Hello everyone.
I've been reading threads here and there on this site for some time. Having many questions which I couldn't find specific answers for, I figured it was time to sign up and seek some advice from the vast pool of knowledge which this place appears to be.
So firstly a bit of a background into me and my practice, and then some questions. (I don't know if this is breaking some sort of rule and I'm supposed to do this separately... hopefully its all good).
I am a 25yo male. I got seriously into "spirituality" and spiritual practice in my early twenties after a series of intensely spiritual/mystical psychedelic experiences. The psychedelic exploration was prompted by years of severe depression/bipolar and anger problems. These experiences pretty much cured my depression overnight, but left me with more questions than answers, and I spent much of the next couple of years obsessively trying to find the secrets of the universe and delving into all sorts of spiritual and religious philosophy.
Along the way I got into yoga, and through yoga into meditation. I've had a serious daily meditaiton practice for the last 2.5 years, and have been mainly practicing Buddhist style breath-meditation (based on a book called The Mind Illuminated which is very popular in some reddit communities that I spent a lot of time reading). Along the way I delved into a number of other spiritual traditions and tried a number of different practices - various styles of breath work, mainly the wim hof method; some ceremonial magick; "just sit" or "do nothing" meditation - but the majority of my practice has been breath meditation.
About 3 months ago I felt like I'd hit a roadblock in my practice, and feel like I received a number of signs in dreams and in life to explore different spiritual paths. I had been feeling intense energetic sensations in my practice for over a year and felt that the tradition I was practicing completely ignored this aspect of the practice, and felt like I needed to explore some kind of "energy work". I delved into practicing Robert Bruce's tactile imaging, some microcosmic orbit, and spinal breathing as outlined on the AYPsite.
To cut a long story short, I feel like my explorations have led me to Daoist chi gung / nei gung / nei dan practice, and my intuition is strongly telling me that this is the path for me. The problem is, there is so much information out there that it feels overwhelming to me, and I'm at a loss for where to get started and devote my energies. I've been reading Damo Mitchell's works and am drawn to the path that he outlines, but he seems to recieve mixed reviews on this forum.
Lately I've been trying to really simplify my practice routine after a period of strong confusion regarding how to integrate all of these different practices. I've been practicing abdominal breathing, Damo's "Sung breathing", and going through the Ji Ben qi gong routine that he outlines in Daoist Nei Gong.
So... the question is: for someone who feels deeply compelled to explore this path of chi gung / nei gung / nei dan, what practices, books, traditions would you recommend to really delve into this practice?
Some additional information which might be relevant:
I am a martial artist (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and in very good physical health.
I am a vegeterian
I have been practicing semen retention (nofap) for about 8 months, although I am in a long term relationship so ejaculate on average about 2-4x per month (too much information? )
I have a very flexible lifestyle and generally devote at least 2-3 hours a day to meditation/spiritual practice.
I am deeply grateful if you've taken the time to read this, and even more so if you have any advice to offer this eager young aspirant. Hopefully this post isn't breaking any rules.
> foolishmonk
