Cat Pillar

What is the information that comprises the "you," and how is it known?

Nice! Y'know, I've been thinking about getting back into drawing lately, and have seriously considered using ponies as starting point. Edit: And don't worry, your tortoise's meat is safe from me! I personally don't do revenge.

Stillness-movement generates a lot of heat, I've noticed that too (see my personal practice journal for more, if you want). Although, I am not so concerned with what science thinks/would think about it. It's all the same to me.

The pore breathing that DNB mentioned on the first page is something that Bardon teaches. I still have a copy of "IIH" but haven't worked with it in years. If I were to learn an elemental system I'd probably go the Bardon route, but that's just me. I'd be interested in reading more about KAPs elemental system...but I have no interest at all in raising Kundalini, so not sure if it would be as useful to me.

So, I've been getting really interested in Bagua lately, partially from some of the DGS threads I've been reading. I've decided that I want to start studying it. While I'm very interested in what DGS has to offer, I have my doubts about learning a martial art from a DVD. Have any of you DGS fans learned only from the DVDs? Or have you found teachers to physically correct your movements and postures? I know there are some Bagua teachers in Houston, but I'm uncertain about my ability to discern whether they're the real deal or not.

That depends entirely on what kind of meditation you're doing! Feel free to post a thread in the General Discussion forum to ask for help, but be sure to detail what kind of practice you're doing!

No one will mind, lots of people use these forums sparingly or only when they have questions. But don't let that stop you from jumping in if you feel like it. Welcome!

Welcome to the forums!

REVENGE IS SWEET LIKE TORTOISE MEAT

You made a ring out of a quarter. That is pretty darn cool. Color me impressed!

It's not heavily populated in and around it, but...the thing is if/when that thing blows it's going to be so massive that the kill radius (according to figures I've seen on the net) would be 300 to 600 miles around the eruption. And that's just the initial eruption. The resulting fallout from the ash would kill millions more and pretty much halt food production in the US. The chain of badness if that thing goes off is really bad.

Wow, that's awesome! I didn't realize it at the time but the same thing happened to me back when I was still doing the breath-watching-at-the-nose meditation! I found that my focus would naturally slip down into the Lower Dantien. I didn't even know much about Taoist practices at the time, so I thought I was just having a lot of trouble with the meditation. I need to find that book, I haven't really read anything by Master Nan although I've seen his name a lot.

You got that MMA look down, DNB. Looks like you're still in pretty good shape. You still keep up with your MA training?

Very pretty. I hope to see it for myself some day.

I don't literally laugh out loud at many things...but this is one of them. Well played. This whole thread is awesome.

Not necessarily. Some people may want grand visions (or spiritual experiences or siddhis or whatever you want to insert) so they can have some solid evidence that spiritual pursuits aren't a waste of time. I know that was the case with me, and still is to some small extent. There are enough physiological and psychological benefits to my practices to keep me interested even if the "spiritual" stuff turns out to be bogus. Not saying that spirituality is bogus...just saying I don't believe in anything I haven't experienced. I don't disbelieve it either - I'll wait to experience the evidence so I can know firsthand if it's real. For instance, chi - I don't KNOW that it's real - but the evidence from my practices indicates it probably is, and is DEFINITELY worth further investigation. Of course, one can never find out if they're not willing to experiment.

Well, based on what your saying I'd say drinking is the problem. If you're binge drinking on the weekends, this is definitely A problem, if not THE problem (from a health perspective, not making a moral judgment.) I practice neigong in a different system, so comparisons might be futile...but I've never really felt "sick" per se after doing my practice. I have felt dizzy and maybe a little nauseous after long or "intense" sessions, but never to the point where I felt it was a problem or a sign of something wrong.

Assuming a brainwashed individual could attain that kind of mastery, that is... But yeah, that'd be a scary thought.

I'm gonna have to look into this guy more...I watched one video some time ago and wasn't particularly impressed, but I keep hearing good things so maybe I need to dig deeper. $150 for the online Inner Engineering course...that's gonna have to wait for quite awhile. Saving all my money for Lomax's workshop.

At least for me, I don't have anyone to do it with, so doing it at all means doing it alone.

I've never even heard of half what you just said there... but it sure sounds fascinating. Google, here I come!

Just as long as it doesn't lead to Iron Boogers. Don't need to be punching holes in walls every time I sneeze.

Welcome to TTB from a fellow Texan.

So, just a note on brainwave entrainment. I can understand your misgivings about using them, since I had the same, but I think I've gained a lot of benefit from utilizing various brainwave entrainment programs. They don't work very well on me, but well enough to where I learned to recognize what an alpha state feels like. It's how I knew that doing Kunlun puts me into an alpha brainwave state. In my opinion, they're useful if approached like training wheels. They get you used to the various brainwave states, but because of their nature are limited in where they can take you. Using a more traditional meditative practice without entrainment provides the freedom to go wherever you need to go without getting locked in to a certain range or state. I don't use them much anymore except if I'm having problems relaxing or sleeping.

Wow, you posted two of my favorite webcomics, Sinfest! Dresden Codak, which I fell in love with because of both the style and the writing...and one I was shocked to see on your list, Gun Show. You even posted one of my all-time favorite panels from it! The dog on the plane cracked me up. But the Anime Club is the most brilliant series in his comics, in my opinion.