Stuck at Day 11 or so - still can't 'bounce'

[anotherone]

I forget what number day it is in the book. The one just before the spinal bounce.

But I was doing so good up till now! :[ I can feel everything just fine, but I can't get it to do anything. It's just there. (I kinda did once, maybe, but it was painfully slow and nothing like the 'within 5 minutes you should be enjoying lightning-fast response!' suggested by the book.) There weren't even any instructions for this step, ever, in contrast to all the detailed baby steps laid out for everything else. It was just-- "Now start bouncing." Is that because it's just really supposed to be that easy?

If I just need to Keep Practicing (TM), I guess I will... I'm definitely falling out of the routine now, though, while I'm stuck on this.

[Beekeeper]

Anotherone, don't stress it. Everyone is different. Do what works and don't worry about what doesn't. Try the spinal bounce later or not at all. You can still get perfectly good results.

[anotherone]

Well, that is a comforting thought... But it very specifically says not to rush through things you're having trouble with, and to take the time to do them right... 'Moving energy around' seems kinda, you know, fundamental. What would I skip to, if I skipped it?

waaaugh

[Beekeeper]

What's next? (I'm too lazy to go get the book) Does it require the spinal bounce? Are you able to do a full body circuit yet?

[anotherone]

I'm too lazy too; it's upstairs

It's not even specifically the spinal bounce that's the issue. It's deliberate movement of any kind. When it does work, after about 10 mintues of coaxing, it's stupidly difficult. I hope I don't have delusions of prodigy-hood or anything, but it does seem a little at odds with the assumption (that I find in the text and its near-nonexistent instructions) that it should require substantially less coaching than the rest of it. I guess what I am asking is, is that assumption correct? Is my problem ... a problem?

Since you asked, no, I have not done a full-body circuit. As for what is required, I assume these things are all required, or at least 'bad ideas to ignore,' since the thing seems to be laid out as a nice little progression. I have changed some things in the method-- some deliberately, some not-- that worked better for me. But I have yet to find the thing that works better for me in this case.

Thanks for your discussion

[Beekeeper]

You're welcome.

Your frustration is palpable.

So, have you stimulated hands and feet? Any sensations?

Have you moved up the legs and arms? If so, are you trying to do them together or doing them simultaneously? If simultaneously, you may find that doing them separately is more effective.

Have you gone beyong legs and arms? Is there a point at which the sensations cease? If you're stuck at the legs and or arms, imagine peddaling your etheric legs and rotating your etheric arms. Concentrate, you should begin to feel sensations.

If you have someone else working on the exercises who is having no trouble feeling sensations, sit or lie in quiet meditation with them. Get them to use the etheric wrap and to include your body in the wrap with theirs. I did this with a friend who had never experienced energy sensations (but managed to project, nonetheless) and she suddenly felt them.

Have you tried the etheric wrap (like wrapping an energy bandage)? I've always preferred this method and I notice Oliver often recommends it so I suspect he likes it too. It's a good one. I also get great results with imaginary massaging energy hands . You can even have thumbs press in on the bits you feel need extra attention.

When your sensations are slow, are you tensing up? Remember to go easy on yourself. It's possible you're moving energy more than you realise.

[CFTraveler]

Just to clarify something that I'm 'reading between the lines': When you are doing sponging, wrapping, etc. you're doing tactile visualization, and you are expected to feel something- these are prerequisites to doing a bounce action, which is just an awareness action, and it doesn't require you to feel something, even though you usually do, which is of course feedback, and most people do feel something.
In other words, when you spend time brushing or sponging an area, some sensation will result, because you are focusing your awareness in the area and making energy affect that specific area. But when you start a bounce action, although the effect should be flow, it's not the same in terms of intensity: It's like comparing hitting your knee with a hammer to just shining a light on it. The point of this, is that before doing bouncing, you should have prestimulated your areas with sponging/energy ball, to prime it, and the awareness bouncing should just get flow going.
Oh my, I hope this wasn't confusing.
Now for more detailed instruction:
Put your focus on one extremity (let's say ankle, just for example.) Imagine a ball inside the ankle. Bounce it slightly from side to side, to start something flowing. Now imagine the ball flying up through the inside of your calves up to your knee. Now bounce it around the knee. Now imagine it's a bouncy-ball, and bounce it from the knee to ankle, ankle to knee, up & down, up & down. It's ok to trace the path (mentally) at first to establish some sort of flow- then increase the speed of the bounce. Don't dwell on any specific part, because the object is to cover area quickly. You then increase the speed until you've covered the entire calf area and feel you've covered enough (5 minutes should be sufficient) before you move to the next area.
One thing to do, is to realize that most of NEW type exercises build on what you've done before, using the prestimulation you've done before. And IMO, sponging and brushing extremities should be a prerequisite to practically any energy work, but that's of course 'my opinion.'
I hope this was helpful.

[anotherone]

Wow, lots of stuff to reply to. Shoulda been careful what I wished for

Ahhhhhh let's see-

So, have you stimulated hands and feet? Any sensations? (etc)

Yep yep yep. Sensations are good all through the limbs (that's as far as I've gotten). I find that I don't actually even need to do stimulation exercises now; the breathing part does that, and I'm good to go at the end of it.

Have you tried the etheric wrap (like wrapping an energy bandage)? I've always preferred this method and I notice Oliver often recommends it so I suspect he likes it too. It's a good one. I also get great results with imaginary massaging energy hands . You can even have thumbs press in on the bits you feel need extra attention.

Never heard of it. Sounds cool! My breakthrough method was a little twig wand thingy, but it doesn't quite do as much for me anymore. (From what I understand, it's supposed to drop off, so that's not the end of the world )

When your sensations are slow, are you tensing up? Remember to go easy on yourself. It's possible you're moving energy more than you realise.

That's one of the things I've always tried to keep a close eye on, muscle tension. I don't think that's the problem in this case, but I'll keep checking.

CFT's turn!

It was a little bit confusing, sorry... Am I understanding right, that you just imagine the movement part, and assume it's working?

The state I'm in, the farthest I've successfully gotten, is lying there and my arms and legs and hands and feet and all that are all 'up' at once, so ... maybe I can't tell if it's moving or not because it's already everywhere? All I could think to do was compress it all back into one area, out of everywhere else, and move that around, which is what I was describing as 'the really slow part.'

I'll try your method in my routine tonight.

Thanks again to both of you!

[anotherone]

Okay. Tried some stuff. I may just be in a slump or something right now because nothing worked all that well. I think I was able to do something with my spine... in particular spots... along the top half. But it was a little different. Almost hurty.

I don't know, you guys :[