“Your head is slightly suspended,
as if by a golden cord.
Look gently forwards, relaxing your eyes.
Relax your jaw, neck and shoulders.
Imagine water pouring down you,
dissolving all your stiffness.
Your arms curve gracefully away from your body.
Gently open your fingers; let them point loosely downwards.
As you relax inwardly, your breathing naturally deepens.
The muscles of your knees naturally unlock;
you sink a little, as if about to sit.
Your feet take the full weight of your body,
like the base of a great pyramid.”
These instructions are from Master Lam Kam Chuen’s book,
Chi Kung : The Way Of Power
Master Lam Kam Chuen and I are friends.
His Chi Kung teaching is world class, simple, and available to everyone
regardless of their physical abilities.
Very similar to these weekly blogs, Master Lam emphasizes breath and posture. His Eight Silk
Brocade simple postures are specifically designed to slow our hurried 21st century “fill in all the
empty spaces” lifestyle.
When we embrace a slow, considered and mindful lifestyle, at first glance most individuals
recoil. They immediately assume it is suggesting a life devoid of career accomplishments and
the like. This is furthest from the truth.
Household chores, food shopping, standing in line at the Post Office, painting the spare
bedroom, can actually be part of our spiritual growth when we are not rushed.
Whatever we are doing, and it really doesn’t matter, if accomplished in a deliberate, slow, and
focused way, contributes significantly in breaking our addiction to a rapid lifestyle pace.
Giving attention to each daily life moment as it appears without adding judgement, comment or
deliberation, is in effect breaking the compulsive behavior patterns and resultant neurosis of
21st century life.
Abandon the endless Madison Ave. “make me more attractive” advertisements. Turn off the 24
hour news cycle. Doing so is not meant to hide from world and national events, just not to allow
situations to control your consciousness.
Learn to see through the veiled distraction of purchasing items you really don’t need, or
spending money on frivolous ephemera. Less is more. Learn to live simply.
Try to get outside more and into nature. Even if you live in the city, go to the nearest park
frequently to enjoy the wordless, subtle communication that can be had with trees, birds, and
the beauty of inanimate nature such as rocks and granite formations.
Real life can present itself in myriad forms. The simplicity and beauty of a floral arrangement, a
cup of tea, listening to the wind in pine trees – these quiet experiences you will find are equal to
any Buddhist Sutra.
We all carry a great deal of mental weight in these precarious times. Let us make a vow to each
other to slow down. Take notice of the tiniest representations of life on this planet. Remember,
we all share the same space/time grid as the tiniest life forms. All life should be respected an
treated equally.
Breathe deeply into the hara. Align your posture by curving your lower back inwards slightly to
free up this most important breath practice. Watch what crosses your mind screen without
clinging to any thought that appears. Simply watch it, and then let it go. This is how the whole
universe functions.
A famous zen axiom states: “Have the courage to take a single step off the 100’ flagpole.” This
implies a free fall into the next moment – moment after moment without bias or reserve. Have
faith. The universe will provide you with sufficient mental acuity to address any and al
situations.