The Marrow Washing Classic
Ram originally wrote this particular piece as support material for those who were practicing the Marrow Washing Classic. However, much of the information can be applied to other forms of Chi Gung (Qigong) as well.
There are many different qualities of practice. Discover each one at your disposal but explore the following:
a) strict (yang) practice: beginning with strict and focused intent, work your way through the set staying focused, ensuring each breath is regulated and without losing your mindfulness. If you 'get lost' then resolve to return another time or begin again—but ensure that you have studied the area where you got lost before your return.
b) gentle (yin) practice: the other extreme where you simply enjoy the movements that your body and mind remember and signal you to carry out.
In both cases learn lightness and pleasure in your movement and practice. Both yin and yang practice is important—for some dispositions one type of practice may be necessary to emphasise over the other.
Aim to develop increasing internal awareness. An externally 'correct' form is a good aim and will usually indicate good internal awareness. A poor external form usually indicates poor internal awareness. Work on both awareness and form to generate insight into the meaning of the movements for your body and spirit.
The Marrow Washing works on a familiar chi gung principle: move the body in a certain way and enhanced chi flow will result.
The Marrow Washing works on a familiar chi gung principle: move the body in a certain way and enhanced chi flow will result. While the externals of the set will enhance the flow of chi, this is emphasised and personalised by listening with the internal senses. How a move feels needs to be balanced against what it should look like. It's good to be stretched and to feel that a move needs to be practiced to be 'achieved', but balance this approach with listening carefully to the body's needs.
The set builds stamina. While it should not leave you feeling drained you should feel as if you have worked. Each time you practice the set from beginning to end as you are learning, gauge your stamina and notice how it increases or evaporates. If you stamina evaporates you may be working too hard. When your stamina increases, note it and learn the method for storing chi in the dan tien.
Breath is chi from one perspective. Breathing, sitting, meditating—use the exercises from the weekly instruction to overcome a mind that wants to grab hold of something. Let it grab hold of the series of breathing exercises and learn the sequence so that is is ingrained—and then carry them out effectively. The challenge of concentration and mindfulness is at the very root of spiritual attainment. In zen tradition the very act of sitting in zazen is considered enlightened. The purpose of practice is for longevity, healing and balance in all life activities.
Learn the externals. Follow the internals. Allow strong awareness to develop of the process of learning. Enjoy the relationship between the moving brain and the other brains. If this relationship develops it leads to higher things—it is not exclusive to chi gung, but chi gung does allow the relationship between the bodies to become clear and thus to develop.
Spread the load!
When working thought the set, feel your body—be mindful of every part that takes strain, that resists, that is tense. Parts that resist need to be softened by not pushing then so hard. Parts that resist need to be softened by not pushing them so hard. Parts that are tense may need gentle twisting—tense parts of the body often respond better to extension and relaxation when another part of the body is working. How this can work depends on each body and how broad your awareness is and how much can the awareness penetrate into the body. Parts of the body that you feel are beginning to strain or get tired should be allowed to relax. Find a way through the exercise that permits another part of the body to take over the work. This a fundamental chi gung principal: keep working in the same place until the muscles just give up—at that stage the chi should flow freely. But it is a delicate line. Working too hard without mindfulness will lead to injurious strain. Learn to distinguish, learn to hear the body and know that the same move can be executed a number of times with different muscles working and without strain. Eventually everything should work together, the physical body with all the finer bodies. When all are working together the greatest results arise. Thus, gently working towards understanding through movement reaps great rewards.
Watch the breath. Regulate the breath. Too much in breath and not enough out breath or vice versa are common. Listen to the breath during the movements and get a picture of how you breathe. The same applies to breath as is described above in relation to the body. Use everything—develop awareness of how much of the body breaths.
Breathing into the central channel during the breathing exercises: make the mind subtle. Extend the awareness to feel the central channel. It is the centre of the body's energetic functions. We care concerned with the section from behind the nose to the perineum. Locate and follow the breath. Distinguish the feeling of breath going down the body and breath traveling the central channel. Time and practice. Work patiently.
