Earl Grey

Begin by stating what you are interested in learning and what you want out of it. Books to inspire you and programs you may be interested in, and teachers who can personally instruct you nearby or online can then be recommended. I have a few people and books I usually recommend, but you'll need to provide more details, so that others may chime in too.

The best is to state your intent of what you are looking for by defining why it interests you and what you want. Everything must begin with this step rather than trying to figure out what you want along the way as you explore. Exploration is fine, but don't expect it to solve your questions and provide answers if you don't know what you're looking for. Most books are marketing material, but I recommend stories and primary texts like the Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi's works to appreciate the philosophy. Stories of Taoist masters help such as reading Wang Liping's Opening the Dragon Gate or a popular manual here like Lam Kam Chuen's They Way of Energy and The Way of Power. Some have learned from these books, but I do not recommend it for absolute beginners and assure you formal instruction first to develop a foundation for understanding is safer and better in the long run. I have several, but they are not free and there is a cost to what you wish to learn--whether a formal program or a system of practice that can be learned in a few sessions, or just a simple DVD series like Terry Dunn's Flying Phoenix program that has a thread he answers questions in here: Depends on what you are practicing.

Ignore ReturnDragon, he learned from Baidu searches and no formal instruction while giving complete misinformation and presenting himself as an authority, and that in turn can cause harm. As for your own cultivation, it's highly dependent on how you learned and your system of practice, as what it sounds like is more conjecture than formal studies, and the Taoist energetic and alchemical practices with qi and the LDT are a complex methodical endeavor, with multiple systems that affect the body differently, so autodidactics aren't really going to get the same results without formal guidance.

Can agree there. Knowing some porn actors who are friends and some burlesque artists, they have a stack of responses to people who are judgmental of sexuality and equate embracing sexuality as sexism or filth. People who hate porn don't understand we already live in a word where porn is a suffix: foodporn comes to mind. Look at 1970s porn: there were plot lines and deep character studies. Look at 90s porn: it was hyperbole with elaborate sets for fetishes. Look at 2010s porn: it encouraged performers to go become independent and even have their own channels or streams rather than following a firm. One friend tells me it's a liberating lifestyle for her because sex is just sex, human nature can't be thrown out because of someone's agenda to politicize and sanitize something natural. She even quoted an interview with Neil Gaiman who discussed a model for a skin mag in the 1980s who said the real loser was the wanker who saw her as nothing but an object rather than a human being and an artist who is comfortable with her sexuality. There are of course people in the industry who have regrets--Stephanie Swift who made a complete 180˚ and despises the industry, then people like Ron Jeremy who used to go on campus tours to debate it with a Christian pastor whenever they were invited so people could make an informed decision hearing from the views of two authorities on the subject. Porn addiction for Tao as far as I see is more or less just imbalance and the natural urges expressing themselves without a proper outlet or way to cultivate and transmute.

FYI, there are a few qigong styles that affect practice. Michael Winn's Primordial qigong requires you to begin east and use the powers of the specific Feng Shui. I believe @liminal_luke and @Jox both practice it. I did it for about a year before letting it go as I had other practices that called me more. Read up Benebell Wen's blog and send her questions about Feng Shui, as she is on indefinite leave here on the forum. I have a couple practices that require directional focus, but this isn't relevant to the conjecture of the questions being made. The tree work Wang Liping does as well is mentioned briefly in early chapters of the Opening the Dragon Gate book.

Called it--and am reminding you, @sean, don't be shy to reach out for help. Some of us are more than happy just to talk and listen, and I offered you a couple sessions before via E-mail if you needed it, even on the Marblehead remembrance thread when you were alluding to some stress already. The door is open if you want it. Take care.

Why social media is full of idiots who are really demigods and the algorithms are some of the new gods: https://nypost.com/2020/03/25/influencer-reportedly-hospitalized-with-coronavirus-after-licking-toilet/

Stating the obvious: people get sick for other reasons as coronavirus goes on. https://www.ft.com/content/8f79fd83-b816-454b-a56f-849bbaf97857

Lies: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/257369-duterte-warned-coronavirus-threat-at-the-start Damned Lies: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/257462-fact-check-duque-claims-philippines-low-coronavirus-infection And Statistics: https://www.rappler.com/nation/257493-coronavirus-cases-philippines-april-9-2020

Actually, you know what @thelerner? Skype or zoom me sometime and I'll show you our Xin Yi, which might be a little more manageable for bringing up your Zhan Zhuang game based on what you said in the Cultivators Club. Let me know if you're interested. The offer extends to @liminal_luke and though he doesn't need it, @Nungali too if you also are curious. Might as well share some of what I have since it's a good time to let people have something to improve themselves that can also help their health go up to fight this damned crisis.

Here's one from my cousin when he moved to Wagga Wagga for six months. Some rednecks wanted to beat him up for being one of the four Asians in that town. He turns to them indifferently while at the bar counter and says, "Listen, you idiots: I'm the only trauma surgeon in town right now. You do anything to me, and the next time you get your dicks caught in your weed whacker, I'm not going to be there to fix you up. So get lost if you want someone to save you from your next inevitable screw-ups." They listened and left him alone.

I heard that one too. One version was that he let them all sort it out amongst themselves and he had a few drinks outside away from the mayhem, then came in after the fight was over, or something like that.

Ah, so you can at least walk outside. I am in total lockdown now--can't even leave to go to my roof deck. You could try the fitness program I started and watch the movie Bronson to see what it's like to get fit or even ripped with calisthenics and isometrics. Most of my days now are reading, gaming, and training hardcore. Need to let out the aggression because of the neighbors and everyone being stupid, lazy, and selfish and wanting to strangle everyone for letting coronavirus spread.

It's a protective mantra as strong as a Chamundi mantra. You can read about it in Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand. One use was it helped someone who had noisy neighbors discover after 40 days of chanting that they moved away of their own volition.

Another mantra. Try this Vishnu one, but only have pure intent as it will backfire if you have malintentions. Narasimha Ta Va Da So Hum.

So here is a story @Nungali might be familiar with regarding Aikido, as told by my Bagua Sifu. A well-respected Aikido practitioner and master in a restaurant one day witnessed a very unbalanced young man storming in, kicking chairs and shouting at people. When approached by the waitstaff, he threatened her and she froze in place, frightened. The Aikido practitioner mentally prepared himself to sort the fellow out using what he had learned, before an old man leapt in front and said calmly but firmly, "Hey, hey! Young man! This is no way to act! Come sit down at my booth and I'll buy you brunch and have a chat if you can promise to behave as a gentleman should!" So things calmed down and the Aikido practitioner happened to be in the booth behind the old man and the young man. He overheard the story: the young man lost his job that day, on the same day he got a call from hospital saying that his wife was in a car accident and in critical condition, which also could affect their unborn child--and he had no idea he was going to be a father until they called him that day. Now, with no job, he had no money or insurance to take care of his wife and unborn child, and broke down into tears as the old man comforted him. The Aikido practitioner realized who the true Aikido master was in that moment, and it most definitely was not himself.

Do you at least have access to sunlight? A yard to go into? Or are you in a flat?

Self-denial is a very good sign of mental health problems.

Bad idea. Internal arts, especially trying to teach yourself how to do things like LDT work is bad. These are not autodidactic practices. You can harm yourself without knowing you are as you don't know what to look for, and there is a lot of misinformation out there without a framework to use and someone to oversee your individual growth as it's not linear or the same for everyone. Again--some people don't feel results immediately after one visit. It takes around 8-10 for acupuncture and modifying your lifestyle to suit the herbs, not taking them like antibiotics to make the problems go away. Stick with informed opinions if you must.

Before you listen to anymore bad advice: https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50451-a-warning-about-the-fraudster-returndragon-aka-chidragon/

Consult your teacher. He or she will be of better qualified opinion to guide you rather than strangers on the Internet who all have different practices. In the absence of that, consult a TCM doctor for recommendations on imbalances.

Speak for yourself. I only said oxygen is not qi and that you don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. You made a straw man argument alleging that I said deep abdominal breathing is not important, which I never did. Your lies get worse and worse mainly because you believe them the more you tell them.

I was taught this from the beginning, old fart. And you will never achieve what my teachers, me, or my students have, because you cling to your Baidu searches and force them on others, while the rest of us who actually have martial and healing skill can only do our best efforts to steer neophytes away from your deception and disinformation.

It appears you've never trained with someone who knew what they were doing and love to use Baidu as your teacher. Deep breathing happens naturally at a basic level--but oxygen once again is not qi, and you are of course, derailing this thread with more falsehoods.

Exactly what I’m talking about.