DaoChild

Are you a true kung fu man? What does a true kung fu man even mean?

It was either his time.. or his diet... And less is not necessasrily more in cultivation, but proper cultivation is necessary. It astounds me that this thread is still going; we humans sure love to argue!

Right -- I'm already saying I meditate two hours daily, every single day no exceptions. But I would really like to step it up a lot, where I'm meditating so much that I have an unusual stillness and enhanced perception throughout the day. Perhaps since the morning motivates me so much I'll begin a long meditation then, and then in equal intervals space meditations throughout the day.

I agree -- I think some people neglect (from my basic understanding) that Zhan Zhuang is "exerted" relaxation. You are working very hard in many of the postures! There is a strong muscular, cardiovascular, and circulatory demand on the body, but you relax into it so that you do not form tension, and the blood is then permitted to flow more easily. Oxygenation of the tissues = oh so good

Yeah, yesterday I started filming myself with the camera, settling into my posture, and then adjusting my hips forward and back to see if any of them look more proper than how I naturally settle in. Unfortunlately I have no one in the area who does Zhan Zhuang, so until I get home in about two months I will either have to stop (if I notice I'm doing something seriously wrong), or continue and hope I've got it mostly right . It feels right though -- my spine is straight, I've always had good posture (probably because I'm thin), and when I notice any tension in the hips, I relax them and they relax down and out a little bit, and are fully relaxed.

Yes, the problem with translations is that many translators imprint their own thoughts into the translations. The best answer is learn to read Chinese and then translate it yourself Until then, I would browse through several translations. I own a few -- only because some are easier to understand, some are beautifully poetic, and some are very conservative and more truthful to the original message. It's good to find a variety, and nowadays you don't even have to pay for them, just go online. Edit: I flipped through the first few chapters of that translation, and personally wasn't too fond of it.

For me there is no importance. Doesn't matter at all, and it goes often hand in hand with the type of women I like (girly, high maintenance, want expensive things). Why does it not matter to me? Naturally I feel my way of life, my views spill over into the people I live with. Usually this results in a deep understanding on their part, and they come to view me, and become attached to me, as unconventional, different, interesting. I like this path to be a solo one for the most part, interestingly enough..

I can practice at those specified times, but obviously it's going to change a lot of sleep and activity patterns, so I was wondering if it's worth rigidly adhering to, or if I'll be able to derive many of the same benefits at different hours.

I'm very interested in this topic - but it has taken a serious detour, . Where do you guys think Qi fits into biology? Is it a physical phenomenon (E.g. electromagnetic energy), or is it something else? There is a lot of stuff on both sides of the table, regarding alternative medicines. Unfortunately, the problem is that there is much too much "anecdotal" evidence for their effectiveness in treating cancers, arthritis, etc. Many studies on alternative medicines have been disproved, some have been proved -- but there will always be "those stories" you hear. I tell you this truthfully and unbiased -- I myself plan to go into a career in alternative medicine, as soon as I can figure out which one makes the most sense to me, and gives genuine results. And again, I come from a background in biology (B.S. Bio student here..). So where does Qi fit into the spectrum of things as we know it? I see lots and lots of martial artists, teachers, etc. making Qi into a much more tangible concept for westerners - do you think they are providing a disservice to the original intent? I'm my opinion, this is probably the biggest line of proof. Ancient societies (in particular) never maintained practices that were harmful, or weren't beneficial. Think about hunter gatherers that currently exist on the planet -- if a practice doesn't benefit them, they get rid of it. Why? Life is not only short, but it's rough, harsh, and unforgiving. When it's hard to get any food in your stomach, you won't spend time dicking around for something that "might not work". This doesn't mean there isn't a degree of the placebo effect -- but if the placebo effect can cure everything from a cold to cancer, we've got some serious re-considering to do...

Longans? Wow I've never heard that name before.. My family in Haiti call them "Canepes" . They are my absolute favorite fruit in the world -- absolutely delicious. I've never seen them in asian markets though, only when I head into the Bronx where I see people selling them and sugar cane.

Good evening ladies and gents, So as I was browsing through "Your Hands Can Heal You" (Book on Pranic Healing), the method used to energize an energy that is depleted of Qi is called "the Water pump". Their reasoning is that internal generation methods (taoist yoga, taiji, qigong) only cause you to accumulate Qi, which can be used, wasted, and which also takes time, and is finite. External energy generation (where you leave one palm up to be receiving Qi from the cosmos, and one faced forward to project and energize an area) on the other hand is limitless. So my question naturally is: has anyone else heard of this? This has been on my mind for quite some time. If Qi comes to us through the cosmos, why would we bother cultivating it inside us? Why not just "siphon" it from heaven and earth, rather than use lengthy cultivation practices for it to develop inside us? Thanks for the responses By the way, although a relative novice to energy healing, I have yet to use the water pump yet. So I cannot verify the efficacy in healing. But, I have had very very strong "Qi sensations" doing the other exercises they recommend. Most of them have been working a lot stronger than Qigong, because supposedly The Master who invented Pranic Healing traveled through India & Asia, taking the best & strongest practices from Tibet, Yoga, Taoism, etc. Any thoughts?

Hi Ya Mu, I have experienced Qi, even in my limited experience of practicing multiple hours of Qigong for the past 2-3 months. Although I would say I'm not experienced, I definitely know the sensations, the full body buzz, the extreme heat in the palms of my hands. And I completely agree with you about a teacher. I disagree when you say I'm so unwilling to find one -- on the contrary, that's been one of my main desires for over 10 years, yet I've never been able to have a teacher except in martial arts. Once again I agree that the practice (experience) is the most important part of many things in life-- energy healing included. Unfortunately, a biproduct of the modern age is that traditional wisdom, oral wisdom, is fading very quickly. Parents no longer need to give their kids the "birds and the bees" talk, and grandparents are viewed as boring, and uninteresting. It's not easy to find a teacher anymore. Where are you located for seminars? Edit: Iskote, I can confirm the immediate effects of the practice, but like Ya Mu mentions, I can't notice if it comes from myself, and/or how to localise sick Qi. But from what I've experienced, the exercises are much, much stronger than most Qigong I've experienced.

If it's all the same, why bother with internal Qi generation / accumulation? If you can generate more, faster, with external, then why internal?

So do you recommend spring Forest's $40 book/dvd package, or the $135 package? Does the first one include everything you need?

I love your explanation. Could you please elaborate as to what was your "aha!" moment? I've been in this situation for "many years" already too -- and I'm only 22! I began meditating at age 13 after a vision, and although I've experienced things people would consider shocking, conviction, I believe, is unfortunately still the main thing I'm trying to experience. Would love to hear your thoughts.

People died from holding their breath for 2 seconds at the peak of their inhale and exhale? I seriously doubt this, seeing as I have asthma and have been doing this daily, and so far my heart is pumping just fine . Could you please elaborate?

Kundalini Awakening is but a small step towards enlightenment.

Hahahahahaha

Then tell him to experience carnal delights, and then he can fully devote himself. I remember reading about old Quanzhen masters who were encouraged to fully life out their secular life -- have a family, and everything that entails. Only once that desire for "something else" has been eliminated, can you fully be content living as an ascetic or monastic. Just my 2 cents.

Pranaman, There is always hope . Some of the best Baguazhang experts didn't begin until in their 40s or even 50s! But the main two or three taught by Dong were already in their 20s I believe, even though they had "mastered" previous styles. Remember, quality AND quantity of time make a great martial artist (or anything..). Practice doesn't make perfect -- perfect practice makes perfect.

I'm also interested - since I'm currently practice Zhan Zhuang daily. Could we perhaps have a pass around session?

No, they only cloud your judgment.

No, that's not "THE" Wang Li Ping. This is a different monk.

Quality, not quantity

Two questions: A) Does it go into the use of Zhan Zhuang for martial power, combat usage? Does he go into thorough detail about the actual body positions, to prevent improper posture? EDIT: Someone also told me that it's only half of what's in the full 'actual' book (which is only in chinese, of course) Better get my mandarin up to par...