Yoda

Shweet! How much is the bend in the knees? Even with the balls of the feet?

nice!

I was just practicing it today, but it's not often that I do it. At the moment, I'm messing with WSM while in the toe touch asana. It's a great practice, physically vitalizing. Don't forget to do some stillness meditation, corpse pose afterwards, etc to let the energy assimilate if you try it. It's great for MAs, but I haven't done the practice long enough to speak with any authority on it.

The other books are very good but there is a lot of overlap. His everyday 15 minute chi kung book is good too. I actually got the European video tape and reformated it so I could watch it. It is also very nice. You get a bit of that cute "Rinpoche" vibe from him--he's a happy boy. That's the best part, seeing what he's like in person. Otherwise, it's just about people saying how much standing has helped them and him going through the basic postures and warmups that he covers in the books. As there isn't much motion, the video isn't vital in that respect. If I could find it, I'd send you a copy but I haven't seen it around in awhile. Lam Kam Chuen is a fantastic resource. I've only read his standing books and I think his fengsui book. The fengsui was okay but not as way cool as the standing books. If you had taken the time to hunt down warriors of stillness, you might need to go the extra mile and reformat the vid.

Vinny Pinto believes that Hira, the sungazing guru, is a near-inedian but still thinks the guy is an idiot. Mothers who remark that their kids don't eat are often spot on. My kids eat but I have neices and a nephew who literally do not eat. I measure their calorie intake from time to time and it's most impressive. I wish this phenomenon would be scientifically studied. I think fasting helps kids maintain their high vibe while eating crap. Plus all that prenatal chi, of course. Everyone starts pulling in more prana once they reduce their calorie intake. Like all those dieting hell stories... I know a grown woman who eats one can of tuna a day and a good multivite/mineral and that's it. I forget if that's in oil or not. It would have to be.

not to work Sean to death, but maybe a few different money/prosperity signs to choose from? Like the dollar sign, the Chinese symbol of prosperity, a Tibetan symbol of wealth, a gangster, the classic millionare in front of his rolls, etc? But some sort of auspicious money sign would be good.

I like it. Maybe even make the $25 the "suggested donation" and give them their knot of mystic awareness for whatever price they can afford. Or maybe let the donor choose the symbol.... like a defender of the realm with a gnarly Tibetan wrathful deity standing on top of bodies sporting an AK-47, chaingun, or whatever. Taobum heraldry symbols.

Most impressive results!!! What's the theory on why it's more effective like that? Just funner so you really put yourself into each workout?

Maybe not quite as cool as your ski footage or your haircut, but still very cool. I'm glad you nailed the landing! -Yoda

-doh! Well, there's always RJ... See if you can meet him!

It took me several days to digest the info on it... well worth the $1. I'll go month-to-month on it. Definitely recommend the intro deal for the articles and downloads. haven't read those two books.

Thelerner sent me a copy of "Body, Mind, and Sport" and in there the author recommends retraining one's body to breathe through the nose even during heavy exercise. He says that it takes about 6 months to make the switch to the point that one will experience higher levels of performance. Essentially, it sounds a lot like Sonnon's stuff but much simpler. I've tried it and so far it seems to be teaching me the same things that Scott is into, just simpler... if you breathe through your nose, you'll automatically slow your rate of breathing, breathe more deeply, and exhale more strongly than the inhale. Which also overlaps with all the sexual chikung material too. Much easier to understand this way, imo. He also adds in 'Darth Vader' breathing as an add-on practice. Says that the brain gets more chi through nose breathing too. -Yoda

It doesn't bother me either, but I'm just wondering if there's a way to make it more appealing so Sean can get more R&D $.

True in general, but I think we are keeping Sean adequately amused in this case. I even think that he's gaining energy from it on the whole. So this is sort of a side issue. But on that front... obviously let's throw some money at him. I'm surprised that there aren't more people making donations which makes me think that there is an energy kink still on the table for us to work out on this sponsor thing. I gave money despite the sponsor tag. This could be my own personal neurosis or something but having the sponsor button doesn't turn me on. Plus, not having a sponsor button might make people feel cheap or poor so it could be a bit of a pickle. No huge deal. My theory is that there are lots of people here who would be happy to sponsor taobums but don't want the button. You haven't sponsored... Am I right--are you button phobic?

Apple Cider Vinegar is king. ~~~~ So I went to the local health food store where I've bought many an expensive, exotic concoction and it finally occured to me to ask the owner what his best sellers were and what he thought were his best products. As I suspected, I was asking the same question twice. The answer: multivitamins, ACV, Dr. Bronners, Real Salt, and raw honey. I'm sure the same principle applies to many aspects of life including cultivation practice.

If I were the webmaster, I'd make it one notch smaller. Supporting taobums is a nice thing to do but it shouldn't be a mandatory or big deal type thing so the button should follow that vibe imo. It still catches my eye more than I think it should optimally. No biggie though. Good color and font, etc.

I second that. You should email Yogani that idea too, once the label has been toned down a bit. Maybe change it to Sponsor of theTaobums.com! But without any bolding, color, etc. Something like that.

I'm glad we have a doctor in the house! The True Love that you speak of is not so much a good feeling but a very simple, subtle feeling of complete, non-judgemental acceptance. It's not a polarity - there is no opposite to this sort of love (like there is with the ego-game version of it) it's like the space that accepts both ends of the fundamental polarity. You can't want it, you cant deny it, you cant control it - you can only accept it! Along similar lines: don't think in terms of right/wrong, good/bad, either/or, in/out but rather look on it as a gentle continuum from some love to megacosmic love. But it is a good feeling... it's just that it's such a good feeling that it fills you up to the point that you don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks, whether you are doing it right, etc The problem with "feeling" what's right is that you at that point align with (or utilize) karmic self, who quickly starts making judgements and wishes. Maybe that part of me can be used in the process without "tainting" it, i'm open for any suggestions as long as i find them sound and reasonable. I think when you are in the "tainting it" zone or "out of the flow" you are simply in the very normal state of being at the "some love" end of the spectrum. You've got enough love to maintain your vital signs and kick around, but not enough to be radiant and you find yourself pondering the fly in the ointment type issues. When you are radiant like the happy child or the happy Buddha, then all questions of right/wrong, ego/nonego, good/bad, drop off and you are in the flow. Imo, it is about feeling good... the better you feel, the more in the zone, the greater your service, etc. And that it is completely normal in embodied form to slide around in the spectrum a bit. I think the very realized masters have learned to focus on feeling good to the point that they have been able to stabilize their vibration at a more positive area of the spectrum. But whatever philosophy you care to adopt, make it a simple one! Good luck! -Yoda

Also, possibly the best single source for information on taoist practices is by our own Taobum, Trunk, at alchemicaltaoism.com Much to ponder!

Maybe search for 'taoist religion' on amazon.com? Winn's 'primordial chikung' dvd is a great ceremony practice for special places and times. I think there may be a free copy to borrow in the taobums library possibly. That and a copy of Chia's "transforming stress into vitality." Most taoist teachers are concerned with increasing energy and vitality and they don't really get into oneness with the tao through quiet sitting meditation as do the many zen books out there so you may have to outsource and make up your own version of Taoism.

I'm in Columbia, SC and, yes, northerners are moving south in droves. I talked to one young teacher from New York state and she says that teachers are being laid off up there... her schools were running out of kids so she followed them down here. That seems to be the pattern, the 20 somethings move south and then a few years later their siblings, friends, parents etc follow.

A possible origin of the word "abracadabra": Another theory argues the phrase comes from the Aramaic phrase "avrah kedabra," which translates to "I will create as I speak." Given magicians' flair for the dramatic, that makes sense to us.

I suck at service... I can tell you'll do it much better than I did. Good luck with it!

I'd clarify that to say that the highest act of service is to feel joy regardless of the manifestation or the perceived degree of service. There are too many dour service types out there, grumpy parents who think they are doing a good service job for their kids, or bombing people for God, etc. It's easy to trick yourself about being service oriented, egoless, Christian etc. but it's harder to trick yourself about being blissful. A much better barometer for compassion. In your 20s, you still have a lot of joyful energy you can take for granted so you can take up an "it's all about service, bliss be damned" but that philosophy will clog up in your 30s. At least, that's what happened to me forcing a shift away from traditional service oriented philosophy to a bliss oriented one. I'm just now climbing out of the wreckage of all that. I really took the service thing to the breaking point! -Yoda

keep the star wars vids coming!