would meditation help

[Tom]

It works both ways. Meditation helps energy work and energy work helps meditation. Physical exercises like yoga and tai chi can do a lot to help, too. Just sitting in the full lotus posture without doing any particular meditation or exercise is enough to start removing blockages. There are other meditation postures, but the full lotus happens to be my favorite. There are too many ways to go about meditation to choose one and describe it. The techniques tend to be very simple, but removing obstacles along the way is very difficult and that is why it is good to have a teacher. It would be enough to begin with for you to pick a meditation posture and learn to relax in it and gradually begin perfecting your posture. When you start to make some progress with correct posture you can begin to slow down your breathing. While you are doing this you will have time to read about different methods for meditation and compare them.

[skips29]

thanks--  Now  my  next question is...   Where  can I  see a   diagram to  learn the  full  lotus postion?  I've looked  into and have    practiced a little  ti  chi    and it   seems to help.

[Tom]

I tried to upload an article on the full lotus posture and the specific reasons for each aspect of the posture. It does not take txt files, and what could be more acceptable from those of us who won't pay for the pdf writer? Very simply, it is the posture where you sit and put one foot on the thigh of the other leg then put the foot of the second leg on the thigh of the first leg.

THE SEVEN POSITIONS - BUILDING THE MEDITATION POSTURE
An excerpt from a teaching by the Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche

   The sutras say we should settle ourselves on a comfortable seat where we do not have to lean to the left or right or too far forward or backward. That kind of leaning could result in imbalances in the workings of our physical systems or in our body's constitution.
   Then with this comfortable, even seat, we need what is traditionally called "tingngedzin burchon" 'Tingngedzin" means samadhi or meditation, and "burchon" means cushion — meditation cushion. Traditionally, in Tibet, meditators would use a square meditation cushion which was four to five fingers high. Depending on the proportions of a person's body, some need it to be a little lower or a little higher.
   Then, sitting on the cushion with it more to your rear than to your front, bring the body to the best possible position (of straightness?).
   After having taken your seat, place your legs, if possible, in the vajra, or the full-lotus, position. This is not an easy position, and if you are not used to it, then the regular cross-legged position, the sattva position, is suitable. Because of the differences in gender, there are subtle differences in constitution of our physical systems. Therefore, men are instructed to sit with the right foot out and the left inside, and women with the left foot out and the right foot inside, creating a situation of balance. The full-lotus and the half-lotus positions are referred to as the "positions of indestructibility," in the sense of being stabilized or grounded. This is the first position of the body.
   The second position of the body is called "drawing up." After having sat in the cross-legged position, adjust the position of the body to bring in, or fold in, the buttocks. Then close and tighten the sphincter muscles, and with a certain amount of effort and, without breathing, pull the abdomen and the inside organs upward. Then very gently and slowly relax everything back into its normal position.
   Right now we are talking how to facilitate an effective taming of the mind from the external point of view. This particular position, for instance, contributes to our health and toward maintaining the vitality and warmth of the body. This definitely contributes toward strengthening and taming the mind.
   The third position is to touch the tip of the thumb on each hand to the [first or the second] joint of the ring finger on each hand and then close the fingers into a relaxed and gentle fist and to bring those fists palms downward onto the knees.
   Depending on what kind of position you are able to maintain naturally, the important point is that your back is erect and your knees are down on the ground as much as possible. If this is already pretty well established and you have these positions correct, then you should not have to exert any effort, but just keep your elbows and arms straight. This has more to do with keeping the structure of the bones erect, rather than having tension in your flesh, skin or muscles, which should remain pretty normal. Only the bone structure is kept erect.
   But if your back is not very straight and you have problems in bringing your knees down, then exerting a little effort and straightening your arms will help eventually to bring the knees down a little closer toward the ground, which will keep your back more erect.
   For the fourth position, you may notice that even when your arms are straight, there is still a possibility that your back is curved or that you are slouching, perhaps because your hands have gone little bit over your knees. If this is the case, as you continue sitting, you will get more and more out of position and slouch more and more, even though your arms are still straight. If this happens, then you should straighten your spine. Maintaining a straight and erect position in this way is very important.
   The fifth position concerns the neck and the head. Even if your back up to the point of the neck is erect, your neck still may be tilted left or right or backward or forward. So, without making an effort .to look cross-eyed, focus both of your eyes onto the nose and from there bring the focus of the eyes down a straight line to a point an elbow's length in front of your body. This helps to keep your neck from tilting too much backward, forward or sideways.
   The sixth position is to let your tongue rest flatly and somewhat tightly against your upper palate. Like all the other positions, this one has an immediate or temporary benefit, as well as a long-term benefit. In this particular case, the immediate benefit is that when you properly rest the tongue in this way, you do not have to go through the effort and the disturbance of swallowing again and again, and it also helps to keep you from coughing.
   The seventh position of the body concerns the fact that your neck may not be properly erect because even though it is not tilted too much backward or forward, it may still be craned a little bit backward or forward. To avoid that, you should pull your chin in slightly so that there is a light pressure on the voice box. In this way the neck vertebrae are in alignment with the spinal vertebrae. This creates a very correct and erect position.
   These are the seven positions of the body and are very highly recommended in the different levels of the teachings.
   Because some of us are not accustomed to these different positions, or because of the difference in flexibility of our bodies and so forth, some people may be able to do the positions better and more immediately than others. Whatever may be the differences, it is important that these positions be understood and that in our meditation practice we commit ourselves to getting into these positions as closely as possible.
   What are the defects of not being in the proper positions? For instance, if we meditate all the time staring upward, at first we might feel very light and comfortable and think that this feels right in the sense of being clear. Then after a while we feel a sense of speeding up or floating, and we are more susceptible to anger or frustration. Because of the relationship of our body and mind, poor posture could bring out these sorts of emotional patterns.
   In the case of sort of slouching down, we may get a temporary feeling of comfort and relaxation, but actually we are not taming the mind in a disciplined way. It is said that continuing in this way is a greater cause for ignorance. We become more and more slothful and fall asleep.
   According to the way our constitution or the chemistry of the body operates, we are stimulating such patterns. If while meditating we tilt to the right side more, we are more susceptible to distractions or to being entertained by the more pleasurable aspects of distractions. If we tilt to the left side, then we are more susceptible to unpleasant desires and that type of distraction. So by leaning left or right, the different aspects of distractions will increase, and we will be more susceptible to the different types of desire. So, with this understanding, the positions of the body are important.
   Keeping these seven positions in mind and training properly in applying these positions are very important. If we miss one of these positions, this causes many defects in the taming of our minds. Initially, it may not be so easy and comfortable to get into these positions. It might mean suffering a little discomfort or going through a little effort, but in the long run it will definitely be more than worthwhile.

[skips29]

Tom   what's the  url  to the  site where the info is at?? Ive  got a  PDD  reader  and I can   download any info?? I think  I'm  not   certain.

[Tom]

It actually wasn't very long, so I just copied what I wanted to upload into this thread. It is just that it would have been more useful to put it into the downloads section. As for the other things I have collected, there are several files of different sizes and file types but most of it is still in paperback.

[skips29]

I'm wondering if  meditaion  would help develope  energy  and how  to go about  starting ?? Any Ideas would  be  helpful. Thanks in advance.[]