Neijia

I think that Iron shirt and golden bell are two different things, and even then there are various methods to obtaining iron shirt. Weigong or hard (Shaolin) iron shirt is hard physical conditioning with small emphasis on the actual qigong of Iron shirt qigong. Neigong or soft (Taoist) on the other hand is just the opposite, instead concentrating on the packing of weiqi (unrefined chi) into the expanded fascia of the body, with less concern given towards beating the shit out of yourself in order to take a hit. As you might expect, the Neigong method takes a lot longer (years), but you engeander amazing results without a loss of sensitivity. And once you have it, you don't lose it like you would if you stopped practicing the hard method. It seems that the results are even more impressive the more soft the practice, though a kind of iron shirt is obtained through any prolonged practice of the internal as the bones become like steel. Anyway, I'm not really familiar with the Mantak Chia method. I've kind of been wary of the Healing Tao system, and now esp. after reading some information about them on this forum.

Could have explained that better - pinching not being a technical term. Essentially, closing the kua and pinching the hips in to allow force to circulate down, relieving any acculumating tension/force in the lower back.

We practice developing root in a stance very similiar to an extremely narrow San-Ti, though we go through all of our Bagua and Taiji testing each stance. The energy redistribution only really comes about with complete relaxation, ie., rounding of the back, creating the bows, pinching of the gua , and resting on the balls of the feet. Strangest thing at first. You're not really rooted if you're leaning... suddenly changing the force should have no impact (leaning would create a stagger/lurch). It's quite a bit like how proper fa jin is really about sensitivity and relaxation, not force. As a side note, it's amazing to me in the way that they are so closely related. Anyway, with rooting, any muscular tension becomes the fulcrum by which your ass will be uprooted.

definitely put a smile on my face.

Ling Kong Jing and Fajing. Pretty cool.

The seven po always reside in the body, specifically in the lungs... the three hun constantly come and go from their place in the liver. The po relating to the corporeal soul, and the hun to the ethereal.

I watched that malaise of anxiety, aggression, and depression, etc. blow over and away. It was a relief to get that emotional rollercoaster ride over with. It's almost like through meditation, &/or qigong, the subcutaneous emotions are drained. And it really helps getting out of that trap of accumulating and harboring new tension. Often, it's experienced intensely, and then it's finished.

I think ancedotes and obscure, wise, stories offer fabulous little conclusions, but rarely (or perhaps more subtlely?) allude to the merits of hard work and the investment of time. It's no good to be struggling in a pedantic quagmire, nor too high in a lofty state of mind to realize that you're falling.

Not Milk! Check that out milk drinkers.

Interesting. Book ordered - Thanks.

My teacher got the exact same email, a few months ago.

I think Wing Chun has some good hands, but a weak base and some weird foot work. I was under the impression that there are some decent Bagua and Xingyi schools around your area, but finding something that works with your schedule and isn't pressing contracts (anywhere) can be a bitch...

Agreed

At the risk of coming across in the negative, it seems like a stuttered, borderline personality mindgame played online. If some unknown girl seriously approached any of you with an offer like that, would you hit it? Under the auspices of Taoist sexual practice, or simply drunk at the bar? Pussy is to men as flame to moths, indeed.

Fascinating.

that video's fucked a few minutes too long, but funny as hell

Hsu Fun Yuen is actually my grandmaster. My master studied with him for 11 years. Unfortunately *unfortunate because it hardly bolsters my earlier point, but perhaps underscores the benefits of a specific teaching style/school* he learned neigong from Liu Pei Zhong of the Kunlun Pai. Anyway, back to the thought behind the rant, there *are still people that have very skill skill teaching Taiji. Despite the cheap knockoffs. And while by itself, it isn't a pure method of cultivation, it certainly compliments and carries forth those efforts, in my opinion.

Wasn't Kostas talking about doing this in one of the books? Still, I'm surprised he would have let himself be filmed like this.

I disagree. Hsu Fun Yuen in Chicago still teaches seminars in Neigung, and other cultivation methods on occasion. While admittedly, I know a great deal about him than I do William Chen, I'm not too surprised. Most people from that generation are teaching less, or are teaching other methods and investigations. Party line or not, regardless of offended loyalists, that was my teacher's experience. All of which he shares freely - to an extant (something which I'll expound on in a later paragraph). I am allowing that perhaps it is his teaching method, but serious cultivation can be realized through real Taiji, and the accompanying qigongs. Same with Baguazhang, and Xingyi. I don't believe any martial art represents a complete path, but they certainly complement cultivation practice strongly. As for the Wizard of Oz metaphor, I've personally seen a number of people hurt by practicing incorrectly, much less heard about a few on this forum. Maybe learning from a good teacher that is holding back, until a person's mind and body is ready, and not learning solely from some HD book can be a positive?

I really like Shou Wu Chih, I just have to be careful not to over do it. Or my guts frown. And swear. same for Chicago. I think it's probaly universal. Those Chinese... I tell you. It's been a few since I was in Toronto, but I got a good vibe.

Yeah... not only should that be a consideration, but if you go down there to buy the raw herb, you have to be careful you're not being ripped off. Have you tried Shou Wu Chih?

I read somewhere that a fair portion of those studies are indirectly funded by Anheuser Busch. That having been said, there are a number of TCM purposes for alcohol. Different types of wine, beer, hard liquor at different temperatures having different affects on qi. I think that when I have (ever increasingly rare) bouts with drinking, or even a few glasses of wine too many, it throws me off. The body (or at least my body) becomes too sensitive to properly handle even "normal" or low level amounts. But.. who knows.

I had a fairly lengthy response written up to this, until I realised that I had misread the first part. Ha. Ha. So... in lieu of that, A teacher is not "necessary", but you will have a hell of a time meandering around, making little to no progress without one. (Transmission an incredibly powerful gift - educating the spirit. Very apt.) And That's a fairly stock answer amongst Tai Chi teachers, but the meaning should be clear regarding the indirectly obtrusive nature of our efforts interfering with the achievement of our goals.

Achieving Bu Hsin, or no mind. The contradiction is that the concept is, by definition, inconceivable, and thus (using Socratic method based Western style reasoning) impossible. The experience and description (or lack? haha), however has been described validated by god knows how many billions of Chinese. That recognition of extraordinary experience and it's utilization being an important part of why I find Taoist arts to be so inspiring and worthy of dedication. Not to go into one of those "In My Tradition" rants, but.. I've seen how monkey mind falls away naturally through the transformative process of physical effort and concentration. But without, of course, tension. And as the body and mind become integrated, and focus shifts to cultivation, the ability to turn the dialogue on and off at will becomes a snap. But of course martial traditions require strong visualization, and it's short hop and application from A to B. Anyway... getting off topic.