spiraltao

Ok, I must start this story in 2008, I was diagnosed with a liver disease that I don't care to name and the last stage of cirrohsis. The doctors done two different biopsi, but told me my liver was already too bad to take interfuron/riboviran combo. So I decide to go back to what had helped me get through the toughest times of my life, MARTIAL ARTS. My old sifu had moved back after seventeen years and I seen him on youtube, so I called and told him my situation. I remember telling him "I am at rock bottom, teacher." He said, "THAT IS WONDERFUL! There is only one way to go and that is UP." This gave me some hope. He introduced me to circle walking. I started to feel a bit less lethargic and my anger issues began to subside. I kept getting hepatic panels ran on a monthly basis and my enzymes and billirubin levels began to drop. The doctor at the University of KY told me that my liver tests would NEVER be normal again. He said that I might be able to lower them, but would never read as a healthy liver. To make a long story a bit less long, I stuck to my training. I learned the eight mother palms and my inside and outside changes. In Feb I met Zerostao and he introduced me to some bagua qigong. Until this I had only been doing ZZ standing as chi kung. Zerostao introduced me to the iron shirt form and the single and double palm changes among other things that I have covered in my training log. I made sure to play my bagua every day and actually think I know what song means! Well, fast forward to last Friday, I had another hepatic panel done. My sister is a AARNP (nursing practitioner) and she simply couldn't believe what she seen. She at first thought that my labs had gotten mixed up. They were the labs of a man with a healthy liver!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES! I NOW HAVE THE PROOF IN BLACK AND WHITE! I AM PROOF THAT CHI KUNG IS REAL AND IT WORKS! I never had any doubt, but others were skeptical in the family but being that kung fu has been a passion of mine since I was four they were used to the combat part, but had never heard of learning to fight to improve your health, as my dad puts it. THIS POST GOES OUT TO THE EVERY TAO BUM THAT HAS HELPED ME. ...and to Zerostao for leading me to this wonderful place. I feel at home now. I can do ANYTHING with proper guidance and this is only the beginning. Where as before I really wondered if I would live to see my daughter graduate high school. I am not being arrogant, but I feel better than I have since I was in my early twenties and I just slapped a cap block with no warm up to see if my metal element was still in order. Yeah, it broke with ease and my friend said the slap looked nearly effortless. There is no way to hide my excitement and express the joy in my heart with words. I must thank my god, my sifu, Zerostao, Lao Xie, Ray Carbullido, Kent Howard, Kenneth Cohen and Dr. Yang Jwing Ming and Master Liang Shou Yu. Not mention Frank Allen. Each person listed above played a pivotal role in my transformation.

I give my condolences to the family and loved ones. He sure gave a lot to the martial world and I am thankful for it.

I laughed far too loud at this meme. (no user ever)

Mine would have to be dingshr with circlewalking ala- Jiang Baguazhang also swinging arms (3 variations)-BKF's swinging arms

some simple input Zhan Zhuang will release trauma, as I was told by my Sifu that traumatic emotions are actually stored in the body. Mind you, the emotions get released and it's up to the person to deal with these emotions... For example, I knew a lady that broke down crying and took it upon herself to deal with it by way of professional help/therapy. I wish you luck and success on your journey.

Zhan Zhuang is a wonderful exercise, especially in the beginning. This would be a wonderful way to begin a journey into qigong or martial arts. I also began training ZZ with the Lam Kam Chuen book, The Way of Power. The author lays out a great guide for training. Zhan Zhuang is a corner stone of training in the big 3 internal systems. (baguazhang, xingyi, taiji) I find that focusing on my breath worked as a great way to still my mind, both in the beginning and now. Many will experience tremors and profuse sweating after one's first initial training session. Both will subside with practice. I don't see how Zhan Zhuang could be harmful providing one is using common sense sort of thinking. I would recommend 8 Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) as a moving exercise. This set of movements is quite basic and there is a lot of information easily found on the exercises. Happy training!

Yan Xin, huh? Interesting. Above couldn't be the same smiling cat in TX I once knew on another unrelated forum. Agreed.

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alchemy

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I gotta say all these pics are cool and one is even close to my heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmhsGyNGhAY Seven Psychopaths

I am highly interested!

Great question! From the standpoint of a student there are some books that just fit my system better. I have an instructors cert in Wuji and Eight Mother Palms standing qigong, which is kind of the vibratory engine of the internal systems. ​I have two personal favorite postures and they are my faves for very different reasons, my first favorite is Wuji. ALL of your forms will start and end in it, think about that. Must be important, eh? The other I love is known as the hunyuan posture of the embracing the barrel or embracing the tree all of which I have heard the position I call thunder palms. This posture was held for many hours along with the other seven. Wuji, is a great way to find your CENTER. Find it then come back on your heels a bit, no so much you lose balance but more weight on the heels than any other part of the foot. ​As for muscle tendon changing I am quite sure this happens with time in all three internal arts. A great set to add for daily practice is the 8 pieces of brocade! That form and the Sam Chein form (Sanchin, Sanzhan) are the two forms I have seen most results from ​These last two would be moving meditation and you should be able to find plent of examples. I can't recommend obtaining a copy of Liang Shou Yu's Qigong Enlightenment enough!

AH HA! I thought I had lost the link here it is Trunk! I am quite sure you will get some use out of it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk7j2RdZrGg ---------------------------------------------- Above are the coordination exercises, only. Below we have many ideas(from Yi Quan) put together.

I highly recommend Park Bok Nam's books for advice on footwork. Not in any other book have I found it so in depth. I have viewed Master Park's 1st DVD and it is quite good. I have also found that the Phoenix Trigram from the yin fu guys has some really nice footwork patterns in it... Also if you are into rolls, Ray Carbullido masterfully demos these. One of my favorite (while most challenging) training methods I got from Ng family is walking on paint cans. I liked Matsuo's suggestion to try it on bricks. Once one gets comfy with one brick lie another on top and feel it change! lol Paint cans I would put in a bit more of an advanced category than bricks unless one is walking on two bricks per step. The weight must fall correctly or the bricks will slip. Here is a highly repsected Yin Fu master https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjpJLS8JTd4