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Hi! I'm Forestgreen, which is just a translation of my surname. I started with Chen taiji and Hunyuan Qigong in -94, tested other stuff in the 90-ties, and settled with a Shaolin tradition when the millennium shifted. This led me into a neidanish practice, and that is where my practice lies at present.

Hello everyone from UK, I'm new to this forum website. I hope you guys are keeping safe and healthy.

Hello, I'm South American, chilean, born in the 80's. I started with a very hard style of Karate when I was 9 years old, but I wanted a less agressive style of learning (my sensei had some serious issues with his self control, I felt like in "Cobra Kai" -and with John Kreese, not Johnny Lawrence-) Being teenager I tryed many martial arts, but I feel very dissapointed with the lack of oriental culture in those dojos When I was 17 years old I practiced Hatha Yoga for more than 4 hours, every Saturday, with an orthodox vaisnava community When I was 18 years old I become buddhist in a proper tibetan lineage I tryed orthodox vaisnavism for 3 years, but I'm more close to vajrayana ethics than vaisnava one I have meditated with 2 buddhist comunities, with very few results, but when a friend of mine showed me ayurveda and traditional chinese medicine, I could meditate properly Thanks for your time

Hi everyone, I'm a beginner. I'm looking forward to learn more about Qigong.

Hello everyone, First, I want to say thank you. I have been reading through many forums trying to deepen my understanding and have benefited greatly from the conversations many of you have had within the different topics of the forum. Even though I have benefitted greatly I still have a lot to learn which is why I am now writing this post in order to ask for advice. As a background, I am a 26-year-old male from Ontario, Canada. My lifestyle hasn't always been the healthiest, but of late it has become healthier, though since getting a puppy it does make it difficult for me to leave the home outside of work for prolonged periods of time. At least that is the case for now. This makes it hard for me to pursue the idea of finding a master/teacher to study under. I am not even sure if there is a master from a good lineage near me and honestly I am not exactly sure how to go about finding that out. That being said I don't wish to just be waiting around. I want to start building a foundation now so that, karma willing, when I do find a teacher I will be in a place where they can begin to teach me. Thanks to Earl Grey I was pointed in the direction of Flying Phoenix, which seems like a perfect fit at least for now of a complete chi kung practice to follow in order to start building a foundation. I do have a couple of concerns though. Does it matter that I currently can't feel qi (chi)? Will practicing the methods from percentage breathing to forms allow me, over time, to start to feel qi and cultivate it to the basic level of mastery for Flying Phoenix? My next concern is about flexibility. Honestly, other than my spine, the rest of my body is quite inflexible. What should I do to increase my flexibility? I know that some of the poses in the FP (Flying Phoenix) meditations insist on them being done in half-lotus, however currently as I said my body is quite inflexible. What kind of recommendations would you give in order to increase one's flexibility? Are there certain poses that you have found which really help to release the body? I have a few books on increasing one's flexibility I have been starting to follow. I just wanted to know if any of you had insights gained through experience that you would be willing to share. Thirdly, foundation building is an important aspect of martial arts. So much so that I am told that the internal arts usually aren't given to the students for years until they have built the proper foundations within their bodies for their bodies to be able to endure those arts. My third question is what kind of exercises, forms, weight training should I do in order to get my body into a healthier and more optimal state? Are there certain exercises/forms/poses that I should be practicing? Finally, I have a question about the mind. Only building a foundation within my body will create an imbalance between my body and mind. I also wish to strengthen my mind. As such, I plan on reading 'Secret of the Golden Flower', the first five books by Carlos Castaneda and 'Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines' by W.Y. Evans-Wentz. I am wondering if there are any other resources that you would recommend I read as well. I understand that everyone leads busy lives and perhaps doesn't have much time to sit down and respond to each of my questions, or any of my questions for that matter. However, I would be grateful for any wisdom and insight which you would be willing to impart. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear back from you soon.

Hello new to this forum and a novice in neidan. I have been practicing qigong for 5 years now and have felt the need to learn more as well as fill in the energetic gaps. Any and all tips are more than welcome.

Hello everyone, firstly I want to say what a pleasure it is to meet you all and thank you in advance for all of your wisdom and advice. My name is Amon though 'Mind Full' will be easier to remember. I am twenty-five from Ontario, Canada, and looking to take my first step down the road of cultivation. To be honest, I have no idea where to start. My current routine merely consists of some physical exercise, a little yoga, and being mindful of my breath, posture, and feelings when I remember to be mindful at all. With so much information on cultivation available, I am quite overwhelmed and not sure where to start. I was wondering if anyone had some advice or materials for a complete newbie like myself to get started on my journey and avoid mistakes while practicing. I would greatly appreciate any help or resources which you could give me. Thank you, and I hope you have a beautiful day.

Hello All members, I just signed up to this forum to share some health bum. Let me introduce, My name is Anchal Anurag Jyoti. For more than a decade, I am committed to spreading the awareness of living LIFE to the fullest. I believes in letting go off all the mind-made struggles and limitations. I am owning few of self-help websites, free meditations, and mental health. If you need any help regarding holistic health care and spirituality. You can get in touch with me.

Hello all. I'm new here. I've been practicing on my own for a few years, working with Mantak Chia's system a bit and reading the Tao Teh Ching and Zhuangzi. I've now started training on dragon gate lineage. I'm here to share and learn. I look forward to taking part in the forum. Nice to meet everyone!

I'm a spiritual wanderer, wanderlust, (thus the name VanderLutz, also my moniker as an surface designer at Society6) It's also a play on my ancestral name, Lutz. But that's just anecdotal fluff. The real reason I decided to join is that Buddhism resonates with me more than any other religion I've studied. Most recently I traveled to Thailand and learned a great deal about Theraveda Buddhism. I respect their more formal tenets of holding to Buddhist scripture, but am generally drawn to all Buddhist spirituality, mainly for the principle of the Middle Way and maintaining equanimity. Equanimity is becoming easier to achieve as I get older. I only wish that I could say the same for the world in that regard. The world is so out of balance now. So if there was just one reason for my wish to join this forum it would be to have an exchange with others in order to achieve and promote equanimity.

Hello, everyone. I would like to thank everyone in the community for making this resource available. I look forward to learning and sharing. A bit about me: I first encountered some Daoist practices about 10 years ago, but they didn't stick, as I believe they were too advanced for me at the time and went over my head. Since then, I've explored some energetic practices of a few other traditions, including Peruvian shamanism of a couple of different traditions, as well as Tantric Buddhism. I've become a devoted practitioner of energy body cultivation, and recently re-connected with the practices I could not grasp when I first started on the path. They feel new and rich with potential, and I am excited to learn more and unfold them as part of my path. I'm humbled and grateful. Thanks, Rigdzin

hi guys I am new to thedaobums.com. I have joined this site to learn about chi-gong.

Namaste, I am Prasanna from Chennai, India. I am joining newly in our "The Dao Bums" forum. I look forward for meaningful discussions that can improve my knowledge of life and spiritual wisdom. My salutations to one and all in this forum and wish that the Almighty take us all in the direction of spiritual enlightenment and positive Evolution. May God bless everyone. All the best. Pranam.

Good morning, It's not morning here, but I like to open letters this way. I guess my journey started shortly after I started training in the martial arts while still in college. One of the black belt instructors was also into Yoga, and occasionally would spend an entire class on how to meditate/breathe. She taught us how to not only sit quietly for a few minutes during meditation, but to breathe from our hara and "empty our cups" before and after class. My first art was Isshinryu Karate, and my dojo had a "library," where I read everything. I read technique books on karate, aiki, & kung fu, which led me to taking a Tai Chi course. As I found myself drawn to the more philosophical books in the library, like Zen in the Martial Arts, I decided to take a course in Eastern Philosophy. Two of the books we studied were Tao Te Ching and The Way of Chuang Tzu. It was during a conversation with my professor he said, "You know, you're very Taoist in how you approach life..." or something similar. Ever since, if any one asked what I was, my reply was Taoist. Although, besides martial arts, and occasional mediation, I've always felt I was kind of lying. Not sure reading Tao of Pooh and one class makes one a Taoist. ANYWAY... That was over 20 years ago and for many years I connected meditation and my life philosophy with my martial arts study. BUT I'm older and have moved and I'm saddened that most martial arts schools now, are not non-profits. They do not promote meditation, some even forbid it, for fear it hurts the practitioners’ religious beliefs. It seems all the things I loved about the martial arts have been stripped. Missing are not only the altars, and seated meditation before and after class, but instead there is more emphasis on external than internal strength, no balance in my opinion. One of the last schools I attended, I stopped the instructor to explain, "You do realize what you are teaching is illegal? You cannot just keep pummeling someone, just because he swung at you at once." I was taught the real way to win a fight was by avoiding it, or at least leaving as soon as possible, not... Sorry, I'm digressing. I'm here because, I've given up on finding a martial arts school, or like minded people in those schools and meetup groups, but I would still like to practice meditation, or rather I need to begin practicing again, and get more in touch with the things I believe in and possibly learn more about meditation and whatever the Taoist version of chakra meditation would be. I apologize my knowledge is sporadic/incorrect and pulls from Yoga, Zen and half a dozen martial arts (Chinese, Japanese and even a slight dabble in Indonesians arts). Although, I do miss the physical aspect, my now, ahem, over 40 body, may be happy (got pretty banged up in my last attempted at Aikido). I feel like a white belt Taoist, or Daoist? I have worn white many times and don't mind, but hope here in The Dao Bums I can at least learn how to put on my gi, so to speak. I kind of like what bbdoll in her first post so I'm going to pilfer, although these change almost daily. Favorite movie: Paul (with Simon Pegg) Favorite song: Well You Needn't (Thelonious Monk) tied with Where is my Mind (Pixies) Favorite book: Kill Baxter by Charlie Human Sorry so long & thank you for reading, Oddsox

Hello all. Thank you, in advance, for having me. I began my path of awakening about four years ago when I started to get very ill without hope of recovery. Western doctors said that "science doesn't know the cure" to what I had (though they generously offered me drugs, just the same) so I resorted to self-treatment and ravenous research. Of course, the rabbit hole widened as I dove. Amongst other areas of learning, I am investigating consciousness with a hope of learning who I am, who "God" is, and how I can best live my life. My heart led me to Michael Winn and his teaching deeply resonates with me. I am joining this forum with the hope of broadening my perspective on Taoism, specifically Qigong/Neigong. I would like to learn about other teachers and paths in order to confirm or deter my current path with the HealingTao school. I humbly thank you for your time and hope to contribute, as I am able, to your community. LittleOne

Hello, I have browsed this forum from time to time over the years but never registered before. I studied tai chi with TT Liang for 2 years until I moved to the Southwest. Have been practicing Buddhist meditation for many decades. Began studying tai chi again recently. I am in my 60s now. Joined the forum because there were some things I wanted to read that were apparently only accessible to registered members. I'm not yet 100% sure how this registration works. For example, I was not able to edit my profile (indicate my gender, etc) I currently live in Massachusetts

Hi, for starters I'd like to say that I like that you have this rule that everyone has to introduce himself, makes the forum more "credible". I live in Chisinau, Moldova right now, I was quite interested in eastern religions and their way of thinking, and did some meditation when I was in school, but had to quit that when I started studying at the university, and I also kind of felt disappointed that meditation is only inside your head or something like self induction / self hypnosis. Things got a new twist when I stumbled upon a video with John Chang (I'm sure people know about him), the only thing I could find on the internet related to him is the link below. http://spiritualteachers.proboards.com/thread/1320 I have some question related to this topic, but I'd like to check out the existing discussions first, and then ask only if I won't be able to find what I'm looking for. thanks for building the site & community I wish you all a nice day

Hi folks! I'm a 24 year young male from Sweden. I was at a Vipassana retreat last year and that got me hooked. Now I want to explore as many different meditation and cultivation practices as possible to find if something else fits me even better and that's why I'm here! If you have any questions just ask! Thanks for letting me be here and absorb your wisdom!

Hi just looking for help in learning Yin Chi meditation so searching the net This road opened I have to see where it leads.

Hello everyone! My name is Derek, I'm 32 years old and live in Cambridge MA. I've been consistently meditating every day for 5 months now. Figured I would give something like this a try as I'd like to share and discuss what goes on with meditation. Hello kindred spirits!

Hi all. I'm new to this site. I'm 33 years young. I turned 33 they day ISON went around the sun(strange eh?).I've been a Taoist for most of my life(20+years). I hope that I can learn some new insights and maybe share some of my own. My tag (bunker_style) reflects my practice of humility and living close to the earth. I'm a farmer/musician/naturalist etc etc. Peace and goodwill to all!

Thanks for letting me into this site. I am new here and find everything of great interest. As I am somewhat older than most of the rest of the forum I have been on my spiritual journey much longer. I am a Grand Master Black sash (tenth degree black belt) in a system of Wu Shu called Tao Ping fa (Ping fa Tao for you purists) which you can tell from its name is a Northern style very closely related to Shao Lin and Tai Chi. It has been my goal in life to master this rare system of Gung fu. I am also a Chi master and a Christian. This is only a conflict if you're a Christian, lol. Amongst other things I can manage to change my weight as much as 60 pounds but can't make the hurdle to freely levitate. A personal problem I guess. I have seen many comings and goings in my life and look forward to many discussions on the forum. Sifu Riley Tucker

Hello all of you, I live in the UK at the place furthest from the brightest light. (Cornwall) My path began with Glenn Morris and 'Path Notes', and I dont really think i've moved much further on than that. I'm interested in progressing further, hoping that kindred spirits can guide and share my travels. I'm not interested in paying for this course or that - cause im on a low income and my wife wouldnt be pleased if did. Any thoughts or advice will always be gratefully received. Yours BoB

Hello everyone. Just wanted to introduce myself to the community. I've only recently been dabbling in this field but there is a definite need for expansion and growth but I feel I could use some guidance. Hopefully I'll get some help from all you wonderful people! -Josh

I am here mainly because there is an onslaught of misinformation and confusion about true Kundalini. I have seen posts on this forum before and actually tried to sign up before, but where I am located all I get is trouble due to slow connections, and most of the computers and connections here are tied with spammers. But, I finally did it, and am looking forward to clearing some things up. I have talked with a few members from here through IM before and think I have a lot to bring to the table in terms of true awakening.