Fu_dog

Edited - deleted double post.

QC - This subject has been discussed before in this thread. To answer your question: You should not combine weight training and FP in a single session. That would take away from both the weight training and the FP. I suggest you wait a minimum of 2 hours between the two activities. Let your FP practice be separate and distinct. It's effects are cumulative and the meditative effects of Flying Phoenix for someone just starting really begin to be felt strongly after about 30 minutes of contiguous practice. For best results practice for a minimum of 30 minutes to one hour. As you can read in some recent posts some practitioners are practicing for 2 hour sessions, and this will yield phenomenal results over time. Hope this helps...and good practicing! Fu_dog

Tao Stillness/Tao Mist/Steve - I also had that same login problem about a year ago after a site upgrade. If you PM the mods they can probably correct the problem and get your original Tao Mist username back. Fu_dog

Sifu Terry - Thanks so much for providing the links to some worthwhile reading on meditation. Left to my own devices, my experience is quality written material on meditation is difficult to find! I'm looking forward to reading your recommended documents over the weekend. As always, we very much appreciate your advice and counsel as we progress in our practice of Flying Phoenix. I am enjoying the journey! SBTL - I just saw an earlier question that you had posted regarding practicing Flying Phoenix on the same day as you receive acupuncture. In my opinion, there are no problems to doing this provided you allow a two hour buffer between the two. Hope this helps! There are several other post I would like to respond to however my time right now is limited. So, I will get back later with some more observations. Good practicing, Fu_dog

TLB - That's your most interesting post, i.e., FP as a meditative practice. Your posts are always thought provoking. My own practice has evolved into a very meditative, indeed spiritual experience. Especially the advanced seated meditations. The standing are also meditative but after a period of time my legs start to scream that they're, ah, needing a break....like SOON please!!! That said I love the yin and yang of the standing meditations. The yin (extreme peace induced by FP) and yang (legs under the pain of fatigue) provide an experience that somehow feels wonderfully balanced. Back to the seated, these are completely meditative in that all melts away except for the movements themselves. Meditation by definition is concentration on a single object, and in FP the point of concentration is the movements. So simple to describe yet the experience itself is profound. Indescribable really. For me, immediately after FP I often practice zazen. I will share that after practicing FP my mind is completely clear. Zazen (or other more contemplative meditative practices) become an experience of pure existence, or of "simply being" to a significant degree. Also, Sifu Terry says there is yet even more to be realized. I have not experienced the next steps, though I do feel I have approached the boundaries of the some of the next level(s). So if you are a Seeker, FP certainly offers a pathway. TLB, I can't really separate the health benefits from the spiritual. After a period of time practicing FP, they become One. Good practicing, Fu_dog

Jeremiah - yet another good post on the basic FP exercises being not so basic! It's easy to really get hooked on the basic meditations. Everyone who has practiced the system has experienced this. As for the energy induced by the FP exercises, it's pretty cool how it is gentle yet very powerful at the same time. Also, the different FP exercises induce different variations of the energy. Sometimes it's hard to pick a favorite. Good practicing! Fu_dog

TLB - my next trip to SoCal is next June. By then your tai chi and FP will be off the charts! In the meantime I look forward to your insightful posts! Fu_dog

Clarity - Interesting stuff. Can you say any more about it? Have you used it to heal yourself or someone else? If yes how effective is the method? Thanks in advance.

Very cool videos, for sure.

TLB - excellent report of your first class back with Sifu Terry. The fact that you felt really strong energy on your very first session back is a testament to both you and the art of Flying Phoenix. And Sifu Terry's teaching methods! Also, the fact that you live close enough to practice with Sifu makes a number of us jealous. ;-) Please keep the reports coming. I hope to meet you during one of Sifu Terry's classes on my next trip to California. Fu_dog

Jeremiah - that's an exciting schedule! I can tell everyone that I had the opportunity to spend two days with Sifu Terry this summer in California, and it was an outstanding time. Everyone who attends a UK seminar is in for a treat. Sifu Terry makes his training sessions extremely informative and a lot of fun. His knowledge of qigong, tai chi, and kung fu is extremely wide and deep, and his enthusiasm for the arts is really contagious. It amazed me when I spent time with Sifu that he made some seemingly small corrections to my forms that made big differences in the quality of the FP energy. I would encourage everyone who can to attend one of the sessions. This training will be worth its weight in gold! Good practicing, Fu_dog

Steve - Actually your responses add a lot to the board. I and many others always enjoy your comments. I hope you keep posting as you have been! Fu_dog

Tao mist - well said and a valuable perspective!

sbtl - I admire your enthusiasm however I still recommend you keep the two practices separate. As you get further in the practice FP you will find that some of the more advanced forms can take 20 to 30 minutes to complete, sometimes longer. I don't think those would work in the scenario you are suggesting. As to whether mixing the two will lead to any undesirable effects, I will leave that for Sifu Terry to answer. ;-) All the best, Fu_dog

sbtl - Sorry to be the bearer of this news however the routine you are suggesting is neither good for your Flying Phoenix practice nor your weight training workout. To get benefits from FP you need a minimum of 30 minutes of contiguous practice i.e., no interruptions. An hour in a single Flying Phoenix practice session is better. In other words when you are doing FP, do only FP and nothing else. Actually, it's at about 30 minute mark were you really start to feel the Flying Phoenix energy. Your mind calms, and it will not take you many days of practice before you start to feel yourself enveloped in a very peacefuI yet powerful energy that Flying Phoenix elicits. When doing a weight workout it's better to not go more than four minutes between sets or else your body tends to cool making you more prone to injury. You want to keep your body warm and do one set after the other. Again, a maximum 4 minutre break between sets is the way to get maximum benefits from your weight training program and keep injuries to a minimum. Less than four minutes between sets is even better. So likewise when doing weight training it's better to do only weight training and nothing else, except for cardio of course. Net-net keep them separate. Hope this helps. Fu_dog