Saw something cool today...

[z00se]

I was practicing Taiji in the park this morning like every other weekend with my master and the other regular girls when another person started practicing something a bit further away. I was intrigued to watch him for a bit...

 

He was SOOO flexible. He tried talking to me but i couldn't understand much because my chinese is poor but he was saying how soft he was. I could hold his hand as like in a hand shake and it would literally fold in half without any effort, his bones just folded. His thumb could easily bend back to his wrist without any pressure. He was lying on his back then rolling up with his feet in the air and putting them straight into the lotus position without using his hands or anything, just moving his legs so they were in the lotus position! hopping about in the lotus pose, then doing some bagua looking movements and kicking a tree inbetween haha. He was doing a few other strange things but my teacher called me back away from him. He did look a bit crazy wearing clothes like a bum, plus he had all his teeth missing. My wife translated from my teacher than this guy did budda kung fu, but he always said in some previous time long ago, that our taiji style was crappy and try to cause arguements. My teacher went over to try shake hands with him and try to make peace but then this guy faked being in pain saying my teacher hurt him and wanted some money compensation or something.

 

Shoulda taken a photo of him, coulda put him in the taobums logo!

[Marblehead]

I was practicing Taiji in the park this morning like every other weekend with my master and the other regular girls when another person started practicing something a bit further away. I was intrigued to watch him for a bit...

 

He was SOOO flexible. He tried talking to me but i couldn't understand much because my chinese is poor but he was saying how soft he was. I could hold his hand as like in a hand shake and it would literally fold in half without any effort, his bones just folded. His thumb could easily bend back to his wrist without any pressure. He was lying on his back then rolling up with his feet in the air and putting them straight into the lotus position without using his hands or anything, just moving his legs so they were in the lotus position! hopping about in the lotus pose, then doing some bagua looking movements and kicking a tree inbetween haha. He was doing a few other strange things but my teacher called me back away from him. He did look a bit crazy wearing clothes like a bum, plus he had all his teeth missing. My wife translated from my teacher than this guy did budda kung fu, but he always said in some previous time long ago, that our taiji style was crappy and try to cause arguements. My teacher went over to try shake hands with him and try to make peace but then this guy faked being in pain saying my teacher hurt him and wanted some money compensation or something.

 

Shoulda taken a photo of him, coulda put him in the taobums logo!

 

Neat! Thanks for sharing!

 

He is apparently one who has regained his flexibility of his youth. Sad that when we are born we are so flexible but as we age we become more and more rigid over time, not only physically but mentally as well.

 

This is why Taoism has the teaching that we should return to our natural state of the child.

 

Peace & Love!

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Well, he's not some advanced yogi Z00se, he certainly has an inherited condition of collagen formation called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. People with this have amazing elasticity, but it can lead to many serious health problems.

 

[Dainin]

The last picture actually is a yoga asana called yoganidrasana, not a pathology .

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

You're right Dainin, but this picture was taken in a physician's office of one of his patients who did not practice yoga, and appeared in a journal of rheumatology (thus the face blocked out in the style of medical journals to retain patient confidentiality).

 

I could hold his hand as like in a hand shake and it would literally fold in half without any effort, his bones just folded.

 

This is the real clincher: a hand in which the bones "fold in half" is not youthful or yogic flexibility, but certainly pathology.

 

Interestingly my sister, who does not have this syndrome, has always been able to sit down and easily get into lotus position without using her hands. Too bad she's married, or I'd introduce her to drew hempel.

Edited November 7, 2009 by TheSongsofDistantEarth

[Dainin]

Interesting stuff...I wonder how many of the "Cirque de Soleil" type contortionists have this condition, or is it their training...or maybe a combination of the two.

[voidisyinyang]

Actually I was trying to find the cable t.v. show hosted by a contortionist dude who goes around the world looking for other people with similar "special" abilities. He goes to China and has a fascinating examination of magnetic man -- mentioned in this list: -- the show is called "One Step Beyond" and is hosted by the "Rubber Man" also viewed below:

 

http://www.oddee.com/item_91848.aspx

 

In this article Magnetic Man is exposed as a genetic anomaly but the Polish Magnetic Man mentioned trained as a Buddhist yogi in Thailand and he's the real deal:

 

http://eamazings.com/index.php/eamazings/l...gnetic-man.html

 

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/...c-man-video.htm

 

You're right Dainin, but this picture was taken in a physician's office of one of his patients who did not practice yoga, and appeared in a journal of rheumatology (thus the face blocked out in the style of medical journals to retain patient confidentiality).

This is the real clincher: a hand in which the bones "fold in half" is not youthful or yogic flexibility, but certainly pathology.

 

Interestingly my sister, who does not have this syndrome, has always been able to sit down and easily get into lotus position without using her hands. Too bad she's married, or I'd introduce her to drew hempel.

Edited November 7, 2009 by drewhempel