Satyaloka

I've been looking for a good one to immerse myself into.

So, I'm just on the precipice of applying to acupuncture school and jumping into a practice of qigong, neigong, etc, yet i've been having pretty bad joint pain specifically in my big toes and knuckles for about a year. Two days ago I was diagnosed with a connective tissue and joint hyper mobility disorder known as Ehler Danlos Syndrome and was told from x rays that my big toe joints had the wear and tear of someone who has had osteoarthritis in their 50's and 60's, and i'm 23. I immediately have felt a sense of discouragement because so much of cultivation (as far as my novice research has concluded) is done standing. I suppose overtime with physical therapy I could practice while wearing super supportive shoes and orthotics, but my grasping mind pines for the image of serenely cultivating with my bare feet on the ground, pulling qi from the earth. My question then, is are there cultivation practices that are done sitting? My deepest yearning in this life is to come as close to awakening as possible. Is it possible to learn these alchemical neidan meditations without doing lots of standing qigong/neigong before hand? I will follow any tradition that leads me to the way. If anyone knows any authentic teachers or resources that could help and guide me in this quest, i would be so grateful. Also, if anyone has any advice or experience on practicing with pain, it would be a huge help. I really feel like through the right positive intentions/mindframes, healing work, and diet, I can heal myself. I just had this bomb of a diagnosis dropped on my head a couple days ago and it truly feels like the push to give my life to practice and awakening. thank you guys for the wealth of information in this sacred little corner of cyberspace.

I reside in Tennessee, and am planning to study acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Daoist Traditions College in Asheville, NC. I am always willing to travel for teaching or healing though. Grateful for all the support, thoughts, and resources!

Thank you all for your resources, support, and ideas. The thing is, I have been in constant movement. I've been a teacher of hatha yoga asana for 5 years, and i'm constantly hiking and trying to stay active. the only problem is due to my genetic disease, this has taken an unnaturally severe toll on my connective tissue and joints (primarily my big toes) A big problem is that my joints have too much movement. they are extraordinarily flexible and hyper extendable. Sitting in lotus has been a natural position for me since childhood and thankfully doesn't put pressure on my toe joints. It just feels discouraging embarking into an entirely new spiritual tradition, (which to my understanding) involves a lot of standing positions for cultivation. I know that it's definitely possible to heal with divine power, but at the moment I feel lost on the direction to do so.

So in my research i've come across the dragon's pearl aka Ye Ming Zhu, a rare phosphorescent stone of ancient China with some seeming extraordinary energetic properties. I was wondering if anyone has any information on if and how this stone was used by Taoist sages throughout history. Also, does anyone have any personal experience with the stone? I understand it is extremely rare. I found a website that apparently sells lab grown stones, which they claim bare the same crystalline structure as well as the energetic properties of the original. http://celestiallegacy.com wondering you guys' thoughts/experience as well as any historical context of this stone being used with taoist practices. thanks!

Having read Lama Yeshe's "The Bliss of Inner Fire," as well as "Introduction to Tantra," The 6 Yogas of Naropa are a sadhana that intuitively resonate with me deeply. In this day and age of having to sift through the spiritual marketplace, I was wondering if anyone here has any resources or leads on authentic teachers and places for transmission, instruction, and practice. I understand that this is high and sacred tantra and requires immense dedication and perseverance. Thank you all!

Thank you guys for the wisdom and resources. I'll continue to follow my intuition and open myself to the path as it unfolds!

Other than spending time at a Shambhala practice group in Nashville, and a Tergar practice group based on the teachings of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, I haven’t. As far as other practice, I’ve done two 10 day Goenka Vipassana retreats and spent a couple weeks at one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s monasteries (magnolia grove in Mississippi) as well. As far as my background, I started on my path through practicing and teaching hatha yoga asana for a couple years, which eventually led to a long study of Vedanta and Raja yoga. Against my own expectation, I’ve felt a strong pull to study acupuncture and TCM. (I’d love to pursue TTM, but there doesn’t seem to be much infrastructure career wise here in the US for it.) Eventually the teachings of the Buddha took hold within me, and thus I currently have found myself at a crossroads, and longing to dig deep roots in an authentic tradition and give my life to practice. I understand the problematic nature of “spiritual tourism” and that no water can flow if a deep well is not dug in a specific tradition. I also understand that these various traditions have different ideologies (such as vedanta’s ethic of union with an ontological absolute vs. the luminous emptiness of the Buddha dharma,) but what I seek deeply is liberation, regardless of its cultural context. I am more than willing to give myself to years of Ngondro and my life to practice. The 6 Dharmas and the Tibetan tradition resonated deeply within me upon study, and thus I thought this would be a good place to begin inquiry. Thank you guys for your help!

I travel in between Nashville and LA for work, but I would be willing to travel the world for true teaching and practice.

Hey guys, I'm seeker of the way with a foot in vedanta, an arm in the teachings of the buddha, and about to embark on a journey and study of taoist practice, as I'm being pulled towards acupuncture school. glad to be here!