Trunk

This is one of the big topics that we haven't discussed enough, imo. Men tend to be sexually frenetic; we're naturally challenged to cool down. As usual, I see this mostly through the lense of what I've been doing lately: activating acupoints. (Also, the usual disclaimer: this might/might not work. Good luck.) Basically, activate the little orbit like this (follow links for most of the info): 1. Sacrum: bonger (link) 2. QiHai Ren-6: twiddle (link) 3. GuanYuan Ren-4: twiddle 4. MingMen Du-4: twiddle 5. HuiYin Ren-1: hand positions (below) I find that the above activates blood/energy flow adjacent to the sexual area, so it alleviates sexual pressure. Also, it transforms the energy and sends it deep (and to various places). HuiYin hand positions Sit on something cushy, like a couch or bed. 1) Put one palm centered on on huiyin. Huiyin is half-way between the genitals and anus, so that means that the heel of your palm will be at the back of your scrotum. You'll probably need to hunch over some. 2) Put your other hand over your heart. Stay there for a while. 3) Move your hand from your heart to the top of your head. Stay there for a while. That's it. One of the tricks, I find, with huiyin is that it needs connection integration with higher energies in order to activate well. It has a special relationship with baihui (the acupoint at the top of the head) in that regard, but I prefer to use the heart for half of it so as not to over-do the head. The short version of this is to just sit around twiddlin' Ren-6 and Ren-4. GuanYuan Ren-4 I find most interesting. I'd like to hear reports back from some who try this, cause I'm definately still in the "wonder how this works for others" phase. Trunk

Yup.After a week plus, I was so disappointed by his lectures that I just skipped 'em and took walks: explored the local farming villages, country-side, and temples. There was a family who sold home-made coconut ice cream out of their driveway, yummmm-ee. So, if you are going for the ice cream and the walks, I'd highly recommend it - but for the other?: nope.

That was fun. Sweet.

My Kan&Li mention had to do with practice, not theoretical debate. And my note that it was powerful was based on personal experience. All within the realm of simple (not 'miraculous') personal results. My comment towards "does qi exist?" was the kirlian photograph, totally within the realm of common occurance. Those are just my contributions, by-the-way, I'm personally (long since) not "in" the debate of whether extraordinary things happen... and I think that - for most people - those issues are decided through direct personal experience.

A powerful version of Kan&Li mentioned in that vid.

I'm curious to read that. Do you know the issue (year/mo) of YJ that that was in? ... or link to the article?, or title? (btw, the findings sound about right ) ~ later ~ I did some searching and a call to YJ's back issue outlet. The article is called "Sex Lives of the Gurus" and it was from the July/Aug 1985 issue of Yoga Journal - the back issue is not available.

Impressed. The body says a lot.

Now there's a moderate sensible healthy pt of view.

1) You could do it standing, also. Mix it up if you like. 2) Don't worry about the fur. 3) Do the practice for as long/short as you like. I'd say at least 4 times a week in the beginning, though, in order to get some momentum going. You could even do it 2 or 3 times a day, but for much shorter sessions (even as short as a few minutes) .. in order to build toward beginning opening. 4) Don't worry about the retention, just be moderate. 5) Hatha yoga is pretty balanced, stay with it. No worries. All imho. ~ later edit ~ oh, * whew *, Chris showed up to give the low down.

"Saving / spending" is close enough to the truth to be interesting, but far enough away to be terribly mis-leading. It's about transforming jing, not simply saving it. If enough of your subtle machinery is active in the right ways, then jing will be refined and stabilized - and you'll just naturally have greater storage capacity. But if you try and "save" without having your alchemy actually happening then you're just saving trouble and will hurt yourself. Trying to force things beyond what your alchemy is actually ready for is a recipe for harm. Plenty of aspiring alchemists end up damaging their health and sex lives. Plenty of people who never take up alchemical sex lead happy, healthy normal lives. It's a tricky road, and takes some finesse, discernment towards "the middle way". Look towards your own harmony. Trunk p.s. Also, as others have already said, reckless over-spending is not a good thing. p.p.s. The whole issue becomes more compelling after initiation, whether it has happened formally or spontaneously. Once you've been dunked and soaked in the inspirational states, then your whole body wants that - all the way through... and the spiritual ~ sexual nexus often becomes an intense conundrum (especially for us males).

Welcome.

Sweet.

This whole field is saturated with sensationalism and mis-direction. Semen retention, hanging weights, endless sex, endless celibacy, on and on. Men tend to be sexually frenetic. Seems to me that the first order of business is to learn how to cool and soothe ourselves, just within a natural common sexual life. For instance, most men who are in a relationship also masturbate on the side. I'm not saying that that's altogether bad, but it's a sign of common pattern of excess that we are prone to. No one talks about simple life, simple sexuality .. interest in establishing some basic grounded harmony. It doesn't help that we are presented with retention, immortality, and truck pulling as initial advertisements into sexual alchemy. My two cents. Grumpy.

Browse alchemicaltaoism.com. There are lots of solutions - it's just a matter of degree. And yes, your idea has been explored before - for just that purpose. I find that the crystal wand is preferable, conveniently occasionally used in the shower.

Couple of features that are really helpful in situations like these, both under "my controls": 1. in the "messenger" section, the "pm buddies/block list" you can block these people from sending you further pm's 2. in the "options" section, there is "manage ignored users" by which you can set so you don't see someone's posts in discussion threads cheers,

"Heat increases viscosity" is very well put, definately a keeper phrase. However, an increase in viscosity is the danger of retention, in that it tends to lead to "stuck" which ain't good (link). If you retain, the heat & tension are... uh... inconvenient disharmonius by-products that you've got to get good enough at resolving in order to get on with real refinement. And good luck finding really good information on what "real refinement" is or reliable well-grounded "how-to's". ... but, we all try.

Here's what I do: cover basic seven directions while LTT breathing: 0. standing normal 1. bent fwd 2. bent back 3. in squat (down) 4. standing up w/ slight stretch upward and hands extended above head 5. bent to left from a normal or tall stance 6. bent to right " Don't strain yourself on any of the bends; they're mild. The idea is just to vary things mildly; just shifting a little here and there - it emphasizes different places in the abdomen. The above set-up is not fancy, but it covers all the basic angles. And it's easy to remember, "this way, that way, up, down, yeah, yeah I remember". You could do 3-5 breaths in each position and just rotate until you feel like stopping, or hang out in one or another and explore. Whatever you're diggin'.

2nd that! Check out the post on the small heavenly orbit. And then all of the posts that are tagged with SHO. (p.s. I hope that blog is legit. It reads like it probably is. later 2nd p.s. Please quote and link the passages from the blog as needed. yet an even later p.s. For modesty's sake, let's assume that the blog is incomplete, that it's not meant as a fully detailed instruction manual but just a .. blog. )

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2417951,00.html

I realize that I offered a lot of material, that'll take a while to explore and digest. Just a note that, as far as the massage goes, probably the first thing you should do is follow Owl's advice about massaging the Liver channel. (It's bilateral - both sides - as are of the channels.)

A number of things (bunch o' links): 1. Drop retention practices. Aspire towards harmony, not necesarily retention. Many people find the basic kunlun practice harmonizing, but it probably won't open up a really jammed up dan tien by itself. 2. Various massage (link, link, link). 3. Exercises that target lower abdominal circulation. ... all from alchemicaltaoism.com.

In addition to the good advice already given... There are all sorts of different breathing methods. "Deep into my lower body, belly and back expand" seems to indicate some Taoist (or perhaps from another tradition) lower abdominal breathing, and that's a more difficult long term project to get that totally smooth. That's not what I'm referring to when I mention "follow the breath". By "follow the breath" I mean to just breathe in a comfortably deep and relaxed way, and following the flow of air from the top to the bottom and then back out again. No attempt to expand this or that part of the body to particularly massage bodily tissues. Just comfortably, naturally deep. Not forced like "I've got to get the breath all the way in there 100%!". One way to practice this is several times a day, at work. Just several times a day, notice if your breathing is shallow or comfortably deeper. If it's shallow, simply breath deeper. Not forced, not like it has to go deep to a certain place. Just whatever bit is easy and smooth for you. Then go back to whatever you were doing and don't worry about it. Just check that out several times a day. Don't attempt to have it all the time nor to any sort of standard about the perfect depth or whatever. Taoist lower abdominal breathing is too much to do during kunlun. What I meant is just relaxed comfortably deep breathing including attention. cheers, Trunk

A basic key is the breath (as has already been mentioned). If you follow the sensation of your breath going into your body and follow it all the way into your lower abdomen, then out again... that gives your mind something to latch onto. Plus it is a method of activating, blending, harmonizing your upper~middle~lower body. It allows the feelings etc to open, be felt, and to process. Also, the breath is a marker, a notification, of when you are shutting off from your inner process. If your breathing becomes shallow, then your body is clenching, shutting off to the inner process. So, then you just resume breathing comfortably deeply all the way through. (There are advanced states where the breath stops, but that is felt as very rich and full and open, not as shutting off.)

Extremely difficult within the family, just such loaded psychological dynamics. Best you can do is gradually, over years, develop and keep your own sense of personal center. Even family members recognize and appreciate that; it has an effect.