If an art to exploration exists then it is surely the capacity that we all have within us to experiment and mix things up a little.  For instance I know that in the past I recommended singing practice or vocal coaching type activities.  Some people have lifelong aversions to not having any kind of ability to sing. 

The real reason that I recommended such activities was to get people in a state of mind where they are listening to more formalised musical scales and perhaps learning or integrating that knowledge of the scales and of course breathing exercises. (Learning to play instruments is also possibly worthwhile) We all of us have probably had favourite singers and favourite types of music and if you think about it they are all a mixed bag of disjointed ingredients that sonically form to create the pleasing whole. I figured that an actual scale knowledge in the noggin however limited was better than all the disjointed stuff.

The materials I had recommended were ones that I knew were from successful vocal coach practitioners such-as Seth Riggs, Dana Murray.  There are many available coaches and materials (cheap books with CDs) so folks can pick and choose according to there own ability and perhaps desire to sing or be vocally coached.  I have not practiced in some time and of course activities such as smoking have taken there toll.

Anyway I decided to see what would happen if I for instance did vocal practice whilst going through my Qigong Active exercises that I had pretty much learnt quite quickly as they were fairly simple moves to follow. So I dug out my ‘Learn To Sing’ materials and gave it a go-I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could combine the seemingly disparate activities and felt quite energised during and after this combinatorial work.

I believe I did something similar in the past whilst tapping though I could not really say I was seeking any particular results-I am sure that somewhere out there someone is likely selling themselves as The Singing EFT Practitioner.

So that is of course related to sound as ingredients, but what about other ingredients?  well if you think about it, the Qigong already combines visualization with sound (om more stuff), So we then have sight, sound, what about smell? well that is a toughie though like singing the meditation does include breathing and that is done through the nose, so that is sight sound and smell, what about kinaesthetic, well the movements might be considered or are sort of related to kinaesthetic stuff and the end sequence of tapping body parts most definitely is.  So that is sight sound smell kinaesthetic, of course I am now left with taste and unless I chew gum I cannot really do that one whilst carrying out the others, though of course much of the Qigong is related to placing visualizations of balls of light and so on behind the navel-where roughly our stomachs sit, so you can see how one simple practice is including all the sensory features in ways that they are stimulated by all that is needed is repeated focus and practice.  The Qigong is great as a standalone but there is no reason why you cannot adapt these things and spice them up if the core material becomes ‘boring’ to quickly.

So take the basic practice that you have invested in and see where you can spice things up for yourselves, making adaptations and placing emphasis on those senses that you feel you need to enhance and so on.

Thanks for reading, God Bless and Be Well 🙂

I would also like to send my condolences to the family of Steve Atkinson.  A guy who I am sure will be remembered for his character and personality beyond all other considerations, he worked as a colleague a number of years ago now and yet he always managed to say hi when ever our paths happened to cross. R.I.P. Steve