chrisdonnahee
Jingang
Do any of you listen to music, or audiobooks or podcasts while training? Is this even advisable?
Music or podcasts while training?
- Thread starter chrisdonnahee
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Robin Wu
Taiji Kitten
I sometimes let a Youtube video play, but I never really pay attention to it when I practice.
I sometimes feel lonely, and playing a video with people talking gives me the illusion that there's people in the room.
Do I know what's being said in the podcast? Nope - didn't pay attention - not enough mental power left to know what's going on in the podcast.
I would guess doing this is not a good idea from a meditation perspective. But on the other hand, panting, profusely sweating, and growling are not things I associate with meditation either. And there's the risk of this becoming a distraction.
I sometimes feel lonely, and playing a video with people talking gives me the illusion that there's people in the room.
Do I know what's being said in the podcast? Nope - didn't pay attention - not enough mental power left to know what's going on in the podcast.
I would guess doing this is not a good idea from a meditation perspective. But on the other hand, panting, profusely sweating, and growling are not things I associate with meditation either. And there's the risk of this becoming a distraction.
chrisdonnahee
Jingang
I’ve experienced many similar things when listening to a podcast or music. It’s not long before it’s just some thing in the background I’m while I’m focussing onthe many challenges and requirements of gongfu frame. I tend to listen to very mellow, almost ambient stuff like this when I train and I choose music:
Adam Liu
I'm Hungry Again
I remember this topic briefly coming up once, and I have thought about it a few times since then. From what I understand and how I practice, the ideal situation is to practice in silence or nature sounds. There have been many times where I hear a conversation or music or something and my mind reacts to that by thinking about it, and then my concentration is lost and I lose whatever I am focusing on.
I used to train listening to this:
It made me feel like a character from a gongfu movie as I walked to my practice spot, and I often kept the entire album on as I went through practice. Looking back, I can't be too sure if that was good or bad, but nowadays I prefer silence so that there is one less sense I have to worry about. Maybe in a noisy environment a little opera is better than screaming children?
The meditation part is also something I've thought about, but of course I have no idea what I'm talking about. I've heard and felt the benefits of practicing in silence so that all my intention is directed towards practice. After a practice like that, I do indeed feel a similar feeling compared to when I meditate (I did this sometimes on and often off for a few years). I've also heard this idea that certain types of meditation are not necessarily supposed to be done by shutting off all the senses, but by experiencing them, acknowledging them, but exercising control over where the mind goes after that. The example I was given was that instead of closing your eyes during meditation, I should keep them open on a point in the room because the practice is not to ignore things, but to accept the reality of them/see them for what they are/whatever philosophy is backing up that specific type of meditation.
I would say that if someone were to ask for my advice, I would say that if possible, one should listen to their screaming muscles and think about how to make them scream harder ;^) The counterpoint to silence I brought up might not apply to gongfu, partly due to how hard it can be and partly because in my mind, I am practicing so I can get better at what I'm doing. Meditation effects might happen, but are treated as a pleasant surprise.
I used to train listening to this:
It made me feel like a character from a gongfu movie as I walked to my practice spot, and I often kept the entire album on as I went through practice. Looking back, I can't be too sure if that was good or bad, but nowadays I prefer silence so that there is one less sense I have to worry about. Maybe in a noisy environment a little opera is better than screaming children?
The meditation part is also something I've thought about, but of course I have no idea what I'm talking about. I've heard and felt the benefits of practicing in silence so that all my intention is directed towards practice. After a practice like that, I do indeed feel a similar feeling compared to when I meditate (I did this sometimes on and often off for a few years). I've also heard this idea that certain types of meditation are not necessarily supposed to be done by shutting off all the senses, but by experiencing them, acknowledging them, but exercising control over where the mind goes after that. The example I was given was that instead of closing your eyes during meditation, I should keep them open on a point in the room because the practice is not to ignore things, but to accept the reality of them/see them for what they are/whatever philosophy is backing up that specific type of meditation.
I would say that if someone were to ask for my advice, I would say that if possible, one should listen to their screaming muscles and think about how to make them scream harder ;^) The counterpoint to silence I brought up might not apply to gongfu, partly due to how hard it can be and partly because in my mind, I am practicing so I can get better at what I'm doing. Meditation effects might happen, but are treated as a pleasant surprise.
YiiQuan
Nerd
This particular song was play right before a flight scene in the movie The Grandmaster (2013). The setup was in a brothel (golden house) when Ip Man and Gong Er met for the first time right in the center of the table. Meanwhile a bunch of heavy make up and well dressed working girls were staring at them. The music stop when Ip Man and Gong Er start their conversation to decide the rule of their flight before get into to it.
Instead of calling it a flight, it was more like a make-out session between Ip Man and Got Er. Therefore, this song serve the particular purpose of a foreplay music
Instead of calling it a flight, it was more like a make-out session between Ip Man and Got Er. Therefore, this song serve the particular purpose of a foreplay music
Adam Liu
I'm Hungry Again
After kicking my Apple Music addiction, I found some interesting things:
Walking to the park I usually practice in, I think a lot more about what I'm going to do during practice. This helped me organize my practice better and think more critically about what I am doing. Probably helps development?
After practice, I feel a whole lot better if I empty my brain and enjoy how tired I am. I'm big into subconscious/intuition/neuroscience, and my personal theory is that after practice, my brain is automatically synthesizing and integrating the content of the practice. Once in a while, my subconscious will offer up an idea or thought related to gongfu to my conscious brain.
I found both of these processes to be reduced when I was listening to music during, before, or after practicing.
Walking to the park I usually practice in, I think a lot more about what I'm going to do during practice. This helped me organize my practice better and think more critically about what I am doing. Probably helps development?
After practice, I feel a whole lot better if I empty my brain and enjoy how tired I am. I'm big into subconscious/intuition/neuroscience, and my personal theory is that after practice, my brain is automatically synthesizing and integrating the content of the practice. Once in a while, my subconscious will offer up an idea or thought related to gongfu to my conscious brain.
I found both of these processes to be reduced when I was listening to music during, before, or after practicing.
- - -
All the feelings of discomfort, discontent, boredom, loneliness, are important to the process of training. The mind will usually seek and grasp at any kind of stimuli to distract from all those feelings, and basically protect you from the less comfortable parts of the growth process.
There is certainly something to be said for the idea of occupying one part of the brain so another can focus, but it is still a kind of self-bullshit. In the short term it might feel more effective or comforting but in the medium to long term it is just a detraction from cultivating the whole being (body + mind).
There is a lot going on under the radar, under the ocean's (brain) surface. I won't pretend I know what all of it is, but I know my experience with practice which is that it is always very mentally active, and that is usually at once very distracting (challenging) and part of the practice, part of the work to learn to focus. It is also active in other ways that I think I only realize after. My approach is that if you must have words in your head during practice it is better of they are your own (or your teacher's henpecking instruction echoes). If you must have music in your head it is better if it is the sound of your local environment, perhaps you can increase your auditory awareness (situational awareness) and become more merged with you energy of where you are?
The way we were taught was to pursue an all encompassing commitment to intention, awareness and spirit in movement. To put it simply, this cannot be accomplished with intentional external stimulation and entertainment. Providing that kind of comfort exception to one's self during training is nothing other than shortchanging one's own development.
That said, if you have already had your big practice of the day and are then wanting to fit in small moments of drill, mechanic or fun/research movement during the busy rest of the day there is nothing wrong with having other things going on while you play around with stuff. I have kids, the TV might be on, music might be on, I might be annoying my wife standing in the middle of the kitchen messing around with Lanzhayi, just generally being in the way and distracting myself while obstructing others, it accomplishes many goals and contributes to a general sense of family discord.
This is definitely part of THIS type of meditation. While other meditation practices may remove many stimuli to achieve emptiness, peace etc. In our case we are increasing duress and stimuli and practicing focusing and hopefully achieving 'emptiness' with those challenges in place.
qureshlatif
Jingang
I tried listening to NPR during practice a few times. I found that even in the short term, I might get through a practice session easier, but I don't feel as accomplished afterwards or get as much of a workout, and I also find myself more prone to injury, so I stopped.
Reflecting back on those times, I think I was drawn to listening to something because I had lost focus, intention, and inspiration, i.e., I was just going through the motions. However, I also would only recover or find new focus when I let myself go through the motions in silence. Perhaps this is one place to apply the concept of investing in loss? I need to accept my loss of interest and focus (i.e., boredom), knowing that it is only temporary, in order to get through it and let something else arise from the emptiness. I think this is one way taiji can parallel meditation.
Well, these are thoughts arising from covid isolation anyways.
Reflecting back on those times, I think I was drawn to listening to something because I had lost focus, intention, and inspiration, i.e., I was just going through the motions. However, I also would only recover or find new focus when I let myself go through the motions in silence. Perhaps this is one place to apply the concept of investing in loss? I need to accept my loss of interest and focus (i.e., boredom), knowing that it is only temporary, in order to get through it and let something else arise from the emptiness. I think this is one way taiji can parallel meditation.
Well, these are thoughts arising from covid isolation anyways.
--- That is the process. If you do it enough boredom ceases to have meaning. No one gives a shit if you are bored. You are still practicing either way. No one remembers being bored afterwards. When you have been bored enough times and long enough it becomes empty, boredom is only emptiness that the mind is dissatisfied with. Eventually what the mind feels about emptiness is no longer entertaining or important and then you have emptiness, which is the proper bare vessel for Qi- Ok I will stop there.
Maou
Wuji
I know I'm necroing an old thread (usually looked down upon in public forums,but is it here? please let me know!) but seeing this,I'm glad to know I'm on the right path. Because I'm interested in Meditation,and that's also a big part of the reason I became interested in Taijiquan.
I have an old piece of junk of a smartphone right now that I only bring primarily for the purpose of timing my resting periods in my gym workouts. I've never gotten into the habit of using my phone for social media or games. (its a last resort for when I'm forced to have to wait in daily life. fortunately,since graduating college,I have not had to wait in a long line for a long time. thank goodness that's over.
) But the gym I go to lacks an internet connection like other fancier gyms,and I suppose I can look at that as a Blessing in Disguise so I don't find myself tempted to browse during resting periods. The gym I go to does play background music,presumably to appease most of the other patrons,but fortunately it doesn't bother me. My workouts are strenuous enough that I hardly ever pay attention to the background music while under the barbell. To see David Goggins talk about this does give me extra assurance that I'm going about this right.
Its a different story though when I'm at home relaxing. I'm listening to music almost constantly. have that habit of repeating songs of my choice over and over. Maybe this isn't a good habit if I want to get really serious about developing a strong focus,but I think I'd rather address that at a later time.
