Question about Standing Meditation

[xellas84]

I've had a slight problem when practicing Lifting the Sky. In Sifu Wong's book "The Art of Shaolin Kungfu", he wrote that after performing Lifting the Sky you should stand still and think of nothing for about 5 minutes. My problem is that I have an extremely hard time standing still like that for that long of a time (being an ADHD sufferer, I have a hard time staying still for ANY period of time if I'm doing nothing else to occupy my time). Does anyone have any suggestions that could help me in this?

[yeniseri]

try this

general purpose answer:

shougong (ending routine): purpose to bring qi to dantian (qihai).

why: lifting sky may be seen as raising the energy (effort) so after a period of time, the 'energy' is scattered. that is why we do ending routine.

How about sitting (instead of standing) afterwards for 2min with hands at qihai for 30 days.
Next 30 days try 3 minutes
Next 30 days try 4 minutes etc.

[Fleur]

Hi Jesse

‘fraid I don’t agree with Yeniseri’s advice about substituting sitting meditation – sounds like an example of trying to be smarter than the master.

Although standing meditation is difficult for you at the mo, if you stick with it I’m sure it will relieve your ADHD – but one thing that may help for now is to focus gently on your breathing. If you find your mind has wandered off somewhere, don’t worry, just bring it back to the dantien (also gently!).

If at any stage the whole thing becomes counterproductive, eg you get tense or stressed, then just think of the dantien and finish your practice – the 5 minutes is a guideline and 2 minutes of quality meditation is better than 5 minutes of distracted fidgeting! I agree with Yeniseri that building up gradually is a good plan, the key being to maintain a relaxed and focused state.

Best wishes

Fleur

[barrys]

Jesse,

When I first started practising Chi Kung - before I learnt from Sifu - I used to practice just the wuji stance. I made a kind of vow to myself that I would do it for 5 mins every morning for a year to see what happened. To begin with I found it really hard some days. Sometimes I had a wave of exhaustion wash over me, sometimes I would get very jittery, almost panicky. I did my best not to worry about it and if I moved I moved a bit.

I think it will be useful for you to get feedback from instructors but a couple of questions/points come to mind. Are you letting go after Lifting the Sky and just letting things happen for a few minutues and then going into standing meditation or straight into standing meditation. The first time I ever learnt from Sifu, about 2.5 years ago, he was saying on the regional chi kung courses to do about 2 mins of standing meditation.

One think I love that Sifu says is "Remember if I don't mention something, means you don't have to worry about it. If I do mention something ..... you don't have to worry about it either."

Best wishes,

Barry

[Andrew]

I like my Sihing Jeffrey's most famous(?) quote:

"Do what the Master says. Don't do what the Master doesn't say. Respect the Master"

yeniseri's advice was well meant but would be inappropriate. Perform the exercise exactly as it is described, to the best of your ability. Do not add, remove or modify anything.

Andrew

[Racheli]

Dear xellas84,
I am familiar with ADHD and ADD and I can tell you for sure that Chi Kung can do the trick.
You first have to believe you have the power to control your mind and thoughts.
When you are practicing, keep in mind that you are the boss of your inner house, and gently relax and tell the random thoughts and feelings to go away, don’t worry, the important ones will come again when it will be more convenient to you.
The minute you gain control over your mind your body will follow.
Another suggestion - maybe you should start with a more dynamic pattern?
Good luck with your practice,

[Markus Kahila]

Hello, xellas84 and everybody else!


A veritable barrage of advice here, all slightly different from one another . Lots of good points mentioned (f.ex. relax, don't worry), so all you need to do is to respectfully follow the masters instructions to the best of your ability, and within those boundaries find the approach to the exercise that suits you best.


My advice would be this: If five minutes seems like much, you don't have to get too attached to it. If Sifu's instruction was "about" five minutes, and not "exactly", there's always a little leeway.

So just do the following: Make yourself comfortable in your practice, and make your practice relaxing, fun and enjoyable, without worrying unduly about your ability, or anything else for that matter. In my experience, this is an excellent first step to good-quality practice. When it is time to stand still for about five minutes, just let yourself enjoy the stillness for some time, or what you feel is about five minutes. Make yourself comfortable without counting the seconds or checking the time. It you are nervous or jittery, just let yourself relax. You can also gently enjoy the spontaneous flow of your breathing.

By practicing daily in a fun and relaxed way, you'll find that standing still will gradually get easier and easier. Then you can comfortably progress in improving the quality of the different aspects of the practice.


Have fun!

[xellas84]

Thank you all for your advice and well wishes.

It greatly lifts my heart to hear that Chi Kung not only CAN treat ADHD, but has successfully done it in the past. I've always hated the medication that is prescribed for it (invariably a strong stimulant, which kills your appetite and magnifies any emotional state you are in)

Yenseri, I appreciate your advice, but I'm going to stick with what Sifu Wong has written in his book. He advises standing meditation for a reason, even if I don't know that reason yet.

Thank you all again for your advice

Best wishes,
Jesse

[Hubert]

"mind relaxation"

Yesterday I found myself re-reading "introduction to Shaolin Kung Fu". At some point, Sifu writes that he prefers the term "mind relaxation" to the western term "meditation".

Lately, my standing meditation has been rubbish. Well, I wasn't doing mind relaxation. I was just standing trying hard to work out complex strategies to calm my mind.

Then yesterday I did just that - mind relaxation. What a relief!

[Antonius]

A few more points, if I may.

When you stand in Standing Meditation, don't be rigid. Don't feel like you have to stand absolutely still. Instead, just stand flowingly still.

Try to enjoy the stillness for a minute or two. Five minutes would be great, but if that's too much, just do what feels like a minute or two. Go for quality, not quantity.

Many, many people have difficulty with meditation, not just those with ADHD. When they stand still and keep quiet, the mind suddenly seems very loud, and can be uncomfortable at times. So you are not alone.

When dealing with this problem, don't try harder. That creates tension. Instead, try softer. Relax. Breathe. Smile. Enjoy the stillness.

[chris3212]

Something that helps me to relax is just before I start standing meditation I feel the warmth of the suns rays and hear the birds singing in the trees. This relaxes me sufficiently to commence standing meditation.

Best wishes,

Chris