Fu_doggy

Eugene - sorry I didn't completely answer your question.... All of the FP forms are giving me too much energy if I do them late at night, even the "basic" ones on Vol 1 and Vol 2. So I am doing them earlier. ;-)

Eugene - you bring up a good question about the forms to practice. To answer, I do all available forms in all the volumes including Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 5 and Vol 7. And, I rotate the FP forms during the course of my practice sessions so that I do all of them before beginning another cycle. This may be a little different than some other people who do the same form daily. Both ways of practicing are acceptable and beneficial. That said, as I start each new cycle I am constantly amazed at how powerful the "basic" FP forms are. The basic forms are like the foundation of a house....very strong. In fact, none of the FP meditations are really "basic"....they are all very powerful and I enjoy them all.

Hey Steve - yah, I know. But I have not been motivated yet to set up a camera. :-) I consider FP to be a spiritual practice, and I approach my practice with reverence. So, for me it's not so important to know whether a blue light is emitted when I practice Flying Phoenix. What is important is the joy of the practice itself and the really outstanding benefits I receive. That said, I have noticed a significant change in my FP practice. For the past several months, I simply cannot do *any* of the FP meditations late at night (with the exception of seated 50 30 10 and 50 20 10) because the energizing effects have become so powerful that it will keep me awake for hours. I posted a few weeks ago that I thought it was one meditation that was so energizing it was keeping me awake, but it turns out now it's almost all of the mediations. The power of the FP has grown considerably....something I can't explain. Except for Sifu Terry's remark that the effects are "cumulative". At this point in my practice, I have to get started much earlier in the evening to give the FP energy a chance to dissipate before bedtime. But then I have to get back on my laptop to finish my work afterwards. I suppose this quantum leap in FP energy is a good problem to have, but I have had to change my daily routine because of this. Anyone else notice anything similar? Lloyd

Shiva - I'm looking forward to Sifu Terry's next visit to the board to see what he says about this....that is FP energy lingering in the spot where one practices. As for me, I almost always practice in the same place because I have a special room in my home where I do FP and meditation. Sifu has said a practitioner can get to the point where he emits blue light when practicing Flying Phoenix. But I don't know if that's ever happened to me, because the FP is done with eyes closed. ;-)

Steve - well, you may be right about my past life. A few years ago I was talking to a lady who said she could look into past lives, and she told me I was *much* more spiritual in my last life compared to my current one. LOL!!! And you may also be correct about the FP light being in practitioner's practice spot. When I went in to practice last night I saw the blue light again in that same area...but much more faint and it didn't last as long as on my first report. So perhaps it *is* there all the time, and the limiting factor on seeing it is me.

I had a very interesting experience this past Thursday night. I had been traveling for two days starting on Wednesday and worked a 16 hour day on Thursday including a 5 hour drive from Tallahassee back to my home in Orlando. I was bushed. After showering I was really tired, and decided I would do 20 minutes of stretching and then go to bed to sleep, i.e, skipping Flying Phoenix that night. So, I go into my meditation room, and as I always do, I lit some candles and some incense and lowered the lights. As I sat in a chair and began my neck stretching routine, I happened to look down on the carpet to the spot where I always practice both my seated and standing Flying Phoenix mediations, and there I saw a small, bright blue ball light that was dancing around on the carpet. It was approximately 3 inches in diameter, though not perfectly spherical and with edges not clearly defined. But it was was vividly, beautifully blue and seemed to be playing, rolling and moving in an irregular but somewhat pleasing fashion. It lasted for about 30 seconds and I was able to watch in astonishment as this bright blue light played and danced. And then, as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished. In the first few seconds of first seeing the blue light, I quickly remembered Sifu Terry saying on many occasions that the Flying Phoenix energy was visibly blue....but I had never seen this. I (and one other practitioner) have seen the room bathed in a gold light, but not the blue of which Sifu has spoken. So, upon seeing this, I immediately connected the dots because this vividly blue ball of light was dancing on the very spot where I always do my Flying Phoenix practice. What was most interesting is I was not doing FP when this appeared. Even though I was only stretching, the energy of FP seemed to reveal itself to me in the very place where I have practiced so many times over the past 3 1/2 years. Seeing this was very motivating to me, and now I wish to practice Flying Phoenix all the more! OK, that's it...thought I would share this very cool incident. Good practicing, Lloyd

Yes that's the one Steve! If you are just starting the advanced seated you are in for a real treat. Since you have a really good background in TM, I believe you will quickly see just how meditative these advanced seated exercises can be. And that's what fooled me about 60 70 40 5. While I was doing it I simply felt myself in a phenomenally deep, wonderful meditative state. But, when I finished and took the 3 deep breaths I found my energy level had become unbelievably high! Like Wow! So when you get into the advanced seated vol 7, I will look forward to hearing about our experiences. Cheers!

So last night I couldn't start my FP practice until late, about 10:30 PM. I finished my FP routine with Advanced Seated 60 70 40 5, which was amazingly energizing (maybe helped because the moon is waxing almost full). Went to bed around midnight but had so much energy there was NO WAY that I was going to sleep. My energy had me supercharged....like I just drank a double expresso! LOL Didn't doze off until 3:30 AM. So just sharing my experience..... If you're practicing late at night you may wish to skip that one. ;-)

CC - I second what Steve has said. You've made some very inspirational posts. Sorry to hear about your subloxated vertibrae, and I admire your resolve to practice and your positive attitude. The FP energy is cumulative over time, very good for your overall physical and mental health, though I can't say how it will effect your vertebrae issue. Please keep us posted on your progress!

That's a good pace for me as well Charlie. Some of the longer Advanced Seated MSW meditations take me on average 45 minutes. For me those are downright alchemical. In fact I've learned not to do some of them just before bedtime because energetically they are like downing a double expresso. ;-) ShivaShakti - shaking while doing FP during the first 6 months to a year is typical. That's your body adjusting to the powerful Flying Phoenix energy. Over time that shaking will gradually become less and less. Eventually it will pretty much stop, but you will still feel the powerful energy....and in fact you can expect even deeper experiences. Keep it rolling! Lloyd

John killed a Bloody Mary before he got home.

+1 to what ridingtheox just said about the speed at which one does MSW meditations. The feedback feel from the flow of the meditations themselves will inform you of the correct movement speed. Or, I say the FP meditations will tell you how fast to move. For example, last night I did the first MSW 90 50 40 30 10 and it took me 20 minutes to complete.....that was the correct speed for last night. So yes....sensing the flow is indeed seminal.

ChiForce - Very interesting! I have actually experienced a tapping very similar to what you have described. For several years. And the cause of this tapping would be shy in daylight, only manifest itself at night. It would also be shy if I looked in it's direction (i.e., when you look in its direction it would stop immediately). So, I eventually came to the conclusion that the cause of this tapping was not particularly strong or bold. So, it's nothing to be afraid of, but I understand it can be annoying. My best advice is to either ignore it, or if it's a bit too bothersome then you can take steps to stop what's causing it. For example, lighting a sandlewood incense in the area you meditate, while you are meditating may stop it. It may be as simple as that. But if it's stubborn and you want to make it go away, this could take the help of a Buddhist monk or someone experienced with these things. In my case I rarely hear the tapping anymore. But last year I had an experience for about six months with something that was doing much more than tapping! Much more bothersome. ;-) I eventually talked to some people in the know and took some rather gentle steps to cause it to cease. But I would have taken stronger steps had it not stopped pestering me. I talked to several meditation masters and they told me these experiences are actually much more common than most people would think. I don't want to say any more about this subject in this post, but I hope I have given you enough info to be of some value to you. And regardless, stay with your meditation practice....don't stop it because of the tapping sounds.

This is it for me....I just enjoy the practice. One thing that makes this thread so interesting is the diverse people who are practicing FPCK... people just getting started, some who have practiced for some time and then some (like Riding The Ox and myself) who are now working towards four years of Flying Phoenix practice. This is cool because I enjoy hearing about everyone's experiences....no matter where you are in your practice of Flying Phoenix there is something very valuable to be found. And it's good to read about everyone's experiences on this thread. At this stage of my practice, now at three years and three months, Flying Phoenix has become part of my everyday life. For me it's soothing, balancing, healing, calming but most of all just very enjoyable. The practice of Flying Phoenix meditations, which I do in the evenings, serves to cleanse my mind of all the stress of the day. When Sifu Terry said FP meditations will give you a "washing the brain" sensation he wasn't kidding, because for me these meditations wash away the stress. And at the same time they generate a very subtle and powerful energy. Really, this sensation is beyond description...but anyone can experience this with enough practice of Flying Phoenix. Finally, more good words from Sifu Garry that I found really valuable: "Slow and steady is the way." This was especially good advice for me because I have limited time to practice per day but I find practicing every day possible really takes me down that path I was hoping to find. Good practicing! Lloyd

Charlie - sorry to hear of your flu, and that this is your third time back to recovery after illness this year. But you know what they say.... Third time's a charm! Hopefully your ills are behind you and the rest of 2013 is healthy and happy. Your practice reports are always motivating, so please keep us posted!

Andy - Especially during the first year I practiced, I would sometimes experience things such as shaking, perspiration, etc., as the body has to get used to the FP energy and these were the effects of energetic balancing. Over time, these will gradually subside. So, with more practice you can expect those things go dissipate. Regarding feeling "ungrounded", I never experienced that. That said, if your current state isn't in balance, then practicing FP will bring you into a state of true balance, which may explain why you feel good afterwards, but "a little ungrounded". FP will not cause one to feel anxious...quite the opposite. In fact if one is feeling anxious, FP practice will dissolve that anxiousness, returning the person to a state of calm balance. FP is very healing, very calming. Try doing an hour of FP in the evening after a hard, stressful day, and you'll see what I mean. Good practicing! Lloyd

ShivaShakti - nice report! The practice of the Flying Phoenix and especially the Monk Serves Wine meditations do indeed bring about a deep state of mental calm. I am happy to read during the state of profound calm experienced during MSW practice, that you gained some very valuable insights. Sifu Terry refers to the MSW series as "meditations" because they indeed bring about a state of profound calm and clarity, which in turn may open a path to a state of higher consciousness. Again, nice post and keep the reports coming!!! Lloyd

Bravo ShivaShakti ... Outstanding account of your practice and the results!!!

And one more benefit much that's more important than reversing gray hair.... Sifu mentioned the "washing the brain" sensation one experiences during the MSW meditations. I can tell you this is not a mere metaphor. There is a *very tangible increase in mental acuity* as a result of MSW meditations. This includes sharper mental clarity, stronger memory/recall and improved ability to assimilate detailed material. Very good stuff!

Again, I can vouch for the fact that the reversal of gray hair back to it's original color when practicing with a focus on 80 70 50 20 and 70 50 20 10 is very noticeable.....by your friends and family! That's a definite WOW factor that's quite tangible.

WOW!!! Who would have thought from humble beginnings this thread would reach 100 pages? The longevity of this thread is a testament to Sifu Terry's genuine enthusiasm for the art, and also his continuous comments, encouragements and responses to questions. THANKS SIFU TERRY!!! Also a special thanks to Sifu Garry who has provided some really outstanding insight and commentary. Finally Mal.... great pic from Calvin and Hobbes! Love it!

Been doing qigong by candle light for years when practicing at night. Open the window, light a candle, burn a stick. IMO it adds to the practice.

Suburi - LOL !!! Monk Holds Pearl is crazy powerful but I can't say I've done that one in a sauna. I like your story and love the name. :-)

joeblast - Thanks for your thoughtful response to my question. After writing it, I also thought about the answer to my own question, and it seemed to me that staying in the moment was part of the answer. That said, you added a bit more valuable color. I believe you are saying, in essence, that thoughts that pull us out of the present moment are false. And the type of thoughts that commonly do that swirl around sexual desire. Not trying to thread jack, but dealing with this issue is the very first step in the practice Lin shared with us....so we have to figure this out to get to first base. ;-)

JustB - there are other qigong systems within Grandmaster Doo Wai's family of martial and energetic arts that include percentage breathing sequences. If you go back and read through this thread you will see at least one of these other styles discussed by Sifu Garry Hearfield. Good luck with your practice!