Four Establishments of Mindfulness Contemplative Practice Questions and Answers 16

Question: I can't get past the hurdle of my legs. Every time I sit in half-lotus for about 50 minutes to an hour, I feel my mind entering the state, but at that point my ankle joints, knee joints, and hip joints hurt so much that I can't endure it for long and have to let go, which affects my contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). Is there any way to get past this hurdle? 

Answer: This is because the qi in your body is blocked in the triangular area at the back of your buttocks—that is, at the Baliao acupoints—with congestion near the hip bones, so the qi and blood cannot pass through. Generally speaking, it is cold-damp qi and waste matter causing the blockage. You can try the following remedies: 

1. Ocean swaying: When sitting in full lotus, do the ocean-swaying movement—first sway forward, then backward, doing both clockwise and counterclockwise directions, pressing and relaxing alternately. This can open the channels of qi and blood and expel the congestion. 

2. Use acupuncture needles on the blocked acupoints to open up the blocked places, combined with methods such as ocean swaying and standing meditation (zhan zhuang). Relatively speaking, acupuncture is faster. 

3. Massage. In the triangular area of the lower back and at the Baliao acupoints, repeatedly massage with mugwort essential oil ointment. 

4. At the Weizhong acupoint area behind both knees, use a small stick that is not too hard to press and knead in massage, promoting the smooth circulation of qi and blood. The lower back, legs, and hip bones all have congestion and all need massage. You can also tap your legs with an empty fist; both the gallbladder meridian and liver meridian on the inner and outer sides of the thighs should be tapped and massaged, so the qi and blood can pass through more easily. 

5. Appropriately apply moxibustion to key acupoints to dispel the cold-damp qi, and the meridians will become unobstructed. 

6. Another method is bigu (grain avoidance/fasting), letting the body regulate itself. The cold-damp congestion will all be eliminated, the lower back and legs will become supple, and sitting cross-legged will no longer be strenuous. It is suggested that after a while, when the temperature is not too hot, you can do bigu again to regulate the body. Doing bigu two or three times a year will bring your body to excellent condition.