Trunk

I recently had occasion to review the Qi Sphere: Beginning blog post I'd made in 2017. Brushed up a few things, including re-writing the paragraph description of Sifu Matsuo's full KYMQ video (I'd done a surprisingly poor job before). Also, I more explicitly described the "Most-Basic Guidelines, Maneuvers" which I'd meant to be clear about before ... but, as @Frederic mentioned above, I wasn't. https://johndaoproductions.wordpress.com/2017/08/11/qi-sphere-beginning/ So, now (I hope) the essay should provide an accessible clear basic qi sphere practice. ... which is what I intended in the beginning but, sometimes, as hard as I try - I only get so far in a single pass. (I was shocked when I discovered that I could learn to paint the internal arts, lol). Happens with other stuff, too. Guitar is notorious that way, lol. Bust ass for a modest plateau, let it rest, then it becomes base camp for the next climb.

(at the risk of posting old news, "yeah, everybody knows that". A couple of days ago I was in the mood to make some ox tail soup. I do, now and then, especially when I'm feeling that I want to go through a cycle of deep restoration - as it drives energy deeply into the tissues and bones. As well as circulating nourishing the lower abdomen the way the meaty part of the ox tail does. Making the soup is an all-day process in the crock pot: 8-9 hours of slow cooking, then cool and - the next morning - put in the refrigerator - and dole it out for various soups over the coming week +. It's a bit of work. ... but ... my local store has been out of ox tail for a month! And I notice that it's been harder to find in general these days. The butcher pointed to a freezer and said I could get some frozen bone broth there if I wanted. I've been aware of that option for years but've never tried it because I thought, "no comparison between fresh cooked vs. processed-premade-frozen bone broth". Boy, was I wrong. I got this "Signature sippable Bone Broth" made by "Osso Good Co.", $9 bucks. It's a mix of organic chicken, turkey, pork, & beef bone broth PLUS some seasoning. First try, I added some to a bowl of soup and *POW!*: it so strongly drew the energy deep that pretty much put me to sleep. Really. Since then I've cut the dose down. AND: it really is sippable! I can sip a little bit from the spout, straight from the bottle/package. With the seasoning, it tastes good. Super convenient, inexpensive. This is a strong herb. This sippable (seasoning + spout) bone broth is something I can easily have around all the time, and then just make ox tail soup when I'm in the mood for it. Always (eventually) learning. - Trunk

@Ghostexorcist 1. Can you log onto TDBs when you're not on your VPN? If that goes ok, then *bingo* to what everyone has been suggesting: the vpn is the sticking pt (maybe 'cause we banned someone before from it). 2. If it's convenient for you to log on regularly here outside of your vpn?, then *yippee*: all solved. If not, well... I'm not sure if we can go further than that. - Trunk

@steve, @Ghostexorcist I don't know the skinny on this. Following the thread to see what we learn.

"According to sutra the root of cyclic existence is our misconception that things have true existence. According to tantra this [mis]conception and the energy wind on which it rides are responsible. Since mind and energy are always together, tantric practice concentrates on halting the activity of the energy winds which serve as mounts for such [mis]conceptions. By gathering these coarser energies into the central channel of the subtle body and by causing them to remain and dissolve there, their activity ceases as does that of the coarser mental states allied to them. This allows subtle awareness to become active. One of the main purposes of tantric practice is to make manifest the actual clear light, namely subtle awareness in a blissful state experiencing reality." - The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, pg 42 This is in the intro of the above book (not the body of the book) and summarizes a key part of the vajrayana process.

Wow! Nice research & quotes! For a very long time, I only did meditation on stillness: just followed the breath & quieted the mind. No visualizations. In fact: let all images go. Allows subconscious material to arise and dissolve. Practices a kind of humility ... naturally diminishes “the mind of man” and increases “the mind of Tao” / emptiness. Tremendously helpful, important foundation. I was categorically against visualization. However, for a while now, I’ve been including minimal visualization, usually some variation of the pearl, and it includes light. Super helpful. More recently I’ve been a little more exploratory about visualizing light (not only a pearl in the central channel) and I continue to find it helpful. I feel that visualizing a little light assists in refining~healing my humanness, also helps me gradually connect to a deeper light. Nice topic! - Trunk

I'd like to extract & discuss this one part of method: developing the lower dan tien by repeatedly connecting hui yin up to the navel level (towards the center is how I interpret it), back and forth, fostering that connection, interaction. This is mentioned commonly in the yt videos (ex, ), seems a simple and major key, but if that part of the practice (people's experience with it) has been discussed much here I've missed it. - Trunk p.s. Please don't devolve this into some mo pai argument. And if it does become that, then I'd welcome moderators acting quickly and decisively, either towards specific posts or - if need be - pitting and locking the thread. If we could stay to method and personal experience, .

@Goku76 I didn't watch the video that you posted, but only saw the title. The pop-Tao knowledge that has been widely popularized in the west since the '80's is *loaded* with dangerous half truths. Authentic Taoism is quite different. I suggest that you read everything in the below link and, again, go study Damo's material thoroughly. I won't be responding to further inquiries along this line. No offense meant (and not meaning to shut down your expressiveness in general - I used to post here a lot and it can be a healthy outlet when you're in that phase, others might want to continue discussing); right now my focus is simply elsewhere and I've already provided plenty of quality material for you to study up on... which, if you read, will save you countless years of running around doing practices that either do nothing or, if done avidly, are injurious (typically gradually over years, then the resulting damage very stubborn to resolve both intellectually and physically). That's my 2 cents. cheers, Trunk

@Goku76 Apparently this HuiYin <~> navel meditation (and, for me, it's focus is entirely "yi" focus-of-attention based, not deliberate muscular this-n'-that) ... but apparently it is included as part of Damo Mitchell's extensive (and more authoratative than I) presentation of the microcosmic orbit. https://damomitchell.com/2020/03/23/microcosmic-orbit/ I might write some few notes re: my thoughts of it later, but might not. I'm pretty busy otherwise these days. Limited time/energy for here... and like I said, the above. ... here I go anyway ... I just focus on a 'pearl' of attention and move it, slowly, from huiyin up the center to the level of the navel, then back down again, repeatedly. The way I've done it, everything else (energetic, musculature etc) takes care of itself and is triggered by the simple what I just described.

My personal preference is Sifu Matsuo's variation, Kwan Yin Magnetic Qigong. Ordering information in the youtube description.

Available through Three Pines Press, $59. https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/product/daoist-internal-mastery/

Interesting that a senior brother strongly recommended Damo Mitchell's free online course on the microcosmic orbit and that this technique was one in a series of his presentation. https://damomitchell.com/2020/03/23/microcosmic-orbit/ I look fwd to watching the series when I have the focus available for a serious pass through.

Thought I'd start a thread to bat around ideas this super-concise generic outline of the internal path (slightly longer version here): - opening the tissues and channels - centering (personal basis: deep-centers / bindus along the central channel, bigger basis: luminous emptiness) - vertical integration (personal basis: continuum of connective tissue, bigger basis: heaven ~ human ~ earth interplay) It's so short that it might not look like much, but there is a lot in there to be unpacked, has broad application. ~ later edit ~ See thread Deep-Centers for more extensive discussion of that topic.

Thanks for the welcome. I'm pretty busy and this won't get much focused attention until weekend. - Trunk

I've recently 've been tinkering with lower dan tien breathing in plank position, at various angles: horizontal (as pictured below), or not as rigorous such as putting my elbows on the end of my bed (toes on floor), or on a window sill, etc. I like it because it engages musculature in a way I miss from weight-lifting, but I am still careful to keep some soft aspect when I LDT breathe (balancing softness, tension, circulation within the LDT breathing). Curious what positions y'all have explored in conjunction with LDT breathing? - Trunk p.s. ... and anything that you feel moved to share in the general topic-area, please do.

Alright, here's a summary/outline of lower dan tien breathing, from my pt of view.

I recently contacted my local dr of Chinese medicine, and her reply included this link. Really interesting and makes sense: this started in China, so they’ve been aggressively researching and treating with Chinese herbs. I seriously encourage people to establish communication with your local (and hopefully competent; it’s a varied field) doctor of Chinese medicine. During normal times, *If* you are healthy, experimenting with Chinese herbs can be fun/helpful, maybe only mildly dangerous. When you get sick, it becomes a VERY different situation and getting the RIGHT formula (NOT the wrong one) becomes critical. This link is especially interesting: https://www.activeherb.com/blog/the-official-tcm-formula-thats-successfully-treating-covid-19-patients-in-china.html Her reply in full:

Wanna help me build an American Indian (influenced or authentic) playlist for bagua practice? I don’t know of many, but am inspired to circle dance when I hear that kind of music. Any good recordings posted, that’d be coool. @zerostao , @spiraltao

Just psychologically, lol, not physically... that some writing might relieve.

I get that, from a western medical perspective, it’s just getting oxygen / CO2 past the lung/blood barrier. In qigong (and other forms of internal arts) it varies a *lot* more, descriptions based on how it feels (that might not line up with western physiology hardly at all). Experiment, if you have the opportunity & interest: several hatha yoga classes.

@dawei Good questions. I’ve recently felt a bit ‘pregnant’ with re-capping (concisely outline) my whole learning curve re: LDT breathing, including major mistakes. Journaling therapy, perhaps therapeutic for me only, lol. When I have time/energy for this, I will... maybe with some squiggly quick drawings, lol. I can’t tell from this thread so far whether we’re referring to the same/very similar breathing method/s or not.

I continue to get surprisingly effective results from LDT breathing while in plank, and basic plank variations (fwd, reverse, each side, lifting one arm/leg up, slowly rotating that arm/leg - all while LDT breathing). It's super fast efficient, no equipment. Really pleased with this line of exploration. Journaling notes on process, results. I find that DGS teacups complements LDT-breathing-in-plank (how about, "PlankLDT") really well. Loosens around the spine. Also a super concise fast efficient exercise. These two work wonderfully, individually and especially together, and take almost no time to do, no equipment. Really pleased with current ventures.