Let's talk basics.

[Fox]

1) Any tips that may help me within the first stages of my qigong practice? What helped you? Diet, practice times, yoga or meditation to accompany it, celebacy? I've just started Ken Cohens Essential Qigong DVD's and such. Feeling great results already.

 

2) Any advice on starting the Microcosm Orbit? I've been told to not practice this without a teacher, but there are no qigong teachers in my area (nor any taichi, or any eastern practice places, such as buddhist temples, or meditation centers, for that matter. Very irritating living in the deep south.) Should I still learn to feel the orbit? Or wait till I can find a teacher.

 

Thanks,

 

Fox

[Old Man Contradiction]

I'd suggest waiting, one of the first practices I tried was the microcosmic orbit and I think that in reality and the scheme of things, if it is a good practice at all, it is a very late game practice for the very experienced. I'd do whatever practice you are doing, and keep it to that. I think being loyal to that which has proven to help you is a good way to go about it. If you have to explore and don't have a teacher, check out vipassana and see how deep your consciousness can go.

 

Just my opinion and what I wish I would have done at the beginning.

[Li TaoRen]

Simple tranquility meditation daily will give you the ability to practice and succeed with qigong. Microcosmic orbit is pretty safe if you follow directions. Just be careful not to force things or over-concentrate. You want your focus to move through the orbit, but remain an observer; gently forming a relationship with the "force". I don't think celibacy matters, just don't over do it. I can't stress enough the importance of tranquil meditation and cultivation of virtue ie. loving kindness, patience. Meditation will empower the mind to sustain your other practice. It makes the qigong, life in general many times more effective. Everything in moderation. If you have any Chinese traditional doctors, or acupuncturist, sometimes they know some qigong. You can learn basics from books, and I always recommend Ken Cohens the Way of Qigong. Yang Jwing- Ming books have reliable knowledge. Just stay away from weird and overcomplicated practice in the beginning. Sitting meditation, walking meditation, standing meditation, the orbit are all good. I also recommend sticking with such simple practices for at least 6 months. Dabbling in and going from one popular practice to another just causes confusion, and most peoples big mistake. Results come with consistency as does a solid foundation. Hope that helps, sorry its so long-winded.

1) Any tips that may help me within the first stages of my qigong practice? What helped you? Diet, practice times, yoga or meditation to accompany it, celebacy? I've just started Ken Cohens Essential Qigong DVD's and such. Feeling great results already.

 

2) Any advice on starting the Microcosm Orbit? I've been told to not practice this without a teacher, but there are no qigong teachers in my area (nor any taichi, or any eastern practice places, such as buddhist temples, or meditation centers, for that matter. Very irritating living in the deep south.) Should I still learn to feel the orbit? Or wait till I can find a teacher.

 

Thanks,

 

Fox

[Fox]

Simple tranquility meditation daily will give you the ability to practice and succeed with qigong. Microcosmic orbit is pretty safe if you follow directions. Just be careful not to force things or over-concentrate. You want your focus to move through the orbit, but remain an observer; gently forming a relationship with the "force". I don't think celibacy matters, just don't over do it. I can't stress enough the importance of tranquil meditation and cultivation of virtue ie. loving kindness, patience. Meditation will empower the mind to sustain your other practice. It makes the qigong, life in general many times more effective. Everything in moderation. If you have any Chinese traditional doctors, or acupuncturist, sometimes they know some qigong. You can learn basics from books, and I always recommend Ken Cohens the Way of Qigong. Yang Jwing- Ming books have reliable knowledge. Just stay away from weird and overcomplicated practice in the beginning. Sitting meditation, walking meditation, standing meditation, the orbit are all good. I also recommend sticking with such simple practices for at least 6 months. Dabbling in and going from one popular practice to another just causes confusion, and most peoples big mistake. Results come with consistency as does a solid foundation. Hope that helps, sorry its so long-winded.

 

 

No no, the longer winded the better. : )

 

I have read your posts before, you seem like a good source to listen to.

 

I appreciate your time and words.

[markern]

To start with Vipassana or something similar sounds like a very good idea. Check out shinzen young and daniel ingram. Another great practice is the inner smile. For me it is superb and it realy does a lot of basic work for healing the particular parts of the body like organs, genitals, intestines etc, develops happiness, optimism, self worth etc. The brilliant thing is once you have developed some "smiling power" you can generate smiling energy in an instant during the day or while doing qigong or as a 1 minute prep for vipassana etc. Secret smile is also realy great and easily aproachable.

 

Michael winn has a 10 minute qiogng sequence that is meant to open the orbit safely in 10 days. Several people whos opinion I trust on this like Santiago and Trunk recomend opening the front of the orbit first and working from the crown or third eye down the front and back up rather then back up first. The advantage of working the front first is that most peoples back channels open before the front and during that time you can get a shitload of energy stuck in the head without getting it down which is the point of the orbit in the first place. Also if you work from the higher chakras down and then up the lower chakras get blended well with higher energies before the energy of the lower chakras are brought up and that is good for several reasons one of which being that the lower chakras energy can be quite crude and dense. Another good tip I found was that one must not let the power of the back channel alone push the energy down the front but let the more gentle, slow and yin blending that usualy happens in the front happen at its own pace. I think this is because then the energy from the back is not blended well at the front but just moved there and that is not so good. In general I think one should do a lot of sessions with realy slow orbiting and study how it blends to get good "blending habits" in the system for when orbiting at higher speed when correcting bad habits is difficult. Check out alchemicaltaosim.com which is Trunks site. Lot of good info there.

 

By the way I think working on correct, slow and deep belly breathing I think is a very important practice. Much more than is normaly recognised. People often leave that practice when they feel they can master more advanced stuff. However, having this basic breathing pattern absolutely perfected makes everything else work a lot better and makes energy flow correctly in addition to giving continuos abdominal massage during the day etc. Glen Morris argues something like this in path notes and it is strongly emphasized in KAP. Realy mastering this breathing and getting it sloooooow will also make mastering the sexual practices sooo much easier.

 

Trunks advice on the abdomen I think is also very important.

 

 

And since the sexual practices usualy comes up for everyone after a while I recomend looking in this thread as it sums up a lot of usefull stuff

Edited August 12, 2009 by markern

[sabin1star]

[edited]

Edited August 23, 2009 by sabin1star

[Sloppy Zhang]

I recommend you obtain, read, and do the practices in "Relaxing into Your Being" by B.K. Frantzis.

 

Very good practices for beginners, gets you some background philosophy, starts on simple qigong (you can also follow it up with "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body.")

 

According to Frantzis, doing the practices he teaches you exercises the same channels that the Microcosmic Orbit will get going, but in a.... I dunno, "easier" way? I hesitate to use words like "safer". Sometimes Frantzis' works can seem pretty biased (he REALLY wants to get people off of the "fire path"). But I like his practices, they are simple, natural, and much much closer to how I view the concepts from, say, the Tao Te Ching.

[rain]

horse stance or natural stance as start and return position

do the qigong exercise period. everyday.

 

 

sit and forget meditation. sink into lower dan tien. breath takes care of itself

 

there is nothing else

now

 

 

find the teacher

[Li TaoRen]

I agree that Vipassana is great, but it is and advanced practice as well. Without skill in Samatha(tranquility meditation) it is a waste of time. The work done in Vipassana is within the Jhanas or spheres that equate to the trance state. The samatha provides the mind with the proper "fuel" to remain aware, if aware is the best word, while one dwells in the deeper states. The microcosmic orbit as well is best left until you have some experience and intiimacy with feeling and moving qi. To me it is not an advanced practice, but intermediate. Everyone is giving you good advice!

[VCraigP]

horse stance or natural stance as start and return position

do the qigong exercise period. everyday.

sit and forget meditation. sink into lower dan tien. breath takes care of itself

 

there is nothing else

now

find the teacher

 

 

Horse stance

Lay the foundation

 

Consistence

Persistence.

Cumulative accumulation.

 

Return to the root.

Sink the Qi.

 

The Tao is close, yet everyone seeks far away.

 

For me, of late the key is about discipline, metal element.

Cut through the BS and get to the real, the foundation.

 

Breath. Structure. Presence.

 

Thanks Rain

 

Craig

[King Kabalabhati]

An elder yogi I know and respect introduced himself in a conference of yogis, after saying his name: "30 years of Yoga basics".

 

So don't hurry to advance, the most basic exercises are the most foundational ones. I consider MO a safe thing to do and ok for beginners (like me), but as with all exercise, there should be other, grounding things in life. You know, everyday life. That's also where you will notice if any progress happens. If there's no increased virtue, even with some time passing, you know you been doing the wrong exercices or in the wrong way, or with a wrong attitude.. The goal at this point should IMO be to increase your capacity for love and compassion. You need a fit body and nervous system for that.

 

Tai chi (or Tao Yin) is very good if you want to live a better life in general since it's very soothing and balancing. At the beginner/intermediate level there's no need to talk about enlightenment or "reaching the goal". Just do some good exercise and love the relaxation and energetic feeling you get from it. And love yourself, not just your person but also your organs, smile to them and comfort them and they will love you back.

 

For many it may be easier to learn to save the seed altogether than to just limit the amount of ejaculations. For some it may be the opposite.

 

Blessings for your journey,

 

King K

[Mal]

Any tips that may help me within the first stages of my qigong practice?

 

Do whatever you enjoy and do it everyday

 

The best practice is one you will actually do. Much better than a "best method" that you don't practice IMHO you should look forward to your practice and want to do it.

 

Also think "foundations" rather than "basics" you foundations, fundamentals are always important and can never be too strong.

 

Personally I like simple practices.

An elder yogi I know and respect introduced himself in a conference of yogis, after saying his name: "30 years of Yoga basics".

cool

 

Cohen is a good DVD. I never had much success with orbits compared to how they feel now after being taught them in KAP, previously I only felt them doing moving chi gungs for kung fu

[King Kabalabhati]

Mal wrote: "IMHO you should look forward to your practice and want to do it. "

 

Yes! yes!