The key points to master when doing sitting meditation

Mr. Kong De: Hello! The student loves Dan Gong very much. Currently, there are two difficult questions for you to consult. I sincerely hope you can answer them. How can one know if they are sitting correctly when meditating? For instance, what should one do if their body leans backward or forward during meditation? How can one maintain a correct posture while meditating? 2. According to some books, the effect of entering a state of tranquility through the "listening to breaths method" is better than that through the "counting breaths method". How is this method done? Best regards! Teacher Kong De's reply: The response to the question is as follows: First, regarding the issue of how to maintain the correct posture during meditation and how to keep it correct, it will be discussed in several sections: The first is the sitting position. There are two types: sitting upright and sitting upright. Sitting flat means crossing one's legs on a bed or sofa (chair), while sitting upright means sitting on a stool or chair with both legs and feet on the ground. The second is the sitting posture of the legs and feet. If sitting flat, the legs can be classified into three types according to one's adaptability: double cross-legged (sky cross-legged), single cross-legged, and loose cross-legged. Double cross-legged involves crossing your legs, placing your feet at the roots of your thighs on both sides, and having your feet facing upwards. This posture is easy for teenagers to master in a short period of time, but for middle-aged and elderly people, due to bone aging, it is more difficult to do and requires a gradual exercise process. One should not be overly demanding. The single plate means that one foot can achieve the crossed effect of one foot in a double plate, and the other leg can be sat cross-legged under it. It is more relaxed than the double plate. A single set is also a gradual stage in the transition to a double set. The "Sanpan" means sitting casually with your legs crossed, with comfort and naturalness as the limit. If you are standing or sitting, keep your legs slightly apart in an "eight" shape. The principle is that from the toes to the feet, then to the calves, then to the knees, and then to the thighs, the force should be evenly distributed and bear a certain amount of body weight. In other words, it means that the legs and feet of a person and the legs and feet of a stool and chair should share the weight of the human body reasonably. The stool and chair should bear more weight, while the legs and feet of a person should bear less weight. However, they should neither be empty nor weak. The third is the sitting posture of the upper body. Whether sitting upright or standing, the upper body sitting posture is the same. The key points are as follows: Tuck in the chest and draw in the abdomen. This posture is designed to correct the curvature of our body's spine caused by our usual habitual behaviors. Ordinary people are accustomed to keeping their chests out and bellies protruding, which can easily cause the spine to form an S shape, hindering the circulation of qi and blood in the Governor Vessel. Over time, this can lead to many kinds of diseases. To do this pose, two people can compare and check each other. The standard is that when viewed from the side of the back, the area from the coccyx to the Dazhui point forms a straight line. The chest is clear and the breath is smooth. The chin is drawn in. The purpose of doing this posture is to keep the neck straight, allowing the qi of the Hou Du and Xian meridians to flow smoothly. However, ordinary people often tend to hold their heads high, raise their chins, or lower their heads and tighten the back of their necks, which hinders the circulation of qi in the Ren and Du meridians. If this posture is done correctly, there will be a hollow, flexible and smooth feeling in the neck. The head force is weak. In this pose, one is imagining that the Baihui point on the top of the head is like a vital thread in the sky, and there is a force from the sky lifting this thread, with the entire body hanging in the air like a string pendant. The ingenious use of this practice lies in loosening the joints and relaxing the whole body. Press the tongue against the upper palate. The method is to slightly curl the tongue up and gently press it against the upper palate inside the upper gum (there is a depression here), just like holding a piece of candy in the mouth. The wonderful function of the tongue touching the upper palate is to connect the Ren Meridian and the Du meridian. This action should be made into a habit. Besides eating and talking, you should keep this habit. Over time, it will have endless benefits. Two-hand gesture. After completing all the above methods, you can do the following with your hands: ① Place the "Ziwu Jue" in front of your lower abdomen. That is, press the base joint of the ring finger of the left hand with the right thumb, pinch the middle fingertip of the left hand with the left thumb, and hold both hands together to complete the process. This posture is also known as the "Taiji Technique". ② Place your hands freely together in front of your lower abdomen. ③ Place both hands flat on the thighs or knees respectively. ④ Place both hands with the palms facing upwards on the thighs or knees respectively. The general principle is to place both hands naturally and comfortably. Relax your whole body. Ordinary people are stiff and strong everywhere. When practicing martial arts, one should cooperate with the practice of tucking in the chest, drawing in the abdomen, tucking in the chin, and loosely leading the head force, and relax everywhere. Relaxation should start with the shoulders. First, relax from the shoulders to the spine, then from the shoulders to the arms, wrists and fingers. The way to relax is to utilize the "exhalation" during the breathing process. For instance, if that place is not relaxed, just pay a light attention to that place, take a deep breath, and that place will loosen. After each part has been relaxed, use the "hu" technique to relax the whole body. Looking inside the curtain. When all the postures of the body are adjusted, everyone is relaxed and the mind is calm, then do "looking inside the curtain". "Hanging the curtain" means gently closing the eyelids. The method is to first look straight ahead with both eyes, weaken consciousness, and gradually focus the light from far to near. So that it is brought in front of you, drawn from the navel line to the tip of the nose, and gently closed the eyelids. "Introspection" does not mean looking inside the body with both eyes. The eyes are the doors and Windows of the heart. When the doors and Windows of the heart are closed, the heart returns to its original position. Just silently pay attention to the situation within the heart with the heart. If all the above key points are achieved and done well, it will be done correctly. But for a beginner, even if a posture is correct for a while, it might return to the old habit after a while. This requires that the learning function be discovered and corrected at any time, or that two fellow practitioners learn from each other, practice together, and correct each other. Everyone must go through a gradual process to correct their bad posture habits in daily life into a consistent and unchanging standard state of work. The one tying the bell is oneself, and the one untying it is still oneself. There is no other good way. So far, no one has invented a machine that can fit a person in and adjust their posture effortlessly with the help of the machine. Second, regarding the methods of listening to breaths and counting breaths, I am sending you a copy of the fourth issue of "Wudang" from 1999. The detailed methods are introduced on page 45, so I will not repeat them here. Wish you progress in practicing martial arts and benefit both your body and mind.