curiousone

At the moment my cultivation is mainly for health purposes, but i believe in overall well being not just physical but also spiritual and emotional. I have read a bit about Falun Gong here and it seems it doesn't have much credibility, perhaps due to being codified in 1992 and i also read about not allowing for big improvements in the long run. So that's a bit disapointing as i want to find something that allows for steady improvement as well. I read a bit about Zhan Zhuang and Wu Qin Xi, i also realized i did something very similar to the microcosmic orbit in my regular meditations and breathing exercises before bed. From what i gather, Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) is good to "toughen" your physical body. Will Wu Qin Xi (five animals) bring me the health improvements (not just in the physical) i need or is there a more complete set of exercises i can start with?

Thank you all for the kind words, much apreciated. I already use ginseng and hemp seed oil, and actually i just bought spirulina and barley grass to help me balance my cannabis use. I'm also considering st johns wort as it helped me in the past too. But, i appreciate any links you might find could be helpful for me. Yesterday i've also saw a practice called Falun Gong, it seems quite simple for me to get started on this path and to complement my meditation. I was thinking of doing Surya Namaskar in the mornings and Falun Gong in the evenings since the Falun Gong practice takes roughly 30min and i know that i won't wake up 30min earlier, at least in the beginning. And it suits my objective of finding a couple of daily practices to keep me balanced and slowly improve myself. I also considered alternating Surya Namaskar with the Tibetan Five Rites. I know these are 3 different things, and Chi Kung a fourth one, but in my opinion it does not seem they conflict with each other in terms of my spiritual growth and physical health. What do you guys think? When i was studying Yoga my teacher would say that we should not mix different "cultivation methods".

Hello everyone, I somehow ended up here after a google search about liver damage caused by cannabis abuse. Interestingly, i have been reading a lot about TCM lately.I have read 3 books from Mantak Chia ( i've got no idea if he's a respected teacher or not, but i resonate with his teachings as they sound truthful and in line with my little experience), and right now i'm reading a book about reading faces. Anyways, in the middle of my google search i found a website about John Mini who is an american acupuncturist and herbalist who has experience with people who used and/or abused cannabis and went to him for help. He talks a lot about the need to balance the effects of cannabis and how, if one fails to do this, and is a regular user, can develop problems in the future by damaging your liver and kidney Qi. I first started using cannabis as a self treatment for depression after a bad breakup, about 8 years ago. Since i smoked it, and mixed tobacco, the tolerance built fast and for 6 years i used daily. 2 years ago i discovered vaporization and i managed to stop smoking but i continued to use cannabis. Since i no longer used tobacco i was able to control myself and lower my usage 10x comparing to when i did smoke. However, i still vaporize everyday and i feel like i should stop and do it once a week but i'm having a hard time doing that because cannabis helps me deal with my anxiety and pain. I should also add that i have practiced yoga for many years, and i meditate everyday although i stoped my regular yoga practice. I'm a health nut and i love studying about nutrition, natural medicine, and all that relates to human improvement and excelence. I also tend to eat somewhat close to paleo diet, suplement everyday with hemp seed oil (for my omega 3 and essential aminoacids) and korean ginseng extract (for overall brain and body health). My purpose right now is to learn some techniques that allow me to not depend on cannabis for my well being, as well as to balance the effects of regular use of cannabis. (i use very little quantity, amounting to 2-3g/month ) On top of that, i'd like to know if there are some routine i can use everyday to improve overall health. I do the inner smile meditation a lot, but that's about it. I also do breathing exercises at night i learnt in my yoga classes. I'd also like to immerse myself studying the TAO, but to be honest i don't even know where to start. Hope i make new friends here, this seems a great community!