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On this page you'll find everything you need to kick-start your vital energy so you can shed pain and stress and experience deep tranquility.
Ready to dive in? Let's do this!
Start with your welcome video!
Entering Zen
Picture it: you're sitting on your meditation mat, trying to focus on your breath, but your mind keeps wandering, and your body is aching . . . After some minutes, a chime sounds, and the session is over. You get up from the mat feeling sleepy and drained.
Was this meditation?
Not really. Although you were using a meditation technique, the essence of the practice was missing.
And to be clear, it's the essence that brings us the benefits of meditation, so that's what we're going to focus on in the guided practice below.
But before you dive into the practice, let me explain what meditation really is.
Meditation happens when you are relaxed and focused at the same time.
Most of us can do one or the other. You can relax in a hot bath, or you can write an email to your boss. But try writing that email while staying totally relaxed . . . It's not so easy!
Meditators struggle with their practice mainly because they don't know how to relax.
When you learn to relax deeply, then meditation becomes effortless and enjoyable. And this guided practice will teach you how to enter that meditative state, a process I call Entering Zen.
The Three-Step Routine
Entering Zen packages the skills that are essential for accessing your chi, or vital energy. But the big secret to improving those skills is having an organized way of practicing them.
The Three-Step Routine gives you that needed structure so you can get the most from your training.
First we Enter Zen to tune into the energy. Then we practice an exercise to tap energy from the cosmos and help it to flow. Then we transition smoothly from a meditative state to a normal waking state.
Breathing in Chi Kung
To stimulate the energy, we use a particular breathing mode in Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung: we breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth—gently.
This breathing mode is unusual in the energy arts, but it's quite powerful in activating the energy.
Exhaling from the mouth allows us to relax deeper into the meditative state and to release waste energy. In other words, this breathing mode improves the natural exchange of energy between us and the environment.
That improved energy exchange makes it easier for us to take in cosmic energy and circulate it when we practice a Chi Kung exercise.
Despite the simplicity of this breathing mode, there are some common errors to avoid. Watch the video to learn more!
Lifting the Sky
Lifting the Sky is one of the best Chi Kung exercises available. It comes from the 18 Lohan Hands, a classical set that originated at the Shaolin Temple.
This exercise stimulates energy all over the body. Although I demonstrate it standing in this video, you can easily adapt it for sitting or even lying down.
Guided meditation with Lifting the Sky
It's time to put the pieces together! This meditation plugs Lifting the Sky into the Three-Step Routine.
The meditation is in video format so it's easier for you to follow along. If you're comfortable closing your eyes and going inward, then by all means do so! (It's always OK to peek.)
Audio meditation with Lifting the Sky
Once you've followed the guided meditation in the above video, you're ready to start practicing on your own! Use this guided audio whenever you want a refresher on the material you've learned, a deeper dive into the skills of working with energy, or just the convenience of a timed practice.
