daobro

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

On 1/23/2024 at 7:08 PM, zen-bear said:

14-HOUR IMMERSIVE FLYING PHOENIX QIGONG 

WORKSHOP,  FEBRUARY 9–11,  to bring in the YEAR OF THE DRAGON!!    >> zoomable << 

 

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.

Hi Sifu Terry,

I've been keeping up my practice - things are mostly good, but I have a couple questions that have come up.

1. If I'm pressed for time, is it better to do a few slow reps of Bending the Bows, or 18 fast ones?

2. Does FP energy linger sometimes for hours after I practice?

Today (and a few other times) even though I left several hours between my FP practice and my BJJ class, I learned the hard way that it is indeed very un-martial. I felt really uncoordinated when drilling/sparring. It was like my body and nervous system wanted to have a friendly chat with my sparring partners rather than try to choke them out. (On the plus side my cardio was very good). I was pretty surprised since I'd expected to have reverted back to a normal state by then.

To be fair, I might have just had a bad day today, but this has also happened several times in the past so I want to make sure.

3. What are some ways I can quickly transition into a more "martial" state of mind?

I've found the following things to help:

-time (though this seems unreliable as today showed)

-practicing some form of qigong where the energy is more "agile"

-a lengthy and vigorous warmup session

Is there anything else that might work better? I read somewhere in this thread that solid food/cold water may help, which I will try next time. I also read that eventually I'll be able to stop the FP process mentally? But I'm not sure if I have the skill to do that yet.

Thanks,

Alex

edit: have a couple further questions about touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth-

4. How much force to use? Is it best to let it touch as gently as possible? Sometimes I find myself pushing rather hard. 
5. is there a definitive answer for which part of the mouth to touch? (Behind teeth, middle, or pointing back) I saw some interesting discussion in this thread but I didn’t quite get which one to do for now (or how much it matters at this stage)

On 9/9/2023 at 2:30 AM, zen-bear said:

Hello daokedao,

 

Thank you for your comprehensive report at 2.5 months of the positive and enjoyable experiences you've had with FP Qigong byusing just the exercises on  Volumes 1 and 2.  Here are my responses to your specific statements and questions:

 

Hey everyone, I've been practicing Flying Phoenix for 2.5 months now, specifically DVD's 1 and 2. I'm absolutely addicted. I've already gotten significant benefits, like overall relaxation and clearing a cold really quickly without any medication.

• Yep, 2 to 3 months of regular practice of basic FP meditations taught on Vols. 1 and 2 will activate the body's self-healing faculties (induce allostasis).  And the shutting down of colds is one of the first noticeable effects of FP Qigong training.

 

Before FP, I practiced some other systems for about 4 years. They were also amazing, but I hit a plateau with my health and found my way to FP.  I'm still doing the other practices, but I've carved out big chunks of my day to just do FP.

• Having other Chinese holistic practices under your belt only supports and enhances the healing efficacy of FP Qigong.  It is very compatible with other healing Qigong systems.

 

I have a couple questions:

1) I am currently training in BJJ and MMA. Is it a bad idea to practice Flying Phoenix right before? Sifu Terry has touched on this before but I'm unclear on the specifics.

•  The key qualification in your question is "right before."    You can practice FP Qigong before you do BJJ and MMA, but NOT IMMEDIATELY before you practice them--because (A) it is unsafe, and (B)  FP Qigong energy does not and cannot fuel, or conduct, or actuate any type of martial intent.

(a)   One should NOT do FP Qigong immediately before combat training or real combat because FP is a purely healing and restorative Qigong  that puts you in a very sensitized auto-healing mode called allostasis.  And the longer you practice, the deeper this restorative process of allostasis becomes and the more sensitive your entire body becomes to everything in your environment.   If you suddenly switch to martial training or real combat of any type, your mind may want your body to fight, but your body will still be filled with the FP Healing Qi--which has a constant and lingering healing quality.   Plus, FP Healing Qi has the interesting characteristic that it cannot be moved or directed with martial intent.  And martial energy won't be mustered unless there's an imminent thread to life and limb that triggers your "fight or flight" reflex.

( I learned this at an early workshop I gave in 1997 in St. Paul, MN, where after the last session of a 3-day workshop, the students asked for a demonstration of the effects of Qi across a distance.  But I couldn't switch out of the FP Qigong's restorative mode ("rest, feed, and breed") and into combat mode ("fight or flight") because there was no imminent threat to my life and limb and I was still floating in deep self-healing bliss after leading 14 hours of FP practice.  So my attempt to instantly demonstrate the martial Qi failed.  Slightly embarrassed,  I explained on the fly that I needed to completely switch out of healing mode into martial mode.  so then  I did a quick breath control sequence from the Bat Dim Gum system (8 Sections of Energy Combined) to switch to martial mode, then tried it again.  And then it worked fine and raised all eyebrows in the room.)

 

•> Plus, if you somehow allow yourself to absorb blows while still in deep allostasis induced by FP Qigong, your vital energy system and your health can be severely damaged, as I've warned throughout this thread.•<

 

2) Is it significant if I don't get that many involuntary movements? While I occasionally get some minor jerking and twitching, it's nothing like the entire body gyrating like some people report in this thread.

• No, not significant at all.  Everybody responds differently to the FP Qigong healing energy.  Some vibrate a lot involuntarily;  others very little or not at all.  I had a very experienced martial artist named Mark Goblowsky  (who had a school) come to one of my early FP Qigong workshops in St. Paul, MN in 1997.  I noticed that he didn't vibrate much throughout the entire workshop.  And when I taught the workshop group a very advanced 10,000 Buddhas (standing) Meditation in the final session of the workshop, Mark did not vibrate one bit.  That told me that he was very well-trained and had very well-developed Qi circulation.

 

 

Since  you've been practicing FP for 2.5 months and devoting a "good chunk of time" each day to it, I would say that lack of involuntary vibratory states can indicate one of these two possible conditions:

(A)  that you are so well-practiced in Qigong, BJJ and MMA and have so little deep-seated tensions and time-bound pains in your body that there is no energy "blockages" to vibrate out of the system.

(B)   that you are so banged up from BJJ and MMA --plus life's very hard knocks--and are so loaded with tension encrusting your deeper pains in muscles, bones, nervous system, and organs, that it's only a matter of time and your regular daily FP Practice before that corporalized and repressed pain comes into awareness and is released.

 

Also, I found it fascinating how FP is so different from other types of qigong! A lot of crucial cornerstones of other practices don't seem to make any difference in my Flying Phoenix practice.

• Yes, in the entire universe of Qigong and of Yoga, FP Qigong demonstrably stands out as unique.  The yogic methodology of FP Qigong and all the Ehrmei Mtn. Bok Fu Pai internal arts  is different from all other Qigong methods and systems.  As stated many times before on this thread:  no visualizations whatsoever, no mental concentration on anything is required--other than doing the  percentage breath control sequences  correctly and then doing the concomitant posture or form correctly.

 

Anyways, I'm really glad I found this awesome qigong art and I'm excited to join the community.

•   Great that are enjoying this art and I hope that you'll discover its full range of benefits.  Welcome to the FPCK community. 

 

 

Also really thankful for how simple and clear Sifu Terry's instructions are on the DVDs and website.

• Thank you for this compliment.  I'm very pleased with how the DVD series--made in 2004--turned out.

 

Thanks for your good questions.

 

Sifu Terry

 

P.S. To see Mark's generous testimonial on FP Qigong, see the very last comment on this page of reviews on my website:

http://www.taichimania.com/CKFH_reviews.html

 

 

 

Got it. For now I guess I'll just keep practicing! Thank you Sifu Terry.

(Sorry for the late response, had a pretty busy week)

Alex

Hey everyone, I've been practicing Flying Phoenix for 2.5 months now, specifically DVD's 1 and 2. I'm absolutely addicted. I've already gotten significant benefits, like overall relaxation and clearing a cold really quickly without any medication.

Before FP, I practiced some other systems for about 4 years. They were also amazing, but I hit a plateau with my health and found my way to FP. I'm still doing the other practices, but I've carved out big chunks of my day to just do FP.

I have a couple questions:

1) I am currently training in BJJ and MMA. Is it a bad idea to practice Flying Phoenix right before? Sifu Terry has touched on this before but I'm unclear on the specifics.

2) Is it significant if I don't get that many involuntary movements? While I occasionally get some minor jerking and twitching, it's nothing like the entire body gyrating like some people report in this thread.

Also, I found it fascinating how FP is so different from other types of qigong! A lot of crucial cornerstones of other practices don't seem to make any difference in my Flying Phoenix practice.

Anyways, I'm really glad I found this awesome qigong art and I'm excited to join the community.

Also really thankful for how simple and clear Sifu Terry's instructions are on the DVDs and website.

Alex

Hey everyone,

I've been lurking this forum for several years, and it's about time I joined. I'm primarily interested in qigong which I've been practicing for several years, but also really curious about other ways of cultivation. 

I chose my username because it's a mistake I've made many times (first phrase in the Dao De Jing). To try and describe the Dao and distill it into some clean cut words/principles, only to find that the truth is not that simple. So I thought it'd be funny to make it my username.

Regards,

DKD