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Ray Hampton

I am a Sahaja Yogi who took up Yuan-Chi Tai Chi Chuan 3.1/2 years ago. To me it made sense to do exercise that would complement what I have been doing in Meditation for some years now. Prior I was doing a lot of running and Judo and many other martial arts. These clearly were not the way and I experienced great frustration having done Judo since I was six and knowing that what we have inherited is not the gentle soft way that Judo was originally supposed to be.

There are two levels at my stage of progress that I wish to comment on:

1 The physical/Gross aspect:
Core strength and flexibility have greatly improved and injuries for which I took treatment often no longer require that treatment.

The biggest blockage physically that I have always experienced is tension. This is now peeling away layer by layer. As part of the process I am becoming more aware of that tension and therefore more needful to be rid of it. However the step by step approach is the essential one as trying to achieve the goals prior to readiness will only create more tension. Physically I have noted other subtle changes such as once upon a time always feeling hot. This heat has now gone to the point where I now overcompensate to dress warmly. I have also become aware of the extensor muscles at the back of the neck continuously in a state of overwork and the head being at a point of unbalance thereby irritating this situation. Awareness is the biggest step to fixing the problem.

Whilst I do not go out of my way to stretch there is more flexibility. With each new step physically I discover more movement internally and externally.
Weight wise I have become more aware of what I am ingesting and aware that the losing of weight is about sensitivity/awareness of what we consume, not the unsustainable damaging exercise that we must keep up in order to keep poor health and weight at bay.
Each time we go through “the Dance” new aspects reveal themselves and each time is different both on the subtle and gross physical levels.
I have become aware of the “Flow”, and that this “flow” has its own time and speed that is like a groove that you fall into and the movement moves by itself.

2 The Subtle/internal aspects:
As a Sahaja Yogi I am already aware of the connections that we have to the Param.Chaitanya. What I have experienced internally is the benefits of the physical moving in conjunction with this internal knowledge thereby helping me from inside and out. “Meditation as movement in stillness and stillness within movement” the two are one and the same: being meditative in stillness as well as in moving .

Throughout these past few years of practising Yuan-Chi Tai-Chi the subtleties of the internal and external have been revealing themselves in each new step. One particular experience is that of the power of Mother Earth actually coming up through the entire being and actually making a real connection with the Earth as opposed to an unrealised superficial connection of standing on the earth.

Another one was the experience of the Adi Guru area of the void actually physically rippling as the Kundalini came rushing up. This had me ruminating that the actual origins (like many things) of the belly dance may have actually been auspicious as opposed to its common modern portrayal.

One thing is certain. Everything is in constant change of improvement. I am not sure where this will go but I am enjoying the journey of discovery that I suspect does not end but results in a better version of me than the one the moment before.
Lets see….
Ray
    Mon, 5 Dec 2011 04:42:19 -0800 (PST)

Updates:

Subject: Dragon Dance?!
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:07:32 -0700 (PDT)

At the beginning of Saturday's form I had the thought flow through me that following Sifu is like following a conductor in an orchestra. Then the thought came “Guys! Stay together”when it was clear that some were rushing way ahead. Eyes open or eyes closed? That is the question. If having difficulty following the flow should you shut your eyes? I don’t think so, if your internal concept is missing the point best open them and try to absorb.

Later, ¾ of the way through the form when the Chi was really flowing; I surrendered, closed my eyes and rechecked that all was ok, still at the right point. So then I completely surrendered and closed my eyes; I saw within and before my eyes and also felt the swirling, oscillating movements of what was either a very thick coiled snake-like body moving in thick circles, or was it the dragon!?

This movement was so ‘helter skelter’and seemed so internally fast but outer expression was still at same speed as the rest of the class. It was a completely startling experience, a bit akin to an internal roller coaster ride.

Recently saw a photo of two elephants playing/wrestling with their trunks entwined, The top of their trunks was the similar texture and thickness of that internal vision. Go Figure!!?


Subject: Push Hands
Date:     Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:37:34 -0800 (PST)

This Wednesday morning class was huge for me personally and I was wanting to discuss these things:
It was ALL internal!!
I cannot put the correct words together yet and it may come later suffice to say it was all very "Star Wars" so before I sound any more nuts I will go away and sleep on it.

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:53:46 -0700 (PDT)
Last Saturday's class:
We were standing in formation with eyes closed.
The previous week we tried this I found that whilst neither assisting nor resisting I completed two complete turns physically which was also combined with a sensation of spinning to the right in the attention in the form of bright yellow light.
This Saturday I found no such urge to be moved in the same manner. What did occur was:
Shoulders went to sleep and head went down (very relaxed- unusual for me)
Churning/rippling occurring in the solar plexus area.
Head and body came upright very relaxed of its own accord.
And the most profound for me:
A very bright very white light, not only seen, but also felt, accompanied with absolute joy and the wafting of cool vibrations across the hands (very strong sensation). Smile appeared and peaceful state remained. Nice….

Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 11:42 PM
Subject:
Tai-Chi Experiences...

I started Tai-Chi with Ric Lum one year ago. After doing Judo for 33 years and a variety of other sports including long distance running I found that physically nothing was improving with regards to flexibility and old injuries. I started looking for something that would complement Sahaja Yoga, the vibrations and spiritual growth but from the physical side. I knew nothing like this existed but did try to find it in the gentle way of Judo. The club I was at had practitioners regularly suffering from injuries that seemed second only to that sustained in car crashes.
A Sahaja Yogi suggested I try this form of Tai-Chi he was studying with Ric Lum. I went along to a session with all the reservations that a yogi would have with regards something which may not be categorized as pure knowledge. Ric asked us to only judge on our vibrations what he said and taught. As we started to move I felt the vibrations flow.
My personal feeling is that Ric has found a way of plugging this form of Tai-Chi back into the main frame - The Paramachaitanya-.

One of the most profound experiences was that of experiencing becoming aware of moving the feet very lightly and gently on the living, loving, supporting Mother earth.
I am enjoying this form of exercise not only because it is much more than that but also found meditations more surrendered as some of the physical blockages are opening.

Our youngest daughter at ISPS had suffered from debilitating knee pains since the age of two and were not abating at 10 years of age (to the point of not sleeping due to the agony) No doctors could fix it and one podiatrist/orthotics specialist wanted $500 for an insert which she would need for the rest of her life without any cure possible for what she perceived the problem to be.
Last ISPS holidays we took her to Tai Chi classes with Ric and the problem was fixed within 2 months.

 

Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:36 PM
Subject:
Last Saturday

hmmm...out of context it seems to lose its essence.  trying to recall..

At the beginning of the whole form heard Ric say "don't lead the leader" to someone. The internal response was to completely surrender to following the person in the vision at any given moment basically giving up any self responsibility for the part in the flow.

During the 'grasp birds tail' there was a 'burble' in the flow of the group and found myself experiencing the internal equivalent of a collision in a bumper car- bouncing between the balance point of complete surrender to the external and following internal knowledge. The result was like an internal wake up shake to keep attention internally as well as externally. To take some responsibility as well as to surrender. A balance point.

 

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