Earth and Sky Breathing

The following meditations use the mind to extend the energy body beyond the confines of the physical body. As you do this, you open yourself to a whole palate of feelings that go beyond normal experience.

Only our physical bodies are limited in time and space – but we are much more than just our physical bodies. We are made up of physical body, mind, soul, spirit and energy; and of these, only the physical is limited: our minds are unlimited, our soul is unlimited, our spirit is unlimited and our energy is unlimited. And so we can use these other parts of ourselves to open into ever widening experiences.

In particular, we can use our imagination to take our feeling beyond the limits of our bodies.  This allows us to receive feelings beyond those we normally have.

The meditations below strengthen the energy body by exercising it, in a similar way that exercising muscles strengthens them.

The core of Qigong is using the mind to direct energy in co-ordination with simple bodily movements. The bodily movements are used as symbols of the energy flow being controlled by the mind, but also provide a physical expression of those energy flows, in order to bring the energy from the mental plane into the physical.

Over time, more and more energy from the mental plane can be brought through the physical body, until truly superhuman feats become possible.

The exercises in this section utilise the Simple Stance detailed above in Section 4, Lesson 1 as it provides the best base for standing meditations. The exercises are best done barefoot on grass or other natural underfoot territory, but can also be done at home on a carpet or yoga mat.