Enjoy Summer Outside !

Clearly, summer is characterized by heat.  Under its effects, the body functions better in general, as everything is more open and circulates better.

Be cautious to avoid restlessness and excessive movement, they result in a hyperactive and overheated system.

If we are peaceful and calm, summer will benefit us.  If we are upset and overworked, it will be harmful.

Openness and Communion With Nature

Summer is the time where we don’t have to protect ourselves from the cold.  However we must still protect ourselves from the sun because too much exposure harms the skin (skin cancers are caused by repetitive and excessive sun exposure).

“In summer, take care to regulate activities and limit strong emotions.”

Summer is a special time in the year during which we can spend time in nature with a minimum of clothing, almost none at all.  Strolls in nature, where we are lightly dressed in simple apparel, allow us to feel the forces of the earth.  We feel more in harmony with nature, and have a greater sense of belonging.

Take care of Fatigue

An excess of heat makes energy rise up, into our heads.  We can feel easily overwhelmed by our enthusiasm, and at risk of ‘spreading ourselves too thin’.  This tendency towards dispersion can dissolve our vitality, leaving us feeling fatigued.

To avoid this fatigue, we must treat summer heat with respect and make efforts to regulate our temperature during this period.

We must conduct ourselves similarly with regard to the emotions and the internal heat they can generate.  The heat will feel oppressive if we are worked up or bothered by strong emotions.

“A good diet, the right breathing exercises, 

and a moderate level of physical activity will allow us to best cope with the heat of summer.”

In summer, we must take care of our heart and circulatory system.  We can fast for a few days, or stop drinking for a few hours, hold our breath for a few minutes…but we cannot stop the beating of our heart.

The heat is not an ally for our hearts, for it oppresses and fatigues.

Summer is the period when our cardiovascular functions are most stressed and our circulatory system is most stimulated by environmental heat.

We must ‘tidy’ up our heart, be selective in our efforts and not tire the body out for no reason.

Caution – inactivity and apathy wear on the heart just as much as over activity. 

Take Care of Your Heart!

In summer, when we are at rest, the heat allows our circulating blood to be more fluid and flow easier, because all the blood vessels are more dilated.

However, if we are too worked up, there is too much pressure on this system, leading to over-exhaustion, especially for the heart.

We must be active but not overly so.  If we have plans to carry out made in the spring, we must not allow ourselves to get sidetracked by tiring distractions.  We do what we have committed to, without adding fluff to it.

We often have trouble feeling alive, and often need to be busy enough to avoid boredom.

Enthusiasm can lead us to undertaking too many things because of the illusion we have that putting the pedal to the metal is how to live fully.

When we are engaging in physical activity, we must hydrate much more than often, and eating lighter than usual.

Blockages and Heaviness

If we are not in good shape, summer heat leaves us with blockages and heaviness inside.  These are the result of all the physical tensions and inactivity that accumulate over the year.  This heaviness, the blockages and tiredness paralyze us and must be dissolved; summer is the perfect time to eliminate them with a daily practice.

In order to circulate what is stagnant - whether it be the blood, the energy, or the breath – one must practice simple activities, such as taking a walk three or four times a day, swimming regularly, or going for a jog at an easy pace.

In a week or two, the chosen moderate physical activity will help with restoring good health, as it aligns with the rhythm of the season.

Gaining without disturbing

“Summer: the season where one takes their time.  Fall: the season for man and nature to travel together.  Winter: the season where we count the days.  Spring: the season of illusions; nature is rejuvenated and we believe the same happens to us.”  Aristotle

This is the paradox of summer: we must do without overdoing.  The balance is tricky to grasp for those who are not in tune with the energy of the seasons.

The strength of summer is such that we only have to channel the enthusiasm and natural energy of the season to realize our goals, rather than getting all worked up.

In order to do this, we must have already made concrete plans in the spring in order to follow them through clearly in the summer.

One of the secrets for acting well here is to understand the balance between work and rest.  This truth applies to the entire year, but it is most important during the hot months where the body is already feeling excess.

Take advantage of the heat, but at a slower pace

The heat has an automatic effect on the circulation.  Take advantage on the proper functioning of our systems by not overdoing it.

Avoid bustling about all day.  Rather, do the minimum essential.  Engage in light physical activity, eat lightly and stay protected from the heat.

Summer is also the time for holidays, where relaxation reigns.

We take advantage of the heat by letting our bodies unwind a bit.

Accepting to do nothing is not easy, as most of us feel extreme guilt whenever we are inactive.

We often feel the need to define ourselves by our activity or how much we bustle about…

Doing a lot gives the impression of being, and it satisfied the ego and mind.  However, it is also possible to just take life as it comes, watching it go by.

This is not an excuse for laziness, rather an appeal to just being without the need to hustle.

Rediscovering the ‘Simple’

Summer allows us to feel the joy for life and of having a body more easily.  We are more aware of our perceptions.

The natural relaxation that accompanies summer allows us to contemplate the world around us, to accept life and commit to living simply.

It is a great thing to have access to our senses of breathing, watching, living.

“Summer is a good time to contemplate the joy of being alive.”

"Il faut toujours un Hiver pour bercer un Printemps"

 Many of us have trouble accepting the fact that we ought to decrease our activities during winter, as we live in a society where working less is equivalent to being weak.  Also, professional and societal rhythms and demands do not slow down during winter.

However, if we learn to respect our own rhythms of rest and work, we will be more productive.  Many people spend long hours working at their desk, but a decent portion of those hours is unproductive and would be better spent resting, thus allowing for more to be done later.

Winter is the time of the year for letting go and withdrawing.  It represents the irrepressible need for rest, as per the annual cycle.  In our daily lives, we must respect the interplay of work and rest, along with the rhythms of the year’s activities.

Consider these two fates: that of a military commander, the strategic genius, versus the kamikaze.  The first wins their battles with the least loss of human life, while the second gives their life up by crashing into a target.

Studying, reading, learning

Winter is traditionally the time for studying subjects that are interesting, reading, self-cultivation and developing knowledge.

Often, we do not devote enough time to our interests in our daily routine.  Winter is the perfect time for dedicating time to this.  During the rest of the year, take note of subjects you find interesting, books that attract you, and put them aside until winter comes.

Compile all the things that interest you into a list at the end of autumn and the start of winter in order to develop a syllabus for learning and discovery.

“Doing less in winter does not mean doing nothing.  It is the time for learning.”

Going out less, receiving more

Winter is neither the time for going out a lot, nor for meeting new people.  The season is best for spending time with our closest relationships, whether family or friends.  Invite them to come over, converse with them about any and every thing, and take advantage of the long winter nights to get to know these loved ones better.

“Winter is not the season for going out, but that for having close friends in our homes.”

Getting ready for spring

During this active hibernation, think back over the year that is about to come to a close, and make sure what we did lines up with what we wanted to do.

This analysis prepares the ground for spring, and therefore the coming year, by making sure we are on the right track to becoming who we want to be.  By examining ourselves thusly, we can track our evolution and our expectations with regard to our lives.

By adapting our vision of things and ourselves to the coming year, we prepare for the right kind of self-development and daily routine.

If we have trouble reflecting on these things objectively, turn to others you trust and ask them for their advice and help.

You can also seek out a mentor or teacher that has already guided you, to get help with your research.

The strength of our personal development lies in our efforts that we actually undertake.

“The retreat that comes with winter is not a dead period, but a time of active preparation for the year to come.”

Choosing a different rhythm

The creative force from the beginning of the year feeds off the energy that accumulates during the calm winter.  The more we take this period seriously, the more we successfully shape our choices for the coming year.

To ensure that we make the right choices, we must know which direction we seek to go in, in addition to how much intensity to put into each effort.

By conserving our strength in order to avoid exhaustion, and by searching profoundly for what we need, we can really prepare for a productive and intelligent new year.

Like a sprinter preparing for a big race, we must rest and concentrate our will on the action to come.

These preparations are often more important than the actions themselves.  Many athletes, especially fighters, speak of how much harder the training and conditioning is than the competitions themselves.

This preparatory period is demanding, but without it, the athletes would not be primed for competition.

Working more at home

If possible, winter is a great time for work as much as we can at home.  Our work will benefit from the peace of our own home, or another location where we feel at ease.

Winter is not a good time for brainstorming in groups.  Instead, we must make decision by ourselves.  Our work will also be better if we do it alone.

For solo working and thinking, stay at home or disengage from your environment.

It is possible to become isolated and focused on yourself and your thoughts amidst a hurricane: this all depends on your state of mind.

If you are focused on your work and the problems that need to be solved, the external ambiance becomes a white noise, a murmur that no longer distracts.

“Isolated but not alone, we work actively, just like the energy of winter.”

Meeting and sharing

If we need to work alone, we must also meet with those close to us.  We can plan gatherings or regular meet ups which allow us to connect a bit with those who are important to us.

“In order not to suffocate, we must condition and motivate ourselves, uncover our goals and create a strategy for the coming year.”

Our introspection can extend to include our circle of family and closest friends.  This sharing helps balance the retreat from the world.  Do not turn to the people outside of your circle, unlike in spring; focus on your intimate relations.

“In spring, energy expands outwards towards the new, so we can test and discover.  In winter everything contracts, to enhance and share.”

Doing, but not excessively

End of year parties give plenty of excuses for excess.  However, these do not align with the spirit of winter, as it is the time of year when we are most fragile.  We must instead pay close attention to what we eat, and arrange our lives to be free of excess.

In this introspective and reflective period, our awareness must be free so that we can be efficient.  Our diet must be adapted to the season, full of vigorous vitality.

We must thus enter a ‘saving’ mode, and respect our body abused by the cold.  We must sleep enough, by going to bed at a reasonable time.  The time we spend doing things must be useful and deliberate.  By doing what needs to be done in our daily routine, all the while sparing our strength, we conserve the important energy that is precious to our health.

Enjoy the end of Winter and be ready for an incredible learning year of Ding You !

Learn Something in 2017 !!!

Adrenaline: Assistance to a Person in Danger

In the primitive times of the development of mankind, humans had to struggle to survive. Every day, to eat and live, men were challenging death.

The confrontation with the possibility of dying was as present as life itself. We have not changed that much: our immune system is still functioning like in survival days.

The reaction to an important stress triggers a release of adrenaline that allows to deal with the two most important options: fight or flight. This rush allows us to have an increased neuromuscular function and to be more resilient to pain.

In our sterile society and where the sense of responsibility has vanished, we don't have many occasions to be confronted with these extreme body mechanisms, so they end up surprising us. We take this natural feeling, which renders assistance to a person in danger, as a pathological manifestation of our weakness in a situation: it overwhelms and paralyzes us instead of supporting us in our choice of action or escape.

When driving a car, it is requested to engage the clutch and then accelerate. If you do so, you will have a movement that depends on how hard you are pushing your machine. If you accelerate without clutching a gear, you will have a terrible noise, a shaking of the structure and some surprise of the driver who does not feel the expected motion. Adrenaline causes the same phenomenon in humans: if we learn to use it then it is of invaluable help, otherwise it will only disturb us.

Now we need to recognize the various manifestations of these rushes in our body. There are five major manifestations of our fears and anxieties that will be related to problematic releases of adrenaline:

- The anticipation anxiety,
- The fear before the confrontation,
- The fear during the confrontation
- The second dose during the confrontation,
- The anxiety following the confrontation.

Through daily pathological anxieties, we release, over long periods of times, small doses of adrenaline without any purpose or specific reason.

A possible confrontation with the partner, the department head or the "colleagues" at work, causes this anxiety unnecessarily. The more the body gets used to this constant release of adrenaline, the more the person will be tense, agitated and unable to respond to a real emergency situation. The constant stimulation of the system, without reason and without action, is not like a car that accelerates constantly without being clutched, thus burning the engine.

The compulsive calculation of possible conflicts destructs us and makes our daily life arduous. We'd better fight against situations that really come up, rather than tilting at windmills. Moreover, after a while, this unused energy, stagnant and "heating", will be turned against someone weaker than us in our daily life: a partner, a child or small pet (if we are really weak and pathetic). This sweet release of "poison" must be identified and sublimated not to destroy us.

This is an anxiety, so it comes from ​​the world of thoughts. It is a work of internal alchemy which begins with Qi Gong.

When planning a real confrontation, it is normal to be scared. This stimulation prepares us for a reality. Whether a request for an raise, the prospect of a breakup, a fight for one's life or for sport, the feeling will grow until the manifestation of the event.

This fear may be that of defeat like that of success. This adrenaline rush lasts long enough and becomes useless. It is very difficult not to be the victim of this waiting period, often much worse than what we really expect.

This is related to the field of "calming the mind", but this represents an advanced level of practice.

In a conflict situation, and according to our level of knowledge of these phenomenons, we have a wrapping and violent adrenaline rush.

Depending on our own reality, we will be overwhelmed by the flight of a sparrow or a bayonet fight in the dark night. The more we become  intimate with these rushes and situations, the more we live them fully, in a completely relaxed state. The response will be even proper if our intellectual mind is not involved: we are more in an instinctive response which depends directly from an adaptation to our perceptions; the mental compulsive mind there is not welcome here.

We wil be progressively able to be more familiar with our reactions in a gradual exposure to our fears. Thus we will be more able to respond normally to life, in a typical taoist non-resistance.

In a conflictual situation with life, we can misjudge it. This mistake may suddenly appear when realizing the confrontation: again we go through a fear of failure or success that will give us a "second round" of sudden release of this natural stimulant.

Too often ignored by unadventurous scholars in their studies on fear, the second wave can break the achievement of our action. Confident of our abilities, but surprised by how reality turns out, we can be knocked out by this phenomenon.

A fantastical imagination, nourished with hopes and dreams, may be the cause of the difference between our projections and reality. I love the image of the armchair fighter who actually for the first time on an opponent. He is sure of the immensely destructive power of his iron fist and he is surprised by the absolute lack of results on the guy standing in front of him.

Imagination and cheap books guaranteed him victory however, but reality is not as attractive. He can be gone strong to battle, with all his illusions, and receive a "second wave" of fear that will freeze him at worst, make him run at best.

A husband who wants to break-up with his wife can feel self-confident and full of power until the final confrontation where his girlfriend leaves him.

His universe of decision-maker male may be the source of a memorable adrenalin rush. Exposure to fears will help setting the proper level of response to fear to a pleasant degree for everyday life: This level differs depending on whether one is a dressmaker or a special forces agent.

After the conflict, a "drawling" release remains and relaxes residual tensions. May the confrontation be a success or not, there is often, in this moment, a violent feeling which concludes the expérience.

The emotions that will be linked to the happy or unhappy resolution of the confrontation will make this moment easily discernible or not. When we are very pleased with the success of a confrontation, the final corresponding release end can be confused with the emotional signs expressed, but it's here anyway.

The more the confrontation phase will be unresolved, the more violent the final phase will be. If all steps do not end in a clear resolution, the remnants will be very present and very troublesome.

How to recognize these manifestations of adrenaline release?

The  results a slow rush, ie type 1 of the "anxious", and type 2 , are by far more dangerous and can become chronic. The same symptoms can exist for a bad psychological reaction to type 5, the afetrward rush, it is a state of shock.

We have four major symptoms:

- Loss of sleep or disturbed sleep,
- Loss of appetite or weight loss,
- Depressive syndromes,
- High blood pressure and palpitations.

Regarding the violent releases in the confrontation moment, we have five manifestations:

- An agitation that starts from the heart pumping to shake the whole body (voice included)
- A lack of saliva and spontaneous sweat (hands included)
- A "tunnel"vision that reduces peripheral vision (useful but dangerous)
- A possible nausea or a desire to go to the bathroom,
- A distortion of time which may seem longer or shorter.

These are the manifestations listed as the most common in studies on fear and its biochemical process.

To regain a kind of relaxation in these situations, a more normal way of working, we have three key concepts:

- To accept by intellectual and experimental understanding of the body mechanisms,
- To feel the adrenaline rush without confusing it with weakness,
- To use this natural help to "fight or flight" the situation.

Voilà !

Taoist Immortality

The Eight Rules for Living Well

In our tradition, there are rules and advice for all aspects of life.  

There are also greater concepts, often not talked about, that we still tend towards.

Among these bigger ideas is immortality.

This idea is not so much about the will to be old, but rather reminds us of three important elements related to age:

·         The Way is a vast teaching that takes time to fully explore

·         The practice demands that we be in shape in order to practice

·         The idea is to live to one’s maximum potential, whether that be at 66 or 118 years old…

There are thus a series of simple guidelines for living long, or at least as long as we can according to our genetics, and especially with the fewest number of inconveniences possible.

Modern research on this hinges on people who lived longer than others, and there have even been multiyear studies conducted on global populations.

They all come down to several simple rules for living as well as possible, as long as possible…and these rules are on all points similar to those of our tradition.

Let us examine together these rules for a long life, there are eight in total: three lifestyle, three dietary, and two philosophical and spiritual:

1 – Moving

2 – Letting Go

3 – Staying Busy

4 – Drinking

5 – Eating

6 – Feeling

7 – Participating

8 – Sharing

1 – Moving Naturally

Physical activity and daily awareness are very important.

This has nothing to do with fussing about one’s daily activities, it’s physical activity with the intention held on the feelings in one’s body.

It is also important to state that none of the groups of centenarians were involved in sport.  The practiced movements were walking, light and daily calisthenics, but not sports in the sense we generally understand it.

The difference is that in sports, the body is pushed too far and too hard.

It is good for a while, but the practice of sports as seen by Westerners exhausts the body.

Qi Gong exercises are superior for obtaining good and lasting health.

2 – Letting Go: Knowing How to Relax Each Day

This is a simple rule of balance between work and rest.

Furthermore, it is the organizing of spaces for relaxing in one’s schedule…every day.  These moments can be brief, but should be increased proportionally to the stress one experiences.

In general, the more we feel stressed, the less we take care of ourselves and our relaxation.  This rule demands we do the opposite: the more we are under stress, the more we must endeavour to carve out relaxation periods in our day.

This does not require advanced techniques, it’s simply the capacity to sit down and breathe for a few minutes, two to ten times a day.

These “lost” minutes allow us to stay healthy, to avoid depression or hating one’s job…in the long term this habit saves us time.

In one’s practice, this occurs via Shen Gong (meditation) and one’s habits of balancing work and rest.

3 – Staying Occupied: Having Enthusiasm for the Wonders of the World

An honest focus on subjects of one’s choice is what fuels a life of many years.

The stimulation of one’s nervous system, senses, and intellect permit one to stay young in spirit and in body.

Boredom is a source of tension and stagnates the energy; it is the source of great stress.

Enthusiasm is a stimulant for our vital processes, and for our desire to engage.

As well, none of the aforementioned groups of centenarians retired in old age.  Work and one’s occupations never end; rather they evolve as one ages.

By never retiring, we are obligated to adapt how one works, depending on whether we are 20 years old or 90.

In the study of a teaching or a tradition, one flourishes in their research into self and the world.

To be busy also means to participate, to go in search for oneself regardless of one’s tradition, as per the eighth rule.

In our tradition, the vastness of knowledge to acquire permits one to continue searching for the duration of their life.

4 – Drinking: To Stimulate the Body, Seasonal Tonics

In all centenarian traditions around the world, people take herbal preparations with each seasonal change.

Within these traditions, we find herbal wines, traditional preparations, and pills for “long life”.

Seasonal changes are prepared for with the regular inclusion of natural products.

People do not hesitate to take products when they are sick, whereas the smarter move is to take them before the body becomes exhausted.

At every seasonal change, it is recommended to take products that can help the system to adapt with the least amount of effort…it’s a little effort to make every three or four months that can have a great effect on one’s health.

In our tradition, products to help with seasonal changes come in the form of herbal drops or essential oils.

5 – Chewing: Mostly Vegetables, Some Meat

When the practitioner is building their body, it is important to eat of all foods, and not to eat too little.

Animal protein is beneficial for building the body and increasing its “yin”.

When the body is strong, or when one approaches the age of 45, one must reduce their animal protein intake for a lighter diet.

Vegetables and fruits should make up the majority of one’s diet.

It is not necessary to follow a strict diet, but reigning things in every three months promotes a relaxed body that does not fatigue.

In all studies, the concept of a balanced diet rich in vegetables forms the backbone of a good general health and of an absence of serious illness together with the digestive and excretory systems.

A healthy proportion of fresh produce obligates one to chew well, and a low amount of meat eases the work for the digestive system.

In our tradition, dietary rules and the phases of the Taoist diet follow this principle.

6 – Feeling: Not Eating Too Much or Too Late

There is a real importance to not eating too late in the evening.

An undigested meal is a poison to the system if we go to bed while digestion is still happening.

One must retire, relaxed, with the digestion completed, or very nearly so.

This isn’t possible if we sleep by midnight but eat dinner at 10pm…

Also, it is important not to overeat, otherwise we risk exhausting our digestive system.

It is good to eat dinner, neither hurrying nor delaying, around 7:30pm.

It is preferable not to eat a variety of dishes, or spaced apart, as digestion is a process that requires a beginning and an end; more phases just complicates things.

We must also be aware that the stomach will only signals its satiation half an hour later…this means that if we eat too quickly and too much, we could be stuffing ourselves for an unnecessary half hour.

It is good to self-evaluate one’s needs, and to satisfy them without succumbing to neurotic eating habits.

In our tradition, we speak of sleeping early, and therefore eating early.

It is important to understand that for Westerners today living privileged lives, we are often overeating…let us learn to eat a bit less, there’s no risk of becoming malnourished…

7 – Participating, Living According to One’s Values

A belief in our values helps us live better and longer.  These values can be religious, spiritual, or philosophical.  

These beliefs allow us to find meaning to life, and to answer questions we may pose ourselves.

Religions and religious traditions help people to find good values to live well amongst others.

The Way is an essential part of living well, as it helps one find purpose to their life.

One doesn’t need to be spiritual or religious, as sharing with others can be through moral or social means.

One’s personal understanding of the world, its changes, and one’s integration into all this are what allow us to live better and with a certain sense of security.  This reassurance helps us to live better, longer, and without dread.

The sense we have of our lives and our place in the world are two stimuli for a happy longevity.

Daily practice gives us an understanding of ourselves and of others, in a better perceived reality.

8 – Sharing: Putting One’s Family or Clan Above All Else

A belief in values is important, but the ability to share them with likeminded people is equally so.

The human communities that live the longest all have a strong habit of mingling, talking and sharing on a weekly basis.

This primordial social link gains its greatest value when it unites people around shared values, especially when they meet specifically for this reason.

The practice is a way to find oneself in a fraternal group that shares a common aim.

This shared endeavour brings a fraternal ambiance which we can carry our entire lives…a powerful stimulus for longevity.

We see that the wisdom of the Taoist clan tradition, based on ancient texts dating back between the 4^th and 7^th C, are aligned with these most recent studies (the latest from 2009).

Voila.

Shen Gong: The essence of Bitterness

The practice of the knowledge of the mind, the most yang part of training is often seen as an insurmountable obstacle.

The physical work is a long process, but you only have to repeat gestures with a firm attention and everything falls into place.

With fierce obstinacy, blockages of the body can not resist a daily practice, 

neither can weakness nor fatigue

The energetic training, based on breath and posture, attention and body work, rests on a  kinesthetic part  that supports attention and sensation.

In Shen Gong, only the mind and its movements are observed, there is no edge to hang on to.Without leverage, without the ability to force, deprived of our usual cheating methods, the mind is not an easy subject for experimentation.

In addition, in our "passive-aggressive" resistance, our mind reveals all our tensions, our inconsistencies and our lies: the more we push it, the more we try to escape its control, the more it will show us our personal inconsistencies.

Thus, the more our lives are paved with egotistical characters, the more we live contrary to our values, the more we try to escape what we know is important, the more our mind will persecute us.

We will in turn be stuck in a salutary torpor, a headache or a redemptive nausea... Everything is good to not perceive the inconsistencies we implemented for many years.Shen Gong gives direct access to a deep happiness, a meeting with oneself, which will open the "Door of Wonders."

Let's see some broad guidelines to spend our Shen Gong time  doing more r than counting sheep on the carpet or reviewing the groceries list: the Eight Rules of the essence of Bitterness.

Do not expect anything: This is for fun!

Accepting that we always begin practice for the wrong reason, we must understand that expectation has  a special place on the Way (see the text on Expectation).

It is necessary for the beginning of a sustained practice but it is also the source of our most treacherous blockages .

It is not possible to drive expectation out of our minds, but it is possible to reposition our attention during the practice of Shen Gong to somewhat escape our expectations.

Each day, sit for your mind practice with a contract with yourself: "Today I practice for nothing, just for fun ... Tomorrow, I resume the search for a fulfillment that will make me the strongest in the world."

A little more seriously, sit in a total wantonness, in search of a moment for yourself, only for the pleasure of getting to know yourself better... Without expecting anything.

It is also interesting to know that nothing will happen if you start with having in mind any success, or the firm will to see lights or shining deities.

Sit in the appreciation of a luxury that you can afford, to take some time to watch one's mind without purpose, but with a direction (the daily Shen Gong exercise).

Do not force or want to do well: this is not a competition

Watching one's spirit, feeling one's emotions or focusing one's attention is not raising a dead donkey, it's just an observation of our inner workings.

Unlike body work, a sustained and tense effort will do nothing good.

The mind requires a firm attention, relaxed and enthusiastic, that must bring a  desire to smile in a relaxed manner, not grimace of pain.

You will not be judged on your performance or your efforts, there is nothing to gain by forcing ... except maybe a headache.

Do not try to do well or to stay longer than your school brother, instead try to find the pleasure of getting to know yourself.

Some days it will be difficult to do certain Shen Gong practices, do not resist, but look for other ways to work your mind: there is always a more pleasant to look at one self's thought process.

Do not bind yourself: a "trick" is not Mental Peace

Each Shen Gong practice should be a single event that repeats every day: none of your practices should be similar, none should be compared or planned.

It is important to sit in a total openness to the possible experiences, without searching or waiting for an accurate result.

If a moment is very pleasant, it will pass, if it is very painful, it too shall pass.

You should not seek to duplicate the experiences or to avoid certain sensations: let go, let go of all expectations and enjoy this unique moment ... daily.

When you find "tricks", tips to rush your mind work, do not get attached to them, agree to leave as new, without tools.

Look at your practice as unique and without technique, a moment where nothing else exists other than this great chance to spend some time with yourself.

The focus should be on the absence of technique, and on the goal of the day (which differs depending on the day).

Releasing: Motionless Body  and Fixed Thoughts

To find a state of mind conducive to the practice of Shen Gong, there is only to set oneself in a held stillness, proper alignment and relaxation due to the comfort of the meditation position.

On a high chair, a sofa, sometimes laying down (not nap, eh!), the comfort of the body must be the source of its relaxation.

 If the body suffers, in writhing or tension, it is not possible to keep a calm mind.

Align yourself, push your attention in this immobility and turn your attention to your mental productions: look now, without judging, what happens, then go to your practice of the day.

This letting go is the base of Shen Gong, the foundation of your temple, the white screen where you project the Manifestation: in this consciousness of Consciousness, still and  aligned, you can do anything.

Accept: Acknowledge your expectations, valorize your Gaps

If you could meet Buddha or Lao Zi, you would not accept being told "you're lucky, today it is in a good mood." No, you expect from the masters to be open and available.

You have your ideals (whether they are Gandhi, Winne the Pooh, William Munny or Jonas Blane ) of the desired qualities and a minimum fulfillment dream.

You would not accept a so-called teacher to be moody or biased.

It is not acceptable for one's hero to be stupid or malleable, weak or whiny.

You must therefore accept these ideal qualities for yourself.

You must accept to look for these qualities for yourself, your practice and your life: there is no reason for your ideals to only be fantasies, they are also values.

You must have an ideal of quality. "It is better to fail in trying to reach too high ideals than to manage to reach too low ideals" (Ali).

Now that you realize what you really want to aim at, accept to see where you are right now ... Look at the reality of what you need to do, of  what needs to change.

Look your pain in the eyes, the time of behaving like an ostrich is gone: it's time to accept.

Be indulgent with yourself: you do not need to suffer

We do not recognize the need to feel pain, to suffer for progress. No "no pain, no gain" for us.

This does not mean that we will not be faced with difficult times in our practice, but only what is necessary for our evolution.

If you practice every day, you are already in an introspective effort to understand tourself , which is laudable: recognize your values ​​in the same way as you became aware of your faults.

Do not judge yourself, practice.

Question: Ask for clarification on your Way 

You need a teacher to practice Shen Gong, those who practiced in "free style" will only do an active nap active.

The mind work is an exploration of the mind where a map (clear concepts) and a guide (competent teacher) are required.

Missing one or the other, it is not possible to go very far ... really!

Phenomena: Close Encounters of the Third Kind! 

In the sitting practices, the Shen Gong, a myriad of phenomena will manifest. Some are signs of a profound change in the Way, others are silly fabrications of the mind to distract you from the goal.

Some are more present than others, you know which ones. Do not be fooled, do not look for anything, ask and go in each sitting as the first time.

Phenomena are real and important, since you perceive them, but their usefulness or their messages may be worthless.

Take time to enjoy the vision of your mind, to know yourself, and live in an increased relaxation.

Have a good  Shen Gong.