GreytoWhite

I would consider Daito-ryu to be a direct strategy internal martial art. Many of the teachers don't have it or only pieces. It's an attempt to channel baguazhang from Fudo Myo-o. So many parallels between the aiki arts and the internals.

From a trusted LHBF and practitioner of other arts he says that the focus on the 4 ends (feet and hands) in taiji will keep you from attaining the 9 Joints 5 Hearts method. The same person also says that training in xingyi and bagua will most likely help you with your LHBF. Granted, what kind of xingyi and bagua are we talking about? Jiang Rong Qiao was known to have exchanged arts with Chen Yiren and at his Hong Kong school they still teach the Jiang bagua.

How did you get introduced to Kunlun? I was taught One Breath as a grounding technique and I have a nice sticky note labeled grounding in the book. If you've only bought the book I recommend you cease all practice of Kunlun and get in-person instruction session ASAP. Damo Mitchell's Comprehensive Neigong book also recommends grounding. You can usually do this through tailbone/KD1 points or with prostrations. If you're very injured and your spontaneous movement is not grounding anything down I have grounded through my palms in the past.

Damo is very practical and presents things as they are seen from an "indoor" perspective. I've been fortunate to only learn from indoor perspectives in person and this matches well and illuminates things for me. It all comes down to practice and this book does not provide that. Instead, it provides a lot of very good information about neigong from Damo's very well informed perspective. For years I was lost in the dark trying to learn from videos and books after my old taiji teacher was deported. All that reading and watching was a huge waste of time - if only I had found someone to meet with in person. After I showed my teacher Damo's book he encouraged me to go study with Damo - he said that Damo is probably a very nice person based on what he's seen and that he is showing stuff you won't get from DVDs and books alone.

Oh man - no wonder you're confused. You're doing 10,000 things at once and are learning from DVDs. If you don't already have a live instructor near you go get one or move to where one is. I've got transmissions from two different lineages now one has xingyi and bagua and the other I'm only learning bagua - both do things differently. I also learned Chen village method about 10 years ago and have gone around to touch hands (not always fight) with people in all kindsa different styles including Aikido, Eskrima, Silat, I Liq Chuan, Han family Yiquan, Yang taiji, and Chen Practical Method. Some things are the same - a LOT is different. Don't think you're building the same skill in Chen as you will in Liuhebafa - probably won't even get the same flavor from LHBF teacher to LHBF teacher dependent on their other experience. Even within my own lineages the instructors express their styles differently.

I think this is Wu Yihui's son-in-law demonstrating and his son doing the talking. I really like Mok Kei Fai and Choi Wai Lun's demos. Don't forget about David Chan if you want to look into the unification of Yiquan and LHBF or the Han family Yiquan guys.

Most of the Reiki styles have Hayashi in common. Some do not descend from him but the Western schools do for the most part. They all connect to a spiritual energy in a "heaven battery/library/medium" that can heal people. Some schools use different symbols than others dependent on influences from esoteric Buddhism or other sources. Some even go so far as to commune with Christian Angels. I've seen some shamanic reiki practitioners that spirit travel via trance and then do reiki. They may or may not have their own symbols. It's possible to make almost any symbol work for you so long as you cultivate correct intent to the shape of its energy. From my experience with multiple lineages of any energy system it's best to practice as you were taught until you can teach the style yourself. Best not to practice hodge podge pieces from different systems and keep them coherent and practiced at separate times. It's like trying to tune into multiple radio stations at once. At best you'll get multiple voices talking over each other and normally all you'll get is a bunch of static. From there you can develop your own style but ask permission - some schools will even show you how to form your own egregore so you can attune others later. Some schools will teach certain things at certain times. I know of a local jujutsu school that requires all their black belts to be reiki 1+2 at least.

Thanks for taking time to reply - we were all beginners so no surprise some were trying to control the experience for their 3rd or 4th clinical. I've since learned more than what was printed out for my class. I met a Jikiden Reiki Master recently and at her recommendation I read Frank Arjava Petter's This Is Reiki which gave me a much fuller understanding of the history and just how different what I was taught vs. what is done in Japan may be. I learned 1+2 from a Karuna teacher but he taught us Usui Tenchi Shiki Reiki Ryoho like Chris Matsuo taught level 1+2 to him. Having looked at the book - it's all Takata lineage teachers. I look forward to learning from multiple reiki instructors in the future.

As far as positivity goes - it's definitely not always a pleasant experience for those providing assistance. I recently received reiki treatment from multiple people at once in class. Almost two years ago my pancreas nearly failed and those treating me experienced a reduced empathic pain. It's only able to be used for healing but if you're a well rounded person you probably have a martial art you can use to kick ass with - just don't turn your reiki on when you fight as it won't work and if you try to force it there's blowback.

I just completed Reiki levels 1 and 2. I think you may have some misconceptions. It is something that anyone can do if they have extensive work in Japanese esoteric Buddhism, Shinto, and martial arts at a very high level of achievement and then complete a 21 day fast along with very specific meditations. Sure, anyone CAN do that - however, one must typically be attuned to the energy of the system by a master otherwise you are using the energy of your self and not channeling the reiki energy which is different. Without attunement many are doing a form of "reverse vampirism" and pushing their personal energy on someone else - how pure that is is entirely dependent on the person and their intent. There are a number of mudras and mantras to practice along with this. It's a very high vibration level and most people will not achieve this without assistance. The rules are that there must be an exchange whether that's money or a meal it entirely depends on the situation and the people. As to whether it's expensive - that depends on your viewpoint. I've paid over $250 for a single myofascial release massage session for assistance with regaining mobility. Someone in true need will find a way to get treatment and usually if they're sufficiently social they should be able to find a benevolent healer who may be willing to trade for labor or whatever - talk to people. A lot of it is just taking the small steps to pursue what you need and then more and more of this will come into your life if you are truly ready for it. Reiki is basically becoming a medium for medicine Buddhas to assist you and keys to the energy of your reiki lineage. It's really easy and intuitive but there's psychic, energetic, and physical blowback on the person doing the healing. Someone has to pay for their training, maintain a daily practice, spend an hour previous to treatment in meditation and preparation, then however long treatment takes, and then dealing with whatever baggage may be left from the patient. Do you think the person helping should not be compensated? It's honestly not that expensive - most people I've come across will do attunements anywhere between $100 - $200 for level 1, $100 - $300 for level 2, and most people don't go on to level 3 but really $1,000 or less for a new skill and an energy healing system for yourself in the future is not expensive at all IMO.

Really great information in here - had to get further than page 400 to get to stuff related to my current practice. Lots of facets of my foundation to revisit and I want his neidan book White Moon on the Mountain Peak now.

Liuhebafa was still being formulated from about four different kung fu sets from the rural village Wu Yihui grew up in throughout his life. So each of his eras and areas that he taught in show different flavors dependent on his students' other experience as well . What Helen Liang is showing is a wushu competition form. Were I looking to study the art I'd start with an instructor from the following organizations. http://liuhebafachuan.com/ This group is led by Mok Kei Fai - the last disciple of Chen Yiren. http://aocma.com/ This is a student of Wai Lun Choi's in Chicago. Wai Lun Choi was an accomplished fighter and had a background in Lama pai before learning internal arts from Chen Yiren. http://www.xinyimeditation.com/ David Chan taught a combined version of Chen Yiren's Liuhebafa along with Yiquan. Some will say that Liuhebafa's 9 Joints and 5 Hearts theory is violated by Yiquan's Hunyuan Li but his students look to be skilled and have trained MMA competitors for the SE Asian circuit. https://hanshiyiquan.us/index.html If you're looking to avoid forms and want something more focused on partner exercises the Han family teaches Yiquan that is heavily influenced by Liuhebafa. Han Xing Qiao's wife was an indoor student of Wu Yihui's and the opening of LHBF's main form has been integrated into it. This is the only group I've personally touched hands with but the rest have been vetted by people whose experience I trust. I'm more of a bagua guy the last two years.

Eh, I got no horse in this race. Focusing on bagua - no interest in taiji any more.

When I was volunteering at the food bank today one of the clients recognized the xiantian bagua tattooed on my left arm. I'm always surprised when someone recognizes it as I usually hear, "Is that the symbol from Lost?" The fellow went on to explain that he had learned the Five Animal Style as a kid from Ark Wong. Has anyone practiced this? I love the body mechanics and athleticism of Se Ming Wong in this video.

Sifu Dunn, Thanks for elucidating and clarifying the style for me. This post is about four years old. I have since gone on to learn the xingyi five elements, some Jiang baguazhang, and am now studying material from the Dragongate Sanctuary out of Hawai'i. Matt

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140515095545.htm The article linked above is something I found very interesting. I think that many systems integrate aspects of both concentrative and nondirective meditation but focus more on one side than the other. My limited experience would lead me to classify certain systems as below. Your thoughts and additions are appreciated. Concentrative Healing Tao Yucatec numerical/geometric visualization Bardon Nondirective B.K. Frantzis' water method Zazen

There's no real connection between the two historically. http://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/

Aye, my friend that learned bagua and then learned from Angel Cabales used to say that the two fit hand in glove with each other but that the bagua usually produced more power. I've played with some local students of Sam Buot and they're quicker than I am at their drills but I've thrown some pretty big guys with very little effort.

Although there's some choreography from Hakka stuff its theory and methods are pretty much the same. Although Han Jingchen thinks that the Chins may have learned Yiquan somewhere.

Honestly, if I were looking to learn taiji I'd just go to one of Sam Chin's Zhong Xin Dao (I Liq Chuan) classes.

I agree, most modern taijiquan much like modern aikido sucks. I trained in a pre-WW2 lineage in Stockton, CA and we were expected to defend ourselves from the readily apparent violence. It did save my life from a knife-wielding attacker in my teens. Little did I know that most aikido-ka couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag until about 3rd dan. I drunk the Kool-Aid when I first started training Chen but had my illusions quickly dissipated by a former Marine special forces soldier and another martial artist. The Marine showed me in no uncertain terms that neigong was not necessary to kill someone and that launching someone 15 feet was pretty much useless against a determined attacker. The other martial artist was a champion TKD fighter and had trained with a lot of today's big names in the internals that were just students then. When it came down to it he pretty much shat all over taiji and recommended I learn bagua and play with the Filipino guys with sticks and knives and get on the ground with the Brazilians. Taijiquan is a martial art - a lot of what gets attached to it on the other hand...

It might be the earliest historical form but I highly doubt it is in any way connected to modern football. On the other hand - Calcio Storico Fiorentino is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNyZnRxavRM

Update 9/2023 Andrew Nugent-Head removed the playlists previously provided at no cost from his YouTube. Now the different playlists can be purchased from his Teachable. I hope this helps you with your practice as this is the foundation to start this style of baguazhang. One should ignore the other animals until one has put a good amount of time into Lion (two years at least). https://association-for-traditional-studies.teachable.com/p/ysb-lion Lion Opens Mouth - Representative Posture Bold & Powerful Qian trigram Lion system focuses on the top of the body and is particularly beneficial for the lungs. Interlocking Yang Palm keeps chaining direct attacks until one lands - the waist powers everything Firm, Strong, Tough, Hard, Long, Fast Lion’s Playful Side - Loves Balls Holding Rolling Playing Floating Pushing Drawing In Lion Attack Methods Sweeping/Slicing - Cuts like a paring knife below the surface Smashing/Cutting - Tight fist, hammers; Like cutting with a piece of glass, small circular motions Chopping - Cut like an ax Hooking - To hook or hang on a hook Shocking - Shake or shock/quick jolt Blocking - Keep or ward off Seizing - Capture and catch Grasping - Hold or take Attack Forms Moving with the Force - Snake Turning the Back - Bear Lifting and Holding - Dragon Windmill - Phoenix Lying Step - Rooster Reversing the Body - Unicorn Enfolding/Squatting - Monkey 56 practices at three Levels Middle Level - Lion Opens Mouth (opens/closes sides of ribs alternatingly) High Level - Holding the Urn (open/hang ribs from elbows) Low Level - Hate Heaven for Not Having a Bar, Hate Earth for Not Having a Ring (Inside Hates Earth, Outside Hates Heaven - unifies rib cage with cross body tension) Lion System Stepping Wheel Stepping - Like a big rolling wheel in movement, when taking an opponents’ legs it is like a scythe or scimitar, used to control both legs of the opponent. Kicks - Stomp Upon Meeting Three Stomps at each level, 9 kicks per system Upper Stomp - Head/Chest Middle Stomp - Heart/Abdomen Low Stomp - Crotch/Leg Video Order and Subject Matter Martial Arts Lion System 01 - History and Overview of Baguazhang Martial Arts Lion System 02 - Overview of the Lion System Martial Arts Lion System 03 - Lion Representative, Lion Opens Mouth Posture Martial Arts Lion System 04 - Sweeping Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 05 - Smashing Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 06 - Chopping Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 07 - Hooking Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 08 - Shocking Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 09 - Blocking Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 10 - Seizing Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 11 - Grasping Strike Posture Martial Arts Lion System 11.5 - Basic Lion Circle Walking Method Martial Arts Lion System 12 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Basic Strikes Martial Arts Lion System 13 - Sweeping Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 14 - Smashing Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 15 - Chopping Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 16 - Hooking Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 17 - Shocking Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 18 - Blocking Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 19 - Seizing Strike Basic Methods Martial Arts Lions System 20 - CHECK DVD! (XPQ demo Lion Plays with Ball?) Martial Arts Lions System 21 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Sweeping Strike Martial Arts Lions System 22 - Sweeping Strike Moving With the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 23 - Sweeping Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 24 - CHECK DVD! Martial Arts Lions System 25 - Sweeping Strike Windmill Palm Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 26 - Sweeping Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 27 - Sweeping Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 28 - Sweeping Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 29 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Smashing Strike Martial Arts Lions System 30 - Smashing Strike Moving With the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 31 - Smashing Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 32 - Smashing Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 33 - Smashing Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 34 - Smashing Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 35 - Smashing Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 36 - Smashing Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 37 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Chopping Strike Martial Arts Lions System 38 - Chopping Strike Moving With the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 39 - Chopping Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 40 - Chopping Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 41 - Chopping Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 42 - Chopping Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 43 - Chopping Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 44 - Chopping Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 45 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Hooking Strike Martial Arts Lions System 46 - Hooking Strike Moving With the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 47 - Hooking Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 48 - Hooking Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 49 - Hooking Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 50 - Hooking Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 51 - Hooking Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 52 - Hooking Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 53 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Shocking Strike Martial Arts Lions System 54 - Shocking Strike Moving With the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 55 - Shocking Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 56 - Shocking Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 57 - Shocking Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 58 - Shocking Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 59 - Shocking Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 60 - Shocking Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 61 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Blocking Strike Martial Arts Lions System 62 - Blocking Strike Moving With the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 63 - Blocking Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 64 - Blocking Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 65 - Blocking Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 66 - Blocking Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 67 - Blocking Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 68 - Blocking Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 69 - CHECK DVD! (Dr. Xie discussing Seizing?) Martial Arts Lions System 70 - Seizing Strike Moving with the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 71 - Seizing Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 72 - Seizing Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 73 - Seizing Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 74 - Seizing Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 75 - Seizing Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 76 - Seizing Strike Enfolding Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 77 - Dr. Xie discussing Lion Grasping Strike Martial Arts Lions System 78 - Grasping Strike Moving with the Force Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 79 - Grasping Strike Turning the Back Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 80 - Grasping Strike Holding and Lifting Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 81 - Grasping Strike Windmill Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 82 - Grasping Strike Lying Step Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 83 - Grasping Strike Reversing the Body Form and Applications Martial Arts Lions System 84 - Grasping Strike Enfolding Form and Applications

Becoming the Lion - A Yin Style Baguazhang Beginner's Guide http://becomingthelion.blogspot.com/2011/01/yin-style-baguazhang-beginners-guide-to.html Becoming the Lion - Ask Dr. Jimberly: Why the Lion System? http://becomingthelion.blogspot.com/2011/04/ask-dr-jimberly-why-lion-system.html Becoming the Lion - Bagua Standing Strengthening Practice http://becomingthelion.blogspot.com/2012/05/bagua-standing-strengthening-practice.html Becoming the Lion - Turning Training Tips for Beginners http://becomingthelion.blogspot.com/2010/08/hour-day-turning-training-tips-for.html

Association for Traditional Studies - Penetrating Palms 4 DVD Set http://www.traditionalstudies.org/store/products/penetrating-palms/ Penetrating Palms with Liu Shichang Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuPtOSNkJcFkzXdcnFZWv9c6GyBRzcDKD