Henchman21

congrats to all the practitioners here. i hope to participate in something like this in the future!

I read most of the first section of OP, am now depressed.

One of the first practices I do regularly. It is hard to concentrate through the whole thing, and I still can't zero in on certain organs and their unique characteristics. I really feel the smiling energy, though.

I feel that this is a rather advanced practice and should not be dabbled with lightly. When I practice this, the sensations that travel up my spine and into my head are very strong. It bothers me that these do not continue back down the conception vessel. Does this mean I am cooking my brain? Am I getting distracted by the sensational aspect (side effects) and worrying too much? I am concerned, as recently I have been 'retaining my jing' (in quotes but I think this forum will know a lot about seminal retention.) In addendum I would like to mention my training habits, so you have an idea of where I am at with my cultivation (beginner status.) This has been my habit for a couple months now. I practice mantak chia's universal tao basics; the inner smile and six healing sounds. Once a week I do an hour yoga class, the teaches says it is vinyasa but the gym calls it power flow... Every day, sometimes twice, I practice seated meditation with crossed legs, focusing on regular abdominal breathing with my mind placed at my LDT. I always thoroughly acupressure my face, head and groin. Also I submit to a guided relaxation every night before bed, a yoga nidra on youtube. I fall to sleep within 5 minutes thanks to this.

Hello, bums! It has been about 10 years since I actually practiced anything. The past 3 weeks I have been meditating daily, and have been keeping a notebook to track my endeavours. After being linked here via some google search results and reading some well-written posts by you bums, I have been inspired to make an account and perhaps post queries and run on sentences... When I was 15 I learned the full tai chi form from empty mind, full belly (I was ...impressed? That this organization was all black, but that's an aside.) They taught me the yang jia michuan style, which is yang family hidden tradition. Of this I nary practiced a day. A couple years later I took a qigong course from the same gym (the monkey bar on willy street in madison) and the instructor there got me to come to his shaolin kempo classes. The next couple years I was a total dojo rat, going to classes up to 6 times a week. I really loved the smell of my own farts was the level of kung fu I accomplished. Then I discovered illicit drugs and alcohol, lost all of my superpowers, became sober until I met my wife, had some kids, and got really fat. And here I am today, 10 years of neglect, 30 years young, counting my first gray hair, having read all the books by mantak chia and yang jwing-ming. Training err'y day. Gonna build that foundation and get my kung fu skillz back, and hopefully build and observe martial morality this time so when I regain my demigod talents I will not abuse them and hit rock bottom ever again. The only attainment that I would like to aggrandize is that I subconsciously have had the tip of my tongue to my palate since I was 15 years old. You would think after 15 years of that my MCO would be overfilling, but alas, my tantien is not even full. Let alone having cleared all of the major points along the governor channel. I have also dabbled a lot in seminal retention. My record is 50 days. Today is day 14. I do not try to circulate any energy, because my ability to concentrate is very shallow. But still, I feel that this practice is the most beneficial way to increase the quality of energy so long as I back it up with the proper exercises. These include the 6 healing sounds, twice daily meditations, and lots of self acupressure including stimulation of the 'external kidneys.' I look forward to sharing any breakthroughs I have, and reading all the posts here. Glad to see some well thought out, non troll forums still existing on the interwebz. Thank you

I swear by the inner smile and 6 healing sounds. But I know better not to mess with circulating energy, especially sexual energy; as I have no master to correct deviations! One day when my tan tien starts exhibiting signs of overfilling, I will seek one.

inner smile so much vouch

I suggested squatting as an alternative to horse stance for those without an instructor and afraid of injury to the knees. Gotta train some kinda leg work! Good points all around about the benefits from horse that are not derived from mere squats, though. I stand by my recommendation though, duck-footed squatting.

Thank you for that post. Broscience that muscles make you slow Bodybuilding is a different style of weightlifting. Purely aesthetic. Powerlifters develop explosiveness. Very good for a martial artist to incorporate this kind of training.

He meant Wei Dan (external) qigong.

horse stance yes, not in a squat though

If afraid to damage the knees or some such lacking proper instruction, you could always hold a squat! Just make sure your knees don't pass the vertical line at your toes, and your feet should point out like a duck. Get low!

That full moon we just had, I did a meditation a la Yang Jwing-Ming's "The Secret of Youth," his book on Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing. He calls it Cai Yan, which means picking up and swallowing. I visualized the full moon's yin energy filling up my mouth, and then I swallowed it deep down into my lower tan tien. Repeat 7 times. I did that the night before and night of. Had a nightmare that night about end times violence gripping the world and watched the moon crash into the earth... I plan to 'pick up and swallow' the sunrise's clean yang energy on the morning of the new moon. I think that's the 18th. I hope the sun doesn't scorch the earth in my dreams that day!

How can I cultivate my qi without super exotic and expensive things? How will people know I'm enlightened if I don't have ivory buddha necklaces and jade dreadlock holders? :sarcasm: