Flying Phoenix Chi Kung

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

Another tip @VinC, you can do Monk Holds Pearl seated at the end of your practice to bring the qi back to the lower dantian. 
 

Monk Holds Pearl can also be done lying down and seated in a chair, I like to do it when I’m commuting to work on bus or train, or when I’m on the airplane so I get some extra practice in.

[VinC]

Wanted to share my experience.  I ebuoy doing FP Chi Kung.  I split it in the AM and before bed.  However , while doing PanGu Shengong and SFQ- I never got sick.  In the 2 weeks I've been doing FP- I have gotten sick 2 different times.  This current time is 102.7 F fever.  🥴😞.  I'm tempted to return to PanGu for an hour a day.  Definitely frustrating. 

[Miffymog]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:25 AM, VinC said:

Wanted to share my experience.  I ebuoy doing FP Chi Kung.  I split it in the AM and before bed.  However , while doing PanGu Shengong and SFQ- I never got sick.  In the 2 weeks I've been doing FP- I have gotten sick 2 different times.  This current time is 102.7 F fever.  🥴😞.  I'm tempted to return to PanGu for an hour a day.  Definitely frustrating. 

 

Oh no, that is a shame, and is perhaps an indication you should stick with PanGu for the time being. How long have you been doing that form of qi gong for?

 

A sign of a good practice is that you get ill less often, so PanGu was clearly working for you. It might be that your body is just currently adapting to a new practice and that has weakened your immune system, but I don't think that's right, as my transition to fpck was very smooth and easy. In fact, it had an immediate positive impact after the first session.

 

I've injured myself recently so am currently just doing Monk Holds Pearl, lying down and sitting, maybe try that? The fever will pass, then you can take it from there. Good luck 🤞 

[VinC]

I'm going to do what you (and others) have suggested. MHPearl.  I learned PanGu Shengong in 2009 and received immediate benefits, while I was fighting Lyme Disease and Hypothyroidism.  I also mix in SFQ Level 2 Energy Breathing - for a total of 90 min a day between both forms.  I've been doing FP anywhere from 30-55 min a day.  I skipped qigong all together yesterday due to the fever and lethargy.  

[Miffymog]

  On 1/22/2025 at 11:46 AM, VinC said:

I'm going to do what you (and others) have suggested. MHPearl.  I learned PanGu Shengong in 2009 and received immediate benefits, while I was fighting Lyme Disease and Hypothyroidism.  I also mix in SFQ Level 2 Energy Breathing - for a total of 90 min a day between both forms.  I've been doing FP anywhere from 30-55 min a day.  I skipped qigong all together yesterday due to the fever and lethargy.  

 

Oh god, I'm totally out of my depth on this one now.

 

When I first started fpck, I already had a mildly energetic practice, and as soon as I had converted my energy to Flying Phoenix chi after the first meditation, it felt very pleasant and benevolent.

 

This is a very different experience to your self.

 

I can only suggest that the level of achievement in your other practices is actually pretty high, and is benefiting you well. It might just be that to get to the same level of benefit at fpck will, I'm afraid, take a bit of time.

 

But for some reason this does not feel to be the right answer, so I am out of solutions 😔

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

  On 1/22/2025 at 11:46 AM, VinC said:

I learned PanGu Shengong in 2009 

Seems like your body might be adjusting to new energy then, since you’ve done over a decade of other practices which also have their own strong energy! May I ask why you decided to stop doing Pangu Shengong and Spring Forest Qigong?

[Turnip]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:25 AM, VinC said:

Wanted to share my experience.  I ebuoy doing FP Chi Kung.  I split it in the AM and before bed.  However , while doing PanGu Shengong and SFQ- I never got sick.  In the 2 weeks I've been doing FP- I have gotten sick 2 different times.  This current time is 102.7 F fever.  🥴😞.  I'm tempted to return to PanGu for an hour a day.  Definitely frustrating. 

Hi, I may have some helpful info. 
 

I actually spoke to a teacher today about qi deviation problems. I practiced FP for a few months then switched to Pangu shortly after, before stopping that and switching to a new form. I was told by a teacher that this is not the best idea, as you are basically running multiple energetic programs at the same time that may have conflicting functioning. Even if you stop practicing, it may take a while for the residual effects of the energy to leave your system, similar to how drugs can stay in a system for a while after quitting usage. They told me that each system has multiple sub systems in it so it can cause complex reactions. 

It’s not necessarily the case that all energy systems conflict, but it sounds like that might be happening for you. 

 

They recommended waiting at least 3 months between stopping practice of one system before starting practicing another. Probably wait longer the longer you have practiced something. All this just to be safe, as these things can cause issues that are not necessarily easily dealt with. 

 

Speaking from experience, I would side with patience rather than impatience when it comes to these things. 

[VinC]

Turnip,

 

Thank you. That explanation resonates with me as far as mixing energies.  While doing PanGu I was able to also blend some aspects of SFQ levels 1 and 2 and had only positive experiences blending them daily.  Sounds like I need a washout period in order to enjoy any benefits from FP.  I appreciate you and your info!

[VinC]

  On 1/24/2025 at 5:58 PM, -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- said:

Seems like your body might be adjusting to new energy then, since you’ve done over a decade of other practices which also have their own strong energy! May I ask why you decided to stop doing Pangu Shengong and Spring Forest Qigong?

Sure- mostly because everything was going great- no crises.  However I'd been reading so many positives about people doing FP - I figured "why not give it a try?!" I'm a believer in that it is always easier and better to try new things when things are calm vs when in the middle of a storm or crises and you are feeling forced to find a solution.  Just my philosophy.  Kind of like the saying "better to fix your roof on a sunny day than during a rain storm".  
 

 

[VinC]

Is there one or 2 forms from Levels 1 and 2 that are recommended as the most healing?  Like if I want to just do an hour of 1 or of 2 things in order to bring the most healing- which would they be? 

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

  On 1/25/2025 at 12:46 PM, VinC said:

Is there one or 2 forms from Levels 1 and 2 that are recommended as the most healing?  Like if I want to just do an hour of 1 or of 2 things in order to bring the most healing- which would they be? 

I wouldn’t just pick 1 or 2. If you are short of time and just want to focus on a few out of volume 1 and 2, do Monk Gazes at Moon, Monk Holds Peach and Monk Holds Pearl. Do them for 20 mins each.

[zen-bear]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:25 AM, VinC said:

Wanted to share my experience.  I ebuoy doing FP Chi Kung.  I split it in the AM and before bed.  However , while doing PanGu Shengong and SFQ- I never got sick.  In the 2 weeks I've been doing FP- I have gotten sick 2 different times.  This current time is 102.7 F fever.  🥴😞.  I'm tempted to return to PanGu for an hour a day.  Definitely frustrating. 

Hello VinC,

I've read your progress and then frustration with sickness that set on twice after you started practicing FP Qigong.  Your getting sick with cold/flu/virus symptoms on 2 occasions may be due to an existing toxemia in your body that was brought to manifestation (caused to surface) by the FP Qigong.  As stated through all the years of this thread, FP Qigong does not add any stress to the human system and certainly doesn't carry nor infuse the body with antigens,  However, FP Qigong's healing effects is done by triggering allostasis, and this process so deeply sensitizes the body that you may have picked up an outside virus IF you had changed your daily routine and had exposed yourself to environment(s) with a higher presence of viruses.

I would suggest doing what the  I Ching counsels in many life siutations:   "Perseverance furthers."

But if illness symptoms persist and makes life miserable,  then you should cease the FP practice and see what resuming the Pangu Shengong dues.

 

As mentioned throughout this long thread, FP Qigong works without any visualization on anything or processes inside nor outside of one's body.  That means that FP healing benefits are derived no matter where one's mind is at--after one has done the breathing fomula and posture (or posture and movements) correctly.  Thus FP Qigong is a very compatible and complementary with other authentic Qigong systems that are more "Shen-driven."

 

Good luck with your exploration.

 

Sifu Terry

 

^{www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html}

^{terencedunn.substack.com}

Edited February 19 by zen-bear

[zen-bear]

  On 1/22/2025 at 12:05 PM, Miffymog said:

 

Oh god, I'm totally out of my depth on this one now.

 

When I first started fpck, I already had a mildly energetic practice, and as soon as I had converted my energy to Flying Phoenix chi after the first meditation, it felt very pleasant and benevolent.

 

This is a very different experience to your self.

 

I can only suggest that the level of achievement in your other practices is actually pretty high, and is benefiting you well. It might just be that to get to the same level of benefit at fpck will, I'm afraid, take a bit of time.

 

But for some reason this does not feel to be the right answer, so I am out of solutions 😔

Hi Miffymog,

 

Thank you for this reply to VinC's posting and sharing your first experience of FP Qigong.  
Many people have described their experience with FP Qigong as "pleasant",  but I believe that you are the first person on this thread to describe FP Qigong's energization as  "benevolent."    This "benevolence" you felt belies and corroborates the fact--experienced by practitioners who are using FP Qigong to heal others--that the FP Healing Qi "has an intelligence of its own."

 

Thank you for your corroboration!

 

Sifu Terry

 

 

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

Just had a private lesson with Sifu Terry to go over my Long Form, quite a few corrections needed! I would encourage everyone to do a private lesson with him to make corrections (and learn new things!) and undo bad habits you might have picked up, at the very least once every few months to make sure you are practicing correctly.

 

Just doing those tiny, subtle corrections made me feel more energy flow through my body during the lesson and even more when I did Long Form by myself after class!

 

Hope everyone’s practice is going well!

[zen-bear]

ATTENTION ALL FLYING PHOENIX CHI KUNG PRACTITIONERS:

 

After a 4-month hiatus related to moving from upstate New York back to the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, I have just resumed my schedule of basic ZOOM classes of my three specialties:  Flying Phoenix Qigong, Tao Tan Pai Qigong, and Yang style Tai Chi Chuan, plus an Intermediate Qigong Class in which I teach basic Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu forms and then Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong. 

 

I.  Thursdays, 7pm to 8:30pm EST:   Tai Chi Chuan- Yang Short Form 

A beginners' course that teaches the 60-part Short Form created by my teacher, Grandmaster William C.C. Chen, a senior disciple of the late Prof. Cheng Man-ching.  Each class begins with 25 minutes of classical warm-ups and conditioning exercises drawn from my vast repertoire that includes Gen. Abraham Liu's 3 classical Yang style exercises; Master Huang Sheng Shyan's 5 Loosening Exercises that I learend from his sr. disciple, Master James Lau King;  Qing Dynasty Imperial Guard Exercises that I learned from Master George Xu;  and a complete system of Chen style chan-su-chin exercises that I learned in the late 1980's from master John Fey.  This is what the 60 Form looks like:

 

 

 

II.  Saturdays, 2pm to 3:30pm:   "Qigong For Health First Responders"

– A beginners' class consisting of 45 min. of Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations ("TTP-31") + 45 min. of Flying Phoenix Qigong  (All the material on Volumes 1 to 5 of my Chi Kung For Health DVD series)-- In which beginner students feel the catalyzing/accelerative effect of the TTP-31 on the Flying Phoenix Qigong's healing effects from the very class.  Also excellent opportunity for experienced FP practitioners to receive refinements and form corrections.  
This is what 8 of the TTP-31 Meditations looks like (plus a demo of the TTP Cane Form (my favorite foundational TTP exercise at that the end):   

 

 

III.  Sundays, 3pm to 4:30pm -- Intermediate Class:  Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu  + Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong.   The first half of this class is devoted to refining the practice of the TTP-31, learning the basic Tao Tan Pai 5 Animal Kung Fu Forms (tiger, dragon, snake, crane, and monkey), and learning  Tao Tan Pai's 11 Shen Exercises.  This is a complete and discreet system of authentic Shen-gong that when practiced after one has proficiency in the TTP-31 Basic Meditations, expands every mode of ESP, and enables one to "see" in the Castanedan sense of the word.   

 

In the second half of each class, we refine the essential FP Meditations, "Moonbeam Splashes on Water" and the capstone Long Form meditation, called "Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditation" (taught on Volume 4 of the CKFH DVD series), which gives its name to the system.  Then  I teach the  Advanced Flying Phoenix Meditations (9 standing meditations) and introduce you to elements of 10,000 Buddhas Meditation, a profoundly powerful Bok Fu Pai health and martial Qigong system consisting of 54 Meditations organized into 3 sets of 18 exercises.  (one of these 10K Buddhas Meds. is seen in this workshop footage at 29:50  on this FP Qigong overview):

 

 

 

• Complete details about each course's content and fees is on this issue of my free monthly Newsletter:

https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/sifu-terry-dunns-tai-chi-and-qigong-1da?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

 

•If you are in western Massachusetts or are coming some time in the future,  you are welcome to attend these classes in person at the Lenox Yoga Studio, 52 Housatonic Street, Lenox, MA. 

 

I hope you will soon join us on Zoom.

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

terencedunn.substack.com

 

Edited February 18 by zen-bear

[Boreas]

Hi everyone, 

 

Coming back after a few months of practice and I'm starting to think that something doesn't click between me and FPCK... Managed to learn and practice first two volumes everyday for last 4 months but really nothing to show for it…

I went back reading the thread and I saw that breathing exercises should be avoided with this chi kung and I realized that with my job (opera singer), I do breathing exercises everyday, some of them looking a lot like pranayama. Could it be the reason why I don’t feel any tangible results after that much time?

 

Thanks a lot for any insights and wishing everyone a nice week!

[zen-bear]

  On 2/18/2025 at 1:46 PM, Boreas said:

 

  On 2/18/2025 at 1:46 PM, Boreas said:

Hi everyone, 

 

Coming back after a few months of practice and I'm starting to think that something doesn't click between me and FPCK... Managed to learn and practice first two volumes everyday for last 4 months but really nothing to show for it…

I went back reading the thread and I saw that breathing exercises should be avoided with this chi kung and I realized that with my job (opera singer), I do breathing exercises everyday, some of them looking a lot like pranayama. Could it be the reason why I don’t feel any tangible results after that much time?

 

Thanks a lot for any insights and wishing everyone a nice week!

 

Hello Boreas,

 

Welcome back to the FP forum.  I have several suggestions to help you experience the tangible energization and common restorative effects of FP Qigong:

1.)   It shouldn't matter that you're doing breathing exercises daily (that look like pranayama).  But trying doing FP Qigong a good 3-4 hours before or after you've down you exercises to support your singing. 

 

• Questions for you:   Over your 4 months of practicing FP Qigong, what was your daily training schedule like?  How lont did you practice?  Did you practice more than one session day?  Did you work through FP Meditations in the 2 DVD volumes in the order they were presented?

 

Regarding "regular" exercise:   do you do any type of aerobic exercise (besides the breathing exercises for your singing)--such has walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, weight training, tennis, field sports,  etc.)?   I ask because other physical and athletic activity can  affect your FP Qigong development in different ways.  I've trained professional athletes-- such as the L.A. Lakers in 2000-2001.

 

2.)  Have you done on any regular basis:  the "Bending the Bows" meditation 18 times in a set--and at slower and slower and slower speeds?  If not, then I recommend doing more Bending the Bows--in sets of 18 on a regular basis.  18 repetitions of BTB is a long and powerful concentration of mind and body, which lives up to the word "gong" in Qigong--which is the same character in Chinese as the "Kung" in Kung Fu.  To get the Qigong to work, one has to put in the time and diligent effort, day in and day out--but without strain or obsession.

• As I described in Year One of this thread, Bending the Bows was the breakthrough exercise for me.  After just a couple of months of practice under GM Doo Wai's close supervision, not only did I feel profound energization and rejuvenation with every practice, but because I had done 11 years of Tai Chi Chuan with Gen. Abraham Liu and taken 11 consecutive summer retreats with Master Benjamin Lo, my Tai Chi Chuan completely filled out and transformed.  Every form movement and every maneuver in Push-Hands was more spontaneous and effortless. 

• Several other FP practitioners had discerned early on this thread that Bending the Bows is a cornerstone exercise of FP Qigong.

 

3.)   You might try to learn and practice the moving meditations in Volume 3--"Wind Through The Treetops" and "Moonbeam Splashes On Water"--especially if you don't do regular exercise.  Even though there are upper body movements in the Vol.2 seated Monk Serves Wine meditations, GM Doo Wai stated emphatically that the standing FP moving meditations are more powerful than the seated ones.  "Moonbeam" looks in some elements like Tai Chi, but is done 3x more slowly than typical Tai Chi form speed.  And "Wind Through Treetops" is a uniquely powerful healing meditation with a balanced tilt-back posture that  naturally reorganizes energy flow.

 

4.)    If you've read this thread thoroughly, you will recall that I posted my discovery  back in 2013 or 14 that the basic level of the other Taoist monastic system of Qigong I preserve, the Taoist Elixir Method (Tao Tan Pai), called the Tao Tan Pai 31 Basic Meditations (henceforth "TTP-31"),  just happens to serve as a superb foundational catalyst for FP Qigong that amplifies and prolongs the restorative effects of FP Qigong.  TTP-31 is a completely different style of  Qigong using a totally different yogic methodology (as different as night and day), this catalyzing/accelerative effect of TTP on FP Qigong was confirmed by both GM Doo Wai and a high yogin in an Indian tradition (Oneness Meditation) who works full time as amedical clairvoyant.

. 

Thus, if you learn the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (5 exercises) correctly, and practice it prior to FP Qigong, I am quite certain that you will start feeling the FP Healing Qi.  Also, during the FP Qigong training in the second half of each Saturday class, I teach a  9-posture Wuchi progression exercise from Sum-I or I-Chuan (the internal system of Xing-I Boxing) ,  which deeply refines the Wuchi form throughout the entire body--and greatly supports doing-and-feeling-- "Monk Gazing At Moon"  and other Bok Fu Pai Qigong arts.

     a.   One can learn the  TTP Short Form Power Yoga along with the entire TTP-31 Series by attending my weekly Saturday basic Qigong class (2:00 - 3:30pm EST) in Lenox, MA--which I just resumed.  This class is Zoomable, of course. 

See the second video in my previous posting announcing the classes  (roman numeral II.) to see what TTP-31 looks like.  And click the same link here for fee information and the Zoom links for those public classes:

https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/sifu-terry-dunns-tai-chi-and-qigong-1da?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

 

To get a head start in this class with the TTP Short Form Power Yoga, you can start practicing to the first three moving exercises seen in this "8 Excerpts of TTP-31" video" (from start to 5:30), which are Meditations #1, #2, and #4 of the TTP-31.   (#3 not shown on this video).  Then you can learn TTP#3 and TTP#18 in the Zoom class, which will complete the TTP Short Form Power Yoga.   

• •> The first exercise called Circling Palms is done in four sets of 8 repetitions;  the 2nd "Crane Spreading Wings" is done 8x;  the 3rd exercise on the video is done 8x. :

 

 

 

    b.  You can also schedule an hour-long private lesson with me online so that I can  correct your form if necessary and give you more advice.  It's always easier to make recommendations when I see can exactly how you're practicing the FPCK.

My fee for private lessons in FP Qigong and TTP-31 Qigong is $240/hour.

My fee for private lessons in Tai Chi Chuan (all levels) is $220/hour

(Contact me at zenbearinc@gmail.com for private lessons.)

 

•  How long a career have you had in the opera?   I ask because if it's been a good part of your life already,  your "not clicking" initially with the FP Qigong might be because you've developed such strong respiratory power geared towards/supporting your singing and are able to attain such blissful states of mind-body integration (satori) through your "highs" as an  opera singer that you don't notice the sublime FP Healing Qi when it's generated and is circulating.  That's just a wild outlier hunch.   

[ On a few rare occasions over the decades, I have met advanced yogins and yoginis and high masters in Tai Chi and Qigong who are so thoroughly mind-body integrated and with mental concentration perfected that they  are always in  higher states of consciousness (HSC) and affecting the physical environment without moving their bodies.  But every master with whom I've shared  the FP Qigong have  definitely recognized that the FP Healing Qi as a distinct "flavor" of purely healing Qi different from the yogic energy of their respective arts. ]

 

5.)   Or it might be that you need form corrections.  The normal way to learn any authentic Qigong system like FPCK is, of course, to take classes in person.   For this age of remote learning can go only so far.   Fortunately, FP Qigong lends itself to at-home, remote learning because it is so safe and user-friendly.  But FPCK is a high yogic art, and to progress beyond an intermediate level (unless one has extensive experience in a related internal art like Tai Chi Chuan) one has to get private, one-on-one instruction.   And as Pak Satrio posted last Saturday, as far along and well-practiced as he is (approaching 3.5 years), the  few corrections I gave him in his recent private lesson resulted in substantial breakthroughs. 

 

• Everybody responds differently and uniquely to the FP Qigong.  Sometimes if it doesn't immediately "take," as FPCK thread-starter "Fu Doggy" nicely described in a post of how he gave it a break for some time.  Then he had a clarifying phone conversation with me, then he resumed his practiced and perservered,  and then Lloyd came out to L.A. from Orlando, FL for private lessons.  And then his Flying Phoenix took off.    See his post of  21 November 2010 - 09:21 AM--which I just found and posted below--  in which he describes how the break-through came for him and in which he gave  his observations at the one-year mark and describes 12 very salient and profound health transformations!:

 

Lloyd McClelland:

#1645

Fu_doggy

Dao Bum The Dao Bums 155 posts Gender:Male Location:Orlando, Florida

Interests:Meditation, Tai Chi, Qigong

Posted 21 November 2010 - 09:21 AM

 

At any rate, I think that the my above 5 recommendations/guidances above should help you to attain tangible salient results from FP Qigong if you persevere with them.  Please keep us all abreast of your progress.  

 

Good luck in your practice.

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

P.S.   Btw, I love classical music, am a huge balletomane, and have a good taste for opera. I've trained a good number musicians in L.A. during my years of teaching there (1983 to 2017)--both instrumentalists and vocalists.  My vocalist students include a 2x Grammy winning  R&B soul singer-composer who is a melodic genius behind 3 new genres he created ("Alternative R&B, psychedelic soul, and avant-soul) and who made Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Americans when he was 25 yrs. old, being described as a "breakout talent" with "breakout vision."  Also in the 1980's a dated a virtuoso violinist in the L.A. Chamber Orchestra (a prodigy who went to Eastman School; debuted before the National Orchestra at age 14(!)--that plays all the L.A. Operas.  Thus, over 3 years I developed a quite taste for opera. 

º And I'll use opera to make this simile to hopefully inspire you to continue exploring  FP Qigong with Vol. 3 moving meditations, at least (--and anyone can quote me on this):  the quality of music in opera is so much better (higher) than that in musicals that it is like the difference between Flying Phoenix Qigong or  Tao Tan Pai Qigong and the vast majority of systems of "modern" Qigong or non-classical Qigong that I've come across and observed since 1982--i.e., qigong exercises and "systems" created after 1970.  And I do say  "the vast majority"--and not all--so as not to over-brush and insult any legitimate systems out there.  But if a Qigong system doesn't have a lineage of masters that dates back generations to a veritable yogic genius and saint such as a Lu Tung Pin (creator of Tao Tan Pai) or a Feng Dao Deh (create of Flying Phoenix Qigong), you're at risk of wasting time on what Tao Stillness called "mere calisthenics" and what I call downstream hokum--as is printed as a warning on the back of all my CKFH DVDs published in 2004.

 

https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

terencedunn.substack.com

 

 

 

Edited February 19 by zen-bear

[zen-bear]

  On 11/21/2010 at 5:21 PM, Fu_dog said:

After One Year

 

It was just a little over one year ago when I made my first post regarding the Flying Phoenix system. I would like to provide my observations after one year.

 

First a little background. In November of 2010 I arranged a call with Sifu Terry to discuss the system, as I felt it had promise, however there were some things I wished to have clarified and wanted to speak with him directly. My first impression, in addition to having some technical questions answered, was that Sifu Terry had a strong belief in the system, as passion for teaching it. I felt very good about this. I began to practice in earnest. By the way, please keep in mind that when I began practicing I had just celebrated my 55th birthday.

 

I practice FP on the average of 30 minutes per day, however, on the weekends I practice sometimes for 90 minutes to two hours, taking Sifu's advice to practice your entire routine in the sequence presented in his DVD's.

 

Here are my observations after one year:

 

(1) The energy I feel in FP is stronger than any other system I had practiced. I am convinced the breathing sequences to begin each exercise are a differential factor towards this energy generation. No other system I had practiced had this, and I had practiced a number of qigong systems prior to Flying Phoenix.

 

(2) The most tangible benefit to FP practice is my appearance. Most of the wrinkles on my face have receded to smooth, and I look noticeably younger. Some wrinkles that were on my face for 5+ years have nearly vanished. This, to me is amazing. Nearly everyone who knows me I comments on this.

 

(3) I now use the appearance of my face to gauge my level of practice. If I am practicing "enough", then my face looks smooth, younger as a general condition. If I am not getting enough practice, then the wear starts to show, and this tells me I need to practice more.

 

(4) My libido has increased. Nuff said. ;-)

 

(5) The practice of Flying Phoenix washes away built up stress. I work some long hours in a high pressure environment. The FP exercises just seem to clean away the stress.

 

(6) I sleep more soundly. The second of the Basic Seated FP exercises and the first FP Advanced Seated are especially good to do before sleeping.

 

(7) I have not been sick, except for one cold, and I got that in March of this year. Coincidentally, that came on the heels of the only period over the past year where I had gone for a little more week without practicing, due to a brutal work/travel schedule. Since then, I practice daily, and have had no hint of any illness. I honestly believe had I not had the lapse in FP practice, that there is a good chance I would not have caught that cold.

 

(8) After one year, the practice of FP has truly become a "moving mediation". With practice that is what it has become. There have been several questions on the board about the parallels between FP and meditation. I can tell you that with more practice, the FP exercises become quite meditative. There is a peace and calmness experienced during the practice that is really quite special, however, at the same time there is this really nice experience of the Flying Phoenix energy. It makes the FP meditative experience quite unique.

 

(9) During the movements, I feel as if I am moving my hands through a "thick" qi (that's the only way I can describe it), and this feeling, in turn, slows my movements. It's as if the Flying Phoenix energy itself provides me feedback as to the correct speed of my movements, which is quite slow by the way.

 

(10) I often feel during the seated FP movements, that the hair on my arms is standing on end. Other posters have mentioned this feeling as well.

 

(11) I have a mental calmness about me now that is more pronounced than a year ago. I am not sure if I would 100% contribute that to the practice of FP, however, I feel for sure that it is a significant contributing factor.

 

(12) As FP exercises are practice one after the other (with a small break in between as prescribed by Sifu Terry), the energy builds with each additional FP exercise practiced. At least for me, the Flying Phoenix energy doesn't peak and level out. I feel a cumulative energy with each successive FP exercise.

 

 

I will stop there for now. Perhaps in another 6 months I will provide another progress report. I still have not learned all of the exercises as taught by Sifu Terry on his DVD's, so there is much more to look forward to.

 

I would like to offer a special thanks to Sifu Terry and also to Sifu Garry for your contributions to this thread.

 

Warmest Regards,

 

Lloyd

 

Edited for spelling.

 

 

Here is Fu_Doggy's post of Nov. 21, 2010 that I mentioned in my reply to Boreas (above), in which Lloyd gives his report at the one year mark.  I recall in another email that Fu_dog said that he had 7 years of experience with Qigong prior to his starting FP Qigong.

Many thanks again if you see this, Fu_Doggy!

 

Edited February 19 by zen-bear

[Boreas]

  On 2/19/2025 at 6:21 AM, zen-bear said:

 

Hello Boreas,

 

Welcome back to the FP forum.  I have several suggestions to help you experience the tangible energization and common restorative effects of FP Qigong:

1.)   It shouldn't matter that you're doing breathing exercises daily (that look like pranayama).  But trying doing FP Qigong a good 3-4 hours before or after you've down you exercises to support your singing. 

 

• Questions for you:   Over your 4 months of practicing FP Qigong, what was your daily training schedule like?  How lont did you practice?  Did you practice more than one session day?  Did you work through FP Meditations in the 2 DVD volumes in the order they were presented?

 

Regarding "regular" exercise:   do you do any type of aerobic exercise (besides the breathing exercises for your singing)--such has walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, weight training, tennis, field sports,  etc.)?   I ask because other physical and athletic activity can  affect your FP Qigong development in different ways.  I've trained professional athletes-- such as the L.A. Lakers in 2000-2001.

 

2.)  Have you done on any regular basis:  the "Bending the Bows" meditation 18 times in a set--and at slower and slower and slower speeds?  If not, then I recommend doing more Bending the Bows--in sets of 18 on a regular basis.  18 repetitions of BTB is a long and powerful concentration of mind and body, which lives up to the word "gong" in Qigong--which is the same character in Chinese as the "Kung" in Kung Fu.  To get the Qigong to work, one has to put in the time and diligent effort, day in and day out--but without strain or obsession.

• As I described in Year One of this thread, Bending the Bows was the breakthrough exercise for me.  After just a couple of months of practice under GM Doo Wai's close supervision, not only did I feel profound energization and rejuvenation with every practice, but because I had done 11 years of Tai Chi Chuan with Gen. Abraham Liu and taken 11 consecutive summer retreats with Master Benjamin Lo, my Tai Chi Chuan completely filled out and transformed.  Every form movement and every maneuver in Push-Hands was more spontaneous and effortless. 

• Several other FP practitioners had discerned early on this thread that Bending the Bows is a cornerstone exercise of FP Qigong.

 

3.)   You might try to learn and practice the moving meditations in Volume 3--"Wind Through The Treetops" and "Moonbeam Splashes On Water"--especially if you don't do regular exercise.  Even though there are upper body movements in the Vol.2 seated Monk Serves Wine meditations, GM Doo Wai stated emphatically that the standing FP moving meditations are more powerful than the seated ones.  "Moonbeam" looks in some elements like Tai Chi, but is done 3x more slowly than typical Tai Chi form speed.  And "Wind Through Treetops" is a uniquely powerful healing meditation with a balanced tilt-back posture that  naturally reorganizes energy flow.

 

4.)    If you've read this thread thoroughly, you will recall that I posted my discovery  back in 2013 or 14 that the basic level of the other Taoist monastic system of Qigong I preserve, the Taoist Elixir Method (Tao Tan Pai), called the Tao Tan Pai 31 Basic Meditations (henceforth "TTP-31"),  just happens to serve as a superb foundational catalyst for FP Qigong that amplifies and prolongs the restorative effects of FP Qigong.  TTP-31 is a completely different style of  Qigong using a totally different yogic methodology (as different as night and day), this catalyzing/accelerative effect of TTP on FP Qigong was confirmed by both GM Doo Wai and a high yogin in an Indian tradition (Oneness Meditation) who works full time as amedical clairvoyant.

. 

Thus, if you learn the Tao Tan Pai Short Form Power Yoga (5 exercises) correctly, and practice it prior to FP Qigong, I am quite certain that you will start feeling the FP Healing Qi.  Also, during the FP Qigong training in the second half of each Saturday class, I teach a  9-posture Wuchi progression exercise from Sum-I or I-Chuan (the internal system of Xing-I Boxing) ,  which deeply refines the Wuchi form throughout the entire body--and greatly supports doing-and-feeling-- "Monk Gazing At Moon"  and other Bok Fu Pai Qigong arts.

     a.   One can learn the  TTP Short Form Power Yoga along with the entire TTP-31 Series by attending my weekly Saturday basic Qigong class (2:00 - 3:30pm EST) in Lenox, MA--which I just resumed.  This class is Zoomable, of course. 

See the second video in my previous posting announcing the classes  (roman numeral II.) to see what TTP-31 looks like.  And click the same link here for fee information and the Zoom links for those public classes:

https://open.substack.com/pub/terencedunn/p/sifu-terry-dunns-tai-chi-and-qigong-1da?r=5i7g9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

 

To get a head start in this class with the TTP Short Form Power Yoga, you can start practicing to the first three moving exercises seen in this "8 Excerpts of TTP-31" video" (from start to 5:30), which are Meditations #1, #2, and #4 of the TTP-31.   (#3 not shown on this video).  Then you can learn TTP#3 and TTP#18 in the Zoom class, which will complete the TTP Short Form Power Yoga.   

• •> The first exercise called Circling Palms is done in four sets of 8 repetitions;  the 2nd "Crane Spreading Wings" is done 8x;  the 3rd exercise on the video is done 8x. :

 

 

 

    b.  You can also schedule an hour-long private lesson with me online so that I can  correct your form if necessary and give you more advice.  It's always easier to make recommendations when I see can exactly how you're practicing the FPCK.

My fee for private lessons in FP Qigong and TTP-31 Qigong is $240/hour.

My fee for private lessons in Tai Chi Chuan (all levels) is $220/hour

(Contact me at zenbearinc@gmail.com for private lessons.)

 

•  How long a career have you had in the opera?   I ask because if it's been a good part of your life already,  your "not clicking" initially with the FP Qigong might be because you've developed such strong respiratory power geared towards/supporting your singing and are able to attain such blissful states of mind-body integration (satori) through your "highs" as an  opera singer that you don't notice the sublime FP Healing Qi when it's generated and is circulating.  That's just a wild outlier hunch.   

[ On a few rare occasions over the decades, I have met advanced yogins and yoginis and high masters in Tai Chi and Qigong who are so thoroughly mind-body integrated and with mental concentration perfected that they  are always in  higher states of consciousness (HSC) and affecting the physical environment without moving their bodies.  But every master with whom I've shared  the FP Qigong have  definitely recognized that the FP Healing Qi as a distinct "flavor" of purely healing Qi different from the yogic energy of their respective arts. ]

 

5.)   Or it might be that you need form corrections.  The normal way to learn any authentic Qigong system like FPCK is, of course, to take classes in person.   For this age of remote learning can go only so far.   Fortunately, FP Qigong lends itself to at-home, remote learning because it is so safe and user-friendly.  But FPCK is a high yogic art, and to progress beyond an intermediate level (unless one has extensive experience in a related internal art like Tai Chi Chuan) one has to get private, one-on-one instruction.   And as Pak Satrio posted last Saturday, as far along and well-practiced as he is (approaching 3.5 years), the  few corrections I gave him in his recent private lesson resulted in substantial breakthroughs. 

 

• Everybody responds differently and uniquely to the FP Qigong.  Sometimes if it doesn't immediately "take," as FPCK thread-starter "Fu Doggy" nicely described in a post of how he gave it a break for some time.  Then he had a clarifying phone conversation with me, then he resumed his practiced and perservered,  and then Lloyd came out to L.A. from Orlando, FL for private lessons.  And then his Flying Phoenix took off.    See his post of  21 November 2010 - 09:21 AM--which I just found and posted below--  in which he describes how the break-through came for him and in which he gave  his observations at the one-year mark and describes 12 very salient and profound health transformations!:

 

Lloyd McClelland:

#1645

Fu_doggy

Dao Bum The Dao Bums 155 posts Gender:Male Location:Orlando, Florida

Interests:Meditation, Tai Chi, Qigong

Posted 21 November 2010 - 09:21 AM

 

At any rate, I think that the my above 5 recommendations/guidances above should help you to attain tangible salient results from FP Qigong if you persevere with them.  Please keep us all abreast of your progress.  

 

Good luck in your practice.

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

P.S.   Btw, I love classical music, am a huge balletomane, and have a good taste for opera. I've trained a good number musicians in L.A. during my years of teaching there (1983 to 2017)--both instrumentalists and vocalists.  My vocalist students include a 2x Grammy winning  R&B soul singer-composer who is a melodic genius behind 3 new genres he created ("Alternative R&B, psychedelic soul, and avant-soul) and who made Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Americans when he was 25 yrs. old, being described as a "breakout talent" with "breakout vision."  Also in the 1980's a dated a virtuoso violinist in the L.A. Chamber Orchestra (a prodigy who went to Eastman School; debuted before the National Orchestra at age 14(!)--that plays all the L.A. Operas.  Thus, over 3 years I developed a quite taste for opera. 

º And I'll use opera to make this simile to hopefully inspire you to continue exploring  FP Qigong with Vol. 3 moving meditations, at least (--and anyone can quote me on this):  the quality of music in opera is so much better (higher) than that in musicals that it is like the difference between Flying Phoenix Qigong or  Tao Tan Pai Qigong and the vast majority of systems of "modern" Qigong or non-classical Qigong that I've come across and observed since 1982--i.e., qigong exercises and "systems" created after 1970.  And I do say  "the vast majority"--and not all--so as not to over-brush and insult any legitimate systems out there.  But if a Qigong system doesn't have a lineage of masters that dates back generations to a veritable yogic genius and saint such as a Lu Tung Pin (creator of Tao Tan Pai) or a Feng Dao Deh (create of Flying Phoenix Qigong), you're at risk of wasting time on what Tao Stillness called "mere calisthenics" and what I call downstream hokum--as is printed as a warning on the back of all my CKFH DVDs published in 2004.

 

https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

terencedunn.substack.com

 

 

 

Thanks a lot for your long answer!

 

1) Already something here, I always have something like 30 minutes to an hour maximum between my morning session of FPCK and working on my voice...

For the rest, except maybe 2 or 3 days, I managed to practice between 45 minutes and 1h in the morning (Vol. 1+ last MSW from Vol.2 some days) and a rotation between meditations from rest of Vol.2 in the evening (more or less 45 minutes)

 

Regarding aerobic exercise, I walk everyday, go for a 5k three times a week and do some calisthenics at least 2 times a week.

 

2) As said above, I tend to practice almost everyday BTB but never to the point of doing it 18 times, I must say.

 

3) As I'm not seeing a lot from first two volumes, I thought that it wouldn't be useful to go further and learn new forms but I can definitely try it!

 

4) Sadly, as I'm living abroad, time of the Zoom classes don't work for me

 

5) Thanks for the informations regarding private sessions. I'll keep them in mind if this troubleshooting doesn't produce results

 

And regarding your question about how long I've been singing classically, about 15 years now. On one side, breath and muscles attached to it are indeed quite strong but I wouldn't say that I'm in some satori while singing... I'm focused on the present moment but don't think there's sense of "high" in it.

 

Thanks again for all your insights and I'll give this another shot!

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

  On 2/20/2025 at 4:57 PM, Boreas said:

Thanks a lot for your long answer!

 

1) Already something here, I always have something like 30 minutes to an hour maximum between my morning session of FPCK and working on my voice...

For the rest, except maybe 2 or 3 days, I managed to practice between 45 minutes and 1h in the morning (Vol. 1+ last MSW from Vol.2 some days) and a rotation between meditations from rest of Vol.2 in the evening (more or less 45 minutes)

 

Regarding aerobic exercise, I walk everyday, go for a 5k three times a week and do some calisthenics at least 2 times a week.

 

2) As said above, I tend to practice almost everyday BTB but never to the point of doing it 18 times, I must say.

 

3) As I'm not seeing a lot from first two volumes, I thought that it wouldn't be useful to go further and learn new forms but I can definitely try it!

 

4) Sadly, as I'm living abroad, time of the Zoom classes don't work for me

 

5) Thanks for the informations regarding private sessions. I'll keep them in mind if this troubleshooting doesn't produce results

 

And regarding your question about how long I've been singing classically, about 15 years now. On one side, breath and muscles attached to it are indeed quite strong but I wouldn't say that I'm in some satori while singing... I'm focused on the present moment but don't think there's sense of "high" in it.

 

Thanks again for all your insights and I'll give this another shot!

Since you’ve started Flying Phoenix, how has your health and mood been?

[Boreas]

  On 2/20/2025 at 5:48 PM, -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- said:

Since you’ve started Flying Phoenix, how has your health and mood been?

Mostly the same, not bad but not as good as it was before 2020 even though I'm almost back at the same physical activity level I had then.

But still, I wasn't sick often back then and now I'm catching every possible cold.

And it's been almost two years that my middle back is somewhat painful without any mechanical reason and  kinesitherapy/chiropractor/massages/acupuncture/qigong,... nothing changed it.

So yeah, I guess that I'm stuck in that middle thing where it's not awful but not really feeling healthy 

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

  On 2/20/2025 at 9:42 PM, Boreas said:

Mostly the same, not bad but not as good as it was before 2020 even though I'm almost back at the same physical activity level I had then.

But still, I wasn't sick often back then and now I'm catching every possible cold.

And it's been almost two years that my middle back is somewhat painful without any mechanical reason and  kinesitherapy/chiropractor/massages/acupuncture/qigong,... nothing changed it.

So yeah, I guess that I'm stuck in that middle thing where it's not awful but not really feeling healthy 

 

Oh no! Usually people would see health benefits from Flying Phoenix. Did you get covid in 2020?

[Boreas]

Got it three times, first time in 2021. But we ruled out long Covid with my doctor if that's what you have in mind.

 

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

  On 2/21/2025 at 5:16 AM, Boreas said:

Got it three times, first time in 2021. But we ruled out long Covid with my doctor if that's what you have in mind.

 

Have you tried getting a second opinion? I hope you manage to find the cause

[Boreas]

I went to several with different specialties but nothing came up...

Still, thanks for your kind words 😇