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I didn't quote any sources, I can say something only based on my own experience, so my answers are based on my understanding of principles of qi circulation in the body and some clarifications from my instructor. From my point of view there only 3 ways to improve the Dan tien, which are good to be done together: 1. Receive outsource qi (good nutrition, good nature places with strong qi sources and some special ingredients containing enough qi) 2. Qi gong practice to normalize qi flows to initiate a self restoring mechanism for Dan tien 3. Correct way of life to exclude qi outcome wherever it is possible (stresses, wrong habits, bad people around etc.) As the possible injury deals with qi-categories as you have mentioned, my simple advice would be to find traditional Chinese healer with good reputation to see your patient. But 1st and 3rd advice can be followed without additional preparations as soon as possible. Rgrds, Ilya

There are two points. First, trying and comparing two systems requires doing them in parallel for a long time until any effect appears. Second, this effect might be rather mind-dependent (remember about placebos effect). Unfortunately this is a weak point of just comparing two systems or practices to see what will be. Rgrds, Ilya

That's absolutely correct. Lets assume streets fights to be a kind of "testing" of the martial system, independently of whether its Chinese one or European, traditional or new mixed one. But again, this shows only one aspect of the system - its efficiency in the street. And this "test" will never show hidden values of it. F.e. tai chi gas a hidden layout like qi circulation - how can we see this benefit? Rgrds, Ilya

My understanding is that Buddhists have lost the ming method some time ago and therefore had to concentrate on heart & mind stabilization, so-called Xing practices. They have gone far in these aspects but this is only one side of the coin. The reason why they are popular now and in the past times is that their methods are simple and available for the wide auditory. Rgrds, Ilya

Can we count such person as a Tao chi master? Tao chi assumes inner harmony cultivation while this case shows the opposite.

Lower Dan tien rupture means serious illness with the probable death as an outcome. From the other side it is not easy to rupture such strong energy area, some serious events must occur for one to come to this result. So its impossible to say anything further on this question without any details - what has happened and why did you decide that it is just ldt injured. Otherwise it would be fantasies on the case "what if". Rgrds, Ilya

The main thing giving us life is qi. Five elements give us another aspect of sequence of things. If we try to put analogies between chemical elements and those from wu-xing then we put our position to mechanistic understanding of this concept. Five elements from my understanding relate to different kinds of qi and inner qualities but not chemistry. Rgrds, Ilya

I dare if abstinence is equal to jing cultivation. Jing cultivation has concrete methods. Jing is the substance that maintains our vitality, and what is meant under the first term? In Taoism there is a strong consequent system if transition jing-qi-shen based on a scope of methods and practices.

This is exactly the first question you should ask yourself and try to find an answer. Otherwise it would be only a curiosity with some small possibility to develop in a strong interest for development in this area. We have discussed similar questions in the thread about tai chi. Rgrds, Ilya

I works if you limit your goals to martial aspect only. In case you want to be involved in the whole system and obtain understanding of qi flows, relaxation and harmony then this limitation with martiality will limit your complex development. Rgrds, Ilya

Yes. If we want to pay attention to something special then its better to look for something that has taoist thematic or anything quite unusual. Otherwise we would have hundreds of pictures from our life without bright impression on us and would say - look, its emanation of Tao... This is the way to decrease respect of Tao. Rgrds, Ilya

This is a good point but in this case everything optimized can be called Wu way... Are you sure that this is an exact meaning of this term? Just if you want to find Wu way in this video - look deeper, may be there is somebody laying under the sun without any activity behind the bushes while the cyclists are streaming somewhere... Rgrds, Ilya

There is one more thing we usually don't keep in mind. Ali ended his days as an invalid, as many other boxers, while I haven't seen such health deviations among tai chi masters. There may be some disputes about knees, but these cases are not obvious and discussable. It shows us another sides of "western" and "eastern" martial systems. Eastern ones assume martial aspect as a part of a warrior's life, equal to all other - ethical, social, philosophic, energy etc. Don't mix apples with plums and don't make them fight with each other :). Rgrds, Ilya

I am sorry to interfere, but could anyone (the topic starter also if possible) explain how does this smart trick corresponds to Wu way? This is a nice life hawk but it doesn't deal some ho to Taoism directly, the real subject is much closer to smth like "nice hits in our life" or "smart tricks on the road cleaned from stones" etc.

Let me a bit develop a thought that was posted earlier that Tai chi is not only a martial art. I believe that martial part is only a sort of benefit in this system, but its main result is development if yin-yang balance. As a result of this balance all other areas of our life will also become balanced - health, social life/communications, emotional stability etc. This is a multy-effect system, and if you look at it as at a killing art this means that you pay attention only to its one aspect. Rgrds, Ilya

This is just natural approval to what I wrote earlier - good qi gong does not deal with imagination or exercises with changing the manner of breathing. We were born and grew up with natural way to breath, and then smb. comes with the idea that there is so called reverse way to breath... do you see the joke? I don't say that you all are totally wrong, I just try to notice that unknown exercises with our vitality can be critical to health. Rgrds, Ilya

Just look at Chen Yui, as I wrote. I'm not sure he can beat anyone, but he seems to be a real tai chi master.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QDPPkG4F2aQ Look at positions and the throws of power. The person in the awaikens post looked like a passive gui just returned from meditaion, but real master has skills, movements, positions and spirit. Rgrds, Ilya

The man who was the winner looked like a classic MMA fighter. What result would you expect in a battle between a classic fighter and "so-called tai-chi master" whose arms lack of qi, who doesn't control the distance and isn't able to counteract the attack? Imagine Chen Yui as an opponent and I think the result could be quite contrary. Rgrds, Ilya

Every body has its own fields of energy, so called cinnabar fields. They prevent qi from unlimited leaving the body. Mostly qi is wasted on usual activities, tensions, sex and emotions, but not as uncontrolled rising to the "heaven gods". Rgrds, Ilya

I think its useless to try to transform yuan qi to yuan shen, untill it is fully replenished. And tho only is possible after you transform yuan jing to yuan qi. So following to this the first step is to cultivate yuan jing, then integrate it with yuan qi and only then to combine it with yuan shen. Rgrds, Ilya

As I know post and pre heaven qi don't mix with each other, because they belong to different levels of energy. There are ways to cultivate one and another kinds of qi, but differently from each other. Moreover, preheaven qi cultivation is possible only in Taoist alchemy, but not qi gong, and this is the most secret method. Rgrds, Ilya

Improve your day with physical exercises. Start to get up early independently from when you go asleep. Get fresh air into the room before going asleep. Don't eat at least one hour before going asleep. Take a cold shower before going asleep. At least one of these advice must bring you the result. Rgrds, Ilya

Thank you for the idea, Marblehead, maybe we can really reach some rational with this. I thought that while time was passing and our civilization grew up with technical progress we started to forget something very important. All this comfortable things are only things. The main thing going on in us and around us is life-qi passing from one forms to others. Getting it and understanding it is vitally important I think. What for? A good question. And the answer seems to me very easy - it is a matter of live and death, isn't it? Or may by there are other boundaries in us?

Ok, then one more question about boundaries. What kind of boundaries do we have? Physical ones, mind limitations, emotional borders... Who has experienced other types of boundaries?

So, digging a bit deeper, we can suppose that: - the boundaries are useful because they help us keep save with our entity because they protect us rom our own chaotic movements from within to outside - the boundaries defend us from outside forces and entities (forgive me for my broken English) - the boundaries limit our will for development. Is that all or I have missed smth important posted? Rgrds, Ilya