Rob's report on the 'Dissolving :
Ice to Water Workshop

The morning was really quite an extra-ordinary one for me. The guided dissolve that took up the central part of the seminar was an unexpected and powerful experience. You advised at the end that we should try and and practice a good deal of Dissolving over the next month in order to get the best from the seminar and 'make the process our own'. Since then (two weeks ago) I've managed to fit in a small period of dissolving every day (except one) between 15 and 50 minutes but averaging around 30 mins. It has been an exceptional period. I had been doing some standing on a semi-regular basis since last October but this last two weeks have been entirely different. I have started to get a real sense of where my body is in 3 dimensions as well as starting to discern the role of my structure (bones) and my muscles in moving 'me' around during the course of the day.
I have also started to be able to cause relaxations and openings in parts of my body that I have not really paid any attention to before. Also, as one part of the body relaxes and opens it is possible to start to feel how that connects through to other parts of the structure and the posture.

And, to top it all, I know that this is just scratching the surface of the process, just the absolute beginning - baby steps!

update;

Recently I've found that spending a bit more time Dissolving the eyes seems to lead to an increased sense of stillness and quietness during the Standing. I also seem to be drawn to spending more time on the sternum and clavicle/rib/sternum connections. This is starting to give a sense of the sternum area dropping down and in. I seem to have to make more postural corrections/adjustments (tucking tailbone, lifting crown etc) when I'm Dissolving the sternum area than in many other areas.

I also get a sense of opening on the front side of the chest (sternum/ribs/shoulders nests/front of upper arms) which deepens the breath. I also seem to be spending more time on the area around C7 & the spine in between the shoulder blades which in turn leads to more releasing around the shoulders and upper arms and a sense of a 'spiral' nature to the connections through the shoulders and arms, elbows and down to the wrists.

All interesting stuff...

Update: November 2008

1. When we discussed standing earlier in the summer I mentioned that I seemed to be spending most of the sessions concentrating around my upper body - particularly the shoulder girdle, and was concerned that perhaps I was neglecting the lower body. You advised me not to be concerned but to simply allow my attention to be drawn to where it felt appropriate at any given time. Now, a few months down the line I've found that I am naturally starting to become more aware of my lower body during dissolving sessions.

I am starting to be able to discern tension differentials around my hips and pelvis. Dissolving these areas is starting to settle and open them as well as revealing more complex patterns of tension extending down through the legs into the knees. Muscles below the knees can be consciously softened and relaxed and I am starting to get much more detailed sensory feedback from my feet and toes.

2. I've started to notice consistent differences in the two sides of my body. The left seems more open than the right. There are more external knots on the right: an old knee injury, a shoulder scrunched up from 10 years of daily computer use, but I can also detect corresponding sluggishness internally when compared to similar areas on the left. I have also experienced openings through the sides of the body: dissolving the eye or temple on one side starts to open the shoulder below which then links through to the foot giving a strong sense of connection down that side of the body into the ground.

3. At the seminar in March you mentioned the importance of not linking dissolving to the breath. This has proved valuable advice. Where there are areas that attract long, slow dissolving [ e.g., the C7 area], being aware of the breath in the background seems to highlight the progress of the dissolving. The dissolving has a momentum of it's own and the breath is merely an underlying tempo.

4. I have also started to notice emotions emerging when dissolving some areas. Quite often the first sign of this is when the breath catches, shortens or is disrupted in some way. In these situations being able to dissolve 'over the top of' the breath is the way forward and the breath softens naturally as the dissolving progresses. I remember reading a forum comment a couple of years ago by someone who said they encountered a feeling of sadness in their hip whilst standing San Ti for their Hsing I practice. At the time I thought it was a weird thing to write but now I start to see what they were referring to. I've not encountered sadness in my hip but I have come across anxiety in my armpit!

That's all I can think of for now. My standing practice is still pretty patchy (3-5 sessions a week of 40-50 minutes duration) but it does seem to have become a habit. I can't really imagine not doing it any more although I'd find it hard to describe exactly why I do do it...