Re-focusing Energy and Removing Chaos

[trs4ece]

I was speaking to a girl who weighs just over 100 pounds at work today and she was talking about how she was a volunteer firefighter and could easily carry around 200 - 300 pound people by focusing her chi and setting her mind to it. It seemed hard to believe to me since she's a very thin looking girl but she didn't seem to have any air of joking to her.

After reflecting on this, I came to realize that there is very likely something to focusing one's spiritual energy that would help with all aspects of life including health, mental focus and general well-being. Seeing as how I haven't actively done anything that would focus my energy in about 10 years, I think it may explain some of the lack of mental discipline and physical exhaustion that I've been encountering lately.

I've done some light research on the internet to find guides of some sort to regain control and focus my "chi" or whatever it is that I'm describing to get my life back in order again but haven't had much luck. I'm not looking to become a Buddhist or change my religion or anything like that. I do know that the eastern religions focus VERY much on spiritual energy but I see no reason that doing such without the worship aspect would be forbidden to a Christian like myself.

So my question is, would anybody be able to direct me to a resource which would help show me how to remove the chaos from my life and regain inner focus without converting to some eastern religion? Also, have any of you tried things similar to this with much success?

[oldbiker]

spiritual things are good but they are not enough
i think it is simple
you have to make an easy simple schedule or program which you follow every day
and dont pay much attention to that sort of thing
nobody have the ability to help you but you
and everybody has some sort of chaos in his life
just keep it simple

[m0vingon]

I have to be honest, I'm not sure what you mean by converting to an eastern religion. Does practicing the physical and mental exercises of an eastern discipline equate conversion?

It may not be for you, but the only way I know how to achieve what you are aspiring to is through dedicated meditation and learning. I know some Qi Gong masters (which is essentially what your friend is talking about) and they all say that the method is to learn to focus your mental power into physical strength. Tai Chi is all about the flow and movement of energy as well. I've not personally witnessed, but I have seen videos of Tai Chi masters who can essentially throw a person across the room using their energy.

Sorry, I can't give you any specific references, but martial arts in general would be a good first place to research.

[Konini]

Hi trs4ece

I would recommend the Canadian Web2.0 site Inpowr (www.inpowr.com). It is the only postive psychology 2.0 site that I know of (and is free of course). It is currently in beta but it is not complicated to join.

To use the site you can keep your ideas to yourself or release them to the community. Whichever you choose, you first do a well being quiz and you get some graphics on how you feel about areas of your life. Then you get to sort the things that aren't as you wish into groups (again graphically) and make a game plan. The programme will send you reminders and you log in to say what you have done, if you are on track or not, and what you will do. Every three weeks, you are prompted to do the well being test again and revise your game plan

Your well being fluctuates as of course your daily mood. What I have found very interesting, and I had thought I was good at being objective, is that a single bad event can make you feel rubbish about things too. This system helps you acknowledge what you have done and make micro-refinements to to your goals. Most goal setting systems are task oriented and don't take into account the emotional impact one project has on another. Goal setting also tends to require repeating the main goal, rather than concentrating on doing the activity implied by the goal. This focuses you in on what you are doing so you get more of a 'flow' like state.

I would be interested in hearing your experience of it, should you try it.
Good luck!

[trs4ece]

By "converting" to the religion, I mean that meditation and focusing Chi or Qi doesn't necessarily require believing in Zen and Buddha or anything like that. As best I know, this is true. I was once in Tae Kwon Do and it was great. I then fractured my foot in some backyard football and have been afraid to try martial arts since then because it still causes me some pain occasionally. Do you think Tai Chi would be particularly dangerous?

I'm checking out that inpowr site right now. It sounds and looks to be very fun. Thanks for the tip! Sounds like it fits right along side the advice that oldbiker gave.

[RTF671]

Tai chi would be great. It's soft martial arts which focuses on centering yourself. I have done it a few times at my old mixed martial arts dojo. It's cake compared to the traditional shotokan I now study

[C33]

I think that it is great to see chaos as opposed to being a sleepwalker through life by avoiding it.
Accepting chaos and learning to surf it like a difficult wave is great! Hard to do, but worth it.

Do what works for you.

You can apply Eastern philosophy to your life without being a Buddhist, and you can meditate without being a Tibetan monk. As long as you are respectful to others and others beliefs, you are not harming anyone by using these methods.
These tools of enlightnment have been around for centuries for a reason.