One of the most important tasks of Hunyuan Qigong practice is to “calm down the mind of the monkey and the intent of the horse.”
“Focus” is an important feature of all qigong and meditation training. Focus is ridding the mind of excessive thinking; it is emptying the mind. It is THE most difficult part of Qigong training.
“Mind of monkey” and “intent of horse” refers to the busy mind that cannot be calmed down. The monkey’s mind is too busy and quickly follows different ideas without critical focus while the horse quickly gallops away from your starting point, leading away from your intent.
originally posted in Jan 2008
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Focus is indeed difficult during qigong (and often elsewhere). During Qigong training, one can first focus on counting breaths and “movements” to direct the mind from wandering. Later you can better concentrate without needing directed “busy work” to keep the mind closer to the task.