TAXICAT

Information wants to be free. Occasionally not Taoist information. Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere, maybe by someone more officious than myself, but it did not turn up in a google search. Attended a seminar by Wang Liping's students in one of the Carolina's (who can remember?) and learned walking practice and tree practice. Following is a dump on walking practice. Basis - 1. Start walking. 2. For 3, 6, or 12 steps (now referred to as N steps), whatever is comfortable, breathe in. 3. For N steps, breathe out. Get comfortable doing this. Expansion 1 - 4. While breathing in (for N steps), visualize/feel the field (ball?) of chi surrounding you pulling into your lower dantien. 5. While breathing out, visualize/feel the field of chi in your dantien expanding to a ball around you. Expansion 2 - 6. While breathing in, as the ball contracts into you, have it move down to your dantien. 7. While breathing out, as the ball expands, allow the center to rise to your solar plexus. A few notes - The expansions are just meant to chunk the learning into different segments, so you aren't focusing on 5 things at once while you get the hang of each bit. What you finish with is a expanding and contracting ball, whose center is moving up and down, in rhythm to your N steps. The steps always double. 3, 6, 12, 24... There is also the variation of /in N steps - hold N steps - out N steps/. Where you are holding your breath for N steps between the in's and out's. (It's unclear of whether there is a variation that holds on each end of the breaths (ie. in, hold, out, hold), so mark that as a probably not.) While you walk, you exaggerate the swinging motion in your arms. You do this where you swing them more in front and behind yourself (respective to where that arm would be swinging anyways). This seems to get some blood to your hands and warm them up, it might have some chi related benefits as well. Some of the Longmen Pai folks are on this forum, so maybe they can clear up anything or add to this. -yt

It's a lot more comfortable to cultivate in a house than in a cave!

I used to carry a knife, but then I realized I should think of everyone as a friend rather than a potential enemy. How many times have I been robbed in my life? Zero. Am I happier now that I'm not always on guard. Hell yes.

Everything is relative. I do qigong, I get more, I adjust, and it feels normal. Everyone names the different types recently. Did you learn the name and characteristics first, and then feel it? Or did you feel it and later learn the name for that sensation? The former situation could demonstrate great bias. After all, it isn't labeled in your body.

What is the issue with GM crops? It will be impossible to feed everyone in the world without them. I would rather have people be "emotionally oppressed" than starving to death. We can deal with emotions once everyone is fed. People in developed countries forget that the rest of the world exists sometimes. It is not mind control. It is good science that is going to help a lot of people. If you can find a way to feed 7 billion people without making more resilient crops, please, make it known. When small variations in weather lead to people dying from lack of food it is mind blowing that this technology is being resisted.

Why do superhuman abilities need to be cool and in scare quotes?

Which brings us here This is the system I practice regularly. Highly recommended. It will push you. http://www.daehanmudogwan.com/forms-postures/qigong-postures/ http://www.daehanmudogwan.com/qigong-sample/

Create enough gravity to bend space.

I believe this is what they were referring to. More of dried pine needles or kindling than a hay stack.

It's probably your sinuses.

Conserve chi; consume protein.

Despite being involved with all this stuff for a handful of years, I've managed to never do much push hands. I've found a class nearby and will be going to that next week. Any tips from the seasoned professionals around here?

It would be very interesting to see a qi field demo done on a few candles.

The no blood oath thing is my favorite part.

forty to a rock ten thousand back to my self morning I'll return

There is so much explaining of what nei dan isn't, but zero outline of what it is. Forums are weird. Why is this 14 pages of nothing?

I would like to log what I do. I think it would be a better way to track my progress than a spread sheet. Let me know if there is a better place to request this. I didn't see a sticky thread in that forum for it. Thanks!

Thanks a bunch!

I had the opportunity to ask Wang Liping a few questions, I of course asked about invisibility because that shit is tight. It was not a long answer, but it sounds like it comes naturally with the cultivation of shen. As well, at the same seminar, I heard an anecdote about one of the students (it sounded like he was in China) who did the tree qigong regularly. He practiced it a lot and really enjoyed it. As he was practicing one day people started throwing rocks toward him. He didn't understand at first, but he was partially disappearing and they thought he was a ghost. I heard this a few years back, so the details might be a bit mussed. Sorry that I don't have anything more concrete to share on this topic.

'Imagine' is definitely the wrong word. 'Visualize' gets closer, and is generally what I will use. However, I think the right thing to say is 'feel'.

Here's to hoping you didn't want me to get personal!