Baguakid

I can agree with Jess in theory but I'm below him, I practice for health right now. I'm too old to play that fight game. But, having said that, there are other methods of training which makes the body very strong without compromising health, Neigong training... I have a couple Neigong teachers in Shanghai who if you hit them it's like hitting bricks. They don't know Taiji, Bagua, or other internal arts. They just train Neigong. Amazing. So, there are a lot of theoretical approaches to these arts...

Yes, I agree with what's mostly been said here. A very top level Master in our system told me once.. In the internal arts there are few who practice Bagua, within Bagua there are few who practice well. My teacher can only have a few students, maybe 10 at the most at any one time and most of them come and go with only 1 or 2 who stay with it. The old Chinese saying, must eat bitter to taste sweet certainly applies with Bagua.

Yes, Here's my teacher and I in Shanghai: Here's Zhang DuGan in Italy: Bagua is not easy. It's very demanding if done correctly. Even with videos there are fine details which would not come out on video. Must learn with a teacher. Also, I find there are large differences between styles. From our style I have found none who practice the same principles though there could be some out there. We are from Gong BaoTian lineage.

See the Three Worms as one of the reasons for Bigu (also called Pigu). http://sites.google.com/site/delawareteaso...demons-and-bigu It also comes to Acid/Alkaline in Diet. It should be done under the supervision of a Master as the master can help support the student with Qi infused objects.. Tea, nuts, etc. One lady does this: http://www.qinway.org but she's quite expensive and really doesn't teach how to do Bigu.. You need to continue to purchase supplies from her to continue. It's a rare art which I am very interested in.

Did this go off yet in China? Any results from anyone who went?

you know, I still can't figure out what the heck Kunlun is and why there's so much interest in it. What is the deal with Kunlun?

Over the years I've found most Qigong masters really have big egos and I was speaking with a Chinese woman from Wuhan the other day who confirmed this. Also, in the same light, in the Qigong/Martial arts world, there are a bunch of Sneaky Bastards. People who will lie and sneak to try to get your material rather than talking to you straight and honestly. I find it difficult to find good people in this realm of interest. BTW, I've been doing this for over 25 years.

I agree with this too. It's said that a student (of qigong) shouldn't teach until after 10 years of diligent practice but people I know want to turn around just after they learn something and teach it to someone else. Heck, I've been practicing Wuji qigong for over 15 years and have discovered things only found through practice. How can someone teach well after 2 weeks? After coming back from China I wanted to teach the Bagua I had learned to help bring attention to my teacher.. for his benefit, not mine. And, I will still do that but not as a school. I work 12 hours a day as a software engineer so this for me is not about money. When I was in China I always met with my teacher when we were suppose to. I practiced everyday to try to understand what was being taught. I brought him gifts and looked out for him and now I'm in the states, I still do. Most of his Chinese students were half interested and lazy to practice. It's very difficult to find a good teacher, very difficult. It's extremely difficult to find high quality material. And it's very difficult to find good students.

There was recently (several months ago, a post about a seminar... camp.. wait.. here it is: http://www.dao-de.org/dragongate/news/news.html I guess it's next month..

Spirit, Can you talk a litte about what this palm is? What are the characteristics of this gong? Thanks.

Well, I'm only interested in internal work. If the WLP seminar was internal work and not just theory then that's good. It always interests me though how it's like pulling teeth to get anything out of the more senior people that follow him. So tiring. Anyway, Taomeow, I'd be interested in hearing more. Thanks,

Anything. Was it worth it? Did you learn anything useful? Or, was it an event to be close to a famous person.

Absolutely no results. Not powerful, not nothing.

I really don't consider Spontaneous gong useful (for me, I learned from another teacher) and I've never received any results from it but I'd like to hear more from Jenny. Does she teach anything else?

English and Conversational Chinese. I don't think there should be sub-forums because it would dilute topics and exclude those who cannot speak that language.

Old Man Contradiction, Thank you for your insights and input on Yichuan... It's an art I've admired from a distance as it's not easy to find teachers in the state I'm in (Florida) or where I lived in China (Shanghai). You've obviously learned from knowledgeable people and spent considerable time in thought and research about the art. To start Standing practice the student should know what they are training for. Wuji as taught by Cai Songfang (with hands at the sides), is a practice for building qi, tonifying kidneys and opening channels. This is especially useful in older or weak/depleted students as it builds from within. This also is a perfect marriage with Taiji. Wuji to build Qi, Taiji to move Qi. Of course, I'm speaking in terms of health. Martial artists will have a different perspective and training theory/method. It's very important to know what you want to achieve from your training when you start looking for a teacher.

This is absolutely incorrect. There are many different variations of ZZ with theory to match. You should not speak in absolutes of the entire ZZ world based you your ZZ experience and knowledge which appears to be limited. Wuji qigong, a form of ZZ, employs standing by the alignment of several points on the body (3 points on the same line) which does not have anything to do with muscles but skeletal and acupoint alignment between heaven and earth. Cai Songfang, one of the highest level qigong masters I've met did nothing but this exercise and has reached very high levels with it.

Old Man Contradiction has it right. Taiji is nothing without Wuji training. If a teacher only does forms and no standing students will not progress very well (IMO)... Real results comes with 1 to 2 hours of standing a day. Then practice form, applications, etc. The Taiji teacher, IMO, should be well rounded in that respect.

Scotty is right. If you can swing it, I'd also go to a TCM doctor. I know different places have different prices. If you can find a Chinese community that's fairly large you can probably get a diagnosis for around 10.00 (if you don't want treatment or herbs). Other places with few Chinese the prices are usually racked up high. Like I was saying before. A spleen Qi deficiency could be caused by something else (Liver/Kidney) or other problem. Ask the doctor for the root cause.

I'm not a TCM doctor but have also researched this much. Off the top of my head, and besides looking at the spleen only, there are two other factors that may be considered when dealing with the Spleen (in TCM). First is the Liver (liver controls stomach/spleen) and Kidneys (the root of all Yin/Yang in the body). Just to give you a little more info. Having said that there are two exercises I have found over the (many) years to help. 1. Swimming Dragon Qigong. 2. Wuji Qigong (palms at the sides as taught by Cai Songfang). Swimming Dragon helps circulate qi, open channels and, stimulates Stomach/Spleen activity. This is a very good exercise. Wuji also opens channels, stimulates Stomach/Spleen activity but also builds/strengthens Kidneys. I think these two are a very good and safe combination. Oh, and drink more water hope this helps.

There's info on the web about this but not about Hsi Lai. Anyone know his/her (can't tell from the name) lineage/background? Thanks,

Thanks Spirit, This sounds really great!! I'm looking forward to your release!!

Oh, 11:33, I wasn't directing that at you (the "What are you trying to do" comment). It was rhetorical.

I have experienced tcm for many years. Acupuncture, Tuina, Qigong, herbs, etc. From my experience, yes, it works but a person's behavior also needs to change in order to have complete results. I'm talking about whole body and diet, life style changes. What are you trying to do? Tonify kidneys, reduce heat, dampness, etc. I have found that through diet (acid/alkaline) and qigong exercises (to remove bad qi, to build kidneys, to stimulate metabolism (stomach/spleen) is better than TCM in the long run. But, that person needs to adhere to these practices. If a patient wants to get better the doctor needs to guide them in that direction. I have found this lacking in most TCM doctors. It seems Chinese feel they don't want to disrupt a patient's lifestyle. Just my (experienced) opinion.