DYQG: Discovering Wholeness & Flow
At the end of practice one day (while Sleeping Peacefully and Restoring Qi, then rising quietly to Close . . . standing for several minutes letting the qi settle) I noticed a visceral sense of wholeness that is palpable. “How long I can I maintain this state of being?“ I wondered.
Balance is a word that some people might use to describe that holistic experience. But it’s a linguistic shortcut that feels too prescribed. It invokes effort and trying. It’s a brain-word. Wholeness invokes holistic attentiveness, the same kind of attention we cultivate during practice. So moving with attention, intention, and a sense of purpose, I turned slowly, walked over to gather my keys and things, and started off for work.
“This is interesting.” I thought, “Moving like this is like sharing time with my 93-year old Aunt Sarah. Everything slows down, seems so purposeful, and we just do one thing at a time.” I turned, locked the door, walked to the car, and settled in. I was not purposely moving in slow motion. I don’t even think someone watching me might have observed a slower than usual pace. But moving at a pace of holistic attentiveness is quite an exhilarating feeling. It feels slower because there was an overwhelming amount of sensory information pouring in that I was not previously aware I’d been taking in.
Still calm and enjoying that wonderful sense of wholeness, I started the car, turned to check for safe passage on both sides and behind me, and started backing out of the driveway. I hadn’t even gotten halfway out of the driveway before noticing that my hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly and the right side of my tongue was mashed up against my upper teeth. I stopped the car completely, slowly released my hands and shook them a little. I took a few slow deep breaths, and relaxed my entire body, including my tongue. “Phew . . . that sure didn’t last long,” I thought. “I haven’t even been out of the house for five minutes!”
Wondering if I could get that delicious feeling of wholeness back again, I instinctively touched the tip of my tongue lightly to the roots of the upper teeth, reasserting flow in the Xiao Jiao Tien (Microcosmic Orbit), which amazingly took me right back to what I experienced at the end of the Form in my living room. The body has a visceral memory that we can tap into. WOW. What an amazing discovery.
I don’t remember how long I was able to stay connected to that sense of wholeness (state of being) during the rest of the day. But I do remember continuing to play with the concept as an exercise quite a bit, cultivating what I now refer to as the Third Level of Practice. How do we bring that sense of calm and integrated wholeness from our practice into our communication, relationships, and everyday actions of living?
Grandmaster Hui Liu always referred to the Form (1st & 2nd Set) as a practice of Stillness in Action, and Meditation as a practice of Action in Stillness. But she also spent a LOT of time sharing wisdom about the underpinnings of Chinese culture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and philosophy along with the teachings of Grandmaster Yang Meijun.
“Practice. Practice. Practice." Grandmaster Liu would say, always modeling the same kind of dedication, discipline, and compassion she wanted to instill in us. She wanted us to understand and exercise TCM principles of health and wellness, good character, kindness, service, and compassion, as much as she wanted us to understand and practice Dayan Qigong.
So here’s what I’ve learned thus far through this ongoing experiment. Holistic attentiveness reaches into every aspect of our lives, through all of our daily activities, whatever we do, especially heightening our awareness of our interactions with others. Sometimes (often?) my experience of wholeness even invites me to be brave. How so? Maintaining a sense of wholeness, gives me an opportunity to notice when and I choose to relinquish my sense of wholeness. What is coming at me, causing me to shift my attention to something else? To what, or where am I shifting my attention when I do that? The Third Level of Practice gives us an opportunity to notice how often we react to what’s in front of us, versus taking a moment to assess how we might wish to respond.
The short of the story is that over time I actually have become a little slower and perhaps a bit quieter too. Not because of age, not because of some stereotyped goal, and not for any societal-value reasons about pace or volume. Wholeness invites authenticity. Sometimes I need to speak up. Other times I need to be still and listen to others.
I have learned that bringing wholeness to bear as I participate in the dance of Life requires patience, endurance, insight, ethics, and personal honesty. Seeing myself within the context of a greater whole is also helpful for understanding and practicing Grandmaster Yang Meijun’s message to the world:
Dao De De Dao Zheng Dao Hsing
When personal virtue is valued, the right Dao (Way) will follow.
Go with the flow with your Dayan Qigong practice to enhance your own sense of wholeness. Your own sense of authenticity and peace in everyday living awaits you.