I’m currently practicing Dao Yin exercises that I’m learning from reading The Four Dragons by Damo Mitchell (affiliate link). As with any new practice that involves the manipulation of one’s chi, I find that its really useful to learn a practice in stages, and course correct as needed based on the experiences you’re having with the practice. In the case of learning the Dao Yin practices, the one I’m currently practicing and learning are four basic exercises that are designed to help you purge pathogenic chi, through the movements.
How to improve your communication with your body
My work with inner alchemy focuses on the health of the body, and learning how to communicate with your body better than you already do. I’m always in search of additional techniques and skills that can facilitate this process, because I find that, in general, most people have a hard time connecting with their bodies. Right now, I’m reading Pain Free by Pete Egoscue (affiliate link), which is a fascinating book that explores the structure of the body and how the body uses pain to communicate that something is wrong with the structure.
For example, when you feel pain in your foot or your hips or back, its not simply a matter of feeling pain there, but also an indication that the way your body is moving may not be quite right and that you may have muscles compensating for other muscles that aren’t being worked properly. Egoscue’s solution is elegant in that he doesn’t just provide some exercises, but really explores the underlying principles that inform how the body moves and how its intended to carry a person through the day.
How I learn inner alchemical techniques
Right now, I’m learning Dao Yin exercises, which are exercises you can do to get rid of negative chi, while also cultivating positive chi. Whenever I learn a new technique, I take my time and learn them step by step, instead of trying to do the entire technique at once. I also make sure that I’ve learned all the preceding techniques and have a thorough understanding of how they work, before learning a new one, because learning the new technique necessarily builds off the preceding techniques.
A huge part of learning a technique is also paying attention to the experience. In fact, I’d argue that’s the most important aspect of learning something, because the experience will tell you a lot about what you are doing and may indicate if you are doing it right or if there is something that doesn’t fit.
energy work and meditation update
I've been continuing to read up on and pursue the Qigong energy work and breathing practices I've been learning. I'm contemplating adding Tai chi to the mix, and not the Tai chi you think of being done in the park , but the traditional martial form of Tai chi, which while still soft, emphasizes the use of the five elements as part of the martial form of Tai chi. One of the local members of GEM is connected to someone who teaches it from that perspective. For me, it would be an excellent opportunity to start incorporating moving meditation and martial arts into my meditation practice, which has intensified even more as I continue my emptiness working. The moving meditation would add an additional layer to my work, as it would incorporate my body even more into the meditation, while also challenging me to get more into the integral energetic workings that I'm starting to experience more of, as I continue the current meditative work. As is, a lot of the energy work I'm doing is continuing to allow me to get to the core of my emotional responses, reactions, and triggers. The work isn't easy (as you'll get to read tomorrow evening when I post my latest elemental emptiness update), but it is worthwhile. I feel more at peace with myself and others than I ever have, and whilst I am still very much experiencing some tumultuous times, I am also finding my responses are changing, which makes those times easier to navigate through.
I have to admit I haven't posted as much lately about my spiritual work as I have in the past. Then again, I also haven't been writing nearly as many articles or a book on my spiritual work either. Some of this is because I'm going through an intensely personal time of change and development in my spiritual path. Some of it is simply because I'm in the process of researching a really big project...Every time I think I've taken a step forward, I find more information I need to research and experiment with (but there is an end in sight). Some of it is reflective of changes occurring in my life, specifically my focus on building and running my own business and pursuing being self-employed full-time, and some of it is simply experiencing the moment without having to catalogue it as much.
Still, I will say that I am actively working on a co-written project with Bill Whitcomb, have another possible co-written project with Vince Stevens, which is just about finished with the outlining stage, and yes I also do have my big solo project which is still being heavily researched (and will, when finished, providing what I hope will be a radical change in how people understand magic). And in the meantime, you've got this blog with the occasional updates I offer.
