Trunk

Quite obviously, it seems to me, could be talking about the bedroom arts. The attitude that's coming forth is really (can't find the right adjective),.. well, I appreciate it. There has to be some basic, deep, acknowledgement respect honor basic to healthy gender relations that the above quote surely is expressing. (I hesitate to bring this back to a martial metaphor, because the statement diffuses the "battle of the sexes" so well, but..)This seems very much like internal martial arts' push-hands. There's always a deep consciousness of one's own center and root, and an unwillingness to stray from that, that allows you to give what you can (actually more effectively than if you try to over-extend) and yet be respectful and aware of your own limits. And, actually, push-hands works most effectively if there is no 'battle', only attention to such conscious integration. That is, if you abandon your own root, there is more effort and you have less to give to your partner. But, if you are unshakably centered in your own root and at the same time are sensitive to your partner, then there is really very little effort and, ironically, you give a lot more. btw, welcome to the board. Trunk

"Men are analytical." (I just had to say that.)

Agreed. Very homey, homey.

(This is becoming like a "sacrum blog".) Definately I can relate. I find that sexual impulses, memories, from the past are peeling away. Like, someone I haven't thought about for 25 years has come up in my sexual memory. ??? And I feel some tenderness in my low back. And, since you mentioned it, there has been some rather intense pain (emotional and energetic) over the last few days or so. And at the same time I definately feel that the energy is configuring, flowing, "correctly" and is stabalizing. Purification process.

When I first tried the exhale-flex-sacrum technique, I got it pulsing readily enough, but also found that I had some weakness and stagnant qi. Grief, anger. But I could also feel that it made a real connection from front (genitals) to back (sacrum). I eased off, didn't push it, but worked with whatever ltt breathing seemed to feel ok, when it felt ok. The result is that I'm feeling the front & back integrally connected, with not much practice, and the little orbit occuring with a much deeper level of tissue than I've ever felt. My sexual vitality is more stable, and the process~configuration just "feels right". And some weak and emotional parts are still processing. Thanks for dialoguing on this. Really interesting to hear how this progresses with others. Always nice to know whether "its just me", or if a pattern is common. --- later --- I find that the sacrum is a 'distribution point' that allows some other ltt areas that are stuck to flow and resolve. The grief and anger that I feel resolving in my ltt are not particularly around the sacrum, but are pockets of presure here & there. Activating (pulsing) the sacrum is allowing me to feel and resolve these old back-waters. Also, I find that the jing is not going just up my spine from the sacrum: My legs are being supplied with more power.

Here's the graphic of male & female anatomy.

Hey, I'm just barely figuring out my own sexual alchemy! , so the very little that I figure about women's is just that: very little. Agreed. And, btw, for me - this recent awakening of the sacrum (tailbone) has made a big difference. This is one of those turning-point break-throughs for me. Things are going right with very little effort. I don't know if women really have an easier time of it. Seems to me that men have some easier access of some of the circuitry re: the head, but have a really tough time connecting essence to that in an smooth integral stable way. For women, the essence thing isn't so much of a problem, but they get hung up in their emotional nature, perhaps not as easier access to the still place that men naturally have. Of course, I'm speaking in generalities, and individuals (of both genders) vary. And, I'm clearly in rough territory fathoming female alchemy. Maybe Lozen, TwoTrees, Lezlie, would contribute their insights?? Trunk

Did you guys see the "men, women" linked graphic in the essay? I think that one of the reasons that women stabalize their generative energy easier is that ovaries are closer to the spine (sacrum) than testicles are. And their kan & li (jing to heart) is naturally supported cause o' breasts.

I'm mostly interested in the core work. (And there's a difference between core and ab work, ime.) Though some of all the rest is cool, too. I think that the pilates system development was significantly influenced by Joseph Pilates' clientele. First he used it to heal himself, then worked in infirmaries, then it caught on really big with the dance community. (See history of pilates.) So, with some of the leg-work, you can see how its geared towards dancers. But the core work is, imo, is really the key of pilates. It'd be cool to see a Taoist version of pilates develop.

That's a keeper.

Video #1 on Plato's page has been fixed.

I think that you could make a poster out of that one.

Alchemical Taoism.com

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Wow. Nice that you got an early start. I was atheist until my 2nd year in college, then had an experience and started looking. I see my friends with kids who are in jr high & high school and think, "wow, if they could just learn a simple kan & li, some sort of tan tien practice to help resolve pubescent anxiety, and a little rooting - early, as they're going through puberty", it'd pay off so huge. Of course I don't talk to any of my "civilian" friends about my website, etc. Too weird. Good thing there's yoga studios all over, at least. Gives people an in-road.

Its from bungling my own path, getting ow-ies, and compelled to sort it out. Initially buying the narrow "retention & mo" package for way way too long. When, actually, the path is much much broader than that, and the actual demands of my own situation were/are much more complex, much broader. I got a taste of a high clear place, of "advanced jing gong", and so focused on that rather narrowly, hard core, for a long time. Without even knowing the mechanics of advanced jing gong ! (nearly totally misguided), plus having very substantial aspects of psyche, physiology that would've been more appropriately viewed as simple "healthy jing gong" and some very serious "healing jing gong" (my health issues have been formidable). And various aspects of myself, my practice, quite often might be categorized as being in all three of those areas quite frequently. For instance, I need to be attentive to a stubborn channel blockage ("healing") of mine, need some time simply to be with others as a regular human and be nourished and participate in basic fun male~female interaction ("healthy") and cultivate higher states, integrate that as normal reality ("advanced"). And my body emphasizes those various aspects naturally at different times. Learning to groove well with my own cycle of changes, my own varied make-up. I've been serious about this stuff, and got more fixated than I should've - but, on the other hand, there were principles that I just had to clarify. The "R&D" work on this road has been personally expensive. And not just for me. Back somewhere prior to 2000 (98?) when we were just starting out on the HT board - looking back it was so pitiful and ridiculous how little we knew, how naive we were. Plato really was very progressive and prompted a number of very important avante-gard break throughs. Now there is this broader base of knowledge that the community knows in general (and, yes, a lot of it is preserved on my site - a group effort). When that recent thread, "loosing jing", recently started, I thought "oh, no, here's another lemming who read a HT book or three". Just sort of tragic cannon fodder, like most of the droves that read those books. But then a number of people piped up with broad-minded, well informed, experienced communique. Its like "wow, that guy is really getting some good help, early, - he doesn't have to go down that narrow ill-informed road". Its really genuinely difficult to sort it out on one's own. The cyber-community is really baring fruit. Our niche of culture is generating a wisdom-base. Its really really gratifying to see. This was the purpose of my website, to assist along those lines. As I started realizing how much critical information we were missing, and I knew what I'd gone through by mis-practicing.. partly as a sort of revenge, I wanted others to have the information, in a really clearly spoken way, that I'd missed for the first 15+ years of practice. Wow, did I really just type all that? I'm ranted out. cheers everybody, cheers.

That's very advanced, "advanced jing gong". And can be very progressive, if you're at that level of cultivation.If you don't have it all worked out right, long term retention causes trouble - jams up the works, at various levels. That's a more regular level. imo, someone should become very familiar with simple "healthy jing gong", promoting harmony and basic health, before they try retention. Make all of your tissues supple & free from obstruction, learn to blend and harmonize your energies, learn to stabalize into your centers. That should keep you busy for a few decades.

The main effect of the 6HS's are to allow the organs to blow off extra heat and stress by vibrating (sound) & breathing. So, if you tend towards some stress and heat then dropping the sounds is a problem. But if you're chilled anyway, no problem. Or, you can add them occasionally as you feel is appropriate. I'd say, do any practice routine you want, just conclude it in the still center.

You're probably working inside and have the usual work-stresses that create heat in the body. (Right?) If so, "The lungs like to be cool". The time when you get to rest, exercise, breathe, is all during the daytime. And during the cooler night you're at your job in stale air. Your lungs have no chance to "chill". I suggest that you take at least a couple of breaks during your night job, and go outside: do some slow deep breathing and some stretching, maybe Yi Swallows Qi once or twice (its really good for clearing heat). If its possible to do some aerobic exercise (jogging, swimming, biking) during your off time, that might help.

LOL! You've definately got an edge!

How's the book? Had a chance to read it some? Learn anything interesting?

Wow. Sounds good. There's a similar movie that came out in the 80's called The Big Blue, that is about that - and is excellent.

Partly I echo Yoda's comment. I don't know, and haven't heard any strict definition (or any definition, actually). However, the systems that I've heard of either: 1. Go through a bunch of positions while doing lower tan tien breathing, or 2. Stretch in ways that emphasize the fascia. But it might be something entirely different. Be interested to hear, if you are inclined to post after you take the class.