Q&A 35: The Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness

Question: During my last two meditation sessions focused on contemplating emptiness, the feeling of pressure in my body was extremely intense, making me unable to move and almost losing control. Moreover, today the qi obstruction is in my arms; both forearms now have persistent soreness and numbness, like after heavy labor. Do I need to make any adjustments?

Answer: Soreness, numbness, and swelling in the arms indicate areas of blockage where qi and blood find it difficult to pass through. When not meditating, if the qi circulation is poor, you might not feel anything. However, once the qi becomes abundant and encounters blockages, reactions occur, and sickness obstacles manifest. Once the blockage is cleared, the sickness obstacles will disappear. The feeling of pressure in the body and inability to move indicate abundant qi. The more abundant the qi, the easier it is to unblock the body and arms. Persist as long as you can; it’s estimated that the meridians in the arms will be unblocked soon. Understand that any phenomena arising in the body during meditation are related to qi channels and the circulation of qi and blood. No matter what phenomena occur in the body henceforth, do not be surprised or find it strange. Gradually regulate it; it will all improve. Do not pay too much attention to these matters.

Question: What will happen if, during meditation, the qi mechanism continuously activates but remains stuck in the head and does not move past it?

Answer: That indicates the initiating qi is abundant and powerful, but there is an obstruction in the head preventing the qi mechanism from passing through. If there were no obstruction and the qi channels were clear, there would be no such thing as a "qi mechanism" to speak of. At this time, endure if you can. If you cannot endure, visualize the qi exiting through the Baihui point (Hundred Meetings point) at the top of the head, or get up and pat your head to disperse the qi. However, after dispersing, the qi will still impact the head again. Only by completely unblocking it can the problem be solved. If not fully unblocked, the qi mechanism may still pass through or dissipate, then cycle back to the front Ren channel, from the Ren channel to the Du channel, and then back to the top of the head. Only when it enters the central channel and exits from the top of the head will the qi channels of the entire body be completely unblocked, and the body will have no more obstructions. From then on, the practice of meditative concentration will proceed smoothly without hindrance.

If the qi channels in the head can be unblocked and the circulation of qi and blood is good, your thinking will become very clear, your energy will be abundant, and wisdom may arise. Even unblocking part of it is quite beneficial. When the qi channels are unblocked and the mind is pure, the body may emit a fragrance, very fragrant, and the mood becomes joyful, happy, and free from worry. These are all phenomena of arising and ceasing; do not cling to them. Now that meditative concentration has already arisen and you are able to observe the practice, that is sufficient. Do not pay too much attention to matters of qi channels; let it be.