Becoming Aware the path to Enlightenment

Fong demonstrates a roll back for 2 person exercises

This past weekend July 25 -26 Fong Ha gave a seminar in Shorewood IL. Although I have attended dozens of his seminars, I always learn something new and gain more awareness of myself and others. Since Fong works with each student, everyone gets a chance to feel his touch and energy for themselves. The Seminars always have an hour of meditation near the start and this helps to deepen everyones sensitivity. If you have never meditated in a larger group and especially with a master teacher you should try this. The energy from the teacher and group is Great and helps you to progress easier. I learned something new about how when doing standing meditation, the body will move from stillness to natural movement on it’s own. The secret to feeling this is being aware and observing it instead of letting your mind drift from observing your body and breath. I recommend studying with Fong Ha to anyone interested in gaining Awareness, Tai Chi skill, and Yiquan knowledge.

Some pictures from the seminar

Fong and Ron do 2 person sensitivity

Fong demonstrates expansion to Tom

Seminar participants

Differing styles of meditation have similar goals but different techniques to real those goals. some techniques requires doing while others ask the person to simply observe themselves without controlling anything. An example of a active meditation would be to chant a mantra repeatedly either aloud or silently until the mind ‘lets go’ of the outside world and other thoughts. This intense concentration on the mantra blocks out all other thoughts and the repetition can even make it an unconscious act emptying the mind if done long enough.  In an observation method (also called listening) one would just observe the body and the breath but not control either intentionally. This does not mean not moving but allowing the body to move with its nature. Realize just by observing the body and breathe things will change due to the bodies increased awareness within the body’s natural balancing mechanisms. In Physics the term observer effect refers to changes that the act of observation will make on the phenomenon being observed. This is often the result of instruments that, by necessity, alter the state of what they measure in some manner. This effect also applies to all things and is part of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that certain pairs of physical properties, like position and momentum, cannot both be known with precision.  This applies to meditation in that while doing many movements and especially with speed, it becomes harder to observe with any real precision. It is very hard to not want to change things when observing them. During YiQuan standing practice, one may feel as though one side of the body is different than the other and then try and correct this. This changes the practice from observing to controlling. I suggest that by simply observing one will feel your nature and the body will slowly adjust to the proper alignments. This will increase your awareness of the true nature and slowly bring real results. Controlling before having increased awareness can bring unnatural results since maybe the hip you feel is tight is actually fine and the other hip is too loose. Therefore I would suggest that one start their meditation by simply observing and then slowly expand into movement with observation. WHAT DO YOU THINK??