silent thunder

Very nice. I used to think of myself as a qi bucket or a battery and was trying to fill myself up and make a larger bucket to have more energy. (edit* This also led to the clinging mind nature of trying to horde my energy and not wanting to give it away easily or waste it. This increased tension and had the opposite effect, decreasing the flow.) That pretty quickly gave way to realizing I am much more like a hose through which energy flows. As I cleanse the system and relax/sung, the meridians and channels open and flow increases.

It's illegal in some US cities to collect rain water from your own gutters. I mean wow. Rain falls from heaven free and unregulated,

Right on good hunting to you, someone here will probably have a connection. AZ seems to attract energy teachers of all sorts, specifically Sedona. One more post and the rest of the forum is open to you. Cheers mate!

I guess machines need love too...

Hey there. Welcome! I found this book http://www.amazon.com/Root-Chinese-Kung-Secrets-Ymaa/dp/0940871076/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370472098&sr=1-2&keywords=the+root+of+chinese+qi+gong about 20 years ago and it is amazing. For an overall understanding of Qi; the types, the history, what to look for, what to look out for, but most importantly, for its very simple explanations of some deep and fundamental concepts, I highly recommend it. My teacher speaks very little english and having studied this and a few other books really helped elevate my experience. As for what to exactly to study, there is so much out there, a lot depends on where you live. Ideally, find a local teacher and go try out their style. You'll know very soon if it resonates with you. Most of all congratulations on discovering you want to study. Qi Gong and Nei Gong have changed my life.

Ha, I loved that! I witnessed a similar sparring match in person, teacher chastising student for having improper footwear that blocked his flow. When the student lifted his foot to look at his shoes, we all discovered (including the guy wearing the shoes) a 1/4" hole right on the Yong Chuan point, where the rubber had been worn out or blown away over time. He had an identical hole in the other shoe. I guess the Qi finds a way. But yea, the interview was so packed with great stuff, I'll have to go over it again a couple times to get more depth. I like the way he presents his knowledge, he's a very clear communicator of some complex ideas. I really loved his story of arriving in China in search of the answer to why the tumors he dissolved were coming back. The flower analogy the director there gave him was just so spot on. The way he describes his experience and shares his knowledge is just so concise and clear. His description of the five interactive states of cells; heat, light, sound, magnetism and electricity, offering a myriad of avenues to communicate healing to cells was great. Sometimes surgery is useful, but it is just one, and often not the most beneficial, especially in the easier to dissolve tumors like breast and ovarian. I read a book about about 15 years ago, wish I could remember what it was, about the developing field of treating conditions with sound and light therapy. Fascinating stuff.

Oh I know Basher! Just didn't get his name in the clip I saw. Thanks for posting.

I know the heartbreak of having a teacher fail bud. It can set you back years due to feeling you've been lied to and all the teachings are thus false because of some humanistic failing in a teacher's behavior. But I've come to a point now, where I have a distinction between the teaching and the vehicle for the teaching. My learning does not come from the teacher, it comes from myself. I am not reliant on the teacher's morals or actions, only myself. Namaste

I love this topic. I use an analogy of a wolf and a deer. As the wolf tears the deer's belly, if the deer can conceive of evil, I'm sure that this would fit 'a' definition. At the same moment, the wolf cubs hear the dinner bell and they are filled with the joy of a good hunt and a life sustaining meal. It's a rough analogy I know, since I have no way to know if wolves or deer are even hampered by such distinctions, but it comes as close as I can to finding a scenario in which good and evil exist in the same act at the same moment, from varied perspectives.

Shambhala comes to mind.

http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy/ For me, considering that (based on current math), somewhere in the neighborhood of 90-95% of our universe is dark matter/energy, that as to yet, we can in no way interact with on sensory level, nor with technology. We only perceive a tiny sliver of what exists. The stories of higher planes, god realms of higher vibration all gain potential for plausible existence for me, especially based on the plethora of anecdotal evidence by high level practitioners, enlightened beings and random accident induced visitors of encounters with such. I find it very plausible that there are life forms and energy patterns existing all around us, but I remain rather agnostic. Open to the potential but I'm not running around proclaiming it as belief. Perhaps through practice... Sort of like fish, unaware of the micro-organisms that infuse the water they breath live and die in.

Does non-taoist yoga utilize the MCO? I took a few Bikram and Hatha classes, but never really got into it other than as a stretching regimen.

I find the only thing getting in the way of my experience of the now is myself. Unfortunately myself is comprised of everything in the known universe, so there is a plethora of things to focus on, other than the present moment. It sure is an amazing journey though.

No, never heard of that...

I'm perceiving things less in terms of good and evil, right or wrong. For me, it's getting less personal. It's all vibration. Higher and lower vibration.

Just listened to the interview and wow... he's really doesn't hide anything. Poor Karagan, found himself glammed a few times while listening..... haha. Right up my alley. I'll check out his work soon. Thanks.

High fantasy, set in medieval times. Mostly an exploration of political and strategic positioning and posturing interspersed with all out warfare among the ruling houses of the land to play the Game of Thrones, with a smattering of Undead, Dragons, Magic, Sex, more Sex and Violence. In the books at least, food is one of his main characters. He spends a serious amount of time describing the process of acquiring, preparing and consuming food. Really an engaging author. He sets up a believable convention for his world and sticks to it, which always helps me suspend disbelief and have more fun in the read. I'd recommend it if you're into medieval fantasy and have time to kill. No idea if the tv series has the HBO scent about it (it has a soap opera bent to it which I could see them exploit ala Tudors).

I read the first one and enjoyed it. Some engaging insights. He perceives God, I perceive source or higher Self. All rivers lead to the ocean in the end. I used to love playing the conversation game. Ask a question and then be open to any source to receive your answer. A snippet of conversation, a billboard on a bus, open a book to whatever page strikes you... fun stuff...

I haven't seen the tv series but I've read the books. At one point, I remember getting up and stomping into the kitchen holding the book up to my wife. "This guy is a freaking serial killer. I swear he makes amazing characters, just to kill em off." lol But I love the fact that no one is safe. He himself says he's surprised at how his stories unfold at times. He likens writing his books to taking a cross country trip. He knows he's going to get to certain points, say on his drive from NYC to LA, but certain things will pop up along the way that he never anticipated, likened by him to those 'flat tire' moments on a long trip. Good analogy, great stories.

inhale: Dan Tien, Hui Ying, Ming Men, Da Tsui, Bai Hui. exhale: Mai Zhong, San Jeng, Tan Zhong, Dan Tien. Although we first run in reverse, inhaling up the Ren and down the Du for a few cycles, before switching course and following the natural current of the river. Yea, I think external would mean anything you ingest or apply, plant pastes, herbs, injections. I'm fascinated by herbology and I know there are some really potent herbs out there. I had a Chinese herbalist help me with a broken clavicle that wasn't healing well. After six weeks of using herbs and qi treatment, the bone growth astounded my orthopedic surgeon. This after 8 weeks of troubling slow progress and being told I would likely only regain 50% strength and mobility in that shoulder. External and Internal stimuli are both equally relevant to me, though not equally potent. Every system is unique. My teacher has never prescribed any herbs for me personally, all treatments have been qi to this point. But I know that when you start to learn the third form in the series, he prepares an herbal mixture that you take during a 90 day process that has 'permanent boost' affects on the system, (according to those who have done it).

I hear you, you're talking about illegal drugs, drugs on society's naughty list. I'm talking about anything that has a cascading stimulus on my system. It's semantics, but for me, I can't divide them too far. Anything that impacts me, has a 'drug-like' quality as related to my system, as I perceive it. Anything, especially anything with a clear 'cascade effect' can boost or hinder experience. In the end, all experience is applied to practice as practice is all of my life. I just don't shut myself off to certain experiences because I was told to, or learned it in a book. I've been compelled to explore certain things that weren't and aren't sanctioned by my culture, because my system resonated positively to it. I used to think that a drug was a plant or chemical I had to ingest. I now perceive that every interaction is a drug of sorts. Side note: related to practice being all of life... I've been intending to run MCO in my dream state recently. Last night, after about a week of sending intention before I sleep, I became lucid during a dream in which I was part man, part tree, running MCO through a large transparent egg in my trunk. I woke up from that so high lol... pure awesome!

I've come to a point in my perception where I begin to see the 'drug-like' qualities in all life. Emotions are drugs, air, water, thought, sugar, caffeine, vegetables, meat, sunlight, driving, sports, conversations. Hell, you should feel the vibes I get when I know I'm logging on to read this forum... heheh it's pure awesome. The two most powerful highs I've experienced were from air and water. Pranayama breathing nearly sent me out of body and I spent hours afterward, reeling in a full body high with my Mingmen red hot and about 1' in diameter. At the time, I didn't even know what a mingmen was rofl. Another time, I went for a spontaneous rock climb and ended up dehydrating badly. By the time I reached the river and started to drink, I could feel the water filling my cells. The bliss associated with that has dwarfed most other experiences. Everything can have a drug-like interaction with the human system. For me, the dance of life is the balance. Am I in balance in this moment? Am I awake?

I've never heard of JAJ before this thread. Based the on reactions here, I'm pretty stoked to get into his stuff.

by far my biggest addictions are air and thought...

While I certainly get where you're coming from, I very respectfully disagree. In one, very focused three hour conversation while on psilocybens, I dropped years of conditioning bullshit that was no longer useful to my path. All things have a place in Tao, even that which makes you uncomfortable, or you do not understand. peace