Ant

the herbs and acupuncture should have a great impact on the liver qi stagnation, regular Qigong practice would be a great help as well. you could also add some light running in there too, exercise is good for getting the qi moving. i think if you massage gently along the areas of the liver meridian that feel tender, that should help also. certain foods such as chocolate, spicy foods, alcohol and coffee will aggravate your condition so it would be wise to avoid them. good luck

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This seems like an odd statement to me? Regardless of ethnicity we are all born with a finite amount of pre-natal Jing.. Not discounting what you are suggesting, but I'd be interested in what others have to say about it too.. To the OP the answer is basically yes, you are losing energy. It could be a good thing for you to reduce your amount of sexual activity, and practice some Qigong (even to simply stand still with your knees slightly bent will really help to build vitality). If you don't already have a Qigong practise you could try some of the Spring Forest techniques on youtube, they are easy to learn, safe and very powerful. It could also be helpful to consult with a TCM practitioner. Acupuncture and (especially) herbs are very helpful in building energy. I'd suggest getting a professional TCM opinion rather than self medicating with TCM herbs as loading up on tonic herbs without a professionals supervision could be problematic. It's important to keep in mind that TCM tells us that building Kidney energy/Jing/essence is a gradual process - so gains you make should not be taken as a license to "spend up" the energy. And taking your age into account I would suggest that you begin to conserve more of your Jing, it's a great asset to your health and happiness The plethora of posts on this forum recounting misadventures with retention and sexual qigong exercises indicates to me that these are advanced techniques and not ones that should be played with without the supervision of a real master.. some may disagree, but that's my two cents anyway. I don't know the details as to why you're taking testosterone so I can't really comment on that - but if it's to feel more energetic/alive/vital/masculine I think that's very risky business. In my opinion rather than manipulating certain hormones we should focus on building and balancing the body's energy through Qigong and herbs.. I think if we take care of the energy the hormones will take care of themselves anyhow I hope some of that is of some use, all the best.

I would think few in the Qigong field would follow a raw diet.. Chinese medicine warns against the implications of too much raw/cold food http://straightbamboo.com/articles/cooked-vs-raw/

Wow... I actually feel a strong Qi reaction when even reading his book online.. (!) I really hope that he teaches and lectures publicly again one day.

is there a biography of Master Yan Xin anywhere on the internet?

i'd love to ask a couple of questions when you do the next one?

this is interesting, are you able to elaborate more on the advice he gave? if it's too confidential then that is fine.

when I do the Moving of Yin and Yang exercise my legs do similar spontaneous things, I don't sink into horse stance but my stance does seem to be "corrected" automatically.. it happens immediately and of its own accord, it's quite fascinating. When I got the chance to very briefly ask Chunyi some questions I asked if I should practice in Horse stance as my Kidney energy is deficient.. he shook his head and as usual emphasized just to "bend your knees a little". It's interesting that he doesnt emphasize horse stance, through my own practice I've found I can gain a considerable amount of energy from 30 or more minutes of "reasonably low" stance. I can only last a couple of minutes in Horse (and it's not a great horse! ). It makes sense that Horse would be a quicker way to build Jing, as it's as low as you can go and stimulates the Bubbling Spring a lot.. but perhaps it's not suitable for everyone? Please take this with a grain of salt as I have only heard it word of mouth, but I have heard if one's channels aren't open enough that horse stance is not a great idea. Can anyone clarify this?

If you are doing the Sun and Moon meditations I assume you've read the SFQ Level 3 manual and/or done the Level 3 course in person? Chunyi emphasizes that one should continue to stand up and do active exercises as part of their practice even when they get to higher levels. I'm sure it's tempting to make sitting meditation the entirety of your practice especially with the experiences you are having, but remember that you need to keep building your Jing through the standing exercises. In Sydney Chunyi told us that people with psychic abilities often appear older than they are or are overweight, as excessive use of third eye abilities can drain the Kidney energy. The Level 3 SFQ manual says something similar to this. It sounds like you're making great progress in your practice, but perhaps you should take heed of Chunyi's advice and put some standing exercises into your practice to ensure that you maintain a good reserve of vitality.

if you have the SFQ materials I would highly, highly recommend the "Harmony of the Universe" exercise. I've been focusing on it for the last month or so and I'm finding it incredibly helpful in resolving my liver qi stagnation. I'd also recommend massaging along the Liver channel as Trunk mentioned. Focus on the tender spots you find and that will be a great help.

another great read, these talks with Jim always go in some unexpected directions. It's cool you guys have become close friends. what sort of exercises are you practicing to help with the blockages you mentioned?

It was great, was great to meet other people who were both new and old to Qigong and SFQ. I felt pretty energised and refreshed during the meditations and throughout the weekend, certainly. And left with a lot of inspiration. He's a great speaker as well, very warm and down to earth.

I'm quite sure that the heat you're experiencing while practicing Moving of Yin & Yang is pretty normal. I get very warm while practicing SFQ, especially certain exercises. For a while I was getting slightly nauseous when doing Breathing of the Universe but I continued and that subsided. I think feeling heat during Qigong is a good sign that qi is moving around, I often also some heat when having acupuncture. I don't think you have to be worry about overdoing it. I'd be interested to hear Master Nance's answer though. I was at Master Lin's seminar in Sydney last weekend and he's modified Seven Steps to New Life slightly. Now he's teaching to just stand still while doing the exercise. He says he's decided it's a better way to do it. I also remember Master Nance instructed it to be done this way in a recent Healing Connection podcast. I must say I prefer the new way, I'd always end up shuffling forward a fair bit with the previous way. all the best with your training

I'm really enjoying reading these chats you're having with Master Jim Nance.. they are fascinating.

I'm aware that China didn't traditionally have Chia seeds, but if they were a part of TCM, I'm curious as to what area they might fit under? I've been having a few tablespoons on my breakfast for the past month or so and I'm loving them. I've got some kidney Yin deficiency (which seems to correlate with the concept of "adrenal fatigue") going on and I have struggled with hypoglycemia, especially in the mornings. I'm finding Chia to be a great breakfast food, I don't feel a dip in my blood sugar until early-mid afternoon. Now I've become interested in what the long term benefits of them may be as well, hence my question.. I've read that they contain some of the minerals that can be deficient in cases of adrenal fatigue, such as magnesium and zinc (my science knowledge is pretty limited unfortunately).. I'm wondering if Chia, from a TCM perspective, may help to tonify Kidney energy? They are predominately black in color too, which is interesting.. I do take a small amount of Kidney Yin tonic herbs, and now I'm wondering if it might also be good to investigate some mineral supplements too.. So what are the Taobums thoughts on Chia?

Ah that's interesting, I wasn't aware of the seeds/kidney relation.... It fascinates me to think of how deep the Chinese have gone with describing the energetic properties of each herb and food.. Yes my TCM doctor has me on some Yin/Jing tonics but as you know it's a gradual process. I also have liver qi stagnation so I can only take a small amount of tonic herbs, due to their "sticky" nature.. So I take them together with Xiao Yao San to ensure that the liver qi doesn't stagnate further.. I can definitely feel the effects when I have to much tonic herbs, the stagnant areas tighten up immediately. But I don't feel this with Chia seeds. They are part of the mint family so perhaps they are even beneficial to liver qi? I've read somewhere on the internet that they "tonify qi", but I'm not so sure of what that really means..? Runner11 yeah they are pretty invigorating, expensive too! But well worth it, I'm not a runner but I do notice they give me a spring in my step, but no sign of a stimulating "buzz" that you burn out from later.. which to me is vital..

With thighs flat I can do about 1 minute (if I'm lucky!) and my back won't even be straight. So I prefer to just stand with knees bent and stand for a lot longer like that. My right leg feel a lot weaker than my left.. It's always first to start shaking and shakes a lot more than my left. I suspect that my right kidney may be more deficient perhaps (in fact intuition tells me this is the case). There are times when I wished I had the in-the-flesh supervision of a master to kick my ass and make me do some punishing stance work! A lot easier to flunk out early when your alone haha.

I often sit in full lotus and do the 1 hour Small Universe, it's strange because I'm not that flexible but I found it relatively easy to work up to an hour of full lotus. I'm in my mid twenties so maybe age is a factor. Sometimes near the end of the hour it will start to become painful.. I find that if I've been doing some lower stance work and my legs feel strong, then it's easier. I've often resorted to sitting down or lying down and doing the meditation out of laziness though.. I have significant blockages to work on and I really need to build up some Jing so the standing exercises are more vital to me right now. I want to get in a habit of training first thing in the morning.. and maybe save the meditation for nighttime. I've got the level 3 manual and I'm really looking forward to trying those meditations when I'm ready. I think that will be a couple years off for me though.

I practise SFQ regularly and the benefits are very tangible. I'm healing a chronic injury with it, I feel calmer, more creative, and have increased energy. I did the hundred days in a row a few months back and that was great. Somehow I've been less disciplined lately which has been frustrating me.. but I am convinced that SFQ will be in my life for a long time. It's hard for me to keep my mind still too, don't be hard on yourself about it just enjoy the exercises. Chunyi Lin advises that you smile when practising. And I think that this is very helpful - it seems to have a strong influence on the quality of your training. Times when I have really smiled, slowed down and enjoyed the movements.. they have been the most powerful.

I think this advice from Chunyi Lin is really good for anyone with a Kidney Yang and/or Yin deficiency: http://www.springforestqigong.com/index.php/master-chunyi-lin/ask-master-lin-archive#201208 What can I do to heal myself of fatigue? The very best thing that you can do for yourself is to stand up and practice the active exercises. Fatigue comes from an imbalance in the kidney energy and the best way to balance this energy is to stand and do the exercises. The Bubbling Springs point on the bottom of the feet is the beginning of the kidney energy channel so when you stand with bent knees, even if it is very slight, you are activating this point and helping the channel to open. My friends use to tell me this was too difficult to do because they were so, so tired and wondered what they should do about this. I told them to get up and do more! When you feel this severe tiredness or your legs begin to shake, this is actually a very powerful time for transforming the energy, so I tell them to keep going and practice more. Now that I have motivated you to push yourself to do more, I need to encourage you to sit down before you fall down. Be aware of what you can do safely. Modify the active exercises so you can do them sitting in a chair or even lying down when needed. You can also do the Small Universe meditation, which is always very helpful. In the above he talks about a low stance while practising the SFQ active exercises, but elsewhere he also suggests just simply the standing itself as a great way to build kidney energy, and II've had profound benefits from doing this. I've got Kidney Yin deficiency, which I'm also taking herbs for, and I've observed that this lower stance practise seems to be even more beneficial than the herbs I take (though herbs are definitely a vital part of treating kidney deficiency). The shaking of the legs seems to come in waves to me - the first couple of times it throws you off a bit, but you realise that the shaking subsides if you just keep your stance. Then the shaking becomes quite enjoyable, I guess because you can subtly feel the kidney energy streaming into your body. My legs feel tired for a while afterwards, but in a good way, and then I feel really revitalised. It's good timing for me to see this thread today, starting from tomorrow I'm going to make this lower stance a part of my daily practise again, the benefits are enormous. TCM doctors have told me that acupuncture is usually better at treating patterns of excess than patterns of deficiency.. so I think you'd be wise to make a consistent routine of qigong and herbs a part of your long term recovery. good luck with it!

pm'd you

I find your posts very interesting pythagoreanfulllotus - but I do think you should exercise a little more discretion with what you share. This is a public forum remember, so if you have to ask yourself whether certain information is perhaps a little sensitive, then it most likely is.

Thanks for sharing that, I've watched his videos on youtube many times and got an amazing vibe from them. I'm nowhere near NYC but it would be great to stay at Mt Qingcheng one day!

Hello I've regularly browsed these forums and just had the thought to join up.. I've had a long term interest in TCM after some very intense healing experiences with acupuncture around 5 years ago. And after a painful injury I sustained two years ago was healing quite slowly with needles and herbs I decided to give Qigong another go (I had came across it as a teen via kung fu but had only dipped my toes in :-) ). After attending some local classes and enjoying it, but not feeling like my injury was healing, I decided to give Spring Forest a go after reading about it on here..(thanks guys!). I began Spring Forest practice around 14 months ago and have not looked back, the experiences I have had with it have been remarkable, and beyond what I had ever imagined. I have enjoyed the lively and interesting discussion on here so thought I would join up, and that way I can chip in with the odd question here and there.. thanks guys Ant