daobro

I went to the in person workshops taught by Sifu Terry. They were Zoomable though. I can't speak too much to the time requirement since I'm just a beginner, but if I'm super squeezed for time, I still get some effect from cutting my practice short (e.g. just do 1-2 rounds of Cane Form and a couple exercises from Short Form Power Yoga). Not sure if doing just that every day will lead to long term progress though.

I just realize that one potential interpretation of the I Ching reading was staring me in the face the whole time. Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching says for the changing line: I think this conveys the importance of softness and breaking up one's external tensions in Tao Tan Pai practice.

I learned from Sifu Terry (@zenbear on this forum), both through in-person workshops and on Zoom. Takes me at least 30 min a day I’d say (kung fu forms plus basic neigong). But that’s the bare minimum and I usually do longer.

I am starting this discussion thread with Sifu Terry Dunn's approval -- here to discuss Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu and Neigong. I've been practicing Tao Tan Pai since April of this year (8 months now). Have had many benefits already: - more energy -- especially when I'm feeling dull or tired, TTP has been a great waker upper - mental clarity - relaxation - catalyzing my practice of Flying Phoenix I recently asked the I Ching about Tao Tan Pai, and the hexagram I got was 34 (Great Power) changing Line 5 to 43 (Breakthrough). Judgment: Image: Changing line 5: Curious what it could mean 🤔 Anyways, I'm excited to get this discussion going!

No, but I probably should have. Nice - any specific meditations/breath controls that you use?

Two interesting developments with Flying Phoenix: 1. A few Thursdays ago during a work meeting, I accidentally ate pecan ice cream which I'm very allergic to. I was about to go grab my meds and suffer for the next 24 hours. Then I had the idea to do the FP Long Form breath control sequence, sit for 30ish seconds, then do the closing breaths. I immediately felt a wave of FP energy that engulfed the swollen areas and alleviated much of the symptoms. I was in awe at how quickly and effectively that worked. 2. A couple nights ago, after playing basketball in the cold, I felt a tickle in my throat. I drank a preventative formula from my Chinese Medicine doctor, chewed some ginger, and did an hour of FP (Long Form, Monk Gazing at the Moon, all of the 90s meditations, and some seated meditations). I immediately felt the cold symptoms dissipate and the urge to go to sleep. The morning after, I felt completely recovered with no trace of the cold whatsoever.

Interesting - have you gotten acupuncture before? If so, do you also not feel anything during acupuncture?

This is my long overdue review of Sifu Terry’s Flying Phoenix workshop on 7/19-21. First, a bit of background - I've been training in FP for the last year and Tao Tan Pai since April. Previously I'd attended 2 workshops in person - Tao Tan Pai in April and Flying Phoenix in May. I can say that this workshop was absolutely amazing. Sifu Terry once again acted as a fountain of knowledge on every possible subject. He gave us each detailed form corrections on all FP exercises, which really enhanced the effects. This was also the first time I truly felt the catalyzing effects of Tao Tan Pai on Flying Phoenix! Right after doing the Short Form Power Yoga, we moved onto Flying Phoenix, and I felt like I was immediately propelled into a trance-like state where my consciousness was bathed in the FP energy. I can only describe the experience as profoundly ethereal. Later, we watched various footage of GM Doo Wai, some of Sifu Terry's old kung fu demonstrations, and made a foray into other arts like 10,000 Buddhas and 8 Sections of Energy, which was an awesome treat. Sifu Terry also provided us with an arsenal powerful warmups from tai chi/bagua, Qing Dynasty imperial stretches, and various kung fu forms like Shaolin Five Animals, which helped further supplement our qigong practice -- in fact, each warmup exercise felt like a complete qigong exercise in its own right, with its own energizing and aligning effects. We also got a crash course on using the I Ching, which was very helpful and enlightening. I can testify that I felt packed to the brim with newfound qigong knowledge, and this workshop took my practice to the next level! Alex

Hi, I would like to change my name to "daobro". Could you please help me? Thanks!

Hi, I would like to change my name to "daobro". Could you please help me? Thanks!

Hey Sifu Terry, Is it alright to practice Flying Phoenix on airplanes if I know that nobody will bump into me? I have some long flights coming up and it’d be awesome if I can practice some FP meditations there (probably seated Monk Holds Pearl). Thanks, Alex

Hi Sifu Terry, can beginners attend every single class? (I've been doing DVDs 1-2 for 7 months and I'm just starting DVD 3)

Hey everyone, I've still been practicing consistently. A lot of new benefits: -improved libido -further relaxation -improved ability to clear thoughts from my head -coordination and connection The last one deserves some explanation. After I practice, I feel like I have a strong awareness of my body. This happened too with other qigong, but as Sifu Terry and others have mentioned, the energy moves in a completely different way than other types, and this is giving me a lot of new tactile awareness and coordination. In fact, I think the effect is so strong that I had some trouble adjusting to it! For a few months, I felt clumsy and uncoordinated after practice, and I suspect it's because I had to re-learn how to use this new awareness. I also feel this "reserve" of energy just like others describe it. It's like a 5th gear I can shift into if I'm tired or need the inner calmness/strength to do something. And like mentioned before in this thread, it feels distinct from the regular "qi" built up from other qigong. I'm just in the beginning stages, but it feels more like an ocean, whereas in other qigong it feels more like a torrent. So far I've also only practiced the first 4 standing meditations (no WAC yet), and the first 3 sitting (so just the warmups, not MSW yet). I'm already awestruck and I'm very excited for how much more I have ahead of me. I do have some further questions for Sifu Terry: 1. Is there anything specific that could help with acid reflux? I get it at night and it interferes with my sleep. So far I've been practicing Monk Holding Pearl and the first seated warmup meditation before bed, but it doesn't help much with this. 2. I know the system is different from Chinese medicine, but does FP also indirectly improve the organs from a Chinese perspective? If I were to get my pulse taken before/after a few months of FP practice, would there be a difference? 3. How did you discover that Tao Tan Pai serves as a catalyst for FP? And could this hold true for other forms of Daoist neigong as well? I've learned some neigong from another qigong master and I'm wondering if I could try doing it before FP to achieve a similar effect. (and whether there are any signs that this is a bad idea and I should abort) 4. Besides slowing down my progress, are there any other negative consequences to doing some meditations disproportionately? I've been doing Monk Holding Pearl a lot more than the other exercises. Thanks, Alex

Hi Sifu Terry, Thanks for the illuminating answers! I shall continue practicing. Re: spontaneous qigong, I learned it from Sifu Anthony Korahais who learned it from Sifu Wong Kiew Kit. Definitely a bit more intentional than the movements I've experienced in Flying Phoenix. Edit: Just thought of another question about Monk Gazing at the Moon. You mentioned in this thread that going through the motions without breath control will dilute the exercise. What about other Zhan Zhuang styles that utilize the same MGM posture? Should I avoid them? Thanks. Alex

Hi Sifu Terry, I've realized that I may actually have quite a bit of spontaneous movement during FP, and that I might just be resisting it in an attempt to keep the correct posture. However, I'm not sure how much I should let go during the meditations before it's too much. For example, when doing the "50 10 50" seated meditation today, I decided to let go completely and my whole upper body started swaying vigorously from left to right. But I'm not sure if that was ok, or if I'd basically abandoned the exercise. To add to my confusion, the qigong systems I'd already learned have a lot spontaneous qigong, to the point where (before any FP practice) if I just stand up straight and relax I will start swaying. So I was afraid that I'd be wrongly allowing that to spill over into my FP practice (when in reality you and the others in this thread meant something else by spontaneous/involuntary movements). Should I give in to the impulse to move? Or should I try to be as still as I can unless my body forces me to move? Would greatly appreciate your guidance on this. Thanks.