Mal

Hi Star, This is weird, I spent an hour last night looking for some post that would tell me more about your views or a web link (slow net connection at home I usually post from work and then you post this.............. Anyhow my understanding was that the MCO was for circulation of enercy and it was generall accepted as a good idea. I thought the orgasams were from the big draw and/or the cool draw testical breathing. Which increase your "power" by taping into youre reproductive energy that would otherwise be lost I don't practice these exercises. My practical backgroung is from the chi kungs my sifu teaches us for kung fu and tai chi. Intrestingly the first and most important chi kung we learn seem like the MCO it involves a tai gung, (clenching of the feet, pelvic floor and anus) the breath is thought up the spine as the hands brush up the back, then to the top of the head. The air is then compressed following the hands down the front of the body to the belly and then everything is relaxed and the energy is released out the fingers. I first read about Sexual kung fu back when I was 18, and wasn't intrested, sex was pretty great anyhow. And I couldn't really see what could do with the energy. Now that I'm 33 I would enjoy the staying power But I'm still not sure exactly what the rewards of practicing Testical breathing would be apart from a great orgasam. (Forgive me, I know I know that's like saying the 6 mts I spent practicing the middle pillar exercise enable me to see a "great light" , i.e not even in the same ball park but do you get my drift ?)

Thanks for posting that, interesting and enjoyable to ponder. To be a bit of a devils advocate, can you say that ""the present" doesn't exist"? I would argue that "the present" is the only thing that "exists." While the past and future are only concepts that result from having language, which lets us think and talk about them. But I think my idea of "now" or "the present" may be a bit different. I think of "now" as the changes in our sensory input. An experience rather than a static snapshot of "reality" As soon as you try to say "this is now" you run into that split the millisecond problem which makes your "now" into "the past" and then it's not really "reality" anymore, because "reality" is constantly changing.

Yes I've got The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition by Clair Davies, Amber Davies, and David G. Simons (Paperback - Jul 2004) (the workbook has enough infomation that you don't need the reference book to get results) Do you have a "Thera-cane" or a "Back Knobbler" like they talk about? I've got a "Thera-cane" and found it really helped with trigger point therapy, much better than a tennis ball in a sock, very expensive but well worth it. Unfortunatly I don't have any luck getting anyone to massage me so I can't comment on a stretching vs massage

Cool, I can still remember the first time I read it, thinking "now this is what the Bible should be like" As mentioned, there are many translations, some will "speak" to you more than others but it's fun to read a few different ones just to see the different interpretations that people make. Enjoy

Hi Cloud, I hope your shoulder surgery wasn't caused by becoming one with the ground in your Aikido class Great martial art but LOTS of training injuries.

Cheers Sean, great site you have here.

Hi JR, I had a similar problem, basically I was working too hard and burning myself out without enough recovery time. I use to lift weights too (a long time ago) and I'm finding there is a big difference in the way you train when doing traditional western exercises 3 or 4 times a week and doing eastern practices everyday (chi gungs etc.) My Sifu talks about Tai Chi "increasing" your energy levels. He teaches it to us because his teacher said it is needed to counteract the "depleting" effects of Tong Long Kung Fu The bridging is going well, I learnt to bridge a few years ago when I was doing Brazilian Jujitsu (good fun but too many injuries at the club I trained with) My Bridge is only to the top of the head (that could be why I'm going bald perhaps one day I'll get my forehead closer to the floor, I try I'm lucky as I'm short and stocky with a short, heavily muscled neck. So my body really suits this exercise. I'm a bit worried as my training partner wants to do bridges too and he is a lot taller and lankier than me. I'm not confident that bridging is a safe exercise for everybody. Thanks Two Trees, I didn't know they were in there, Cheers

Cheers, always nice to hear from a fellow Aussie

Hi All, Practice of the 5 Tibetans (T5T)and the Royal Court (from Mat Furies Combat Conditioning) is progressing well. Started doing 7 reps of T5T this week. I'm enjoying doing these first thing in the morning. I do notice increased tenderness in my lower back (always tender anyhow) on the day after I increase the reps but it's not "sore" this time. I'm only increasing the reps by 2 every week and it's putting a lot less strain on my body. Last time I tried these I increased the reps too quickly (thought I was too young and fit) and strained my back and had to stop and recover The Royal Court is going well too, for the first time ever I'm actually enjoying doing these in the afternoon I'm up to 20 reps but I've only been increasing them one a day (only if I'm feeling good) for one week (max increase 5 in a week) and then just doing that number of reps for the next week. Again being focused on just doing the exercises rather than pushing myself to be doing 31 reps by the end of the month is working much better. So much so that I've actually been practicing the Royal Court on my rest day (was going to take one day off a week) and my body isn't getting more sore and exhausted day after day like it was last year. I'm starting to feel my body posture "align" as my mussles become stronger and I slouch less. My spine's flexabitity is also increasing and I'm basically feeling good. Mal