Rakiel

I've been going to this new Palestinian deli near my house. They sell a Shawarma sandwich that is really good. I was sitting down that afternoon thinking to myself "I should order a shawarma tomorrow afternoon" I started thinking that maybe I had been ordering it wrong because i didn't know how to pronounce it. They must think i'm just a stupid american. Around an hour later I was flicking through channels and I started watching "Marvel's the Avengers". There is a scene where Robert Downey Jr. tells everyone about a 'great shawarma place' near them that they should check out. Now i know.

do you have enough to bring up the spine in the first place?

I started with a more general area; but eventually I 'found it'. I recall Robert Peng mentioning in an interview that you should pay attention to it in everyday circumstances, for example to say "good morning dantian", or tell your dantian to "awaken" before you practice; so that you are giving it life of its own

improve as in better? I really can't say. However, I've noticed that when I sit in lotus it is much easier to do reverse breathing

I use reverse breathing during entire Spring Forest Qigong; sometimes during breathing into LDT. It has become second-nature to me during practice as a result of practicing SFQ. But I've had great results with traditional abdominal breathing as well.

almond oil

i do the dry brushing first all over, then maybe a little oil; then the cold shower. Have been taking them for more than 2 years.

I've been eating a LOT more whole fruit lately; and little to no grain. I feel so much healthier in a physical and spiritual way since making this transition a few months ago...

w without going cuckoo

I can't copy/past either on IE (but only from my work computer)...at home on firefox it works fine for me

a related question might be what is the consequences of taking (or blocking) certain hormones and its effect on cultivation?

I just received the Eddie Chong/ Plum Petal Chi Kung DVD in the mail yesterday on the advice of tao stillness. My first impression is that it may be simple to learn. If I commit to it, I will give a review.

Speaking of Yan Xin videos disappearing, there was a Alan Steinfeld/New Realities interview about Yan Xin Qigong where he interviews three practitioners (one of which was miraculously healed of cancer) and they play some clips of the chi-emitting lecture. Interestingly, this video has disappeared from Youtube. I should have downloaded it. Definitely something dubious going on...whenever those Yan Xin videos are posted you have to snag them because they won't be online for long...

I haven't discarded the SFQ material; although I've branched out to other things as well. I have only done the level 1 material -- but there is a lot there. One could spend many years perfecting and discovering the subtle energetic aspects of the forms. I learned about SFQ through reading the posts on this forum, but it also resonated with me at a deeper level.

I like SFQ...it was my first qigong. It will take you far if you practice daily

Yogananda's double breathing technique utilized during the energization exercises, which consist of a very quick inhale followed by a much deeper inhale introduces a greater amount of oxygen into the body than the standard inhale. I have recently been performing my 30 power breaths during my wim hof breathing in this fashion. I think it results in more oxygen entering the body and heightens the effectiveness of the method. I know there are several bums here that practice WIm Hof, and I thought I would share this regards

I've only recently begun to implement this. I don't have any concrete information at the moment.

Hi, nyerstudent, thanks for the account of Pangu. This qigong has been on my radar for a while, and it appears you've used it with some success. I was wondering if you've received an in-person initiation, or just used the DVD as your practice?

Welcome. NoFap has been a game-changer for me too. I'm on day 116. Find a good system that puts all that energy to use.

Does anybody have any links or perhaps personal knowledge of the correct breathwork and visualization to perform Baduanjin for maximum benefit. At it's basic level, it's merely physical exercise. How can I take the practice further?

I'm not pushing the full lotus, but I've committed to doing it safely and effectively. It has been more than 2 years of work, with more than 30 minutes per night of prep stretching and sitting. I worked up from less than 5 minutes to more than 20 minutes 100% pain free. I can go longer some times too. I used to feel the tension/pain in the knees, now that is gone. I've begun to feel it in the hips now that I've managed to open them deeper. But to echo what the others have said, it is very difficult and quite an endeavor. Despite the progress I've made, It will takes YEARS of work ahead of me. Along the way, it has helped me sit longer in Burmese and half lotus.

What most people describe online (and what I have personally experienced) is an astral projection, not actually the creation of a separate body and transferring oneself into that body. That is much harder. If I recall correctly, in 'Llewlelyn Practical Guide to Astral Projection' by Denning/Phillips there is a technique that creates an astral body by projecting 'astral substance' out of the solar plexus and after it is fully created you transfer your consciousness in to that body and travel around the astral plane. I wonder how similar this technique is to ones described in Taoist alchemy?

I have always felt chakras along 'front' of the body as well. I always wondered why.

Hi Thunder_God, and welcome. Do you you have any experience with Yan Xin Qigong Nine Step Method?

It's on my radar of things to get. Is this Emei Wuji form completely different than the Milton and Wynn Wuji/Primordial form?