Fu_dog

Good story....Kudos to Charlie (ridingtheox) for his observation discovered from his personal practice. This is good info for the board. So twice a day of the FP long form - and he's still gaining benefits. Very cool! I have been cycling through the different sitting and standing meditations through the course of each week, which means I have not been doing the long standing long form every day. However, after hearing of Charlie's experience I may start doing it every morning to see what happens. There's no learning like that of one's own experience. That said, I can say this for sure: Like Charlie I am continuing to gain added benefits from the FP system over time. The practice keeps getting better. As I've said before I don't know where the ceiling is (or if there is one), but I know I haven't reach it. Flying Phoenix is a very, very rich qigong. As I alluded to a few posts earlier, I have recently found new energetics in the practice of the basic FP exercises and have really enjoyed this discovery. More to come, I'm sure!

Sifu responded to a direct question, and his commentary is quite appropriate given the situation. Let's let it go at that.

Well said Q. Great point on the value of practicing the Flying Phoenix basics from your own experience. I will also add: At this point in my practice (month 31) I truly cherish the FP "basic" exercises, just as much as the "advanced". Also, I've found doing them in the same sequence as taught on Sifu Terry's DVD's are particularly energizing. There are certain basic exercises I enjoy immensely, including the very first basic seated meditation, the third basic seated (which on the surface appears to be quite simple) and standing Monk Holds Peach, which at this stage of my practice has become sublimely peaceful. The really nice thing about putting in the hours on the basics is that it's very likely you will never want to let them go, not even a little bit. Not because of any sense of task, but because you truly enjoy them. Good practicing! Fu dog

i ching tao te ching bhagavad gita

Ditto that - nice vid Sifu Garry....thanks for posting!

Post deleted by Fu dog.

For the record, I have never "tried to control the shaking" while practicing FP, so the premise of Sillum's criticism of Sifu Terry and Garry for failing to correct me simply has not basis in truth. To Sifu Terry's point, I'm on year 3 of a regular practice of FP and in good health, and it's my experience some spontaneous movement goes with the practice. Sifu Garry, I'll take some of that popcorn.

For those of you who include abdominal breathing as part of your routine, there's a surprisingly good iPhone app for this. The app is simply called "Pranayama" Universal Breathing by saagara. Basically this app consists of soothing tones to pace your in breath. There are four different tones, one each for the four cycles of breathing: in breath / hold / out breath / pause. It starts very basic, called "Beginner"....with only in breath / out breath. There are multiple levels of Beginner, each with longer breath cycles. Then there is an Intermediate level that includes three cycles of breath: in breath / hold / out breath. Again there multiple levels, each with longer breath cycles. Then there is an Advanced level that includes the full in breath / hold / out breath / pause. Likewise with Advanced there are multiple levels each with longer breath cycles. Since I have been doing a Taoist style of Tan Tien breathing for years, I started with one of the lower levels of advanced. That feels about right for me at this point. I will say from my experience that the deep, paced breathing of pranayama nurtures the practioner on three levels....physical, energetic and spiritual. Also, the tones that pace the breath are quite soothing, and there are several to choose from: Serenity, Vedic, Ambient, Classical and Nature. They are all very good as an aid to the practice....very relaxing, harmonic. I can highly recommend this app to anyone into abdominal breathing. If anyone else has experience with this Pranayama app, please chime in. Good breathing.... Fu_dog

Cihan - Excellent progress report...thanks for keeping us posted! Not Sifu Terry, but I can offer a few thoughts: Regarding your practice of MHP and the fact that the energy gives you an energy blast, I don't believe that's uncommon. All of these powerful energy blasts you are feeling is your body becoming adjusted to the FP energy. Your body will eventually adjust....but it will take some time. No need to be in a hurry, just enjoy the journey. When I first started practicing the FP system, the basic seated meditation #4 that starts 90 50 40 30 10 is the one that would generate such energy that it would literally feel like it was ripping my head off. In my case the FP energy felt both gentle and phenomenally powerful *at the same time*. It sometimes gave me spontaneous and almost violent movements if I didn't consciously curb them. And as is the case with you and MHP, the fourth seated FP meditation is also considered a "basic" exercise. As has been pointed out more than once on this forum, in actual practice people will soon find the "basic" Flying Phoenix exercises are not so basic. In my case it took a little over a year for my body to adjust so the FP energy, i.e., so I didn't feel like that enormous energy blast in my neck and head when I was doing basic seated #4. That said, I have been practicing FP over 2 years now and I still get a good jolt or two from the FP exercises if I am not in an energetic balance. Over time Flying Phoenix provides you with an excellent energetic balance, as that's one of the characteristics I have noticed. I feel like I am *still* gaining new things energetically from the practice of FP. I don't know where the ceiling is, but I know I haven't reached it. Keep us posted on your practice Cihan!

Those take me back to my old college physics classes. Pretty cool stuff though....including the concept that all is energy.

OK, as a follow up to my last post where I was fighting sinusitis/bronchitis and decided in addition to antibiotics to also practice an accelerated Flying Phoenix schedule to try to accelerate my recovery. I am happy to report that with a program of Flying Phoenix twice a day, I was able to knock out the illness in a relatively short period of time. I found the healing effects to be excellent. So, I did crush it with FP. Then, I had a delayed allergic reaction to the antibiotics that was even worse than the original illness.....and those Western drugs crushed me. Note to self: Next time find a Chinese herbologists.

Sifu - Excellent answer to my question about using FP to alleviate illness, thanks. As my cold symptoms from about a week ago morphed to sinusitis and bronchitis, I must admit I missed about a week of FP because after work every day I was really exhausted and went straight to bed. (It would have been a great idea to take off from work to rest/recover, but I didn't want to use the PTO days.) So now I have a sinusitis/bronchitis that's settled in and antibiotics aren't getting rid of them. So yesterday I started a program of accelerated Flying Phoenix practice with the specific goal of a faster healing from this bothersome infection. Lot's of people I know have this same sinusitis/bronchitis, and many are going on 6 weeks and still are not over it. I want to crush this illness with FP! I'll let the board know of my results.

Ditto what other posters have said... very interesting info on some female centered qigong, thanks for posting. I hope you stick with it and update the board from time to time with your progress. Good practicing!

I can't add much to what's already been posted by Trunk, Cameron and others. But I will say it's my experience that zazen becomes quieter because of qigong. Qigong is made richer by zazen. They are excellent compliments.

Sifu Terry - We've talked about a number of aspects of FP, so I will go ahead and ask about a question on my mind: What do you say about practicing FP when one is under the weather with a cold or other illness? Though I haven't had one in awhile, I've come down with a bad cold. Last night I went straight to bed early. But tonight I went ahead and did my FP practice. Though I'm not feeling very well because I'm quite a bit under the weather, I was quite surprised when practicing FP tonight that it felt just as powerful as it always feels....nothing about the FP energy felt diminished by the fact that I'm suffering the symptoms of a cold. One way to answer my question is simply to keep practicing FP for the duration of the time I have this cold and see what happens. But, I thought I would also benefit from your experience.... So, what's your recommendation of practicing FP while one has a cold or other illness? Thanks, Fu dog

Not Sifu, but I can weigh in on your question as I have had the same problem, i.e., having more FP meditations to do than I can get done in a single day. I can say I have found rotating different FP meditations on different days works for me. Right now I try to do 14 different FP meditations per week, and by necessity I must rotate them on different days. I personally get really good results from this. So I might suggest if you have limited time, do the first 3 one day an then do the 3 MSW on the second day, etc. Hope this helps. Fu dog

The first obstacle to meditation is often the mind itself, telling you things like, "I'm bored", "I'm wasting time", "When will this be over?" etc. The mind wants to be entertained, engaged, stimulated. At least initially, it does not want to be forced to remain quiet. That said, in meditation you are in the process of controlling the mind and all of it's complaints and logical arguments on why you *should not* be doing the meditation. Quieting the mind and gaining mastery over the mind is part of the process, goes with the territory. However, control over the mind is not an easy battle to win....it's a formidable foe. So feelings of being bored, that nothing is happening, etc., is very common to people getting into meditation or certain quieter styles of qigong. Getting past that is the first obstacle. If one does this, there can be other obstacles that can be just as formidable that come along later. You might try reading Pantanjali's ideas on this. His writings go into quite a bit of detail on the subject. And then again, meditation and qigong are not for everyone.

I can personally vouch for Sifu's training suggestion of three seated meditations in succession to heal, sleep better and achieve a very special state of consciousness. A very tangible part is the healing. I can relate my own experience. With a combination of lots of time in the Florida sun when I was younger and my pale Irish American skin I have had problems with keratosis. From the time I was about 50 years old I was visiting my dermatologist 4 times per year to get them removed (my skin seemed to grow them like a petri dish!). It seemed like as soon as I got home from the doctor's office having one set removed, another 4 to 6 would start to grow. After starting FP, that all changed. Since beginning Flying Phoenix I very rarely get any keratosis and my trips to the doctor have essentially stopped. Even when I do occasionally get one, the practice of Flying Phoenix (at about the rate of three seated per evening as Sifu Terry suggests) causes them to stop growing and eventually disappear! That's about as tangible as it gets for me. Also, my allergies in the Spring time were considerable for about 10 years. My sinuses stopped up, my eyes itched, I sneezed, etc., and this in turn often morphed into a sinus infection and a trip to the doctor for antibiotics. I never looked forward to Springtime because I knew what was coming. Now, starting my third year of FP, I scarcely have any allergy symptoms! Right now in Florida everything is in bloom, pollen is all over my car, but I have practically no symptoms. This is hard for me to believe, astonishing really, but I am experiencing this first hand with some sense of marvel. Finally, another benefit is that FP brings one to a state of great calm. I notice a big difference at work when I am getting in a good schedule of FP practice and when I am not. When I am in a good steady routine of FP practice, there is no problem at work that I don't handle with relative ease. This is due to the significant sense of calm that Flying Phoenix provides to the mind. OTOH, when my schedule does not allow a regular practice, these same problems that crop up at work can really get under my skin. The problems are always there, however, my reaction to those problems is significantly calmer when I am in regular practice of FP. Those are three examples of benefits I've experienced. Good practicing! Fu dog

Thanks Sifu Terry! Great job of comparing and contrasting Flying Phoenix to tai chi with a good deal of detail, especially in relation to the aspects of my three questions. Those are distinctions that are very helpful to those doing "distance learning" of the Flying Phoenix art. I had thought about Monk Hold Peach before I asked about locking knees/elbows, however, I thought the question was worthwhile in general, so I am appreciative for your answer. I believe perhaps the most important point you made (and I can vouch for it by experience) is that tai chi and Flying Phoenix cultivate two very different forms of energy. The FP energy is subtle, tremendously healing and IMO quite special. Again, thanks for your continued support of this thread. Lloyd

To the OP, I don't know if you would call what they do "magic" or not, but the people who practice Santaria in Miami (this practice is originally from Africa, refined in the Caribbean) are known to conjure up some pretty strong spells, both to help and to hurt. They call upon ancestor spirits to do their bidding. If you find a burnt chicken with paraphernalia in a corner somewhere in Miami, especially common in the Little Haiti area, then that's where a Santaria (or less common Voodoo) priest has performed a ceremony. Side note: there are 250,000 wild chickens running around Miami so the Santaria practitioners have plentiful access to the chickens. I can promise their spells (or magic) have been demonstrated enough that pretty much nobody in South Florida seeks to challenge them.

Sifu Terry - I have a question on posture while doing standing FP exercises and also to a lesser degree seated exercises: How does Flying Phoenix posture compare to tai chi posture? (We know the breathing is *completely* different). In particular, in tai chi I was taught to maintain "thee bows" or rounded positions. One bow is fingertip to fingertip, i.e., the arms and chest area. A second bow is ankle to ankle, i.e., the legs. And the third bow is torso, i.e., tuck the tailbone to open the mingmen. To what degree does the standing FP postures adhere to these "three bows"? A second question would be the concept of rootedness. To what degree does rootedness apply to Flying Phoenix? Third question: In Flying Phoenix does one ever lock the elbows or knees? Or should a slight bend be maintained even with a straightened arm or leg? Thanks in advance, Lloyd

I carry the Tao te Ching, but very seldom refer to it. I carry the I Ching and do refer to it, prolly a couple times per month. I've never found the I Ching to be wrong, but you have to be ready for what it tells you...it's not always pleasant. The ebook makes carrying any book pretty easy to do. I have 3 versions of I Ching on my Nook. Also one older translation of Tao te Ching translated by Charles Muller in 1991 that's not particularly good IMO (I bought it because it was cheap).

Calvin - Good, thoughtful response. You are pretty much on the mark with all your ideas. First, if a person has a good deal of stale energy then doing qigong can and will eventually cleanse and clear that energy, and when this happens it's not uncommon to feel a little drained. That is a good thing. I have experienced that myself. Then, with continued practice that stale energy is replaced by fresh, vibrant energy and you feel *great*! As for your current practice sticking with the basics, IMO you are doing exactly what you should do. Keep on keeping on with MGAM, BTB and seated MGAM because they are powerful, energetic qigong meditations. So many people want to skip the basics and go straight to the advanced exercise, but those who do this miss these very powerful basic FP meditations. While doing MGAM while you're not moving on the outside, you feel something very dynamic and vibrant taking place on the inside. As Sifu has pointed out several times, those "basic" FP exercises really aren't so basic. In my opinion skipping the basics like MGAM, BTW and seated MGAM is like trying to build a house without a foundation. I continue to practice all of those basic Flying Phoenix meditations, even though I am on 2+ years with the system. So taking your time on the basics is really excellent practice. Eventually, when it's time for you to add more FP exercises, you'll know it. No need to rush. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted with your progress! Lloyd

Calvin - Sounds like you do a great job of the basic foundational FP exercises, with MGAM, BTB and seated MGAM. It's my experience the practice of FP will significantly enhance your energy and will not at all make you tired. So long as you are getting plenty of sleep...that's important. As for the boredom part, you many wish to add another exercise or two to your repertoire. Do you practice any of the Monk Serves Wine meditations? Lloyd

Sifu Terry - Thanks for clarifying the meditative state possible with Flying Phoenix. You described it much better than me. I can say that, yes, after the breathing sequence is finished, especially the non-moving Flying Phoenix exercises can become very meditative. At this point in my practice I have used Flying Phoenix as a vehicle to approach the state of "no mind" or "pure consciousness". This is very cool. Beyond all the benefits to health and energetics already mentioned, the stationary FP exercises have the additional advantage of allowing the practitioner to significantly still the mind (again, after the breath sequence). As one advances in practice, this meditative benefit is available within the system. I find this aspect of FP to be very satisfying. All the best, Fu_dog