Hello everyone,

I would be interested in hearing people's ideas about the comparative benefits of doing energy practices vs doing trance meditation practices. I've been interested in meditation for decades, and got into it when I was a teenager because I found that it helped me control a rather embarrassing vocal tic disorder. Over the years, I have had sort of just enough experiences in meditation to be convinced of the idea that what we really are is something independent of the body, and that this is something worth exploring.

I also have some experience with energy practices both from studying kriya yoga and trying to experience energy in chakras, and also from several years of traditional taiji training. I have trained the Wu / Hao style (the one created by Wu Yu Xiang and later taught by Hao Wei Chen) from a very traditional teacher. He has also given me training in Liu He Ba Fa, which is similar.

I think there are a lot of good benefits of both kinds of practices, and I would like to hear ideas from people with more experience than I have with these things. I know a lot depends on what one's goals and objectives are. I would say I am mostly interested in understanding what it is that (I really believe) survives after the body dies, the possibility of rebirth, and ideas about how karma affects these things. I had some very unusual and distressing experiences in my life, and I do believe there is a reason I was born in a situation where I would have those experiences so I could learn something from them. I am also interested in the physical, mental, and emotional health benefits of these practices.

I can tell that regular meditation practice can help a lot with learning to have more patience and calmness dealing with difficult situations, and also in getting those rare glimpses of the spiritual self nature. I'd really like to be able to accomplish the traditional Zen goal of learning to really recognize and identify with that self nature.

I can also tell that regular energy work practice helps a lot with learning to feel the inside of the body in a detailed way, and helping to eliminate habitual tension and alignment issues. I also think it is probably good for improved self healing ability in ways that go beyond just the removal of tension.

If you had limited time, say one hour a day to spend on such things, what would your efforts go into? Doing all meditation, all energy work, or a mix of the two? Would you want to do a full one hour session each day, or split it into maybe three twenty minute sessions? What do you consider the best way to get the most benefit from these things?