BaguaKicksAss

I have fb, pm me if anyone wants to add me. If you get offended easily, especially be alternative religions, you won't want to add me .

Dr_D, looks like someone else took care of that whole intro thing for you lol . I also definitely look forward to any insightful posts you may have to offer. Oh and welcome to The Tao Bums.

Kevin, I recommend putting a link in the original thread to this one so folks can find it .

Now that I would be interested in reading, another thread would be awesome in that it would likely lead to much discussion .

I read the title and thought that is was the newest marathon to hit all the cities, darn! That would be awesome though

Btw, I think everything ChiDragon has ever said about ZZ is a bit off topic .

Steve beat me to it while I was contemplating a reply . Yes definitely find a teacher to guide you. With the various medications and the various symptoms you were experiencing which led to the medications it is very important that you find a teacher who can watch your progress, as well as give personalized instruction. I feel this is important for anyone with any sort of major health ailment, no matter what it would be. The training really is different until one is up to speed. This may sound more difficult or annoying, but actually the personalized instruction will bring you far further in the long run, and you will get to learn far more than if you were just a run of the mill qigong student. A teacher can watch what happens with the energy and your channels as you work with the various practices, as well as make sure that qi deviations and the like don't crop up (oh hell actually I recommend everyone get an in person teacher, but this view isn't very popular online). This is especially important when on strong medications though. Even better if you can find someone who also has an expertise in TCM. It is possible to find teachers who will give personalized training who don't charge that much, if you look around. Hopefully you do live in an area with such resources though. What I am concerned about is that any previous conditions may get worse by introducing large amounts of energy into the system. Perhaps you can also ask the SFQ folks if there is anyone in your area.

Actually I started with ZZ as well, just my teacher didn't tell me what it was called, he just said to do it . I did it for a few years thinking it was just another magic based energy exercise. Then when asked years later he confirmed that it was ZZ lol. (Well I say started with if we don't count 20 years of non-gigong energy work and magic.... which I don't as it is quite a bit different.) Interesting about whether to start with ZZ, qigong or taichi. Anyways, I would say pick one (which it sounds like the OP did) and just stick with it for a few years. Mixing and matching really isn't a good idea when one is new to something.

Step 1. find a skilled teacher.

Very awesome PFL! I've been to Morocco as well, stayed with some locals for a bit which was kinda neat (if you don't mind eating camel that is hehe). The Berber caves over there are amazing. When I went to Egypt, I of course went to all the touristy temples, tombs and museums (I timed it in between the times the tour buses hit, ugh), but I also went into the areas away from the Nile so explore a bit. The life of the folks there is really interesting, and way different than the areas around the Nile (water and tourism). They also are big on the mud huts thing. Your mention of ancient language reminded me of this, as some of them still speak an old Nubian language which isn't really used anymore. Some of the writing is quite similar to Phoenician which I found interesting. Only the older folks in the tiny islands seemed to speak it the older language though. Haiti and Albania are a couple of others which were extremely interesting (though I wouldn't count Albanians the same category, as it's more like a poorer Europe over there. It is still interesting in the aspect of how you go over the the beekeeper's house for your honey, the lady with the goats for your milk, the chicken lady's house for your eggs, the brewer's house for your booze, and so forth. Amazingly enough I have not yet been to China yet.

I prefer to travel to the places where folks make about $2 per day (due to the fact that those places just have so much more culture or interesting artifacts). While they only make $2 per day, or per month in some areas... their standard of living I find interesting. While of course there are some who do skip meals, in general they tend to eat quite healthy, work hard, and have the basics they need. Most of the kids look quite healthy and active. They do have to walk up and down a hill to collect water though, which would be a pain in the butt. Of course there are some even poorer folks who don't get to eat when they need and so forth, but I mean the average person who makes so little. It is all relative. They tend to be able to afford coca cola still somehow lol; bottled drinks are one thing which I personally avoid to keep my budget low (so I can travel to these places when I want). Most of them also own property (again, not in my budget). The funny thing is, they tend to not complain about being "broke" as much as folks here, go figure! They are just used to it I guess, and figure out ways to work around it.

Very true that not all are like this, more just many. There are definitely folks who don't feel a need to compare .

Here as well, to avoid rush hour traffic. Transit is far faster in the mornings. Well that and some folks here even choose transit for environmental reasons. We even get bicycle lanes through the center of downtown, pretty neat. The whole discussion of being poor as compared to being rich though made me wonder, how poor are we talking here, and at what point is someone considered rich in a monetary sense? I'd consider poor minimum wage or lower as it really sucks to try to live on that! Rich I'm not so sure how to define that... I know some folks who own a few properties but are far from rich... our landlord eats rice for all meals, someone I know who brags about being rich and all the money he has waited 10 years to go on his dream vacation (wth? lol). I was having lunch at one of those most fancy restaurant in town places once. We were all out on the deck, and the folks at the table beside us were saying what they couldn't stand was "middle class people". I guess their yacht was parked out front . Fortunately far from all folks don't have this attitude. I know people who make more money in a week than I do in a year, who donate to various wildlife and educational causes, and who have a very rich spiritual life, and are extremely nice people. I have also been riding the bus and heard folks that definitely looked like they could use a wage increase putting down others on the bus because they were "rich" ROFL. Go figure. So my conclusion is that we as humans will try to find anything we can that we feel is superior about ourselves, then use it to put down others who we don't feel have this quality, so we can feel better about ourselves. With some it's money, with others it is intellect, fashion sense... whatever. Edit: adding the whole "I'm more enlightened than you" bit to the list, which is also far more prevalent than we would expect!

Thank you for sharing that Mandrake. I hope you were able to find an experienced teacher after all that to get the iron vest down well! This reminds me to spend even more time with each student on this.

Yep, I prefer BaguaKicksAss .

Hello Kevin, nice to see you over here . I'm also quite happy that you were given proper and full credit for your words.

Mandrake, if I may ask, what do you think about the practice is it that led to the lung damage? Or was it simply the lack of proper packing/breathing? Also do you think it was something in Mantak Chia's system/books which led to this, or do you think that doing it reading any book by any person could cause similar/the same problems? I ask because we do practice iron shirt stuff (in person teacher), and also I know quite a few people who do. I personally can't imagine iron shirt and/or packing without an in person teacher. I hope everything healed up all fine for you in the long run?

I was joking, I deleted it .

What post above, I don't see any post above? Thanks for the heads up Basher.

Where on earth do you live?! (ever thought of relocating? Joking). Here people in 3 piece suits take transit to work every morning (along with some homeless folks on there too of course though), but fear of being mugged on street corners, really? Well OK if you live in Chicago or LA I beleive you, otherwise not so much .

This thread which is pretty much promotion, would fit better merged one of the other 91 threads which mention Spring Forest Qigong. Is there are a particular one you recommend merging it with?

The thread was split so that we could keep the good bits out of the pit.

I have a friend who bought a half million dollar car about 5 years ago... mostly to try to get more women, and eventually one good one hopefully. He also owns 4-5 properties. The funny thing is that the woman that finally started dating him (we were all shocked, his personality sucks) is someone who chooses a bicycle over a car, and has no interest in wealth whatsoever ROFL. They lasted a year or so. Aside from that no increase in dates.

Btw, T3's have caffein in them (if you are taking pain meds for the ankle).

There were many many petitions signed about this from around the world, perhaps the fact that it became global rather quickly helped.