Sacred space.
It is important to do your meditation or Qigong practice in a sacred space,
If at all possible.
This does not have to be anything fancy,
Just somewhere outside of the general traffic so you can go really deep without being disturbed.
If it is spring or summer or anytime that the weather is mild,
It's great to do it outdoors.
However,
Cold or windy days are not recommended for outdoor practice.
It is great to do Qigong practice by water or in a forest or on a beach,
But anywhere you feel free and open is the best place,
Even if that is a park in the center of a busy city or in the comfort of your own home.
If you are indoors,
It's important not to be in an area where other people are moving through.
If you do not have a special area for practice,
It's fine to use a living room or a bedroom or even a storeroom,
As long as you won't be disturbed.
I myself actually have a temple in my backyard.
It was a big selling point when I bought the house.
But for those of you who do not have such a temple in your backyard,
You can make any space into a sacred space.
It is really all about the energy and intent that you bring to it.
It is nice if you can have an altar,
Even a small one,
With space for some flowers and perhaps some images that speak to your heart.
Incense is also nice to induce a feeling of calming and spiritual connection.
Overly sweet incense is not as good as something simple like sandalwood or aloes wood.
Incense has been used for thousands of years as a pathway to communicate and connect with the spirit world.
Here's an invocation to offering incense from my Taoist teacher,
Hua Qing Ni.
I cultivate myself and follow the heavenly way with a lucid mind and subtle energy.
With this incense,
I connect my whole being with that of all divine immortals.
Incense is burned in this beautiful censer so that I may present my spirit and mind to the highest realm of universal integration.
Eyes of the divine spirits gaze upon my heart and reflect my devotion to the truth.
Subtle light of the divine immortals shine upon this earthly altar and make my energy divine and effective.
I request the highest divine energy of the heavens to respond to me.
I humbly offer this sincere petition to the fragrant vibration of this incense.
Sacred space is also a space where people have done spiritual practices over time,
So that the space itself becomes impregnated with energy.
Anyone who has visited sacred sites anywhere in the world,
Such as Machu Picchu,
Wudang Mountains,
Or Mount Shasta,
Knows that there is a feeling of majestic calm in such place.
When we visit an historic sacred spot,
We pick up on the powerful qi or energy that such a place is inherently imbued with,
Which has only grown after being used for that purpose for so long.
It can give us wind beneath our wings for our own spiritual practice.
In Zen,
It is called locking eyebrows with the masters.
It is when we enter a sacred space that we feel instilled with a special energy that such spaces are filled with.
It can help us find our own spiritual center much more quickly and easily.
Of course,
You can instill that kind of energy in your own sacred space,
Especially after you have spent some time there.
It is by filling that special space with your own spiritual energy that you will be able to create an area that speaks to you as soon as you enter it.
If you are in a room with a phone,
It's best to unplug it or at least turn down the ringer.
If you do not live alone,
It's good to let your partner or roommate know that you would appreciate not being disturbed while you're practicing.
Spending time in the timeless time is good for your heart and your soul.
The more timeless time you spend in your sacred space,
The more it will be filled with good qi and good feelings,
Which will allow you to drop down into deep meditation easily and quickly.
And of course,
You can create sacred space inside of you.
So wherever you go,
You will be carrying that inner sacred space.
This is something that you can create through deep meditation,
Through visualization,
Through affirmations,
From invocations,
And is a way to make something a little more comfortable,
A little more sacred feeling inside of yourself.
Then you can be on a plane at 30,
000 feet,
You can be driving down the road,
You can be visiting a friend,
You could be doing taking a walk,
You could be doing anything,
And you still have that feeling,
That deep connection to the sacred space within you.
In some ways,
This is even more important than having a sacred space as an altar,
Say,
In your home.
You can have an altar in your heart.
You can place images there of saints or yogis or loved ones,
Whatever images that really speak to you,
To speak to your heart,
That will speak to you from your heart,
Once you place them within your heart.
So I would definitely encourage people to explore this a little bit.
Don't just rely on a physical space for your sacred space.
It can be an internal space that you can retreat to.
Anytime you're feeling stressed,
Or toxic,
Or perhaps even sick,
Or injured,
Or sad,
You can find that space within you,
That you see,
And feel,
And touch,
And perhaps even hear these holy images,
These many sessions that you have put into your meditation,
Yoga,
Qigong practice,
Perhaps things that you read in certain sacred books that really speak to you.
Put all that in your heart.
In Daoism,
We call the heart the crimson palace.
And the heart,
The area located between our nipples,
Inner chest,
Is also the seat of our shen,
Our spiritual being,
One of the three treasures of jing,
Qi,
And shen.
So our spirit center lies within our heart.
Our cognitive mind relies in our heart.
Our emotional well-being can often reside in our heart.
If we fill our heart with the right tools,
With the right images,
If we fill our heart with what we know from long experience,
It can help us to feel more grounded,
More solid,
Not as emotionally interpolated perhaps.
That steady space that we have created in our heart through all the practice we have done through our whole life,
Whether they're emotional,
Qigong,
Yoga,
Spiritual,
Psychological,
All these things become part of your inner sacred altar.
So take some time with this.
Take some time to think about what sort of images,
And feelings,
And ideas,
And perhaps even sounds you might want to place there in this crimson palace,
In the sacred altar of the spiritual heart.
You may be surprised the things you may come up with,
And you may be surprised at how beautifully it works in your life.
So I suggest you take a little time with this practice.
It can really feed you in a lot of different ways.
And above all,
Keep a feeling of joy and lightness in your heart that will carry through the whole rest of your life.
