Deepen your walking meditation practice

I have been playing with walking meditation after standing in Cheng Bao Zhan Zhuang posture (embracing the tree) during early am hours in my local park (Botanic Gardens) and introduced a significant element of change in order to deepen the practice: adopting a very slow tempo (+20 s), whereby very single component of the stepping action is slowed down to the maximum; that is, if we consider the heel up phase at the beginning of each step, then make every component tangible as if it were possible to break it down into even smaller components (heel up, rising, rising, rising, rising, etc. (take your time here and mindfully be aware of it as well as your breathing pattern of inhale/exhale) and finish the rising action of the heel as if the process was a stepping itself). Then you will start feeling what the Yiquan masters always talked about:

"All sorts of strengths originate in the void and nothingness, which can only be felt gradually by the tiny edges and corners of the mind-body paradigm."

In addition to that, pause when each foot is right in front of you and prior you start lowering it down to the ground and then maintain the single leg stance for as long as you comfortably can (see picture*).



You can keep your arms using any posture of your liking (I do like the embrace the tree one) making sure any internal tension is noted, carefully observed and then try to relax into it.

Resume extra slow walking and practice the one leg stance with the opposite leg.

Walking meditation has immense and deep benefits and you can walk in this fashion for as long as you like.

Tips for increased awareness and spiritual cultivation:

1. The key point is being aware of every fraction of each movement that is performed. Try to aim at the deepest and slightest changes (if you are capable of going down to the cellular level that's a serious achievement!)

2. Take slow and continuous breaths making sure the belly rises up during inhale and rises down during exhale. Also during breathing shift your focus to the lower dantien:

- When abundant energy is generated and guided to the lower dantien it will naturally flow back to the ming men, whereby Kidney Qi will travel up the spine, stimulate the rest of the internal organs and transformed into Shen; or stored as Jing in the kidneys. Any static or very slow moving Qigong forms, deep comfortable breathing and a relaxed focus on the lower dantien will also stimulate the ming men.

- Any stimulation of the ming men point the ming men will drain any excess of internal heat, increase internal heat in the elderly as they tend to experience cold-related problems, reduce lumbar pain and stiffness, weak knees and fix all sorts of sexual and urinary difficulties arising from kidney qi or kidney yang deficiency. Finally, stimulation of this energetic point by combining breathing and internal awareness will rise the Qi level in the entire body as it acts as an energetic gate for both kidneys (yin and yang).

3. Slow and deep breathing into the lower dantien followed by deep concentration in every single fraction of the stepping components involved in slow walking meditation will increase your awareness to the totality; that is the microcosmos (you as a reflection of the Dao) and macrocosmos (the external aspect of the Dao).

4. Regular practitioners will experience the following health benefits and signs of progress in their spiritual practice:

- Increased awareness.

- Increased memory and concentration

- Reduced sleep, improved sleep quality.

- Decreased food intake due to a more positive conversion of "Gu Qi" (food Qi).

- Health improvement and increased lifespan.

- Attainment of siddhis of various levels (unusual skill, faculties, or capabilities), manifestation and communication with ascended masters, spiritual guides and/or beings from higher astral planes. This subject falls beyond the scope and purpose of this blog but there are plenty of online resources, books and research publications which provide more information if that is your main area of interest.



* Photo courtesy from The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise (A Gaia Original), Master Lam Kam-Chuen.

Clearing the eight extraordinary channels part 2

A monk asked Zhaozhou, "What is the living meaning of Chan Buddhism?." Zhaozhou said, "The cypress tree in the courtyard."
(Mumonkan, koan 37)

One of the best exercises to remove deep energetic blockages in our system which are caused imprinted in our karma, is Zhan Zhuang (using Yiquan's terminology) or standing meditation. This excellent exercise doesn't require direct teaching supervision as qi itself will correct and fix any postural and alignment issues. In addition, our internal energy will strengthen if practice is done regularly.

I would recommend standing for 20min a day and adding progressive daily increments of 10min until you are able to stand for 60min without taking a break. Standing longer than that will be recommended for those hardcore practitioners who are seeking for a complete removal of blocked Qi in the eight extraordinary vessels and internal organs. Those who can withstand mental pain are able to stand for many hours will inevitable enter a deep state of relaxation and enter samadhi; that is, the state in which you transcend the bounds of your body, mind, and self-identity and merge into an undifferentiated unity with all that is, the Divine or ultimate conscious level.

Korean Zen Master Kusan provides an insightful first-hand accounts of his experience with standing meditation:

'In 1943... I decided to fight my drowsiness by meditating in the standing posture with palms together in front of me (hapchang). ... Remaining alone, I decided that I wouldn't give up under any pretext, even if I were about to die - such was my determination to continue.

In standing meditation, the hardest part is to get past the first two hours without moving, after which the main difficulties are overcome. Whether sitting, reclining, or standing, it is finally all the same as the body settles into samadhi.

Consequently, although seven full days had passed since I had begun this non-sleeping practice, I felt neither tiredness nor pain in my legs. ... As it drew near to 9 pm on the last day before the ceremony, the clock on the wall made a click just before striking the hour. When I heard that click I took one step over in to enlightenment. .... What did it mean when the clock struck nine? My intense standing practice had removed the obstructions of torpor and restlessness. Its effect was like that of a clear sky completely devoid of clouds. It instantaneously allowed me to enter and abide at the original place. It was in this manner that I stood throughout those seven days and nights.

Those who have their minds set on cultivation should be endowed with spirits that are willing, if necessary, to bore through rocks with their fingers in order to become enlightened.' (Buswell 1992, pp. 65-67)(1)


"Those who endure conquer."

"Moths are attracted to flames, bees to nectar bearing flowers."


1. Buswell, R. E. (1992). The Zen monastic Experience. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Clearing the eight extraordinary channels part 1

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The eight main psychic channels represent the deepest level of energetic structuring and are different to the standard twelve organ meridians in that they are considered to be storage vessels or reservoirs of energy (and into which the latter can drain their excesses) and are not associated directly with the Zang Fu organs (1). These meridians are the first to form in utero, and are carriers of Yuan Qi (the ancestral energy which corresponds to our genetic inheritance) but as opposed to the twelve organ meridians they do not carry Qi and blood nor do have their own acupoints except the Governing and Conception Vessels.


The main role of these meridians is the following:

1. The Governing Vessel/Du Mai (Yang) controls development of the body's back.
2. The Conception Vessel/Ren Mai (Yin) controls development of the body's front.
3. The Thrusting Vessel/Chong Mai carries energy through the center of the body and controls the body's center core.
4. The Yang Heel Vessel/Yang Qiao Mai controls the development of the body's right and left Yang energy.
5. The Yin Heel Vessel/Yin Qiao Mai controls the development of the body's right and left Yin energy.
6. The Yang Linking Vessel/Yang Wei Mai controls the development of the exterior of the body (and correlates to Heaven energy).
7. The Yin Linking Vessel/Yin Wei Mai controls the development of the interior of the body (and correlates to Earth energy).
8. The Belt Vessel/Dai Mai binds all the channels together (it's the only vessel with a horizontal flow of Qi).

Clearing these channels is vital if we want to make a significant progress in our spiritual path or enjoy a healthy life free of disease. There are several methods of accomplishing this painful task since toxins and blockages (as well as karmic issues from past lives) quickly accumulate in these channels. I am going to discuss one that can be practiced without the need of a teacher since the other methods are dynamic and quite complex; i.e. Baguazhang and Taijiquan.

The method involves a great of visualisation work so you must be patient and diligent (please do not rush your practice as it will block the normal flow of Qi). It is called "Advanced Method of Unification with the Cosmos" and is derived from Tantric Buddhism. It is divided into five parts:

1. Beginning
2. Relax, Expand, Let Go and Retrieve
3. Absorbing Energy from Earth and Heaven
4. Absorbing Energy from Six Directions
5. Absorbing Energy by Spiraling

I will be discussing each of them in future blog entries.


1. Zang refers to the organs considered to be yin in nature: heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney; whereas Fu refers to the yang organs: small intestine, large intestine, gallbladder, urinary bladder, stomach and sanjiao.

Wood energy and Qigong practice

I like to practice around trees because I find it very benefitial to my energetics (born in a fire year 1966 and beloging to a fire sign, horse) which makes sense as it follows the generating cycle of what is called in Daoist philosophy, the Five Elements Theory.




Wood energy nourishes my Qi and I benefit mostly from it; however that might not be the case for someone born in a Earth year as this is energy destroyed by Wood. So ideally this person would benefit from either Fire or Metal energies according to the chart.

I have a simple exercise which serves its triple purpose: clean stagnant qi in the liver and gallbladder as well as their corresponding meridians, energise the Triple Burner and ultimately enhance the Qi of those born in Water and Fire years (ending in 2, 3 and 6,7 respectively).

But clearly this Qigong targets directly the Liver (Yin) and Gallbladder (Yang), as both organs are associated with Wood energy.

Here's the form:




Stand in Zhan Zhuang stance and when you are fully relaxed take your time to raise either the left or right arm to the position shown above. Maintain that position for as long as you can without any sign of exertion or discomfort. Swap arm positioning very slowly focusing on your breathing. When you finish bring your arms down to the lower dantien area as if you were holding a balloon and stay there for a while.

While you hold the posture you can use visualisation techniques like qi running along the L & GB and their meridians (make sure you learn this from a chart...they can be found anywhere online or in a TCM book) or any others of your liking. Alternatively focusing on your breathing and empty yourself starting from the crown of your head all the way down to your feet.

I would like to finish this post by saying that trees have provided me with fabulous meditations and amazing mystical experiences which I am not willing to discuss since they only would feed the ego-mind and are impermanent anyway.

We are like the spider.
We weave our life and then move along in it.
We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives in the dream.
This is true for the entire universe. The Upanishads (500 BCE)

Practitioners born in Fire or Water years will really benefit from practice alongside trees as opposed to anyone born Metal (0,1) or Earth (8,9) years who probably will enjoy more mountains and rock formations or any natural water features. Practice should never end, it is a constant progression aimed at slowly removing karmic hindrances and attaining a harmonious balance with the dynamic forces of the natural environment.

Dandelion: liver and kidneys benefactor

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Dandelion is an excellent herb with liver healing properties which is is cultivated largely in India as a remedy for liver complaints. The plant is found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. Scientific studies conducted on this herb by French scientist Henri Leclerc showed its effectiveness on chronic liver problems related to gallstones.

I regularly consume this herb to keep my liver and gallbladder flushed and free from the toxins I daily absorb by the mere fact of living in modern society. Dandelion consumption has also the added benefit of nourishing and cleansing the kidneys.

To prepare a herbal tea simply add pour two spoonfuls of both dried leaves and roots in a teapot and then add two glasses of filtered hot water (but not too hot) and let it sit there for about 20 mins. I wouldn't recommend adding any sweeteners to the brew.

Enjoy the benefits of this great little herb often called a "weed."