Yuen Biao

Does bouncing count? It's from 'five element' Qigong and I think the exercise is for the kidneys (?) I could be wrong though.

I concur that sounds fascinating; anyone have any information? It reminds me a little of Paul Brunton's 'A Search In Secret India', where Dr. Brunton also spent a night in the Great Pyramid.

My apologies, I did have my reservations about posting the word 'imbecile'. Your posts seemed very negative considering you are one who practises! I too know there is a plentiful amount of BS flying around on this subject and that the martial arts world is full of charlatans, equally there are many great practitioners too. But seriously you can cite scientific proof and actual results but others have posted why this is not easy. Personally I think the subject is so intangible that the nature of Qi is so difficult to prove. How difficult is it to find a 'real' Qigong master to 'show' his skills? Furthermore, aren't the articles contained on Qigong Institute enough information, you are obviously well aware of the benefits of internal arts as you said you do follow some form of training.

Can I just ask about the convex and concave mirrors and their uses; also is it okay to use the mirrors inside your house or are they to be placed outwith the property? There's definitely the makings of a great film in there!

Very interesting post. Can I ask what a 'House Protection Fu' looks like? Also, when meditating in your house would you recommend facing a window? Also should the door be closed so that energy does not escape? Thanks for the information!

Many thanks for your response! Best wishes, Yuen.

I'm sort of new to the forum so don't know if you are in-joking or not? Whom do you recommend? Thanks.

I concur with that statement, the subject is intangible and seems too general for science to answer. Although the problem is that science suggests that we are only imagining Qi (energy), colours of light and so forth. Very interesting thread indeed!

I was a strict vegetarian for several years when I began my training in the spiritual practices of Qigong. However, the last five years I have begun to eat fish and some seafood; the term for this is Pescetarianism or pesco-vegetarian. Some of the Taijiquan masters I met in Beijing also ate meat, smoked and drank alcohol yet they were very, very skilled in Taijiquan. So I figured I wouldn't be too strict with myself!

I went to my first Reiki session yesterday morning and I was completely blown away by the experience. Relaxing and yet so powerful my state was awash with beautiful colours and energy. The third eye was open more than I think I've experienced before, later that night I meditated a little and the feeling was still there and hopefully I can recreate this again regularly in my training. I just wanted to say to my fellow 'Tao Bums' that you should give Reiki a try if you haven't done so before; I'm sorry I never went sooner.

Some very interesting experiences here, thanks for sharing them! I too have experienced some of the milder accounts relating to energy and the opening of the third eye, although I have yet to see little green aliens. One thing though, that is pretty freaky a vision to see in the quietitude of one's training; how is one to deal with this experience? Just try and forget it, or acknowledge it and then quickly dismiss this event? I remember Glenn Morris in 'Path Notes...' spoke of something similar. By 'grounding' what exactly is your interpretation of this concept, as I know people can interpret this differently? Do you mean seated meditation? Thanks.

Yes, the Chakras are the same whether its Yoga, Qigong or Reiki.

Sorry but I find it sensational and innaccurate, no offence! Regarding your analogy of the dollar comment, unfortunately I couldn't say the same for those who criticise Lee as there are not many who have or do so! There's a reason that people only now see fit to comment on Lee, during his lifetime Joe Lewis for one certainly did not have the guts to criticise Lee. Lewis is so inconsistent though, at times he is glowing of his praise for Lee and others very arrogant in his criticism; one things for sure though is that he too has jumped on the bandwagon with his recent book which cashes in on his experience with Lee and his understanding of JKD, personally I find that hypocritical in the extreme! Mike Stone has also said many positive things about Lee, Bob Wall too, who probably has more credentials than Norris, Lewis or Stone. Like I said, its funny how they do this after Lee's passing which speaks volumes to me!

If that is the case I may be wrong about Cheung; however I know that he and Boztepe embarrassed the Wing Chun world with their public feud! On your second point the evidence suggests categorically that you are wrong about Lee and his motivation. Lee trained more than any present pro-fighter and often slept only a couple of hours to train through the night, his writings and notes justify this. Unfortunately for Lee he had to make movies as this was necessary to gain income to support his family at the time. I do however acknowledge that he loved making movies but this was a way to export Asian and in particular Chinese philosophy to the West. In Lee's interview with Pierre Burton (spelling?) he was against the idea of a 'star' like McQueen and Eastwood and criticised the name and all it stood for. For me I interpreted this as Lee being humble and not egotistical in the slightest although he knew he was good at fighting. Finally regarding competition, you should know that Lee never believed in rules because that is no way to show off your skills, Lee fought to protect himself fundamentally. Lee said many times if you are to fight you have to put your whole body and soul into the fight and put your life on the line; in sport competitions this is not possible and is not a fair reflection on one's fighting prowess. However, that's not to say Lee did not spar because he was the first to introduce full-contact sparring to the U.S. Lee sparred with many, many great martial artists and none of them laid a finger on him, well maybe they did but we have yet to hear about it! This speaks volumes in my opinion.

I don't agree with that at all! I think Cheung is widely regarded as having 'an axe to grind' but he is correct about Lee not completing the set of Wing Chun. As for your other point about Lee's great love being acting? I think that would be his second love, do you know about Lee's training regime? Lee trained more than modern pro-fighter's for heaven's sake!

Will you come to Scotland too?

Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov wrote about the problems one can have when in a relationship with someone who is promiscuous. I cannot remember exactly what was written but the conclusion was that you are opening yourself up to negativity; that of your girl and the men she has slept with. It's all about the vibes, and the fact that seekers of the way are trying their best to be honest and pure is in contrast with the negativity and potential harm you may receive. I think that was the essence of Aivanhov's lectures as found in his book 'Lifeforce'. Like 'Scotty' said, get rid man and start afresh. There are better women out there!

Man that's some sick shoes! But seriously these are the most comfortable shoes I've ever had http://emericaskate.com/shoes/holiday-2008/francis-suski/ Perfect for Taijiquan practice - they have hi-tops which will be warmer and the sole is soft, flat and pliable.

I'd say Taoism is a philosophy. If you look at meditation for example, it is designed to balance; we live so much in the external realm which philosophically implies the internal. One might then make the leap and say that the very existence of finite beings implies the infinite. Well, that's my stance stated philosophically.

I read it too! A very interesting read, especially the part about Wilhelm Reich's experimentation with 'energy'. I've also seen the footage of John Chang in the 1988 BBC documentary "Ring of Fire". WOW!

I do roughly the same every morning, but supplement the seating meditation with Zhan Zhuang and standing Wuji meditation a few times per day for a couple of minutes at a time. At various times throughout the day I try to be conscious of my breathing and regulate it accordingly.