Taiji-student

Trunk, to me and I'm sure to many others your two cents are of high value. Thank you for elaborating!

Rolf, Hermit: thank you Trunk, I fully support your notion that what we in lack of a better term can call "mental training" in itself is probably not enough (or rather, that it is not possible to actually do this) if the problem is more chronic and deep-rooted. Here "mechanical" methods like you suggest, acupuncture, psychomotorical therapy etc, has their obvious uses. However, for the day-to-day lives for the most of us I personally think it would be advisable not to get too caught up in this controlling of sexual desires. If one has decided not to satisfy such desires, fine, still it's only healthy that they from time to time surfaces. Whatever practice one is doing (qi gong, martial arts, acupuncture, etc) should help one in this aspect if it is a healthy and well-balanced practice, and "entering into the observer" can be used instantly whenever it's called for. For a more or less sexually and mentally healthy person to put to use a whole array of techniques specifically to "subdue" desires I feel is a bit over-the-top. As an aside I would say that "entering into the observer" has a different result than just "detaching" or "distracting" by mental exercise. It's not "thinking about baseball instead." It is a mind-calming practice which aids to balance and refine qi just as physical exercises, and IMO(though I respect everyone else's!) much more safely than visualization exercise. Ofcourse these are just my personal thoughts on the subject and I'm no expert on anything.

I like to "enter into the observer." Shifting the mind to try and see those "symptoms" as phenomenon which you can observe like from a third-person perspective. This way they roll past and they are not defining of you or your experience on this earth. I mentioned this technique in the thread about controlling sexual desire the other day. It is actually in the context of anxiety attacks and "social phobia" that I have put it to use the most. Yes I am an ex-patient of anxiety disorder. Through taijiquan practice I sometimes came to this shift of consciousness. After I realized how this mode of consciousness was different from my day-mind I slowly learned to make use of it in day-to-day situations. And in the context of meditation it is obviously very practical and do-able. By the way I think ones ability to make use of this exercise (or ones ability to perform it to completion) varies with other factors as well. Taiji exercise, acupuncture, all come into play. Acupuncture points I might suggest would be P-7 (daling), P-6 (neiguan), He-7 Shenmen. All are located inside the wrist and can be manipulated by gently pressing and releasing or by "tapping" like in EFT/TFT. P6/7 have the characteristic that they open up the chest and calm Shen. He-7 balances heart energy and also He-9 Shaochong on the root of the little finger nail, most often used as an acute point, can have very rapid effect to calm heart racing, hyperventilation and the like when manipulated forcefully with the nail of the thumb on the other hand.

My unwarranted, personal thoughts on this: "being present" as someone stated before me here, or "entering into the observer," it's a helpful and IMO non-harmful approach to problems such as this. It can applied universally to almost any problem of "will", any sort of obsession or reocurring mental chatter, and painful or unhelpful modes of reaction such as pensive worry, internal self-criticism etc. Instead of trying to suppress thoughts, feelings or sensations, I "enter into the observer" by simply stating to myself, "now I am aroused," or, "now I am having sexual thoughts," "now something in me wants a cigarette", or whatever. This is the trick. Observe the notion you are having as a phenomenon you can experience from a third person view. Accept whatever is inside you wholeheartedly without criticism, but do nothing, take on the attitude of the observer watching whatever sensations is running through your mind and/or body. Often I find that calmness reaches me within a few minutes, and it is the kind of calmness which can not come from suppressing your thoughts or feelings. I find this exercise(or mindset, really) to be very helpful to stop us from sabotaging our progress underway. Over time I think this kind of consciousness practice has curative and rebalancing effect of its own, but it's main strength is how it can be used instantly at any time during the day while we are having any kind of difficulty. With practice it takes very little time to "enter into the observer" and when practiced for a while most find that they will not need to use it as often as before. By the way I find the other posts in this thread to be very interesting. Thanks!

In total agreement with cloudwalker, it's a long way to go, not just a technique to learn and then simply replicate. And while it can be frustrating, that's really the beauty of it isn't it - at least I try to see it that way myself

Personally, I have no opinion as to specific points. Different people locate k-1 differently too (like you wouldn't believe!). "Do you feel ground connection? Can you release tension in foot, are you centered, are your feet relaxed?" These are the questions I ask myself when I do "grounding" exercise and taijiquan form. After a while I will feel the energy very well, also in k-1. It works for me and I think the "specific point" which is most beneficial if one trains with a specific point in mind, may change over time and be different for person to person relating to their present state, their structure, etc. Talking about the value of grounding by the way I'd like to tell you a story. A close family member went to a psychomotorical physiotherapist (there is a very special form of psychomotorical therapy which is very good. It is developed in norway based on the field findings of a psychiatrist and a physical therapist in collaboration. I think it's only practiced here and other psychomotorists, like the ones in france, may be different in their approach, training, theory etc.) Learning and practicing exercises which look a lot like the ones we use for grounding and foundational work, she actually gained two sizes (north european sizes, like she went form 37 to 39) in shoes! The woman is over fifty years old. Based on my own diagnosis(energetical, pulse, observation) her qi and blood flow is much better with no acupuncture, no TCM, no qigong. Her various symptoms have been reduced both in intensity and frequency. We're talking serious mental stuff here and also internal stuff like heart and blood pressure problems, stomach aches, kidney problems, migraines (yes she's a tough case). It only shows that a basic understanding of achieving natural alignment of the musculoskeletal structure can go a long way. (I know for a fact her therapist had no knowledge of acupuncture, qigong, TCM, etc, because after this I have worked in cooperation with the therapist, now I from time to time teach some of her patients.)

Welcome! I'm new here too but I welcome you anyway I have some suggestions about your foot question. But note this: I very well know many will disagree with me on what I'm saying and THAT'S OK. Personally I believe several views can be valid at once and this aspect is practiced differently in different lineages. You have accomplished practitioners in every lineage so clearly the truth can hold many forms, I don't claim that what I'm saying here is objectively "the right way" it's just one way to look at it. First of all, why not ask you teacher. If your teacher don't give you an answer, there might be a good reason why - see below. 1) focus on the energy, intent and feeling of the exercise and see if that guides you. If you really think there is "one correct point" perhaps you should go looking for it yourself, and discuss the sensations in your body with your teacher. Taijiquan perfection is a slow process, not just an exercise you can be explained and then replicate. 2) Interesting point here - some say, different points for different focus. I know of a school (yang style, Mary Y. lineage) where they change this instruction(which point to focus the weight on) over time for the advanced student, based on the teachers insight for the individual. At least that's what one of their students told me once. I never underwent training there so I couldn't say for sure, but it seems natural to me. And it probably works well for them. 3) This point is my summary on the way I was taught by my teacher. Focus more on the whole of the sole of your foot in contact with the floor/ground. Your weight is being spread evenly in your foot, allowing for full root, whole-body centeredness. When you accomplish this you will feel the tingling different places from time to time, not always just in ki-1 or in the heel etc. You will feel sensations in your foot relevant to your energetical processes there and then, not just relevant to your posture, if you only open up and allow for it. You open for it, if you adhere to all taiji principles, if your posture is light, upright, centered. Do you have sung, are you relaxed. Check your spine, your hips, your alignment. For the foot, focus on your whole and relaxed footsole in contact with the ground, not a single point. Like I said this is not the only way to look at it and I don't claim it to be "the right way." It's just input. Perhaps others are right and reach higher levels more quickly by thinking differently. Perhaps they don't. Who knows? friendly regards Taiji-Student

www.rosicrucian.org/podcast The AMORC organization for sure is controversial and I do not agree with all aspects of it, but I consider it to be a valid vehicle of some knowledge not easily available elsewhere. The american lodges have a podcast open to non-members, most of them are recorded during their open salons which they hold regularily at Rosicrucian Park. When you get past the cheesy MC introducing the podcasts some of these really can be of some value. At least they were for me. Only too bad that they are not organized in a more effective way (and they should fire the introducer, I see a bright future for him in TV infomercials) For those of you interested in the use of sound/vibrations check out the vowel sounds in the great pyramid edition. After the initial visualization exercise there is actual recordings of the traditional rosicrucian vowel sounds intonations in the kings Chamber in the great pyramid.

Thanks a lot Lin, I'll be in touch for specifics eventually, I believe some foundational Wing Chun training would be a very valuable experience for me (or anyone else). Pardon me all for distracting from the discussion originally at hand

Hey Lin, you seem very knowledgeable about Wing Chun. I appreciate your insights. I have always been interested in cross-training in wing chun. Do you know of any school, teacher or organization in Europe training wing chun along the principles you mention? Alternatively an international location with a possibility for live-in training?

Good day to you rain and thanks for the welcome, nice to see there are fellow norwegians here! Snakkes

Good day to you all, I am a 23 year old Taijiquan (Yang/Cheng Man Ching style) practitioner from Norway. While I do not self-identify as a "daoist", I believe that maybe I might as well could have. I have little appreciation of dogma of any kind, and in my everyday life I draw inspiration from all sorts of spiritual traditions. I practice various energetical exercises or qi gong to attain better health both spiritually, mentally and physically. I was raised (thankfully liberally) catholic and have much love for the contemplative and mystical paths still surviving in the christian faith. I am trained as a traditional acupuncturist and have been taught by my master to use qigong to reinforce the effects of my needling when I practice it. I started training in Taiji and Qigong at the age of thirteen or fourteen. Like so many others, I have only practiced diligently for short spells during my around 10 years of practice, while letting my attention wander off from my training for long periods in between. I give my training most of the honour for me still being in fairly good health after living very recklessly since my late teens. I certainly had no genetical advantages as I was in very bad health through all my childhood until I started taiji practice. I look forward to rededicating myself to my qigong and taijiquan practice, with more of what we some times call "maturity," or if you would like, with more will to at least partly neutralize the various distractions or our civilization than I had before. The "tao bums" community seems to be a inspiring resource - I am sure being active on this forum will be both educational and inspiriational to me and help me "keep on track" in my practice My daily practice now includes the 108 form taijiquan set, three qigong exercises called The Unchangeable Bear, Massaging Inner Organs and Balancing Inner Organs. I also try to do light calisthenics/strength training and silent meditation several times a week. your friend Andreas (Taiji-student)