BaguaKicksAss

Ugh, this thread has gotten way too spammy.

The one over at esoteric archives is good, and free .

Sounds like, not the right teacher for you maybe. I personally also like to see a teacher who obviously loves the art and loves teaching. NY probably has hundreds of Taichi teachers. Just because someone is famous does not necessarily mean anything btw (well aside from they have an awesome promo team behind them).

The mods here have waaaaay more patience than I am for sure! Back in the day when I ran forums, I just deleted and booted as I saw fit, lol. It must be that whole cultivation / Taoist thing or something .

I've been able to see qi my entire life though, and I'm far from having cultivated my qi channels . I also know several other folks who can see such things just fine, but could use some work in cultivation as well as qi channel cultivation... One theory I heard for this is past life stuff. Martial arts is extremely difficult (at least for me), as is computer programming, and music. With computer programming it takes a certain sort of mindset, which some people naturally have, while others do not, same with qi stuff I think. I'd rather teach folks to see qi anyday over trying to teach them programming (or in my case html) LOL. Btw, I've noticed qi balls are easy enough to make, since all metaphysical based classes teach this. Folks can feel them usually in some way, but not usually see them for a few years.

Things like time frames don't make sense to me, that is like saying it takes the same number of years for someone to get proficient at baseball, art, martial arts, computer programming. I also am not so sure about the whole anyone can do it thing that many people say. I have seen some folks who can't do art or computer stuff to save their lives. Why would qi seeing be any different than the myriad of other talents in the world? Some folks are born amazing piano players, some mediocre, and some who can't play at all. Some folks take years upon years to get good at something, while others take days. All of this is the same with qi stuff from all I have seen.

To see qi, you have to stop that voice that tells you that you are only imagining things, or didn't really see that. Usually it's so ingrained that we don't even realize we are doing it, and we push it away within milliseconds. This helps us feel "safe" and in "control". Meditation also helps a LOT. It is the most affective exercise I have ever seen for increasing the senses. Another aspect is going with those "gut instincts" for awhile and seeing how amazingly accurate they are. Also standing in qi filled places such as near waterfalls or in forests. Some see qi physically with their eyes, others "see" qi on a more psychic level. Others can physically feel it (especially those qi balls), and others just get a sense of it. Everyone is different in this sense.

I still only like Agrippa . It pretty much covers everything, and from both philosophical as well as practical aspects. The elements, herb magic, star magic, gemstone magic, rootwork, evocation, and more! Yes I have read a couple hundred other books on "magic" over the years, and have found them to be deficient.

Or a child who has not yet been taught by society that they aren't supposed to see such things .

Btw, I just remembered, the above mentioned meditation is also found in Dr. Johnson's Bagua book from years back. It is likely written in a different context though, and also that one was written nearly 30 years ago!

I have been doing the drumming and rolling of the qi one for a bit now, it is awesome .

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I think the original masters were much more open and psychic than most folks today (or at least much more than I am lol). Also, they got together and collaborated and compared notes (think of the Bagua folks as just one example). Then for centuries, it was tried, tested, improved, refined and so forth (think TCM for example). I would not want to go trying to figure out acupuncture on my own via my own seeing abilities. Sure I'd get some good stuff, but I also might be doing folks a disservice for missing so much. I think the martial arts, meditation practices and so forth can be as complex as acupuncture, but in a different way. The reinventing the wheel sort of thing. However, there's also that whole the student must go out on their own for a time thing as well, for self discovery, and to create their own way of going about things. I have seen some awesome stuff come out of self taught energy work/metaphysical folks, but on the otherhand I have also seen some... well.... some things which have gone very very very wrongly. Perhaps one of the best aspects of a teacher is that we have someone who can help us pull our heads out of our behinds when we are screwing up . I know it doesn't relate very well, but I learned jewelry making and metalsmithing completely on my own via trail and error, then after a time went to books and youtube. Lotsa fun, and saved thousands of dollars I didn't have . It's funny how many tricks I pick up over time though talking to experts at it who actually took proper courses or apprenticeships, which make things 100 times easier! I still really like learning this on my own LOL. It isn't a very good analogy as there isn't an energy component (well not usually anyways) and most of the info really is public knowledge.

OK, I officially appreciate all of the teachers who have taught me over the years, about ten times as much now!

I will quite honestly say that on the path which I have a couple of decades of experience in (still a long way to go, but know a pretty good amount) that I have not seen anything on the internet which is of the actual quality teachings. For books, only about 5 which have been written in this century. I will admit, this also includes any books and online material I have personally written. The reason for this is.... you can't tell what a student/person is like unless in person really. Also there are things which cannot be taught via the written word. Then there is the whole not making certain things public (Friend worded many reasons for this far better than I ever can). And lastly, in anything I have written I only give hints, and direction... not the full thing. One would have to know, or ask further to make it work really well. I feel this might be the same with some of those QiGong books. Needless to say, due to this, I do have a bias . HOWEVER... martial arts might be completely different, as a lot of it is physical, also it comes from a different time, place, etc. Also the Taoist stuff, which I also I know next to nothing about, so again, this could be quite different.

Fortunately when I didn't have money, I was able to find free teachings. Also fortunately when it comes to martial arts, many folks will do a sliding scale. Of course the catch with any free or sliding scale teachings is that if you don't keep up with your daily "homework" you get booted very quickly . I also most definitely boot folks who I teach for free if they don't take the work seriously enough. There's a little more leeway for part time study if you have money lol. That is unfortunate that there are not free or trade classes in your area. I know some retreat centers will do trade, even the ashrams don't charge, you just have to work 4-6 hours per day there. I'm also lucky to have some trade goods when I'm low on cash.. web design, promo skills, graphic design and so forth. Money is often easier though, as it takes less hours to make money at a job than to build a website for a teacher LOL.

I think that before posting when someone is willing to admit something they need help with openly, is to think of three things: is it true, is it kind and is it necessary. There is no reason for put downs and so forth. I'm just guessing, but aversion to water in some way? It could be some old physical trauma, or perhaps something deeper. Water representing emotions and so forth in some traditions. Have you tried baths instead? Baths can feel very relaxing, and are extra awesome with essential oils; might be easier to get those in . Personally I hate showers, but in a where is the bathtub sort of way! Funny thing about this, but many teens seem to go through this phase. I hear many parents complaining about this for a time. It makes me curious where it stems from. The same teenagers who obviously have no trouble with motivation at all if you look at their other activities.

That is still personalized training, so very close to in person. You also get corrections from the teacher, which is always so helpful. Yeah, each teacher definitely seems to have their own unique take on things, this was a bit confusing for me at first! For books alongside my teaching I have really enjoyed Park Bok Nam's book, as well as Jerry Alan Johnson's Bagua book. I am very very lucky to have found Baguazhang, as well as to have found teachers who put so much effort into their student's training. TTB is pretty awesome as well :>.

Personally I'm at year 3 on the principals (for Bagua), and I can definitely say that I'm happy I received teaching past my first year lolololol. OK so some folks may get things faster than I do . I also feel/can tell that I have such a long way to go! The corrections are one of the best things about having a teacher I think.

This is so very true . We are very lucky in this day and age. It is much easier to find a teacher to train with now, and with modern technology we can video tape lessons, or at least ourselves. Also more and more teachers are deciding that they would rather share the information than to have it die out completely. We are very fortunate indeed.

Yes, if you lived locally I could find you one person who often teaches for free or $5, then another group who teaches for $5 per lesson, and so forth. This is a large part because most of us practice and train outdoors in the parks or schoolgrounds around here, so no cost to run classes . Hopefully you have some folks local to you like this. Actually most teachers I know will take on 1-2 students at no cost, or very low cost, or trade. Even the teachers who charge quite a bit will sometimes do this for a very dedicated student.

I've more found books which spew crap, then the very odd good one. Well OK also teachers in person, but fortunately you can weed through those too if there are plenty around. I can see your point though, for example if there were no local Bagua teachers accept wushu folks, and you had the Yin Bagua vids... (or other good vids).

Here there are many teachers, it is just the sifting through which can be difficult. Personally I travel to train with my teacher simply because he teaches exactly what I am looking for, and we mesh quite well. I've been tempted to move for a few years to train, but I'm enjoying having the best of both worlds right now, love where I live.

Baguazhang . OK so perhaps I'm a little biased. I have found it to work the best for me though. Also it does have all of the above within it.

I also asked a friend this, who is a Bagua teacher. He told me I was lucky to even find a teacher of the martial art I chose; he was the only one in his entire state for quite some time! Here, we have 20 teachers just for Bagua, yes 20, in one large city. We are very fortunate here. I tried learning a form from a book and video as a challenge to myself once. I don't want to admit how many corrections my teacher had to give (for the exact same form) from that experiment LOL. I think those who learn this way are extremely dedicated, it is much more difficult in some ways . Though I think you would have to take video of yourself to give self corrections.