ChiDragon

I do not have such power but I understand that was not the case.

You welcome. I did my share.....

IMHO.... I think one has to be practiced once every other month for three to five years and never pass the beginner level...

Chinese sub-titled documentary about Shaolin Temple- Good demo of Abdominal Breathing At 29:40 "以意領氣，氣沉丹田(Using yi to guide Chi, sink Chi to the dan tien)" At 30:00 氣沉丹田(sink Chi to the dan tien) = Abdominal breathing Expand during inhalation compress during exhalation. Demo of Iron Shirt At 30:40

Please pay more close attention to "all-in-one" rather than the instant coffee.....

That was the kind of response I'm expecting to hear about breathing in Tai Ji Chuan. As I said before, Tai Ji Chuan is like instant coffee, all-in-one, includes coffee, cream and sugar. This analogy applies to Tai Ji Chuan, all-in-one, includes Zhan Zhuang, breathing, martial arts and enhance the functions of the internal organs. The emphasis on the correctness I would consider it lightly. It is a matter of how much effort and time one puts into the practice. Regardless, what kind of style that one does. The efficacy really lies on the slight contraction of the active muscles and spontaneous breathing rather than the style of the movement itself. My rationale is if one look at any style of Chi Kung or Tai Ji Chuan, in general and look at them closely, they all involve with breathing and slow movements. They all have the same effects on the human body. Indeed, that leads me to believe that my rationale is valid. Unless otherwise it was contradicted by other valid reasons.

I felt that 故步自封 was coming. This is as far as we can go from here. Best to you too.....

It seems to me that everybody talks about the external and martial effects about Tai Ji Chuan. Surprisingly, I have not heard anybody ever talks about the breathing aspect in Tai Ji. Does anyone has encountered any breathing experience in the practice....???

IMO.... One had selected a style to be practiced with should stay with it for awhile to test its effectiveness. If it doesn't work, then try another style. Each style do have different effect but basically they are good for the body. Even though, they do build up the energy level in the body; but it wasn't the style which does that. Rather it was how much effort and time one has putted into the practice. What I am saying is using more time in practicing more than one style will not give you more energy as oppose to practicing one style. It was the patience one puts into the diligent practice that counts. In regarding to the LCD screen, it puts out a lot less radiation than the old cathode ray tube monitors. Your fatigue, stress and unable to focus may have something to do with the ergonomics. I am on the computer for hours without getting fatigue. As a matter of fact, my eye vision had improved for what reason that I don't know. However, when I sit, I always taken deep breaths continuously every minutes. In other words, I am performing Chi Kung constantly to keep my energy going internally and externally.

武德( wu te) This is what the Chinese Martial Artists called: The Virtue of Martial Arts(武德, wu te).

This is straightly in the mind of a Tai ji practitioner applying the concept of Yin-Yang in kicking. Following the rule of thumb, my understanding only(others may be different). When I kick, I kick below the waist. I am totally relaxed until I make the final move. I lift my right leg, then left leg will become bend and harden to stay put on the ground for stabilization. Stabilization includes lock the feet to the ground and keep the body in balance. Before the right leg go for the kick, it was relaxed from the ground and start aiming for the target. As soon it takes off toward the target, the right leg muscles was getting hardened progressively. It gets harder and harder when approaching its target. The right leg will be at the hardest at the impact with the target. The whole cycle was from relax to hard which was from Yin to Yang. Thus there was no energy, from the beginning to the end, was being wasted. One cannot have the right leg relax and powerful at the same time. It has to be relax, less relax and increasingly hardened until completely hardened at the final impact. This is all under the unconscious mind control from the basal movement practice. The longer one practices the basic movements, the action will be more spontaneous without even have to think what your arms or legs are going to do. Song(鬆) is very significant for beginners because their muscles and joint, initially, are cold and stiff. After a long period of practice, the muscles have better muscle tone. The swivel joints can be moved more freely. If one try to stay song(鬆) at all time and at all level, then one is not progressing and lack of the knowledge about Tai Ji. Please don't get me wrong, I am not saying not to be song(鬆) but learn to apply it at the right moment.

hehehe..that was quite some thoughts you had put into Zhan Zhuang. It's was an over kill but something was different and nice to hear...... I do appreciated that was presented in a friendly manner....

That says all.

In that case. There is no need to 'understand' Tai Ji Chuan. It is like the instant coffee all-in-1.

Is there any non Tai Ji practitioner have something to say about Zhan Zhuang.....???

Would somebody please explain this one to me. This is really defeated the purpose of Zhan Zhuang. If someone really understand what Zhan Zhuang is all about, then one wouldn't make such statement.

Ref: 黃帝內經--壽夭剛柔 Please note the implication of the definition of internal(內) and external(外) in the Huang De Nei Ching(黃帝內經). 1. 內合於五藏六府(internal organs) 2. 外合於筋骨皮膚(tendon, bone, and skin)

That was not a good translation.....

No, it is not the Martial art world is getting weird. It was the confusing practitioners. ...:(

Thanks. I have found the source to back up your claim. I will add the info to my mental department... Ref: Abdominal Breathing

I think I know what you mean. Lucid dreaming is like you were a spectator watching the event which was taken place in the dream. Astral travel is like you are actually participating the action yourself in the dream.

I think I need somebody to help me to translate this one....

I guess we just have to ignore it if it makes that much difference between the ancient and modern opinions. However, there were no proofs either way. But logically, if the external practice was for the tendons, bones and skins, that would lead one to think that internal would have something to do with the body parts inside. I guess I have to fanatically accept whatever was given.

What do you think of this...??? The External practice corresponds to the saying about the tendons, bones and skin. However, the part on "neigong" contradicts of what you said it "does not refer to the internal organs but to a different (internals) structure which does not have a precise equivalent in modern anatomy." Ref: 內功與外功(External and Internal Gong)

ATP & Brain fog A common part of the CFS experience and that of other neurological illnesses is 'brain fog', which is characterised by difficultly thinking clearly (i.e. difficulty processing, storing and retrieving information). Whilst there may be many mechanisms mediating the expression of brain fog, I personally think one major common mechanism is likely to be altered purinergic signalling, due to low ATP levels. This may be of particular relevance to the increasing brain fog experienced with increasing energy expenditure, as a patient goes out of their 'energy envelope'. In these situations ATP shortage would promote accumulation of the inhibitory ATP derivatives: AMP and adenosine, which would promote cognitive suppression in accordance with the energy-sleep model [3,4,10,11]. I think brain adenosine accumulation may well accompany the already reported lactate increases in CFS [12,13] and also correlate symptoms of brain fog. Notably, the association of CFS with raised CSF lactate probably suggests energy malfunction in CAC (citric acid cycle) and ETC (electron transport chain), which contrasts the age-related energy deficits implied above. Your brain on ATP