Sahaj Nath

one of my personal favorites http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTtlEFRKOng&feature=related You can buy it here on Amazon. he also has a book that's even more thorough. if you're looking for some seriously intricate teaching in terms of body mechanics, tummoessence is a big fan of These videos. he has studied with the master in these videos for many years, and i can personally vouch for his skill of movement. also, while i cannot personally account for the video, i have come to trust the thoroughness of Master Yang, Jwing-Ming's video instructions. for instance, i very much like his Understanding Qigong series. so you might want to give his video on Classical Tai Chi a shot. hope these help.

this has been asked multiple times in the forum. surely you can do a search and generate a list.

bio-electricity is included in chi, but chi is not limited to bio-electricity. chi is also bio-photons. and then there's the component of consciousness and all the stuff that we might never be able to measure. a high-alkaline diet (raw, leafy greens, green vegies) will increase bio-electricity and make cultivation easier. raw green juicing is probably the most powerful means of energizing the body through diet. i might check out the video later. sounds like old news, though.

just a little food for thought, not that i expect any converts after posting this. The clairvoyant may see forms which are elsewhere, but he cannot see the formless. The telepathic may communicate directly with the mind of another, but he cannot communicate with one who has achieved no-mind. The telekinetic may move an object without touching it, but he cannot move the intangible. Such abilities have meaning only in the realm of duality. Therefore, they are meaningless. Within the Great Oneness, though there is no such thing as clairvoyance, telepathy, or telekinesis, all things are seen, all things understood, all things forever in their proper places. --Hua Hu Ching

FINALLY, a solid articulation of the dilemma. i was getting worried for a while there. i've posted this quote before. twice, i think. but it bears repeating here: The clairvoyant may see forms which are elsewhere, but he cannot see the formless. The telepathic may communicate directly with the mind of another, but he cannot communicate with one who has achieved no-mind. The telekinetic may move an object without touching it, but he cannot move the intangible. Such abilities have meaning only in the realm of duality. Therefore, they are meaningless. Within the Great Oneness, though there is no such thing as clairvoyance, telepathy, or telekinesis, all things are seen, all things understood, all things forever in their proper places. --Hua Hu Ching http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/6749-for-those-of-you-still-chasing-abilities/

eh... it's really not that simple. it never is. i've articulated my stance on Muktananda and his "flaws" elsewhere, so i won't get into it much here, but i will say that it is unskillful to judge ANYONE solely in the light of their most obvious flaws. we are more than just the sum of those flaws. and "power vs love" is a bit of a false dichotomy. i think Baba's love and devotion is indisputable. and i think, as with ALL Siddhas, his power is undeniable. to seek the powers that awaken and break through the veils of ignorance & illusion, and to seek powerful masters that embody those powers does not in any way imply an abandonment of love. besides, Ram Dass's 'brief encounter' doesn't even begin to trump Muktananda's lifetime of work. and yes, Hard Light is totally open-door. anyone can come and attend a Thursday evening sit or one of the monthly intensives. and people who are unable to fly in can audio stream it over the internet. Mark doesn't have an Ashram in LA or anything, so he doesn't house visitors, but the people in the sangha are so friendly that by my 2nd or 3rd visit people were offering to let me crash at their place before heading back up to Sacramento. but for the most part, you're responsible for your own lodging unless or until you make some friends. if you ever decide to go when i'm going to be there, i'll certainly see what i can do.

he IS very cool! i've only been with him for a year now, but he is absolutely amazing. he was first recommended to me by my last qigong master who said he had nothing further to teach me. i saw his picture and was incredulous. this was back in 2007. i finally decided to meet him last year after he was highly recommended by Trunk here in the forum. the night before i met him at the intensive, i received a transmission that was so powerful and vivid i'm not sure i could even put it into words. it was like my entire energy body was re-wired, re-calibrated, and adapted to the frequency of his lineage. my body was taken over with energy vibrating so strong that i couldn't feel my physical body anymore, only the vibration. lots of green, blue, and white light flooding through me as well. and his image. and his voice telling me that this was FINALLY the beginning of my True unfolding. hearing his voice is a common occurrence nowadays. i slept less than two hours that night, and i woke up totally refreshed. the next day i met him in-person at the intensive, and i fell in love with him in like the first 10 minutes. my heart just burst open and all i wanted to do was surrender in his presence. his mastery is unlike anything i've ever come into contact with. it was like taking a virtual tour of the universe and the spiritual landscape. i would see & experience things, then the next time he spoke he would talk about what i had just experienced. plus, bliss became an effortless arising, and i wasn't even seeking bliss in any way! but it's as simple as a thought and i can saturate my entire body with bliss and even transmit the energy to others, although many experience it as really hot and electrical. i had practices that could generate some nice bliss states before, but always with effort and never with this intensity. it's so different when it comes purely from grace. Mark is my guru. i'm free to study whatever i like and to teach however i like. he acknowledges and respects my qigong background, but the lessons i learn through him and directly through the lineage are greater than anything i've ever come across. the way in which information seems to just fall out of the sky, alongside corresponding experiences, well,... it's just amazing to me. Mark is TOTALLY who i want to be when i grow up! now obviously not everyone will immediately click in the way that i did, so it's still best to not have too many expectations going in, but if you've already built a strong foundation, or if you're an advanced practitioner, i would think that it's impossible to miss what an incredible being Mark is. newcomers won't have any real means of discerning the quality of his teaching/transmission, but he'll very likely ruin them for other teachers! Mark is a pretty damn tough act to follow. i've never met an open-door teacher before who even approached his ability. and he's just SO giving! attainment isn't a dogfight. it's a simple matter of being open and able to receive. he is a Siddha. truly. PM me if you want to know anything specific. there's lots more that i could share, but i think this is about as far as i want to go in the forum. be sure to read the article behind that link that Creation posted. it's pretty good, i think.

i just watched his Q & A videos and i have to say that i like the guy. very down-to-earth, not trying to generate some sensational hype, not bogged down in new-agey nonsense. just straight-up. and clear-headed at that! i appreciate his recognition that a newly formed system or method can be just as effective as an old one. and how he's met people who have practiced ancient arts for DECADES and yet never made any real progress. i was like, "i know, right?" it's crazy how many people have devoted themselves to systems that gave them nothing but a good stretch routine and some dogma to believe in. yeah, i think i would feel comfortable sending people his way. seems like a genuinely good guy.

you're gonna have to speak for yourself there, shaktimama. i finished learning years ago. once i hit the highest level, i was done. now i just enjoy walking the earth, blessing people whenever i feel like it. NO TEACHER WHO CARES ABOUT THEIR CRAFT SHOULD EVER STOP LEARNING. and for that matter, why would anyone who lives what they teach ever want to stop learning? it's what we do, and we love to do it. transmissions, regardless of supposed level of attainment, can differ widely in quality and sophistication. and few interactions are more intimate, more enjoyable, and more worthwhile than at the level of transmission. it takes place even in the most ordinary of conversations, or in the sharing of a moment. we give of ourselves and receive from others fluidly, constantly, and if we're skilled enough to stay out of our own way, notions of separation dissolve easily. for instance, for as many issues as i had with Max as a teacher, i still connect with his transmission whenever i so much as think about him. i know that i can channel him and feel more playful in the moment easily, but does that suggest my level is beneath his? even after connecting via transmission i have no interest in him as a teacher. does that suggest my level is above his? the fact that we can connect and share with each other on such a non-physical level to ANY extent is beautiful. i have a teacher who generally knows what i'm thinking, even though he's 100's of miles away, and i have a student who generally knows what i'm feeling, even though he lives closer to my teacher than he does to me. the dissolution of separateness & distance is a miracle if we can appreciate it. we don't know what we don't know, but how awesome is it that we have to capacity to simply open up and learn through calm abiding? i think shaktimama has never stopped evolving since she first arrived here, and i think that's perhaps the greatest testament to her "level" or ability. FWIW

this really is a great message board topic, and i DO have a few things to share on the matter, but i'm just waiting for a few more people to offer their comments first.

indeed. sometimes it's like a download of knowledge and understanding. sometimes the light is so clear and vibrant that the book knowledge simply pales in comparison. but that never stops me from hittin' the books, either. i actually just got back a couple of hours ago from Mark's Intensive in San Francisco. i took 3 of my students with me this time, and they loved it. i remain in awe of his mastery of transmitting CONSCIOUSNESS/Shiva, rather than just the awakening impulse of Shakti. every day i feel blessed to have found him. it would have taken me AT LEAST a decade on my own to develop as much as i have over the past year with him. it's not for everybody, that's for sure. but i'm certainly glad that it's for me. have you met with Mark and sat in his presence yet? as always, you make a helluva point, brother. agreed.

that's HILARIOUS! my first thought was, "wow, what a jerk to be sexually active with a guy BEFORE being upfront about something like that!" so... if she's NEVER had an outbreak, how did she come to find out that she had the virus? just a routine STD check-up? i've had a few clients with herpes over the years. one of them had only the initial outbreak, and then never had another. this can happen with certain strands of the virus. i'm not super-familiar with it, but i've never met anyone who didn't at least have ONE outbreak around the time when they first contracted it. there are strains that you CAN catch, even when there aren't any sores, so she would do well to get tested again and find out exactly what strain of Herpes she actually has. then just read up on it and take the necessary precautions. i don't have enough experience with it to know how effective TCM or other alternative therapies will be. only 3 or 4 clients have ever shared that condition with me, and only the last one did i try to treat directly. there results were very encouraging. in 5 years she hadn't had an outbreak except for her initial outbreak. when we began working intensively, she had a big outbreak for two days, then it went away, then she developed a large cyst near her thigh and buttocks, and as that dissolved away, her body felt "differently." all of this was maybe 2 months ago, but i haven't been able to get her to see a doctor and get tested again. we definitely purged SOMETHING out of her system, and i've even seen cancer leave a person's body in a similar fashion, but until she gets checked out, i simply don't know exactly what effect our therapy sessions have had on the disease. BUT, i think the results were encouraging enough to say that your gf should give it a try. if she's open to that kind of thing, and if her body is receptive to the energy, and if the healer strong enough, i personally think it's possible to raise the physical vibration to such an extent that virtually ALL (EDIT: MOST) impurities in the body will rise to the surface to be released. i wouldn't go to just any old energy healer, though. you're probably gonna need somebody who really packs a punch.

it's always a joy to watch you move, brother. your internal discipline is unmistakable. i'm not even really into martial arts practice anymore, but i will very likely be purchasing your video when it's released. you don't just demonstrate what various movements should look like; you do a pretty damn good job of expressing what they should FEEL like as well.

i personally count Seth Ananda among the most legit people on this board, and i would very much like for him to break some stuff down and share some of that knowledge with us. and, if you can fit it in, let a brotha know what you ultimately think about shaking practice.

according to Max in '07, both positions were fair game. not sure if Sifu Jenny approves, but the thread says 'kunlun question,' so i figure Max's rules apply. if it's different now, someone else needs to clarify it.

your reply was neither necessary nor helpful. he tried to be as honest as he knew how to be, and Mr. Lomax gave him a proper response. he's not looking to make enemies, but i certainly applaud him for being straight-up in a hostile environment. we should all feel capable of being honest without feeling shouted down, and not just jerks like me who don't mind a little scrap. he said his peace. Lomax answered. and he stated numerous times that he doesn't want to fight. let's just let that be that. EDIT: no big deal. we're good. besides, i like your style!

Just for the record, Ya Mu DID allow me a back channel exchange with him. i really appreciated what he had to say, and he and i are a lot more aligned than i would otherwise have guessed. he has both my gratitude, AND my respect. i'll leave it at that.

you have NO IDEA how many posts i HAVEN'T made as a result of our dialogue. i DID take it on-board. that doesn't equate to us being in total agreement, but i did hear you out, look at myself, and make some changes. if you're not impressed, then... no, it was just support for the contrary view. again, like i said in the other thread, YOU LIKE MICHAEL, and that's fine. but maybe you should take a look at what is being called "negative" here. the review being quoted is stating that the book has very little substance from his point of view. Otis agreed, and added that the DVD had even less. what's so wrong with that, OTHER than the fact that you consider Mr. Lomax a friend? ...so in your opinion, the book and the DVD are BOTH without substance, and no judgments can be made from their examination? or just no contrary judgments, right? i can accept that you and others don't particularly like my personality. that's fine. but you guys seem really quick to preempt anyone who is more direct than "wow, what a wonderful practice, although i do have a few questions..." it seems to ME like YOU are doing the trolling. Otis seemed almost scared out of sharing his opinion, and so i threw in my support. whether anyone likes how i did it is their business. i'm not even sure i will agree with what he has to say. he and i have been on opposite sides before. but i'll certainly throw down for his right to say it. he's not Starjumper. niether is SiliconValley. and believe it or not, neither am i. completely unfair, if you ask me. your agressive posture in shutting down what you consider to be negativity is putting off people with dissenting views. it goes both ways. the only reason i'm a little flippant in my support is because i'm not afraid of the charged response to it. so yeah, i'm like "bring it." that doesn't make me a muck raker. i'm WAY more tongue-in-cheek and trash-talking when i'm just stirring things up. and snowmonki, this pretty much answers you as well. and you don't get to tell me what other words i could have easily used to show my support to Otis. i'm allowed to be who i am, and you don't have to like it all the time. i personally think there's a difference between when i'm jousting in good fun and when i'm making real arguments. but either way, it's never my intention to be mean-spirited. you might not always agree, but i think there's space on this board for me, too.

whoa, slow down there. maybe you should step back and read what you just posted, cause i haven't even said anything yet. everything i wrote above was simply in support of Otis stepping up and speaking his peace. it had nothing to do with my take on Michael's work. i just don't like to see people afraid to assert themselves is all. as for my take on Michael's work, however, i have a right to that opinion as well, although it's not the incredibly harsh opinion that you seem to be assuming. i took stock of the exchange i had with mjjbecker in that stillness movement thread all those months ago. i genuinely appreciated that exchange because i WAS harsh and a bit careless with my words, but even then i wasn't merely picking a fight. i'm not interested in muck-raking or "sh*t stirring" as you put it. and i haven't done that by supporting a guy's right to a dissenting view point. how about you relax a bit. if i cross a line, THEN attack. fair enough? EDIT: just for the record, i now own the DVD and the book. i hadn't looked at either of them at the time of the other thread posts from last year. you know what? like mjjbecker said above, never mind. Mr. Lomax, how about i make everybody a little more comfortable and just send you a PM? i'm interested in the dialogue, not the public drama.

yes. just be aware of whatever arises, without judgment. a difficult task, given the promise of bliss and everything else, but let it all go, and just accept what's there without grasping OR resisting. your heels should be raised as you can without strain. for best results, you should be at the edge of your seat and your chair should allow your hips to be slightly higher than your knees. if you're doing that and if you are truly relaxed, then the sheer weight of your legs should eventually cause your calves to fatigue and your legs to bounce. if that's not happening after an hour of practice, then i could only guess that you're not as relaxed as you might think. don't look for anything explosive. just recognize the subtle, and allow it to flower on its own, in its own time. if your arm is hurting, you can let either switch positions or allow both your hands to drop, and just stay open. if you can manage to get your legs bouncing or to feel a subtle energy between your two palms, then you can let your hands go free. hope that helps.

hey Otis, if you're willing to go there, i'll go there with you. i rather enjoy a good verbal disagreement. IDK. blame it on my childhood. some folks feel tension and anxiety when there's a vigorous controversy around here, whereas i tend to feel tension and frustration only when i bite my tongue on issues (particularly when those issues might have a real effect on other viewers). to me debate is healthy, so long as you're not just hurling insults and have something substantive to say. fiveelementtao and sloppy zhang are BOTH excellent examples of this right now. so say what you mean, brother. whether i agree with your analysis or not, i'll certainly appreciate it. and i'll throw in my spare change as well.

i own a number of YJM's books, and i own all 6 of his Understanding Qigong DVD's. in my DVD collection i also own white crane, qigong massage, traditional yang style, and a few others from him. i'm a big fan of his work. the sheer volume of quality information that he shares is amazing, and his materials have aided me a great deal as both a student and a teacher. the book on Embryonic Breathing is FAR SUPERIOR to the DVD, and it's worth its weight in gold if you really take it in and not treat it as a pit stop on your way to more advanced practices. if done effectively, you don't even need to bother with the small circulation. those channels will handle themselves as a result of the rest of your practice. if you don't have a live teacher, you want YJM's material, Ken Cohen's home study course, and the book Healing Promise of Qi. there's a lot more out there, of course, but many approaches contradict one another. these all flow pretty well together. Chunyi Lin's Spring Forest Qigong, for instance, goes against TONS of more traditional teachings, so it might prove difficult to integrate with other stuff, even though i personally love SFQ. i don't know. hope that helps a little.

maybe you're a newbie, or you're just not that far along in your own development, but you couldn't be more wrong about this statement. i'm even willing to invite you to Sacramento, free of charge. seriously. i even have a room that you can stay in. i have no idea where you hail from, but i can very easily show you and demonstrate both the existence and the efficacy of spontaneous natural flow. it's the lynchpin of my instruction for advanced students. if it cannot arise for you organically and naturally, then you should reject it. that's how we roll over here, and i wouldn't hesitate to be tested by anyone. earlier you made a statement about people not understanding what qigong is really about, and i think you were RIGHT-ON in that post. ESPECIALLY with regard to Max. i mean, the guy defined qigong as drawing in power from the outside, and he defined neigong as giving out power to others. he defined enlightenment as being blissfully happy at any moment. the guy was way wrong about a TON of stuff. but spontaneous movement is a FACT. it's talked about the book that i use as a general textbook, The Healing Promise of Qi by Roger Jahnke. he draws from The Book of The Master Who Embraces Simplicity, from the Taoist school of Complete Reality. spontaneous natural flow is why i don't practice any of the more contrived alchemical exercises, and yet i'm willing to have my development compared to anyone who DOES practice those methods. internal alchemy is a natural process for which the body is readily designed. natural flow is the only necessary access point. it requires more YI development in order to take place organically, but it's the truest path. no doctrine or contrived methodologies to follow. and, most importantly, IT WORKS. i would urge you to reconsider your perspective on this. you don't have to claim knowledge one way or the other. but if you really want to know, come and see for yourself. seriously.

taotongue, i really appreciate a LOT of the points that you are making. back in '07 and '08 i was fighting the same fight that you're fighting right now. people just refused to separate the teacher from the teachings. for them, "the practice is effective = the teacher is legitimate" and i was only able to reach a handful of people. but whatevs. be careful with your accusations. you're DEAD WRONG if you think Cat is Diana. Cat pre-dates the whole kunlun phenomenon around here, and most of us know that. you're killing your credibility when you insist on making statements like that, and i don't want that to happen because even with the couple of points that i might take issue with, you have a lot more RIGHT than you do wrong. this is my very first post in this thread. i just decided to stay out of it, for the most part. my history speaks for itself. don't kill your credibility by insisting that Cat is Diana. not a chance. as for the other guy, it doesn't matter. his manic rate of posting looks more like Cameron from '07 than it does Max, but it doesn't matter. you don't need to concern yourself with that to make your points. just say what you need to say. i can't say i agree with all of it, but i do agree with most of it.