Pranaman

The only reason I haven't bought the book, is because my teacher was his student, and I'd hate to spend 70 bucks on a teaching that I am already receiving. But if Brandon or TheSongsOfDistantEarth wouldn't have a problem passing it on after they were done with it. I would highly appreciate reading what is supposed to be the best book about my favorite practice. In other words, I would highly appreciate a copy of it.

no, but a healthy relationship with psychedelic plants can empower your intention to lose judgement, identification with mind, and to open your heart. It's not the plant, it's you and your intention ultimately.

good call. Also in "The Biology Of Belief", Doctor Bruce Lipton published his tests (and other people's tests) that show that one of the Epigenetic factors of gene expression, as in, one of the things that control genes, which there for control everything else in the body, is in fact an energetic signal received on receptors scattered across the cell membranes of the body. I talks about constructive and destructive interference and how this affects the atom's vibration (the unique wave caused by the placement and dynamic of positive and negative charges of the atom + the spin rate of it). For instance, sending a specifically calculated frequency to an atom that has a particular frequency. Would neutralize on contact and cause atoms to stop moving. Scientists actually do this now days. Then he talks about body chemistry, and chemicals of the mind being dispersed through out the body creating a mind-body. Good book, I'll post a more organized summary later. He also cites all of the research he uses, including his own as a PhD of Biology.

This student in my taiji class went into detail about embodying the principles of yin and yang. As well as how are bodies have all of these parts that effect eachother without the signal ever reaching the brain(ex. eyes and spine). This makes me want to read about the art some more(no substitute for actually experiencing it) I'm going to read the taiji classics, other than that..... any good taiji books?

If I was Randi, I'd do what I could to not lose a million dollars.

someone wiser then me on this very forum once said that boredom is withdrawel from too much fun, or TV, I forget... but probably both. Change happens on a subtle level, this is what I listen for. The background to every sound is always new, because I am always different.

anyone know of any youtube-like videos of a martial artist fighting? thank you

Can you direct to me your source?

Learning optimal and most efficient mechanics inside a form, allows them to be implemented in freedom. I do freeform when I walk around my house. and it seems to me that yichuan is closely tied but not the same as freeform.

So, my teacher came back from china recently. I came in halfway through the conversation, so he could be talking about the masters of India or the masters of China. Anyway, he said that some of them eat only some animals because they are the ones of don't have spirit. Duck and pig don't have spirit. Cows do however. Have any of you guys heard anything about this?

My teacher didn't choose to believe or disbelieve what some people he had never met believed in. It just came up in conversation. To clear his name. To the topic..... there is a lot of dogma in the world. This is why I do prefer physics to metaphysics. I also accept what I experience..... like I experienced something cool with acupuncture today. Something happened in my body, I felt an anxious wave spread under my skin directly from the point, I started to sweat, I had euphoric recall/psychedelic effects on my vision.... was it energy? was it neurotransmitters? I don't know and I don't care. What's important is if it works or not. I don't have the long-term data to see if the treatment would assist in detox or not. But enough experiential data to warrant further investigation.

So you have not heard of this? Good to know. and are you sure that everything is spirit? This is the only thing in the universe that has no yin/yang? just one single sweeping generalization. Either way I find it interesting that there are Taoists in China who have been meditating there entire lives.... who do believe this. When I(my non-enlightened self to be noted) see a cow, I see something with a peace inside, a kind of beauty. When I think of a pig, I think of a horde of hogs racing each other to get to the pig pen to eat their slop.

I suggest relaxing your body, and let your mind follow. Now relaxed, re-read Scotty's post.

Darin Hamel your vid made me laugh. Thanks for that.

Why would a taoist forum need threads to be locked?

here is a place I found when I was doing retention. It's kind of like a forum for western schlong exercises, that include some taoist techniques. Anyway, here is a 28-page discussion on the forum about homosexuality in heterosexual men. Some good insights, these dudes seem really grounded, probably because they are used to being very honest (reporting lengths and girths every so often etc..)

honestly, my issue becomes more prevalent when I perpetuate my addiction to porno. Less porno = less gayness. (thought the smiley would be funny) anyway, I think it is an imbalance because I can remember that during a period of time when my mind was trying to attack my sexuality, I went to my Yichuan class. After standing, calisthenics, Yichuan, and then taiji... I left class and noticed that my mind wouldn't even remember what my problem was, and even when it would try to do it's old habit again, sometimes I could control it and sometimes it couldn't surface, but it definitely always carried less energy with it. This made things incredibly easier, and still has a major effect on this issue for me. Yichuan cures my imbalance when I'm not watching porn. Next is remaining present while my body has the urge. The key to all sorts of things. Hope this helps.

I have similar issues but I see it as more of a homophobia. It's just your mind man. It is all in your head. I'm reminded daily that I love women by the feeling of chemicals running through my body when I am enthralled by the figure of woman, damn do I love a nice ass. But yet, my mind will, almost daily as well (it comes and goes in cycles, some weeks it's there some weeks its not) try to challenge this. I've even tried to entertain the idea of me being gay, looking at guys, etc... But it just doesn't work, because it's all in my mind and not in my body. I repeat, it is your ego and what Eckhart Tolle calls your "Pain Body". The part of you that wants suffering.

Before going into the relationship I'm in now. I was subconsciously avoiding a relationship. Probably for the same reason you are. As it turns out, it takes a great amount of presence to maintain your awareness in a relationship that you are emotional involved in. Working on this factor turns the relationship into a spiritual practice in itself. and by the way, you're current attitude + your energy could also be what's bringing girls to you. As Groucho Marx said, "Act like a woman can't join your club, and she'll do anything to get in." (Source: Tao of Steve)

Doctor says my headaches are from muscle contractions. My neck is usually sore, and I don't want to take the muscle relaxant he gave me. so.... do you guys have any physical therapy techniques or self applied acupressure/massage or anything for the neck?

that's pretty sweet and getting results is all that matters. The thing I was trying to get across at the beginning was something I saw in a documentary about Shifu Yan Ming. They said something along the lines of physical pain and physical wellness all being a part of nature, so the shaolin monks train to experience both. I think it mostly involves that you may want to condition your body to tolerate pain if you plan on being a martial artist. and it might have had something to do with karma, pain in training means that you don't have to feel it later via karma (this could have possibly just been somebody talking out there ass, I don't remember but seem to believe this was in the documentary). The important thing is right here right now. So soft or hard, healing and balance is the goal.

I agree with you, but we are dissecting our language here. To rephrase, I'm drawn to experiencing what my mind interprets as pain, like zhan zhuang and deep tissue massage, because it is ultimately good for me.

I like Bandler alot, and I tried this. It worked but not as well as the painful bodywork. I've got this thing I like about pain; must be because it's a natural part of life.

Basically a deep tissue massage at the sight of pain (where neck meets head), in addition to a shoulder related exercise that involves the shoulders completely down and relaxed, swinging the arms, making/letting them stretch all the way forward, then when at peak height (far above head level - shoulders still relaxed and down), letting the hand free fall for a split second then pull it with simple forearm/bicep movement to slap the opposite collar bone/shoulder area. leaves my shoulders feeling very relaxed. Tired, exercised, sweating, collar bone skin very sore, and my shoulders are relaxed and it's obvious that it's helping my neck. He prescribed 15mins a day, which at first was a long endured exercise but what was 10mins now seems like 5mins.... Other exercises follow but they are still the same principles, just in different directions.

my sifu gave me some exercises to do as well as worked on some kinks in my neck (and damn, he never shows us anything that doesn't hurt haha + it worked really well right away + felt really good but really painful too), and talked a little bit about tense muscles.