zen-bear

To RidingtheOx, Part 2: The long form includes a section which repeats 5 times, i refer to it as 'cradling', this move develops into a very solid root and spiral flow up the leg; turning the hips/pelvis and continues up the spine in a spiral, leading to the exchange of the cradling palms. This twisting motion helps to realign and strengthen the spine and the hand exchange is reminiscent of the circling palms. Interesting these movements have an unsuspected relation to the TTP, opening exercise. • "Cradling" is also the exact term that I use when teaching that section of the FP Long Form where the forearm traverses 5 times, leading with the thumb edge of the forearm. (I also use "cradling" to describe a movement in the first Advanced FP Standing Meditation--the first of 9, which I teach in my Wednesday Intermed. Qigong class 7pm-9pm EST, info on my Newsletter.) "Cradling 5X is related "Wave Hands Like Clouds" in Tai Chi forms. What is remotely related to Tao Tan Pai Circling Palms are those 2 inward circles in a vertical plane immediately following the 5 “cradlings”. Circling Palms, in contrast, are done on a horizontal plane at shoulders’ height and with eyes open and constantly focused on the fingertips of the sweeping extended arm. And each sweep is sync’d to a long exhalation. Each extension of the arm down the normal (left or right) is sync'd to an inhalation. As we all know, there is NO SYNC’ing of breath cycle to any movement in FP Qigong. None whatsoever throughout the entire FP system. That’s how TTP and FP Qigong are as different as night and day. As I mentioned Embryonic Breath work has also been a recent focus of my practice. The reverse breathing technique has finally begun to feel comfortable and reliable. During this period my breath has settled into a 3 breath per minute rhythm and my heart rate has fallen into the mid-fifties, resting. • The "backward peddling walk" in the “Silkweaver’s Exrecise” is a very basic preparation for reverse breathing. (At 3:20) https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154646379024952&external_log_id=6966ab2d7c39619231d5487eca01d6d7&q=terry dunn's tai chi for health Read the tao te ching regularly, at present I find the online version at Taoistic.com 'inspiring.' The commentary is helpful and informative. • I’ve always enjoyed the Penguin Classics translation of Tao Te Ching since college days. *Also, past 3 years I’ve read all translations of Tao Te Ching cited at this interesting website, Feminine Tao. A few the contributors are eminent scholars on Tao Te Ching; most of their citations and translations are quality ones: http://www.earlywomenmasters.net/tao.html Sometimes the tender persuasion shows us a little of the universal truths expressed and celebrated by the ancients. Best always, Charlie Sifu Terry www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Charlie, I started a reply to you sooner but got caught up in a maelstrom of activity including a real maelstrom last week when the Hurricane Isaías crept up the coast and blew 50mph winds across this region, which knocked out power to the town of Lenox for a while but, fortunately, not at my place of residence. The Berkshires was luckier than points south of us that got 70 to 80mph winds. I’m so glad to hear that you’re doing well and keeping to an excellent practice schedule: Tai Chi every morning 5x a week, plus Yi Jin Jing or 8 Brocades. At present I am doing a ZZ standing of 8'46" for BLM every morning now at day 57 in a 108 day gong for peace and racial justice. • This is fabulous spiritual operation. More power and blessings to you for doing this. (I will send you a tip via PM) There has been a hiatus in my practice of the long form FP, but the last two days I have returned to do one 30' + and then a 35' session. That pleases me. I have 10 x the qi flow, for the form. • Glad to hear that you’ve returned to LF Standing practice of 30 to 35min. + and experiencing 10x the Qi flow. Wow. Not everyone experiences that type of Qi elevation. Perhaps a little distance improves the exercise? • That may seem to be the case. After practicing the Long Form Med. on a very regular basis (including 108 day gongs with ginger) over several years and at slowest speeds as you have in friendly competition with other Daobums, that deeply developed capacity and natural process to cultivate the FP Healing Qi "stays" in your system. And when you activate that distinct Qigong process again, the resulting energization and rejuvenation is pronounced and vividly felt. What you feel as "improvement" of the exercise might be actually the novelty of feeling the FP Healing Qi cultivation again. But on the other hand, if you've been practicing another powerful Qigong art or high-level Tai Chi (or Xing-I, Bagua, etc.) that cultivation might also "improve" the dormant FP Qigong. For, as I've posted to a good extent recently, the Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method) Qigong (all levels, starting with the Basic TTP-31 Meditations) will certainly enhance, amplify and prolong the effects of the FP Qigong, whenever one practices the TTP followed by the FP Qigong. Thus it's only logical that another high-quality internal energy practice can have a catalytic and synergistic effect on practice of the FP Qigong. But absent another comparable advanced Qigong practice, only continuous, long term practice of FP Qigong itself will "improve" the exercise per se--in terms of generating noticeably more FP healing Qi with very round of practice and as gauged by a tangible and verifiable increase in the reserve of the FP Healing Qi in one's body. This fall i will be 80 and in good shape for the octogenarian crowd. My VO2 is in the range 55-62 which is excellent even for many younger kids, lol. • Thanks for sharing your excellent VO2 levels. And LMK when your birthday draws close. On that day, I'll practice a round of the Long Form with you. In fact, lt's set up a 30 min. Zoom practice open to all FP practitioners-- to celebrate your 80th at some convenient time on that day or day after! Not too far back on this thread, I posted the spontaneous testimonials of one of my local students and dear friends who just turned 82 last Saturday, Rori. Here again are her spontaneous comments made one day after her first experience of FP Qigong during a free demo class that I gave during World Tai Chi Qigong class here at Eastover (it now doubt helped that she had/has 25+ yrs of Tai Chi and 40+ years of Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice under her belt): https://vimeo.com/333813234 And Rori gave another spontaneous testimonial 6 months (24+ classes) late that I was quick and nimble enough to record on the iPhone: https://vimeo.com/372632471 So, more good things from the Flying Phoenix to look forward to, according to our elders! I notice a good discussion about breath work here. • I got back to thinking more about breathing in general and breathing science across many cultures after listening to an NPR podcast about a new book by journalist James Nestor titled--'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.' “which I cited and recommended on several issues of my Newsletter starting I think with this one on July 5: https://terencedunn.substack.com/p/sunday-july-5-independendence-day (* Click down to “Basic Breathwork Preliminaries for Qigong” to see my summary of highlights of Nestor’s book and podcast.) And here (coming shortly) is today's issue of the newsletter providing registration info for my three Zoom classes this week: All Best, Charlie Keep riding that ox... Sifu Terry www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello to all Flying Phoenix Qigong practitioners: This is the order of practice that I taught 5 weeks ago on June 21, Father's Day, during my weekly Sunday afternoon Livestream class from Lenox, MA: In Hour One we practiced the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (Standing Meditations No.1 through No.4, plus Meditation No. 18) plus the following seated meditations: No. 16, 17, 20, and 21. I skipped TTP Basic Meditation No. 19 for lack of time because it takes 28 long breathes, 7 of which are "Push-down" breath retentions with palms flat on the floor. Just to compare and contrast TTP to FP Qigong, and to show you how different and interesting a Qigong system Tao Tan Pai is, Ex. 19 is the last seated meditation on this summary of TTP-31 excerpts: (*As explained at various times on this thread, the Basic TTP-31 Meditations is the first level of a vast and sophisticated 6-level Nei Kung system at the core of the Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu system, an authentic Taoist monastic tradition that is 24 generations old and dates back to its origins in the Tang Dynasty. Relative to the enormous ocean of disparate Qigong exercises of widely varying quality that has come out of China after the Cultural Revolution ended around 1975, the Basic TTP-31—although “basic” relative to the rest of TaoTan Pai-- is powerful and effective Qigong system for both health and martial arts support. From 1975 to 1983, I learned the entire Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung system and most of the Kung Fu system (short of several advanced kung fu forms). During my first four years of learning the TTP Kung Fu, I practiced the “Short Form Power Yoga” version of the TTP Basic 31 (consisting of 5 of the 31 meditations) every morning for 30 to 60 minutes. From 1990 top 1996, after I reunited with Grandmaster Doo Wai and formed the class of instructor-level martial artists from various styles from all over California to study his Bok Fu Pai arts, I learned basic Bok Fu Pai Kung Fu, the Flying Phoenix Qigong in its entirely; two levels of Advanced FP Qigong; the "10,000 Buddhas Ascend To Heaven" Qigong (a vast system of 54 exercises organized in 3 sets of 18 ); and the ultra-rare internal marital art known as 8 Sections of Energy Combined (or Bat Dim Gum). So, with respect to TTP and FP Qigong, I had the advantage of learning these two complete sets of medical Qigong separated by 8 years. *Fast forward to 2013: Seven years ago, while teaching two California-accredited and NCCAOM-accredited courses in Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations and Flying Phoenix Qigong at Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica (perennially rated the No.2 acupuncture college in America by 66 peer colleges, btw.), I discovered that the TTP-31 Meditations as a system works as a superb foundational catalyst for the Flying Phoenix Qigong that profoundly enhances the energizing and sublime restorative effects of the latter—and prolongs FP’s healing effects even longer than the usual after the FP practice has ceased. (As many have reported on this thread over the years, the healing and restorative of effects of an FP qigong practice session may not only continue after that session has concluded, but the energizing and restorative effects may set on again afterwards at an unexpected hour.) So for every quarter from spring 2013 to September 2017, when I had occasion to teach these 2 arts temporally close to one another, and now once again thus summer as I’m teaching two courses for ECTOM via Livestream from my east coast base in Lenox, MA, I’ve steadily proven to myself and Lenox students who take my Wed. night combined (TTP + FP regimen) that TTP-31 Meditations indeed catalyzes and accelerates the effects of the FP Qigong practice—in all its dimensions! Interestingly, the synergy between TTP-31 Meditations and FP Qigong is directional--i.e. it works primarily in one direction--in that TTP-31 catalyzes and accelerates energizing and rejuvenating effects of FP Qigong, and its cultivation of the unique FP healing energy. But FP Qigong does not intensify or otherwise affect the Qi cultivation of the Tao Tan Pai system. I’ve had a strong intuitive sense of the catalyzing effect that TTP-31 has on FP Qigong ever since I learned the FP Qigong in 1990-97 from the late GM Doo Wai. But it wasn’t until I began teaching a 2-hour combination class with the TTP-31 preceding the FP Qigong, that I was able to get corroboration from students at the Eastover resort in Lenox, MA doing the two arts together for the first time that this catalyzing effect of FP Qigong by the TTP-31 Meditations is operative and absolutely certain. This comports with what Grandmaster Doo Wai told me in 1991 when I first showed him what the TTP Five Dragons meditations looked like. Not only did he recognize them, he told me that they had a certain spiritual root that no one in the Tao Tan Pai tradition other than Share K. Lew knew. Leaving that secret to my forthcoming book, I will continue by relating that GM Doo Wai told me that: “you can mix the two energies” (for he was a peer and friend of Share K. Lew and knew the TTP energy well. Thus, based on this extraordinary and verified yogic synergy (which, btw, was also confirmed by Yoga master/ONENESS Meditation Deeksha Blessor Eric Isen about 2 mos. ago just in our passing conversation), I’ve designed each Sunday online class as 50 minutes of Tao Tan Pai Qigong followed by an hour of Flying Phoenix Qigong practice. Through this Sunday course, you can learn the entire set of Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 meditations and then discover for yourself whether this practice will support and enhance the health effects your FP Qigong practice. However, there are no published teachings in any medium of the TTP-31 Meditations. This is because the late GM Share Lew had issued an edict or taboo amongst his following throughout all the decades that he taught in America that there should be no films or videos distributed of Tao Tan Pai practice. As far as I know, today there are no book or video publications teaching any of the Tao Tan Pai Nei Kung or kung fu forms. (A few years ago, a former junior classmate of mine named Miguel posted on Youtube his very nice demo of the Tao Tan Pai Tiger form. But that video disappeared, unfortunately.) Thus to learn the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations, you will have to get instruction from me in person or via Zoom these days, or seek out my former classmates and fellow instructors. There are about ten people (all in the western states) who know the complete Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu and Nei Kung system who can teach the Basic TTP-31 Meditations. The only classmate that I’m in touch with is Sifu Hugh Morison who is an acupuncturist and teaches TTP in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles. I don’t know if he or anybody else is teaching Livestream classes on the Basic TTP-31 Meditations. I just took a quick glance at the calendar of the Taoist Sanctuary in San Diego to see if it offers classes in the TTP-31. It only states “Taoist Qigong” and of course counts Tao Tan Pai as one of the arts taught there. As both Tao Tan Pai and its 31 Basic Meditations system, and the FP Qigong are both authentic Taoist monastic systems of Qigong, that defines both of them as esoteric. And because yours truly is the sole preserver and teacher of the Flying Phoenix Qigong, one will not find a combination class that teaches these two arts together in a deeply synergistic manner like I do in my Sunday Livestream anywhere else on planet earth in this lifetime. • Hour Two consisted of standing Flying Phoenix Qigong practice in this order: (A) “Bending the Bows” (15 min.), (B) "Monk Gazing At Moon" (5 min.), (C) "Monk Holding Peach" (5 min.), (D) "Wind Above the Clouds" (two times). •• This was followed by a complete set of 7 repetitions of each of the following two seated “Monk Serves Wine” meditations: (A) The last meditation on Volume 7 of Chi Kung For Health DVD series (with breathing formula 20 40 90 10); (B) The first Monk Serves Wine Meditation on Volume 2 (with breathing formula 90 50 40 30 10) • I strongly recommend that everyone try out the above sequence of FP Qigong meditations, especially these two Monk Serves Wine seated meditations in the order described above in (A) and (B). My Sunday Combination Qigong course is appropriate for absolute beginners as well as anyone experienced with the FP Qigong from using the DVD series. To receive automatic weekly updates to my schedule of classes (increasing from 2 to 3 different ongoing courses per week), please subscribe for free to my new email Newsletter: terencedunn.substack.com Each issue of the Newsletter explains in great detail the subject matter of my Wednesday evening Intermediate Qigong and Basic Kung Fu course and gives a recap of each Sunday and Wednesday class content. I began teaching this intensive 2-hour combination Qigong class in April this year on Sundays from 4pm to 6pm EST. The results have been profound, as reflected in these two reviews from a couple of months ago: Enjoy your FP Qigong practice, everyone. mitakuye oyasin, (Lakota Sioux prayer that means “To all my relations” or “All are related”, or “Help and Health to all my Brothers and Sisters” --the latter of which was the meaning that I learned in the early 1980's when I was a guest at a series of sweat lodges and annual medicine wheels spanning several years given by a Lakota community in So. California led by Don Perrote) Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello to the FPCK community, This podcast and book report is copied-and-pasted from my June 28 issue of my Qigong/Tai Chi Newsletter (terencedunn.substack.com): • BASIC BREATHWORK PRELIMARIES FOR QIGONG ...This week, we begin again with a look at the new book by journalist James Nestor titled 'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.’ I strongly recommend that all Qigong practitioners—beginning through advanced—get this book as essential background. And while it’s on order, you can listen to this very informative podcast on the NPR program appropriately called, “Fresh Air”, in which Terry Gross interviews the author: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/27/862963172/how-the-lost-art-of-breathing-can-impact-sleep-and-resilience Nestor talks about the basic benefits of deep breathing and reviews the basic findings that ancient masters of meditation and yoga from numerous cultures developed at different times at different places. He explains the complementary/counter-balancing functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems: that the sympathetic triggers the flight or fight response that involves the the release of stress hormones, while the parasympathetic nervous system regulates the rest, relaxation or the stress releasing response. His book articulates all the basic parameters, functionalities, and universal characteristics of ancient Qigong arts as well as the regulated breathing in Tai Chi: (1) that humans can control the autonomic nervous system by simply breathing; that just by breathing in certain special ways one can elicit these different autonomic nervous states and strengthen them. In Qigong, we do exercises that are inherently designed to induce the sympathetic response through inhalation, while balancing or coordinating the induction of the parasympathetic response through the exhalation. **Now consider how you are exercising the autonomic nervous system every time you perform the unique percentage exhalation formula at the start of each Flying Phoenix Qigong Meditation. (2) that deep breathing is very healthful: increasing the duration of one’s inhalation and exhalation has a profound effect on your blood pressure, mental state, emotional state, and will ultimately increase longevity. [Now think about how you are increasing steadily increasing the tidal volume in your lungs every time you practice Circling Palms and each and every one of the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Mediations. (3) Nestor explains that the diaphragm is considered the “second heart” because it is so essential to proper breathing. And you will recall that throughout our entire practice every Sunday—from the warm-up exercise known as “The Silkweaver’s Exercise”, to the 50 minutes practicing the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations, to th 50 minutes of Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditations, we are constantly breathing diaphramatically—expand the lower abdomen on every inhalation and contracting the lower abdomen, letting the stomach wall fall in, with every exhalation. (4) Nestor’s book also has a fascinating chapter about his research into how the evolution of the human skull over the past 300-400 years had led to the shrinking of the teeth and jaw and breathing orifices. He explains why so many chronic breathing problems are tied to the shrinking of the human skull over the past 400 years, and that shrinkage has been due to the ingesting of industrially processed foods that have enabled humans to not have to chew as much or as vigorously as his predecessors just 6 generations ago. (5) An interesting finding that is so relevant and fundamental to Qigong: that just by increasing the length of the inhalation and exhalation can improve health. More specifically, it has been scientifically proven that by increasing the duration of one’s breath cycle to a minimum of 5.5 seconds for each inhalation and 5.5 seconds for each exhalation, the rest and relaxation response is induced and “parasympathetic tone” is enhanced. So isn’t it interesting that the vast and complete Tao Tan Pai Qigong System created in the 10th Century A.D. begins with its very first exercise known as “Circling Palms”, which systematically conditions the practitioner to deepen each exhalation and inhalation to reach a norm during practice of 20 seconds in duration, surpassing th 5.5 seconds duration recommended Nestor by almost four-fold? The one relatively minor criticism I have of James Nestor’s book is his title--'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.' I’m of the naturally biased opinion that his title is quite inaccurate—for there is really nothing new under the sun when it comes to “Breath”. Homo sapiens have been doing it for well over 200,000 years. And some ancient cultures in more recent millennia discovered and created breathing methods and refined and codified them into therapeutic sciences that promote health and actually heal disease. There is no new “science of breath”—there is only ancient Qigong that works! And some of these ancient methods, such as Taoist Elixir Method and Flying Phoenix Qigong are intact and produce tangible health and restorative effects that are repeatable and verifiable with every practice. Bear in mind that James Nestor’s podcast and book discuss some interesting things about only one aspect of Qigong: Qi – or breathing method. But there are two other essential aspects of Qigong, “Xing” (the shape/form of the body and posture), and “Yi” (mental focus and concentration) that need to be synergized with Nestor’s concept of deep breathing or some unique style of deep breathing—before you have a Qigong art that is transformative. Two issues ago (announcing the May 24th Livestream), we examined the very specific instructions in I Ching Hexagram #52 “Keeping Still” for practicing meditation and Qigong. Those instructions in the Judgement and Image are about the Shape/Form of the body, or “Xing,” and about the focus of the mind, or “Yi”. Be sure to review and carefully study these classical instructions governing Shape-Form and Mental Focus provided in Hexagram 52 of the I Ching (Book of Changes). Carry on, but with inhalations and exhalations greater than 5.5 seconds!! Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello Centertime, so sorry I missed your post all the way until now. For weekly updates and Zoom Meeting ID's for both of my weekly 2-hour Livestreamed classes (Basic TTP + FP Qigong on Sundays 4pm-6pm EST; a new Intermediate Course on Wednesdays 7pm-9pm EST starting July 1) subscribe for free to my email Newsletter: terencedunn.substack.com Thanks for your interest. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Adhimutti, If you have the time to do both TTP-31 practice (e.g., the TTP Short Form Power Yoga consisting of Exercises No.1, 2, 3, 4 and 18) and FP Qigong practice (3 standing meditations plus 2 seatd Monk Serves Wine meditations) all in one session, that's optimal and excellent schedule. You will notice the synergies more readily. But if you practice TTP-31 in the morning and then FP Qigong in the evenings on a daily basis, over time, say within a week or two, you should feel the same synergies as if you were doing the TTP and FP in the same session. On one hand, it's ideal and optimal to learn the TTP-31 separately from any other practice and optimal to learn FP Qigong separately from any other practice. (I learned the entire TTP Nei Kung system from 1975 through 1983; the FP system from 1991 through 1997.) Once you have proficiency in both, then combining the two (with TTP ahead of FP practice every time) would impart wonderful synergistic, amplification effects that would enhance the salient healing/restorative effects of FP Qigong. Let us know how you progress with the combination. Sifu Terry P.S. See my free newsletter at terencedunn.substack.com to get info and Zoom Meeting ID's for my weekly Sunday Livestreamed 2-hour course that combines TTP-31 (hour one) with FP Qigong (hour two).

Greetings to the FP Qigong community: Here is a link to my most recent Newsletter announcing today's 2-hour combined TTP-31 and FP Qigong Livestream class via Zoom. https://terencedunn.substack.com/p/sunday-june-14-whats-going-on-livestream Enjoy. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Vajra Fist, sorry to take 2+ years to reply. But I've been busy frying some very big fish all this time: I'm glad you love Total Yoga. As mentioned above, I'm good friends and allies with the producer of that series, Marsha Posner Williams and respect the work of Ganga White and Tracy Rich. Top quality yoga on DVD. Yeah, it's a shame that according to Marsha, Gaiam ripped her off by more than 1 million units worth of royalties. Sifu Terry www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

TO ALL THETAOBUMS.COM SUBSCRIBERS, TAI CHI FOR HEALTH FOLLOWERS, AND FLYING PHOENIX CHI KUNG PRACTITIONERS: This new discussion thread dedicated to self-proclaimed "Tai Chi master" and "Zen master" david dorian ross--with the purpose of making him more infamous than he could ever dream of. It is posted as public service, for David Dorian Ross was instrumental in enabling the corrupt business practices of two large corporate purveyors of New Age lifestyle products (including Yoga and Tai Chi videos)--namely, Healing Arts Publishing, Inc. and its successor in interest, Gaiam, Inc.--that had both hired david dorian ross in 1998 and 1999, respectively, to make a bunch of "Chi For Beginners" videos, that were deceptively titled and packaged so as to circumvent an exclusivity provision in a contract that I had with both these companies. My Complaint against this breach of contract is memorialized in a lawsuit styled "Terence Dunn and Interarts Productions, Inc. vs. Gaiam, Inc., a Colorado Corporation, Gaiam Holdings, Inc., a Colorado Corporation, Steve P. and Elizabeth A. Adams Holdings, a California Corporation, Healing Arts Publishing, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company, Steven P. Adams, David Dorian Ross, and John Does 1-100, inclusively" that I filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in January 2000---- Case BC244453. All the video footage mounted on this Youtube Channel is of david dorian ross testifying under oath on August 1, 2001 in a deposition in San Francisco taken by my attorney, William Ford of the Ford Law Firm. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ25_amAVNCszW7r4vI0pRQ/videos In 2000, I sued Gaiam, Inc., et. al. for breach of contract, alleging that Gaiam instead of honoring the exclusivity provision in my Distribution Agreement that prohibited Gaiam from marketing any Tai Chi videos other than my Tai Chi for Health Yang Short Form and Tai Chi For Health Yang Long Form videos, Gaiam hired david dorian ross in 1999 to make three more "Chi" videos (Upper Body Chi, Lower Body Chi, and Energy Chi) after he made "A.M. Chi" for HAPI (CEO Steve Adams) in 1998, which, had Tai Chi as their principal subject matter but which Gaiam effectively disguised as "Qigong" programs by their titling ("Chi For Beginners") and descriptions of the video contents on the packaging, and which Gaiam then sold--in gross violation of the Distribution Agreement--to cannibalize my videos' dominant market share from 1999 through 2003--a market share that was quantified by Nielson Videoscan for those years as accounting for 35% of all barcoded DVD titles sold with the world "Chi" in their titles. The damages I claimed in the lawsuit as propounded by my damages expert, Consor Intellectual Asset Management, totaled approximately $2.4 million. Throughout David Dorian Ross's deposition lasting approximately 5 hours on August 1, 2001, he consistently testified under oath (and in detail) that four (4) "Chi For Beginners" videos distributed by Gaiam that he appears in ("A.M. Chi," "Energy Chi," "Upper Body Chi", and "Lower Body Chi") do not have Tai Chi as their subject matter because he did not have the "internal intent" to do Tai Chi (!!!)--despite the fact that: (A) he names the exercises on the videos using classical Tai Chi names that have no meaning in any other art or context and (B ) despite the fact that each of Ross's postures in question taken from video frames are visually identical to: (1) still photos of Tai Chi postures bearing the same Tai Chi names excerpted from ten popular Tai Chi books and to (2) still frames of my postures excerpted from my Tai Chi For Health DVDs. that were placed in front of him in side-by-side, frame-by-frame comparisons by my lawyer. However, Gaiam Inc.'s very own designated Tai Chi expert, Master Mao Xing Ni (son of Ni Hua Ching)--in a surprising turn during his deposition that flummox'd Gaiam's lawyers-- testified that the subject matter of 3 of the 4 ross videos (Energy Chi, Lower Body Chi, Upper Body Chi) was indeed Tai Chi-- thus flatly contradicting the bulk of ross's 5 hours of testimony under oath, making him out to be a determined and shameless liar. Attached here are Master Ni's notes on the subject matter of the Ross "Chi" videos: Thus fourteen years after david dorian ross's deposition, as a public service here and with a Youtube channel (link below) aptly named "Honey Badger Does Not Care; fajing your ass", I am now exposing this full day of blatant lying under oath that is obviously fundamental to his character and therefore also his manifested teaching persona, which I consider to be awful and unctuously disgusting in general. Based on my observation of his Tai Chi performances on video products over the past sixteen years (many here on Youtube), I consider Ross's skill level to be mediocre and nothing close to the "mastery" that he claims. That Ross has given himself the titles of "Tai Chi master" and "Zen master" as seen here is ludicrous-- --and are insults to the Tai Chi art, to Chinese martial arts culture, and to the 2,000 year old Chan Buddhist (Zen) tradition in particular. In my opinion, this self-proclaimed "master" of Tai Chi and Zen Buddhism, who is demonstrably capable of lying for almost five hours under oath and in front of a video camera, represents one of the most noxious and insidious viruses plaguing the world of unsuspecting, beginning-level enthusiasts in Tai Chi, Qigong, and meditative arts in general and of Zen Meditation and Zen practice in particular----especially given his temporal influence through the media, as he has been long promoted by Gaiam, Inc. as their Tai Chi poster boy. I believe that he is a danger as a retarding obstacle to the physical and spiritual progress of all unsuspecting beginning enthusiasts in Tai Chi and Qigong, and to practitioners of Zen Buddhism. There is an ancient Chinese maxim that extends beyond the realm of martial arts that says: "When the wrong man uses the right means, the right means work in the wrong way." It is my opinion that this self-proclaimed "Tai Chi and Zen master", David Dorian Ross, lends perfect creedence to this maxim. I therefore ask everyone who seeks and respects truth and is interested in the cultivation of physical, emotional, and spiritual health--i.e., the fruits of correct and ethical practice of authentic Chinese martial, yogic, healing and spiritual traditions, and all things the honorable in the Chinese martial arts to: (1) share the link to this discussion/expose´and (2) carefully consider the material presented in this thread and on this new Youtube channel, and then (3) BOYCOTT and advocate to others the BOYCOTTING of EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that this person has put his name to. Yours Truly, Sifu Terence Dunn (Kung Fu and Qigong master) my bona fides: http://www.taichimania.com/tdbio.html http://thedaobums.com/topic/12639-flying-phoenix-chi-kung/… https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ25_amAVNCszW7r4vI0pRQ/videos

Hello to all FP Practitioners and Friends of FP: Here is a link to the current issue of my new Newsletter with general info and teachings about Qigong and Meditation, along with sign-up info for my weekly Livestream 2-hour concentratd Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations followed by Flying Phoenix Qigong practice: https://terencedunn.substack.com/p/sunday-may-24-memorial-day-weekend Each issue contains lots of of additional relevant and fun stuff, too. Please subscribe for free to get automatic email updats on all my Zoom Livestream classes (one on Sundays at present; ramping up to 4 different ongoing weekly classes): terencedunn.substack.com Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimanai.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello to all in the FPCK Community, Today I just launched a new email Newsletter providing schedules and updates on all my Livestreaming courses, classes and workshops when this pandemic ends, and a variety of information and resources about FPCK, Taoist Elxir Method Qigong, Yang Tai Chi Chuan and all the arts that I practice and teach. Subscription is free. This is the subscription page (just pick the $0/month, free subscription plan): https://terencedunn.substack.com/p/coming-soon And here is today's inaugural issue: https://terencedunn.substack.com/p/welcome-to-our-launch See you this afternoon at 4pm EST for Class #5 of my concentrated 2-hour Qigong For Health series, which has the accurate and detailed subtitle: "Tao Tan Pai + Flying Phoenix Qigong For Peak Immunity, Stamina, Stress Management, and Rapid Recovery from Fatigue and Exhaustion for First Responders" Be well and take care to stay safe. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimanai.com/chikung_catalog.html

Happy World Tai Chi Qigong Day to all. This is a very last minute notice: At the very, very last minute--and I do mean last minute: I agreed to do a presentation at the WTCQ Day online Summit and then participate in a panel discussion with 3 other Qigong experts--Dr. George Love, "Monk" Yun Ruo, and Chunyi Lin. I've only heard of Chunyi Lin, who's the creator Spring Forest Qigong. Should be interesting. This event is free to the viewership. Donations are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/578677116076281/

To the FPCK Community: This is a reminder that tomorrow and every Sunday from 4pm-6pm EST is my live-streamed 2-hour concentrated Qigong class that syngergistically combines one hour of Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations training followed by one hour of FP Qigong training. Here is the registration info for next session on Sunday April 19: • Registration URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrfumuqTwiGdN_6IvtvhgsO_BVohFy89dR • Zoom Meeting ID: 816-9067-7837 • Send $35 fee via Paypal to [email protected] (or $240 for a series of 8 two-hour sessions) to receive the new Meeting Password tomorrow. (*The Registration URL page above has an extensive and detailed description of the powerful combined content of the 2-hour sessions: 1 hour of Taoist Elixir Method (Tao Tan Pai) Basic 31 Meditations followed by 1 hr of FP Qigong practice.) For those of you who aren't familiar with Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu or TTP Qigong (the other ancient Taoist monastic Nei Kung system that I preserve, along with about 10 other 24th generation instructors), this video shows 8 of the 31 Basic Tao Tan Pai Meditations (there are 6 more higher levels to this Nei Kung system), plus the Tao Tan Pai Cane Form at the end, which is a valuable basic Kung Fu Form that I started teaching 6 years ago as prerequisite warm-up regimen before any type of Qigong practice that I teach. (Subscribers also get ongoing access to the recordings of each Zoom session that they attend). Be well and take care to observe all COVID-19 precautions. Sincerely, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimanai.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hello LightShadowDao, Glad to hear that you used FP Qigong to get in sync with the full moon. Yes. Full moon nights is the perfect and optimal time to practice the FP Qigong system--any part of the system to any extent. I practiced the five 90-second meditations on Vol.5, then the FPHHCM Long Form Meditation, then Moonbeam. And then 3 of the 9 Advanced FP Standing Meditations--a higher level of FP Qigong that requires in-person instruction and supervision, in the same way that Tai Chi requires. Note and enjoy the lasting restorative effects after each practice has concluded. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimanai.com/chikung_catalog.html

To all FP Qigong practitioners: Over the past two Sundays, we got off to a great start with my weekly series of live-streamed 2-hour concentrated Qigong lessons on the Zoom platform. The first series takes place every Sunday from 4pm-6pm EST. If you're interested in participating, Here is the registration info for next session on Sunday April 12: • Registration URL: https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqd-mupzMvX8QwnSn4NZW1M046AcjEMQ • Zoom Meeting ID: 867-006-985 • Send $35 fee via Paypal to [email protected] (or $240 for a series of 8 two-hour sessions) to receive the Meeting Password. (*The Registration URL page above has an extensive and detailed description of the powerful combined content of the 2-hour sessions: 1 hour of Taoist Elixir Method (Tao Tan Pai) Basic 31 Meditations followed by 1 hr of FP Qigong practice.) For those of you who aren't familiar with Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu or TTP Qigong (the other ancient Taoist monastic Nei Kung system that I preserve, along with about 10 other 24th generation instructors), this video shows 8 of the 31 Basic Tao Tan Pai Meditations (there are 6 more higher levels to this Nei Kung system), plus the Tao Tan Pai Cane Form at the end, which is a valuable basic Kung Fu Form that I started teaching 6 years ago as prerequisite warm-up regimen before any type of Qigong practice that I teach. I hope to see many of you at future streaming sessions. (Subscribers also get ongoing access to the recordings of each Zoom session that they attend). Be well and take care to observe all COVID-19 precautions. Sincerely, Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimanai.com/chikung_catalog.html

HELLO TO ALL MY STUDENTS AND FRIENDS ACROSS THE U.S. AND OVERSEAS!: I hope that this finds you and your loved ones in good health and calm, well-informed and adapting comfortably to the necessarily new lifestyle of sheltering in place against the COVID-19 pandemic. This again is short notice, but not as short as last weekend!: My next live-streamed Qigong class will be this Sunday, April 5 at 4:00 pm EST. This class, which will continue on every Sunday at 4pm is called: "Tao Tan Pai + Flying Phoenix Qigong For Peak Immunity, Stamina and Rapid Recovery from Fatigue"-- as it will be a combination of the two powerful and very different Taoist monastic systems of Qigong that I preserve--Taoist Elixir Method ("TaoTan Pai") and Flying Phoenix Qigong--that I specially designed over the past month to effectively increase immune levels, stamina, respiratory power (that's what Qigong means) and was developed for first-responders and medical workers. This program is a fine-tuning of an earlier program that I developed and successfully delivered way back in April 2016 for Montana's Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) to all its social workers and first-responders working in the highest burn-out niche in all of social work--Child Protective Services. Those of you who have taken my Tao Tan Pai and Flying Phoenix Qigong classes and workshops in Los Angeles, Lenox, St. Paul, and NYC know that these practices impart tangibly energizing and profoundly rejuvenating effects in very short order. And up to a certain age that varies from person to person, practice of specific Flying Phoenix Qigong meditations will allostatically reverse signs of aging--smoothing skin and returning grey hair to its previous root color. My good friend at the Yale School of Public Health who has been vetting my programs since last June gave me this publishable review of the Flying Phoenix Qigong: "Flying Phoenix Qigong practice significantly elevates parasympathetic tone. 90 minutes of practice of this Qigong is restorative in real time and over time afterwards." - Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H., IOC Dip. Sp. Med. Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale School of Public Health Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology; International Olympic Committee (IOC) Working Group on the Prevention of Harassment and Abuse in Sport; World Obstacle Course Racing (FISO) Safeguarding Committee; International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Medical Committee And most recent Proof of the Qigong pudding are these two spontaneous testimonials given by my dear friend and student, Rori Kanter, six months apart. Rori is a sprite and hard-charging 82 year old whose doctor gave her a most amazing evaluation after she practiced 6 months of Qigong, as explained in the second clip: April 29, 2019 https://vimeo.com/333813234 Nov. 4, 2019 https://vimeo.com/372632471 As some of you already know, the Tao Tan Pai Qigong system--created in the Tang dynasty and 24 generations old--is powerful and restorative in and of itself, happens to be a fantastic foundational catalyst for Flying Phoenix Qigong. That is, the TTP-31 Meditations enhance the restorative effects of Flying Phoenix Qigong and makes them even more salient. Thus this ongoing course will cover the following: -- A. Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (Exercises Nos. 1 thru 4 and No.18 of the TTP Basic 31 Meditations); Tao Tan Pai "Shen" Exercises; "The Six Stars Standing Meditation" B. Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong -- Standing and Seated Meditations in equal proportions of time. Over time, we will cover everything in Volumes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 of my Chi Kung For Health DVD series. To learn more about the DVDs, visit: www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html To warm up on your own before this session starts at 4pm, I recommend that you practice: 1. the "Toe-Circling Walk" that I teach at the start of every class (since 1987); 2. Any Tai Chi form that you remember from my past classes or know from a different tradition or teacher, 3. The Silk Weaver's Exercise (easy to do Qigong) as shown here on my Facebook Product Page: https://www.facebook.com/236579434951/videos/10154646296514952/ FEES: The fee for this class is the same as for my community classes at Eastover Estate: $35 for one class or $240 for a series of 8 sessions. Please send your payment via Paypal or Zelle to this email address: [email protected] PLEASE MAKE YOUR PAYMENT BEFORE 2PM TOMORROW The Meeting ID for the April 5 class is: 638-772-745 Once payment has been confirmed, you will be sent a Password to enter the meeting. To access the webinar: enter www.zoom.us into your browser. Then click the "Join a Meeting" tab at the upper right side of the Zoom homepage. Then enter your password when prompted. If you wish to pay by check or m.o., please mail it to this address and notify me by email with an attached photo of your check: Terry Dunn c/o Eastover Estate 430 East Street Lenox, MA 01240 We had a very good turnout for our inaugural session last Sunday--despite the fact that I gave everyone only 5 hours' notice beforehand! I look forward to seeing you all again and welcoming many first-timers. Again, my apologies for this relatively short notice about this Sunday's class. But this was due to a massive WiFi outage since last Monday at Eastover Estate--due to a mighty lightning storm. The WiFi is still not repaired, but I have a beautiful alternative location arranged as backup if it is not repaired by tomorrow. Peace and Health to us all, Sifu Terry Dunn (310) 384-7205 "Calmness (i.e., meditation) and Wisdom is like a lamp and its light." -- Hui Neng, 6th Patriarch of Buddhism, founder of the Ch'an School (Zen).

Hi Orange: Answer: it doesn't matter if you sit on the forward part of the chair or sit against the straight back of the chair. Just as it doesn't matter for those who can sit in half-lotus whether they do the seated Monk Serves Wine meditations seated upright away from a wall or a prop or seated upright with back flush against a wall or a piece of furniture. The MSW seated meditations are very accommodating. As long is one's back is upright and kept still, it doesn't matter if the back is supported by a prop or not. Good practicing. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

"HEALING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING." --Grandmaster Doo Wai "WE ARE AT OUR BEST WHEN WE SERVE OTHERS. BE CIVILIZED." Ira Byock writes: Anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. "A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts," Mead said. We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized. ~ Ira Byock, *The Best Care Possible: A Physician’s Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life* Posted by Rob Brezny on his superb western astrology website, www.freewill.astrology ••To bring this back to Flying Phoenix Qigong: Art below titled "Forever Happy" painted by my young prodigy friend, Alexandra Nechita, when she was 13 yrs old! --posted because this is the only artwork that came to mind that depicts a femur!

Hello to all FP Qigong practitioners, Here is one of the most comprehensive and informative videos about the nature of the COVID-19 virus and pandemic. The expertis Dr. Michael Osterholm, Dir. of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. More than 90 minutes in duration, but well worth watching. Dr. Osterholm dispells many misconceptions about the behavior of COVID-19 and viruses in general, and about measures to prevent infection. I posted this on March 1 on Facebook and post it again here for more people's benefit: Be well and practice FP Qigong's Long Form Standing Meditation (as taught on Volume 4) to maintain peak immunity. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Orange: Answer: it doesn't matter if you sit on the forward part of the chair or sit against the straight back of the chair. Just as it doesn't matter for those who can sit in half-lotus whether they do the seated Monk Serves Wine meditations seated upright away from a wall or a prop or seated upright with back flush against a wall or a piece of furniture. The MSW seated meditations are very accommodating. As long is one's back is upright and kept still, it doesn't matter if the back is supported by a prop or not. Good practicing. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Maybe in the Philippines, John. But in the States you can get a good quality DVD player with USB connectors for $23 to $30 online.

Hi EFreethought, You can get a very reliable DVD player for anywhere from $23 to $30 online on amazon or eBay. I have two, one for each newish Mac laptop in 2 different locations. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=DVD+player+usb&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 Enjoy the DVD programs whenever you get them. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

To the Flying Phoenix Qigong Community and Friends: HERE IS MOST USEFUL AND VALUABLE ADVICE FROM DR. JAMES ROBB, A SEASONED EXPERT IN MOLECUAR VIROLOGY ON HOW TO BEST AVOID INFECTION THROUGHOUT THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC (courtesy of my friend Mike McDermott). GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US, INDEED. Date: February 26, 2020 at 2:35:50 PM EST Subject: What I am doing for the upcoming COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic Dear Colleagues, As some of you may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources. The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April. Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.: 1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc. 2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove. 3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip - do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors. 4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts. 5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been. 6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home's entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your hands. 7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more! What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US: 1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas. Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average - everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth. 2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you - it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth - it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth. 3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective. 4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY "cold-like" symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available. I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available. I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share. Good luck to all of us! James Robb, MD FCAP www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Hi Orange: Answer: it doesn't matter if you sit on the forward part of the chair or sit against the straight back of the chair. Just as it doesn't matter for those who can sit in half-lotus whether they do the seated Monk Serves Wine meditations seated upright away from a wall or a prop or seated upright with back flush against a wall or a piece of furniture. The MSW seated meditations are very accommodating. As long is one's back is upright and kept still, it doesn't matter if the back is supported by a prop or not. Good practicing. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Earl Grey and miwizi: Thank you to Earl Grey for providing miwizi with accurate answers to all his questions. I am following on with my supplemental comments (in italic bold): 1) Are the 5 exercises presented in Vol. 1 best done as a unit? It is good to diversify your practice, but even just doing one is enough. One hour of Monk Holding Peach is great, and doing all five meditations in Vol. 1 for 10-15 minutes each is also good, so long as you do it as Sifu Terry says. • For beginners, I recommend doing all five of the Vol.1 basic standing meditations as much as one can, each one for a minimum of 10 minutes--with more time devoted to "Bending the Bows" because the traditional training method is one set of 18 repetitions done very slowly. Order does not matter as has been repeated many times in this thread. • I programmed the DVD series to present the FP Qigong meditations in the same exact order as how GM Doo Wai taught me and our cadre of students in L.A. from 1991 to 1997. while it doesn't matter in term sof overall effect what order one practices the 5 exercises on Vol.1, one might say that the order presented might be optimal. The guidelines for timing are detailed in each package you receive with your DVD orders, referring to eating before and after the practice. If you're referring to doing the practice and jumping one form to the next, it has not been specified, but I personally jump right into the next meditation immediately consecutively after finishing the previous one. • Correct. One can take a few or any number of resting breathes in between each FP meditation, or jump right into the next meditation. You can end one meditation with 3 deep breathes, and then immediately take the initializing 3 full breaths for the next exercise. Once you feel the cumulative effects of one FP meditation to the next, you can experiment with how long a break you can take between each one in order to "stay in the zone" of being continually bathed or enveloped by tangible the FP Healing Energy. Follow the alignment Sifu Terry shows in the DVD as precisely as you can and don't overthink it. • Keep back straight by imagining a string attached to the crown of your head suspending you spine from above. Please clarify bolded text. As has been shared before, this is purely a health and healing practice, whereas Bok Fu Pai is a martial practice. • Advice about the "edge" you feel afterwards: go somewhere, anywhere. You don't need to know this, generally speaking. FP works uniquely and is not following TCM models of qi flow. If you do want to know, you'll find out in personal sessions with Sifu Terry, which are highly recommended, even just to perfect your forms that you learn on the DVDs. •Upper tan tien can refer to teh brow chakra or "third eye": middle tan tien can correlate to teh heart chakra; lower tan tien is the center 3 inches below the navel. I use these terms when I teach because a lot of students have experience in Indian yogas where the term chakras is used. Earl Grey is correct in saying that in FP Qigong, you DON'T NEED TO VISUALIZE ANYTHING having to do with the 3 tan tien's (or anything else). But the "3 tan tiens" are useful when I teach to gell students where to place their hands when doing Monk Gazing At Moon (upper TT), Monk Holding peach (middle TT), and Monk Holding Pearl (lower TT), etc. --Here is the detailed definitions, correctly posted by Wikipedia: Different schools of thought categorize dantian in various manners. Three main dantian are typically emphasized:[1][2] Lower dantian (下丹田, Xià Dāntián): below the navel (about three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel), which is also called "the golden stove" (金炉 pinyin: Jīn lú) or the namesake "elixir-of-life field" proper, where the process of developing the elixir by refining and purifying essence (jing) into vitality (qi) begins.[6] Middle dantian (中丹田, Zhōng Dāntián): at the level of the heart, which is also called "the crimson palace", associated with storing spirit (shen) and with respiration and health of the internal organs, in particular the thymus gland. This cauldron is where vitality or qi is refined into shen or spirit.[7] Upper dantian (上丹田, Shàng Dāntián): at the forehead between the eyebrows or third eye, which is also called "the muddy pellet", associated with the pineal gland. This cauldron is where shen or spirit is refined into wu wei or emptiness.[5][8] Enjoy your practice. Sifu Terry Dunn www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html