So we have discussed what practices we like and so on but was interested in hearing when do you think it is the right time to stop practice. To just relax and not do any meditation or qigong or anything.

In my current main practice, Kunlun, I have had more than a few occasions where it really felt like I should back off. It felt like I was bringing in more energy than my circuits could handle and to keep practicing every day could be unbalanced or even dangerous.

So, what do you think are the signs that you should stop? Or that you are on the right track and shoud keep going?

For me, basically feeling ungrounded. Feeling like there is too much energy to process or too much information/experience to deal with at one time means I should stop.

Of course, more severe signs seem to be not being able to function at work or school or in your realationships . Like negative feedback from society might mean you should slow down.

The way I think that your on the right track with your practice and should keep going is you feel comfortable and relaxed, and at home in yourself.

But is this realisitic? Is part of Tao practice feeling uncomfortable or even getting physical pain from your practice? Do serious Tao adepts push through pain and discomfort or slow down and relax when they experience these?

Cam

I am just a student also, and have limited experience.

I think first and foremost, it is good to have a teacher you may speak to for guidance on a regular basis.

One who is 3/4 of the way finished with the actual steps of Internal Alchemy who can give you guidance based on personal experience.

Personally it sounds like you are having negative experiences.

In my experience of Taoist Internal Alchemy study of the Dragon Gate branch, I experienced many positive results from the practice.

Great health, recovery from injury, increased immune response, great complexion, increased flexibility, less emotional reaction to stress, increased mental focus, lighter outlook on life in general, increased stamina, and so on.

I think if you are just trying to follow guess work, or not practicing a standard system, it may be a good idea to look for a more traditional practice.

It is also important when doing meditation that can seem to have a focus on "qi", to not forget basic things such as taking care of the body.

Eat very healthy foods mostly consisting of a vegetable nature.

Do not eat candy, cokes, drink beers, take drugs or the like.

Get enough sleep.

Do not engage in strong emotional reactions.

Do Taoist Yoga, Tai Chi or another Internal Martial Art such as Hsing Yi or Pa Kua for taking care of the health of the body, and keeping it in good working order - daily stretching and exercise are something you should not neglect if you are doing a lot of seated meditation.

It is stated that these arts will give us health and peace of mind.

If we do not get these results, and experience the opposite, then we sholuld face reality and understand perhaps the teaching is false.

With my best regards and good luck in your practice.

Sincerely, dao zhen

This is a very difficult question because feeling pain or uncomfortable is very often a great oppurunity to go beyond your own patterns and expand by continuing your practice. Any time we go beyond our own limits we will feel bad, dizzy, chaotic and confuced.

But othertimes it is also a sign that what you are doing is destructive.

Ive been wondering this many times myself, and have dropped out of many systems because of it. I got tired of dropping out so I said to myself that this next system Im going into is one that Im going to stick to for the rest of my life. And I have for the last seven years.

I believe that if you feel bad by doing a practice, take a few days off and just enjoy life. Then start again and see how it feels. There isnt any rules, at least I dont know of any, just go with the feeling. If it is a system you love with a teacher you love and trust, then there will be a good feeling underneath even though you dont feel good with the practice. Anyway, it is always ok to take a few days vacation.

Sometimes it is also other things you are doing that destructs your practice, like diet or other things in daily life. Sometimes it all will all be good again if we cut down on bad food, bad company or other things like destructive thoughpatterns. A one-day-water-fast is often very good to get things going again.

But I agree with you that negative feedback from the society, friends and family, is one of the best indications that that you are doing is not good. If it dosent make you a better person, a more sane person, drop it and run like hell from it

I dont have alot to add that isnt mentioned allready on when to stop practice, though after reading the quote i was curious on wich practice you did for the last seven years ?

Regards !

Its called Still Point and is about aligning the differnt consciousness layers and getting the energysystems, chakras, auras, organenergies, etc, to their still point. We recognize the ability to be still as fundamental to any developement and healing.

A smaller scale answer, because your post raised an interesting point for me. One thing my teacher has been very useful about is when to stop a particular session. His answer is "if possible, when everything feels nice and you could happily carry on for a bit." That way you don't stop when something internal is half processed and thereby drag it up into daily life. I don't know whether this would apply to your practice of kunlun, but perhaps so, because there are some similarities between kunlun and what I do.

But anyway, attention to this on a small scale might help one to need fewer breaks on a large scale.

Just a thought.
Ian

This is a great post and there's a lot wisdom in it. I would say most of the time for me it's the ego/mind trying to sabotage me. I keep catching that little voice in my head saying "okay you've done enough" or "30 minutes will be fine" etc... I never give in to these thoughts, and often I use them to motivate me to keep going. I have begun doing half lotus. At first the pain was excrutiating. I have just forced my self to sit through the pain and it gets a little easier every time. The problem with taking a break is that 1-2 days quickly turns into a week, and a week quickly turns into a month. The next thing you know, you have lost most of what you worked so hard for.

Thanx, seems a very nice practice

Excellent question - I think that the question itself is what is most important and is where you will likely find the answer for you as you ponder it ...

I can only speak to my experience:
I've been derailed from my Dao meditation practice a few times. Sometimes very painful, frightening, or unpleasant feelings, memories, images arise. On occasion they have been disturbing enough to cause me to stop for a while. It has really shaken up my life at times. I talk to my shifu and eventually get back on track. More recently, I've been exploring the "I am" question for about a year and reached the point where it seemed foolish to continue to practice the Dao meditation because, after all, who is it that is practicing? for what purpose? That sort of thing got me off course for months.
Again, I've come back. Can't really say why - it seems that it feels right.

Good luck with your search - that's really all that counts in the long run.

I think this is something that often is overlooked in the West.

In China, they have hospital wards in some areas with people who suffer from - "Qigong Disease"

They have trained improperly, and had a lot of things go wrong with their body, and often times suffer from mental disease in the end.

I think some general signs that I have been taught that point to improper practice, which can also mean the practice of an improper or false method are:

~ Dizziness
~ Sharp pain behind the eyes
~Nausea
~Vomiting
~Migraine Headache which pulses or throbs in the occipital area of the lower skull
~Sharp needle like pain in the area below the navel
~Migraine Headache which pulses and pushes into the space between the eyebrows
~Heavy feeling on top of head like there is a cap made of lead there
~Not able to think clearly or focus
~Inability to have good memory function
~Strong pressure that rises from below, and pushes up from within to the top of head and behind eyes, leading to nausea and headache
~Hot sick fire from within that is like some kind of poison that swirls around, causing pain to joints, limbs and leading to a sick nausea; at times also leading to hair loss
~Hot sick dry wind that arises from within, and also is drawn in from the top of head that is like some kind of poison that swirls around, causing pain to joints, limbs and leading to a sick nausea; at times also leading to hair loss

The problem is often times with improper practice; these things can come on slowly, over time.

It is not as if we feel wonderful, and then suddenly we feel extreme sickness.

So it is best to from the start understand how to practice properly.

Most causes of such deviation are caused by improper use of the Mind-Will.

Using strong force of focus of the Mind-Will, or using strong force of Mind-Will engaging in visualization.

So a general guideline to follow is use of a very soft and gentle Mind-Will focus.

We may also try and look at how we are performing our practice.

It is best to not overdo it, as you can actually cause a condition of kidney yin deficiency.

I had one teacher say that in the first stages only perform to 60% of your ability, never push yourself to the 100% effort mark.

Yet maintain this effort of 60% daily, day in and day out, and slowly your condition and constitution will improve.

Diet is very important.

I have had one teacher who told me if you do not change your diet, then it is best to not even practice at all!

The majority of Taoists I have met and studied with in China are vegetarian, eat very moderate, do not drink alcohol, smoke, or take drugs.

Lifestyle is very important to proper practice.

You must regulate your sexual practice also.

Your emotional outlook and mental environment are also very important.

All of these factors will form a holistic combination that will determine our state of health; or lack there of.

In most traditional Taoist Schools, they teach to gain stillness of the Mind-Will.

The Mind-Will rests motionless in emptiness.

This of course takes much practice to reach such a stage.

I hope this helps.

With my very best.

Sincerely, dao zhen

Sounds cool - any sites for this?

Still only in Norwegian... Still Point

what do you mean,"stop practicing"

never!

You should not have physical pain from any practice.

Thanks for all the great advice.

I have decided to take the rest of Feb off from all practice and take it easy. Then figure out what is going to be balanced for me to do next month.

Cameron

Cam, what happened to standing?

I'll probably add it back in at some point. At the present moment I just feel I need a break from all energy practices.

I hear ya man - perhaps ramp up some good ol exercise instead, I find that always helps me balance!

I am too sore at the moment to excercise. My body hurts all over.

Are you able to pinpoint what you did, what movements, to make your body sore.
Just a guess - if you do movement holding tension = sore

Could you just have the flu? (sore all over)

re: how much to practice. It is hard to know if it's just your mind trying to obstruct your practice, or an intuition you should listen to. I like Jane’s post below, I’ve experienced many / most of these symptoms. Although D does not happen to me, I can still function in society, so far

Since adding in RP I was experiencing an overwhelming sense of impending doom last week. I was getting a bit worried about “myself” till events over the weekend indicate that this may have just been pre-cognition after all.

I have experienced these sort of feelings, along with déjà vu, before. But usually it only manifests for me after 6mts of intensive work. I should probably cut back doing PR whenever I wake up at night around 3am (almost every night) and doing the hybrid practice every few days, and try to get back to just Kunlun everyday to reinforce my foundation.

But I really do enjoy RP and the hybrid practice a lot, hard to stop something you like that isn’t causing actual problems. But it is well know that energy work in the head is quite dangerous.

I am really sick.

Non stop vomitting everything I eat. The nurse said I have the flu.

Definetly not doing any practices until I feel better.

Thats no good (getting the flu) drink plenty of fluids and hang in there.

If you end up feeling a bit better Ken Cohen's dvd set has a Qi gung for the flu, but I have not had the chance to try it out.