Yourself As A Guide
However silly you may feel in the initial stages of practice, it genuinely works to cultivate a sense of trust in oneself. Unknown to most people, their subconsciousness is laden with doubts in oneself and fears that they're just not good enough and are bound to fail. This does unbelievable damage to one's ability to function. After training or working out look yourself in the mirror and say "you're doing great, my friend! Keep it up!" Say it warmly and with sincerity. Greet yourself in t he morning, "Hello, my friend!" Give yourself praise, speak to yourself openly and honestly about your doubts, and rather than just sitting there with the doubts, actually work through them to defeat them.
Awareness.
Take a walk each day and try to notice a certain color. the next day go for a certain sound. Meditate, and have a friend try and sneak up on you, this will develop the sixth sense. As you get better have him either intend to hit you (and have him do it) or say hello, or simply walk by. This helps develop the sixth sense for use in a crowd. Swing something on a chain, like a dogtag, in front of your eyes, and don't flinch, it stops flinching, but also helps sense approaching danger, like the above drill.
Embracing The Tree
This very simple meditative exercise is a very important part of the overall training. Much of what comes later will be greatly affected by performing this regularly. Yet ,it is so simple that it seems almost useless at first glance. But after practicing it only once you should realize exactly how much this does. The benefits of this exercise are great and many and will enhance your overall health. But the way it benefits Ninjutsu training specifically is that it helps build up and gather your Ki which can then be later used. The posture held is the first step to developing what is known in China as the “Iron Shirt”, or as some know it, the “Iron Body”. Before getting into the later conditioning of Iron Body, first you must have practiced this one exercise for a while, to the point that it is comfortable and you become focused naturally.
Before beginning you should practice daily meditations in the mornings for at least two weeks to help learn to settle the mind first thing in the day. It also helps to learn of how many breaths you take per minute. That way, by remaining aware of your breath, you will remain aware of the time spent in the exercise.
There are many variations to the posture. Some with hands low. Some with hands at the middle. Some with hands held high. But most often, the hands are held in a way that looks like you are hugging a tree. Here are some basic pointers for this posture… - Hands are generally 6 inches apart to allow room for the Ki to flow. - The feet are parallel and a little further than shoulder-width, though many do it exactly shoulder-width. - Knees are bent. - Back is straight, though not stiff. - Head is up with the eyes looking forward or slightly down. - The eyes are unfocused. It is best to look out into a wide open space. - The mouth is closed, with the tip of the tongue resting upon the roof of the mouth, the pallet.
Breathe fully, but naturally, and let your mind settle. Simply become aware of what is going on inside of yourself. As the eyes gaze off with no focus, and the mind is aware internally, this helps to connect the outer world to the inner world. We may then become one with all.
Bone Marrow Cleansing
This exercise is mostly meant to get rid of old energies and bring in new and fresh energies. The focus is on the bones because the Qi energy flows through the marrow. This is not often understood because to most the energy and the body are seemingly separate. Perhaps energy is closer to the physical than most realize.
This exercise has four parts. Go through them in the order given. Regular practice helps to strengthen the bones and increase their density. It also flushes out the toxic energies while bringing in pure and healing energy. It also greatly benefits the immune system.
1. Meditating Buddha
a) Taking a natural stance, with the hands held in front of the lower abdomen, face your palms toward each other, about a foot apart. Imagine that you are holding a ball of glowing white energy.
b) Raise the ball to chest level and then slowly bring the palms together. At the same time, let your eyelids relax and drift down gently until closed. Thumbs still extended, rest them upon the center of the chest at heart level, with the elbows raised.
c) Quiet the mind and continue deep breathing. Remain relaxed. Feel the energy flowing through you.
d) Remain like this for at least 3 minutes and as much longer as you desire. Then lower your arms to your sides as you open your eyes. Take a few deep breaths before moving on to the next part.
2. The Cosmic Being
a) Lift your arms out to the sides until shoulder height. Fingers point slightly upward with palms facing forward. Your body is like a cross with a slightly curved top piece.
b) Imagine that your body is filling the universe, with planet Earth beneath your feet, a small little globe. Feel the universal energies flowing through you as you inhale and exhale. They are passing through your pores.
c) Hold this for another 3 minutes. It also helps to focus on the point at the center of the top of your head, the centers of your palms, and a point on the soles of your feet. d) When finished, lower the arms and return your awareness to your body. Relax and breath before moving on.
3. Washing the Marrow with One Hand
a) The left hand is raised over the head. The palm faces down and is in line with the center of your head. The left hand goes behind the body until the back of it rests at Kidney level in the center.
b) Feel the energy between the right hand and the head Feel the connection. After a moment, bring the right hand down in front of the body, palm facing you as the energies follow it, filling the marrow with stimulating and healing Qi. The toxic energies are flushed down through the soles of your feet and into the Earth where they'll be purified.
c) When finished with this process, let both hands return to the sides and then switch hands and repeat the process. You can this once with each hand or 3 times. When done, relax again and breath before continuing.
4. Wash the Marrow with Both Hands
a) Raise both hands over the head, palms down, fingers pointing toward each other, but not touching. As soon as you feel the connection, bring them slowly down the front of the body, again filling the body with pure Qi and washing away the toxic Qi.
b) When finished, stand and relax. Just breathe.