Fu_doggy

For the past two years, I have been practicing Wim Hoff breathing + bhastrika pranayam + kapala bhati pranayam (as taught by Vasant Lad) followed by ZZ. Very positive results, no negatives.

@Taomeow - thought provoking post. Especially the part about "The diary itself is not for long-term preservation, not for sharing, and not for re-reading -- it's the process that counts." So I decided to google Nikkido and the top hit was... your post. ;-) Any suggested reading on Nikkido? Thanks...

Bhathen - I also like swamij's yoga nidra.

To the OP's original question: I start my day with 20 minutes of abdominal breathing. This is one of the more basic of qigong practices, however, it works well for me. After that I go on to other practices.

@exorcist_1699 - can you tell us a little about your qigong practice? I'm always interested in the methods people practice to build their qi and jing. Thanks...

I love Ram Dass. While Be Here Now is his best known work, his book Paths to God; Living the Bhagavad Gita is also excellent. May he RIP.

Keep us posted, thanks!

@Rakiel - thanks for the info. How long have you been practicing WHM that way? And, are you seeing a difference in your exhale-hold times? I have been practicing similar to Learner, with a slight hold after the inhale of one or two seconds....that's giving me max hold times.

Vajra First - no, nothing like the stuff Gary Crooms is demonstrating. Also, doesn't appear to have much in common with the book you linked to that has 49 postures. But it is almost exactly the same as this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hEyAuF6_0M The style I practice has the same 23 postures as in this video, though there are some differences in intent, etc. The master who taught me called it the "Dot Mo" or "Da Mo" style of YJJ. Dot Mo is another name for Bodhidharma, the supposedly original creator of YJJ.

I practice a style of YJJ that was taught to me by a master in Orlando. The postures are similar to those in Dr. Yang Jwing Ming's book. It is done with power, force, and it's physically demanding. And, it's invigorating. My work has me either sitting in a business meeting, or sitting on a plane or sitting in front of a computer (note the common element) so the YJJ done with power is a great contrast to how I spend my work day. To start this new year 2017, I began a 100 consecutive day practice of YJJ, seeing where it takes me. For those that are going to learn from a book, I can vouch for a style such as Dr. Yang teaches in his book. One item of interest: If you read Dr. Yang's book, he states past a certain age your results will be minimal. I'm north of 60 years old, so when I first read this, I was concerned. Turns out the master in Orlando who taught me doesn't agree. And after practicing for several years, neither do I.

For those of you that want to google C.K. Chu's practice spell it like this: Eternal Spring Chi Kung. I've practiced the style for the better part of 10 years now as a morning program. Can vouch for it. There are about 10 chi kung exercises in the program, the total of which invigorate every part of the body.... legs, arms, torso, etc. ESCK is different in that some of the exercises are vigorous. Definitely wakes you up in the morning!

smallsteps - you ask a great question. Regarding Flying Phoenix, I found it to be an outstanding system. I have had some experiences during my practice of FP that were "supernormal", really outstanding. Also, Sifu Terry is one of the very best masters of Chinese arts. I have been fortunate to have practiced with him in person in California on several occasions. So, I highly recommend FP and working directly with Sifu Terry to anyone. As to why I am not practicing right now, let's just say I am taking a temporary break and hopefully within the next 6 months I will be able to get back into the practice. Vajra Fist - yes, I still practice yoga with WHM. In fact, Wim teaches a number of yoga poses in his course. So, yes, yoga is very complimentary. Unlike many qigong systems, Wim doesn't mention any incompatibilities with WHM breathing. Regarding pushups at the end of the breathing rounds, I only do the pushups once, at the end of the last round. So, whether I'm doing 4 rounds, 5 rounds or 8 rounds, just one set of pushups. The most I've done is 50 pushups on a held breath. Those were full pushups with good form by the way. That said, that's not my norm. Normally I'm closer to 38 to 42 pushups on the last held breath. These days I'm not trying for any personal best pushup records, I just enjoy the experience. Good practicing! fu_doggy

Vajra Fist - I'll chime in... yes, I'm still doing Wim Hof Method, now past the 18 month mark. It seems each month my health, energy and mental acuity continue to improve. Also, with improved energy my appetite has diminished...I no longer crave large meals. So, for me the positive results have been cumulative. One thing I really like about WHM is it's simplicity and efficiency. In less than 30 minutes per day, I get excellent results. If I wake up in the morning and am feeling not quite with it, after WHM I feel energized and fresh. Also, the sensations during the breath holds are pleasing, and sometimes other worldly. And, I continue to do the cold water thing....now actually enjoy it. So, yah, I'm sticking with it. The base routine is 4 rounds of WHM breathing before breakfast. However, I'm still experimenting with variations to optimize my practice. For example, for me, I found four rounds before bedtime will result in too much energy, staying awake half the night. No bueno. However, a single round, or perhaps two before bedtime will release tension and aid deep sleep. So, I'm not sure where the ceiling is with the practice, but I know I've not yet reached it. By the way, love this thread. tao stillness....I appreciate your contributions, great job of keeping it going!

A lot of this depends on a person's definition of meditation. Also, someone made the point there is not "one way" to do this. Like Learner, I like Wim Hof Method. I've been practicing for about 18 months now. As he stated, the meditative states come in small snippets when the breath is held. I will say though, what I've experienced during the breath holds is quite different, also quite pleasing. Wim says the meditative portion of WHM can be profound. It's not standard meditation, however, I'm enjoying the journey. Another part of Wim's method is "cold therapy", which I have also been doing. A few months ago while on vacation I went into an icy pool of water formed by melted snow....and I didn't feel the cold. Before going in I expected to feel the cold, with the ability to tolerate it. But fact is, I didn't feel it. I stated in about 15 minutes, then got out. This quite surprised me. Never tried TM. I occasionally make some runs at other types of meditation, including Dr. Easwaran's "passage meditation", but WHM is every day.

Good thread, hope it keeps going. For me the book that changed my outlook on life, spirituality and the human condition was The Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoevsky. All of Dostoevsky's books are outstanding, but the Brothers Karamazov offers insights into human nature that I have not seen from anywhere else.

Learner - please keep us posted on progress. I have reduced my inhale holds from about 40 seconds to about 25 seconds (Wim says at least 15 seconds) and I'm going to see the effect on the length of my exhale holds. Also, (just for fun) I just ordered a finger oxygen and pulse meter. I want to see what happens to blood oxygen and pulse rate during the breath holds.

OK, I will share some of my observations of WHM. (1) My breath holds are significantly longer in the morning vs. the night. My breath holds are longest when I do WHM soon after I wake up. (2) Sometimes on the exhale breath hold, I go into an extremely peaceful, very calm state of consciousness, such that I can lose track of whether I'm holding an exhale or an inhale. (3) So far I get best results by holding the inhale hold for about 40 seconds. That said, I'm still experimenting to find the optimal inhale breath hold time. (4) On the inhale hold, (when you enter a highly oxygenated state....for simplicity I will call it a controlled hyper-ventalation state) I find the deeper the sensation of hyper-ventalation/tingling, the more healing and revitalizing. On days where I feel this strongly during WHM, I feel the especially energized and revitalized during the day. (5) During the inhale hold hyper-ventalation state it *feels* that you are coming come close to losing consciousness, however, in reality there is a very deep subtle consciousness that I have notices that's in complete control. This deep state of consciousness is very subtle and I didn't recognize it until I had been practicing WHM about 6 months. OK, those are some of my observations. For those practicing WHM, please share your experience.

johndoe - I have the same experience with pushups. Normally, I have to work hard to get to 30. However, with WHM on the exhale/hold I can easily hit between 42 and 48. I say "easily" because my arms never get tired.....I just run out of breath and stop when I have to inhale. Actually, I bought a pair of pushup handles so I could go lower at the bottom of my pushups (which is more challenging) and I still hit 36 to 42. And still, it's not my arms that give out, but my breath. If (and when) my breath hold gets better, I'm confident I will break 50 normal pushups on an exhale/hold. By writing this I just motivated myself to do another 4+ rounds of WHM breathing and pushups.....catch you later.

Lerner - it's my experience a single day of 8 consecutive rounds gives very tangible benefits. You brought up a good point about developing a "post WHM course" routine. I found increasing the breath/hold rounds to be really beneficial. At this point, I can't say I can tolerate cold as well as you described you have done (which is admirable), however I can tolerate a good deal of it. Last week I was visiting Las Vegas and walking in the cold night air. While everyone else was in a jacket, I was in a t-shirt *and didn't feel cold* at all. After you have tried going for longer rounds, please come back and post your experience.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been practicing WHM daily for 7 months, though as of now I am into month 8. In his training program, Wim teaches four rounds of 30 breaths/hold, followed by pushups on the held exhaled breath. However, I have slowly increased the number of rounds. At this point I have found when I practice 8 rounds, the practice is *extremely* revitalizing. So, I might suggest after you get the hang of the practice to gradually start increasing your number of rounds. I haven't gone past 8 rounds yet, but I eventually will because increasing rounds is like the fountain of youth....it's really energizing and the energy stays with you 24/7. After 4 months of WHM I was doing up to 48 pushups on a held breath, and I mean full pushups with good form....and I'm 61 years old. BTW, I never have gotten to long breath holds. My longest hold is 2 minutes, and only in the past few weeks have I begun to hit that mark. That said, I've hit 2 minute holds 3 days in a row this week. I believe if I keep practicing consistently I will go past two minutes, however, I have learned to be patient and just let increased hold time happen when it happens. Going into my 8th month I can say hands down that WHM is the most energetic, healing methodology I have practiced.

About 7 months ago I paid the $200 for Wim Hof's course. It was one of the best investments I've ever made. So I have been practicing it for 7 months now and it's is an amazingly powerful method. I honestly have never felt better. My energy is excellent, my sleep has improved, my mental clarity is sharper. And oh yah, my cold tolerance has improved dramatically. Regardless of how Wim came up with his breathing technique, it is a simple and effective method for improving energy and well being.

There's a Cantonese herbologist in Orlando who practices a form of Paida for her patients. Instead of using the bare hand, she uses a small smooth wooden rod, not much bigger than a pencil, and she keeps it moist with an oil of some sort. Her technique definitely clears the ska from the area she's treating. Net-net, her method works, and it is a variation of the Paida described above.

Jox - just clicked on the link. Sorry but Max Tack's blog post attempting to discredit Zhineng is *way* over the top....the only thing that looked bad was the blogger.

Just a note regarding my experiences with private sessions from Sifu Terry. Over the years I've had the good fortune to have private sessions with a number of quality masters of Asian arts. However, the sessions I've had with Sifu Terry stand above and apart from them all. His extensive experience, breath of knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for the arts makes him the very best master I have had the pleasure of receiving instruction from. If you are even remotely interested in improving your practice, I can highly recommend a private session with Sifu.

I bought the Qinway DVD a couple months ago, mostly out curiosity because I had heard about it for years. While I don't currently practice the style, it appears to be a very legit qigong system. My .02