Let's Sit! — How to

We all want to drop into that "zone" state. This is where time flies and we are intently focused on the activity at hand. Learning meditation is like learning to ride a bicycle. While sitting on the cushion, we want to coast peacefully, without distraction. It's not too different from bicycling. Imagine you are on the interstate and there is no one else on the road. There's a long stretch of highway for miles and the temperature is perfect. The ground is level so you don't need to pedal so much to keep your pace. These are the conditions that lead...

We all want to improve. Setting up a system of measure to track progress is key when building any skill, and with meditation it is extremely difficult. How does one assess one's own progress? This is a critical question, given the amount of time required for self cultivation. Remember that in Qigong breath is crucial. We say that breathing is strategy, and knowing which strategy to use requires proficiency. Practice and exploration aids and facilitates proficiency. The first step is to relax the mind and body, using the breathing. You want to aim for soft, smooth, slender and long. This...

Thoughts and the mind! Ah! How do you meditate on your worries, doubts, fears or goals?? And how do you reconcile the quest for no mind?? What do you think about when you are trying to quiet it down? These are all relevant questions. One of the goals in meditation is to quiet the mind chatter - slow down the monkey mind. How do we do this? To quiet the mind we say, give the monkey a banana. This means to use breathing do calm the mind - the breath is the banana. If the mind is very active, you...

 "You are there, but you are not there." This is how my my teacher, Dr. Yang, describes the semi-sleeping state. When sitting, we are creating the conditions to drop into this state. It cannot be force, and it is a skill to be cultivated. It's like flying a kite and allowing the string to stretch as far as it can while still keeping control. This is similar to riding that line of the waking and the sleep state.For thousands of years, Chinese have known that alongside our visible world (Yang) there exists an invisible world (Yin). This world in not...

People always ask me what is essential. What do I need to practice every day? So why do we sit? Sitting brings us to the root of mind, root of body and motivation. My response is always, what is your why? What is your goal? This will give you an idea of what to practice, what is essential.For many people relaxation is what is needed. With all the things that make up our to-do list, it seems difficult to find time for self. What does that mean? Why do we need time for self? Well, spending time with just the...