ebt111

That's too important of a question to ask in such an un-serious way. You have to be a lot more specific. Failed at doing what? After how long? Why did it fail? Why did you initially expect not to fail? What went wrong?

I think I do that without even realizing. I'm always moving around, trying to get more horizontal and lower, more than last time. Come to think of it, sometimes its like the opposite of bending the knees. Its like being on a motorcycle with feet on the very front pegs... or like being in a reclining chair as the legs are being lifted. Or on a quadracep leg machine kicking out ----- but doing all this while staying at the same height or going lower.

the Toltec's would say a) have your word be impeccable, never assume anything, c) don't take anything personally... i.e. "its not about you" So IMO that means that the way someone might be acting towards me is really about them, and not about me. That probably is true, so that can remove the hate. Then, the other really important thing (IMO) to do everyday is to pray, and AT LEAST give thanks for things. Just a few minutes is all it takes. G-d likes to be thanked and I notice that when that is done, a lot of anger gets lifted and I'm in a much better mood.

Yes, and it stands to reason that the closer to vertical the knee to foot + the closer to horizontal the knee to waist, then the more the upper body must lean forward, in order not to fall backwards. Bending the knee is good only for the purpose of bringing the "knee to waist" closer to the horizontal.

Hi, I was first shown a "chi ball" back in Fall/2004 and became fascinated with it. I studied with some teachers + on my own and eventually settled on LKC's method as the best one for me. I had some very good results and was literally bursting with energy by mid-2005. Over the past 10 years it has been my intention to stay with it every day, and I do for weeks and even months at a time but then something always happens, I fade on it, and have to start all over again. Then it takes me a few months just to get the right alignment back so that the energy can really start building. Probably, the biggest problem for me is that it can be hard and time really goes by slow when I'm doing it. Focusing on breath is better than watching the clock, but still my 35 minute standing meditation sessions require a discipline that I don't always have. This year has been different though. I have really focused on the Kabbalah and the Tree of Life, and I use that to meditate on while I'm doing zhan zhuang It has worked for me, and now the 35 minutes goes by almost like a flash, and I have no problem staying with it. I think its fine - some say to think of nothing, others say to focus on a red dot, LKC says its OK to watch TV. But i wanted to see what others might be doing, and that's how I found this fine place. This is by far the best forum on the subject that I have ever seen. I learned quite a bit just by browsing through it. Thank you, and hello to everyone! ebt111