Thanks Noah for your insights on negentropy/syntropy. Great stuff. Your comments take more of a macro view, while my post was specifically targeting the inner state of the individual. You bring up a good point: “Where does the entropy go in a negentropy state? How does it affect everything else? ”
Like you I’m not an expert on thermodynamics. My understanding is more metaphorical than technical. That said, we both agree that some familiarity with the concept is valuable in getting a handle on describing how things work.
I’m going to take a crack at integrating the macro and the micro here. Your description of the universe moving toward entropy jibes with my understanding. What you call “low entropy bubbles” are what I call Life. Energy is trapped in a given structure/system for a finite period, but eventually returns to the big bouillabaisse. It’s a matter of perspective: from the inside, a life form coheres to use the energy that is available; from the outside it is just part of the Big Entropy. Both perspectives are necessary to get a “true” view (conceding that some inaccuracy is inevitable).
“The more information and structure we want to create and maintain, the more energy we are going to have to come up with (and lose)”. I’m not sure about this. It’s a key assumption in your post and may lead to some insight about efficiency. When we talk about relative entropy, we have to compare similar stuff. My IPhone can do some amazing things and uses a (relatively) tiny amount of energy. It is much more complex than the technology of a generation ago, which would have sucked up vast amounts to do even a small part of what this little bugger can do in its sleep.
Another example: the six-cylinder engine of my ’64 Chevy was a triumph of simplicity. I could fix many of its problems with a wrench and a screwdriver. I can’t even change the oil in my 21st century Maxima, it’s so complex. But the Nissan gets twice the MPG as the Bel Air did.
I think this sheds some light on the relationship between coherence and complexity. The IPhone and the Maxima are both more complex and more coherent than their older counterparts and thus more efficient. The magic ingredient to make this alchemy happen? Consciousness. The consciousness that designs the technology is aided by the artificial consciousness (computers) that maintain it. The non-stuff organizes the stuff to use energy more creatively. Evolution. Less becomes more. So I don’t think that the “stuff of non-stuff” is bound by the same laws of entropy. It can create stuff out of non-stuff.
I agree that “we are not reversing entropy”, at least not globally. I don’t think it’s accurate, though, to say “we are basically moving it somewhere else so that our internal order is maintained.” I don’t think it’s zero sum. A highly coherent system/structure may not reach zero entropy, but it can approach it. I believe that the coherence of the system can actually reduce entropy in the surrounding environment, rather than just exporting it to its neighbors.
Nor do I think that zero entropy is the ideal for life forms. Humans enjoy a relatively narrow comfort zone. There is an optimal range for any living thing, and all life dissipates some energy. That’s what makes it interesting. A brick is a near equilibrium structure and dissipates little energy. The kiln that fires the brick is a far from equilibrium structure and dissipates a lot of energy. Neither environment is ideal for most living creatures. When you play your guitar you dissipate energy, but the forms you create have the potential to generate increased coherence in your environment. A school bus full of children eats up lots of dead dinosaurs, but may contribute to the evolution of the community it supports. And it may be more efficient/expedient than dozens of school kids pedaling miles to and from school. We have a choice in how we spend our entropy.
Anyway, that’s my take on integrating micro with macro.
I wonder if consciousness can actually reverse entropy in the inner world. Maybe that is what is happening with “enlightenment”. Coherence extends beyond the well-ordered inner world and radiates out to enhance the lives of others. Isn’t that LOVE?
Thanks for playing along! I hope this is just your first installment.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Negentropy! Part 2
Here's a great response from Noah Kramer to my last post. He said he had some trouble posting it. Has anyone else had trouble? You can reach me at tcalchemy@aol.com if it won't come through here.
Hey Rick
I much enjoyed your opening thoughts on negentropy. The idea of negative entropy, or syntropy, is really fascinating to me. So okay, the universe is constantly dissipating energy from higher to lower concentrations, ultimately theorized to lead to total heat death. And entropy is increasing faster and faster all the time! As this is happening there are these low entropy bubbles where some processes are moving into more complex and differentiated forms. But complex structures require more energy to be stable. As I understand it, order and differentiation is actually maintained by creating entropy someplace else. Complex systems, like you and me communicating about entropy using sophisticated technology, can only cohere by dissipating a huge amount of heat energy in the process. The more information and structure we want to create and maintain, the more energy we are going to have to come up with to use (and lose). This at least seems valid in most biological systems, which is why there can only be so many predators on top. And look at us now--dissipating billions of years of stored solar energy in a few centuries by burning hydrocarbons in order to create and sustain this interconnected hyper complex world we’ve made.
So in a way, entropy is the power source making the whole show dance; the faster we create it in order to do stuff, the more stuff happens. I think it’s not that we are reversing entropy, we are basically moving it somewhere else so that our internal order can be maintained. I should say that I’m no expert and could be utterly incorrect, but that’s what I understand to be the case.
Now, I am very intrigued by the connection you are drawing between energetic coherence and negentropy / syntropy, and I would like to understand more. First, what is the relationship between complexity and efficiency? A car is more complex than a bicycle, but a bike is way, way more efficient per pound / calorie. (Expediency certainly seems to come at the cost of efficiency in most cases) So when you suggest that coherence involves using energy in more complex ways, and that complexity translates into more efficiency, I intuitively get it right away, but the language and theoretical aspect hasn’t caught up for me.
“Entropy is inversely proportional to efficiency and harmony within any system.” I’m right with you here, an efficient system produces entropy less quickly than an inefficient one, and can do more with less by reducing heat loss. What is confusing is how complexity and coherence connects to efficiency. Moreover, I don’t quite understand negentropy to be the same as efficiency, more as the capacity to create and maintain order and differentiation by offering up entropy somewhere else, outside of the internal system. So entropy approaching zero would be, in sort of physical terms, like the moment of the big bang--all potential but no differentiation, no stuff, no movement, no change. Is that infinite coherence?
Then time / entropy starts to happen and bang, suddenly there can be work and change and complex structures precisely because potential is being used up and thrown away.
I should add, I’m right there with you about the nonstuff parts of consciousness, the subtle, mental, and beyond aspects on the continuum, of which stuff is the most gross and material. The question is, is that non stuff-stuff bound by the same laws of entropy as the stuff?
How does less become more in coherence?
My sense is that you are basically freeing up energy that has been locked, stuck, or misused in the separating or atomizing parts; and this change is a change in view / attitude and in subtle awareness (energy). Is it possible that a coherent body-mind is more evolved, more developed and present, but actually less riven by the complexities of innumerable parts and isolated systems, confused views and incomplete understandings? When the body-mind becomes a coherent whole, interconnected and open, is the awareness more expansive but actually less complicated (fractured)? It certainly feels that way in those aha! moments you've shown me. Exponentially anyway, moments of genuine presence feel much less complicated than moments of confusion. Once you get above rationality, complexity seems to become inclusivity.
Anyway, thanks for offering up some good fodder for ponder and letting me play along.
Noah
Hey Rick
I much enjoyed your opening thoughts on negentropy. The idea of negative entropy, or syntropy, is really fascinating to me. So okay, the universe is constantly dissipating energy from higher to lower concentrations, ultimately theorized to lead to total heat death. And entropy is increasing faster and faster all the time! As this is happening there are these low entropy bubbles where some processes are moving into more complex and differentiated forms. But complex structures require more energy to be stable. As I understand it, order and differentiation is actually maintained by creating entropy someplace else. Complex systems, like you and me communicating about entropy using sophisticated technology, can only cohere by dissipating a huge amount of heat energy in the process. The more information and structure we want to create and maintain, the more energy we are going to have to come up with to use (and lose). This at least seems valid in most biological systems, which is why there can only be so many predators on top. And look at us now--dissipating billions of years of stored solar energy in a few centuries by burning hydrocarbons in order to create and sustain this interconnected hyper complex world we’ve made.
So in a way, entropy is the power source making the whole show dance; the faster we create it in order to do stuff, the more stuff happens. I think it’s not that we are reversing entropy, we are basically moving it somewhere else so that our internal order can be maintained. I should say that I’m no expert and could be utterly incorrect, but that’s what I understand to be the case.
Now, I am very intrigued by the connection you are drawing between energetic coherence and negentropy / syntropy, and I would like to understand more. First, what is the relationship between complexity and efficiency? A car is more complex than a bicycle, but a bike is way, way more efficient per pound / calorie. (Expediency certainly seems to come at the cost of efficiency in most cases) So when you suggest that coherence involves using energy in more complex ways, and that complexity translates into more efficiency, I intuitively get it right away, but the language and theoretical aspect hasn’t caught up for me.
“Entropy is inversely proportional to efficiency and harmony within any system.” I’m right with you here, an efficient system produces entropy less quickly than an inefficient one, and can do more with less by reducing heat loss. What is confusing is how complexity and coherence connects to efficiency. Moreover, I don’t quite understand negentropy to be the same as efficiency, more as the capacity to create and maintain order and differentiation by offering up entropy somewhere else, outside of the internal system. So entropy approaching zero would be, in sort of physical terms, like the moment of the big bang--all potential but no differentiation, no stuff, no movement, no change. Is that infinite coherence?
Then time / entropy starts to happen and bang, suddenly there can be work and change and complex structures precisely because potential is being used up and thrown away.
I should add, I’m right there with you about the nonstuff parts of consciousness, the subtle, mental, and beyond aspects on the continuum, of which stuff is the most gross and material. The question is, is that non stuff-stuff bound by the same laws of entropy as the stuff?
How does less become more in coherence?
My sense is that you are basically freeing up energy that has been locked, stuck, or misused in the separating or atomizing parts; and this change is a change in view / attitude and in subtle awareness (energy). Is it possible that a coherent body-mind is more evolved, more developed and present, but actually less riven by the complexities of innumerable parts and isolated systems, confused views and incomplete understandings? When the body-mind becomes a coherent whole, interconnected and open, is the awareness more expansive but actually less complicated (fractured)? It certainly feels that way in those aha! moments you've shown me. Exponentially anyway, moments of genuine presence feel much less complicated than moments of confusion. Once you get above rationality, complexity seems to become inclusivity.
Anyway, thanks for offering up some good fodder for ponder and letting me play along.
Noah
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Negentropy!
Entropy happens. It is inevitable in any system. Left to its own devices, stuff always moves toward decay. Energy is lost. Stuff wears out. We don’t need science to tell us that all forms are impermanent. That idea is the foundation of just about every religion. (“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”) Shoes, cars, empires, galaxies—they all come into being, hang around a while, then lose their mojo and disappear.
If you view the world from the materialist side of the Western Gate, then all you see is stuff. You even see yourself exclusively as stuff. And as stuff, you then feel the same entropy you see in all other forms. You see yourself wearing out, getting older, losing your energy.
Of course we are made of stuff. But we are non-stuff as well. When we only address our stuffiness, then physics and chemistry are often sufficient to explain what is going on. But when we go beyond the Western Gate things get a little fuzzy. That’s where Life enters the picture.
I wrote about negentropy in Taijiquan:Through the Western Gate, but it’s an idea that bears repeating. I’m not sure if Erwin Schroedinger coined the term, but he wrote about “negative entropy”:“The essential thing in metabolism is that the organism succeeds in freeing itself from all the entropy it cannot help producing while alive.”
As all the stuff in the universe moves toward entropy, Life evolves to more complex forms to utilize all that lost energy. Grass utilizes the energy of sunlight via photosynthesis. Sheep can’t do that. But they have evolved to eat grass and access the energy they can’t get directly from sunlight. Wolves can’t get their energy from grass, but have evolved a taste for mutton to get energy that way.
Humans are constantly developing new ways to reclaim lost energy. Consequently, living has become quite complex for the species. There is a desire to keep the game going. We may wax nostalgic for the simplicity of the “good old days”, but that djinn has left the lamp.
We can, however, slow entropy down, at least in our own bodies. Biophysicist May Wan Ho describes negentropy as “stored, mobilizable energy in a space-time structured system.” Energy gets “trapped” in a living organism and does work in sustaining it. The energy doesn’t stay there, it does its work and moves on. The more complex the system, the more energy that is required to sustain it. It also takes longer to move through a complex system. (A whale needs the energy of the millions of krill it had for lunch to keep on keeping on.)
Taijiquan and qigong use the consciousness of the practitioner to utilize the energy of food and breath in more complex ways than in normal activity. More bang for the buck. They also train the body/mind to move more efficiently, so there less energy leakage. Energy becomes more coherent.
Mae Wan Ho says, “As coherence approaches infinity, entropy approaches zero.”
That is to say: Entropy is inversely proportional to efficiency and harmony within any system.
It is the non-stuff of consciousness that makes it work. It continues to evolve new ways to utilize the energy that is dissipated by all the stuff it meets. Learning what it means to be coherent and how to access it often is the key to negentropy.
Thankfully, the process is quite a bit of fun.
If you view the world from the materialist side of the Western Gate, then all you see is stuff. You even see yourself exclusively as stuff. And as stuff, you then feel the same entropy you see in all other forms. You see yourself wearing out, getting older, losing your energy.
Of course we are made of stuff. But we are non-stuff as well. When we only address our stuffiness, then physics and chemistry are often sufficient to explain what is going on. But when we go beyond the Western Gate things get a little fuzzy. That’s where Life enters the picture.
I wrote about negentropy in Taijiquan:Through the Western Gate, but it’s an idea that bears repeating. I’m not sure if Erwin Schroedinger coined the term, but he wrote about “negative entropy”:“The essential thing in metabolism is that the organism succeeds in freeing itself from all the entropy it cannot help producing while alive.”
As all the stuff in the universe moves toward entropy, Life evolves to more complex forms to utilize all that lost energy. Grass utilizes the energy of sunlight via photosynthesis. Sheep can’t do that. But they have evolved to eat grass and access the energy they can’t get directly from sunlight. Wolves can’t get their energy from grass, but have evolved a taste for mutton to get energy that way.
Humans are constantly developing new ways to reclaim lost energy. Consequently, living has become quite complex for the species. There is a desire to keep the game going. We may wax nostalgic for the simplicity of the “good old days”, but that djinn has left the lamp.
We can, however, slow entropy down, at least in our own bodies. Biophysicist May Wan Ho describes negentropy as “stored, mobilizable energy in a space-time structured system.” Energy gets “trapped” in a living organism and does work in sustaining it. The energy doesn’t stay there, it does its work and moves on. The more complex the system, the more energy that is required to sustain it. It also takes longer to move through a complex system. (A whale needs the energy of the millions of krill it had for lunch to keep on keeping on.)
Taijiquan and qigong use the consciousness of the practitioner to utilize the energy of food and breath in more complex ways than in normal activity. More bang for the buck. They also train the body/mind to move more efficiently, so there less energy leakage. Energy becomes more coherent.
Mae Wan Ho says, “As coherence approaches infinity, entropy approaches zero.”
That is to say: Entropy is inversely proportional to efficiency and harmony within any system.
It is the non-stuff of consciousness that makes it work. It continues to evolve new ways to utilize the energy that is dissipated by all the stuff it meets. Learning what it means to be coherent and how to access it often is the key to negentropy.
Thankfully, the process is quite a bit of fun.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Effortless Power in Connecticut
Sunday's "Effortless Power" seminar David Shaver's Peaceful Wolf T'ai Chi in East Haddam, CT was a real pleasure. It is always an honor to be invited to David's wonderful school to share. He has a beautiful studio way off the beaten track in an idyllic setting. Autumn was in full throttle and the colors were spectacular.
Most of the participants had not worked with me before so it was a rare opportunity to start from zero and present a large chunk of information in a day. Ideally, one learns a small piece and has time to integrate it through practice. That's what happens in my regular classes in Staten Island. But there is an advantage to getting the full adult dose too. Higher level internal arts can only be fully appreciated in a transrational state of consciousness, and it takes some practice to be able to get there easily by yourself. In an intensive learning experience like this one, you climb aboard TransLove Airlines early in the day and stay there as we explore some of the remote outposts of the internal arts. Fortunately, we had Maria there too to keep things real and grounded and to explain from another perspective. A demonstration of effortless power takes on additional weight when performed by a 5'4" grandmother.
Here's a synopsis of what we covered:
*"Three thumps". Got this one from a Donna Eden Energy Medicine workshop. (See YouTube vid: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDgwNTE0NTY=.html) You use your fingertips or knuckles to vibrate energy points to unstick and enhance energy flow. K-27: Located in the corner of the chest on both sides of the sternum just under the clavicle. Meridians run backward and get clogged when we get stressed out. Thumping K-27 unsticks them.
Thymus point: On the sternum at the level of the second rib. Energizes the immune system.
Spleen: Metabolizes stuff. Not just food, but also life experience. Stress collapses our spleen energy and makes it tougher to deal with the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
*Energetic coherence: Consciously reaching with the index fingers to restore a sense of wholeness to the body/mind. When energy is more coherent there is less entropy in the system. (This is explained in detail in Taijiquan: Through the Western Gate.) I demonstrate the power of energetic coherence in this YouTube vid: http://youtu.be/oRJu_u2EWKs
Most of the stuff to follow was discovered/developed after the release of TTWG. I was taken aback when I noticed that.
*Central Equilibrium: This concept is a central pillar of taijiquan and I assumed I knew what it was for 20 years of so. I wrote about central equilibrium in a couple of blog posts already, so I won't cover it here. This vid demonstrates "effortless power" from central equilibrium: http://youtu.be/V28HRFsB3YA
These two, energetic coherence and central equilbrium, are essential for establishing effortless power. Energetic coherence unifies your body/mind and central equilibrium opens the valves to connect with the Big Qi, the energies of earth and sky.
*Ball/Knee/Kua: This is a sequence for establishing a firm foundation and maintaining central equilibrium regardless of the body's position.
*"The Edge": This is a five part exercise that develops the ability to handle energy without freaking out. Most of us have a hard time receiving energy without contracting, resisting, or avoiding. This exercise helps to overcome our fear-based responses and receive energy and information consciously, with an open heart.
*Martin Buber: Empowerment through relation. Shifting consciousness by entering a state of reciprocal respect with another...and so much more. I consider Buber's I and Thou to be the most important book of the 20th century. Who knew it had application to martial arts, peak performance, and creativity?
*Center line: Using intention to interrupt or enhance the energy in the central meridian. Disrupting an opponent's energy field can create an advantage in push hands or sparring. Energizing the field is a powerful tool for healing yourself and others.
Of course, this only skims the surface of what we covered Sunday. Effortless power is a by-product of doing things that are virtuous in their own regard. It takes gongfu. The stuff we covered is a map. You still have to walk that road.
Many thanks to David Shaver and the whole gang at Peaceful Wolf for a wonderful day.
Most of the participants had not worked with me before so it was a rare opportunity to start from zero and present a large chunk of information in a day. Ideally, one learns a small piece and has time to integrate it through practice. That's what happens in my regular classes in Staten Island. But there is an advantage to getting the full adult dose too. Higher level internal arts can only be fully appreciated in a transrational state of consciousness, and it takes some practice to be able to get there easily by yourself. In an intensive learning experience like this one, you climb aboard TransLove Airlines early in the day and stay there as we explore some of the remote outposts of the internal arts. Fortunately, we had Maria there too to keep things real and grounded and to explain from another perspective. A demonstration of effortless power takes on additional weight when performed by a 5'4" grandmother.
Here's a synopsis of what we covered:
*"Three thumps". Got this one from a Donna Eden Energy Medicine workshop. (See YouTube vid: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDgwNTE0NTY=.html) You use your fingertips or knuckles to vibrate energy points to unstick and enhance energy flow. K-27: Located in the corner of the chest on both sides of the sternum just under the clavicle. Meridians run backward and get clogged when we get stressed out. Thumping K-27 unsticks them.
Thymus point: On the sternum at the level of the second rib. Energizes the immune system.
Spleen: Metabolizes stuff. Not just food, but also life experience. Stress collapses our spleen energy and makes it tougher to deal with the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
*Energetic coherence: Consciously reaching with the index fingers to restore a sense of wholeness to the body/mind. When energy is more coherent there is less entropy in the system. (This is explained in detail in Taijiquan: Through the Western Gate.) I demonstrate the power of energetic coherence in this YouTube vid: http://youtu.be/oRJu_u2EWKs
Most of the stuff to follow was discovered/developed after the release of TTWG. I was taken aback when I noticed that.
*Central Equilibrium: This concept is a central pillar of taijiquan and I assumed I knew what it was for 20 years of so. I wrote about central equilibrium in a couple of blog posts already, so I won't cover it here. This vid demonstrates "effortless power" from central equilibrium: http://youtu.be/V28HRFsB3YA
These two, energetic coherence and central equilbrium, are essential for establishing effortless power. Energetic coherence unifies your body/mind and central equilibrium opens the valves to connect with the Big Qi, the energies of earth and sky.
*Ball/Knee/Kua: This is a sequence for establishing a firm foundation and maintaining central equilibrium regardless of the body's position.
*"The Edge": This is a five part exercise that develops the ability to handle energy without freaking out. Most of us have a hard time receiving energy without contracting, resisting, or avoiding. This exercise helps to overcome our fear-based responses and receive energy and information consciously, with an open heart.
*Martin Buber: Empowerment through relation. Shifting consciousness by entering a state of reciprocal respect with another...and so much more. I consider Buber's I and Thou to be the most important book of the 20th century. Who knew it had application to martial arts, peak performance, and creativity?
*Center line: Using intention to interrupt or enhance the energy in the central meridian. Disrupting an opponent's energy field can create an advantage in push hands or sparring. Energizing the field is a powerful tool for healing yourself and others.
Of course, this only skims the surface of what we covered Sunday. Effortless power is a by-product of doing things that are virtuous in their own regard. It takes gongfu. The stuff we covered is a map. You still have to walk that road.
Many thanks to David Shaver and the whole gang at Peaceful Wolf for a wonderful day.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tai Chi Alchemy XVI Report
Tai Chi Alchemy XVI in Sedona astounded and delighted in ways earlier chapters could not have anticipated. Writing about it is a bit like piecing together a dream: the few markers that stand out in the memory are but the tiniest fragments of what happened. The high octane information that is shared provides a context and a structure for the real miracle-- the incredible interactions of people in a vibrant, intelligent natural setting. The level of dialogue has evolved to where even newcomers are comfortable discussing and working with energies that seemed distant and elusive in our earlier meetings.
In 1997 or 98, I announced in my opening comments that I wanted everyone in attendance to "feel their qi" before the weekend was out. My partner at the time told me I was nuts to suggest such a thing. He said it took years to develop that kind of awareness. Well, everyone got a taste, and have every year since. Now the level of certainty has risen dramatically and we work with qualities of energy with confidence.
Just a few years ago Stephe Watson amazed us by "moving" people without touching them. This year, Rob Mann helped the whole class understand how to execute this remarkable skill in a drill called "Search Center".
It's actually a cooperative exercise, where the "pusher" directs intention and the "pushee" feels the intent and goes with the direction of the flow. We start out with eyes open and physically touching, then gradually gain confidence and do it eyes closed at a distance. The exercise teaches us to direct intention coherently and to sense intention before the actual physical execution (ting jin).Each year we add to our vocabulary for describing and clarifying what was only recently quite ineffable.
New Venue: Poco Diablo
TCA XVI was held at a new place, Poco Diablo Resort (about 4 miles from Bell Rock). The resort was easily accessible, the surroundings were exquisite, the accomodations were very comfortable, the food was good, and you couldn't beat the company.
I liked the energy of this place--delightfully mellow. It didn't crackle like some of our other locations, but I think that allowed for more attention on the really cool stuff being presented. The usual open-hearted joy pervaded the group. Where else do you find adults of all ages hugging spontaneously and laughing unabashedly at 7 am? Seems you were never so happy to be reunited with people you just left a few hours ago.
The Presenters
We had quite a few contributions from unexpected sources this year:
Friday night
Noted author, teacher, filmmaker and film critic, and contributing editor for Inside Kung Fu Magazine kicked things off by stressing the importance of developing a "mental kung fu" in our lives.
Since the most challenging opponent we'll meet is our self, then we have to prepare to meet this worthy over and over. He emphasized that "the only one Bruce Lee couldn't defeat was himself."
I followed by taking the group through "The Edge"--an exercise designed to increase our ability to calmly and consciously handle incoming energy without contracting or flinching. It takes the triggers that would ordinarily produce a fear response in our nervous systems and re-programs our nervous system to respond from higher centers of consciousness.
Saturday Morning
Lynn Sharp and Nick D'Antoni got us started Saturday morning with some powerful energy exercises, focusing on stretching, strengthening, balance, and qi flow. Rich Szeligowski showed how the Taiji Tu (yin/yang symbol) can be used to heighten awareness of shifting energies in sparring and push hands (This was a subject for a recent article he wrote for Inside Kung Fu.)
It is a TCA tradition to take a field trip Saturday morning to Bell Rock and
Courthouse Butte, two of the most powerful and popular vortexes in Sedona. (As many times as I've been there, I am always blown away by them.) This year we were honored to participate in an amazing Native American blessing by kung fu teacher and shaman, Tom Delacy. He invoked the spirit of that sacred place in a special smudging/drumming ceremony that brought many to tears. It was as profound and moving a religious experience as I have had, and it set the tone for our vortex explorations with reverence and humility.
Saturday Afternoon
After lunch I reviewed how to use "energetic coherence" and "central equilibrium" to access effortless power. Once you establish these two, many of the seemingly miraculous taiji tricks become understandable and available. For example, I showed how pointing at your opponent's center line in push hands or sparring will strengthen you and weaken him. If you trace a meridian backwards, even at a distance, you can weaken or strengthen it. The same principle can be used for healing or fighting, depending on your intent. We used this technique to hone our intention.
Guru Mike Casto took it a step farther and showed how to use intention in sparring. Using slow, no impact drills we practiced reaching through our partners' guard to make contact.Energy Heaing
Saturday Night at TCA is reserved for energy healing. Anne Buhlig took us through Self Healing with Jin Shin Jyutsu. Catherine Carrigan presented Healing Your Hara. I found myself blissfully transported during a delightful group healing led by Rob Mann, called Wei Qi Gong. He learned it from Professor Duan Zhiliang.
Sunday Morning
Great stuff in the early session (7-8 am). Rich introduced exercises for Hemispheric Brain Synchronization. Ethan DeFord opened our heart chakras with mudras and meditation. Tom followed with a section of Bodhidharma's Yi Jin Jing (Muscle Tendon Changing Classic). Very powerful.
After breakfast, Maria Barrett led a meditation, then the transformative "Healing Your Voice". Valarie Gabel shared an ingenious set of exercises for accessing the "light and insubstantial energy" above the baihui (crown point of the head). Balancing small baggies with a few ounces of rice on top of our heads, we practiced our forms. When the bags were removed, the sensation lingered for a long time. Simple, yet profound.
Rob's "Search Center" was a huge hit. Everyone got a real sense of transpersonal play at a high level. Then we finished up with Maria and I leading "Small Changes" (an exercise created by Don Miller and I, a crowd favorite). The group divided into two teams, the "Marias" and the "Ricks", and played push hands. I would pose a challenge to Maria (the smallest movement needed to establish an advantage) and all the Ricks would do that to their partner. Then Maria would counter with the smallest change necessary to reclaim the advantage. We took turns posing questions to our partners, and answering in turn. The Marias won.
TCA XVI for me was an exquisite, illuminating, radiant experience full of surprises and opportunities to connect with loving, creative, passionate people. Thank you all.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Central Equilibrium, Part Two
Larry Cunningham, Yale University scholar in Chinese and Western philosophy recently sent me this quote from Confucius in The Doctrine of the Mean (4th or 3rd century BCE). He said it “seems to be the earliest use of the term ‘central equilibrium’ or ‘equilibrium’. The character chung (now zhong) means the center, the mean, hence central equilibrium.”
The Way cannot be separated from us for a moment. What can be separated from us is not the Way…There is nothing more visible than that which is hidden and nothing more manifest than that which is subtle.
…Before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are aroused it is called equilibrium (chung, centrality, mean). When these feelings are aroused and each and all attain due measure and degree, it is called harmony. Equilibrium is the great foundation of the world, and harmony its universal path. When equilibrium and harmony are realized to the highest degree, heaven and earth will attain proper order and all things will flourish.
Larry went on to state, “The definition of chung here certainly seems to regard it as a transrational reality.”
(Thanks Larry!)
In the last post I wrote a little about how establishing central equilibrium enhances your power and efficiency by aligning your body/mind to the earth and heavens. Like wu wei ("Doing based in absolute non-doing"), the idea here is that if we establish some degree of central equilibrium first, then all our actions will exhibit greater harmony. (Equilibrium is the great foundation of the world, and harmony its universal path. When equilibrium and harmony are realized to the highest degree, heaven and earth will attain proper order and all things will flourish.) This might sound a bit too woo-woo when only viewed from the perspective of the Western Gate, but proves out very nicely in the doing. As shown in the last entry, even beginners can feel a substantial improvement by applying it. It establishes the foundation to develop “effortless power” and greatly enhances rooting.
So how is this done? Here’s the short answer: You bring your center of gravity over the balls of your feet and extend awareness up through the top of your head. Unlock your knees, relax your lower back and drop your sacrum (all without shifting your weight back into your heels).
Sounds easy enough. It’s actually pretty simple. But simple doesn’t mean easy. The above formula is only a rough sketch of the substantial (shi) body shape that can lead us to central equilibrium. It’s like saying you balance a bicycle by keeping it moving while steering in the right direction. What we are looking for is an insubstantial (xu) quality, and it’s one that we want to have in whatever position we put our body. Just as we must explore the insubstantial quality that keeps a bike from falling down before we pop wheelies and ride in traffic, we need to establish our central equilibrium in neutral positions before we use it in sparring or running.
Central equilibrium is not just balance. I made that mistake for years. It is something much deeper and more subtle. Something insubstantial.
And it is cultivating that awareness of the insubstantial that gives us insight into Confucius’ words, “There is nothing more visible than that which is hidden and nothing more manifest than that which is subtle.”
Hidden in Plain Sight
There’s a hidden factor that pretty much guarantees you won’t find it on your own without a lot of work. It’s hidden in plain sight and even when I show it to people, most reject it. Why?
Most of us learn how to walk within a couple months of a year old, give or take. It is during that time that we establish the basic template for an activity that we now expect to perform for decades. A toddler just wants to get moving and not fall down. Lots of minute adjustments are made each moment to make that happen, and after some practice those adjustments are established as an unconscious pattern. Under ordinary circumstances we don’t think too much about how we stand or walk. We trust that our body/mind will remember. (That changes when we get falling down drunk or are walking an I-beam fifty feet in the air. Then we might get very interested in how this walking thing works.) For most of us, though, we simply add to the basic program without really inspecting it.
In practical terms what this means is that 99 out of 100 people you meet will spend most of their ambulant time with their body mass centered on their heels. Most of us are unaware of where in our feet we take the load. It’s been on automatic for so long it just feels “natural”. It’s far from natural, however. It’s just the devil we know. Actually, it’s about as far back in our base as we can go: like standing at the edge of a cliff with our muscles tensed to keep from falling backward. And this acts as a constant stress on joints and connective tissue.
Our bodies are most efficient when we load up the balls of our feet. Anyone who has played a sport has been admonished by the coach to get on the toes. A tired boxer is in his heels and halfway to Palookaville; a fresh one has his weight forward. Of the five primary energy gates in Chinese medicine, two are located there. The “Bubbling Springs” (yongquan) are in that part of the foot and are the gateway for earth energy. When the yongquan is open, a circuit is completed and our energy can be grounded. Fresh yin ch'i rises from the earth and supports, calms, and replenishes us.
My high school football coach didn’t know this, of course. He just knew from experience that a linebacker or a center is going to be much more effective with his weight centered in the active part of his feet than rocked all the way back in his heels. I knew I could match up against a bigger, stronger opponent if I did it, and I’d get grass stains on my butt if I didn’t. My reaction time was much faster and I even felt stronger.
The Booby Trap
If it’s so great for sports, why don’t we do it all the time? Ah, there’s the rub!
Proprioception!
That’s the internal sense we have of body position and movement. We are constantly adjusting our bodies for comfort and/or efficiency. We get a sense of where we are and what we’re doing, and try to fit that in with what has worked in the past. Oftentimes our idea of what our bodies are doing is quite different from what is actually happening (as any neophyte in t’ai chi finds out).
Our nervous systems draw maps of where to find our feet or ears. It records the nuances of catching a ball or typing a letter. It has volumes of information on standing and walking. And it’s not going to revise the basic program for the latter without a very good reason. There’s too much at stake. We established our comfort zone a long time ago and when our center of gravity goes outside a narrow range, the alarm bells go off. It doesn’t feel “natural”. Even athletes and performers who dramatically challenge the limits of human performance don’t necessarily translate that to their off duty lives.
When I adjust someone’s posture to get close to central equilibrium, there is an initial distrust. We have been doing it one way for so long that doing it differently feels really weird. Whenever I walk students through this, adjusting their weight to center on their feet rather than all the way back in the heels, they almost universally resist it. Why? They have been leaning backward so long that true vertical feels like they are going to nosedive into the floor. Their bodies get frightened.
When they finally let go and trust the process, something magical happens: not only is their balance dramatically better, but also an “effortless power” pervades their whole body. Whereas before I could easily knock them over with one finger, now they are able to withstand many times that force with little apparent effort.
I’ve done many demonstrations (one is on YouTube) where I stand in central equilibrium and a bunch of guys try to push me backward. As long as I can maintain it, I can usually handle hundreds of pounds of force coming at me. I must find my central equilibrium and maintain it in a swirl of dynamic forces. This allows me to remain calm in the presence of various challenges.
When humans respond primarily from fear-based consciousness bad things usually happen. Fear has its place, but let’s save it for situations where it is of value, like saber tooth tiger attacks. Fear usually clouds our judgment and makes us act dumb. With our weight way back in our heels our bodies already have to work very hard to keep us upright. Long-term health problems can result (sciatica, back pain, sacroiliac joint pain, neck problems—the list goes on). More insidious, though, is the unconscious stress we rack up moment by moment as our bodies execute the simplest of actions. And that stress drags us down, collapsing our consciousness.
When we are centered and rooted, the opposite can happen. We replenish our energy and feel just a bit better about life. Our spirit is calmed yet energized. Expansive.
Good stuff happens.
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