soaring crane

what you describe is very new to me, unknown. I learned, and practice, very short breaths. Just a little puff, silent, strictly through the nose, and initiated in the belly when possible. The 'xi xi hu' is only spoken when done in groups, by the one leading the session. The role of leader can, and generally does, pass though the group. So I might lead for a while but when I feel I've done enough, I make eye contact with someone and they take over. It's generally very, very slow. But we vary the speed and can also move very quickly. I run with a xi-xi-ho-ho pattern, for example. The crux of xixiho (as I learned it) is the pause. We quite literally breathe in twice, and only breathe out once, but it's a "four beat". On the fourth "beat", we don't exhale, but we focus and 'push' internally, down though Longchuan. Or directly into the LDT, or mingmen (which is seen at the same thing), depends on the need and the feeling. Takes a long to get used to. I've never connected any sounds with the form, but my learning experience is limited to what I learned with Dieter (and also Petra Hinterthür come to think of it). Very interesting what you posted, thank you

haha, and these are the neighbors. Probably nothing new to to Nungali:

oh, i remembered this photo. Taken this past spring (I think). This is the road to our village. There are always rainbows in the afternoon when the sun is at the proper angle, but this one was special. The photo doesn't do the reality justice, of course:

finally got a chance to look at this - BOAH! I wanna go there, I wanna run through those hills and yawp like a crazy man. Wow.

Yes, exactly! Prof Cong also brought that to Germany but Guo Lin gets the credit, so to speak. It's actually, two in, one out, one pause, no breath. With variations for the organs. Very powerful, very therapeutic. You have experience? My teacher, Dieter Hölle: http://www.qigong-gesellschaft.de/dqgg-publik/qigong-material#Organschritte This is for Kidney and Spleen walking

SC is a 'new' form, created in 1980, meaning it assimilates aspects common to the huge body of qigong that came before it. So, there's nothing genuinely 'new' in it, but the system itself is quite unique. It's most commonly confused with Shaolin White Crane, which is totally different, and coincidentally one of the forms I've learned most intensively ...

Jein (that's a 'ja' and a 'nein' in one word) It's standing at first, but it's setting the intention in the back seat to observe what happens as the qi streams through the meridians and vessels and moves the body ( and mind). What comes out could be quite literally anything. The most extreme I've witnessed is a woman who turned into a werewolf. Scared the hell out of the rest of us. With me, my spine springs to life and contorts in ways I could never do intentionally. And lots of other things happen. Lasts 10-15 minutes and then settles down. And with the oppressed Chinese who got into this in the 80s, it really went overboard. There were reported deaths. Not violent deaths, but people who, after hours of Zifa, basically laid down and died (that could well be propaganda, but afaik it was the official reason for the ban). The thing about spontaneous movement: it's easy to trick yourself into believing it's really happening. It's easy to be creative. But that's counterproductive, and not so easy to overcome.

Interesting, thank you! I wonder if that was included due to the unfavorable status of the form in China? As far as I know, it's being practiced again in China, btw.

yes, of course, it's part of the history. I spent four years getting a teacher certificate from the DQGG and Hexianzhuang was one of the main forms. We covered it pretty thoroughly. I've also learned directly with Petra. Soaring Crane, Fanhuangong and Qigong Walking (xixihu) are the main subjects in my classes. (But for myself, I practice more spontaneous movement and spiraling forms, like it says under my name, haha)

yes, they're very beautiful I guess I could work on an English translation ...

yeah but wait a minute (I had to get out my laptop because replying like this is impossible on the mobile) that's Hexianzhuang, der Fliegender Kranich, Soaring Crane form. I think you asked about a Fanuhuangong DVD. The two forms are very different, and have very different histories. The FHG video link Friend posted is very good. Soaring Crane is well-known in Germany due to Petra Hinterthuer, who learned directly from Zhao, the 'inventor' of the form, in Hong Kong (she was born and raised in H-K) and then brought the form to Germany, and the West in general. Cool Hexianzhuang trivia - it was by far the most popular Qigong in China, and extremely successful in healing disease and ailments. It was encouraged by the government for a long time. But then it was banned. The 'secret' sixth form, Zifagong, spontaneous movement, led people toward all kinds of self-expression, some of it explicitly sexual, some of it just totally wild, that the leaders didn't approve of. And they banned it. Was it the precursor to the Falun movement? I've been to Zifa group sessions that got really bizarre and can only imagine what the Chinese, with all the oppression and suppression they had to live with, let out when they let loose.

Yes. The movements are like a journey. The 9th movement I mentioned is a still movement. Daoist cosmology plays a central role. The 7th movement is called 'the silver river gushes into the sea' (my English translation). And is practiced at night in alignment with the milky way /silver river. It's the preparation for the 8th movement... That's why I said that a simple video really doesn't help much. But I should add that many, too many, practitioners and teachers utilize the system for the physical aspects alone. Like a gymnastics routine. It's good for that, too but it's not the intention, obviously.

In German there is a DVD as I mentioned. I didn't know they had posted that video online. That's Prof. Cong, the 'Father' of the German Qigong Society.

Well there you go. That's the whole basic form.

Yes, nice find. Walter Gutheinz is one of the most involved in the system. The text you linked to are actually poems that accompany the exercises.

Now it works again... No, there isn't, sorry. There's a video of me doing one figure with a group but I'm going to be taking it down. And there used to be a short video of an American guy doing I think the opening movement, but it was very weird and new agey, and I don't know where he got it from, probably Germany? Wouldn't really be any use anyway because the important stuff, as always, happens internally :-) There is a grainy video of prof cong doing the whole form but it's not online. Edit - I don't really know 100 percent, search the phrase at YouTube and see what comes up. Think I'll do the same just for fun :-D

Yeah but, do you ever, you know, paaaartaaay!? :-D (excellent post, as per your usual high standard, btw)

I can't get the quote function to work on my phone... I took this TTB name because it was the form I was involved in when I joined TTB. And it just sounds cool. And I really love Cranes, have been observing them for years. What you write about fanhuangog is accurate, except the transmission part. I've never been witness to that and would not do it. Did you google that or are you familiar with the system? Edit - there are nine movements in FHG, and qi walking exercises are inseparable from the system

I've (for my own use) have seen mysterious passes where ever there are two halves, and especially the two halves of the brain. I've gone on long rambling walks along the path that leads through those two mountains. Seen some interesting things along the way.

The thing that many overlook is the availability of teachers for the forms. Fan Huan Gong is probably unknown outside of Germany (and China) yet it's a comprehensive system that truly covers all aspects of the most advanced qigongs out there. It's readily available to the OP. There's a 'pretty good' DVD available (I recorded the background music for it with my singing bowls and gongs, but on the whole I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars), and there are 'friends of fanhuangong' meetings a few times a year. Some of the teachers in the circle are really top notch. For the op, it remains my top recommendation...

There's an excellent DVD available in German from the Deutsche Qigong Gesellschaft, and it's, ahem, a form I'm somewhat familiar with :-) It's very common in Germany (the op is German), one of the most widely-known form. But it's a new form. He was asking for old daoist practices. Anyway, How's your experience so far? Maybe we should start a thread specifically for Soaring Crane :-D

Well, it I have to explain it, then it isn't funny. But when I wrote that you were possibly out Christmas shopping, I meant it humorously, as did nungali. It's just silly.

Is there also no humor? ;-)

Haha yes, Christmas shopping no doubt :-D Happy start of sunnier days :-)

Merry Christmas all :-)