Increasingly, we are observing stress states becoming a predominant in the modern world. The physical and mental outcomes of these states can be far-reaching and debilitating. In this article, I look at the factors inhibiting one’s capacity to rest and at a way of practice that may enable one to not only access the correct tools for resting but also lead to abandoning all stress. 

Factors inhibiting rest:

• Attitude: looking for pleasant sensations (dopamine-hunting activities ranging from visual-auditory entertainment and search for pleasing flavors to accessing pleasing somatic states using drugs, substances and sex): this is the rest based on the six senses. Technically, this is not rest but ‘scrolling the feed’ of psycho-emotional activity;

• Conscience: results of hurtful actions come back, producing guilt, shame, restlessness and remorse;

• The body: toxicity, poor health, physical weakness, stagnation, lack of coordination, lack of exposure to outdoor environments;

• The heart: giving excessive importance to emotions;

• Energetics: channel system is blocked up, nerves are tangled and bunched up, nerve damage, pathogenic Qi present in the channels;

• The mind: any activity of the mind; lack of mental discipline - the capacity to stabilise attention on one object.

Correct rest is to be found within both the corporeal-energetic body and heartmind.

Sleep with dreams or oblivious sleep is only half-restful: the mind is engaged. Flow-state activity is only half-restful: the body is engaged. 

Let us look at how one can develop the body and mind capable of resting.

Body:

First, one ought to refine one’s conduct (actions of body and speech): adhering to moral principles to avoid a guilty conscience, such that one can be at ease when left with oneself. Engaging in acts of service, kindness and equanimity concerning others to purify results of unskilful actions in the past and make one’s heart a ‘pleasant abiding’.

Without this first basis covered, anything else is untenable. 

To change one’s attitude rooted in seeking pleasure through the six sense bases, one ought to find another source of pleasure, which is not based on the senses. This is done gradually via developing body, energy and mind.

Initially, one should physically free up the body and purge toxins, by means of developing coordination, mobility, strength, and flexibility, gaining outdoor exposure, learning to move in the wild environment, and developing physical prowess.

Training of the physical body is paramount in the development of restfulness. To start with the obvious, only a properly tired body can rest. Movement arts are the best way to develop physical prowess: sports, gymnastics, martial arts, dance, parkour, functional training, etc are very suitable modalities to set up the capacity to ‘gain from disorder’ characteristic of ‘antifragility’.

Energetics:

Initiating the Sinew Changing process follows the establishment of physical prowess: physical needs to start following the intangible. This is a classic process of Qigong. This process is concerned with setting up circulations, sinking Qi, and developing the Yin field of the lower Dantian. It involves the harmonisation of the five elemental movements and the nourishing of the organs. This leads to the development of an energetic basis for calm abiding (samatha). As a result, one gains the ability to withdraw from mental and emotional activity and abide in contentment based on adhering to Yin Qi. 

The main circulation that needs establishing is the Microcosmic Orbit pathway of Qi movement up the Du channel and down the Ren channel.

Pathways of Ren channel and parasympathetic innervation correspond. The parasympathetic nervous system consists of cranial nerves innervating face, eyes, and tongue; vagus nerve, which innervates all major organs and intestine; pelvic nerves, which innervate genitals and anus. The pathway of the Ren channel originates from the occipital region, cuts through towards the suprasternal notch, and descends towards the solar plexus, from where one branch descends towards the perineum via the posterior of the abdominal wall, whereas another branch curves through the centre of the torso descending towards the perineum. There is also a branch of the Ren channel which runs from the sacrum towards the perineum. 

Whereas the pathway of the Du channel corresponds to thoracolumbar sympathetic innervation, hence activating and animating properties of the Qi flow along the Du channel. It is understood within Qigong that activating and opening the Du channel is considerably easier than opening Ren. It is enough to physically open the spine and engage one’s strong focus to initiate the flow of Qi along Du: any concentrated mental activity will do that. With the Ren channel, it is more difficult, because one is to master a specific quality of alert yet relaxed and stabilized attention. This is not easy for the majority of people: the mind either wanders or dissociates, either is acutely focused on the task or ‘zoning out’, either extremely awake or dreamy. To open the Ren channel we need alacrity, perspicacity, yet casual restfulness of attention.

A considerable aspect of opening the Ren channel is the process of sinking Qi to the lower Dantian away from cerebral and emotive centres. Consolidation of lower Dantian also enables one’s attention to soften, since it contributes to the development of contentment, which doesn’t rely on states of mind and emotive states. Once Qi is gathered in the lower Dantian area, it functions as an anchor to ground the excess of sympathetic activation through the Du channel and prevents incorrect raising of Qi into the brain. Excessive stimulation of the Du channel along the sympathetic pathway is the main cause of stress and stress-associated disorders among which is also Qi-deviation sickness: a specific group of disorders that may arise due to incorrect practice of Qigong.

What prevents this incorrect raising of Qi is the principle of release-to-open: Qi must sink first, consolidate at the base and, only when the anchor is formed, it may enter the spinal column via the tip of the tailbone to activate the Du channel. This is done via alignment (touching) of certain points inside the body, and suspension of soft tissues from the bones, which leads to activation of the ‘upwards force’ through the Du channel. This constitutes the mechanism of establishing the correct flow along the Microcosmic Orbit: 

1. Establishing the lower Dantian field as an anchor;

2. Sinking Qi and mobilising it simultaneously opening the body to clear up pathways for the flow of bioelectric energy;

3. Directing excess Qi that builds in the lower abdomen up through the tip of the tailbone;

4. As Qi reaches the brain, the correct mechanism of neutral attentiveness allows it to descend along the pathway of the Ren channel, deepening a restful state and nourishing the body;

5. Qi gathers in the lower Dantian field and the process is repeated.

When the mind gains the ability to absorb into circulation of energy either along the pathway of the Microcosmic Orbit or within the field of lower Dantian, one is said to have established the ground for calm abiding (samatha). Calm abiding, therefore, is not a state of mental or psychological ease, it is a quality based on energy, which does not depend on the mind and emotions that are ever-fluctuating. 

Another aspect of calm abiding is the harmonisation of the five elements that are associated with five key yin-organs such that they stop overacting upon each other and instead produce a surplus of energy. This aspect of the practice has to do with the regulation of the five emotions (fear, anger, excitation, worry, grief) and the development of attention: the capacity to touch upon Xiantian Qi, that is, Qi undistorted by the five emotions. Of course, this process has to do with training of the mind in refined attentiveness - samadhi.

Attention:

Refinement of attention coincides with establishing samadhi, which forms the basis for gaining insight into the characteristic of no-self (anatta) that leads to liberation.

A study of the correct application of attention needs to take place in the process of developing Qigong and meditation. Levels of penetration of attention from the most superficial to increasingly deep are:

• Aware of the mind: thoughts, feelings, emotions, perceptions

• Aware of the body spatially: knowing where the body is, its position and posture, sensations on the body’s surface

• Aware of the body inside: physiological processes, internal physical sensations

• Aware of the activity of the subtle: internal movements caused by Yang Qi, electric and fast, contractive, twitchy and linear by nature

• Aware of the density of the subtle: internal viscosity caused by tapping into Yin Qi, magnetic and undulating, deep and slow, dark, leading further inwards when absorbed into

• Aware of the ‘inside’: quality of in-the-neighborhood or access concentration (upacara samadhi)

• Absorbed ‘inside’, sunk into, merged with the subtle dimension of the object (appana samadhi - jhana)

The mind engaged in access concentration is restful, whereas the mind absorbed in jhana is fully resting. The activity of the mind temporarily ceases in jhana, so as the activity of the body, such that energy lost on movements of mind and body can regenerate. This is the reason why abiding in jhana causes a tremendous increase of energy. However, the right concentration (samma samadhi) or jhana, the eight’s factor of the Path, is also a temporary state. Hence it is called a ‘factor’ and not a fruition. In conjunction with other factors, it is aimed at developing liberating insight.

The mind that emerged from jhana is best suitable for contemplating the characteristic of no-self pertaining to all dhammas. This is done until the mind has no doubts left, which is marked by a specific kind of ‘revolution of the base’ of consciousness. As described by Venerable Ajahn Maha Boowa, it is like heaven falling on earth, completely revolutionizing one’s entire perspective. This is a fruition of the Path whereby even the subtlest form of clinging is abandoned. 

For those who are still clinging, there is no rest within Samsara. Only an arahant, having abandoned all clinging, can fully rest. 

May all beings find rest!

Evgenii