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Everything posted by Aeran
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Good article for beginners on the spiritual path
Aeran replied to Aetherous's topic in General Discussion
Good read - here's an article I came across a while back with a similar point of view: http://upliftconnect.com/spiritual-people-dont-say-fk/ Giggled at this because I've met a bunch of these people: I remember once being invited by a friend to a "group meditation," which consisted of about 15 minutes of actual meditation followed by 2 hours of sitting on the back porch eating vegan food while chain smoking cigarettes and shitty weed -
Knowing very little about tantric buddhism (and only slightly more about Neidan), my general perspective on the question would be to avoid locking yourself into a specific tradition or path based on your preconceived notions of what it entails and what it results in, and instead to seek out individuals who have achieved what it is you desire from these paths and to hopefully receive guidance from them.
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Would love to hear more about your experiences with the meditations on DVD 5 going forward - they don't seem to get much discussion here.
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That's awesome man - keep it up and post here with how you're progressing.
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A decent chunk of my experiences with FP have been along these lines. For example, when I first resumed practicing in January I spent a bit over a week doing MSW1 sessions every day. It released a ton of tension in my back and totally changed the alignment of my spine and thus my posture (seriously the difference is night and day, I wish I had taken a photo so I could do a before/after), but as a result of the change in posture my center of gravity shifted and suddenly the muscles in my lower back were taking a lot more pressure than they had been before. As a result, I had some pretty major lower back aches for a week or two. Nothing debilitating, but it wasn't comfortable. But I adjusted, it cleared up, now my lower back is back to fine and my posture is probably better than it's ever been in my life. I've experienced a fair bit of "emotional release" purification type symptoms from FP too (well, from all systems), and my working theory is that it must operate along similar lines. Releasing psychological "tension" which is holding in negative feelings or memories which were pushed down because they were too much to be handled or processed at the time of origin. In the long term, there's definitely been a huge amount of progress, but in the short term sometimes it means feeling not so great because some old forgotten fear or anger which was shoved down to fester has floated up to the surface, and I have to allow myself to experience it and figure out what it's about, at which point it usually clears up and I feel better than I did before. For what it's worth, the "self-regulating" (for lack of a better word) nature of FP seems to make this process a lot more gentle and a lot more effective than it is when it occurs in other systems. On top of that, in general, FP seems to make me a lot more in tune with my body and mind, so I notice aches, pains and tension which I was previously able to ignore. When I first practiced it back in 2013 I was disappointed because after 2 months or so, I started to consistently experience discomfort in my gut after practicing, as opposed to the usual warm bubbly glow in the belly. I thought maybe it was a sign that I was doing something wrong, or that FP was incompatible with the other practices I was doing at the time. But a few months later, I started experiencing GI issues, which turned out to be a side effect of a medication I was taking. So what I thought was a side effect of the practice seems like it actually turned out to be me tuning in and getting an early warning sign about a developing health issue. That said, there's still a chance it just isn't related at all. I'd say stop practicing for a bit, see if the symptoms go away. If they do, start again, and see if they resume. If they do, then probably your best course of action is to speak to Sifu Terry or consult with Eric Isen.
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Are you sure it's related to FP? Not saying it isn't, just that there are plenty of things that could cause a rough week. Maybe stop FP for a week and return to your other practices, then resume FP another week later, and see if there's a correlation.
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This seems like it could potentially have some undesirable follow-on effects, such as drawing that Qi back down towards the heart (which, as Thelerner pointed out, is traditionally connected to the tongue). I've found that one good way to deal with excess heat in the upper torso/head is to practice "Qi Dredging" as described in Mitchell's Daoist Nei Gong (basically, bring the arms up in a large circle on the inbreath, run them down the body on the outbreath and follow down your body with your awareness and some light intention, ending up running down your legs and out of your feet into the ground - I added in an extra bit of sinking the body on the end of the outbreath which I picked up from a Taiji teacher). It's not a silver bullet, but it seems to help speed up the process of circulating any energy which feels "trapped" up there.
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Is there a publicly available demo of Kolbe's Longevity Gong form available? It would be interesting to see if this is the same as the Longevity Qigong form taught by a local Taiji teacher in my city (of course that is presumably a fairly common name for QIgong forms ).
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This thread might be a good starting point: http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/40061-potent-systems/ Good luck!
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Fascinating Sifu Terry, just to clarify, are you saying that the practice of FP can, in and of itself, lead to the activation of the "kundalini" spinal energy (as opposed to just creating a flow of the regular FP Qi along the spine) in the form of a classical "kundalini awakening" style experience? If it can, does this manifest in the flow of energy from the base of the spine up to and then out of the peak up the skull (sahasrara/baihui point) as described in a lot of Hindu Yogic schools: Or the rotation of the energy up the spine and then back down the front of the skull and torso in the Du Mai/Ren Mai channels which seems more typical in Daoist modalities: Or does it take place in some other configuration entirely? I think this is possibly a subject which hasn't actually come up yet in this thread, so it would be awesome to hear more about it. Regarding my own experience, I haven't felt any energy other than the usual FP Qi (and honestly, I'm happy to keep it that way for now - I'd want to work on establishing a solid foundation with FPCK and work through the emotional release issues I've been experiencing before anything even more dramatic happens). I've noticed that the movement during the seated meditations seems to alternate between the smooth & symmetrical, swirling/sinuous type movements and between an asymmetrical swaying towards one side or the other, as though being pushed by a strong wind. It feels like maybe the asymmetrical movement is more involved with the release of tension in the back, since it also seems to correlate with the shaking and twitching of various tight muscle groups in the lower back (especially groups which seem to tighten up on one side or the other depending on which leg I have raised in the half-lotus posture), while the more symmetrical movements seem to be a rather different thing entirely, and might perhaps be the phenomenon you're describing. I also noticed another interesting occurrence just a moment ago, when the circular spinal swaying from FP practice seemed to carry over to regular quiet sitting meditation. I just sat down for a short session of quiet sitting (just seated in a chair, focusing on my breath) after performing my FP session earlier in the day, and noticed that after 7 or 8 minutes, I started experiencing a small but distinct clockwise rotation of the spine. The rotation was much more subtle, and the radius was maybe half of what I've experienced during FP Basic Seated #3. On top of that, I followed this up with a quick session of alternate nostril breathing (following ), and not only did the spinal rotation continue, but it actually altered direction in correlation with the breathing, first swapping from clockwise to anti-clockwise as I alternated from one nostril to the other, then swapping to alternating in line with the in-breath and out-breath. Thanks for the advice - If the movements are occurring during the majority of a meditation session, what would be the best way to guide the body back to maintaining stillness? I'm guessing it would be a bad idea to forcefully restrict movements which are trying to manifest. Much appreciated!
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Another interesting experience with Basic Seated #3 - I started getting some serious spinal movement again, but this time it was swaying sinuously side to side, like a snake. I can't even properly imitate the movement manually now that I'm out of the meditation, it felt like there was actually some kind of powerful (but gentle, if that makes sense) breeze flowing around my body, moving it from side to side. God I love these meditations. Never a dull moment, it seems like some new and awesome aspect of the practice seems to reveal itself on a fairly regular basis. I'm going to aim for a month of performing Basic Seated #3 every day, try and deepen my experience with the meditation and see what else pops up. I'm also experimenting with trying to make sure I perform both a standing and seated exercise in each session, and was wondering if you guys had any thoughts on whether it's better to perform standing then seated, or vice versa? It feels like standing > seated would result in going mentally deeper in the seated session, with the accumulated momentum from the earlier standing practice, while vice versa might help the FP Qi circulate more fully, but this is pure speculation, and I'd love to know if anyone else has insight into this area from their own practice.
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You're right, the environmental stuff going on right now is completely unprecedented. But so was the threat of nuclear apocalypse 60 years ago. Anyway I think we more or less agree that more should be done for the environment, hopefully as much as possible as soon as possible, I just try to not take a fatalistic view of the situation, given the historical context As far as masters go, I didn't mean to say that they're somehow unnecessary or obsolete, that's definitely not my perspective on the subject. I just think that the merging of Eastern cultivation with Western science will need to be a long term process, not the result of a single master emerging to tour the world and demonstrate for the masses causing a sudden rewrite of all the laws of science and the Western culture of materialistic reductionism. I think that, among other factors, the cultural gap is just too wide when it comes to these specific issues. Not so much the culture gap between East and West as the culture gap between the people who practice these systems of cultivation seriously, and the scientists who would need to find and study them to have their capabilities become a part of the scientific consensus. Unfortunately, one of the problems here is that both pursuits are fairly intensive - there aren't enough hours in the day for most people to simultaneously maintain a respectable academic career and to practice high level metaphysical cultivation. Even if things had gone to plan and Chang had spent the rest of his life touring the universities of the world to demonstrate for academics, I'm not certain it would have played out the way Kosta hoped. Far more likely, I think, that people would have accused Chang of being the next Uri Geller and concocted reasons in their head to never actually meet with him or evaluate the evidence from those who did. No, I'm definitely talking about people who can demonstrably maintain a proper lotus posture for extended periods of time. Of course they could be wrong - I've certainly noticed a tendency among more experienced practitioners to underestimate how difficult certain things can be for someone just starting out (especially if they are doing so later in life). Besides, full lotus is obvious a huge benefit for practice, and something which should be aimed for, but so far I've never heard of a system in which full lotus is an absolute prerequisite. Even in Mo Pai (which is one of the more extreme examples), I'm fairly sure I remember the books saying that Kosta made much of his early progress using half lotus for the seated portion of the training (although he said it was less effective than full lotus - I definitely remember him saying that half lotus was an option), and a lot of other systems contain a more balanced ratio of seated/standing practice, and allow for postures other than full lotus to be used for the seated portion. I'm not certain what you mean by "WEIRD" culture, but yeah, that sounds like a pretty good attitude. Personally I try to avoid focusing on massive long term goals, or on comparing myself to other individuals, and more on just making constant self improvement. I'd rather train with the goal of being better in 5 years than I am now, in the same way that I am better now than I was 5 years ago, than train with the goal of being a lightning hurling telekinetic mountain sage in 50 years I figure as long as I'm always improving I'll end up where I'm meant to be in the fullness of time, and I'm happy with that. Or to quote one of my favorite musicians: I suspect all of the above.
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Which crystal is it you're referring to? I've never been to Wollumbin specifically, but I've been to that area of Northern NSW quite frequently to visit family and I know what you mean about overuse and the abuse of the environment by tourists. Byron Bay is another good example. It's a shame because the energy, vibe, natural scenery across that whole area is simply amazing, probably the best I've come across in Australia (Dandenongs would be second, but they don't have that mashup of mountain & ocean which makes Northern NSW so unique). Like the Dandenongs, this draws a lot of people, but unfortunately, it seems to have also drawn a lot of of people without great intentions in this case, probably because of the areas association with the drug aspect of the hippy culture, and the great beaches making it a natural tourist magnet (and thus ripe for exploitations by corporations who would profit off the tourism). I really hope that more is done to hold it intact for future generations, although given the direction our government is going, I'm not sure how confident I am. Fingers crossed...
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I think I agree with your general sentiment, but it does feel like you're exaggerating a tad 15 years before you can meditate in lotus posture sounds a bit much, for example. Where are you getting that from? Most people I've spoken to say that a year or so of consistent and serious training (30 - 60 minutes of stretching daily) will get a person to a comfortable lotus posture, assuming they're otherwise healthy. And I also think some context is necessary for the Mo Pai stuff. My memory of Kosta's books is a bit vague, but didn't Chang work long hours and have a family on top of training? I remember a passage about him working as a truck driver, and getting married in his teens. So sure he also started very young, and had the advantage of the guidance of an extremely attained master from that early age, but he wasn't exactly sitting in a cave or a monastery, meditating 12 hours a day, either. I don't know what the situation with Jim was, not having read his book, but I'd be interested to know how much he was actually training on a day to day basis and whether he had any previous experience with meditation before starting under Chang. As for the rest - generally speaking, I feel that people will naturally be drawn to the style and level of practice which is suitable to them, given their realistic desires (as opposed to what they might fantasize about but not realistically desire enough to actually pursue), life goals, and, for lack of better terms, a bit of karma and fate. If they really want to reach that level of attainment, they'll make the changes they need to accommodate it and hopefully be lucky enough to come across genuine instruction reasonably early in life. If not, they can still benefit from some sort of practice which is more inline with their goals and lifestyle. Not everyone wants to be a superpowered immortal, not everyone should be, and, as you pointed out, not everyone could be. That's life, and that's fine. I think Mo Pai mostly captured the imagination because it provides a stark and fairly tangible picture of the metaphysical nature of reality and the truth of human potential, not because everyone who reads it wants to run around throwing lightning bolts at people. Of course those types do exist, but what can you do? Regarding the state of the world, I find myself inclined to the kind of pessimism Kosta displays at times, but I also think that it needs to be taken with grain of salt in view of the wider picture. People believed the exact same things about the end of the world coming via. nuclear apocalypse for decades during the Cold War, and that one never eventuated. Is industrialization having a terrible impact on the environment? Absolutely. But I think a doomsday attitude is not only preemptive, but counterproductive. Especially if you take a historical view of things, even a precursory investigation from that perspective will make two facts abundantly clear. Firstly, that the sense of being on the verge of apocalypse is one which has descended on human civilization fairly frequently for as long as civilization has existed. And yet... here we are. Secondly, that humans are incredibly, incredibly bad at predicting the future of our own species. Any look backwards at previous eras and their guesses about what the future would look like should be enough to tell you this. There's just too much randomness, too much that we can't account for, and too much that we don't know (and that we don't know that we don't know). The larger and more generalized the prediction, the less accurate it becomes. Finally, regarding masters - Kosta's idea was not a new one. People have been attempting to bring Eastern metaphysical training together with Western scientific methodology for over a century, and they've all failed, just as Kosta did. I don't know why (I have some theories, but that's a whole other discussion), but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards the way guys like Kosta strove for. I suspect the two will reach the same place in the fullness of time, but that it will be a slow and very gradual process, not an overnight revelation from some powerful and realized master who descends from his mountaintop to graciously play guineapig for scientists. The beginning of this process can already be seen in eg. the revivification of parapsychology, or the adoption of meditation by the field of psychology. But it's going to take time, just like everything in the evolution of culture and of scientific models of the world.
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I think you'll find most of your answers in this section of the link: As I understand it, Kosta wrote the books and undertook the wider project of attempting to bring JC into the public and scientific awareness with a specific goal in mind - he wanted people to realize the wider implications of the existence of Qi and the metaphysical nature of reality (that is, the inherent interconnection of individuals with eachother and with the environment, the existence of non-corporeal spiritual entities and of consciousness beyond death, the fact that human potential is vastly greater than we generally believe it to be in this day and age, etc), and to be motivated by these implications to make positive changes in the world on a larger scale in time to prevent the damage being caused to the planet by modern industrialized living and to society by modern nihilistic worldviews. He actually lays this out quite specifically in the epilogue to Magus of Java. Tragically, events didn't play out as he hoped. His attempt to bring Chang into public & scientific awareness failed when Chang refused to continue to participate, after alleging that an immortal master within the lineage had specifically forbidden him from doing so and chastised him for breaking his oaths. On top of this, Chang refused to continue training Western students beyond a certain level, and then retired as headmaster of the lineage. Without Chang to participate, Kosta's project was essentially dead in the water, and the events of the last 15 years seem to have confirmed to him that the world is continuing down a path of degradation and potential destruction. Combine the disappointment and regret he must feel over this with the irritation he must deal with on a daily basis from people who've read his books and demanded access to Chang or instruction in Mo Pai Nei Kung, and I think his attitude is understandable. Again, I really do find the whole thing rather tragic, especially since the books really inspired me when I was first struggling to establish a regular meditative practice. Kosta made an apt comparison to Prometheus in one of the books, and it seems to have been almost prophetic.
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Hey, I've also resumed practicing after a long break, so you're not the only one. One of the great things about FPCK is that it's extremely easy to pick back up. It wouldn't surprise me if the spinal channel was somehow involved in the swaying induced during the seated meditations, especially given how deeply they seem to bring you into a deep state of relaxation. Basic Seated #1 also seemed to have a strong effect on the spine when I was practicing it for a few days last month, although it didn't induce the "figure 8" swaying. I haven't managed to induce the same swaying effect at all actually since that one time - maybe it really was the effect of being up in the mountainous rainforest? I think in this case, the term "basic" is relative Or possibly a reference to the ease of execution (little/no movement, compared to the MSW meditations) as opposed to it's efficacy.
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I don't claim to have an indepth understanding of Aboriginal culture, but my understanding is that the "territories" depicted in maps such as these aren't lands which are owned or possessed so much as areas populated and wandered across by particular tribal/language groups. It's a fine distinction, but also an important one I think. I just got back from a stay in the Dandenong's outside Melbourne, and there's definitely an entirely different energy to a place like that. What's interesting is that even the descendants of European settlers seem to have picked up on it - the entire Dandenong ranges and the neighboring Yarra Valley are packed full of neo-pagans, wiccans, new-agers and the like. Most memorably, I stopped off at one redwood forest in the Yarra Valley and found it packed full of dozens of woven wooden circles, two or three meters across, with stones placed on the inside facing East (leftovers from a Summer Solstice celebration?). The same effect can also be seen in North Eastern NSW around the Byron Bay area, which also has an extremely unique vibe to it and has attracted it's share of spiritual seekers (along, of course, with those who turned on, tuned in and dropped out in the 70's then never managed to drop back in ). I think it's a shame that the Aboriginal culture has fallen apart to the extent that it has, and hope that more will be done to preserve it going forward. I'd love to speak to some indigenous practitioners who might better understand how to connect to the energy of the continent I've spent my whole life on - particular in areas like the desert and scrub lands which I often find harsh and uncomfortable.
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This Daoist Life: a new podcast about Daoist culture, history,philosophy, religion and practice
Aeran replied to sillybearhappyhoneyeater's topic in Daoist Discussion
Sounds really interesting, I've been looking for podcasts about spirituality/metaphysics/cultivation and found there isn't a whole lot out there, so hopefully you guys keep this one going. I'll take a listen as soon as I'm back home and have internet which can stream. -
Had a really interesting experience earlier - decided to sit down for a quick Basic Seated #3. As I was finishing up the breath sequence my hands started the usual in and out waving motion, and the usual energy movement/posture adjustment effects started up, but a few minutes into the meditation I started to get a pronounced swaying in my torso as well, swinging side to side and slightly backward/forward, so my spine was swinging in a figure 8. Not sure if it's the energy up in here in the mountains (does environmental energy effect the FP meditations? Either way it's amazing up here, I can see why the masters sought out mountains for their retreats & temples) or just progress with the seated meditations, but either way it was cool - and very relaxing! Basic Seated #3 is fast becoming one of my favorite FP meditations, very easy, can knock it out in a short session or keep it going a bit longer, and it really seems to bring on those deeper states of mental relaxation.
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Any suggestions? I know that it's common for one nostril to be less open than the other at a given time, and was under the impression that this was supposed to cycle, but for at least the last 2 months it's been almost exclusively my left nostril, and far more severely blocked than normal (sometimes almost completely). This is a real pain during qigong, and even more so during some pranayama I'm trying to integrate into my practice which requires alternate nostril breathing. So far I've tried a nasal spray with eucalyptus and mint - at first this seemed to work well, but long term it's been very hit and miss. Sometimes it will restore normal function for a few hours, or a day, but always the left nostril starts to block up again. I've also had several chemical sprays recommended, but I'm not too keen on using pharmaceutical sprays if it can be avoided. Working on removing environmental factors (house is v. dusty, and I suspect the dogs don't help). I've been thinking about trying a Neti Pot, any of you guys had success with them? Or are there any other less extreme methods I could try out? Much appreciated
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It was actually integrating nadi shodhan as a daily practice which made me realize how severely clogged my left nostril was. Interestingly, the problem has improved remarkably in the last week or so. I'm not sure why, but I've been practising the alternate nostril breathing regularly, practising Flying Phoenix Qigong (which seems to have a habit of clearing up small health issues like this fairly quickly), using the eucalyptus/mint nasal spray and also made a significant effort to clear my living space of dust and any other potential triggers, any or all of which could have contributed. I still plan to try out the neti pot though.
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Thanks! Along this line, another interesting property of the FP system I've noticed is that it seems really easy to pick up right where I left off. Even though it's been almost 3 years since I practised FP consistently (putting aside a few times where I would resume my practice for a few days only to start having problems and leave off again), from the first time I sat down and started practising earlier this month, I found I could feel the FP energy in an overt, tangible way. By comparison when I first came across the system in 2013 it took me a month or two to develop a distinct sense of the FP Qi and how it was moving in my body. I don't know enough to try and fully articulate it at this stage, and it could just be that I've become better at picking these things up over time, but it definitely feels as if the energy made a long term change at some deeper level within the body, so I'm grateful for that. Wow, that's awesome. It's amazing that you were able to pick up on the Oneness energy like that just from an email (twice!) although perhaps also a testament to the power of both systems. The Oneness energy is the only thing I've felt which is comparable to the FP Qi - although as you said it seems to act on the mind and body in a somewhat different manner. I might be completely off, but the biggest difference that I can seem to articulate is that the Oneness energy feels as if it starts at a more mental/spiritual level and works downwards, whereas the FP Qi seems to work across the mental/energetic/physical spectrum more concurrently, with the emphasis feeling like it varies depending on the meditation. eg. Monk Gazing at Moon feels like it has a very strong mental/spiritual effect, while something like the first seated exercise, 5 - 60 - 80 - 40 - 30, feels like it's more focused on the denser/physical level of being. I could be wrong though - and of course my experience with the Oneness energy is limited to Eric's healing Deekshas and a "Sacred Chamber" experiences (which I highly recommend, if anybody has the opportunity). Anyway I don't want to drag the thread off topic, but I had Eric do a very basic analysis of the FP meditations on the first two DVD's as a whole last year as part of a wider analysis of several different systems as they relate to my health specifically. Lately I've been thinking about asking him to do a more in-depth, one-by-one analysis of the meditations and their specific effects so I can further optimise my practice. If I do (and if you and Eric are ok with it) I'll post the results here.
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Are there any good Qigong books for beginners?
Aeran replied to Sealestr's topic in Daoist Discussion
The only author I can honestly recommend is Damo Mitchell. Mitchell is the only author on Qigong and Daoist energetic practices I've read (of a good dozen or so) who actually articulates the practices sufficiently and provides a strong enough theoretical background that the books can actually be used as training manuals (although even then, I would recommend watching the youtube videos he provides on his channel as an accompaniment to the qigong forms he gives in his books, since videos will always teach a moving practice better than pictures and words). They really are excellent books and even if you aren't interested in the primary training curriculum he provides, there's so much additional information which can enhance any system of qigong or meditation that I find myself recommending them to pretty much anyone with any interest along those lines. He's something of a prodigy when it comes to taking complicated Daoist philosophical concepts or training methods and translating them across the divide of culture and language in an easy, coherent manner. Every other book I've read either gives instructions which are too ambiguous to be used confidently, or fails to provide enough theoretical and supplementary information to feel confident that proceeding with the training will be both safe and effective. That said, there are a lot of good DVD's out there, and imo DVD's make a far greater teaching tool than books do. My personal favourite is Terry Dunn's Chi Kung for Health - the Flying Phoenix system is both easy to practice and incredibly effective, probably the best system of qigong/energy work I've come across in 5 years research, and there's a large community of practitioners here on daobums which Sifu Terry contributes to on a regular basis. That's not to knock other DVD's - people who's opinion's I respect highly have spoken well of Jenny Lamb, Michael Lomax, Garry Hearfield and others, but if I could go back in time to when I first started experimenting with Qigong, I would give myself the Chi Kung for Health DVD set to train with and the complete works of Damo Mitchell to supplement the Flying Phoenix exercises. God knows it would have made my life a lot easier. -
Sifu Terry, thank you for the words of encouragement. You're right of course, regret is useless. And 3 years isn't much in the grand scheme of things, especially if the work done in that time enables a solid foundation for bigger and better things. If nothing else, I've certainly learned a lot about myself and the world in the process of trying to set things to right. I guess there's no such thing as easy or pain-free self growth. Slow motion is better than no motion, and the way out is definitely through... Of the different qigong systems I've tried, FP really does feel like it's been the most effective, since the Qi it cultivates seems to seek out and balance emotional & physical tension through it's own volition. A lot of other systems seem to either "agitate" the blockages without working to open and cleanse them, or to set stagnant energy flowing through the body without venting it. The FP Qi seems to actually neutralise the stagnation to some extent right as it surfaces, and what's left over is much more easily processed. Ditto on the happy new year - new website looks brilliant! Now for some MSW... (and I'd like to make a shoutout to TaoStillness, who put me in touch with Eric Isen - the contribution Eric's treatments have made to my improving health has been immense!)