RobB

As someone on Day 80 of a 100 day practice I feel robbed! Robbed! Damn!

Hi All, Just to let you know that the first film based on Alex Kozma's book Warrior Guards The Mountain is now available either via Vimeo or pre-order for DVD. www.warriorguardsthemountain.com cheers Rob

My teacher has currently got me doing 100 shoulder rotations a day i.e., 100 rotations forward + 100 rotations backward. Supposedly, slowly and mindfully. He also encourages a lot of arm swings during regular practice. I've noticed that, when doing my normal standing practice, that any shaking in the body (usually starting somewhere in the lower body) is carrying further into the areas around the shoulder girdle. cheers Rob

Hi, [Edit: Have just realised that my post could have been summed up as 'Yeah, what malikshreds said.] I've done a little of this (and I mean a little). I also took a seminar with (my Tai Chi teacher at the time) Brian Cooper, who taught a transmitted version of this practice. This transformed my practice of the method and was another example of the value of seeking out a good teacher. 1. Yes. In general,rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth/behind the front teeth unless you've specifically been told otherwise. 2. I was specifically told, as a beginner, to separate the two. The aim is to be able to dissolve independently of where you are in the breathing cycle. The temptation is to link 'breathe out' and 'dissolve' - you want to avoid that. 3. Scan downwards for areas of tension/blockages/not-quite-rightness 4. How long have you got? You need to do the whole body. If you have ten minutes then it takes ten minutes. If you have 6 hours then take six hours. When I was into it, a full practice would take me between 40-50 minutes but plenty of people went longer than that - plenty of people went shorter too. The important thing is consistency - better to do 10 minutes every day than 40 minutes twice a week. As you practice you'll find a balance between the time you have, the full body scan, and the desire to 'hang out' with certain blocked areas. 5. Bruce's 'Energy gates' book went into this specific practice in more detail IIRC - might be worth taking a look at that. Cheers Rob

Yes - what GreytoWhite said. Avoid like plague. At best you'll spend some pleasant evenings making tai chi shapes. It's not tai chi and you wouldn't be learning tai chi by going there. You could ask around here: http://www.rumsoakedfist.org They might be able to recommend someone in your area. In addition you'll see that a bunch of very experienced IMA practitioners have found lots of value in training in other arts and you may find your stubbornness becoming more fluid and - tai chi like! Another alternative is long distance learning with someone like Serge Augier: http://urbandaouk.blogspot.co.uk Good luck!

Arnaud, I can't get the quote function to work properly for some reason but I just wanted to say: This is a great article. Serge's teaching is very clear. Cheers Rob

Hi All, Any Robert Anton Wilson fans might be interested in this: Cosmic Trigger Play on Indiegogo Not long to go! Cheers Rob

More bagua: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0__7vAn_3o

Have you tried 5:2 'fasting'? It's a method that suggests eating normally for 5 days a week and then eating 25% of your normal calorie intake on two days of the week. It's not fasting per se but it might be a way of getting to a point where full fasting is more successful. Cheers Rob

My 2c: 1. Find a local teacher who has a verifiable link to CXW. Train with them. See if this answers your question. 2. Try and avoid arguing with people on the internet. Cheers Rob

Gerard is right on the money. I'm not sure if Serge teaches open classes in Paris any more but his (english) disciple Mark Baker does. I have attended a couple of seminars with Serge in the last few months and his teaching is clear and immediately applicable. His e-mail address is: [email protected] Let us know how you get on :-)

Horsetail? Do you grow it in a container? It's pretty invasive on open ground. What would you use it for? Cheers Rob

you might find this interesting: http://rumsoakedfist.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17876 Cheers Rob

Cooking for yourself (and those around you) is one of the single best things you can do. Appetite by Nigel Slater is a great starter book for people who enjoy food and ingredients but can;t be doing with a load of over-complex faffing about.

Good find. Thanks Gerard.

If you want to begin to connect your extremities to your centre you can try this exercise. Sit comfortably with your hands open and relaxed in your lap. Palms facing each other. Put your attention at your DT, breathe into the DT. Switch your attention to the laogong points on your palms. Breathe out of palms. Repeat. Pay attention. Disclaimer: this is something I am practicing - not something I am qualified to teach. Cheers Rob

Wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_frequency

Cold water dousing? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dousing http://www.outsideness.org/teacher-ivanov-and-the-detka/

You could try here: http://www.fiveimmortals.com/ Lindsey Wei wrote of her experiences in her book. More info here: http://thevalleyspirit.wordpress.com/ Cheers Rob

Rum Soaked Fist - all you ever need

Alex Kozma also here in Cambridge (1hr from London by train) but MithShrike has some good suggestions in his list. Serge is here for a 2 day seminar this weekend. Large circulation on Saturday and Bagua on Sunday. Cheers Rob

Serge Augier is in Paris (http://www.urbandaoist.com/). English blog is here: http://urbandaouk.blogspot.co.uk/. Not religious Daoism per se as far as I can judge. Wai Gong, Nei Gong, Shen Gong is the strucure of what he teaches. He has students in other areas of Europe who lead practice groups. You can e-mail him - the address is on his website. cheers Rob

You are right of course. I've already overstepped the mark by advancing someone else's report rather than my own first hand experience.My friend has experience other than their training with Bruce and their opinion is as much a professional one as a personal one. Just anonymous tittle-tattle on the internet. Take it or leave it. Cheers Rob

A friend of mine who trained a lot with Bruce (qualified under him, travelled to the states to train, hosted him in Europe) says he has a huge amount of material, some of it very rare. He also says that he has absolutely no heart.

Good idea