not by some group supposedly acting on their behalf; and such an overwhelming majority would have no need for violence except to neutralize any pockets of the ruling minority that may violently try to hold on to their power. But any significant social change inevitably involves some violence. It would seem more sensible to admit this fact, and simply strive to minimize violence as far as possible.
This antiviolence dogmatism goes from the dubious to the ludicrous when it also opposes any form of “spiritual violence.” There is, of course, nothing wrong with trying to act “without anger in your heart” and trying to avoid getting caught up in pointless hatred and revenge; but in practice this ideal often just serves as an excuse to repress virtually any incisive analysis or critique by labeling it as “angry” or “intellectually arrogant.” On the basis of their (correct) impression of the bankruptcy of traditional leftism, the engaged Buddhists have concluded that all “confrontational” tactics and “divisive” theories are misguided and irrelevant. Since this attitude amounts to ignoring virtually the entire history of social struggles, many richly suggestive experiences remain a closed book to them (the anarchist experiments in social organization during the 1936 Spanish revolution, for example, or the situationist tactics that provoked the May 1968 revolt in France), and they are left with nothing but to “share” with each other the most innocuous New-Agey platitudes and to try to drum up interest in the most tepid, lowest-common-denominator “actions.”
It is ironic that people capable of appreciating the classic Zen anecdotes fail to see that sharp wakeup tactics may also be appropriate on other terrains. Despite all the obvious differences, there are certain interesting analogies between Zen and situationist methods: both insist on practical realization of their insights, not just passive assent to some doctrine; both use drastic means, including rejecting pointless dialogue and refusing to offer ready-made “positive alternatives,” in order to pull the rug out from under habitual mindsets; both are therefore predictably accused of “negativity.”
One of the old Zen sayings is: If you meet a Buddha, kill him. Have the engaged Buddhists succeeded in “killing” Thich Nhat Hanh in their minds? Or are they still attached to his image, awed by his mystique, passively consuming his works and uncritically accepting his views? Nhat Hanh may be a wonderful person; his writings may be inspiring and illuminating in certain respects; but his social analysis is na�ve. If he seems slightly radical this is only in contrast to the even greater political na�vet� of most other Buddhists. Many of his admirers will be shocked, perhaps even angered, at the idea that anyone could have the nerve to criticize such a saintly person, and will try to dismiss this leaflet by pigeonholing it as some bizarre sort of “angry leftist ideology” and by assuming (incorrectly) that it was written by someone with no experience of Buddhist meditation.
Others may grant that some of these points are well taken, but will then ask: “Do you have any practical, constructive alternative, or are you just criticizing? What do you suggest that we do?” You don’t need to be a master carpenter to point out that the roof leaks. If a critique stirs even a few people to stop and think, to see through some illusion, perhaps even provokes them to new ventures of their own, this is already a very practical effect. How many “actions” accomplish as much?
As for what you should do: the most important thing is to stop relying on others to tell you what you should do. Better make your own mistakes than follow the most spiritually wise or politically correct leader. It is not only more interesting, it is usually more effective, to pursue your own experiments, however small, than to be a unit in a regiment of units. All hierarchies need to be contested, but the most liberating effect often comes from challenging the ones in which you yourself are most implicated.
One of the May 1968 graffiti was: Be realistic, demand the impossible. “Constructive alternatives” within the context of the present social order are at best limited, temporary, ambiguous; they tend to be coopted and become part of the problem. We may be forced to deal with certain urgent issues such as war or environmental threats, but if we accept the system’s own terms and confine ourselves to merely reacting to each new mess produced by it, we will never overcome it. Ultimately we can solve survival issues only by refusing to be blackmailed by them, by aggressively going beyond them to challenge the whole anachronistic social organization of life. Movements that limit themselves to cringing defensive protests will not even achieve the pitiful survival goals they set for themselves.
BUREAU OF PUBLIC SECRETS
October 1993
[FOOTNOTES]
1Situationist International Anthology (Bureau of Public Secrets, 1981), p. 124 [Basic Banalities].
2The Path of Compassion: Writings on Socially Engaged Buddhism (Parallax Press, 1988), p. 152.
Evading the
Transformation of Reality
— Engaged Buddhism at an Impasse —
http://www.bopsecrets.org/recent/buddhists.htm
“A very popular error: having the courage of your convictions. The point is to have the courage for an attack on your convictions!”
—Nietzsche
In 1993 I wrote Strong Lessons for Engaged Buddhists, a leaflet welcoming the emergence of socially engaged Buddhism as a healthy development but also pointing out a number of its shortcomings. Several thousand copies were handed out at Thich Nhat Hanh appearances in Berkeley and San Francisco or mailed to engaged Buddhist groups around the world, and over the next few years my friends and I continued to distribute it at local appearances of Gary Snyder, Robert Aitken, the Dalai Lama, etc. It has been reprinted several times, including in Turning Wheel: Journal of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (Summer 1994), and can now be found online at this website.
Despite the predictable negative reactions (“How dare you criticize Thich Nhat Hanh!”) and even a few unsuccessful attempts to prevent the circulation of the text, the great majority of the responses were positive (“It’s about time someone raised these issues!”). Unfortunately, most of these positive responses do not seem to have had much practical follow-through. While many people, including several BPF authors and board members, privately informed me that they agreed with much of what I said, their subsequent public writings have contained no mention of the leaflet and scarcely any discussion of the issues it posed. I hope that the following remarks will provoke a more public debate.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s stated purpose is “to bring a Buddhist perspective to contemporary peace, environmental, and social action movements” and “to raise peace, environmental, feminist, and social justice concerns among Western Buddhists.” In the most narrow sense, I suppose the BPF has indeed been “raising” such “concerns” over the last two decades. But I doubt if either its founders or most of its subsequent participants intended to limit themselves to such a meager goal as merely making Buddhists passively “aware” that people are socially oppressed in various ways — something that practically everyone in the world is already only too well aware of, even if they have little idea of what to do about it. I think it is fair to say that the spirit of the BPF’s aim could be summed up as:
(1) Buddhism has some contributions to make to radical social movements.
(2) Buddhists also have some things to learn from such movements.
I agree with (1) (if I didn’t, I wouldn’t even bother to make these critiques), but the point I wish to make here is that engaged Buddhists have largely evaded (2). While they constantly imply that social activists would do well to adopt meditation, mindfulness, compassion, nonviolence and other Buddhist qualities, they rarely acknowledge that they themselves might have anything to learn from non-Buddhists — except for predictable nods to kindred spiritual figures like Gandhi or Martin Luther King who merely confirm their own preconceptions. If they occasionally venture into the secular realm, it is only to echo a few left-liberal platitudes from trendy commentators like Ralph Nader, Jerry Brown, Jeremy Rifkin or E.F. Schumacher, none of whom represent any radical challenge to the dominant social order, however cogently they may denounce a few of its more glaring absurdities.
The two aspects are interrelated. The fact that engaged Buddhists have not bothered to investigate truly radical movements is the main reason that such movements have remained equally indifferent to any advice from engaged Buddhism (assuming they are even aware of its existence, which in most cases they are not).
In 1992 a number of Buddhists in various countries, apparently dissatisfied with the level of discussion on these issues in the BPF and INEB (International Network of Engaged Buddhists), organized a Buddhist Social Analysis Group. More recently some of the same people have formed an online “think tank” called the Think Sangha.(1) The first notable public expression of this seemingly promising development is a book entitled Entering the Realm of Reality: Towards Dhammic Societies (ed. Jonathan Watts, Alan Senauke & Santikaro Bhikkhu; INEB, Bangkok, 1997).
In the Introduction the editors call for new visions, then slip into a myopic pretension:
We urgently need visions and maps. Some of us are on the front lines of social change, working with refugees, prisoners, the homeless, and AIDS victims. Some are campaigning for the abolition of nuclear weapons, land mines, and handguns, issues that differ in payload but stem from the same source of fear and hatred. Some are protecting our fragile environment, standing up for the trees, the waters, for the wide circle of all beings. [p. 9]
Far from being “on the front lines of social change,” most of these activities have nothing to do with social change. Those listed at the beginning are forms of social service. The rest are defensive reactions against a few of the more glaring symptoms of the social system. This does not necessarily mean that such activities are not worthwhile. It’s simply a matter of being clear about what you are doing and what you are not doing.
These are all social, structural issues that we must meet in an organized social way. Individual heroics will not address the problems. Leave that to the cowboy movies. So we create communities on every scale, lay and monastic, from Dawn Kiam at Suan Mokkh in Siam and Plum Village in France to Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka’s vast network of self-empowerment communities. [pp. 9-10].
The fact that social issues ultimately need to be dealt with collectively does not imply that the first step is to “create communities.” As a matter of blunt historical fact, most would-be alternative communities over the last two centuries (utopian colonies, communes, coops, affinity groups, etc.) have either failed or, if “successful,” have ended up being coopted and reinforcing the system they wished to transcend. One of the articles in the book in fact admits the failures of Sarvodaya (pp. 256-260), pointing out how such organizations function primarily as temporary stopgaps among sectors neglected by capitalist development and are generally abandoned the moment such development becomes accessible to them.
When people are sick, hungry, or filled with bitterness and hatred, it is not enough to suggest that they let go of attachment to self or to show them how to meditate. . . . Our difficult task is first to understand our complex relationship to their suffering, then help us together to grasp the underlying conditions for collective identity and liberation. And maybe then it is time to teach meditation. [p. 10]
That is well put, except that I would question the priority given to “our complex relationship to their suffering.” In practice such existential, “we-are-all-partly-to-blame” moralizing usually serves as a means to evade real possibilities. Like many other people, engaged Buddhists waste a lot of time guiltily berating themselves for their vague “complicity” in social-systemic evils they can do little about while paying no attention to specific faults that, with a little initiative, they could overcome (such as their passive reliance on leaders or their ignorance of radical history).
Without a social analysis, a Buddhist social analysis, we may not know where our attention and energy should be directed. Without an open, flexible social vision, we have no idea where we are heading. [p. 11]
A social analysis is indeed needed, but the editors are prejudging matters by assuming that it must be a “Buddhist” one. A truly open and flexible analysis, investigating all the factors without attachment to preconceived views, might lead to conclusions that contradict some aspects of Buddhism. Although engaged Buddhists deserve credit for calling attention to discreditable episodes of Buddhist history (an excellent recent example is Brian Victoria’s book Zen at War), they still tend to take it for granted that “Buddhism” itself is inherently good — as if the only problem were that for some strange reason it has sometimes been corrupted or misinterpreted. Like Christians with the Bible, they go into elaborate contortions to fit their political and ethical biases into a Buddhist framework, hunting up some out-of-context scriptural quotation that with a little stretching can be interpreted to accord with their views and ignoring anything that contradicts them. The implication is that authentic Buddhism (if we can just determine what that may be) already has all the answers.
Earlier in the Introduction, for example, the editors flatly declare that “our violent self-centeredness and, by extension, society’s self-centered ills are the root problem” (p. 8). While it is true that a narrow, “unenlightened” self-centeredness can create or exacerbate many problems, the editors’ unmindful Buddhist dogmatism leads them here to overlook the fact that people have also remained oppressed because they have been conditioned into accepting hierarchical conditions without being “self-centered” enough to insist on getting a fair shake. The notion that we must “lower our expectations” and be more self-sacrificing and altruistic is just buying into the system’s con, transferring the blame from an absurd exploitive system onto the victims of that exploitation, as if the problem were that the victims were too greedy.
Similar confusions can be found throughout the book. The “social analyses” are usually na�ve and often crudely dualistic (East versus West, North versus South, “globalization” versus local communities, “modernization” versus traditional practices, “consumerism” versus abstinence). The system’s complex dialectical processes are reduced to simplistic quantitative terms: “The fundamental problem is scale” (p. 230). “Small is the watchword. Huge is ugly” (p. 9). The huge power structures are nevertheless largely taken for granted: since overthrowing them is never even considered, the only option seems to be to convince the system to reform itself. “Once we are more awake, we can join with others to pressure government for changes in policy” (p. 232). Corporations should be made “more accountable”; tax breaks for coops and small businesses will lead to “fuller employment and truly free markets” (p. 236). Korean Buddhist leaders are praised for advising “rich people and employers to share more with the poor and with labor, as well as asking the government to improve the social welfare system and to protect human rights” (p. 203).
Apart from a remarkably trite and insipid utopian fantasy by Ken Jones and a few rather vague speculations in Santikaro’s article as to what would constitute a “Dhammic Socialism,” the book contains little discussion of a possible alternative society. None of the contributors have any serious notion of how a transition to such a society might occur.(2) Jones imagines his utopia being ushered in by a “Great U-Turn” that somehow happened when “a different kind of person started to go into politics” (pp. 282, 284). Aitken envisions “our human network having more and more appeal as the power structure continues to fall apart,” but admits that the latter “might not collapse until it brings everything else down with it” (pp. 7, 9). Most of the others don’t even address the issue. They all seem to hope that the dominant system will simply fade away if only we can develop a sufficiently extensive and inspiring network of NGOs and alternative communities and general good vibes. In the entire book there is scarcely so much as a mention of the movements that have actually challenged the system. The presumption seems to be that such movements are of no relevance because they were too “violent” or too “angry” or too “materialistic,” or simply because so far they have failed. (Has Buddhism succeeded?)
Buddhism sees our problems as ultimately rooted in ignorance. The first step in overcoming ignorance is to be aware of it, to be aware of what we do not know. How much do engaged Buddhists really know about Karl Marx (as opposed to pseudo-Marxist “Communism”)? Or about anarchists such as Peter Kropotkin and Emma Goldman? Or utopian visionaries such as Charles Fourier and William Morris? Or social-psychological critics such as Wilhelm Reich and Paul Goodman? Or situationists such as Guy Debord and Raoul Vaneigem? Or popular nonauthoritarian revolutions such as Spain 1936, Hungary 1956, France 1968, Czechoslovakia 1968, Portugal 1974, Poland 1980? Or more recent events such as the Tiananmen Square occupation or last year’s jobless revolt in France? (“We don’t want full employment, we want full lives!”) How many engaged Buddhists have seriously explored any of these movements? How many are even aware of their existence?
It’s not enough to respond, “Okay, so tell me about them — I’ve got five minutes.” Buddhists often carry out their spiritual studies and practices with an exemplary diligence, yet when it comes to social issues they somehow expect a Reader’s Digest level of knowledge to suffice. Millions of people have been trying in a variety of ways to bring about a radical, truly liberating transformation of this society for hundreds of years. It’s a vast and complex process that has included many disasters and dead ends, but also a certain number of still-promising discoveries. It takes careful investigation to discern which tactics were mistaken and which remain potentially useful. Just as you don’t expect to understand Buddhism or Zen by reading one article, you can’t expect to get a real grasp of the range of radical possibilities without a fair amount of exploration — and personal experimentation.
It’s not just a matter of finding out what has happened to other people in other times or places, but of taking a clear look at your own situation. The uncritical adoration and consumption of Buddhist stars like Thich Nhat Hanh or “His Holiness” the Dalai Lama is silly enough when confined to a “spiritual” level; when it is extended to the sociopolitical domain it becomes simply reactionary. But even if overt hierarchical manipulation is not a major problem among the more independent-minded engaged Buddhists, and even if many of their groups are participatory and democratic, a more subtle problem remains. Those who find themselves in positions of responsibility or “leadership” may be relatively free from the desire to cling to those positions, but they generally remain very attached to the idea of protecting their “sanghas” — the communities and organizations they have built up over the years. There is a natural tendency to avoid rocking the boat. Divergent tendencies are discouraged from developing into healthy rivalries. Conflicts are dealt with by trying to bring about “reconciliation” (which, as Saul Alinsky noted, usually means that the people on top remain in power and the people on the bottom are reconciled to it). Critics are mollified and neutralized. (”That’s a very interesting viewpoint! Thank you for sharing your feelings with us. Please join with us in working on these issues.”)
If such attempts at cooption don’t work, criticisms such as mine are often evaded by complaining about their “arrogant” or “contemptuous” tone. I admit that I don’t have a very high opinion of many of the engaged Buddhists’ tactics and ideas. But I have enough respect for the persons themselves to feel that they merit being leveled with. It seems to me that the people who are really being contemptuous are those in positions of influence who avoid publicly discussing important issues on the grounds that their audiences are not capable of understanding them, or are not ready for them and might be upset and scared off. As for arrogance, is there any better term to describe those who claim to be bringing wonderful new perspectives to radical movements while disdainfully ignoring virtually the entire history of such movements?
KEN KNABB
July 1999
[NOTES]
1. Information on these and other engaged Buddhist organizations can be obtained from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, P.O. Box 4650, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA, or at the BPF website: www.bpf.org.
2. My own views on these topics are summed up in The Joy of Revolution.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0231136641
The Mystique of Transmission is a close reading of a late-eighth-century Chan/Zen Buddhist hagiographical work, the Lidai fabao ji ( Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Generations), and is its first English translation. The text is the only remaining relic of the little-known Bao Tang Chan school of Sichuan, and combines a sectarian history of Buddhism and Chan in China with an account of the eighth-century Chan master Wuzhu in Sichuan.
Chinese religions scholar Wendi Adamek compares the Lidai fabao ji with other sources from the fourth through eighth centuries, chronicling changes in the doctrines and practices involved in transmitting medieval Chinese Buddhist teachings. While Adamek is concerned with familiar Chan themes like patriarchal genealogies and the ideology of sudden enlightenment, she also highlights topics that make Lidai fabao ji distinctive: formless practice, the inclusion of female practitioners, the influence of Daoist metaphysics, and connections with early Tibetan Buddhism.
The Lidai fabao ji was unearthed in the early twentieth century in the Mogao caves at the Silk Road oasis of Dunhuang in northwestern China. Discovery of the Dunhuang manuscripts has been compared with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as these documents have radically changed our understanding of medieval China and Buddhism. A crucial volume for students and scholars, The Mystique of Transmission offers a rare glimpse of a lost world and fills an important gap in the timeline of Chinese and Buddhist history.
About the Author
Wendi Adamek is assistant professor of Chinese religions at Barnard College/Columbia University. She specializes in medieval Chinese Buddhism. Her current research interests include Buddhist nuns of the Tang dynasty, Buddhist donor practices, and religious art of the Silk Road.
binaural beats, the Schumann Resonance, brain waves, et al.
http://www.jetcityorange.com/meditation/
I meditate. My inspiration is Tibetan Buddhism as taught by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As I began to sit, the nerd in me read up on things like the relaxation response, brain waves, binaural beats, the Schumann Resonance, psychoacoustics, entrainment, and neurofeedback. I created a series of meditation MP3 files.
These are simple and direct meditation aids. There is no spiritual teaching being transmitted. All of the MP3′s are designed to help you relax. There’s nothing subliminal or hidden about them. In fact, they’re “open source” in that I describe exactly what they are and thereby how you could reproduce them yourself.
Nothing beats a teacher. Use these files as meditation training wheels. They free, they work, and they’ll get you started. Start where you’re comfortable, take what you need, then share them with others.
Starting with a small step, try listening to crickets 07oct06. As the name clearly states, it’s 3 minutes of crickets chirping. Don’t laugh until you’ve tried it. Not only is it quite relaxing, it can be used to shall we say, “set the mood”, as well.
crickets 07oct06 (2.75 megs)
A good place to start if you’ve never meditated before is Talk Me Into It. It features me coaching you into a calm, relaxed state, using autogenic phrases and other relaxation prompts. It’s only 5:25 long (to accomodate my impatient kids’ request). The result is a very straightforward guided meditation; quick and to the point. Headphones optional but highly recommended.
Talk Me Into It (4.96 megs) • (a 30 second sample)
My first goal was to focus inwards, shutting out the outside world. Brown Inside is a set of MP3′s of brown noise. The sound appears to come from inside your head because the right channel is the inverse of the left channel. FYI: brown noise, sometimes called random walk noise or drunkard’s walk noise, has an energy density at a given frequency inversely proportional to the square of the frequency (1/f^2). Or to my ears, it sounds better than white noise or pink noise. Choose from 10-, 15-, or 20-minute versions. Headphones necessary.
Brown 10 Inside (9.1 MB) Brown 15 Inside (13.6 MB) Brown 20 Inside (18.2 MB) (a 30 second sample)
I created the Nada Brahma MP3′s as a way to increase one’s alpha brainwaves. Alpha brainwaves are associated with a relaxed, meditative, dream-like state and are between 8 Hz and 12 Hz as measured by EEG. Nada Brahma uses binaural beats to increase alpha brainwaves. The right and left channels start out with slightly different frequencies, 10 Hz apart (the Berger Rhythm). Our brain “hears” the difference, the binaural beat. You must listen to these MP3′s using headphones in order “hear” the binaural beat. The base frequency I use is 136.1 Hz, the sound of Om. Choose from 10-, 15-, or 20-minute versions.
Nada Brahma X10 (2.71 MB) Nada Brahma X15 (4.08 MB) Nada Brahma X20 (5.45 MB) (a 30 second sample)
The Schumann Resonance is the frequency of the Earth at 7.83 Hz. Kung Schumann mixes the Chinese fundamental frequency at 344.12 Hz with a binaural beat at the Schumann Resonance. Choose from 10-, 15-, or 20-minute versions. Headphones necessary.
Kung Schumann 10 (2.38 MB) Kung Schumann 15 (3.52 MB) Kung Schumann 20 (4.66 MB) (a 30 second sample)
Recently I felt I didn’t need training wheels, merely a meditation timer. So I created a trio of almost very simple MP3′s: a chunk of silence with a chime at the end. Pretty straightforward. Choose from a 10-, 15-, or 20-minute version.
10 Timer (2.43 MB) 15 Timer (3.64 MB) 20 Timer (4.86 MB)
If you download and use any or all of the files, please send me your feedback. Friends and family have reported that they work. I’ve developed them based on my own experiences. Hearing from you will help me immensely.
Thanks and good luck to us all on our paths.
Om mani padme hum.
No claims, guarantees, warranties, or promises implied or otherwise are made about the above techniques. This information and the associate MP3 files are provided for educational and reference purposes only. Consult your medical caregiver(s) if you have questions, pre-exisiting conditions, or other concerns.
http://www.jetcityorange.com/Buddhism/Tibetan-prayer-wheel.html
Tibetan prayer wheels contain mantras written on strips of paper. Spinning the prayer wheel is like saying the mantra repeatedly. Traditional prayer wheels contain hundreds, thousands, even millions of copies of the mantra “Om mani padme hum.” evoking Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of compassion (Avalokitesvara).
Smaller prayer wheels are turned by hand. Others are powered by water wheels, hot air raising from candles, or the wind. Prayer wheels are spun counterclockwise when looking down on them.
Turning a prayer wheel is like chanting the mantra “Om mani padme hum” (Jewel in the Lotus of the Heart). Reciting this powerful mantra builds positive karma.
Basic background material can be found on this site. This is a detailed overview of the tradition. Lama Zopa Rinpoche speaks on “Advice on the Benefits of Prayer Wheels”.
An interesting concept is an Internet prayer wheel setup as a memorial to internet pioneer Jon Postel. This web server has a built-in prayer wheel and they even This server “spin” as prayer wheels too. No you know why I scatter the prayer wheel animation throughout JetCityOrange! sdbennett@comcast.net You can build your own.
HHDL says that having “Om mani padme hum” in a file on your hard drive makes it a prayer wheel. To that end you can download this file which has one million iterations of “Om mani padme hum.”
Speaking of digital prayer wheels, the Sakya Monestary here in Seattle claims to make the world’s most powerful prayer wheels. They contain 1.3 trillion (with a “t”) mantras and sutras on a set of DVD’s. This article has background on the Sakya Monesatary prayer wheels as does this piece from Earth Sanctuary. The Nyingma Institute in Berkeley makes more tradional prayer wheels in a modern manner. Others are build prayer wheels full of microfilm
Being a nerd, I make prayer wheels out of empty round Altoids tins.
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The Horse’s ongoing gallery of Buddhist-inspired graffiti and street art. http://theworsthorse.net/dharmaglyphs1/dharmaglyphs1.html
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Just added: words from the elusive Dolla Lama! Click here to jump.
Click on the linked credits to see more of their work. You’ll see some good stuff. |
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Know something about these Dharmaglyphs? Got a photo of one of your own? Email us: 
Thanks, as always, from the Horse. |
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Step away from the squat machine and strengthen your quadriceps, calves, and feet on your yoga mat.
By Alisa Bauman
http://resistancetraining.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/four-great-leg-strengtheners/
It’s no surprise that fitness videos and gym classes with titles like “Yoga Buns and Legs” place a heavy emphasis on the classic standing postures. Unlike weightlifting, which isolates particular muscle groups, yoga’s standing postures efficiently and effectively strengthen the leg as an entire unit. In addition, yoga often strengthens and stretches the muscles in your legs simultaneously. When you’re doing Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) to the right, for example, the quadriceps muscles of the right leg contract powerfully, the left quads firm, both inner thighs lengthen, and, in tighter students, the left calf receives a moderate stretch. When done correctly, standing poses also strengthen the muscles that protect the knee and ankle joints and help you build a better foundation for your whole body. “They teach the muscles in your legs to hold your joints in proper alignment,” explains Dario Fredrick, an exercise physiologist and Iyengar Yoga instructor in San Anselmo, California. By teaching you to properly plant your feet and align your knees and hips, standing poses improve your posture and coordination in everyday activities, not just during your time on the mat. As you learn proper alignment, you’ll activate and strengthen the smaller, less-used, and often weak muscles in your arches, lower legs, and inner and outer thighs rather than relying solely on the larger leg muscles.
Four Great Leg Strengtheners
The exercises featured in this article—the Utkatasana Vinyasa (Chair Pose Sequence), the Utkatasana Padangusthasana Vinyasa (Chair Pose Tiptoe Balance Sequence), Virabhadrasana II, and Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)—collectively condition the fronts of the thighs, the backs of the thighs, the hips and buttocks, the inner and outer thighs, the lower legs, and the feet. Each one of them, however, conditions the legs in its own unique way.
Utkatasana vinyasa. Much like that old weightlifting standby, the squat, Utkatasana firms your quads and buttocks muscles. If you’re aligned properly, you’ll also balance the effort between each of the four quads and work the muscles of the outer thighs and hips—not to mention the abdomen and upper body. Proper alignment is crucial to getting the full benefits. Your inner and outer thighs must work in a balanced way to stabilize your knees directly in line with your feet; if your knees tend to collapse in or splay out, it’s a sign that one muscle group is predominating and the other is weak. By keeping your knees in proper alignment, you’re automatically working to improve your weaknesses.
The more you bend your knees, the more you’ll work your legs and stretch your calves and Achilles tendons. When you move into Ardha (Half) Utkatasana, bending your legs even deeper and bringing the torso more parallel to the floor, and then add the torso twist of Parivrtta (Revolved) Ardha Utkatasana, you make both legs work even harder.
Utkatasana Padangusthasana vinyasa. This sequence combines upper leg work like that of Utkatasana with a strong activation of the calves—and tosses in the element of balance for an added challenge. Rising onto the balls of your feet, you engage the muscles in your feet and calves and use muscles all through your legs and upper body to make the constant minute adjustments needed for balance. As you squat, you continue to strengthen your feet and calves while amping up the work of the upper legs and buttocks. Although the exercise looks a bit like the calf raises you might do at the gym, it works and stretches your feet and legs more thoroughly.
Virabhadrasana II. In this pose, your forward leg works much like it does in the lunges you might perform in a floor exercise class at a gym. As you bend the forward knee, you’ll probably feel the work most strongly in your quadriceps. But to lengthen the inner thigh of this leg and keep your knee aligned over your ankle and pointed toward your second toe, your front outer thigh and hip muscles must also contract. The gluteal muscles and the hamstrings will also firm, both as you hold the posture and as you rise out of it. And all of that activity is just what’s going on in the forward leg!
Not surprisingly, beginning students tend to focus on the forward leg in Virabhadrasana II, but Fredrick points out that the rear leg gets as much of a workout when the pose is done correctly. If you properly activate that leg, grounding through the outer edge and big-toe ball of the foot and firming all the muscles toward the bones, you’ll feel your arch and the inner edge of your leg lift and stabilize. Then, says Fredrick, “you’ll be able to hold the posture longer. In other words, you’ll receive even more of the pose’s conditioning benefits.
Trikonasana. This pose strongly works the quadriceps, the muscles at the sides of the lower legs, and the muscles of the inner and outer thighs and hips. In Trikonasana (see page 74), the actions of the muscles in both legs are quite a bit like those of the back leg in Virabhadrasana II. The quads need to engage strongly. The lower leg muscles must work to ground the feet evenly. And, as in the Utkatasana variations and Virabhadrasana II, you should keep the kneecaps of each leg pointing in the same direction as that leg’s toes; for most people, that means lots of hard work for the muscles that externally rotate the thighs.
As with all standing poses, the more attention you pay to alignment, the more the pose will help you condition not just the major leg muscles but also the smaller muscles that contribute so much to subtle movements, balance, and coordination.
A Practice with Legs
Try incorporating the Utkatasana series, the Tiptoe Balance, Virabhadrasana II, and Trikonasana into Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation). This flow sequence, developed by Karley York, a yoga instructor at Bally Total Fitness in Studio City, California, will slowly build your strength and endurance in each of the included standing postures.
Stand erect with your feet together in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Exhaling, bend forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend). Inhale, then exhale to step back into Plank Pose and lower to Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). Inhale to come into Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose); exhale to come into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). Inhale to step your right foot forward between your hands, and come into Virabhadrasana II. Hold for 5 breaths.
As you exhale, move into Trikonasana. Hold for 5 breaths, inhale to return to Warrior II, and hold for 5 breaths. Then exhale to return to Downward-Facing Dog. Hold for 5 breaths and inhale to step your left foot forward, coming into Warrior II on the second side. Hold for 5 breaths and then, as you exhale, move into Triangle and hold for 5 breaths. Inhale to return to Warrior II, hold for 5 breaths, and then exhale into Downward Dog. On your next exhalation, step first one foot and then the other forward into Uttanasana.
As you inhale, move into Utkatasana: Bend your knees, lift your torso, and extend your arms overhead. Hold for 5 breaths, then exhale to come into Ardha Utkatasana for 5 breaths. Twist into the revolved version for 5 breaths, return to Ardha Utkatasana for 5 breaths, then twist to the other side for 5 breaths. Come back into Utkatasana, then lift your heels to come into Utkatasana Padangusthasana for 5 breaths. Inhale to straighten your legs, staying on tiptoe and bringing your arms overhead. Exhale to bring your heels back to the ground and your arms down to your sides. Repeat the whole sequence if you wish.
—A.B.
Alisa Bauman is a freelance writer and yoga instructor in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
September/October 2004
This article can be found online at http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1386_1.cfm
EXCERPTS FROM “ILLUSTRATED EXPLANATIONS OF CHEN FAMILY TAIJIQUAN”
BY CHEN XIN
http://www.taiji-bg.com/articles/taijiquan/t29.htm
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Chinese reprint of Chen Xin’s book is available through this site – click here! |
PART ONE ILLUSTRATED EXPLANATION OF SILK REELING ESSENCE OF TAIJIQUAN Translated from Chinese by Jarek Szymanski; © J.Szymanski 1999 In the brackets I either put my own explanations or added certain words for better understanding (if in normal font); or put Pinyin (transliteration) for certain terms (in italics). |
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Only after I read about the Taiji circular illustration in ancient classics I realized that to practice Taijiquan one has to understand silk reeling essence. Silk reeling is a method of moving Central Qi (Zhong Qi). If it is not understood, then the boxing is not understood either.
| The first white path and black path are like Taiji Yin and Yang existing within Wuji (Limitless). The second white path and black path are like Taiji that gives birth to two Yi; these two Yi are Yin and Yang, e.g. Heaven and Earth. The third white path and black path are like Qi of Yin, Yang and Wuxing (Five Elements) that every man has and needs to live. The fourth white path is what Mengzi called Noble Spirit (Haoran zhi Qi); black path is man’s Animal Spirit (Xue Qi, literally Blood Qi) which, if joins Morality and Justice (Daoyi), becomes Spirit of Righteousness (Zheng Qi, literally Upright Qi), e.g. Noble Spirit. The fifth white path is the Mind of Dao (Dao Xin), the one that governs Qi. Qi can not move without Principle (Li), this Principle is within one’s Character (Xing). Black path is Human Mind (Ren Xin), what sages and men of virtue called Personal Mind (Si Xin). White point inside is Restraining Thought (Ke Nian), while black point is Deceitful Thought (Wang Nian). Only saints are able to keep Restraining Thoughts only and get rid of Deceitful Thoughts. Deceitful Thoughts are what Gaozi called feeding sexual desire (Si Se Xing). All humans have them. If a man could get rid of these selfish thoughts so that they would never appear, then (he would be) of pure heavenly nature (e.g. of pure primordial nature). (If one is) of pure heavenly nature, then while practicing boxing one would move following Nature’s Mystery (Tianji), naturally, lively, the original shape of Taiji would be unintentionally revealed in my body. |
Illustration from Chen Xin’s “Illustrated Explanation of Chen Family Taijiquan” showing relation between Taiji and Chansijing (Silk Reeling Essence) |
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The words in the second internal circle (outside the little Yin-yang symbol) are: Ke Nian (Restraining Thought; on the right), Wang Nian (Deceitful Thought; on the left), Si Nian (Personal Thought); then, following the spiral, are: Bailu Haoran zhi Qi (White Path Noble Spirit), Heilu ji Xue Qi (Black Path is Animal Spirit), Rensheng zhi Yinyang (Yin and Yang of Human Life), Tiandi zhi Yinyang (Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth), Taiji zhi Yinyang (Yin and Yang of Taiji) |
The three big external circles advance Yin and Yang from their beginnings; three internal circles say what Yin and Yang are being governed by. Three internal circles, e.g. what a man receives, are all within third circle, and originally there was no need to draw any further circles. (However since I) was afraid (that people would) practice boxing without understanding the principle of Qi governing, so there had to be another picture drawn, and (I tentatively) draw it to make it easier to understand. What is important is that three internal circles are all within third circle, third circle is within the second one, the second one is within the first one. This drawing explains particularly the core of guarding life (Wei Sheng), wonderful formula of Qi returning (Huan Qi). (If one) is expert in moving Qi (Yun Qi), only then one can guard one’s life; if one can guard one’s life, then there is support for one’s Character Restoration (Fu Xing), and Qi can rely on (this). Such Taiji Boxing is a study beneficial for body (Shen) and mind (Xin), character (Xing) and life (Ming). Sages say that cultivating one’s moral character lies in Character Restoration, which means guarding life and moving Qi are the core of cultivating one’s moral character and restoring it. (I do) not know (if this is) correct or not, for the time being (I gave) illustrated explanation to make it more funny.
PART TWO
ILLUSTRATION OF SILK REELING ON HUMAN BODY – EXPLANATION OF FRONT VIEW
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Illustration of Silk Reeling on Human Body – Front View |
Coiling power (Chan Jin) is all over the body. Putting it most simply, there is coiling inward (Li Chan) and coiling outward (Wai Chan), which both appear once (one) moves. There is one (kind of coiling) when left hand is in front and right hand is behind; (or when) right hand is in front and left hand is behind; this one closes (He) (the hands) with one conforming (Shun) (movement). There is also one (coiling) that closes the inside of the left (side of the body) and the back of the right (side of the body), and another which uses the through-the-back power (Fanbei Jin) and closes towards the back. All of them should be moved naturally according to the (specific) postures.Once Qi of the hand moves to the back of the foot, then big toe simultaneously closes with the hand and only at this moment (one can) step firmly.
This power (Jin) comes from Heart (Xin), on the inside it enters bones, on the outside it reaches skin, it is one (power), not multiple (powers). Power is Qi that comes from Heart. If it is moved in central and right way, then it is Central Qi (Zhong Qi); when it is nourished, then it is Noble Spirit (Haoran zhi Qi). |
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On the chest: Heart – the Source Below: Below Qihai (acupuntcure point) there is Huiyin (point), where Renmai (meridian) has its beginning |
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ILLUSTRATION OF SILK REELING ON HUMAN BODY – EXPLANATION OF BACK VIEW
At the back (the power of) the head propping up is (called) Propping-up Power (Ding Jin); large vertebra is the dividing line, below (this) dividing line is the back (Lь), the central bone is backbone (Ji), both kidneys are (called) Waist. Whether foot is Empty (Xu) or Solid (Shi) depends on hand, if hand is Empty then foot is also Empty, if hand is Solid then foot is solid too. |
Illustration of Silk Reeling on Human Body – Back View |
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Below: Dumai (Meridian) passes from the front along the dotted line (down) to the bottom of the sea (e.g. below Qihai point) |
THEORY OF SILK REELING ESSENCE OF TAIJIQUAN
Taijiquan is the method of silk reeling (coiling).
(There is) coiling forward, coiling backward, coiling leftward and rightward, coiling upward and downward, coiling inward and outward, small and big coiling, conforming (Shun) and contrary (Ni) coiling. Their importance lies in (ability to) coil once (the opponent) is lured (Yin) or once (one) steps forward (“enters” the opponent), and not in using specific applications of specific postures. If specific applications of specific movements are used, then Yin and Yang are not at their (movements and applications) roots. Common people (those who do not know Taijiquan) will see (the practitioner) as a weak (soft) one. This is the impression given on the outside. If talking in terms of the state of mind (Shenyun), when hands are crossed hardness and softness are equally used according to one’s wishes. Those who are not long on this path (of Taijiquan practice) are not able to thouroughly understand these details. Both shoulders (should) drop down, both elbows (should) sink; delicate like a virgin seeing a man, unbridled like a fierce tiger descending a mountain.
Hands are like a balance, weigh something and you know its weight. The path of martial arts practice is to have such a balance in your heart (mind). This invisible balance is to approach (examine) the opponent according to his movements forward and backward and his speed, using the spirit (mind) mastered in everyday practice. To weigh visible signs using invisible balance, and adjust according to what both hands feel, add less or more weight (when necessary), this (who is able to do it) is called Excellent Hand (Miao Shou, master).
FOUR POEMS ON SILK REELING METHOD OF TAIJIQUAN
SEVEN-CHARACTERS ANCIENT POEM (e.g. poem with seven characters to a line)
In movement Yang is born, stillness is in Yin, movement and stillness combined are the root.
Without doubt you will find joy inside roundness, and see the Truth of Heaven through turns and circular movements performed at will.
SECOND
Yin and Yang have no beginning nor end, creation resides in coming and going, bending (Qu) and extending (Shen).
Consider thoroughly this information, move the Vital Principle in round turns performed without restraint.
THIRD
At times it is clear at times it is not, closing (He), opening (Pi), staying at one place (Lai), tearing (Si), lifting (Ti) are linked;
Many moments of ignorance have to pass before the Principle will become clear, but with sudden inspiration it becomes (clear like) a glass.
FIVE-CHARACTERS ANCIENT POEM (e.g. with five characters to a line)
The Principle is without boundaries, but its sources are (even) in (little) ants.
Do not peep at the garden for three years, have one will and focused spirit.
It is necessary to study from a good teacher, and also visit wise friends.
Follow the rules in all respects, and a narrow beam of understanding will appear.
Next level is deeper than the previous one, the meaning within the levels is without boundaries.
Opening (Kai) is linked to Closing (He), Openings (Kai) and Closings (He) pass on from one to another in order.
Sometimes one is guided into victory, and cannot stop practicing even though one wants to.
Time, study and efforts to the utmost, and your skill will grow every day.
If only there is no obstacle, you will suddenly understand Great Void.
http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com/about/articles/rep/2004-08-31
We publish here a translation of the second section of the first chapter of Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan, a seminal 1963 work by Shen Jiazhen and Gu Liuxin (this part was written by Shen Jiazhen).
I used the text contained in Renmin tiyu chubanshe, Taijiquan Quan Shu, 1988, which is a reprint of the original, 1963 edition plates.
Jerry,
2004-08-31
The Second Characteristic: An Exercise of Springy Lengthening of the Body and Limbs
Boxing manuals dictate:
Gently lead the head to press upward (xu ling ding jing), sink the qi to the dantian.
Reserve the chest and pull up the back, sink the shoulders and droop the elbows.
Relax the waist and round the crotch, open the kua and bend the knees.
Spirit collected and qi kept, body and arm lengthened.
From the 4 sayings listed above we can see that “Gently lead the head to press upward (xu ling ding jing), sink the qi to the dantian” are lengthening of the body, “Reserve the chest and pull up the back” is to lengthen the back by using the front of the chest as a support; “sink the shoulders and droop the elbows” is to lengthen the arm and hand; “Relax the waist and round the crotch” as well as “open the kua and bend the knees” cause the legs to freely rotate, which is the result of lengthening the legs under the conditions of this type of special posture. Therefore the footwork of taiji requires, under the conditions of rounded crotch, relaxed waist, open kua and bent knees, the use of rotating ankle and leg in order to alternate full and empty. Externally this is manifest as the silk reeling energy of the legs, but actually internally this tends toward the lengthening of the the legs.
This series of lengthening motions additionally generates a lengthening of the entire body, causing torso and limbs to create a springy flexibility and produce peng energy, and because the entire body is lengthened, this naturally stimulates the spirit to lift. Because of this, you need only have this lengthened posture to avoid generating the defect of strident force (brute force), making favorable conditions for naturally relaxing open and lengthening torso and arms. Therefore “An exercise of springy lengthening of the body and limbs” is the second characteristic of taijiquan.
I. Lengthening the torso and limbs
As mentioned above, when practicing taijiquan you must lengthen the torso and limbs in order to increase the flexibility of the entire body; only with this flexibility can one go on to create peng energy. That is to say, peng energy arises from springy flexibility and flexibility arises from lengthening of torso and limbs. As to how each part of the body is to lengthen, we will now explain according to the boxing manuals:
- Gently lead the head to press upward (xu ling ding jing) and sink the qi to the dantian — What is referred to as pushing up energy and gently lead is to take a forward pressing energy (ding jing) and lead it gently upward; sinking the qi to the dantian is to take the qi and make it sink down toward the dantian; combining these two there is an intent to pull apart in opposite directions, which causes the torso to have a feeling of lengthening.
- Reserve the chest and pull up the back — “Reserve the chest requires that the chest neither puff out nor cave inward, allowing the chest to function as a support to elongate the backbone, because in physics a weight-bearing column is not allowed to be bent. Relying on this support to pull up the backbone is to elongate the backbone. In this regard, beginners are cautioned not to regard curving or hunching the back as pulling up the back, because if you hunch the back then the chest will cave inward and in this way lose the function of the front of the chest supporting the back, thereby not only causing the back to lose springy flexibility but also harming ones health.
- Sink the shoulders and droop the elbows — The main use of sinking the shoulders is to make the arms and shoulders, because they droop downward, become solidly connected. Only if the arms and shoulders are solidly connected can the arms have root. At the same time, owing to the lowering of the elbows, the area from the elbows to shoulders is lengthened. When the arms and hands proceed in spiraling, silk-reeling motions they use the elbow as a center. At the same time, the lowering of elbows and standing of wrists can cause the area between elbows and wrists to lengthen. Therefore the sinking of shoulder, drooping of elbow and standing of wrist is the lengthening of the entire arm.
- Rotation with opened kua and bent knees — This is the lengthening of the legs. The legs are standing on the surface of the ground, so lengthening them is relatively difficult. And so setting forth the requirement to open kua and bend knees, we require that within this defined posture (rounding crotch) we use spiraling movement to alternate full and empty, and this mainly manifests itself in the rotations of the knee. In this way, as the outside rotates outward this causes the outside to lengthen and the inside to contract. Matching up this rotation of the leg to the rotations of the arms, hands and body creates whole-body rotation and with gradual improvement one can attain to total body strength such that “the root is in the heels, emitting through the legs, controlled in the waist and manifested in the hands”.
Summing up the above-mentioned four rules, we can see that taijiquan requires lengthening of torso, arms and legs. Hence not only does this springy flexibility through lengthening create the basic peng energy of taijiquan, but it can also naturally lift people’s spirit and avoid the defect of inappropriately rousing strength to create brute force. 1
II. The Physical Function of Lengthening Body and Limbs
When energy is applied to muscle it can undergo a finite elongation, but once the external cause of the lengthening is removed it immediately returns to its original shape. This is the inherent flexibility of muscle tissue. Most common exercises train and improve this kind of flexibility. In accord with human physiology, this type of muscle flexibility in expansion and contraction can give rise to the following four functions:
- It can improve the ability of the muscle itself to expand and contract and facilitate circulation in the dense net of capillary vessels within the muscle.
- It can increase flow of fuel and waste products within the cells and stimulate the entire metabolism.
- It can promote the exchange of gases within the muscles and all other organ systems.
- It can increase the amount of oxygen within the body and at the same time raise the rate of oxygen efficiency within each of the organ systems.
Taijiquan is not a simple movement of the limbs. Externally it manifests as the spirit in motion with highly complex postures while hidden within it is the spirit gathered and qi collected, such that the the mind moves the qi. This has been elaborated above in the description of the first characteristic. Additionally, taijiquan not only trains both inner and outer, but also, under the conditions of entire body and limbs elongated, is a process of winding and unwinding, forward and reverse silk reeling. In this way it not only brings about excellent training in flexibility for the muscles, but also raises the rate of blood circulation, thus curing diseases caused by poor circulation. This is an important result of the elongation of body and limbs and the lifting of the spirit in taijiquan. Also, the springy and flexible movements of taijiquan have an observable effect in lowering blood pressure, because as the muscles expand and contract they are able to create adenosine triphosphate (? sanlinsuan and xiantaisuan), substances which are able to dilate the blood vessels. At the same time, as we perform these movements in which each part is connected together, inside the muscles the number of opened capillary vessels increases by several times, thus broadening the cross section of blood vessels carrying the blood and so lowering the blood pressure. Additionally, when you practice taiji, because the muscles are repeatedly expanding and contracting, it is difficult for the blood vessels to harden. The process of winding and unwinding in forward and reverse silk reeling particularly prevents the hardening of blood vessels. People who have practiced taijiquan for many years can, as they practice, feel the blood vessels expanding open in their back and limbs. As soon as they begin to do the exercise they feel loose and comfortable, and if they are unable to practice for a while, there is a sensation of being closed up. These phenomena are the result of the increase and decrease of the number of opened capillaries.
III. The Eight types of Jing and the Springy/Flexible Peng Jing
Taijiquan requires that we use intent rather than brute force, but this is not to say that we use intent but not strength (jing), because taijiquan is constructed of the eight types of jing. All of these eight types of jing contain elongated springy flexibility, that is why they are called jing (energy) rather than li (force). Although these eight jing have different names, in reality there is only a single peng jing, the other seven merely different terms for the same thing in different positions and functions. Therefore taijiquan can also be called by the name peng jing quan. We will now analyze the content of these eight jing in order to further aid in grasping the second characteristic:
- Within the context of the entire move, when the palms rotate from facing inward to facing outward, that is called peng jing.
- Within the context of the entire move, when the palms rotate from facing outward to facing inward, that is called l� jing.
- When both arms simultaneously use peng jing and intersect to peng outward, that is called ji jing.
- When the palms press downward encircling somewhat and while not losing contact, exercise peng downward, that is called an jing.
- The paired separating peng jing when the two arms cross going left and right or forward and backward is called cai jing.
- When peng jing is curled up and then within a short distance fiercely strikes out, that is called lie jing.
[under construction]
Footnotes
[author's footnotes from original Chinese]
[1] Lengthening causes the body and arms to have an internal sensation of thin and long whereas inappropriately rousing strength causes the body and arms to have a sensation of thick and short. Therefore lengthening body and limbs naturally does not cause the defect of rousing strength and creating brute force.
http://www.flowinghands.com/mbs_htm/mbs.art.alchemy.htm
The language of Taoism is a language that is about the truth. It expresses the fundamental core of life. It is about nature and nature’s principles and as such is eminently real. For those who have eyes to see it, it is without equal for revealing the essence, depth, and authenticity of things. It is an eloquent language which speaks plainly.
Yet not all people have an eye to discern the subtle language of the inner “Way” of nature. For this reason many who have attained the Tao have used symbolic language to explain the “secrets” and workings of the Tao. As with other spiritual traditions, this language has sometimes been misinterpreted and turned into a misguided path, yet many people have been enlightened by such language. It has served it purpose many times over during the times when it was properly understood.
To those of another age or culture this symbolic language is very cryptic and mysterious. Especially when the symbolic language became very timely and clique-ish. Still, at its best and most universal symbolic language can open up the eyes of many people. It can offer a slightly different slant on essential truths, helping those who are close to understanding, but not fully clear on the deepest meanings. Symbolic language elucidates and elaborates. It allows the truth to be seen from different perspectives allowing certain people to come to grips with the deeper meanings of the way of Taoism. In the final analysis, all the words of symbolic language are meant to point to the same active and actual reality. This is where one really wants to find oneself in the end.
In all ancient Taoist methods the whole process of speaking about these things was a way of approaching the truths of reality. The methods and words were meant to help people understand life and to approach certain ways of cultivating themselves. Often these old methods were given Alchemical contexts. This has been and often continues to be the cause of many ideas being misconstrued and misinterpreted. Some people have in the past and still to this day continue to misunderstand the alchemical texts. They unfortunately think the texts refer to the use of actual chemical substances to induce enlightenment, but this is not in fact what alchemy was truly about.
Alchemical language was chosen because of the subtle intonations of the words. These intonations were used to guide the practitioner through the morass of intricate meanings of philosophical and psychological concepts. Words like heaven and earth, fire and water, lead and mercury, tiger and dragon, the jade furnace, medicine, mysterious pass, golden elixir, immortal embryo, gate of no gate, and many more terms stand as cryptic guides to the world of truth and self-cultivation. One simply needs to look at the words and phrases closely, study the classic texts, and relate it to what is actually happening in real life.
Alchemical language is a challenge, to be sure. In the end, it is at the very least, an intriguing and interesting path to explore the incredible truths of inner and outer life. Scholars and practitioners who are willing to explore the ancient alchemical language can be rewarded with deep insights about the present — and, as well, about the way the ancient practitioners of Taoism perceived the world.
Once true sense is enjoined, without concealing, without deception, the original spirit can arise and the biased and illusioned spirit can be overcome. The method of reaching this point is not a matter of conscious contrivance or manipulation; it is a matter of attaining the natural, “living” sense of vitality and reality which exists in every being. To do this is to understand outside cultural prejudice and learning. One must be very clear-minded. Impartial objectivity must be used to see past one’s own personal agenda and what it calls for or needs. Such a mind-set is sometimes referred to as non-doing. It is very important in solving the cryptic problems of alchemical language.
Those who are interested in Taoist alchemical language and its deeper meanings must look into the code words and figure out the hidden meanings behind the cryptic and difficult to fathom symbols and phrases. Hearing ideas like “heaven” and “earth”,”fire” and “water”, “lead”, “mercury”, “tiger” and “dragon”, “jade furnace”, “medicine”, the “mysterious pass”, “golden elixir”, the “immortal embryo”, and the “gate of no gate” one must not think such words refer to the preparation of chemical potions to ingest or parts of the body, but remember that these words and phrases are symbols. They use a language which speaks of one thing to allude to another.
Fire and Water
The concepts of “fire” and “water” do not refer to actual fire and water. They are symbolic of deeper sides of our nature. The fervor and impetuosity of people is passionate and volatile and so it is referred to as fire. The other side of people’s character, the calm, centered, more contained and wise side is steady and careful. It has a more settled quality, a “softness”, a “flexibility” which contrasts with the fiery and volatile side, and so it is referred to as water. Using the more contained and settled “water” side is using thoughtfulness, logic, and control to nurture and guide our more impulsive and wild side. Using the other side of our disposition, the excitable and temperamental “fire” nature, to complete and balance the often too staid and overly controlling “water” nature is allowing that side of our character expression. By finding a balance between these two sides of our makeup we become more complete and whole.
Lead and Mercury
The ideas of lead and mercury use the ideas of “lead”, which is heavy and dense, and lasts a long time without disintegrating, and “mercury” which is lively, active, and doesn’t last a long time, to refer to states of mind. What is called “lead” in the alchemical texts is not ordinary material lead but the deep rich sense of true knowledge. This true knowledge is solid, deep, long-lasting and unbending like the sense one gets from “lead”. What is called “mercury” in the alchemical texts refers not to actual material “mercury”, but to the yin aspects of reality’s nature; the side which is pliant, effervescent, spontaneous, unfathomable, and metaphysical. Because it is difficult to pin down and is formless and elusive this aspect of reality and consciousness is likened to mercury.
The Tiger and the Dragon
Alchemical language, when speaking of the “tiger” and the “dragon”, in most cases refers to either of two basic considerations. It means either the “tiger” as the physical aspects of life and the “dragon” as the spiritual aspects — these are sometimes called the ordinary tiger and ordinary dragon. However, the terms are also used to refer to the non-ordinary aspects, or the aspects such as those of the conditioned consciousness and the emotionally obsessed or illusioned consciousness in relation to the evolved consciousness which has learned to transcend the “ordinary” states of being conditioned or being emotionally obsessed. When, through the self-cultivation work, one refines away the conditioned temperament and the obsessing emotional habits and feelings, then the “ordinary” tiger and dragon are overcome, and the “true tiger” and “true dragon” of primordial essence arise. When this happens a clarity is awakened which is so clear and fundamentally beautiful that it seems like a bright light or a shining “mystic” pearl. When this clarity is firmly in place it pervades the universe without hindrance.
The Jade Furnace
The “jade furnace” is symbolic language for the “container” or “field” within which the work of self-cultivation and empowerment takes place. It is called “jade” because the mellow and beautiful tones of jade are like the calm serenity and steady going quality of the work.
The term furnace is used because it evokes the idea of slow cooking or slow evolution, just as one slowly evolves and changes when one applies oneself diligently and perseveringly in self-cultivation practice. The jade furnace does not refer to some specific place in the body. It would be a mistake for people to conceive of it in such a manner. One must go deeper than such surfacy approaches.
Medicines
The “medicines” of alchemical language don’t refer to physical medicines one should take into one’s physical body, but to the medicines of real inner knowledge and conscious and conscientious practice. Ideas of yin, yang, subtlety, sensitivity, quietude, tranquility, perseverance, balance, evenness, honesty, sincerity, patience, simplicity, objectivity, etc. are the real “medicines”. To think that the terms alchemical “medicines” or spiritual medicines refer to mundane physical substances is to fall way short of proper and deep understanding.
The Mysterious Pass
The mysterious pass is profoundly subtle. It is not an ordinary aperture or place of the body which has shape and form and can be pointed to. The mysterious pass is immaterial and formless, and is without physical location. It is where essence and life abide. It is the intangible which connects with the primordial source. It is called the opening of the mysterious female, the door of birth and death, the commencement of non-being, and the great valley, yet all these terms refer to a basic immaterial quality of consciousness which has to do with reaching open and vital spiritual essence. Proceeding rightly it could be called objectivity. Proceeding wrongly it could be called obsession. Proceeding rightly it could be called clarity. Proceeding wrongly it could be called aloofness. Proceeding rightly it could be called balance. Proceeding wrongly it could be called illusion.
The mysterious pass is the access way which leads to the stabilization and preservation of essence and life.
The Golden Elixir
When one’s self-cultivation conforms to what is appropriate for the times and circumstance, the real can solidify, the false can disperse, and the “golden elixir” can crystallize. To undo the false and establish the real is to open up the conditions for the golden elixir. It is possible to evoke the realness of the golden elixir, and not actually recognize it, however, due to delusions, personal and cultural agendas, and bias. When the golden elixir is established and recognized, true blissful tranquility settles in place and the calmness of autonomous and non-personal knowing is attained. The golden elixir is called golden because it is even, shining, and mellow like the quality of real truth. It is called the elixir because it is the fountainhead and source of all that is real, genuine, and actual.
The Immortal Embryo
After birth the fundamental and original essence is without knowledge, yet it is full. As life progresses, as knowledge is gained, that fundamental primordial essence generally becomes seduced and distorted by external influences. The cycle of life rises and one moves away from original sense and imbalance and delusion replaces true original autonomous wholeness. Yet if one follows the course of self-cultivation assiduously, on can turn around the situation and regain the vitality, wholeness, and bliss of original fundamental essence. Too often people cannot recognize true unblemished sense; they mistakenly take physical locations in the human, earthly, or heavenly body as places which will help them regain the fundamental source and harmony. They indulge in bogus practices in efforts to once again establish their original “face”. They look to the abdomen, the torso, or the head as places where the immortal embryo should reside. They go through complicated fantasies and mental gyrations, fooling and deluding themselves. It is no wonder such people struggle all their lives , only to grow into old age without attainment.
The immortal embryo is not a physical entity. It is a state of consciousness. It is called an embryo because if one attains it one regains the simplicity and clarity of an infant. It is called immortal because the state of mind to which it refers is the universal and undying essence which hasn’t changed since the beginning of time and will never change. It is called the embryo because it is a “second beginning” which parallels one’s physical birth — yet now takes place on the spiritual and psychological plane — it is the beginning of one’s true, undiluted life. It is called immortal because when one contacts it, one contacts that which all enlightened beings since time immemorial have realized. To live in contact with it is to live in contact with that which is significant at all times and all places. To regain it one must come face to face with that which is nameless and void. One must know reality without the filters and buffers of fantasy and bias. One must not be too much or too little, one side or the other, too up or too down, too full or too empty. One must be absolutely precise and without tendency — a million times sharper than a razor’s edge. Then, following the course of nature, the immature can mature and what has been lost can be regained again.
In the end, the path of Alchemy is simply a spiritual path. Being a spiritual path, it must be a path of “realness”. To follow such a path is to follow practices which help one to remain authentic and true to oneself and to the original source of all things. To follow such a path is to eschew delusion and acculturation. It is to know the path of the universal, the path of yin and yang, the whole path of the heart and rationality as one, and the path of nature. To cleave to the course of usual conditioning is to be ensconced in the mundane which doesn’t know its own beauty. To cleave to the course of usual conditioning is to miss being an “enlightened and empowered immortal being”.
The Foundations of Taoist Dream Practices
by Juan Li
http://www.healingtao.org/deutsch/artikel2.htm
The beginnings of dream practices in China are lost in the depths of antiquity. It is said that the emperors of the Shang Dynasty some 3500 years ago had attached to their court a category of ritual performers called Zhan Meng in charge of interpreting dreams and facilitating dream divination. These dream specialists worked together with the shamans and other ritual specialists interpreting omens which appeared either in the clouds, natural events or in dreams so as to chart the best human course of action for the emperor and other government officials.
The interest in the experiences which took place in dream state were not only confined to the government. There was a group of individuals who in the inaccessible recesses of the sacred mountains, far removed from ordinary human interaction, explored the infinite potential of dream state. These practitioners were those who followed the way of nature back to its origins living a simple life in accordance with the rhythms of nature. They were called Taoists, from the word Tao meaning path or natural way of living.
Like the ancestry of the dream practices, there have been Taoists in China for over 4000 years of recorded history. Very little is known about these Taoists, even in China, because they carried out their practices in utmost secrecy. Not because their practices were dangerous and had to be hidden, but simply because one very important aspect of their self cultivation was withdrawal from ordinary society so as a to cultivate a point of view radically different from most people.
Over the centuries the Taoists developed a highly efficient and coherent system of practices aimed at realizing the full potential of human beings. The Taoists were not content with having good health, and living a quiet life. Their practices were aimed at developing not only the physical aspect of their being but most specially the subtle and invisible aspects called the energy body.
The Way of Energy
A fundamental aspect of Taoist practices is the concept of energy or life force. Energy was understood as a vital force which is at the foundation of all phenomena, both physical and subtle. This energy which they chose to call QI manifests in a wide spectrum of variable intensities or frequencies. From the most subtle which is invisible to the eyes and can only be perceived with the most refined sensitivities in states of mental calm and heightened awareness, to increasingly denser aspects which we begin to perceive as emotional states to the densest aspects as solid matter. A modern analogy would be from radiation which we are unable to sense consciously, through electricity which gives a good shock to a stone which is easily felt as very hard. The ancient Taoists would sense all these states not as separate but rather as a spectrum of variable intensities.
Constantly aware of this energy which animates everything the Taoists went on to explore the non-physical aspects of the life force in their own bodies. The physical body we all can touch and feel is only the densest aspect of the life force, the grossest aspect of the energy spectrum. There are increasingly subtle aspects of the spectrum where the life force never reaches densification.
Every time a Taoist sits down to calm the mind and meditate something very peculiar takes place. The focus of the five senses and the mental attention begins to shift gradually from the dense physical to the more subtle aspects of the body. The longer the practitioner is able to remain calm without distracting thoughts arising or getting drowsy the more refined the sensitivity to the life force becomes. Some ancient Taoists by remaining focused on the subtle energy for hours day after day were able to sense the life force circulating through their bodies. After years of practice they were able to chart the flows of the life force in their subtle bodies with precision through what is called the energy meridians.
The discovery of the energy meridians brought a level of refinement to the Taoists practices where soon it began to have a profound effect on healing the body. Illness was understood as arising when the circulation of the energy was blocked from reaching organs and glands. It was observed that from the blockages at the subtle level of circulation, in time a physical malady would appear precisely in those areas affected by poor circulation.
In order to keep energy circulation at an optimum level the Taoists created a large variety of exercises, dietary practices and meditations. However good circulation is not enough to maintain good health. The Taoists noticed that our emotional states have a profound effect on the quality of the life force circulating through the meridians. If a person is very angry there is an increase in the heart beat and the circulation of the blood. The rate of breathing changes, often accelerating. Body temperature and muscle tone also increases accordingly. The body is literally boiling over with energy. However the quality of the energy boiling over is very poor due to the negative effect of anger.
It was noticed in antiquity that if a person goes to sleep with a tremendous amount of unresolved anger, first of all falling sleep becomes extremely difficult. There is mental agitation and the person is talking internally for hours. Then when eventually fatigue overcomes the body and the person falls asleep, there is invariably a succession of dreams where anger predominates.
In their refined exploring of the subtle energies the Taoists were able to feel where the emotions, both positive and negative, arise in the body. In the case of anger it was noticed that profound changes took place in the liver. This organ not only became more hot, but it could also become constricted and blocked so much that the circulation of the life force required so much effort that pain was felt on the side of the liver.
With the discovery of the profound effect that emotions have upon the quality and circulation of the life force the Taoists created an entire branch of practices to refine the emotions. One of the simplest practices discovered was that of the Inner Smile, whereby the practitioner sends a smile of appreciation to any part of the body along with a continuous wave of positive feelings. Another very powerful practice which developed was that of the Six Healing Sounds, where certain sounds are made which induce the vital organs to vibrate more harmoniously thus releasing tensions and blocked emotions in the organs.
The Emotions And Dreaming
One of the great insights of ancient practitioners was the fact that, if a daily regimen of energy practices is maintained-specially refining the emotions-the quality and quantity of dreams changes. If a person goes to bed after having cleared the vital organs from unresolved emotions the amount of emotional dreams and nightmares dramatically decreases, sometimes to the point that they disappear completely. This does not mean that the person ceases to have dreams, but rather that the quality of the dream shifts from restless to harmonious and pleasant.
One of the greatest insights gained exploring the connection between dreams and energy practices was that dreams are experiences taking place at the level of the subtle bodies. In other words, as a person begins to fall asleep and the senses gradually disconnect from the physical world, they turn inward. A process akin to having a good meditation. As the senses turn inward, the consciousness which was focused on the physical world through the senses also turns inward-in the direction of the subtle energy body.
The Taoists consider falling asleep as a process no different from entering into a meditative state. Just as in deep states of meditation if the body is fatigued the practitioner may fall asleep and go unconscious, so going to sleep has to take place, paradoxically, when one is not fatigued. For the Taoists falling asleep is an open door for playing fully conscious with the subtle energy body and carrying out energy practices without the limitations of the physical body.
Every time we let go into sleep our consciousness shifts its focus from the physical dense body to the subtle energy body at the other end of the spectrum. If we speak of sleep then it is of the physical body, since the subtle aspects never falls asleep. The subtle energy aspect operates 24 hours through our lives. We may not be consciously aware when we shift our conscious focus to the subtle body, however we all do that many times during our waking hours. For example we all had the experience when we were children in school of sitting bored through an uninteresting class. Then as the teacher continued talking we gradually began to go with our minds somewhere else. We began to dream with the eyes open about doing something far more enjoyable at that moment. Our conscious focus was far away from the classroom and the teacher. If this day dreaming went on for a long time, and all of a sudden the teacher asked us a question, we had to forcefully bring back our mental focus to the teacher, with predictable inability to answer the question properly. Ordinarily we say we were fantasizing at that moment, doing something which was not real in a physical sense. The Taoist would not call it fantasizing but rather shifting attention from the physical to the subtle, just as when we are dreaming in bed.
Dreaming is not an action which is confined to falling asleep. We dream 24 hours a day. A part of our consciousness which is not fully engaged in the physical plane dealing with day to day problems is focused on the subtle aspects of the body. Many times a day we shift conscious focus from physical reality to subtle reality. Our awareness at that moment may be focused on a friend that is at the other side of the planet. Sometimes if our focusing is intense enough something unexpected may happen: the phone rings! It is our friend calling from the other side of the planet to tell us they were thinking of us just at that moment. Has this happened to you? Ordinarily we call these happenings `coincidence’. A word for labeling the unexplainable. For the Taoists familiar with the full spectrum of the life force this is not something unexplainable. When we shift our mental focus onto someone far away at that instant we are in direct contact with the subtle body of that person. The geographical distance is irrelevant.
One of the insights which opens as one begins to consciously shift mental focus from the physical to the subtle is that the life force is not limited by physical reality. It could not be because the physical is just one aspect of the energy spectrum. There is the rest of the spectrum operating simultaneously beyond the physical. So energy is not limited by space, nor time which is also a function of space.
Every time we place the head on the pillow and fall asleep our consciousness focuses its gaze upon a dimension which is not limited by time or space. A dimension which is extremely fluid and efficient because it is not limited by time or the constraints of distance. In dream we have all experienced how in the fraction of an instant we can change from walking to flying across the landscape or being here and then on the other side of the moon.
The practices developed by the ancient Taoists around dream state were designed to tap into the inexhaustible reservoir of possibilities that transcending time and space offers. One essential notion they got rid of was the ordinary belief that dreams are fantasies with no basis on reality. A dream may not have any basis on physical reality, but then physical existence is not the only realm of experience there is. What we ordinarily call reality is limited to physical experience and is just a fragment of the totality of being. Dreams, intuitions, feelings we dismiss into the dust bin of the not-real. The Taoists would call that a fragmented vision.
The Practice of Dynamic Sleep
A fundamental goal of Taoist dream practices is the ability to enter dream state deliberately, as an act of will, fully conscious. Ordinarily as we begin to fall asleep and relax our senses disconnect one by one we become progressively unconscious, entering a twilight zone which rapidly eclipses into total darkness. From that moment on until we finally awaken several hours later we lose awareness of where we are or that we are asleep.
In Taoist dream practice one of the first things the practitioner does is make a firm decision to remain conscious as one enters dream state. This initial step is done by voicing a mental command of what one intends to practice or experience during that sleep session.
The sleep command is a powerful expression of willpower which is usually voiced over and over as the practitioner prepares to sleep. This repetition of the sleep command, like all energy practices is to be done with complete awareness and mindfulness, rather than mechanically or unconscious. As one begins to enter the twilight state of drowsiness the sleep command begins to function like a beacon guiding the consciousness across the threshold of the unconscious.
Opening Circulation
The sleep command however is not the initial step in dream practice. Dream practices are not isolated from other modalities of Taoist exercises. Usually a novice in the Taoist system will begin by learning to open communication with the life force through a series of exercises designed to open the flow of the energy meridians. Only when the meridian system is circulating properly and a degree of physical and emotional balance has been attained does one begins dream exercises.
It has been discovered since ancient times that if the circulation of the life force is not balanced, the resulting imbalance manifests very clearly in the quality of one’s dreams. Generally as the meridians are opened and one learns to regulate the emotions through specific energy practices, there is a reduction of ordinary dreams. One begins to have less and less of turbulent emotional dreams which originate from congested organs and in its place the luminous dreams of profound experiences begin to manifest from time to time. A practitioner, who for example has been keeping dream journals for several years, after a months of intense meridian exercises and meditations usually report very infrequent dreams that are very widely spaced apart. After some time they also begin to experience greater clarity in dream state. Dreams are more vivid, the images more powerful carrying a sense of transcendence.
In Taoist practice it is said that as we improve energy circulation and begin to harmonize the emotions in the organs there is a change in the quality of one’s energy from a gross state to a refined one. This is reflected as better health both physically and mentally. As the quality changes one can also say that the potential of the individual changes. The nervous system, the brain, the glands, the vital organs are all able to function at a greater degree of harmony. Instead of investing a great part of their vitality fighting illness and trying to maintain balance in the midst of fatigue and emotional upheavals, the organism is operating in an energy surplus mode.
The state of energy abundance is fundamental for the unfolding of dream practices. A Taoist invests years of constant effort bringing about such state. If dream practices are attempted otherwise when the body is tired and fighting imbalances, then one discovers that nothing happens, because the body needs the sleep for the basic function of resting the nervous system and the brain and repairing damaged tissues.
The Foundation of Calming The Mind
Preliminary to dream practices are also the states of mental calmness brought about by long meditations. When the senses turn inward in deep practice, the brain changes waves from active Beta to Alpha, deep Alpha and in experienced meditators to Theta and even Delta. This sequence of changes is very similar to that taking place as we fall asleep. The brain moves from polarization in Beta to greater integration in Alpha, Theta and Delta. This means that a regular meditator has learned to `fall asleep’ consciously seated quietly in a cushion.
We need to sleep in order to integrate the hemispheres of the brain and allow the nervous system to rest and repair itself. This essential step is accomplished in the hours of the night when we cease activities and turn the senses inward like a meditator. So if a person is meditating daily and able to integrate the hemispheres of the brain to some degree there is a resulting change in sleep patterns. Most experienced meditators need less sleep than people who do not practice. As their practice progresses is not unusual to begin sleeping an hour less after a few months. Some advanced practitioners get by with only three to four hours and in the Tao system there have been many great sages who eventually transcended the need to sleep at all. A sign of such people would be the absence of a bed in their house!
The Sharping of Mental Focus
If a practitioner has reached the level where the sleep pattern is changing through practices of concentration and circulation of energy then there is also an increase in the ability to focus the intention for long periods of time.
In meditation when the senses are turned inward the attention is focused on something such as the breath, an energy center or the circulation of life force in a meridian. As the years go by the practitioner automatically develops greater capacity to remain focused without distractions when the attention is placed on something. This is an increase in mental power and also an intensification of the will or intention.
In dream practice the intention which has been strengthened in sitting practice is then developed further in dream state. The Taoist aims at entering the normally unconscious states of sleep fully conscious, carrying forth the awareness and the intention like a candle in the wind.
The sleep command being voiced as one falls asleep is the first stage in training the intention to remain sharply focused through the ocean of the unconscious. This simple gesture opens the possibility of extending consciousness into areas where normally we go blank. The Taoists view dream practice as an opportunity to train the intention and the will in conjunction with the subtle aspects of the body. In other words consciousness which is used to being active only when awake in the physical learns to be awake in the subtle also. This is the subtle dimension which is operating 24 hours of the day.
The Breath And Calmness
Ancient Taoists discovered that as the mind becomes calm during meditation a similar process of calmness takes place in the way we breathe. The breath and consciousness are intimately connected and the change in brain waves that accompany a good meditation are in fact facilitated by a corresponding change in the gross breath passing through the nostrils.
Agitated states of mind are generated when the left hemisphere of the brain is most active. This is when we generate Beta waves. At the same time that the left hemisphere activates there is a predominance of breathing through the right nostril.
Our breathing alternates from nostril to nostril throughout the day. Generally we breathe through the right nostril from 45 to 90 minutes and activate the left hemisphere of the brain becoming more active. Then for a brief period of 3 to 5 minutes we breathe through both nostrils as the left nostril eventually takes over activating the right hemisphere of the brain. When the right hemisphere of the brain is active we enter into a more relaxed mental state with less activity and less agitation.
In meditation in order to enter into a state of calmness a change in the breathing pattern has to take place. If the practitioner is activating the left hemisphere through the right nostril breath then the first change will be to switch it to the left nostril, inducing calmer states to manifest. Eventually as the practice deepens and the brain becomes more integrated the breath takes place through both nostrils at the same time. This is the state where Alpha, Theta and Delta waves begin to manifest.
The Sleeping Tiger
In dream practice the practitioner aims at entering calm states of mind as quickly as possible. Taoists have traditionally brought about such changes by adopting the position known as `The Sleeping Tiger’.
In the Sleeping Tiger position one lays on the right side of the body. The right hand may be cupped around the right ear or under the pillow. The left arm is extended resting on the left side. The right leg is slightly bent at the knees, supporting the body, and the left leg is extended without making it totally straight. The purpose of this posture is to press on the right side of the ribs upon certain acupuncture points which induce a rapid change of the breath from the right nostril to the left. In this posture the road is open to enter the calmer states of mind and eventually induce simultaneous nostril breathing.
The posture of the Sleeping Tiger was not confined to practitioners in China only. The same posture is adopted by dream practitioners in Tibet and India. The same posture has been found in a sculpture of the sleeping priestess or goddess in the Hypogeum in the island of Malta dating from 3800-3600 BC. The Hypogeum is believed to have been used for receiving prophetic healing dreams by practitioners who spend the night within its precincts.
The Sleeping Tiger posture is not only used for entering dream practice it is also the ideal posture for entering death. In Asian art the Buddha at the moment of death is always shown lying on the right side with the right hand cupped around the right ear.
The Practice of Deliberateness
A novice after adopting the Sleeping Tiger posture and voicing the dream command will then have a long and rocky road still ahead. at the beginning usually nothing happens. One goes unconscious as usual or if too anxious to accomplish the goal of the practice have difficulty falling asleep. Worse yet some practitioners keep waking up over and over without having a restful night of sleep. What is lacking is a key ingredient of the practice which is going to sleep with deliberateness.
Normally we go to sleep without clarity of purpose, we simply cannot go on from fatigue and exhaustion so we lay down and close the eyes. Whatever happens next is beyond our conscious control. In dream practice the scenario is totally different. The practitioner has a clear goal and is carefully creating the right conditions to fulfill it. But not everything is tight control, there is also the conscious ability to let go into the unknown with the same deliberateness of a swimmer who jumps from a diving board.
One lets go into the unknown voicing the command ready to accept whatever happens.
The Stages of Dream Pracice
If the desire to succeed in the practice is excessively strong then, the ancient Taoists warn, one is headed for trouble. First because frustration and impatience is going to develop as we fail to reach our goal. Second because excessive force is a quality which has to be balance with yielding in order to develop the energy practices to their highest potential.
It is suggested in dream practice that we begin with the simple command to have a restful sleep regardless of how many hours we sleep. From that one follows with the command to remember dreams or simply to awaken at a certain time without alarm clocks. From those simple commands then one can eventually build up to the monumental task of becoming conscious within the dream that one is asleep.
The ability to become conscious that one is asleep in the middle of a dream requires that the awareness focuses with such intensity that it is not only possible to maintain the thread of the dream but also at the same time step back to realize that one is dreaming. This is made possibly because there is a surplus of energy and sleep is not being used primarily to rest and repair the body.
The body has to be rested and balanced for dream practice to unfold. If one is fatigued or carrying a heavy burden of unfinished emotional situations then progress will be very very slow. The body will be mainly occupied with maintenance without a surplus to `play in the clouds’ as the Taoists would say.
Power Naps of The Sleeping Tiger
It is generally assumed that dream practice is best done at night time when the day is done. Taoists dream practitioners are not content to have only one opportunity per day at entering dream state consciously so the practice of power naps was developed early on.
Power naps consist in taking short naps several times a day, lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. The frequency of power naps allows the practitioner to develop the necessary skills at entering dream practice very rapidly. A by product of power naps is that the body is truly rested so sleep is truly deliberate and not out of fatigue.
One of the greatest Taoist dream practitioner of the past was Master Chen Tuan of Henan province in China. He lived during the 10th century and practiced power naps in a cave at the sacred mountain of Hua Shan in west China. It is said that visitors had often to wait while the master completed power naps. Chen Tuan is said to have realized the highest levels of Taoist practices in dream state, spending months at a time in deep conscious sleep. Beyond the constraints of time and space in a dimension that it extremely fluid.
The Realm of Fluidity
The physical dimension is the portion of the energy spectrum most affected by time and space. It is a dimension where there is a tremendous gap between wish and fulfillment of the wish, or between imagination and realization. It is a dimension where anything we do is limited by time and at the same time takes time to accomplish. One of the direct experiences which arises out of consistent dream practice is that time and space have no influence whatsoever in the subtle energy dimensions. Time and space are not a limiting factor and play no role whatsoever in phenomena. It is extremely hard for physical beings to imagine the state beyond time and space, specially if we have no direct experiences of subtle energy in our bodies or consciousness.
We all have experienced in our sleep the extremely fluid nature of dreams. We are able to fly, move great distances, transform ourselves into something else, become objects or simply turn into pure consciousness without a body. These are all random experiences of transcending physical corporeality.
As mentioned before dream practices are not truly aimed at working with ordinary dreams arising from unresolved emotional states or poor energy circulation. And Taoist dream practices have nothing to do with dream interpretation. The ability to remain conscious in dream state is for learning to play in the dimensions without time and space. Dimension where imagination and reality are one and there are no limits.
Master Chen Tuan during his long naps learned to transcends the mental limitations of time and space. One very common problem practitioners have to overcome is the unconscious projection of physicality into the non-physical dimensions.
When describing dreams or talking to ourselves in dreams we are limited by the language of time and space. We speak of `going somewhere’, `hurrying up’ and `coming back tomorrow’ and so on. One of the habits the dream practitioner learns is to be present all the times speaking the language of the instant that has no past or future, just eternal now.
In conscious dream state anything that is imagined is experienced simultaneously as dream reality. If one thinks of a house, there is a house instantly. This is totally different from the dense physical dimension where the thought of a house, and the mental image of a house does not manifest a physical house right away. As we all know the thought of a house might take years of effort to manifest. This is why Taoist say that the physical dimension is very dense and very inefficient when it comes to manifesting reality. There is a tremendous gap between imagination and manifestation.
In the fluid state of conscious dreaming it is possible to have direct experiences in an instant. Experiences which are as real and powerful as physical reality. If in a dream we have a very strong experience of loving someone, as we awaken into the physical dimension we still carry the emotional impressions of that love experience throughout the day. If dream state was pure fantasy there would be no powerful impressions to carry during the day and no emotional residue to recall.
Sustaining Focus
The ability to remain focused in conscious dreaming is made possible by the cultivation of mental power and increased vitality. Beginners who are able to awaken within the dream do so for very brief instants before either awakening fully into the physical or going unconscious into deeper sleep. Sustaining focus is very much like learning to ride a bicycle. One has to maintain a crucial balance for indefinite time, which in this case is not awakening into the physical or going unconscious, and at the same time carry out the numerous exercises for developing the use of the will and the intention.
As we grew up we learned to focus our attention in the physical world through all of the physical tasks such as learning to walk, talk and memorize in school. As babies our attention span for concentrating on anything was very limited and could not be sustained for more than a few seconds. As we entered school we learned more and more to use our mental focus for longer and longer uninterrupted periods. Usually the best students are those who from very early learned to focus their attention with intensity for long periods of time. A great teacher would be one who is able to keep the attention of the students fully engaged for long periods of time also. So in the physical dimension we become skillful at sustaining focus of the consciousness for long periods of time.
In dream practice the ability to sustain focus is a skill that develops gradually with much difficulty and many set backs. This is so because sustaining focus in the physical dimension requires only a fraction of the energy it takes for doing so in the fluid dimensions beyond time and space. A good analogy would be the difference between trying to run underwater and on the ground.
Surplus Energy
The fuel for dream practice is surplus energy-not only abundance of vitality but specifically a surplus of vitality to be invested in learning to sustain conscious focus in dream state. The preliminary energy practices mentioned before lay the foundation for starting dream work but they are not enough. At some point the practitioner has to dig deeper into the available resources and learn to utilize them more and more efficiently.
The obstacles and lack of progress encountered in dream practice serve as a mirror revealing where the weak points and blockages are in one’s overall energy structure. There is usually a deepening work in the area of the emotions, which is where a large portion of the available vitality is trapped in unresolved issues. There is also a process of harnessing the energy outwardly spent through the senses. Fluidity in both the physical and mental state is cultivated through movement exercises such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong. So there is a progressive movement towards excellence and efficiency that gradually transforms the individual into a new being.
The Mastery of Timing
One of the crowning insights of the ancient Taoists is the awareness that we are at the most fluid and efficient when we are operating at the right moment. If we carry out some action during the wrong timing then a monumental amount of energy is required to produce results and sometimes even that is not enough. In contrast when the action is riding the river of the right timing there is a minimum of effort needed to accomplish extraordinary things.
One of the deciding factors in all energy practices is the recognition of the right timing. In dream practice it means that one learns to listen to the body and the life force. Listening for that moment when the totality of one’s being points in one direction with uncompromising power.
Listening to the right timing means that the Taoist is totally committed and available to the practice whenever it calls. This is the result of a decision taken fully conscious at some point in the past. Without a strong decision and a definite commitment there is no way to begin directing the life force in the direction we want to go.
Ultimate Purpose of Dream Practice
The development of the intention and the will, the ability to sustain focus through the subtle dimensions, the harnessing of one’s vitality and the ability to become fluid and abandoned at the right timing are all directed at one important experience. That is the transition of consciousness at the moment of death from the physical to the subtle body.
Dream practice is the training ground for learning to utilize the intention, the will and consciousness in conjunction with the subtle energy body. At the moment of death there is a separation of the consciousness from the physical body into the subtle energy body. A crossing from time and space into the ocean of infinity.
The dream practitioner is someone who through sustained effort has learned to swim in the ocean of infinity without tiring or becoming scared. Someone who is consciously at home in the complete energy spectrum of the life force. Someone who is no longer fixed on the physical dimension as the sole reality worth exploring.
For the Taoists the ability to embrace the full spectrum of the life force is the most important task a human being can accomplish in this lifetime. It is said that `If one realizes the Way in the morning one can die at peace in the evening’.
The great insight of the ancient Taoists went even beyond life and death. So detaching the consciousness from the physical into the subtle dimensions is not an end in itself. It is simply a beginning of another cycle of being. A new cycle which continues under different conditions from the physical and yet carries a precious gift from the world. The gift is the `luminous pearl’ of indestructible insight condensed through the alchemy of refining the intention and the will. The traveller takes only that from the crossing through this world.
BIOGRAPHY OF JUAN LI: Was born in 1946 in Cuba from Cuban and Chinese parents. In 1969 became interested in the dream work of Carl Gustav Jung and upon graduation from the University in 1970 came to Zurich to study at the Jung Institute. Since 1969 he began to keep a daily record of his dreams, some of which he illustrated in watercolors. From Zurich he went to India where he began to study yoga, eventually becoming acquainted with the Hindu dream practices. After 1971 he began to reside in Nepal where he continued his yoga studies with several Tibetan teachers. It was there that he became aquainted with the Tibetan dream practices. In 1982 he met the Taoist master Mantak Chia who introduced him to the inner teachings of Taoism and the internal energy work. By 1985 enough changes had taken place in the energy meridians and the organs that the entries in his dream diaries became very few and widely spaced apart. Ordinary dreams were reduced to a minimum and instead conscious dreaming began to take place with regularity.
In 1988 Master Chia asked Juan Li to begin assisting in teaching the Taoist system in Europe. From that time on he spends the greater part of the year conducting classes in several countries of western Europe. Among his classes one is dedicated to the dream practices. Juan Li and his wife Renu Li reside now in Santa Fe in the Southwestern United States.
http://www.daoyin.it/e_Daoyin.htm
Daoyin is an ancient Chinese body-mind exercise originally aimed at health care as well as physical and spiritual purification. The ascetics of past time believed it could be used to obtain the “eternal youth” (changsheng bulao). The first historical reference about it appears in Zhuangzi, a Taoist text written between the 4th and 2nd century BC:
Breathing in and out, exhaling and inhaling, they get rid of the old to absorb the new. They swing like bears and stretch like birds – all this they do in order to have long life. They are Daoyin disciples, people who nourish their form seeking for longevity like Pengzu.
(Zhuangzi, Keyi)
Many different interpretations were given to the word “daoyin” during the ages. The following two are the most reliable:
daoqi yinti – guide the qi and stretch the body
daoqi yinliao – guide the qi to obtain a healing effect
Both interpretations describe important aspects of the exercise and are not contradictory to each other. The first describes briefly the technique while the second refers to one goal of the exercise; actually with daoyin we guide the qi and move our body in order to obtain a beneficial effect to our health.
Yangsheng
nourishing the Life
China has an ancient and deep tradition of body-mind care. According to historical documents already during the feudal age (770-221 BC) the so-called “life-nourishing ways” (yangsheng zhi dao) gained great importance. They were methods aimed at enhancing a long, healthy and good life, by means of dietetic regime, herbal preparations, gymnastic exercises and spiritual cultivation (such as study, poetry, meditation, etc.).
Many famous thinkers of this time argued heatedly on these issues, proposing their own “ways” and discussing those of their colleagues. Among the various “life-nourishing ways”, the physical exercise was almost universally regarded as necessary and very effective. As “physical exercise” we have to think here something much deeper and articulated than what we mean today. It was an exercise involving body and mind in a great potentially unlimited effort of self-purification. The ascetics of that time practiced and taught these techniques in order to reach long life and immortality.
The concept of “qi” (ch’i – according to Wade-Giles transcription) has no equivalent in today’s western culture. In the oldest Chinese sources it is seen as the vital element that generates and unifies all the universe. It is often translated as “energy”, “vital energy ” or “breath”, “vital breath”.
According to ancient Chinese physical concepts, the qi pervades and animates all creatures. The whole universe is alive, starting from Heaven and Earth, the parents of all beings. The human being lives, as do all of the other creatures, between Heaven and Earth, and is their evident fruit. Its head is round like the vault of Heaven, its feet are flat like the Earth’s surface. The head points to the sky, and the feet hold him up resting on the earth. Among all creatures man is regarded as the most perfect because he bears the symbols of Heaven and Earth, he combines the natures of Heaven and Earth.
Man lives thanks to his inner qi (yuanqi – original vital energy) that he gets from his parents and loses with the death. Zhuangzi describes this concept so:
Man comes into the world by a qi condensing. It is this qi that, when it condenses, gives birth to the life and this same qi that, when it dissipates, brings death.
(Liou Kia-hway. Zhuangzi, Adelphi, 1982)
The human qi gets nourishment and circulates thanks to breathing, eating and physical and mental activity. Through the breathing we absorb the pure qi of the air (qingqi) and expel the dirty qi (zhuoqi). From the food we eat we absorb the nourishing qi of several natural elements.
Beside these “nourishments” coming from outside, the man can help himself in keeping his qi healthy by suitable physical activity that can allow him to avoid blocks and stagnations. Actually the qi is not stationary within the body but it circulates steadily, like the blood and the lymph. If there are blocks, stagnations or if it doesn’t circulates in a proper way, we have a pathological situation.
The main meanings of the world qi in Chinese life nourishing and gymnastic techniques are the following:
1. air
2. human vital energy
3. universe vital energy
These meanings are often not separated, on the contrary, most of the time they are present together.
The world “gong” means “ability, work”; “qigong” (ch’i-kung according to Wade-Giles phonetic transcription) is the “work on qi“, as well as the ability resulting from this work.
The Chinese also ascribe to qi many uncommon phenomena like Prana therapy, invulnerability to blades, glasses, fire, electric current, or the ability to break bricks, bend iron bars, etc. All of these faculties, and many others, are listed by the Chinese under “qi abilities” rather than qigong.
The oldest traces of the word qigong go back to Tang dynasty (618-905) Taoist books, such as Taiqing tiaoqi jing (Supreme Purity qi regulation Classic), describe breathing, visualization, or meditation techniques, aimed at purifying oneself in an attempt to reach immortality.
In the martial arts qigong – or better said neigong (“inner work”) – is used to strengthen the vital energy and, widely the body and the mind. All Chinese traditional martial art schools (wushu) have specific neigong exercises. Some of them, so-called “inner schools” (neijia), have melted together such exercises with the martial technique, originating an integrated whole. The most famous inner schools are Taijiquan, Baguazhang e Xinyiquan.
With reference to health promoting techniques, the term “qigong” seems to appear not earlier than 1910 and only at the end of the 1950′s it started to be used on large scale. Today it has a much bigger diffusion than the more correct world daoyin, especially outside China.
Daoyin works on three different but always combined levels.
1. body level yundong daoyin (motor guiding)
guiding the body to the required positions and movements
2. breath level huxi daoyin (breath guiding)
controlling and guiding the respiration according to the required ways and rhythms
3. mind level yinian daoyin (mind guiding)
controlling and guiding the body to the required positions and movements and the respiration according to the required ways and rhythms, by mental focusing. At the same time, focusing the mind also on certain specific points and coordinating all these operations in one single integrated and complete action.
The roots of this triple action are to be found in the so-called 3 regulations (santiao), axe-principle of every traditional daoyin exercise. The “3 regulations” are:
- regulate the body (tiaoshen)
- regulate the breath (tiaoxi)
- regulate the mind (tiaoxin)
According to classical Chinese physiology, body and mind are a whole that cannot be divided. The mind lives thanks to the body and vice versa, both depend on each other. Ruling and cultivating properly the body cannot be done without using the mind, neither could it be possible to rule the mind and obtain the best concentration without a correct use of the body and the respiration. The respiration cannot be controlled without using the correct positions and a proper mind focusing. All the deepest oriental body disciplines acknowledge these principles.
Daoyin yangshenggong
Daoyin yangshenggong (Daoyin life nourishing exercises) is the result of a long and deep research on ancient daoyin techniques carried out by professor Zhang Guangde of Beijing Physical Education University.
Its soft, fluent and harmonious movements are aimed at improving energy circulation within the whole body, to loosen the joints, tone up and oxygenate the muscles and to relax the nervous system.
Several clinical tests made in China and examinations done by medical specialists and researchers from all over the world, have proved Daoyin yangshenggong to be effective in improving the health, preventing and healing many acute and chronic diseases without showing any side effect.
Daoyin doesn’t restrict itself to the health aspect. Thanks to its deep and meticulous work on concentration, respiration and movements, daoyin is also a wonderful method for self-cultivation and inner growth. With daoyin we can establish a close connection between body and mind and restore the inner harmony that so often gets damaged in our stressful daily life.
Professor Zhang Guangde
Zhang Guangde was born in 1932 in Tangshan, Hebei province, the town where in 1955 the first Qigong Clinic was established. Coming from a medical family background, in 1955 Zhang Guangde was enrolled in the Wushu Dept. of the Beijing Institute of Physical Education, where he graduated in 1959 becoming first teacher and then Senior Professor.
In the 70′s he devoted himself to daoyin research, ending with the development of the Daoyin yangshenggong system that today is practised by more than 4 million people spread in all the five continents.
Today Zhang Guangde is Professor and Researcher of Beijing University of Physical Education Wushu Dept, Honorary General Director of “Zhang Guangde’s Daoyin Yangshenggong Centre” , Permanent Member and Vice-Secretary of the Chinese Wushu Research Association.
Untiring in his devotion to daoyin cause, he decided to travel the world in order to introduce daoyin benefits to the greatest number of people. He has been invited to hold classes and seminars in Universities in France, at Oldenburg University (Germany), at Tokyo University and at the Japan Sport University.
Daoyin yangshenggong is based on the so-called “Five Natures” (wuxing) and “Three Hearts” (sanxin).
The “Five Natures” are:
1. systematic nature xitongxing
2. scientific nature kexuexing
3. effectiveness shixiaoxing
4. artistic expression yishuxing
5. great spread guangfan shiyingxing
The “Three Hearts ” are:
1. pure heart zhenxin
2. enthusiastic heart rexin
3. patient heart naixin
The “Five Natures” refer to the criteria that lead to the construction of the exercises.
Daoyin yangshenggong is a complete system of training, it isn’t restricted to a single exercise pattern or to a single aim. The construction of every exercise has been carried out in a “systematic” way, considering several aspects. As far as possible nothing has been neglected in building-up the daoyin routines.
It has a “scientific nature” because the creator, by composing the single routines, did not just passively transmit the old tradition but also had a great concern for researching and testing the scientific principles of the exercises.
“Effectiveness” because the exercises formulated by professor Zhang were based upon objective principles that proved to be effective also according to modern scientific knowledge.
“Artistic expression” because the different forms have not only a pragmatic aim but play a significant role as well as an aesthetic and artistic model in spiritual and physical expression.
“Great spread” means that the creator strove to reach a possible compromise between technical, pedagogical and diffusion needs, composing exercises that are not boring, repetitive and complicated but relatively simple, varied, elegant, beautiful, and appropriate in length and intensity.
The “Three Hearts ” refer to the mind attitude of Daoyin devotees.
“Pure Heart” means that the practitioner should have a pure and unpolluted approach towards the discipline and the training; he has to get rid of any conditioning, worry, suspect or doubt. This is the best condition to learn. A pure heart and a sincere mind allow for a better life with ourselves and with others, as well the opportunity to absorb quickly the teaching.
“Enthusiastic Heart” means enthusiasm towards study, practice and learning. Enthusiasm is a wonderful motor for learning, it enriches our life and our person making it more active and dynamic, and it helps us to overcome the difficult moments too.
“Patient Heart” is an essential requirement to learn any discipline and even more to learn a demanding art like Daoyin. “Patience” means to be patient with ourselves and with others. Daoyin characteristics force us to cultivate patience, a very necessary and often mistreated virtue in today society.
Daoyin yangshenggong system provides sitting and standing, static and dynamic symmetric exercises, with various degrees of difficulty, to be performed also with specific musical excerpts in order to help concentration and relaxation.
The exercises are aimed towards special goals and have distinctive features, but every single exercise is at the same time quite complete in itself and enough for personal training.
The corporation as magickal entity
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The corporation as magickal entity
This article explores the identity of the corporate body and how it can often become an independent entity, outside the control of any singular individual. In magickal terms the corporation can, by virtue of its presence in memespace and its influence over the collective human psyche, become the magickal construct known as an egregore. Much of this can apply to all corporate or cooperative bodies, but the lifestyle providers that dance on our TV’s, follow us down the streets and in our cars, and who gently invade our homes and minds, are the most powerful and compelling.
The modern corporation is far more than simply a building full of people that creates a product or manages resources. It exists in physical space, data space, and in aetheric space. It is a collective of intentional will committed to self-preservation, growth, and profit. It wields language and media to establish its presence and identity in the age of global trade. The corporation is unified in its focus, executes on its desires, and manipulates resources in accordance with its intent. It is in many ways an individual composed of many cooperative cells. Like the human body, the corporation maintains its identity and function in spite of the continuous recycling of its cells. The structure persists by its own will and inertia. The corporation is not bound to any one location. It can move, disperse, and distribute through data networks. It behaves with a single will, informed by the will of the corporate collective, bent towards the same end: maintaining the existence & continued growth of the corporate entity.
The genesis of the corporation was as a representation of the shared interests of a group. Soon it evolved to have the legal status roughly equivalent to a person. It has become an independent entity with the same rights as an individual (or more). Its person-hood reinforces its self-identity and the identity it projects to the world. It wants to appear human and be regarded as such. This is the only way to find intimacy with the consumer; the only way the corporation can generate trust and acceptance. This identity begins with the corporate vision but soon moves into the minds of the consumer culture where it can tap into a deeper level of emotional associations. It is at this point that it has evolved from a business entity into a psychic one.
Corporate Sigil
The corporation is recognized by its products – the output of its collective will manifesting in the material plane – and by its image – the constructs it builds up around itself, intentionally & unintentionally, through advertising, marketing, its actions and its transgressions. As the corporate image becomes more and more focused and defined, it is easier to package and deliver to the minds of consumers. While the internal corporate identity may wear one mask, the public persona usually wears another. It is this basic deception which gives power to the emergent egregore and allows it such access to our dreams & desires.
The coporate logo is a sigil used to represent it to the world. The logo is a way to encapsulate a highly complex system in a single, easy to digest image that can be fed to the masses. The better the corporate sigil, the more that people identify with its logo, and the less they look beyond its representation of the corporate ideal. The sigil is a spell cast upon the world to ensnare us in its allure and avert our eyes from its indiscretions. The corporate image employs a vast army of trained psychoengineers hired explicitly to exploit the psychological and perceptual weaknesses of the consumer culture. They distill its carefully crafted identity into emotional aggregates, surgical abstractions designed to re-associate the faceless corporate entity with ideas and images and slogans that appeal to the human animal on a subconscious level.
The corporate logo is then a further abstraction of the crafted image, containing within it the cultural weight of its associations, wrapped in a simple image easily absorbed and remembered. The corporate entity clothes itself in meaning and uses symbolism to represent that meaning. Now the Nike “swoosh” represents far more than just a company that sells shoes. It is athleticism, adventure, competition, endurance, work & struggle. Michael Jordan. Nike Town. Sweatshops and personalization agitprop. When Jonah Peretti (espn.go.com/page2/s/farrey/010227.html) made international news for trying to personalize a Nike shoe order with the word “sweatshop”, the Nike meme expanded to include this as well. (this was an excellent example of a simple magickal assault on a corporate egregore.) And remember when they used the Beatles song “Say you want a revolution” in a TV commercial? This is the egregore clothing itself in pop culture in order to gain greater access to the collective consciousness.
Corporate Egregore
An egregore is a magickal entity that functions with its own will. It is unique from a deity or godform in that it is explicitly a human creation, rather than an inherent archetype or psychic representation. It is given life by the intent of its creator and is initially designed to fulfill a certain goal. This is typically the role of a servitor as a servant to its master. But if the servitor gains enough power it can become an egregore, independent from the will of its creator. It takes on a life of its own. When the Nike execs go home for the evening, the egregore lives on in media, in the minds of consumers, and in its product set behind glass windows, walking the streets, sitting in our homes. Indeed, if successful it will persist through generations, drawing devoted servants into its halls – servants who will work hard to extend its presence in the noosphere.
Satire and cultural appropriation are indicators that a meme has grown beyond the scale of its original intent. As it passes through more and more heads its identity expands further into the global mind. As the egregore yields more of its identity to the mass culture, it grows beyond the control of its servants. They must simply respond and adapt to the consumer climate. There is a subtle feedback loop here. The egregore influences culture, which in turn sets greater demands on the egregore and its product.
Brand association with genres, lifestyles, and cultural identity bring meaning and depth to the inherent soullesness of the corporate egregore. It’s power grows as it occupies more bandwidth in memespace, and as it clothes itself in emotional aggregates, feeding on dreams & desire. As pop culture evolves, so too will the masks of the egregore, enlisting celebrities and popular trends to peddle its product. Even after the inevitable demise of its material foundation, the egregore lives on as a relic of antiquity – a memory of pop culture.
Targets
With this profile of the corporate egregore – the magickal lifestyle branders – it should be possible to identify points of entry for magickal attacks. If the egregore occupies aetheric space, then it is open to aetheric assault. It must be remembered that it has entered our space and we ultimately make the rules.
One method is reprogramming brand associations. Engage the corporate sigil directly, then methodically re-brand it internally. Make associations with the opposite of its advertising intentions. Re-brand your conception of Nike with weakness, exploitation, plastics, petroleum byproducts, and failure. By changing your own internal aetheric representation of the corporate brand you weaken its hold on the collective psyche.
The sigil can be further re-engineered by altering it to have a satirical or contradictory message. It can then be re-associated in trance & ritual, or printed on t-shirts & bumper stickers. Then send them to the employees. Use agitprop to re-image the corporate meme in a way that is counter-productive to its goals. Reveal it’s hidden secret in public satire.
As the corporate egregore expands into memespace and becomes more and more integrated into pop culture, it leaves more and more traces of itself. Logos, ads, product placement, branded wrappers, product carried by consumers, news items, parodies & satire – all of these can be regarded as it’s children, like tentacles spreading through the aether. As such, they are potential points of entry… tunnels back to the source. This technique is, of course, dangerous. Putting yourself in a highly suggestive state and then merging into a corporate logo is not recommended. Who’s existence is more widely believed? Yours, or DuPont’s? But for the bold, there is a potential path here.
Magickal assaults can use these techniques to invoke the egregore, but what do you do once you’re there? The fundamental assumption within the corporation is that stuff is important. That goods & services are necessary to human survival and happiness. Conversely, the most terrifying reality of the corporation is that it is impermanent. It’s always struggling against market factors, shareholders, and fickle customers; employee negligence & stupidity; corporate watchdogs and bold journalists. Strike with the inner peace of impermanence. Strike with the relentless change of time, who brings down all attempts at order. Strike with hawk-headed gods and egyptian queens. Strike with the legends and myths of humanity, rich with depth and meaning and integrity. Amidst the backdrop of history, the corporation is a fleeting moment. Show it this truth. Plant seeds of aetheric chaos.
The Big Boys
Most of this paper has been oriented towards lifestyle providers and high-profile manufacturers. But what of the dark forces, the archons of war and exploitation? Are magickal assaults on such entities viable? Safe? Bechtel, Halliburton, the Carlysle Group – these are the real powers stalking the planet. These shadowy egregores prefer to keep as low of a profile as possible. You’ll not find any corporate sigils lying around like keys to the vault. An effective angle uses good ‘ol guerilla journalism. Get the word out. When the profiteering and lies become public knowledge, the dark egregore is exposed and weakens. It can no longer function unfettered. How many people knew what Halliburton was 5 years ago? Now the egregore is under assault. Draw them out of the shadows, then attack with the light.
The best magick is practice. Your money is your voice. Try not to buy corporate products. Buy local and independent. If you’re buying designer clothes, don’t wear labels. Cut them off or blot them out. There’s no way to stop supporting corporations completely. the luxury of the first-world is supported by the cheap labor of the third. But support good businesses, and don’t give your money to the bad ones. Educate people about the worst corporations, and strike the egregores in their inevitable moments of weakness.
Finally, never under-estimate the Tibetan Buddhist rituals of compassion. If you gain access to the mainframe of the egregore, feed it your inherent love for the beauty of nature, the mother creator, the genetic link binding us to life and love and light. The ideals and dreams of the human animal are the most powerful weapons we have in our vast arsenal of evolutionary technology. Sigilize your deepest adoration of the earthly kingdom and give it as an offering to the heart of the corporate egregore.
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The Guru’s Of Hip Hop
http://www.mbaproject.org/index.php?s=4Youth&c=News8230
This article appeared in Yoga Journal a while back. It’s one of the hottest articles ever on the subject, featuring Wu Tang, Russel Simmons, Heirogliphics, Afu Ra and more… You can download or read it here.
http://theworsthorse.net/dolla/dolla.html
“Going over the haters”
Art and answers from the one and only DOLLA.
A couple months ago, we got an email out of the blue from someone who seemed to be calling himself the “DOLLA LAMA.” He humbly introduced himself and asked that we check out his art. We did, and it was love at first sight: this was not just bold, iconic street-art. It was bold, iconic street-art with an undeniable Dharma-angle to it.
“DOLLA LAMA,” it turns out, is the handle given to a particular “campaign” of art, by a multifacted artist and designer who goes by the tag of “DOLLA.” Here, DOLLA sits down with the Horse to share and explain his art and a little bit more about the man behind the moniker. Dig it. (And if you really dig it, follow the link at the end of this article to download and print your own DOLLA LAMA stencils.)
How did you get started in street art?
I got bit by the hip hop bug at an early age. I started tagging around age 12 or 13.
i’ve messed around with graffiti on and off for most of my life. it wasn’t until about 6 or 7 years ago that i started getting into street art. I started out making hand-drawn stickers with braggadocio-style sayings on them, then focused on drawing character stickers. a friend taught me how to screen print and i moved on to making vinyls.
It seems like most of your art is “displayed” via stickers and paste-ups. Is that right?
yeah, I put up stickers daily. I always have a stack on me, where ever i go i’m leaving my mark. My favorite is definitely poster bombing. nothin like seein a huge poster at a busy intersection. high-traffic areas are mostly what i shoot for. I like the idea of getting thousands of people seeing my art a day. I’m a sticker junkie, but they are usually too small to see if you are driving. My smallest posters are 3′ tall and get as big as 9′ (no problem seeing them at all).
Obviously, the Dalai Lama himself is a recurring symbol / motif / icon of your work, especially your “Dolla Lama” campaign. How did that come about?
well, about 4 years ago I was doing a lot of DOLLA stickers. I was making all hand made stickers at the time. a lot of people were starting beef with me and dissing my stickers. I kinda started taking it personal. it sounds silly to me now but I was spending a lot of time on these stickers and I would get heated when people wrote on ‘em or added a penis to my characters.
One person in particular was trying to get fame by dissing everything i put up. I wasted a lot of time and energy going tit for tat with this guy. I was getting consumed by the feeling of hatred and wanting to get revenge. I finally switched it around and started 2 sticker campaigns. the first was the “you love to hate” campaign. I started printing vinyl stickers of famous people that were getting hated on. like pee wee herman, paris hilton, etc. with “you love to hate dolla” printed on em.
the second was the DOLLA LAMA campaign. I drew a picture of the dalai lama and started putting quotes or words of wisdom on his forehead and printing them. I originally used these stickers to go over the haters, It made me feel better. Soon I was starting to get some positive feedback from the messages i was putting out there with the lama stickers, i just kept doin more and more, and still make them today.
You seem to have latched onto something which is actually quite traditional in Buddhism: the use of aspirational slogans. But the way you use them in your work is very non-traditional. Do you ever get a hard time for that?
Its weird, some people love the message and some see what i do as a cheap gimmick. Some people got very offended by my Obey/Giant-like sticker with the dollar sign on the dalai lama’s head. I heard a story about this girl who tore down one of my stickers and set it on fire. Man the last thing I’m trying to do is piss people off with these stickers and posters. I guess I can see where they are coming from, but angering people is not my intention for this campaign. First and foremost I am spreading the wisdom of the dalai lama.
How do you pick your slogans?
as far as picking the slogans: I have a book of 365 quotes “words of wisdom” by the dalai lama. one for every day of the year. i use what strikes a chord with me at the time.
And the significance of changing “Dalai” to “DOLLA”?
DOLLA is my tag. It’s just a play on words.
Do you consider yourself a Buddhist? Do you meditate or try to keep up any other kind of practice?
I was raised roman catholic, but i haven’t practiced religion for about 15 years or so. I find Buddhism very interesting and the things that i have read make me strive to be a better person. I would like to try meditation. My only practice (now) is trying to maintain a balance.
What are you working on now?
I am in the middle of a few projects. I am working on 3 new freight train benches. All the welding has just been completed. Now I am finishing up the wood work.
Then i will begin painting them I am designing 2 murals for local shops that i will have done by next month. What i have been focused on lately is getting ready for a stencil show in Lauderhill FL at the bear and bird gallery that opens June 16th (2007). I will have 4 new paintings in the show.
You also do commercial work, right?
For my 9 to 5 job i manage a display company. I am the head designer and fabricator. I do a lot of work for Disney and other tourist attractions around the world. I have only been getting a few commercial jobs a year. my most recent job was designing 5 characters for a hip hop website.
Culturally, where do you find inspiration or enjoyment?
I am into going to art shows when i break away from the lab. Its always good to see people’s new works.
I listen to a lot of diff. music. but the majority of my collection is rap. some of my favorite artists are Wu-Tang, Gravediggaz, MF Doom, Madlib, Kool Keith, A Tribe Called Quest. I still listen to a lot of old school stuff like UTFO, Newcleus, etc. And I’m a pretty big movie watcher. my all time favorite flick is The Warriors. Some others are GUMMO, Julian Donkey Boy, Freaks, Boondock Saints, Ghost Dog, Twilight Zone, Reservoir Dogs, Blood in Blood Out, Carlitos Way. I also like silly comedies.
\
What’s your dream project?
I would definitely like to get my own TV show off the ground; a puppet show or a cartoon. I recently signed on as a designer for Secret Legion Productions, which is an animation company at Universal Studios. We just did a pitch for a big network, but they passed on the project. If we got it, it would have been a dream come true for sure.
ALL ART AND ANSWERS BY DOLLA. ART USED BY PERMISSION.
You can see more of DOLLA’s stuff at his website (in development), or at his MySpace page. Check it all out.
Click HERE for printable, useable DOLLA LAMA stencils, brought to you by Dolla and the Horse.
http://www.hungkuen.net/training-stancetraining.htm
Hung Gar is known for its strong, stable stances and puts much emphasis on stance training. Needles to say that stance training is considered to be an extremely important part of Hung Gar and their importance cannot be stressed enough. They are the foundations of all techniques and movements, as well as being one of the most important key elements to the successful progression and advancement in the art. Contrary to what some modern martial artist may think, stance training is a must and the proper training and development of stances is crucial to any Hung Gar practitioner.
In the past, Hung Gar students were encouraged and devoted much of their time to the training of stances. Traditionally it was a common practice for the beginning students to spend anything from six months to one year of solid stance work alone before they were allowed to learn anything else. Day after day the student was required to assume a low horse stance – sei ping ma and hold this position for extensively long periods of time. This time period was usually ranging anything from the burning of one- incense stick to three-incense sticks, which in total is about 3 hours. In the modern times of today, this kind of training is rarely done or seen anymore. There are variety of reasons why most modern martial artist don’t bother with such gruelling training anymore most of which usually comes down to change of times, way of living, personal attitudes and needs. In some peoples case pure laziness and lack of patience. The fact of the matter is, despite its extreme importance, most martial artist of today don’t even spend 10 minutes a day training in gung fu, let alone 3 hours of stance work every day. Unfortunately majority of today’s students are looking for quick results, always anxious to learn new techniques and move to the next stage without proper understanding or mastery of what they were taught in the previous stage. In other words they try and run before they can walk. Traditional training methods such as these are no longer appreciated nor seem useful and worst of all the enormous benefits offered by this type of training are often over looked or totally ignored.
What is all the fuss about? one may ask and wonder why should one has to devote so much time and effort to training of stances? There are many reasons, but to sum it up the main purposes behind stance training are: strengthening and conditioning of the legs, training the mind and the spirit, rooting, internal energy training and last but not least to improve posture-structure, all of which support each other and connect to each other in a complimentary fashion.
Strengthening and conditioning of the legs is one of the most obvious benefits of stance training. Correct stance work will train and condition the whole, not just a specific part or area. It will build and strengthen the muscles, joints, bones and tendons of the legs as well as other related parts of the body. Regular and proper training will enormously increase the power, strength and endurance of the legs. It will also improve the speed and flexibility. The practitioner will be armed with extremely powerful legs, which can be used to attack or defend.
Mental conditioning, the training of the mind and the spirit is also an important part of stance training. Tempering and controlling the mind is one of the hardest parts of gung fu training. A gung fu practitioner must have a calm, focused mind and a strong spirit. Long durations of stance training can be extremely boring and very painful. This being the case, most people, especially beginners’ cant sit in a low horse stance for a very long time, even if they have strong legs. Hung Gar practitioners need total concentration, patience, willpower and determination to be able to hold a low horse stance for an extensively long period of time. As mentioned above, in the past Hung Gar practitioners were required to do six months to one year of solid stance work alone before they were allowed to learn anything else. One of the main reasons behind this type of training was to test a students mental, moral and physical strengths and weakness. Those who couldn’t cope would soon drop out and quit.
Developing a solid root is an extremely important goal of all gung fu practitioners and one of the main reasons behind stance training. Stability and balance are the first things that come to mind when talking about rooting. Although this is true, rooting in gung fu involves much more than just having a stable stance or good balance. Beside other things rooting involves correct body structure, relaxed body, sinking of energy etc. Some people also have the false idea that having a solid root is being too static and stiff. One must be rooted at all times regardless of stance or position. It is said that when standing be like a mountain, strong and unmovable, when moving be like the wind, swift and fast. Despite its importance most beginners and even those who has been training for many years experience much difficulty in achieving a solid root, mainly due to lack of understanding and not enough practice. They are easily pushed over and have neither stability nor balance even when they perform the simplest techniques. They lack strength and speed in their techniques and cannot generate power using the whole body.
Stance training focuses a great deal on internal energy or chi – qi cultivation that is also one of the most overlooked factors when talking about stance training.
http://www.hungkuen.net/training-basicstances.htm
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Sei Ping Ma also known as Ma Bo (Horse Stance-step) is so called because it resembles a person riding a horse. This is one of the most faundamental and important stances in Hung Gar and can be found in almost every style of Chinese martial arts. This is a strong, stable stance, which provides a strong foundation. Sei ping Ma like all the other stances must be practiced regularly to improve your balance, strength, speed as well as many other important factors including the mental and internal aspects of the art. When practicing horse stance there are important points to follow. 
This stance commonly known as bow and arrow stance is another common stance which can be found in many other martial arts. Ji-Ng Ma is a strong, firm stance where the weight is usually distributed 60/40. With this stance knee of the front leg is bent and the back leg should be straight.
This is a flexible stance where most of the body weight is placed on the rear leg. The rear leg is bent at the knee and the weight is sunk straight down, the front leg is also bent at the knee and only toes of the front feet touching the floor. Ideally thighs should be parallel to the floor. Initially begin with a higher stance and and through gradual progression lower the stance. Ensure the backside is tucked in making sure the spine is straight.
Gam gai duk laap ma 
This stance is formed by taking a step forward and crossing one leg infront of the other by creating a 90 degree angel while turning the waist and squatting down.
This stance is exactly the same as Kei-Lun Bo(Quai Ma), the only difference is this stance is performed on the spot by turning/twisting the waist instead of taking a step.This stance requires a lot of waist action and is a very flexible and mobile stance. It can be used both for offense or defense.
Ta ma is similar to Nau Ma and Quai Ma in the sense of appearance, however the usage is slightly different. Tau ma is generally known as retreating step where the front foot is placed behind the rear leg
This stance is is a strong and stable stance, where one can rise and drop quickly to attack or defend the lower parts of the body etc.Lok Quei Ma is formed by keeping one foot flat on the floor while bending the same leg at the knee and squatting down, while the other leg is bent at the knee which is lowered down near to the ground and brought close to the heel of the foot which is flat on the floor.
http://resistancetraining.wordpress.com/2006/12/10/taoist-standing-practise-core-stability/
traditional exercise practised by martial artists over the centuries, Standing Practise (Zhan Zhuang) is known for its surprising toughness (postures are traditionally held for at least 60 to 80 minutes) and for its ability to develop health, strengthen the bones and tendons, increase core stability, correct any muscular-skeletal misalignments (crucial for lop-sided sports like golf, javelin, tennis etc), increase sensitivity to balance, and develop a powerful competitive spirit
The six benefits of Standing Practise are as follows:
- Physical strength and stamina
- Relaxation
- Grounding
- Lower Abdominal Breathing
- Opening the energy gates of the body
- Cultivation of intrinsic energy
Other benefits include correcting misalignments of the skeleton and cultivating a calm, aware mental state (’Here and Now’ thought). The more advanced posture you are going to learn here, will continue to help train all the above, and due to its intensity and demanding nature, it will help to prepare your mind for increased focus, intent and competitiveness.
San Ti Shi – Three Body Posture
The foundation of Xingyiquan (Hsing Yi Ch’uan) is its stance keeping practise of San Ti Shi, which means “Three Body Posture” or “Trinity Posture”. Hsing Yi Ch’uan is one of the three Chinese internal martial arts, alongside the more well-known T’ai Chi and the more esoteric style of Ba Gua Ch’uan. To get a rare glimpse of these ancient arts in action, watch a film called “The One”, staring Jet Li, in which he plays two roles – a good guy and a bad guy – the first using the fighting skills of Ba Gua Ch’uan and the other using Hsing Yi Ch’uan . These arts are known for their physical toughness and for their ability to develop the practitioner’s mind to a level where the mind sets the intent for the physical movement – Hsing Yi Ch’uan actually means “the mind that forms the fist”. The exercise you are going to learn here will help you set your mental intent for the movement skills of any sport and is particularly good if you are a competitive athlete, as it will help to increase your level of intent or desire by training your mind, breathing and nervous-system to stay focused yet relaxed under pressure.
San Ti Shi – How to Stand
- Stand with your feet about half shoulder width wide, the toes of both feet parallel and pointing straight forward
- Gently tuck under your lower back to take out the lumbar curve
- Unlock your knees and sink your weight into the balls of your feet
- Turn your right toes out about 45 degrees and shift your weight onto your right leg – then step forward with your left leg, keeping your left toes facing straight ahead
- Keep your weight 70% on your right leg and 30% on your left leg
- Keep your centre of gravity mid-way between your feet, rather than predominantly on either the right or left leg
- Turn your hips and shoulders 45 degrees to the right, matching the direction of your right toes – your eyes and head point straight forwards, in the direction of your left toes
- Relax your shoulders – bring your left arm in line with your left leg, arm and fingers pointing straight forward and your elbow relaxed and in line with your left knee
- Bring your right arm in front of you – waist height – and touch the outside edge of your right thumb against your lower abdomen, about 2″ below your navel (this is your T’an Tien – the body’s natural centre of gravity) – your right fingers point forward and your elbow is relaxed and holding your ribs
- Keep your chin tucked under, to take the curve from the neck and hold your head upright, imagining the crown of your head is suspended by a balloon on a thread
- Gently touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth
- Breathe in and out through your nose
- Relax all the muscles of your body and try to be aware of your breathing
- Look straight ahead
For a left back-stance (the opposite of that described above), simply mirror the posture on the other side of your body. Try 3 minutes each side at first and gradually work up to 10, 15 or 20 minutes each side.
What to expect
With your waist and shoulders facing right, while your eyes, fingers and intent are directed forward, you are learning to train your ability to release energy from the T’an Tien – your body’s natural centre of gravity – which is used all the time in sports yet rarely trained in isolation. In the martial arts, this stance is used to develop Fa Jing or explosive power in your punches, and if you want to experience this, try this exercise once you can hold the San Ti Shi posture each side for at least 5 minutes:
- Starting in San Ti Shi, sink your weight deeper into your feet
- Make a loose fist with your right hand
- Throw your hips forward and release the punch at waist height, keeping your shoulder, elbow and wrist relaxed – your punch should end up in line with your T’an Tien (2″ below your navel) – your hips and shoulders will now be facing forwards
- As you punch, simultaneously grip and pull your left hand back to your waist, turning your left closed fist upwards as you do so – feel as if you are grabbing and twisting someone’s belt-buckle and are pulling them towards you with your left hand, while punching with your right
- Focus on the T’an Tien – the pivot point around which the hips turn – this is an energy centre about the size of a golf ball, located 2″ below your navel. Imagine the ball rotating and that in turn, your hips, shoulders, arms and fists are all thrown into place as a result
If you really want to give yourself a challenge, try this exercise standing in front of a lighted candle and use the intent, relaxation and speed combined in your punch to generate enough force to put out the flame. Once you can do this up close to the candle, step back a little and try again.
Learning to hold the San Ti Shi stance for 10 or more minutes each side will really train your core stability muscles to keep you relaxed and poised while keeping only a narrow base. Usually we are comfortable with a wider base and generally stand and play sports with our feet under our shoulders. Narrowing your stance like this while lengthening your stride will help to lower your centre of gravity and increase your relaxation response, which in turn makes your body denser and stronger. This type of training also strengthens the bone marrow and tendons and is used a great deal in Traditional Chinese Medicine where it is considered a form of Chi Kung or energy training.
Having a strong intent and competitive nature is vital to achievement in sports, whether you are competing against others, against your own self, or against the time-marker on the treadmill. Masters’ level swimmers who have trained in San Ti Shi, agree that their intent pool-side while warming up and getting ready to enter the water has increased dramatically, as has their opponents reactions to them on account of their indomitable body-language (a much over-looked weapon in the athlete’s arsenal). I believe San Ti Shi can be used to great advantage by any athlete who has to face the starting blocks in some form or another. I have even worked with a potential Formula 1 driver who has used San Ti Shi as part of her race preparation including psyching herself up on the grid at the start of a race.
Any time you need to initiate an all-out performance of pure action without heed to reaction, internal chatter or self-observation, then San Ti Shi is the training tool for you. But remember, the exercise really starts to work, just at the point when your mind wants to give up (”I’m bored”, “this hurts”, “God, is that only two minutes?”).
Stay with it, relax and breath and in no time you’ll be stronger, quicker, ready for competition, and above all, focused. Next time, we will look at elements of T’ai Chi for extreme and endurance sports.
Further Reading:
- The Tao of Yi Quan – Warriors of Stillness, Volume II, by Jan Diepersloot
- Xing Yi Nei Gong – Health Maintenance and Internal Strength Development, Edited by Dan Miller and Tim Cartmell
Article Reference
This article, written by Jane Storey, appeared in Issue 37 of the Successful Coaching Newsletter (November 2006).
bio(”JST”)
About the Author
Jayne Storey is a specialist in T`ai Chi and uses this to help athletes and teams with balance, posture, body-mechanics, attention control, co-ordination, stress management, mindfulness….and also to create the right internal conditions for accessing the sporting zone/flow state. Jayne can be contacted through her website at www.jaynestorey.com
http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/wuji.htm
Into the Mystic
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/464_1.cfm
Still largely cloaked in mystery, ancient Tibetan yoga practices are slowly being introduced in the West, but teachers remain cautious about revealing their secrets.
While the Chinese occupation of Tibet has stirred the outrage of the world’s spiritual community, it has also brought many of Tibet’s religious secrets into the light of day. Tibetan spiritual masters have carried their knowledge and traditions to the West, capturing the imaginations of mystics, seekers, and scholars everywhere. In fact, stories that began to trickle out of Tibet in the first half of the twentieth century were no less than fantastic—yogis who could generate immense inner heat, enough to survive unclothed in the harsh and freezing Tibetan landscape, who could literally open the tops of their heads and transfer consciousness to another, and who could transport themselves effortlessly across vast distances at superhuman speed.
A growing body of knowledge about Tibetan spiritual arts and beliefs, utterly magical and almost hallucinatory in their drama and complexity, has begun to articulate the meditation and visualization practices that helped generate these powers and, more importantly, the states of mind and spirit that made them possible. But there have been frustratingly few specifics about physical movement practices that are Tibetan in origin. Though tantalizing hints are woven into texts describing the meditation and pranayama practices of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism and other Tibetan teachings, most of the references are general and vague, with reminders of the extremely clandestine nature of these practices. But movement practices do indeed exist, and in fact play an important role in the trinity of body, mind, and spirit that grounds Tibetan theology.
Until very recently, Westerners have had few clues in the search for knowledge of these Tibetan yogic paths. In the past few years, however, select teachers from two Tibetan spiritual communities now centered in the West have begun to share their long-secret, carefully guarded movement practices. Both of these practices are forms of what is called, in Tibetan, ‘phrul ‘khor, pronounced “trul-khor.” Trul-khor is the generic name for Tibetan movement practices, and today, two forms of trul-khor are being taught in the West.
The first form is called Yantra Yoga (not the yantra yoga of India, which is associated with geometric images) and is taught by Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu, leader of the Dzogchen meditation community based in Naples, Italy, and Conway, Massachusetts. Norbu, who is beginning to make the practice more widely available, was born in Tibet in 1938 and recognized as the incarnation of a great Dzogchen master at the age of 2; he recently retired after serving 28 years as a professor of Tibetan and Mongolian language and literature at the Oriental Institute of the University of Naples. He is a living holder of the Yantra Yoga teaching, which stems from an ancient text called The Unification of the Sun and Moon and which descended through the famous Tibetan translator Vairochana and a lineage of Tibetan masters, according to Snow Lion Publications, which publishes an extensive catalog of Buddhist books and other materials.
The second form was brought to the West by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a master of the Bˆn school of the Dzogchen meditative tradition. In 1992, he founded the Ligmincha Institute, based in Charlottesville, Virginia, with branches in Texas, California, Poland, and Mexico; its aim, according to Ligmincha literature, is to “introduce to the West the wisdom traditions of the Bonpo which are concerned with the harmonious integration of internal and external energies.” One part of these wisdom traditions is the Tibetan yoga practice that Ligmincha practitioners call Trul-Khor. (In this story, the capitalized term “Trul-Khor” refers to the movement practice taught by the Ligmincha Institute’s authorized teachers; the lowercase “trul-khor” is a generic term referring to Tibetan movement practices in general.)
Both Yantra Yoga and Trul-Khor are forms that have been kept intact through centuries, and that are designed to create a state of “natural mind” for the devoted disciple. With newly available workshops, classes, instructional videotapes, and soon-to-be-published books, Tibetan yoga is bound to attract the interest of Westerners. Those who know the practices say they hope these yogas will not be diluted or modified as hatha yoga has been. Powerful and demanding when fully engaged in, these disciplines will probably never find their way into the class schedule of every health club in America. The serious seeker who finds this path, however, will discover the magic of an ancient tradition still intact.
The Magical Wheel
“Trul-khor” means “magical wheel,” says Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, a teacher associated with the Ligmincha Institute and a Ph.D. candidate in religious studies at Rice University in Houston. Chaoul-Reich learned Trul-Khor, a set of seven cycles with a total of 38 movements, at Tritan Norbutse Bˆn monastery in Kathmandu, and was then able to verify the movements against an original Tibetan text with his teacher, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
The form known as Yantra Yoga has 108 movements in all (a number considered auspicious because it echoes the 108 canonical texts of the Buddha). Yantra Yoga is one of the few trul-khor practices of the Buddhist tradition that authorized teachers will transmit, at least in part, to students who are not engaged in the traditional three-year retreat process, and who have not completed a lengthy series of prostrations, meditations, and mantras.
The Eight Movements of Yantra Yoga, a recently released videotape from Snow Lion Publications, represents a remarkable breakthrough in making Tibetan movement practice universally available. “It’s out now because Namkhai Norbu is willing for it to be made public,” says Jeff Cox, president of Snow Lion. “Norbu is concerned that people do these movements properly, and with the release of this video, I think he’s making a statement that he thinks enough people will be able to learn and benefit from it.” The eight movements demonstrated on the videotape can be considered a preparatory method for balancing one’s energy system, Cox says; a book with extensive instructions for the full system of Yantra Yoga is being translated from Tibetan by Adriano Clemente of Italy, a student of Norbu’s, and will be published by Snow Lion.
Fabio Andrico, also of Italy, is the tape’s instructor; originally a student of hatha yoga, as were many trul-khor practitioners, he met Norbu Rinpoche in 1977. “I met Yantra Yoga and my teacher after having studied hatha yoga for several months in southern India,” says Andrico. “A friend of mine told me that a Tibetan teacher was giving teachings on an advanced form of yoga which deepened particularly the aspect of the breathing, so I decided to go to the retreat in southern Italy.” More than 20 years later, Andrico is helping to disseminate the teachings he calls “subtle and powerful.”
When asked to compare trul-khor to hatha yoga, Andrico notes that Tibetan yogas vary; just as there is a wide range of schools and traditions in hatha yoga, the same is true in the lineage-specific forms of trul-khor. “But to make a generalization,” Andrico says, “the principle difference is that in Yantra Yoga we have a continuous sequence of movement while in hatha yoga there is more emphasis on static forms. In Yantra Yoga, you do not stay in a position for a long time—the position is only a moment in the sequence of movement, ruled by the rhythm of the breathing and the application of one of the five kinds of breath retention.”
Chˆgyal Namkhai Norbu expands on these differences in his introduction to The Eight Movements of Yantra Yoga. “In Yantra Yoga there are many positions similar to those of hatha yoga, but the way of getting into the positions, the main point of the practice and the consideration, or point of view, of the practice of Yantra Yoga is different,” Norbu says. “In Yantra Yoga the asana, or position, is one of the important points but not the main one. Movement is more important. For example, in order to get into an asana, breathing and movement are linked and applied gradually. The [hatha yoga] movement is also limited by time, which is divided into periods consisting of four beats each: a period to get into the position, a certain period to remain in the position, and then a period to finish the position. Everything is related in Yantra Yoga. The overall movement is important, not only the asana. This is a very important point.”
Michael Katz, author of The White Dolphin (Psychology Help Publications, 1999) and editor of Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light by Namkhai Norbu (Snow Lion Publications, 1992), has been practicing Yantra Yoga since 1981 and teaches in various locations, including New York City’s Open Center, through the Conway, Massachusetts-based Dzogchen community. He agrees that the focus on breath is a primary point of difference between Yantra Yoga and hatha yoga as it’s taught today in the West. “Yantra Yoga seems more active, movement-oriented—at first blush that’s the distinction,” Katz says. “I think there’s a very strong emphasis on the breathing process, and a lot of the exercises that are presented in the form of yoga are designed toward developing advanced breathing exercises.”
The Trul-Khor taught by Chaoul-Reich shares this emphasis on movement and breath. “One of the more obvious distinctions with hatha yoga is that in Trul-Khor the postures are not fixed asanas, but are in continuous movement, some very vigorous,” Chaoul-Reich says. “Another peculiarity of Trul-Khor is that one is holding the breath during the entire movement and only releasing it at the end of the posture. Some say that because of its forceful nature, Trul-Khor is similar to what is called Kundalini Yoga in the West,” he adds.
The Tang of Tibet
Another series of movements said to be Tibetan in origin is known as “The Five Rites of Rejuvenation” or “The Five Tibetans.” These unusual, rhythmic movements, which have circulated for decades among yogis but are finding new popularity today, have been credited with the ability to heal the body, balance the chakras, and reverse the aging process in just minutes a day. Legend says that a British explorer learned them in a Himalayan monastery from Tibetan monks who were living in good health far beyond normal lifespans. Skeptics say that no Tibetan has ever recognized these practices as authentically Tibetan, however beneficial they may be.
Yoga teacher Chris Kilham, whose book The Five Tibetans (Healing Arts Press, 1994) has contributed to the practice’s current popularity, makes no claims of certainty about the series’ origins. “Whether or not the Five Tibetans are in fact Tibetan in origin is something we may never ascertain,” Kilham writes. “Perhaps they come from Nepal or northern India…As the story has it, they were shared by Tibetan lamas; beyond that I know nothing of their history. Personally, I think these exercises are most likely Tibetan in origin. The issue at hand, though, is not the lineage of the Five Tibetans. The point is [their] immense potential value for those who will clear 10 minutes a day to practice.”
Kilham believes the Five Rites have “the tang of Tibet,” and others agree that there are similarities to Tibetan yogas. “I personally don’t know if they’re for real,” says Andrico. “Oddly, some of the five movements—one especially—resembles one of the eight movements of Yantra Yoga, but it’s done without any knowledge of integrating the breathing with the movement, which is a fundamental point in the practice of Yantra.”
Whatever their origin, the Five Tibetans/Five Rites share both method and potential madness with trul-khor practices. “These exercises seem to speed the flow of energy or prana up the spine and through the chakras,” says Jeff Migdow, M.D., a contributor to Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 2 (Doubleday, 1998), director of the Prana Yoga Teacher Training course at the Open Center in New York City, and a physician in holistic practice with an office at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts. Furthermore, the Five Rites are potent in their intensity. “If people do them incorrectly, they may experience dizziness or nausea,” Migdow says. “The exercises are deceptively simple but very powerful.”
“The Five Tibetans combine posture, breath, and motion to create a dynamic energetic effect,” Kilham says. “They do not require either exceptional strength or flexibility, but with a minimum of both, they can generate significant energetic power, which is then used in meditation to shatter the cognitive boundaries of the mind and achieve a transcendent state.”
Whatever the provenance or effects of the Five Rites/Five Tibetans, it seems clear that the practices of Yantra Yoga and Trul-Khor are keeping ancient, secret traditions alive and intact in a way that hatha yoga, perhaps, can no longer claim. “I think [Yantra Yoga] is very much as it was when it was first introduced. There’s an unbroken lineage,” Katz says. “It’s rarely presented to the public, which limits the likelihood of the distortion of the lineage. This may not be the case with some hatha yoga traditions, where there are various interpretations. I think the lineage in this particular tradition is very strong.”
Chaoul-Reich echoes this reflection on the adaptation of hatha yoga traditions, agreeing that teachers of Tibetan yoga must weigh the risks of compromising tradition against the risks of losing these practices altogether if they are not taught more widely. “Through the years we’ve seen many kinds of yogas, which were originally from Hindu sources, that seem to have been adapted for the Western mind, body, and lifestyle. Today we even see hatha yoga courses in gyms which seem to be just stretching exercises,” Chaoul-Reich says. “Don’t get me wrong—I believe it’s a way that these traditions can reach more interested people that would probably not come if the methods were not adapted. I believe it’s a challenge, too, to be able to instruct without corrupting the teachings, yet acknowledging the audience.”
“I do have concerns that the complexity [of Yantra Yoga] will disappear,” Katz says, “But I’ve come to the conclusion that Norbu Rinpoche, who is the guardian of this tradition, has the bird’s-eye view. If he feels it’s more important that it be practiced more accurately by a very few, he’ll make the call. All the Tibetan teachers want to make sure these traditions are not lost, and so would like people to practice. At the same time, if it’s not practiced as accurately as they would like, they have a strong feeling it’s not worth it.” The jury’s still out, Katz says, on how much Tibetan yoga will be revealed in a much more public way.
Is It Magic?
If it seems startling that any tradition could remain so mysterious and little-known today, when virtually every culture and every corner of the world has been explored, it may reflect the power that these practices are said to have. As mentioned above, early Western visitors to Tibet reported yogis with phenomenal, almost unbelievable, powers. While trul-khor practices may have been only a small part of the spiritual landscape—and lifetime devotion—that made these feats possible, the movements are nonetheless considered to be powerful. While holding unlimited potential for healing and balancing the body, mind, and spirit, these movements were and are also considered possibly dangerous to those who use them recklessly or without adequate instruction. In the West, however, the current level of teachings available will not take students to dangerous extremes.
Theoretically it’s possible to develop these powers through the practice of trul-khor and, in particular, the “unification of the sun and moon,” Katz says. “I’m not aware of any current Western practitioners who have taken it to that level…but I do believe these practices are profound. Someone who was to devote his life, in retreat, to these practices could develop these kinds of capacities,” Katz adds.
Most Westerners are, instead, at what Katz calls a “spiritual beginner” level, which limits our capacity for such extraordinary feats. Moreover, trul-khor can have negative consequences if performed improperly or with arrogance. “It’s been described as a ‘sharp path,’ meaning it can cause negative health problems if it’s done incorrectly,” Katz says. “It really can’t be done frivolously.”
Those potential negative health effects that can result from misuse of these movements are making teachers all the more cautious, adding to the mystique and the secrecy of the teachings. The dangers are more subtle than sprained ankles or sore muscles. “Breathing is intimately connected with energy,” says Snow Lion’s Cox. “Breathing can affect a person’s energy system more deeply than movement. So there are usually warnings not to overdo or try to force things, like holding the breath too long or doing too many repetitions,” he adds.
“You’re playing with some of the energies of the body, the internal circulation of air,” agrees Katz. “If you direct or force the internal airs into the wrong channels, you can disrupt the natural processes of the body. These are quite powerful exercises, and doing them improperly even for a short time can result in insomnia, digestive problems, whatever—or, in the extreme, if you were to abuse the practice, you could have mental problems such as anxiety or depression,” he says.
Healing & Purifying
Done correctly, these movements can be equally powerful as agents of healing and balancing the body and mind, beyond the extremes of supernatural abilities or destructive forces.
In fact, the trul-khor systems are intricately designed to maximize positive effects on the body and mind. Ancient Tibetan medicine identifies five elements—space, air, fire, earth, and water—which correlate to organs in the body and to emotions, both positive and negative. Chaoul-Reich says that the Bˆn tradition, in particular, explores the elements, though the system is also used in Tantra, Tibetan shamanism, and Dzogchen, and is similar (but not identical) to the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine. In the Trul-Khor of the Bˆn tradition, the first, or preliminary, cycle of movements is an introduction to the breath. The second, more vigorous, cycle specifically balances the five elements and their corresponding afflictions.
The 108 movements of Yantra Yoga also address the body’s “channels,” says Andrico. “There are three families of preparatory exercises apart from the eight movements [shown in the video]. There are five movements to mobilize the joints and five movements to control the channels. Before that we practice a breathing exercise designed to expel the impure prana.” In the complete system, these are followed by 25 positions, called yantras, with two variations of each for a total of 75 movements divided into five groups. Finally, says Andrico, there is a series called the vajra wave, designed “to correct any possible obstruction of the flowing of prana created by distraction during the practice.”
Ultimately, the intention of both Yantra Yoga and Trul-Khor is to clear all of the qualities identified as unwanted obstructions, imbalances, distractions, or afflictions, including negative emotions. In this state of purification, the student can begin to experience “the natural mind.”
“The basic goal is to be able to continue in a state of relaxation—a natural state without tensions, but in the full presence of our potentiality,” Andrico says. For both Yantra Yoga and Trul-Khor, meditation is an integral part of the practice; the bodily movements are designed to be experienced with the meditations that are part of each tradition’s lineage. “Yantra Yoga is meant to be done in conjunction with meditation, particularly from the Dzogchen and Vajrayana tradition,” Michael Katz says. “It’s good for people who are particularly oriented toward balancing their yoga practice with a very intact spiritual tradition.” Yet here in the West, those people seem to be a rare breed, and in fact hatha yoga is often presented as only a physical pursuit. “Tibetan Yoga is little known and practiced exactly because it is so doggedly focused on conscious training and liberation,” says Chris Kilham.
Buddhism, on the other hand, is often presented as a meditative and intellectual religious practice without a physical component. For this reason, says Katz, Westerners have been relatively slower to seek out traditional Tibetan yoga practices than to adopt Buddhism’s more ethereal components.
“Buddhism tends to be presented in a rather sedentary and intellectual manner in the United States,” Katz says. “It’s unbalanced, with an insufficient emphasis on the physical body. [Trul-khor] is a way to balance out that problem.” Although Tibetan yoga may have been somewhat overlooked, the fact remains that a cloak of secrecy has surrounded it.
For Namkhai Norbu and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, releasing these teachings is a matter of necessity—to preserve the traditions—as well as one of generosity, in sharing what they believe can be a beneficial practice leading to spiritual awakening.
But it’s also an act of courage, as they send their ancient, closely guarded traditions into a modern world that is likely to change them.
Yet if these teachings can make a successful transition to Western culture in the eyes of Tibetan spiritual elders, it’s likely to propel even more of Tibet’s secrets into the open.
Resources
Tsegyalgar, the U.S. center for the teachings of Namkhai Norbu, in Conway, Massachusetts: (413) 369-4153; e-mail:74404.1141@compuserve.com; www.3dsite.com/n/sites/dzogchen.
The Eight Movements of Yantra Yoga: An Ancient Tibetan Tradition (videotape), by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, with Fabio Andrico, instructor. Snow Lion Publications: (800) 950-0313; www.snowlionpub.com.Ligmincha Institute, led by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: (804) 977-6161; e-mail: Ligmincha@aol.com; www.ligmincha.org.
Elaine Lipson is a Colorado-based writer specializing in yoga, organic foods and natural health, and textiles. She has practiced the Five Tibetans since 1993.
Utkatasana : Awkward, Powerful Pose
http://resistancetraining.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/utkatasana/
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[PDF] Postures in Practice
