Ian Warder
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Taoist Water Method Meditation

2/18/2017

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sThis is the intro to Taoist meditation on Bruce Frantzis' Energy Arts Taoist Water Method Meditation page which aptly sums up what meditation is about:

"Meditation is the only practice used by virtually every genuine spiritual tradition throughout the ages to look inside and discover our innate nature.
Meditation leads us to the timeless questions:
  • Who am I?
  • Where did I come from?
  • What is my purpose here on Earth?
  • How can I be of greatest service?"
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He goes on to talk about why people are attracted to meditation and suggests 3 main reasons:
  • Meditation for Stress Relief
  • Meditation for Peace of Mind
  • Meditation for Spiritual Development and Enlightenment

For more about each of these, click on the links above to go to the page on his website. He is an incredibly experienced meditation teacher and someone from whom I have learnt a lot. The title of 'Master' gets bandied around a lot but for him, it is appropriate. His mastery comes from a very long time spent on all the Energy Arts and practice. Another teacher of mine said that with 'time, practice and perseverance, you can accomplish all things' - if you would like to practice, the time (!) is Tuesdays at 8.35pm at the Evergreen Wellness Centre in Letchworth. A 5 week block of classes starts on Feb 21st but you can have a free taster class any time. More details on the Classes page. Email if you have questions or are interested in a class.


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The Soft Animal of your Body

9/21/2016

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I am enjoying the poems posted on Facebook  This morning I looked up at sky on hearing the beautiful sound of a formation of geese as they wheeled over my garden. I particularly like this poem by Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese". The line 'You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves' seems particularly appropriate for Qi Gong.
Come and sink into your physicality in my classes on Monday 930am Tuesday 730pm @Evergreen Wellness Letchworth

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Here is the author reading it: 
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Bigger Meditation classes are better!!

8/18/2016

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Some people may think that a smaller meditation class may be better, perhaps thinking that you would get more individual attention, This might be true at school but in learning and practicing meditation, the opposite is true. Here's something I wrote about this for my monthly meditation class. (After you have done a 7 week meditation class to learn the 'energy running' techniques you can join this monthly practice group on the 4th Wednesday of each month)
The last 2 months I have broken my rule about having at least 8 attendees to put on the class. I have this rule partly because I need to make the class financially viable. I don't want to pay for the room and then receive nothing for teaching. But the 4 people who have wanted to come are all obviously enthusiastic so I decided to have the class and use this as an opportunity to do a 'test' of my other reason for having this 'rule'. The other reason is that when you have a small number of people doing the energy running meditation they get affected by all the people around them, which can, but does not always, limit how much their energy can change. When you expand your sensitivity and awareness by meditating in this way, you naturally tune into everything happening all around you. And you start to become aware of. or 'read' and respond to the energy of others around you. So if the person across from you is starting to bring some painful experience to the surface as their energy running loosens it up, perhaps without even being aware they are doing that, then you may sense this and it may create a response in you, especially if you have a matching 'picture'. This may not be something you are ready to work on and it may cause you to send some of your energy over to the person across from you to try and stop them from doing whatever they are doing. In other words you resist and compete with them, which then limits what can happen to you. You are being controlled by someone else.

There is nothing mysterious about this, in fact it happens most of the time in our daily lives. We are reactive rather than aware and responsive. The positive side of this is that it when this matching picture situation arises, you have the chance to notice if you are resisting or competing and step out of it and let whatever has 'reacted' or been stimulated in you go in a rose. So really the people who upset you the most are the ones who are giving you the greatest opportunity to work on the things in you that are most challenging! Easy to write but difficult to realise in life.

When you do notice a matching picture it is often amusing- 'oh no, I am actually like that', and you have moved on. So that is the potential difficulty in a small class. In a larger class there is too much going on and this encourages you to get on with it and stay in your own space and work on your stuff. The resistance/competition dynamic is always an issue in classes whatever their size but seems to be more so with small classes. Luckily the attendees from the last 2 months were keen to stay in their own spaces so it was not an issue. I know a number of you are still enthusiastic about coming (you have told me so in your emails) and for various reasons you have not been able to make it over this summer period. I hope more of you can come over the next few months as it is always a positive and fun experience and the more people the more amusement. We will work more on some of these issues of 'reading' other people (which we all do all the time) and the equally important issue of matching pictures and how to get rid of them. Working on this can produce real change in your relationships.


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Evolution

7/14/2016

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One interesting thing to consider about the Enneagram, or any system that maps our internal structures is that by reading about such structures, you immediately start to work on them in yourself. This is part of evolution, because not only do we evolve on a physical level, we also evolve on every other level you can think of. If I am trying to learn a tricky chi gung movement I have to develop my physical awareness, going deeper into my body so I can relax and connect with the natural flow of internal energy- and then practice the move until I can do it - in other words I change. On a physical level we respond to the physical and ona psychological level it is the same. So when I look at a map of psychological development, I start to work on it. Sometimes this is unconscious response, other times it is very conscious and we have an 'aha' moment of understanding. This takes the effort out of growing and developing because we are going to grow and develop whatever happens. Of course, we can fight it or go with it.

I love those 'aha' moments but they are transitory and perhaps not that important- just like all the Zen proverbs that almost dismiss enlightenment when they say something along the lines of, "before I was enlightened I made tea (chopped wood, carried water etc.), after I was enlightened I I made tea (chopped wood, carried water etc.)." In other words, yes I had a 'moment' (or longer) when I was in a different state but I still had to go back to my life and live that.

Which brings me to the latest Ken Wilber book that I am reading on 'Integral Meditation'. I like Ken Wilber, but he is not everyones cup of tea. This is where the other Enneagram 5s get excited because it is a great description of psychological development (he calls this 'Growing Up) and accessing different states of consciousness ('Waking Up'). It is so clear how he describes it and I love it! It does not mean I dont have lots to learn in both areas but it orients me towards my development in both these spectrums. The Taoist have a great question: 'Are you moving towards life or towards death'. So we are all dying but our natural evolution leads us towards being more alive, more aware, more connected, more everything! Now that's my cup of tea, and meditation (and chi gung) are 2 practices that help me. 
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How are Qigong & Meditation alike?

6/6/2016

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If you do only one of these you may be surprised by what they have in common. Here are a few thoughts:
  1. They both develop a sense of looking inwards to the body, which connects you more with your spirituality.
  2. They are both about relaxing.
  3. Relaxing the mind, relaxes the body. And vice versa.
  4. Both improve concentration and focus.
  5. Both quiet the mind.
  6. Qi gong contains most of the elements of Mindfulness meditation
  7. Both can produce altered and sometimes extraordinary states.
  8. Both are grounding and centering.
  9. Both help personal development, both help remove blockages in your internal energy.
  10. Both help you become more aware of your energy.
  11. Both help you become more balanced.
  12. Both help you increase and/or decrease your sensitivity to energy by grounding you and helping you become less reactive or more responsive to energy.
  13. Both help you practice acceptance
  14. Both help you recognize your limits and move beyond them in an effortless way.
  15. Both are fun to learn and help your sense of humour (especially about yourself!)
 
Oh yes, meditation can be done sitting in a chair (not on the floor) and quieting your mind, although an aspiration of meditation is not a pre-requisite! Learning to be with whatever comes to mind is the skill to develop! New classes start this week in Letchworth on Tuesdays, 7.30pm Qigong, 8.30pm Meditation at the Friends Meeting House on South View. Come along to try the one you haven’t done and be pleasantly surprised. Please also pass this on to anyone interested and have them email me iwarder@gmail.com

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The ever-receding horizon of perfect knowledge

6/1/2016

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Thanks to Guy Watson of Riverford Farms for the catchy title and the eloquent words in his blog (20th May found here). He was actually talking about growing cabbages but the same idea applies to learning qi gong and meditation. You have to let go not only of getting somewhere but also the idea that you know anything. In Zen they call it cultivating beginners mind. I was taught in meditation that I should be like a child in kindergarten- ie approach what I was learning with freshness and enthusiasm. In learning qi gong and tai chi there have been innumerable occasions when I have thought I was doing something correctly or as well as it could be done, only to discover there was a new depth to a move that I had never been aware of. In meditation you can 'get rid of' an unneeded habit to discover it is still with you, just at a deeper level- aargh!! Give up on attaining perfection but keep aiming for it is a good motto and it makes learning a lot more fun. When I teach, helping people have some amusement when they come to such a point is the essence of what learning chi gung and meditation are about- I take it seriously but have fun doing it. Both these practices have made a big difference in enriching the quality of my own life and I enjoy conveying that to others as best I can. If there is a spark of interest in you come along and try one or both to see if they make a difference to you. Small steps sustained over time create surprising progress! Classes on Tuesday evenings are carrying on as usual but this morning class is starting this Monday- a great way to start the week. It is suitable for all ages and all levels of fitness.
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Free Taster Classes Qi Gong & Meditation in Letchworth 

2/19/2016

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Focus on the Headlights

7/21/2015

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One of my meditation teachers said that meditating was a bit like driving a car at night- when you drive at night you focus on the light and don't look at all the stuff in the dark at the side of the road, because if you do you will veer off the road and crash! I like this metaphor and find it very useful to help me focus when I am meditating.


When I meditate I feel lots of physical sensations which I often want to resolve or remove as they are not always pleasant, or I will get caught up in thinking about whatever comes into my awareness and lose my focus. If I remember to keep looking at the lights and where I am going, I am able to find my way back to the centre of my head, notice my breathing and create and destroy roses out in front of me, essentially not worrying about 'solving' anything I am experiencing. Lots of things are happening when I meditate but the quality of my meditation is revealed after I finish- i.e. in how I feel and how I 'am' as I go about my daily business after a meditation session. 

Another interesting question is what are the headlights pointing at? Or to put it another way, where am I heading, what exactly am I focusing on and why am I meditating anyway? Why don't you see if any of the following ideas/metaphors about what the 'lights' are pointing at/shining on resonate with you: 
  • They are pointing at your own answers, your own information
  • They are pointing at the (your) truth.
  • They are pointing at the god of your heart
  • They are pointing at you
  • They are pointing at your higher nature/self
  • They are pointing at you as spirit
  • It doesn't matter!
Each of those 'bullets' is 'loaded', that is an idea with some charge, so let them work on you and notice your reactions to them. I hope you can come and join in a meditation session.
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Meditation Research- Time Magazine

6/21/2015

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Although this article is quite old now, it is still quite interesting, although not necessarily going to motivate you to meditate- what do you think?   

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006 
How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time Scientists find that meditation not only reduces stress but also reshapes the brain 
By LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN  
At 4:30, when most of Wall Street is winding down, Walter Zimmermann begins a high-stakes, high-wire act conducted live before a paying audience. About 200 institutional investors — including airlines and oil companies — shell out up to $3,000 a month to catch his daily webcast on the volatile energy markets, a performance that can move hundreds of millions of dollars. "I'm not paid to be wrong — I can tell you that," Zimmermann says. But as he clicks through dozens of screens and graphics on three computers, he's the picture of focused calm. Zimmermann, 54, watched most of his peers in energy futures burn out long ago. He attributes his brain's enduring sharpness not to an intravenous espresso drip but to 40 minutes of meditation each morning and evening. The practice, he says, helps him maintain the clarity he needs for quick, insightful analysis — even approaching happy hour. "Meditation," he says, "is my secret weapon." Everyone around the water cooler knows that meditation reduces stress. But with the aid of advanced brainscanning technology, researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory. One recent study found evidence that the daily practice of meditation thickened the parts of the brain's cerebral cortex responsible for decision making, attention and memory. Sara Lazar, a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented preliminary results last November that showed that the gray matter of 20 men and women who meditated for just 40 minutes a day was thicker than that of people who did not. Unlike in previous studies focusing on Buddhist monks, the subjects were Boston-area workers practicing a Western-style of meditation called mindfulness or insight meditation. "We showed for the first time that you don't have to do it all day for similar results," says Lazar. What's more, her research suggests that meditation may slow the natural thinning of that section of the cortex that occurs with age. The forms of meditation Lazar and other scientists are studying involve focusing on an image or sound or on one's breathing. Though deceptively simple, the practice seems to exercise the parts of the brain that help us pay attention. "Attention is the key to learning, and meditation helps you voluntarily regulate it," says Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin. Since 1992, he has collaborated with the Dalai Lama to study the brains of Tibetan monks, whom he calls "the Olympic athletes of meditation." Using caps with electrical sensors placed on the monks' heads, Davidson has picked up unusually powerful gamma waves that are better synchronized in the Tibetans than they are in novice meditators. Studies have linked this gamma-wave synchrony to increased awareness. Many people who meditate claim the practice restores their energy, allowing them to perform better at tasks that require attention and concentration. If so, wouldn't a midday nap work just as well? No, says Bruce O'Hara, associate professor of biology at the University of Kentucky. In a study to be published this year, he had college students either meditate, sleep or watch TV. Then he tested them for what psychologists call psychomotor vigilance, asking them to hit a button when a light flashed on a screen. Those who had been taught to meditate performed 10% better — "a huge jump, statistically speaking," says O'Hara. Those who snoozed did significantly worse. "What it means," O'Hara theorizes, "is that meditation may restore synapses, much like sleep but without the initial grogginess." Not surprisingly, given those results, a growing number of corporations — including Deutsche Bank, Google and Hughes Aircraft — offer meditation classes to their workers. Jeffrey Abramson, CEO of Tower Co., a Washington-based development firm, says 75% of his staff attend free classes in transcendental meditation. Making employees sharper is only one benefit; studies say meditation also improves productivity, in large part by preventing stress-related illness and reducing absenteeism. Another benefit for employers: meditation seems to help regulate emotions, which in turn helps people get along. "One of the most important domains meditation acts upon is emotional intelligence — a set of skills far more consequential for life success than cognitive intelligence," says Davidson. So, for a New Year's resolution that can pay big dividends at home and at the office, try this: just breathe. 
Copyright © 2006 Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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I know it's good for me ..........

5/19/2015

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Why don't I meditate more often when I have the chance and I know it is good for me? This is a question I have as an experienced meditator. For people who have not meditated but perhaps are interested, but have yet to get to a class to try it out, there is a similar question, perhaps along the lines of: I know I am interested but why haven't I gone along to a class?

Part of the reason may well be the same for both questions: you may be suffering from some spiritual inertia- this is basically where your life force energy is a bit bunged up which literally makes it difficult to move and difficult to access some energy levels, resulting in inertia. For me it appears when I recognise that I will probably feel better if I meditate but I choose to watch something rubbish on TV instead, or do some unimportant (compared to feeling more myself) task which leads to the 2nd point .....

It is easy to judge the space we are in and think that we should be somewhere else- a kind of spiritual guilt - so if you consider coming to meditation class, you might think you are not good enough and can't come because you have not been meditating enough or are not good enough in some way. This is not true!

The answer is to just come along and dive in. It sometimes takes a while to clear out the energetic 'gunk' we inevitably accumulate as sensitive beings but as you do more meditation the beneficial effects build up. Come and give it a try, the more people who come to a class, the more powerful the effects are for everyone.

Finally a video link to a Headspace cartoon about meditation which I like and that you may enjoy. I hope it works, but let me know if it doesn't
Mac link
Windows link

 The next session of weekly classes in Chi Gung (Qi Gong) and/or Meditation starts on June 11th. 
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