mjjbecker

There are now numerous variations of the Wu (Quan You) lineage, so it is very difficult to generalise-same goes for the Yang. Yang Cheng Fu's line is noted for its wide, expansive movements, but other lines of Yang style are not neccessarily the same. Some branches of the Wu line have much more expansive movements and wider stances than the current main Wu family line. Different branches may or may not use different neigong practices also.

@Jane, Have a look at Lulu.com, http://www.lulu.com/ . It will get the work out in the public domain. Some successful authors on Lulu have been signed up by publishers. @Michael, Unfortunately so. Many moons ago when I taught taijiquan, I asked a student if he had done any practice during the week (the student had signed up for an intensive instructor training course BTW). The reply was no, but he had done some meditation...It is very disheartening for a teacher to continually have to teach the same thing over and over again, because students have forgotten between classes. This isn't of course limited to qigong or martial arts. I have the same with English students here in China. All of them are 18 or over, so can be considered adults, with a reasonable grasp of the concept, if not an appreciation of, responsibility. I am often asked 'How can I improve my English'. There are loads of good resources online for English learners. The students are internet savvy, except when it comes to finding information that will help them with their studies it seems... There is a huge amount of information now on qigong, easily available. Astounding amounts of information, especially when I think it wasn't that long ago there was no internet and we had to rely on books and magazines. More information does mean more crap to wade through, but there is pure gold out there for those prepared to spend the time doing their research and THINKING about it. But there we come back to personal responsibility. Of course, yourself, myself and others have harped on about the importance of studying qigong with a QUALIFIED teacher. Books, videos, etc. are nice resources to have, but the ability to ask questions and get feedback from a QUALIFIED teacher is vital. Sure, there are some good practices people can 'probably' do on their own, but who is to say they are i. doing it correctly and ii. aren't one of the unlucky souls who will have an extreme reaction to the practice? But there we come back to personal responsibility. Caveat emptor.

A few up for now but I expect more will be added over time. http://www.youtube.com/user/timasitheos

http://www.amazon.com/Colloquial-Chinese-C...4289&sr=8-3

RE: 'MjBecker', that was not me.

'Endless' is a figure of speach, as I am sure you know. Quality, not quantity is the issue here. As I am sure you know, and as I pointed out, this has been discussed before. The information is on other threads, but you have to invest the time to seek it out. There are no certainties. What works for one may not work for another. Everyone has their own life to lead. That is why personal experience is fundamental here. Yes, we can get knowledge from others, but we can really only LEARN from our own experience. REALISATION, not knowledge, is the goal. The HIV comparison is not relevant and you know it is not. Context. Other peoples experiences are all well and good, but ultimately a person has to go out and find their own 'truth'. You can waste a lot of time trying to follow what someone else said, and then find out it is the wrong path for you. I know, I've been there and done that. In life, you can only find peace by following your own heart, even when it is very difficult at times. Qi, internal arts, external arts, etc is not the point at all either. YOU are the point. YOUR path is the point. My path is mine, your path is yours. Follow your heart, find what Michael Lomax calls the wu wei. Be yourself as fully and truly as you can be. Look for what resonates with YOU. Forget about chasing power. If it is meant to be it will come to you.

I made no such statement and don't consider myself any such authority to make such a one. What I said I thought was fairly clear. What a person experiences for themself counts. Speculation does not. What this 'master' or that 'champion' can, or cannot do, is nowhere near as important as what the individual can do. The martial arts world is rife with students who presume invincibilty by proxy. They study this method, studied under that master, ergo they must also be magically endowed with the same powers. Then someone comes along and smacks them in the mouth. I've seen this time and time again, from silat to systema to ninjutsu to the internal arts. People living in their little fantasy worlds of invincible systems and masters. ALL this kind of 'what if' speculation is meaningless. The only thing that has any meaning is what is REAL, what actually happens, when it happens. Fantasy is simply FICTION, not real. Experience is king. Enouch. Seriously. If you followed up a fraction of the links and information posted on this forum already, you would know the answer to that question. There is no shortage of information out there. Go and do the work yourself. Stop and think, and spend sometime doing that, rather than just posting up endless new threads. The answers you find for yourself are infinitely more valuable than the answers people give to you.

This has already been discussed to death. You want answers? Go out and do the leg work, meet the people and do the training. The endless fantasising so beloved of internet forums is totally and utterly pointless.

You are welcome. A friend of mine in Australia met a guy, around 80 years old, out running on the beach. This guy was the picture of good health and vitality. His secret? Get out, exercise and keep moving for at least 90 minutes non-stop each day. Diet IS the key I think though, for health and weight loss. I don't believe exercise alone will get the weight shifted. Finding the right way of eating that works for you will. Personally, I am overweight. My qigong buys me time and distance, allowing me to eat and drink what I want. However, I'm under no illusion that is it just buying time. The late, great, Wang Shujin died of bone cancer and was diabetic when he died. According to Marnix Wells, Wang was partial to the Tiawanese equivalent of '7 Up'. Bad diet will get you in the end, no matter what. N.B. Qigong can and often does round the midsection. This is NOT the same as being fat. My own teacher doesn't have an ounce of fat on him, but he does have a rounded midsection. I've seen the same in other Chinese martial artists. Muscle and fat are clearly two different things. Qi, and qigong does not make a person fat. What they eat and drink does.

My pleasure. A 'Ruby Murray' is always good. Good booze is very good. Good company and conversation is priceless.

It is easy for students to think they know it all, and can therefore pick and choose what is important. God knows I have made plenty of mistakes myself over the years. I think the problem here is when you have a system with different techniques that can be practiced at different times. Some days you might do one or two, other days you might do different ones. There is then the temptation just to do the techniques, but miss out the closing. With a 'seamless' set of exercises, then people will naturally follow it through to its conclusion. With the closing being part of that, it is then natural that it is also done each time. Ya Mu, Should I ever decide to take up teaching I'll remember to use that story .

As for the bullshit about Santiago, the sad cowardly types who attempt to character assassinate him while hiding behind computers miss the point entirely. A person is judged by their deeds, not by their words. Watch the video clips on Youtube and see how he moves. People who know what they are looking at don't need to ask any other questions. I've been around some exceptional martial artists, including silat people. Santiago is, in my opinion, unequivocally, the 'real deal'. As for his opinions on silat, we've communicated a bit about that. What he said pretty much matched my own experiences and opinions, based on the years of practice and research I personally put into my own silat study. It also matches things others have told me, people with intimate experience of silat and the main 'players'. As for the man, he is one of lifes 'givers', rather than one of the multitude of 'takers'. He does a lot to help others, and he doesn't go on about it in public. He just does it. Does he have strong opinions? Yes, but they are based off experience, not just the idle speculation so beloved of some. People may, or may not, agree with them, and that is fine. I don't think anyone agrees with everything another person states. We all have our own experiences and go from there. If there is one thing I would really like to get across it is this: Everyone has opinions based upon their experience. Don't take it that just because something is not within your own experience that it is not true. Don't take it that because one approach or method does not work for you, that it does not work for others. Conversely, just because something is right for you, do not take it that you have found 'the truth' and that all others are clearly ignorant souls ripe for enlightenment from you. It is amazing how many people who claim to be tollerant and open minded are quite the opposite. Finally, experience is an ongoing thing. While you live you have the potential to learn. If your understanding and opinions of things never alter, it suggests you are not actually learning and growing.

Please, please, please, let's move away from the term 'soft'. Taijiquan is not a 'soft' martial art. The examples you reference are of neutralising power, nothing 'soft' about them. Taijiquan is a 'hard' and 'soft' martial art, but this again, applies to pretty much ALL martial arts. There is an unfortunate number of 'instructors' who would have people believe taijiquan is all about being 'soft'. However, these people tend to get their arses kicked in both pushing hands and sparring. Don't mention Cheng Manching and the fairytales spun about him by R.W. Smith. Cheng taught his CHINESE students neigong, to develop POWER, while feeding his 'round eye' students a line of shit. An unfortunate fact, documented in interviews with Chinese disciples of Cheng. Gaining ability in 'internal' martial arts requires arduous physical work. It is certainly not easy, nor soft. Much of the power that is developed is highly refined PHYSICAL power. Correct development of the body, along with refined movement. A few might develop something significant regarding 'qi', but the bottom line is the fame of the 'internal' arts comes from masters who could hit like a freight train. If it just came down to qi, the fighting techniques would be redundant. Beware of many of the stories that are floating around also. I don't believe, for one minute, that Yang Luchan became the instructor of Prince Duan's bannermen by kindly neutralising any and all challengers. It is utterly implausible that a close quarter combat instructor, hired to teach elite troops how to kill, would be peddling the crap often seen demonstrated in books. He would HAVE TO HAVE PROVEN HIMSELF, and it would not have been pretty. Fighting men demand proof. The leitai platform was a pretty bloody affair, and people certainly did get killed in these competitions. Whether Yang Luchan killed anyone doing this, I don't know. Other 'internal' artists did though. It is a fact that some stories being propagated in public by well known 'masters' and lineages are bullshit. I know this having been privy to 'inside' information, the proverbial 'horses mouth' as they say. What people in the West define as lying is a perfectly acceptable means of getting results in China. I know this having lived in China for several years now. The 'truth' is what someone wants you to believe, not reality. The above said, I've read many good things about Chen Fake, and I, personally, believe those referring to his high morals and character are true. Apparently he wasn't so gentle with his students though-it is reported that Feng Zhiqiang was the only one willing to engage Chen in pushing hands. The others could not, or would not, take the punishment he gave out to them.

I have the 'Eat to Live' and the fasting books. I, like has been stated by others, found the 'Eat to Live' too big a leap, to extreme a change. However, it is interesting to see that Dr Fuhrman has modified this approach now to make things more gradual. I'd also add, I wasn't impressed with the recipies in 'Eat to Live'. It looks like that has been addressed now, and I will pick up a copy of the new information. If the recipies are good, I'll post some feedback. Another good, less radical site is this one: www.whfoods.org. I've made several recipies from this site, and they all tasted excellent. Highly recommended. Exercise? Distance running. Start with walking, build it up. Even jogging on the spot is good. The interview with this author is very interesting. http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Supe...6219&sr=1-3 Some people may argue over the running, but you don't see many fat long distance runners... One last, but probably the most important, thing. Make sure you understand clearly what you motivation for doing this is, and make sure it is compelling enough for you. I don't think anyone gives a fig what their weight is. Health, yes. Appearance, yes. It is important to be aware of the real reason behind doing something, so that we can be sure it is what we want.

Science backed up with results: http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Health-Weight-Yo...5155&sr=8-1 Product Description Hundreds of medical doctors utilize Dr. Fuhrman s Eat For Health system in their medical practice. It is because all diets fail, for vast majority, in the long-run, unless there is an adequate understanding of nutrient density of food and how low-nutrient-eating leads to food cravings, food addictions and fuels overeating behavior. Dr. Fuhrman s Eat For Health is a medical breakthrough because without this fascinating information you are essentially destined to be struggling with dieting forever, compelled to consume excess calories, and not be able to comfortable and permanently maintain a lighter, healthier weight. Dr. Fuhrman is the founder of the high nutrient eating style and a pioneer in the growing field of nutritional medicine. Now with Eat For Health, (a two-book set) Dr. Fuhrman has taken his bestselling Eat To Live book a gigantic step further, he has made his approach nation-friendly, now everyone can easily do it. "Dr. Fuhrman s nutritional approach to the prevention and management of chronic disease is the most significant medical advance I have seen in my career as a physician. " John V. Forrest, M.D. Professor UCSD Medical School Thousands who have recovered from their medical problems have been calling Dr. Fuhrman s Eat For Health program a medical miracle. We are not just talking about the people who have lost their excess weight after failing for years on one diet after another, but diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, asthma, autoimmune illnesses (including lupus) and headaches have simply melted away. Published medical research already documents this as the most effective weight loss method ever recorded in medical history. There was an average two year weight loss of 53 pounds. Most importantly they kept the weight off. This complete two-book set actually teaches you how to prefer a health-promoting diet-style over a disease-promoting diet. The hallmark of healthy eating is to consume more foods that contain a high nutrient density and less food with a low nutrient density. To make it easy, Dr. Fuhrman has scored thousands of foods so that in each of the 4 phases, the nutrient density of the suggested menus increases. The outcome is that when you eat enough high nutrient foods you can reverse most medical problems without drugs. If diets never worked for you in the past you will now understand why and you will be motivated to lose your excess weight and get well again. Eat For Health can save your life. Dr. Fuhrman s MANDI food and meal scoring system (patent pending) lets you know exactly how healthy your diet is. You can choose your own level of nutritional excellence and you can move forward to a higher level at your own pace when you are ready or you can pump it up to phase four to get maximal weight loss and therapeutic effect to reverse disease. High Nutrient Food, Not Drugs, Is The Prescription Book two contains the menus and recipes. It teaches you how to make this diet work easily for you and your family. With over 150 delicious and easy recipes, it makes high nutrient eating truly gourmet. From strengthening your taste buds to dealing with temptation, restaurant eating, to eating on the road, this program will make sure you can do it, enjoy it, and even fit it into your busy schedule. It is guaranteed to change your life forever. A scientifically proven system to have you lose your food addictions and actually prefer healthy foods over low-nutrient food. A gradual, 4 phase program with custom menus so you can adjust the program to your individual needs and preferences. Everyday recipes that taste phenomenal and are easy to make. A nutrient scoring system to measure the nutritional quality of your diet. Remove toxic hunger and you will succeed at losing weight and keeping it off forever!

There is no 'one size fits all' rule. Different methods follow different rules. Also, the individual person, their level, their health, etc. All these things are relevant. It is said repeatedly, but given the importance, I'll repeat it again. Find a good teacher with a good method and follow the instructions they give you. If there is no teacher near you, then other options would be: i. Sign up and do the KAP course. I have nothing to gain by recommending this course. I don't practice it, and there is no money in it for me either. I simply think it is good. There are seminars as well. ii. Travel and do a seminar with a good teacher. 'Ya Mu', Michael Lomax, does regular seminars in the US. He also has a book, so you can have a read of it and see what you think. iii. Spring Forest has a good course with books, CD's and DVD's. It is a starting point-again, I would recommend going to a seminar when you have the chance. Personal correction is important. iv. 'Fiveelementtao' also has learning materials you can buy. I haven't seen them, but given the consistently wise advice he gives out here, it is a good sign that he's doing something right. I'm sure there is other good stuff out there, but the above is a starting point. Find what resonates with you, not what someone is saying is 'powerful'. The right method for the individual is most 'powerful' for them. IMPORTANT. If you have issues with your health, you should see a doctor. Western, or TCM, take your pick. Ensure they are qualified and know what they are doing. On a fundamental level, take a look at your diet. This plays a huge part in your health. Dr Joel Fuhrman has a good book on nutrition. http://www.drfuhrman.com/ . He follows a strict vegan plan. I'm not saying you have to. The book though has good information on nutrition that you can get useful information from.

It shouldn't be thought of as something 'separate'. Perhaps teachers have in the past 'separated' closing to emphasise how important it is. You don't always have to do every exercise in a set, but you DO need to do the closing-if you want to benefit, not waste your time and avoid blockages. How to get people to do closing then? If you can't appeal to their intellect, just give the closing movements some fancy names and a nice story about how they are secret Shaolin/Wudang/Bon/Sufi/Alchemical/Altlantean/Alien, etc. exercises that will give them the power of a Sith lord to fire lightening bolts from their arses. Some people do like a good story. That should do it.

Agreed. It is something encountered time and again in various traditions. The problems are doubly confounded in translations made by people who do not KNOW what they are writing about. I wonder how many English translations of famous works amount to nothing more than the needless murder of innocent trees? Experience trumps everything. It's one thing to intellectually grasp the concept, another entirely to KNOW it from experience. Experience shows also, and it can't be bluffed for long, if at all. Kostas (yes, that one) has some interesting things to say about 'qi' in his forthcoming book.

Absolutely. Drew, I wish you every success in getting to whatever the highest levels may be.

Harsh? How putting people at risk of illness, possibly serious, by telling them outright lies? http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?showto...12419&st=20 Chunyi Lin's words: Spring Forest Level 3 manual, page 62: Spring Forest Level 2 manual, page 37. Another source: Chinese Qigong - Outgoing Qi Therapy, pages 18-19 Chunyi Lin on healing energy: Taking a persons 'sick qi' or 'qi blockages'-use whatever term you like-is a dangerous thing to do for any healer. Chunyi Lin clearly states NOT to do this. Drew has his own theories, which of course he is entitled to. However, they are not the same as Chunyi Lin's, nor are they the same as other qigong healers. Take your pick. FWIW, anyone looking for reliable information on what is, or is not, safe, would be well advised to follow the advice of Michael Lomax-Ya Mu-here. He knows what he is talking about, has a lineage of qigong second to non, and the recognised credentials-and experience-to back it up. Very specifically this: It is not only complete bullshit, but DANGEROUS. Drew, being the self proclaimed font of knowledge when it comes to Spring Forest and the words of Chunyi Lin SHOULD be fully aware of what Chunyi Lin actually teaches: However, it seems that Drew thinks he has this all worked out, and actually knows better than Chunyi Lin how Spring Forest actually works. Delusional? Surely. This taking in of sick qi is NOT DONE BY MEDICAL QIGONG METHODS. Drew's issue here though, is that he is so hooked on his 'o's at a d', that he has to justify HIS 'perversion' by claiming it is 'medicinal', and not just him getting his rocks off. He does it to get his jollies, end of story. He surely would not be doing it if it didn't. Having qi will attract the attention of others. People, particularly women it seems, feel the energy (animals also). A responsible, compassionate, person does not take advantage of this. It does not matter if the other person is supposedly consenting-the relationship and the influence is not equal. It is an abuse of power. The 'harsh' message now comes after numerous 'polite' comments, made by others as well as myself, which have just been ignored. Drew continues to give out incorrect, inaccurate 'advice'. No great issue if it is harmless-definately an issue if it is NOT harmless. Drew claims to have figured out the meaning of Bushmen esoteric methods-from reading some books and listening to some music. Has he actually MET any Bushmen? Been to Africa and studied their culture directly? Seemingly not, but this seems to be no bar to Drew intimately understanding the depths of their spiritual practices... Then we move onto Drew's 'theories' regarding the nature of qi. The 'tai-chi' generated qi of neigong is inferior to the 'shen lazer holographic' qi that, of course, is part of what Drew does. Conclusion reached how? Read some books, seen some video clips. How many neigong masters has Drew actually met? Non. How many methods of neigong has he actually practiced? Non. However, he's read Charles Luk's book, along with the writings of Nan Huai Chin, so that MUST mean Drew knows what he is talking about. Drew does not have a clue what some of these masters can do, because he does not have the EXPERIENCE of it. He has not studied what they do, has not done the leg work to find out. He should therefore shut the fuck up about this. He has nothing like the understanding needed to make the claims he is. Full lotus. Yes, an important part of many Chinese schools. The be all and end all of qigong? Not hardly. However, since Chunyli Lin told Drew, and Drew read it in a book, Drew knows it MUST be so. Not on the basis of actually having actually EXPERIENCED OTHER METHODS, in order to make an objective assessment. No. It fits with Drew's world view, therefore it must be so. In conclusion. Do I think Drew is stupid? Not at all. Intelligent people can easily follow flawed thinking though. Edward de Bono has written about this and it would do anyone good to look at what de Bono has to say. Drew digs up some interesting information from time to time. I've read some of what Nan Huai Chin has to say following Drew's mention of him, so I am grateful for that. Long may Drew continue to post. However, as with anyone else posting opinions and conclusions on a public forum, those views are open to criticism by others. Advising people to do dangerous and stupid things and expressing incorrect, condescending viewpoints regarding things he knows nothing about, is not going to go unquestioned. I'd rather be polite and subtle, but if something needs to be bluntly stated, in order to make the point clearly, then so be it. I know you follow this method yourself from time to time Biff.

Oh really? What about Zheng He? Let me quote: http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131897.htm And So, personal bodyguard to the future Emperor of China, soldier and one would therefore take as a given, someone trained in martial arts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He Yes, very passive. As for the practice of castration being primarily about justifying gay sex, once again you choose a source to suit your own personal bias. Wikipedia's definition is a more plausible one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch Given how much you go on about sex, Drew, all this talk of 'male perverts' seems to be very much you projecting your thoughts onto others. Perhaps you should concern yourself more with avoiding talking out of your ass instead of concerning yourself about those who take it up the ass.

Please stop (mis)quoting me, or mentioning me, in any reference whatsoever to these matters. Feel free to follow whatever interests you have, but leave me out of it. I have never practiced Spring Forest. I have the information, I have tried some exercises. It is good stuff. Trying something and practicing something are different things. Spring Forest is not 'martial' qigong. As for information, you're looking in all the wrong places. Go read Santiago, 'Ya Mu' and 'fiveelementtao's' posts. Forget about Drew's. He doesn't have the experience and certainly not the understanding. By saturation bombing the internet, he has become some sort of 'authority'. That in itself speaks of the perilous state of things in general. Drew, your experience is narrow, limited, and does not include taijiquan, internal martial arts, Mo Pai neigong or other schools of neigong. Your 'theory' is wrong. You are pontificating about matters you know little about. As is your habit, once an 'idea' appears in your head, you decide it is a 'fact', and post this 'fact' all over the place. The consequence is that you mislead others, who do not have the experience or understanding to know better. Spreading bullshit may benefit crops, but with people and mushrooms, it really does only end up leaving them in the dark. Stick to what you 'know' from your personal experience, and leave out your 'theories' regarding things you know nothing about. That of course would limit your posting on the internet rather severely. Perhaps you could then use the time to get a job and stop poncing off the society you happily sit and criticise from your idle perch instead. For those who wish to learn, have an open mind, and care to get information from people who know what they are talking about, look here: http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/xyxy/diguoyongBIS.html It was me who first posted the bagua link on this forum (having first been showed it by a friend back in 2002). It is good to get information from the actual masters, rather than rely on harebrained piffle posted up on this and other forums. Being a basic overview, the chart does not go into detail. Look at the 'training dantian' information. From there, make an effort to get some real experience, rather than just partake of the pointless chuntering seemingly so beloved of this place. No wonder most of the people who have something useful don't find it worth their while bothering anymore. Is attaining a high level rare? Yes, of course. Very few reach the really high levels of anything in life. That applies equally to 'qigong masters' More have the title of master than the actual level. The idea-proclaimed by Drew-that internal martial artists are all operating on a 'lower level' is utter crap, based on limited experience and a narrow, closed focus. Pay attention Drew, this is for you: Those who really seek insight and understanding do not look for evidence to fit their pre-existing conclusions. Rather, they look at ALL the evidence OBJECTIVELY. Particularly when it does not fit their previous conclusions. Otherwise, we end up still believing in a flat earth, Aristotle's celestial spheres and torturing or burning heretics who inconveniently observe and report on the ACTUAL unvarnished FACTS. Yes Drew, I am saying you are as bad as the corporations and 'vested interests' in your methods of reporting.You are only interested in proclaiming your own viewpoint, your own biased opinions. I suggest you get off your lazy arse and learn what a qigong master is, and is not, by finishing the training you started. Stop spewing endless words about something you have only scratched the surface of. Stop endlessly going on and on and on and on about how you did the same old 'this and that'. Saying it once is enough. In the meantime, stop trying to finish the jigsaw by forcing the wrong pieces into the wrong holes. Enouch, your drive is admirable. Get your head out of the books and away from the internet though. Find something that resonates with you and, to quote Nike, 'Just do it!' Forget about trying to be some 'master of the universe', as I stated before. Do what is right for you. Anyhow, non of this training is about 'power', but it seems that this fact is not grasped by many. Doris Day sang it best, 'Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be...'. And yes, this message may also self destruct at some point in the future. Merry Christmas

And that goes to the crux of the matter. What method you use is not the issue. What you look to achieve or attain is. What do you want from your practice? There are many excellent methods of qigong and meditation, and you don't have to pay a fortune to learn them. Some are given away freely. Effort in practicing what you do choose to do is what matters. Of course, the desire to do something rare and arcane, the 'elite' factor, is appealing to many. This is one of the reasons some 'teachers' get to make a lot of money. Ego. It's all a lesson. On the flip side, some 'students' think only of themselves. All take and no give. For these, some masters will charge a bundle of cash. In my experience though, trusted students, those who are prepared to carry on the line and teach others, often get taught information for little or no charge.

Different people will find themselves drawn to different methods. Nothing wrong with that at all. Whatever works. The point is this. Some paths follow different methods, and they are in no way inferior. 'Energy work' using qigong is one way, but it is not the only, or the 'ultimate'. You don't have to follow retention, do qigong, etc. There are other ways.

Read what 'Ya Mu' and 'fiveelementtao' have to say.