For years, I’ve taught a powerful and ancient tool that sometimes gets overlooked – Metta Meditation, also known as Loving Kindness Meditation. This practice, rooted in ancient Buddhist traditions, is a game changer, especially when combined with qigong and tai chi. In this post, I’ll explain what Metta Meditation is, the research behind it, why it can profoundly impact your life, and how to practice it (along with a free guided meditation.)

What is Metta Meditation?

The term “Metta” comes from the Pali word मेत्ता. The early Buddhist scriptures were written in Pali, an ancient Indian language that is closely related to Sanskrit.  Metta can be translated to “loving-kindness” or “benevolence”. This concept is a cornerstone in many Buddhist practices and teachings, and it also made its way into Buddhist Qigong schools centuries ago.

Metta Meditation is about cultivating compassion and kindness towards all beings, including ourselves. By focusing on loving kindness, we rewire our brains and our hearts. This shift in mindset can help reduce stress, improve emotional health, and even improve your relationships.

The Research

There’s a growing body of scientific research on Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM), which I find fascinating. Here are a few examples:

1. Enhanced Positive Emotions and Decreased Negative Emotions: A study by Fredrickson et al. (2008) found that practicing LKM increased participants’ experiences of positive emotions. These positive emotions, in turn, were linked to an increase in personal resources like mindfulness and a sense of purpose. This study, “Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources,” was conducted by Barbara L. Fredrickson and others. It was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and focused on how Loving Kindness Meditation enhances positive emotions.
2. Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Research by Hofmann, Grossman, and Hinton (2011) demonstrated that LKM can be effective in reducing anxiety, possibly because of its focus on developing a nonjudgmental, accepting attitude towards oneself and others. This paper, titled “Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: Potential for psychological interventions,” explored the impact of these meditative practices on mental health, particularly in reducing anxiety and stress.
3. Improved Social Connectedness: A study by Kok et al. (2013) indicated that LKM could enhance feelings of social connectedness and positivity towards others, even in a relatively short period of practice. The study, “How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone,” by Bethany E. Kok and others, investigated the relationship between Loving Kindness Meditation, positive emotions, and social connectedness.
4. Decreased Symptoms of PTSD: Kearney et al. (2013) found that veterans with PTSD who practiced LKM showed reduced depression symptoms and improved overall well-being. Their study, “Loving-kindness meditation for post traumatic stress disorder: A pilot study,” looked at the effects of this meditation on veterans with PTSD, finding significant benefits in terms of reduced depression symptoms and improved overall well-being.

What’s I found super interesting is how LKM can actually impact the brain. A study using EEG data found that LKM can “significantly modulate brain activities before and after meditation.” So, it’s not just ancient wisdom; there’s modern science backing the benefits of spreading a little love through meditation.

Metta and Qigong

Metta Meditation has been interwoven with qigong for centuries. Qigong is all about moving energy (qi) through the body. So moving the energy of loving kindness fits in beautifully.

If you don’t know the 5-Phase Routine, then you can skip right to the guided meditation below. Or if want to learn this amazing routine, then my book will help you. It comes with a free online course that will teach everything you need to know to implement the 5-Phase Routine.

For my students, I recommend that you put the Metta Meditation in Phase 2, along with some dynamic qigong exercises. It fits well in Phase 2 because you’ll probably move a lot of emotional energy with this technique. So you’ll want to let that energy circulate afterward in Phase 3.

You can learn Metta from the guided meditation below, and then add it to your repertoire.

How to Practice Metta Meditation

The way that I teach metta involves 4 stages:

• Stage 1: Send loving kindness to someone you love (pets count).
• Stage 2: Send loving kindness to a neutral person, like a Starbucks barista.
• Stage 3: Send loving kindness to someone you dislike (one or both of the presidential candidates, for example).
• Stage 4: Send loving kindness to yourself.

For those who don’t know the 5-Phase Routine, here is a 10-minute guided audio where I lead you through all 4 stages. It’s free.

If you practice this meditation, and find it difficult – congratulations! You are human! It’s hard work. But it’s good work. It’s important work. It’s soul-work.

Metta Meditation isn’t some fluffy, feel-good exercise. It’s a practical, powerful tool for transforming your mind and, by extension, your life. By cultivating loving kindness, we not only heal ourselves but also contribute to healing the world around us. So, give it a try. You might be surprised how quickly this technique can change your life.

The post Metta Meditation: Unlocking the Power of Loving Kindness appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Years ago, if you had asked me if it was okay to practice qigong while listening to music, I would have told you no. I was taught not to practice qigong to music and so I repeated the same thing to my students. Simple, right?

Today, I’m a more mature teacher. I’ve learned to think for myself rather than just parrot what my teacher (or ex-teacher, as the case may be) told me. As a result, I’ve changed my mind. You might even say that I’ve changed my tune. Har!

Let’s take a more modern and practical look at this question.

The History of Qigong & Music

There is no historical precedent for qigong students listening to music while practicing. It just wasn’t an option, unless you were rich enough to hire a merry band of lutists for your own practicing pleasure. That’s why it’s a little weird when qigong masters tell us not to listen to music simply because past masters didn’t do it. I mean, it’s not like they actively made a choice. There was no choice!

For all we know, past masters would have loved listening to Metallica while practicing qigong. Okay, probably not, but hey, we just don’t know, and that’s my point. Since past masters didn’t have millions of songs at their fingertips like we do, we need to look elsewhere for our answers.

As is often the case, I gained insight from my students. They say that to teach is to learn twice, and I have found that to be true in my career. I’ve learned as much from them as they have from me.

Learning from Students

Years ago, a student in my qigong studio told me that practicing with music really helped her. She happened to be a diligent student. Unlike my own teachers, I decided not to trivialize her experience.

Not long after that, another student told me that listening to relaxing spa music with headphones helped her to practice more consistently. She had created a playlist that was just the right duration, and she used it as a form of digital discipline. Just press play, then let the qigong flow.

Helping students to practice more consistently has been a passion project of mine for decades now. Since a lack of practice is the #1 cause of failure in qigong, it’s a topic that I take very seriously. So when this student told me that she was practicing more consistently thanks to spa music (hey, to each their own!), I had to pay attention.

Headphones in Nature

In 2019, I was staying in my campervan at a beautiful campground in Asheville, NC. One of the reasons I loved living in the campervan was because it allowed me to spend more time in nature. There’s nothing like practicing qigong in the cool mountain air.

However, this particular campground was crowded. A bunch of pesky humans were making noise while I was trying to do my evening qigong session. So I put in my noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones and said, “Hey Siri, play some nature sounds.” Siri obliged, and I had a beautiful practice session.

I’m sure you get the irony of this. I was out in nature, listening to nature sounds through Bluetooth headphones. And yet, modern life is often like this.

After that, I saw some research about nature sounds helping to relax the nervous system, even when recorded. In my case, the effect was obvious. In that situation, listening to “music” helped me to have a more focused session.

Binaural Beats

Not long after this, a student suggested I try something called Binaural Beats. So I found an album on Apple Music and gave it a try.

Binaural Beats create what’s known as an “auditory illusion”. This effect is created when each ear hears a slightly different frequency. Somehow, this causes the brain to be more focused.

I don’t know the latest research on this, but binaural beats purportedly create a mental state similar to meditation. Some of the benefits attributed to it are:

• reduced anxiety
• increased focus and concentration
• lower stress
• increased relaxation
• fostering positive moods
• promoting creativity
• helping manage pain

The heart of my teaching is something called the Zen mind. So if something can help us to enter into a Zen state of mind more easily, then it’s going to be a big boon for our qigong practice. So I tried it.

And you know what? I think it helped a little! It’s hard for me to say because I’ve been practicing for a long time without music. So the effect may not be as noticeable for me. You should try it yourself to see how it goes.

Beware The Crutch

If you want to try nature sounds or binaural beats or spa music, go for it! I’m always encouraging students to experiment with their qigong to see what works best for them. This is no different.

Caveat #1: If you ALWAYS practice with music, then it can become a crutch. If you can’t find your headphones, does that mean you can’t do your morning qigong? What if you’re traveling? What if you’re hiking and just want to stop and do 5 minutes of qigong?

This isn’t a big deal as long as you’re practicing consistently, but it’s something to consider. In the end, if music and/or headphones help you to stay more consistent with qigong, then I say it’s a net gain.

Beethoven

Another caveat is with powerful music. As a musician, I may not be the best judge of this, but it’s something to watch for.

Caveat #2: Powerful music moves energy and grabs attention.

If I try to listen to something like the Beethoven Violin Concerto, it grabs a lot of my attention and also moves my energy. In other words, if I’m listening to Beethoven, I cannot get the relaxed, focused attention that I need for qigong.

For me, Beethoven (or Brahms or Dvorak or whatever) doesn’t easily slip into the background. Maybe that’s different for you, but try to pay attention to it. Maybe save classical or powerful music for another time.

Again, this is why I think it’s helpful to have something to compare to. If you only ever use classical music during your qigong sessions, then you may not even know what I mean when I talk about a relaxed, focused attention.

The Bottom Line

If you want to experiment with nature sounds, Binaural Beats, spa music, or any other form of music during your qigong sessions — go for it. Experiment, and see how you feel. Are you able to go deeper into your sessions? Do the headphones act as a form of digital discipline? Does starting a playlist act as a subtle ritual that initiates your practice?

If you’re practicing indoors, then I think that there’s a strong argument for trying nature sounds during your session. Not only will it cover up distracting noises from your house, but it can help to relax your nervous system, which is a good thing.

If you’re outdoors, then it’s a toss-up. Even in downtown Jacksonville where I live right now, there are nature sounds if I go to the park to practice. At least some of the time, listen to those sounds rather than the ones on Apple Music!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Qigong with Music: Yay or Nay? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“My body is fragile and vulnerable,” I said to myself. “Death will come to me whether I’m prepared or not.”

I was walking along a suburban, Florida sidewalk with my trusty mini-Schnauzer, Sgt. Pepper. I breathed out gently through my mouth and looked at a beautiful magnolia tree. Then, a Muscovy duck, with its strange, red head, waddled across the sidewalk. Sgt. Pepper bristled at the duck but didn’t bark.

I smiled. “Good dog,” I said, praising him for his restraint. Then my little rescue pup fell into stride with me and I felt the warmth growing in my heart. I love this little guy so much…

Then I resumed my Death Meditation practice: “Death will come to my dog whether I’m prepared or not,” I said to myself.

Really? Death Meditation? Now?!?

When I first learned about Death Meditation, it sounded crazy to me. Maybe it sounds crazy to you too. Especially now.

At the time, I had just won a battle against major depression and for the first time in years, I was no longer having suicidal thoughts. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to thinking about death.

Let me be clear that Death Meditation is not the same as having suicidal thoughts.

However, this technique can be uncomfortable to practice for some people. It’s not as fun as most other qigong techniques.

So I ignored it for years. And maybe the timing isn’t right for you either.

If you’re currently in crisis, if you’re having thoughts about harming yourself, then please skip this technique for now. Here are some helpful alternatives for you:

1. If you’re in crisis and having dark thoughts about harming yourself, then please call 1-800-273-8255, or click here: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Seriously. These people can help you even if you have no idea how that’s possible.

2. If you’re not in crisis, but you need to talk to someone right now, then visit the 7 Cups of Tea website. You can chat live with a trained active listener 24 hours a day. It’s a cool site. Check it out!

3. Go through my the free qigong program that I released to support people through the pandemic.
4. You might also want to read an old article of mine called: Here’s a Method That Is Helping Depressives Get through the Winter

What is Death Meditation?

The word Maranasati means “mindfulness of death”. It’s a 2500-year-old Zen technique that traces back to the Buddha.

One of my readers, who happens to a qigong and kung fu teacher in India, sent me a short audio file with the proper pronunciation of “maranasati”. Check it out below. (Many thanks to Sifu. N. Gowri Shankar of India for this recording! How cool is it that the internet can connect two Sifus from opposite sides of the planet?!? Amazing!)

Western culture has had similar practices to Maranasati. For example, the ancient Greeks had the Stoic tradition of Memento Mori. Here’s a quote from the most famous Stoic of all time that sums it up:

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” – Marcus Aurelius

The Maranasati technique can be summed up as follows:

Breathe gently as if taking your last few breaths. Look at death instead of looking away. Feel the truth of it, the inevitability of it, the fact that you too, will one day die.

Why on earth would someone do such a thing? Why would someone want to imagine dying? Or worse — their beloved dog dying?!?

Short answer: Because meditating on death makes you feel more alive.

Now for the longer answer…

When You Feel Helpless…

Normally, my morning routine consists of qigong, coffee, writing, and walking the dog. I specifically avoid reading the news.

But lately, that’s been hard for me. The news is so crazy — every single morning — that I can’t help but peek.

It’s always a mistake. It stresses me out. The news makes me feel incredibly helpless. I don’t know about you, but I HATE feeling helpless.

Maybe that’s why I love qigong so much — because it’s so empowering. I know from experience that when I’m feeling helpless, I need to take action, to do SOMETHING.

Maybe you’re thinking that I should’ve gone and done some qigong instead of meditating on death?

Duh. Of course. I do my qigong every day!

But on some mornings, I need extra-strength medicine. That’s when I reach into my Zen toolbox for the Death Meditation.

Okay, but WHY meditate on death?

Over the years, I’ve come to understand that meditating on death is not morbid, nor is it crazy, nor is it even that weird.

I believe that meditating on death is one of the sanest things that we can do.

Death unites us all. We’re so busy rushing around that we forget that none of us are getting out of this thing alive.

If you don’t believe me, perhaps this article from The Onion will convince you.

World Death Rate Holding Steady At 100 Percent

Funny, right?

See, we’re okay with cracking jokes about death, but otherwise, we prefer to ignore it. We don’t talk about it. We don’t look at it. We don’t think about it.

In forgetting to feel our mortality, we lose something precious — the feeling of being fully alive.

And that’s exactly why we need to practice Maranasati.

The 9 Contemplations of Master Atisha

There are many ways to “look” at death, but the 11^th century Buddhist master Atisha gave us some nice tips. [source]

1. All of us will die sooner or later.
2. Your lifespan is decreasing continuously.
3. Death will come whether you are prepared or not.
4. Your life span, like that of all living beings, is not fixed. 
5. Death has many causes.
6. Your body is fragile and vulnerable. 
7. Your loved ones cannot keep you from death.
8. At the moment of your death, your material resources are of no use to you.
9. Your own body cannot help you at the time of your death.

Wow. So this Atisha guy wasn’t messing around! Those are some serious contemplations!

How to Practice

It’s best to choose one of Atisha’s contemplations and just practice that for a day or a week.

You can practice while sitting, standing, or walking. It’s the essence of the technique that matters most, not the form.

If you already know qigong, then I recommend that you practice this technique during your walk before or after your regular practice session. Instead of walking for 1 minute, walk for 5-10 minutes and use one of the contemplations.

If you don’t know qigong — then my book is the most affordable way to get started. It comes with a free online course, and thousands have already benefitted.

Then experiment with Maranasati, and see what works for you. Does it work better if you practice it before your qigong session? Or is it better afterward?

If you have questions, please post them in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to help you.

Why I Stopped Looking Away

I have a tendency to look away from death. I get scared, and so I’ve looked away for a long time.

I’m sure you’ve looked away too. I don’t blame you. I know what it feels like.

But as I get older, I find that I’m practicing it more and more often, even if there’s nothing crazy happening in the news. (You know, for like 2 hours or so.)

I practice Maranasati a lot these days because I desperately need it. Perhaps the current events will spur you to try the technique for the same reasons.

I’ve gotten to a point where I feel like I’m done looking away from death. This shadowy vision is already there, lurking in the back of my mind. I can’t ignore it or wish it away.

Feeling Fully Alive…

But more than that, I find that this Maranasati technique enriches my life.

Have you ever had a close call, maybe while driving? Or maybe you had a health scare that later turned out to be negative?

After your close call, you suddenly felt your aliveness. You really FELT it for a change.

I know that feeling too.

Here’s something that I wrote and posted to Facebook a few years ago after a brush with death:

This is what Maranasati does for us. It’s a beautiful technique that wakes you up and reminds you that — right now, right here — you are alive.

And that, my friends is an amazing thing.

How do you feel about Maranasati? Does it seem useful to you? Would you like more on the subject? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Why Now is the Perfect Time to Practice Zen Death Meditation appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“When I try to do my qigong, I just can’t seem to let go of my thoughts,” she said. “My mind doesn’t shut up. Am I supposed to be thinking nothing at ALL?”

This question came from one of my Qigong 101 students. It’s a good question, and a common one. I get it not just from qigong students, but also practitioners of yoga, sitting meditation, and tai chi.

If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that I’ve probably received this question at least 300 times since I started teaching in 2005.

So why don’t I have a blog post answering this question, you ask?

Another good question! Let’s fix that now, shall we?

But first, a story!

I Think I Might Be Enlightened

The year was 1991. I was attending a lecture at Columbia University by Professor Robert Thurman, a famous Buddhist scholar.

Professor Thurman isn’t just book smart. He’s also one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Oh, and he’s also friends with the Dalai Lama.

So he knows a thing or two about meditation.

“I had an awakening experience last week,” the student said. “I think I might be enlightened.”

Giggles filled the lecture hall. It was obvious to all of us that this dude was stoned. I think it was obvious to Professor Thurman too, but he listened patiently.

“What’s your name?” Professor Thurman asked.

“Dan.”

“Tell me more, Dan.”

Dan explained how, since his awakening experience, he had been 100% thought free.

“The chatter in my head…you know, the radio station…it’s just, like, gone.”

“And how long has it been gone?”

“Since my awakening…like 6 days,” he said earnestly.

“So no chatter for 6 days?” Professor Thurman clarified.

“Right, man.”

Professor Thurman nodded but didn’t say anything. He paced around the front of the hall pensively, as if mulling something over in his mind. But his silence lasted longer than any of us expected, and all 50 or so Columbia students started to squirm in their seats.

Finally, after what felt like 10 minutes but was probably just 1 minute, Professor Thurman turned around suddenly and looked at Dan again.

“How about now?” he said.

Laughter erupted throughout the room, but Professor Thurman was still focused on Dan.

Dan considered the question deeply and looked as if he were meditating with his eyes open.

“I think you’re right,” he said finally, as if it were just him and Professor Thurman in the room. “I still have thoughts.”

“Don’t be ashamed, Dan,” Professor Thurman said. “Maybe you did have an awakening of some sort. But having no mental chatter at all — that’s perfect enlightenment you’re talking about, kid, and it’s a long way off for most of us, myself included.”

Mrs. Schupack, Zen Master

My first experience with meditation was in 5th grade. I think that my teacher, Mrs. Schupack, might have been a Zen master in disguise.

“I dare you to think of nothing for 60 seconds,” she said to the class. “No thoughts whatsoever for 60 seconds. Go ahead. Close your eyes and try it.”

I was 10 years old, and I thought I was pretty clever. I closed my eyes, confident that I would nail this challenge.

“Easy peasy,” I thought to myself.

“Wait, that was a thought,” I thought.

“And so was that,” I thought.

“Okay, no more thoughts,” I thought.

I squeezed my eyelids tight and did my best to concentrate. And I had a pretty good run. My mind was quiet for a second or two.

But before I knew it, I was thinking about lunch. Specifically, I was thinking about the vanilla pudding cup that my mother had hopefully packed in my lunch bag. I was thinking about popping the can open and licking the metal top carefully to get the delicious pudding….

“Time’s up!” Mrs. Schupack said.

“No way!” I thought. I felt defeated. It seemed like such an easy thing to do, but I had failed miserably.

“Anyone succeed?” she asked, a wry smile forming on her lips.

“I did,” Timothy said. I and several other students chuckled. There was NO WAY that Timothy had succeeded. He was full of you-know-what!

“No you didn’t,” Mrs. Schupack said confidently. “Because it’s impossible.”

She went on to explain that having zero thoughts for 60 seconds was not humanly possible.

Later, as I was eating my delicious vanilla pudding, I thought about what Mrs. Schupack had said. Was it really impossible to turn off your thoughts for 60 seconds?

33 Thoughts Per Minute

I’ve heard that the average human has over 50,000 thoughts per day. That’s over 2000 thoughts per hour, or 33 thoughts per minute!

This rings true to me — 33 thoughts per minute.

We’ll come back to this number because I think it’s useful for both beginners and seasoned meditators.

In the Zen tradition, we call this the Monkey Mind:

• The Monkey Mind is the radio station that Dan thought was forever gone from his head (but wasn’t).
• The Monkey Mind is the chatter that I heard in my own 10-year-old mind.
• The Monkey Mind is active in every human.

When people start to meditate, whether it’s sitting meditation or a form of moving meditation like qigong, they start to become aware of the Monkey Mind.

That’s what happened to me in Mrs. Schupack’s class. And that’s what happens to everyone who starts to meditate.

Thought Clusters

Does 33 TPM (Thoughts Per Minute) sound like a lot to you?

If you haven’t practiced meditation, then it probably does.

But if you’ve practiced meditation, you’re probably nodding your head and thinking, “sounds about right.”

Without a base level of meditative skill, it’s hard to be aware of all 33 thoughts. Your mind moves so fast that you can only track some of them, maybe not even half.

Then, with practice, you start to discover what I call thought clusters.

What at first seemed like one thought is actually a whole cluster of sub-thoughts.

For example, my 10-year-old brain started to think about vanilla pudding. But underneath that thought were many sub-thoughts, like, “it’s almost lunchtime,” and “I’m hungry.”

There were even non-verbal thoughts, like the muscle memory of opening the can of pudding. This was something I had done countless times — something I could feel in my fingers.

All of that forms a thought cluster. It’s several thoughts, not just one.

If we include thought clusters, then 33 TPM is a good example of what most people can expect when starting to meditate.

1 TPM

The goal of meditation is to gradually quiet the Monkey Mind.

You can think of this as gradually lowering your thoughts per minute from 33 TPM down to 1 TPM. But as Professor Thurman said, this is a lifetime of work.

Wait, what about 0 TPM?

I won’t even talk about reaching 0 TPM because it’s so advanced and so far from my own realm of experience that it’s practically meaningless.

In other words, even after decades of meditation practice, I still don’t worry about 0 TPM.

This was Dan’s mistake. He thought that, at the tender age of 19, with very little meditation experience, he had somehow catapulted himself to 0 TPM.

Sorry, Dan. You did good, but not 0 TPM good.

I do suspect that Mrs. Schupack was wrong and that 0 TPM is actually possible. But we’re probably talking about a tiny percentage of people in all of human history.

Are You a Child Prodigy?

Here’s what beginners and intermediate students really need to understand:

You don’t play the Schoenberg Violin Concerto after 1 year of practice.

You don’t even play it after 3 years of practice.

If you are a child prodigy, then MAYBE you play it after 10 years of practice. Maybe. And in that case, you’re one of the best violinists who’s ever lived.

The truth is that most violinists will never be able to play it. Not ever.

But this doesn’t mean that they can’t be amazing violinists! They absolutely can!

And that’s my message to you. You can be an amazing meditator without ever reaching 0 TPM.

In fact, you should probably stop thinking about 0 TPM altogether.

What’s Your TPM?

Dan thought he was suddenly and permanently at 0 TPM. Thanks to Professor Thurman’s ingenious teaching method, Dan realized that he wasn’t there yet.

Similarly, at the age of 10, with my first real attempt at meditation, I was aiming for 0 TPM. I was doomed to fail.

The student at the very beginning of this post, the woman who asked if she’s supposed to be thinking nothing at all — she was also aiming for 0 TPM.

Let me be clear: 0 TPM is not the goal.

Instead of aiming for 0 TPM, just aim to lower your TPM by 1 or 2 points every year.

That’s it. Just 1-2 TPM lower per year. That’s enough.

This is enough to get the many benefits of meditation, which is what you’re really after, right?

You want to be less anxious, to be more present, to have less pain, to have more energy, and to be happier, right?

Lowering your TPM, even by just 1 or 2 points, will start to bring you those benefits.

How To Spot a Fake Master

I’m of the opinion that most people who talk about being enlightened probably aren’t.

Here’s how you can tell.

Ask them if they are able to clear their mind 100%.

In other words, ask them if they are at 0 TPM. If they answer yes, then they’re probably fake. Go find another teacher.

(Of course, they might ACTUALLY be enlightened, in which case, sorry! You just missed an opportunity to learn from a living Buddha! My bad!)

Every meditation master that I’ve learned from admits that they are not yet at 0 TPM. In other words, even world-renowned meditation masters still can’t “think of nothing”.

But don’t let this fool you. These people are still INCREDIBLY skillful.

For example, someone who can repeatedly and reliably get to, say, 5 TPM — now that’s someone who deserves your respect!

The Bottom Line

Here are the key points of this post:

• Your mind absolutely should NOT be totally empty when meditating, whether it’s qigong, yoga, sitting meditation, or tai chi.
• Stop trying to “think of nothing”.
• Instead, just try to lower your Thoughts Per Minute (TPM) by 1-2 points.
• Remember that, in the beginning, you might feel like your TPM is increasing rather than decreasing. This is because meditation practice enables you to be aware of thought clusters.
• Most of us start at about 33 TPM (including thought clusters).
• You’ll start to reap the benefits of meditation even if you lower your TPM by 1 or 2 points.
• Most people who claim to be enlightened probably aren’t. Your miles may vary.

So there you go. There are my thoughts about…well…thoughts!

What do you think? Did you find my TPM analogy helpful? Let me know in the comments below!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Should Your Mind Be Totally Empty While Meditating? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“Should I lift the tip of my tongue to the roof of my mouth?” Gina asked.

“Why would you do that?” I asked.

“Because that’s what I learned from another qigong teacher,” she said.

“Yes, but WHY?” I asked. “Why did she tell you to do it, and why are you doing it now?”

Gina stared at me, blinking.

“I just thought that’s what you’re supposed to do in qigong,” she said.

I see this all the time with students. There’s a ton of confusion about the tongue in qigong. (Hey, that rhymes!)

In this article, I’ll explain why some qigong teachers tell you to lift the tongue.

I’ll also make a strong argument for why you might want to stop.

Asking Questions: A Modern Innovation

When I teach, I not only allow students to ask questions, but encourage them to do so.

Like most modern educators, I know that this is an essential part of good teaching.

But that’s not the traditional way of teaching qigong. Not even close.

Throughout most of the history of qigong and tai chi, students probably asked very few questions.

Here’s why.

Let’s imagine that a student is learning qigong in China roughly 200 years ago.

And let’s imagine that the Sifu (or teacher) tells the student to lift the tip of the tongue to touch the roof of her mouth.

“Sifu, why do we lift the tongue like this?” the student asks.

The student would probably receive one of the following answers from her Sifu:

1. “Because I said so!”
2. Silence, followed by a lightning-fast whack from the Sifu’s walking stick.

To the modern teacher, this probably seems like terrible pedagogy. And it certainly would be today in the West.

But we shouldn’t be so quick to judge masters who taught like this.

Past masters in China wanted to encourage their students to answer their own questions through practice, rather than through intellectualization.

They were also teaching in a totally different setting — one where secrecy was the norm, and the goals of practice were significantly different.

As times changed, so did the way that questions were asked and answered.

A 20th Century Answer

As qigong and tai chi migrated to the West, traditional teachers quickly realized that they couldn’t teach the old way.

So they did what humans do best: they adapted.

For example, let’s imagine a student learning qigong in the US in the 1970s.

And let’s imagine that, just like the example above, the Sifu tells her to lift the tip of the tongue to touch the roof of her mouth.

“Sifu, why do we lift the tongue like this?” the student asks.

Since the Sifu can’t give the student a good whack for an answer, and since “because I said so,” probably wouldn’t cut it either, she opts for a curt answer instead:

“Because it connects the ren mai and du mai,” she responds. Then she walks away, preventing further questions.

A 21st Century Answer

Now let’s imagine a modern, 21st century student learning from a Western teacher.

And let’s imagine that, just like the 2 examples above, the Sifu tells her to lift the tip of the tongue to touch the roof of her mouth.

“Sifu, why do we lift the tongue like this?” the student asks.

This time, the Sifu responds as follows:

“Lifting the tongue to the roof of the mouth connects the Ren Mai  (which runs from the chin down the centerline to the perineum) to the Du Mai (which runs from the perineum up the centerline of the back, around the head, and down to the upper lip), which is one of the steps toward opening an energy circuit called the Small Universe, sometimes called the Microcosmic Orbit, or Xiao Zhou Tian in Chinese.”

That’s a pretty thorough answer! But is it helpful?

Meh. Not really.

It’s interesting enough, and it will probably satisfy the Western mind.

But what we really need is a follow-up question.

For example:

“Sifu, why am I practicing the Small Universe?”

Now we’re getting somewhere!

Why Practice the Small Universe?

The Small Universe (小周天) is one of the oldest qigong techniques known.

A text dating back to 300 B.C. called The Circulating Qi Inscription (Xing Qi Ming, 行氣銘) describes the technique almost exactly the way it is practiced today.

But what is it, and why would anyone want to practice it?

It’s a powerful qigong method that transforms and “mixes” the energies of the human body in a way that is exceedingly useful for both martial artists and spiritualists.

For martial artists, the Small Universe will give you more power and more stamina.

For spiritualists, the Small Universe will help to refine your energy in a way that will make spiritual experiences more frequent and more intense.

Sounds good, right?

Not so fast.

The Small Universe isn’t just ancient; it’s also advanced.

In addition to asking WHY we should practice the Small Universe, we should also be asking WHEN.

When Should We Learn the Small Universe?

Some schools of qigong teach the Small Universe early, even to relative beginners.

This baffles me. For the life of me, I can’t find a good reason to do this.

Meanwhile, I can find many reasons NOT to do it.

As I said, the Small Universe is an advanced technique.

It requires a combination of many different advanced qigong skills, like directing the qi, consolidating the qi, and purifying the qi. (Click here to read more about the 12 main qigong skills.)

If you practice the techniques of the Small Universe too early in your qigong development, you won’t have the skill to get the benefits from this powerful method.

What’s worse, you might even hurt yourself.

Years ago, I wrote about about the dangers of practicing the Small Universe without proper training.

To this day, I still receive emails from students who attempted the Small Universe, and hurt themselves doing so.

Luckily, the damage is reversible with remedial qigong techniques. But why take such a risk in the first place?

[Edit: simply lifting the tongue doesn’t count as practicing the Small Universe, so it doesn’t carry the same risk. But there are other problems with lifting the tongue, as I explain below.]

Is the Small Universe Necessary?

You can’t master the art of qigong without practicing the Small Universe.

But many students mistakenly think that the Small Universe is necessary for healing.

This is totally untrue.

As I said, the Small Universe is great for martial artists and spiritualists.

But when it comes to healing pain and illness, there are options that are both safer and more efficient than the Small Universe.

In fact, there is an entire category of qigong dedicated to healing pain and illness.

It’s called — big surprise — Medical Qigong!

Choose the Right Type of Qigong

Remember Gina from the beginning of this post?

She assumed that qigong was just qigong, and that you always lift the tongue.

But Qigong is actually a modern, umbrella term for many different types of qi cultivation.

All styles of qigong trace back to China, and all share a the concept of qi, but HOW they go about cultivating that qi is different.

And their goals are different too.

There are 5 different types, or categories, of qigong:

1. Medical Qigong
2. Vitality (or Longevity) Qigong
3. Scholarly (or Intellectual) Qigong
4. Martial Qigong
5. Spiritual Qigong

Each category also tells you its main goal:

• Medical Qigong aims to heal pain and illness.
• Vitality Qigong aims to keep you healthy and full of vitality for a long time.
• Scholarly Qigong aims to improve memory, concentration, and creativity.
• Martial Qigong aims to improve power and performance in martial arts.
• Spiritual Qigong aims to cultivate the mind and the spirit.

Here’s something that many people don’t understand:

Most of the qigong taught within the tai chi tradition is Martial Qigong!

This isn’t surprising because tai chi is a martial art. (If you didn’t know this, then click here to watch a quick video and learn more.)

Now we can see why so many students are taught to lift the tongue — because they learned within the context of tai chi.

In other words, they learned Martial Qigong.

And the Small Universe is a major part of most types of Martial Qigong.

The 12 Primary Channels

Medical Qigong is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), making it a cousin of acupuncture.

According to TCM theory, you have 12 Primary Channels:

1. Taiyin Lung Channel of the Hand (手太阴肺经)
2. Shaoyin Heart Channel of the Hand (手少阴心经)
3. Jueyin Pericardium Channel of the Hand (手厥阴心包经)
4. Shaoyang Sanjiao Channel of the Hand (手少阳三焦经)
5. Taiyang Small Intestine Channel of the Hand (手太阳小肠经)
6. Yangming Large Intestine Channel of the Hand (手阳明大肠经)
7. Taiyin Spleen Channel of the Foot (足太阴脾经)
8. Shaoyin Kidney Channel of the Foot (足少阴肾经)
9. Jueyin Liver Channel of the Foot (足厥阴肝经)
10. Shaoyang Gallbladder Channel of the Foot (足少阳胆经)
11. Taiyang Bladder Channel of  the Foot (足太阳膀胱经)
12. Yangming Stomach Channel of  the Foot (足阳明胃经)

Some of those may be confusing, but I’m sure you noticed that there are some pretty important organs listed in there.

You also have what are known as the 8 Extraordinary Vessels:

1. Conception Vessel (Ren Mai, 任脈)
2. Governing Vessel (Du Mai, 督脈)
3. Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai, 衝脈)
4. Girdle Vessel (Dai Mai, 帶脈)
5. Yin Linking vessel (Yin Wei Mai, 陰維脈)
6. Yang Linking vessel (Yang Wei Mai,陽維脈)
7. Yin Heel Vessel (Yin Qiao Mai, 陰蹻脈)
8. Yang Heel Vessel (Yang Qiao Mai, 陽蹻脈)

The Small Universe deals with the first two of these vessels — the Ren Mai and Du Mai.

In other words, it ignores all of the 12 Primary Channels, and ignores 6 out of the 8 Extraordinary Vessels.

If you want to heal from pain and illness, then you should choose the right tool for the job.

Medical Qigong, which focuses on the 12 Primary Channels, is a better choice than the Small Universe, which focuses on the Ren and Du Vessels.

What Happens if You Rush to the Small Universe

If you jump to the techniques of the Small Universe too early, you may end up diverting energy away from the 12 Primary Channels in order to feed the Ren and Du Vessels.

This can happen especially if you haven’t gathered enough qi into your system — something that takes time — or if you haven’t cleared enough of the energy blockages in your system.

Even though the vessels and channels are connected, it’s a bad idea to divert energy away from your 12 Primary Channels.

For example, the Heart Channel is considered the Emperor of the entire system.

Starving the Heart Channel of qi by diverting it to the Ren and Du Vessels could potentially wreak havoc on your energy system.

Why take the risk?

Most people come to qigong because they have chronic pain or illness. They want to be healthier, have more energy, and be happier.

We can accomplish all of that without the Small Universe.

Later, once you’re healthier, once you’ve spent time circulating and gathering your qi, then you can start to learn advanced techniques like the Small Universe.

So What Should I Do With My Tongue?!?

Okay, we’ve established that you probably shouldn’t be practicing the Small Universe if you’re a beginner who is working on chronic pain and illness.

But what if you lift the tongue when you’re NOT doing the Small Universe?

If you have tension in your tongue or your jaw — both of which are common for beginners — then lifting the tongue can actually block the flow of qi, not only through the Small Universe, but through all 12 channels.

Does that sound like a good idea? Nope. It’s not.

While it’s not the worst mistake in the world, you’re probably better off keeping the tongue and the jaw relaxed.

Of course, once you start learning and practicing the Small Universe, you’ll need to start lift your tongue. But by then, you’ll be better at releasing tension.

If you’re already learning from a Sifu who asks you to lift the tongue and you feel that you can ask a question without being rude, then go ahead and ask why! Be polite, and give your Sifu the benefit of the doubt, especially if they are from an Eastern culture.

And if you already have the habit of raising the tongue, then make sure there’s no extra tension in the tongue (usually caused by pressing upward too hard), or in the jaw (usually caused by clenching the teeth or holding the jaw rigidly).

In my qigong style, we typically breathe in gently through the nose, and out gently through the mouth. So the exhalation naturally causes you to disconnect the tongue anyway.

If you’re using this breathing method, then gently lifting the tongue during the inhalation is not a problem at all.

What it Feels Like

Let me be clear that I love practicing the Small Universe, and I do it often.

My hope for you is that you’ll one day experience the true power of this technique. To do that, you need the proper training, skill, and sensitivity.

When you’re ready, when you begin to practice the Small Universe — amazing things start to happen.

I wish I could describe the feeling when you lift the tongue to the right spot and connect the circuits of the Ren and Du Mai.

But words fall short. I’m sorry. I can’t describe it.

I hope you’ll keep practicing so that you can experience it for yourself one day. It’s worth the wait.

Takeaway

Lifting the tongue to the roof of the mouth is only necessary when practicing an advanced qigong method called The Small Universe.

If you’re a beginner, then it’s better to work on relaxing the tongue and the jaw in order to relax the entire nervous system.

If you’ve got chronic pain or illness, it’s best to focus on Medical Qigong exercises, like the 18 Luohan Hands.

If you want to learn a wonderful Medical Qigong exercise for free, click here.  

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Why Qigong Students Should Stop Lifting The Tongue appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Marriage is so hard. No one really tells you how hard it’s going to be.

They tell you that it takes work, but they don’t tel you that it takes SOUL work.

If you want a happy marriage, then you have to be ready to dig into your soul and pull out the weeds.

America is like a marriage. We have 2 major political parties, and you may have noticed that they don’t really get along.

It’s a rocky marriage.

This is an especially crazy election season. Emotions are high. America is having daily marital fights.

It might seem like this marriage is doomed to fail, but it isn’t.

Remember that, in the history of the world, America is one of the best marriages ever. There’s hope.

It will take work. It will take soul work.

But Americans are gritty. We know how to dig deep. We’re not afraid of getting our hands dirty while pulling out some weeds.

If you feel like you’re going batshit crazy during this election cycle, then you’re not alone.

The Zen tradition has some useful tips to help you get through this election, and also to help us all work towards a healthier America.

1. The One Breath Method

You’re not helping anyone by holding your breath.

You’re not helping your cause, you’re not helping your health, and you’re not helping America.

When you stifle your breathing, you can’t think clearly, your blood flow is restricted, and your qi (or vital energy) stagnates.

In the Zen tradition, there’s a teaching that this breath — the one you are taking right now — could be the one that finally leads to your awakening.

If one breath can potentially enlighten you, then it can probably help with something more mundane, like calming your election crazies.

I call this the One Breath Method.

Try it now. Take one, complete, full breath. Breathe in gently and fully through the nose. Hold it for 1 second. And then release the breath completely through your mouth.

Release until there’s hardly any air left in your lungs. All the way out.

That’s it. Good.

You can — and indeed probably should — do this while scrolling through Facebook, while reading the newspaper, or while watching TV news.

Do it now. Do it often. Just one, complete breath. Even if it doesn’t enlighten you, it will help you get through this crazy election season.

2. Find the Frigging Goodness

Great Compassion is one of the twin pillars of Zen. (The other is Great Wisdom, which I’ll talk about later.)

In order to have Great Compassion, you must train it.

An efficient way to train compassion is to look for the goodness in people.

Everyone has goodness in them. Even Darth Vader. Look for it, and look hard.

This question will make it easier to find:

What good result is this person trying to achieve? What good do they think they are doing?

Remember what I said about marriage being hard work? Well, it’s frigging hard finding the goodness in people.

For example, if you’re pro gun control, and you have a friend who is the opposite, then ask yourself the following question: 

What good result is my pro-gun-rights friend trying to achieve? What good do they think they’re doing?

For example, I know a young woman who was raped as a teenager. She is pro gun rights because she believes strongly in protecting herself. She’s determined to never let something like that happen again. Ever.

That’s why she carries a concealed handgun on her hip at all times (legally, of course).

Whether or not you think that her solution is effective — isn’t there something good that she’s trying to accomplish?

Underneath it all, isn’t she just trying to protect herself from being harmed? And isn’t that, fundamentally, a good thing?

Of course, we can flip it the other way too.

For example, I have a college friend who is passionate about gun control. He works in a crime-ridden area of a major city where kids are frequently killed by illegal guns.

My friend actively promotes gun control as a solution to the inner city violence.

Whether or not you think his solution is effective — isn’t it a good thing to try to protect innocent children?

Maybe you think that less gun control is the solution, but underneath that disagreement, don’t both of you just want to stop kids from getting killed?

What’s the goodness that the other person is trying to achieve? Look for it.

3. Don’t Be Highly Illogical.

Only the facts matter! Charisma doesn’t matter. Spin doesn’t matter! Facts are everything in an election!

It’s a nice notion. It’s a logical notion. Spock would approve.

But Spock would also be the first to point out the fact that humans are highly illogical.

The fact that you haven’t accepted this fact proves that you are human.

It’s okay. It happens to the best of us.

Even Spock wrestled with his emotions.

If Spock, who was 50% more Vulcan than you, had such a hard time controlling his emotions, is it any wonder that you do too?

Maybe an analogy will help.

Everyone knows that sex sells, especially the advertising companies.

Pretending that elections are all about facts is like pretending that people are immune to subliminal advertising. The facts say otherwise, my friend!

Meditation is the only way out of this mess. It is the only thing that gives you the superhuman ability to control your emotions and your thoughts.

If you want to be more in control of your emotions, if you want to be more like Spock, then meditate daily.

If you already meditate and you want to help others to control their emotions — then do what I did and quit your job to become a meditation teacher.

4. Wield the Sword of Manjusri

In the Zen tradition, there is a beautiful story about Manjusri, an enlightened being who wields a flaming sword that cuts through ignorance.

Earlier, I mentioned the twin pillars of Zen — Great Compassion and Great Wisdom. Manjusri’s sword represents Great Wisdom.

And we can all learn to wield it.

Let’s take the issue of sexual abuse.

“What Mr. Trump said on that recording was wrong,” I said to a friend. “It’s wrong to objectify women. It’s wrong to joke about grabbing a woman’s pussy. It’s wrong to touch a woman without consent. Don’t you agree?”

But my friend didn’t answer the question. Instead, he skipped straight to an argument about the sordid past of the Clintons.

This is where we need to learn to wield the sword.

Think of the sword as a wise debate moderator who cuts through all arguments that don’t DIRECTLY relate to the discussion at hand.

Wielding the sword of Manjusri against my friend, I said:

“Can we please focus on one issue at a time? The issue of abuse is really important to me. I want to know whether or not you agree that what Mr. Trump said about women was wrong? Yes or no? Afterward, please feel free to ask a yes or no question about the Clintons.”

The sword cuts through the clutter. It focuses the discussion on one thing at a time. And that’s Zen.

But remember that the sword can — and should — be used against you as well. In fact, it’s a good idea to pass the sword right to your friend after you use it. If you look carefully, that’s exactly what I did in my comment above.

5. Practice Forgiveness Fu

What if your friend doesn’t agree that what Mr. Trump said was wrong? What if they don’t think that abuse is a problem?

They they are wrong. It’s really that simple.

You know that you’re right, right?

Do you need to win an argument with your friend to validate what you already know to be true?

For example, I know that racism is wrong. I don’t need to win an argument with a racist to know that I’m right.

And yet, you’re probably having silent arguments in your head all the time — even when you already know that you’re right.

You probably feel a little crazy at times?

Right?

Forgiveness is the solution to that feeling of craziness. When you practice forgiveness diligently, it’s like a magical potion that sets you free from those endless mental arguments.

It is critical to understand that forgiving someone doesn’t mean that you condone what they did.  That’s not what forgiveness means. We can forgive someone and still hold them responsible.

In fact, if they weren’t responsible, you probably wouldn’t need to forgive them in the first place.

And that’s why it’s so hard.

Remember, to err is human. To forgive is divine.

Practicing forgiveness is hard. In many ways, it’s harder than learning kung fu. Even if it’s the hardest thing you ever do, it’s worth it.

6. Practice Metta Meditation

If you don’t know how to practice forgiveness, then start with Metta Meditation.

Metta meditation is an ancient Zen practice, and it can change your life.

Of course, it’s not just from the Zen tradition. Jesus taught similar ideas, but used different words.

Metta translates to “loving kindness” or “compassionate kindness”.

The way that I teach metta involves 4 stages:

• Stage 1: Send loving kindness to someone you love (pets count).
• Stage 2: Send loving kindness to a neutral person, like a Starbucks barista.
• Stage 3: Send loving kindness to someone you dislike (one or both of the presidential candidates, for example).
• Stage 4: Send loving kindness to yourself.

Here’s a 10-minute guided audio where I lead you through all 4 stages. It’s free.

If you practice this meditation, and find it difficult – congratulations! You are human! It’s hard work.

But it’s good work. It’s important work. It’s soul work.

And it’s patriotic work.

This is how we begin to heal our political marriage. This is how we work towards a better America. This is how Zen can help us in the 21st century.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post 6 Zen Tips to Get You through This Crazy Election Season appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Winston Churchill called depression his “black dog”.

I can’t use that term.

I have an actual black dog named Ziggy who is the opposite of depression.

Long before Ziggy came into my life, before I ever heard Churchill’s quote, I was using the term “dark demon” to refer to my depression.

A bit melodramatic, perhaps, but it works for me.

I believe that depression is an epic, personal battle against the darker forces of the human spirit.

I’ve been battling these dark forces for my entire adult life — mainly with my favorite weapon, qigong.

Recently, after an unexpected Zen-like awakening, I got my metaphoric hands on another weapon to use in my battle against depression.

I now wield a mighty weapon called self love.

My Teensy-Tiny Awakening

Satori is a Japanese word that means awakening. (The Chinese term for the same thing is wù, 悟.)

On their path toward nirvana, Zen students often experience a series of satori of varying degrees.

The final satori is what leads to full enlightenment.

Zen is sometimes called the school of sudden enlightenment. In fact, there are a bunch of fun stories about a Zen student suddenly experiencing a satori and reaching enlightenment.

Here’s an example: 

A monk told the Zen Master Joshu: “I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.”

Joshu asked: “Have you eaten your rice porridge?”

The monk replied: “I have eaten.”

Joshu said: “Then you had better wash your bowl.”

At that moment the monk was enlightened.

(from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection Of Zen And Pre-Zen Writings, Pickle Partners Publishing, Kindle Edition.)

My epiphany was not the BIG enlightenment. I am not a Buddha.

But it was sudden, and it was an awakening — a teeny, tiny, wee-little mini-enlightenment.

And it was awesome.

I’ve never seen a Zen story about depression causing a satori, but that’s exactly what happened to me.

Before I talk more about my little awakening, let’s shift gears for a moment and talk about self love.

Apparently, Self Love is Important

I’m sure you’ve heard that you should love yourself.

You can only love others as much as you love yourself…

Yada yada blah blah blah.

It’s not that I don’t agree that self love is important.

Unfortunately, the “love yourself” advice is just an empty platitude for most depressives.

We know that we should love ourselves more, but the advice doesn’t seem to work for us.

We’ve tried our hardest. We’ve tried to love ourselves, to change our dark thoughts, to use positive self talk.

But it doesn’t work.

Why You Suck at Self Love

I now know why self love is so hard for us depressives to learn. (The same is probably true for non-depressives as well.)

Self love is hard because you can’t think your way out of thinking.

And that’s exactly what we try to do. We try to think our way out of negative thought patterns.

It doesn’t work.

In fact, it will never work as long as there’s a jerk living inside your head.

The Voice In Your Head is an Asshole

Dan Harris, the ABC news anchor who fell in love with meditation, said that his first choice for the title of his book was:

The Voice In My Head is an Asshole

Unfortunately, the publisher rejected that title and chose a different one:

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works

I prefer the original title. The book is still worth reading though.

For those battling depression and anxiety, I think Dan’s original description is much better than both  Churchill’s “black dog” and my “dark demon”.

And that’s because it’s such an accurate description. The voice in my head really IS an asshole.

Maybe you can relate?

The Space Between Your Thoughts

After you practice meditation for a while, you start to acquire a skill that Victor Frankl calls “the space” between thought and reaction.

(If you haven’t read Victor Frank’s book Man’s Search for Meaning, then put it on your book list!)

Intellectually, you may know that you have a voice in your head. But the space that Frankl is talking about is not intellectual.

It’s something you feel —  a palpable separation between thinker and observer.

The thinker is the voice in your head. Often, this voice can be an asshole.

The observer is…well that’s a metaphysical discussion for another time.

The point is that when you are able to easily shift into observer mode, you develop the amazing ability to CHOOSE how you react to your thoughts — and not just during meditation, but all day long.

If you can’t yet easily shift into observer mode, don’t worry.

The technique that I discovered during my epiphany will help. It requires very little meditative skill to use.

(Hopefully, it will also encourage you to pursue some form of meditation, even if sitting meditation isn’t for you.)

Don’t Talk To My Wife Like That!

Before I show you the technique, let me quickly tell you how I discovered it.

My wife is not depressive, but like most people, she sometimes beats herself up.

“God, I’m so stupid,” she might say out loud when she forgets to do something.

Over the years, I’ve developed a fun way to deal with her negative self talk.

If she says it out loud, I’ll cut in and say: “Don’t talk about my wife that way!”

It makes her smile, and reminds her to be kinder to herself.

You see, my wife knows that I am protective by nature. She doesn’t need protecting. She’ll punch you in the face faster than I will.

But if someone were to say, “God, your wife is so stupid!” I certainly wouldn’t keep quiet! I would give that asshole a piece of my mind!

The Zen Art of Yelling at Yourself

Can you guess my epiphany yet?

Recently, as I stepped in to defend my wife, it hit me like a Zen truck.

I suddenly realized that I was yelling at the asshole in her head.

Why couldn’t I do the same thing for the asshole in my head?

It’s hard to describe an epiphany in words, but that’s as close as I can get, at least for now.

Later, I came up with a simple technique, which I’ll describe in 3 steps.

• Step 1: Beat yourself up in your own mind (or out loud)
• Step 2: Notice that the voice in your head is being an asshole.
• Step 3: Yell at that asshole!

Step 1 is easy for depressives. We are masters of this.

Step 2 will be more difficult if you don’t practice meditation. The good news is that you don’t need a ton of meditative skill to make this technique work.

(If you want to improve your meditative skill, you can start right now with a free mini-course on qigong, or you can dive into a longer course called Battling Depression and Anxiety with Qigong.)

Step 3 is easy! Once you realize that the voice in your head is an asshole, it’s surprisingly easy to yell at him or her!

Life Without an Asshole in My Head

Thanks to this technique, plus years of meditation practice, I no longer have an asshole living in my head.

For years, he called me stupid and made me feel worthless. He told me that I was weak, that I was a failure.

But then, once I started yelling at him — he just packed up and moved out.

Good riddance. Life is much better without him.

And here’s the most important part of this article, the part that will hopefully give you some hope:

Without an asshole in my head, it’s much easier to love myself. 

What Self Love Is

For the first time in my adult life, I truly understand WHAT self love is.

I see now that self love is not something different. It’s not a special kind of love that I am lacking.

It’s just love.

Love is an energy, and when it flows, it flows in every direction, including inward.

It’s the same as the simple and pure puppy love that I get from my dog, Ziggy.

It’s the same as the loving kindness that I feel toward a random child on the street.

It turns out that the problem is not learning how to love yourself.

The real problem is the voice in your head.

Get rid of that asshole, and you’ll see how simple self love can be.

Speaking of which…if you found this post helpful, then please show me a little love by liking, sharing, or commenting!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post How My Depression Led to a Zen Awakening about Self Love appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Qi Gong. Chi Kung. Chi Gong. Qigong.

I tried different spellings on different brochures.

I quickly learned that the spelling wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Americans had never heard of such a thing as qigong.

I considered using the words “tai chi” instead. After all, there’s a ton of overlap between the two arts. And of course I also practice tai chi.

But the qigong that I teach is significantly different than the tai chi that is commonly practiced. I wanted to differentiate between the two, so I continued to use the word “qigong”.

Zoom ahead 12 years into my teaching career, and the world has changed.

Today, the word qigong — however you choose to spell it — is much more widely recognized.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s widely recognized.

Most Americans still haven’t heard of it. But awareness is growing, and that’s a wonderful thing.

(Note: if you’re new to qigong, then click here to learn the best qigong exercise EVER.)

Change takes time. It took time for yoga to become the billion-dollar, global industry that it is today.

But I believe that if you give qigong a little time, it will be huge.

In fact, I think qigong will be bigger than yoga one day. Here’s why:

1. Qigong is easier than yoga.

Qigong is accessible to absolutely everyone. I’ve taught extreme athletes, and extreme couch potatoes. I’ve taught 20-somethings and 80-somethings. I’ve taught disabled veterans and marathoners (and also disabled marathoners).

For example, the picture above shows the exercise called Pushing Mountains, which involves gently moving your palms back and forth in a flowing manner, and coordinating your breath with the movement.

Anyone can do this exercise. It can be done sitting, it can be done in a wheelchair, and it can even be done with one arm.

There is only 1 prerequisite for success with qigong: a strong desire to practice for 15 minutes a day (or more).

I probably don’t need the rest of this list. This reason is enough to explain why qigong will explode in popularity.

2. Qigong is easier than tai chi.

There are many reasons why the art of tai chi didn’t see the same boom as yoga, despite it being practiced in the US for over 50 years.

In my experience, the biggest reason is this: people are intimidated by tai chi.

I can’t tell you how many students have come to me over the years telling me that they previously tried tai chi, but found it confusing, frustrating, and stressful.

With qigong, you don’t need to memorize long, complex routines. Nor do you need to worry about the martial aspects of the art.

Qigong allows you to dive immediately into the meditative and energetic aspects of the art, which is also what brings you quick results.

Click here to get a free taste of what I’m talking about.

3. Qigong is challenging. 

Although some qigong exercises are physically easy, other exercises are incredibly challenging — both physically and mentally.

Because there are so many different qigong techniques, it’s easy to raise the difficulty level for those who are ready.

Just as there are techniques that are appropriate for those who are ill or out of shape, there are also techniques that even an olympic athlete would find challenging.

And this is wonderful because it means that the art of qigong can grow with us.

4. Qigong is medicine.

Yes, yoga can be medicine. And so can walking. And so can laughter.

But qigong is unique in that it was actually engineered to be medicine.

(Note: Not all styles of qigong were designed to be medicine. For example, Iron Shirt Qigong is not meant to be medicine, although it can have therapeutic effects.)

Qigong is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine.

In China, you can find qigong in the hospitals. In fact, in some hospitals there’s an entire qigong wing!

5. Qigong is complementary.

If you see an acupuncturist in the United States, you will often be prescribed both herbs and acupuncture.

This is because the two forms of medicine compliment each other well.

Perhaps the main reason why qigong is so complementary is because you can take it home and use it safely on your own — something that isn’t possible with most forms of medicine.

Over the years, I have collaborated with acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, psychologists, MDs, reiki healers, osteopaths, and nutritionists.

I have seen with my own eyes how qigong can greatly complement other forms of healing.

6. Qigong is empowering.

Yoga is empowering too. But unlike yoga, Qigong doesn’t require physical strength or flexibility.

In fact, too much physical strength can be a hindrance with qigong. Body builders, for example, often struggle to relax the muscles and let go of deeper layers of tension.

An art that doesn’t need brawn for success is empowering to women, to the physically unfit, to the disabled, to children, and to smaller-sized men like myself.

7. The world is ready for mindfulness.

Mindfulness and meditation have been on the cover of Time Magazine several times.

Even major corporations are talking about mindfulness these days.

The world is falling in love with mindfulness, and this is a beautiful thing.

Wait —  didn’t you know that qigong is a traditional form of mindfulness meditation?

It is.

If you’d like to learn more about the connection between qigong and mindfulness, then read my article: 5 Things You Should Know About the Mindfulness Craze

8. Qigong is fun.

I imagine that yoga is fun for many people. I prefer qigong, and so do many of my students.

Let’s call this one a tie.

9. Qigong is accessible.

Compared to other arts, you actually need very little training to start getting remarkable results with qigong.

This is because qigong emphasizes internal aspects like mindfulness, breath, and energy flow rather than physical postures and alignment.

I can train a fresh beginner to start getting amazing results in just 3 hours.

In fact, I’ve watched many students continue to practice on their own and get all sorts of wonderful health benefits after only 3 hours of training.

You can even start getting results with just 10 minutes of instruction! Click here to learn the best qigong exercise EVER — for free.

10. Qigong flows.

With yoga, you don’t usually take a single exercise and do it 20 times in a row.

With qigong, this is the norm.

Repeating a simple, flowing exercise like Lifting The Sky 20 times in a row allows you to forget about the form, and instead focus on the internal aspects.

This creates a wonderfully enjoyable flow when practicing qigong.

11. People are learning Chinese. 

This reason is probably unexpected, but I think it is significant.

The world is changing, and the East is becoming a powerhouse, especially China.

People are learning Chinese in order to do business with China.

If you can speak and read traditional Chinese, then you can make the leap to classical Chinese easily.

As Westerners learn to speak and read Chinese, the qigong and tai chi classics will become better studied and translated.

This will only serve to strengthen the art of qigong.

I think it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing pop psych books about applying the Qigong and Tai Chi classics to business and relationships!

12. It’s all about the qi.

There is a growing awareness about acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and feng shui.

In all of these arts, qi is the star.

Although the concept of qi is historically Chinese, it is a phenomenon that transcends culture. It’s all qi — whether you call it qi, or prana, or vital energy.

I believe that, in the 21st century, humans will start to see that it’s all about the qi.

And once they do, it’s natural for them to become interested in the ancient art of cultivating the qi — qigong!

13. Tai chi is empty without qigong.

Although tai chi is more widely known in the US, it is often devoid of real qi cultivation. This is unfortunate.

Tai chi is a martial art that should have the concept of qi as a central training tool.

Many people practice only the external, physical aspects of tai chi, and these people are becoming increasingly interested in qigong to supplement their tai chi training.

14. Qigong is spiritual.

Both qigong and yoga can be used to cultivate spirituality regardless of your religious background.

In fact, I’ve taught religious leaders from all of the major world traditions — and none of them had any issues with practicing qigong.

Qigong gives us a wonderful and practical way to work on spirituality.

It allows us to heal not just our body, not just our mind, and not even just our spirit — but rather the combination of all three.

Qigong is all about unifying mind, body, and spirit, not separating them.

For example, some stubborn medical ailments will actually required that you practice exercises that work on mental/emotional/spiritual blockages.

15. Qigong supercharges sitting meditation.

Legend has it that Bodhidharma arrived at the Shaolin Temple only to find that the monks were sick, weak, and unable to go deeply into their sitting meditation.

To solve the problem, he taught them qigong.

And it worked. The Shaolin Monks turned into some of the best meditators in history, not to mention some of the best kung fu masters.

In my experience, the same phenomenon is happening today. People are practicing sitting meditation, but not reaping the rewards that they deserve.

Simply adding a daily qigong practice can supercharge your meditation, just like it did for the Shaolin Monks 1500 years ago.

16. Qigong is a quicker path to healing.

More than ever, people are looking for fast and effective forms of healing.

Many of these people end up finding qigong — even if they had previously practiced yoga for many years.

Because it is designed as a form of medicine, qigong can be a faster path to getting the results that you want.

If you get good instruction and then practice for 15-minutes per day, you will see good results within weeks, if not days.

And if you practice 15 minutes twice daily, then you’ll see truly remarkable results!

Conclusion

There you have it. That’s why I believe that qigong will be bigger than yoga in 10-20 years.

What do you think? Did I miss any reasons? Do you agree or disagree with my argument?

As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

And if you have friends or family who would like a taste of qigong, then I recommend that you send them to this free lesson here.

The post 16 Reasons Qigong Will Be Bigger Than Yoga in 16 Years appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Almost as quickly as it had come in, the storm passed, just as I was getting ready to go to the emergency room.

It wasn’t a heart attack. I later learned that it was an anxiety attack (sometimes called a panic attack).

Apparently, the signs are similar, and many people end up in the emergency room due to anxiety attacks.

Who knew?

When Depression and Anxiety Overlap

I didn’t know, but I should have.

This was not my first experience with anxiety. It was my strongest episode, and it certainly got my attention, but it wasn’t my first rodeo.

“I guess I might have an anxiety disorder too,” I said to myself after I learned that it was an anxiety attack.

I had already been diagnosed with major depression years earlier, which is why I used the word “too.”

Along with my diagnosis of depression, I remember being told that anxiety and depression often go together, and that I might have an anxiety disorder on top of the depressive disorder.

But the word anxiety wasn’t in my diagnosis, so I didn’t pay attention to that part.

(Actually, I’m also guilty of ignoring the depression part. Or rather hiding it — from myself as well as others. Click here to read why I stopped hiding my depression.)

Understanding Anxiety

It’s amazing how long humans can ignore their problems. I ignored my anxiety until I couldn’t, until I had an anxiety attack so severe it knocked me on my ass.

I was lucky. My first anxiety attack didn’t send me to the hospital.

The symptoms are so close to a heart attack that many people just go to the ER. And rightly so. You don’t want to mess around with chest pain and palpitations.

Going to the hospital during an anxiety attack sounds to me like just about the worst thing ever. The 10th circle of hell.

The emergency room causes anxiety for a normal person. Now imagine going through all those tests while having the worst anxiety of your life.

Seriously, people who endure that are badasses. They have my respect.

What Anxiety Feels Like

What’s it like to have an anxiety attack, even without the hospital?

For me, it’s a storm that rolls in suddenly, bringing palpitations, sweating, and chest pain. I sometimes hyperventilate as well.

But the worst part is that I lose my ability to think clearly. It’s like I can no longer trust my brain. Something isn’t working right in there.

This is my own experience with anxiety. Other people have different experiences. Common symptoms include: fatigue, sweating, restlessness, shortness of breath, a feeling of impending doom, insomnia, nausea, poor concentration, sensation of an abnormal heartbeat, or trembling.

The Anxiety Epidemic

Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the U.S., and anxiety disorders affect over 18% of the population ages 18 and older (source).

Holy Epidemic, Batman! That’s over 40 million people!

Half of those people also suffer from some form of depression.

I’m one of the millions of Americans who suffer from both depression and anxiety.

Although anxiety isn’t a top killer like depression, it’s still a serious problem, and not just for people with anxiety.

Get this. Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. over $40 billion every year (source).

Unfortunately, the epidemic is getting worse, not better.

The Roots of Anxiety

When it comes to understanding the roots of anxiety, I believe I’m in an unique position.

Okay, maybe not unique.  I’m not the only person on the planet with this combination of qualifications. But I’m still a rare bird, dammit.

I’m qualified because:

1. I have years of personal experience battling anxiety.
2. I’ve been helping people battle anxiety for years.
3. I have years of training in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
4. I have decades of experience with both sitting and standing meditation (more on that later).

My experience with anxiety, meditation, and qi has led me to make the following conclusion about anxiety:

Anxiety is caused by a Monkey Mind that has run amok. When the Monkey Mind runs amok, the qi (or vital energy) also runs amok. And when the qi runs amok, the human nervous system also runs amok.

For those who aren’t familiar with the term, the Monkey Mind is an ancient Zen term for describing the constant stream of internal dialogue in the human mind. The purpose of Zen, and indeed all forms of meditation, is to quiet the monkey mind.

In my tradition, the process of quieting the Monkey Mind is called Entering Zen, and it is the first phase of my 5-Phase Method.

Digging Up The Roots of Anxiety

If my statement about the roots of anxiety is true, then digging up the roots of the anxiety weeds should be simple, right?

To calm the nervous system, we need to calm the qi. And to calm the qi, we need to quiet the monkey mind.

Technically, it is simple. But simple ain’t always easy.

The solution to anxiety is meditation. Meditation gets to the roots of the problem — i.e. the Monkey Mind. In short, meditation gives you the ability to tame that annoying monkey in your head.

And when that happens, the qi flows smoothly, and your nervous system is not agitated.

But what is meditation?

In 21st century America, the word meditation means this:

Unfortunately, this definition is problematic for those of us with severe anxiety.

Moving Away from Sitting Meditation

Meditation is the solution — but not just the sitting kind.

Sitting meditation, done correctly and consistently, is a wonderful solution to anxiety. Perhaps even the ultimate solution. There’s even a growing body of science to back this up.

I recommend Dan Harris’ excellent book 10% Happier for a skeptic’s guide to sitting meditation. Harris is a news anchor who had an anxiety attack on live TV. He’s done some great work in spreading the information and interest about sitting meditation.

However, what Harris misses is that his own positive experience with sitting meditation is atypical for people with severe anxiety.

Asking someone with severe anxiety to start with sitting meditation is like asking a new violinist to start with the Brahms concerto.

(For those who don’t know, the Brahms violin concerto is really really really hard to play.)

This is a sink or swim approach. Some will swim, like Harris. But many will sink.

Many of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve tried sitting meditation, and you failed. It was torture.

No, not just torture. It was impossible.

Meditation Without All That Sitting Around

So what’s the solution for us?

Meditation is still the solution — but not the sitting kind.

This kind:

This image shows a qigong exercise called “Separating Water” that just so happens to be excellent for anxiety.

It’s a snapshot, of course, but the exercise flows beautifully in coordination with the breathing.

For those of us with severe anxiety, the combination of flowing movement and gentle breathing gives us an anchor. It gives the Monkey Mind a banana to chew on.

It’s absolutely critical that the movement not induce anxiety. Unfortunately, the way qigong and tai chi are often taught is anxiety inducing rather than anxiety relieving.

This is because people in the qigong and tai chi world constantly obsess about the form.

The external form is the least important aspect of internal arts like qigong and tai chi, so why obsess?

I give my students permission to butcher the external form of qigong and tai chi. More than permission. Sometimes, when a particular student is trying too hard, and I can see that she is obsessing about the form, I insist that she do it badly.

“That was an A-. Now show me a C+.”

The truth is you don’t even need movement. Watch my free class on anxiety to see how you can reduce anxiety with meditative techniques that have no visible movement.

But gentle, flowing movement is beautiful, and it is liberating for many people with anxiety.

Even a tiny amount of movement, combined with breathing, can make a huge difference. Watch this free class to discover a super-simple qigong exercise that you can do in less than 1 minute.

Taming That Anxiety

I still experience anxiety, but I am grateful to have tools to manage it.

And these tools work amazingly well.

It’s almost like popping a pill for me. If I feel my anxiety rising, I pop a qigong or tai chi pill. And it works every time.

I’m planning to do a 10-day sitting meditation retreat. In this retreat, I’ll be asked to sit for 8-10 hours per day. And there’s no talking either.

There is no way I could conceive of doing this kind of retreat if not for qigong and tai chi. I would not make it through day 1. Heck, I wouldn’t make it through hour 1.

My point is that you work your way up to (down to?) sitting meditation rather than starting with it.

It took me 20 years to fall in love with sitting meditation. But during that time, I had a beautiful affair with qigong and tai chi. 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post How I Discovered (And Also Tamed) My Anxiety appeared first on Flowing Zen.

I’ve experienced back pain so severe that it almost got me arrested.

I was in my apartment in NYC, I was deeply frustrated by my pain and lack of mobility, and I let out a loud, primal scream.

As crazy as things were in NYC in the 1990s, screaming was still frowned upon, especially with the windows open.

Luckily, New Yorkers tend to mind their own business. My neighbors didn’t call the cops, and I avoided doing any jail time.

I’m joking a little. But not about the pain. I’ll never joke about my experience with back pain.

I am no stranger to suffering. As a depressive, I’ve experienced mental-emotional pain the likes of which most people simply cannot imagine.

At one point, I welcomed the raw physicality of back pain. It was a relief to have something so physical, so tangible, as compared to depression and anxiety.

That was before the pain got bad. Once it got bad, I got desperate.

What you need to understand about back pain is that, when it’s bad, there is no escape — not when you’re sleeping, not when you’re sitting, and not when you’re standing.

You are in constant pain, except for a few hours of restless sleep every night.

With pain like that, you are desperate. Absolutely desperate. You are vulnerable. You will try anything.

Big Pharma to the Rescue

Never fear! Big Pharma is here!

From acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol) to ibuprofen (e.g. Advil) to opiods (e.g. OxyContin), Big Pharma has a pill for your pain.

Don’t get me wrong. Pain killers can be a godsend. They are a terrific stopgap for pain management.

But that’s all they are — a stopgap. Pain killers are not a solution to pain.

If it were that simple, if Big Pharma really had an elegant, permanent solution to pain, and if there weren’t other solutions that are safer, more effective, and more affordable — then that would be that, and I wouldn’t be writing this article.

But here I am, writing my heart out.

The Limitations of Big Pharma

People like to think that Western medicine has all the answers. It’s a comforting thought. Unfortunately, it’s not true.

The truth is that Western medicine has some of the answers, but not all of them. If your MD doesn’t agree to this statement, then it’s probably time to find one who is more honest.

Pain management is an area where their answers are still incomplete.

Big Pharma doesn’t want you to know that. Imagine a pill that healed chronic pain for good. Do you think Big Pharma would be interested?

The truth is that a complete answer to pain management would lose them billions in revenue.

Am I a crazy conspiracy theorist? No. I’m not. I’ve simply learned to follow the money, and you probably should too.

As it stands, pain meds are an ongoing stream of income for Big Pharma. Patients end up being on pain meds for years. Over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. You do the math.

Big Pharma wields tremendous influence over doctors, researchers, and lawmakers. They are, in a very real sense, a cartel, and they will do whatever it takes to protect their interests.

(If I mysteriously disappear after publishing this article, then someone please get Benedict Cumberbatch to Sherlock my death!)

The Danger of Opioids

Opioids like oxycodone are one of the main methods Western medicine has for treating pain. There are definitely times when it is a blessing to have access to painkillers like this. After a knee replacement, for example.

The problem is that opioids are overprescribed. No, actually that’s not the root problem.

The root problem is that opioids are basically heroin. Otherwise, it wouldn’t matter if they were overprescribed.

What if I told you that there was something killing more Americans than gun homicides and car crashes? Would you pay closer attention?

Then pay attention, because opioids are killing us.

Deaths by overdose from prescription drugs like oxycodone are also worse than those from heroin and cocaine combined. 

Read that sentence again. We’re talking about a drug that is not only legal, but prescribed by medical doctors. And THAT drug is killing people.

If we include the deaths that come from people who eventually overdose from heroin because they can no longer get their hands on prescription opioids, then the numbers are even more terrifying.

Opioids are killing more Americans than guns, cars, and illegal drugs? How the hell did this happen?

How We Got Here

In the past, opioids were mainly used to treat the awful pain associated with terminal cancer. In those cases, opiods were a miracle.

Opioids have also been safely used for years for short-term conditions, like post-surgical recovery.

But starting in the 1990s, opioids began to be used for things like low-back pain, sciatica, and other musculoskeletal problems.

As a result, we’ve been experiencing an epidemic of drug overdose deaths in the US since 2000. The use of these drugs has grown 10x over the last 20 years.

And that’s a problem. A serious problem.

It would be an even bigger problem if we didn’t have any other choice.

But we do.

Are there Better Solutions?

What if I told you there were solutions to pain that not only worked, but were safe, affordable, and had zero side effects.

No, it’s better than that. What if, instead of side effects, there were benefits!

Imagine a pill that managed pain as well as opioids, was 100% safe, had zero side effects, was extremely affordable, and also made your smarter.

You’d take that pill. I know I would.

In fact, I already do.

That pill is meditation. It seems that meditation — moving meditation, mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation — are great for pain. And of course, meditation also has lots of benefits as well.

“Prove it!” you say?

I’m assuming that the so-called “anecdotal” evidence of me having proved this on hundreds of students with chronic pain cannot be submitted as evidence. That’s okay. I won’t take it personally.

How many studies would it take before you were convinced?

Well here are 10 studies showing the pain-reducing benefits of meditation and tai chi:

1. Demystifying meditation: Brain imaging illustrates how meditation reduces pain.
   Meditation produces powerful pain-relieving effects in the brain, according to new research published in the April 6 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience.
2. Meditation can reduce chronic neck pain, study shows.
   Meditation might be an effective treatment for reducing chronic neck pain, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain.
   
3. Meditation eases pain, anxiety and fatigue during breast cancer biopsy.
   Meditation eases anxiety, fatigue and pain for women undergoing breast cancer biopsies, according to researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute.
4. Mindfulness meditation trumps placebo in pain reduction. 
   Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found new evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces pain more effectively than placebo.
5. Mindfulness meditation provides opioid-free pain relief, study finds
   Everyone knows that stubbing your toe hurts. What makes it stop hurting is the body’s main pain-blocking process — the natural production of opioids.
6. Mindful meditation may be the answer to relieving chronic back pain, study suggests.
   “These findings suggest that MBSR may be an effective treatment option for patients with chronic low back pain”
7. Mindfulness Pain Relief Distinct from Placebo Effect.
   A new study demonstrates that the practice of mindfulness may ease pain in a way that is mechanistically distinct from the placebo effect.
8. This Is Why Meditation Makes You Feel Better
   After just four days of meditation training, people reported feeling 21% less pain.
9. Tai Chi found to be as effective as physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis
   Both Tai Chi and physical therapy positively impact pain, function and other symptoms of knee osteoarthritis — making Tai Chi a viable treatment alternative for people suffering with the degenerative disease
10. Tai Chi relieves arthritis pain, improves reach, balance, well-being, study suggests. 
    In the largest study to date of the Arthritis Foundation’s Tai Chi program, participants showed improvement in pain, fatigue, stiffness and sense of well-being.

Why Research is Slow

When I first started teaching qigong and tai chi, there weren’t very many studies. The benefits were all word-of-mouth.

Now, there are tons of studies. The list above is just a sampling. We could go on and on.

The real question is: with such promising early research, why isn’t MORE research being done?

Follow the money.

Research is mainly paid for by Big Pharma. Why on earth would they research solutions that not only can’t be patented, but would ultimately threaten their profit motive.

They wouldn’t. And they won’t.

The Pain Management Revolution

Because this is such a big issue, and because the research is so slow, there is a grass-roots movement to help people deal with pain.

I’m definitely not the only person doing this, which is good because it’s a huge problem! But I’ve been in the trenches helping people with chronic pain for ten years.

I’m honored to have been invited to speak at a tele-summit on pain management. This was a free online event with 20 experts. I was representing qigong and tai chi.

You can watch the interview for free here:

In the next article, I’ll talk about how our entire thinking about chronic pain is flawed, and why it will never product long-term results for those who are suffering.  

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post What Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know About Pain appeared first on Flowing Zen.