Flying Phoenix Chi Kung

[John Reinhard]

Nice, yes I think also there is not knowing, there are no words to discribe. This is not easy for western people but when we try to intellectual catch it, it flies away (the flying Phoenix). I think for me the right way is to feel and pounder. Intellectual knowing can block the experience. A wise man said: The moment there is a strong sensation, is the only true moment, when you try to reproduce this feeling it hurts the essence.

[tao stillness]

One of my spiritual teachers stated it this way: knowledge plus direct experience is wisdom.

 

The meaning is this: We could be walking on the path one day and spot something on the ground shining. One man picks it up and it is a necklace. He puts it on and later decides those rocks are too heavy so he casts it off. Another man comes down the path later and spots the same necklace on the ground. He picks it up and he is ecstatic since he realizes he has just found a valuable diamond necklace!

We need intellectual understanding of the spiritual experiences to know the value of them. The Vedas provide descriptions of the 7 states of consciousness so that we can recognize the signposts along the Way. But knowing the descriptions of the experiences is no substitute for the direct experience of each state. That is why I do not look to scholars to interpret ancient texts.

[BluePhoenix133]

Interesting stuff indeed.

Just thought i would share my experience when i last did the first meditation on DVD 2, breathing sequence 5 60 80 40 30, after having done the breathing sequence i thought that perhaps i did not do the breathing sequence very well and messed it up a little. However the activation of energy hit me, different to when i sometimes sit in the posture and do feel good, maybe some reserves of FP energy already built up if you will.

I felt energy around my arms but not intense, almost like when you get pins and needles as your oxygen starved tissue re oxygenates i guess a chi version of that. Then i felt energy in my forehead/third eye, then more intense energy mainly in my hands and when this happened my breathing changed and i kind of made this groaning noise of satisfaction like 'mmmmmmm'.

I do that allot when im practicing embarrassingly enough, seem to feel it in my core, im sure if i was a cat i would start to purr.

[rldawson]

Over time I have found that any meditation that involves holding the arms in a "Monk Gazes at the Moon"posture activates the third eye, moreover throughout the day, and randomly, this wonderful sensation revisits. Meditations that seem to offer a similar activation are: MSW#2, PREP#1 (as BluePhoenix133 mentioned), and Monk Gazes at the Moon.

 

One of the most enveloping experiences that I encounter was MSW#2 because not only does it activate the third eye, tingle the arms, and warm the dantien, but is also offered a sensation of exiting the body while still being attached. Since I can only describe it as a gradient laying of increase in size while looking into self while inward rocking.

 

Not sure about other peoples experiences, but to fully achieve these, and other experiences, I need to perform the meditations very, very, slow and have an open and relaxed mind. Most standing meditations being twenty minutes up to thirty minutes, while seated meditations ranging anywhere from twenty-five minutes to one hour for the advanced meditations. A typical experience, while five to ten minutes into any meditation, is blue light globes/orbs moving from side to side and periodically centred coupled with warm body flushes.

[ridingtheox]

finally working on Adv Seated MSW  #5 ...  it is very short but has been quite intense .. the 'synchronization' of breath and movement quite strong from the first performance.    I  have coupled it with both #3 (a long series) and #4 (another short series).

 

Having recently thought  (bad idea) why I am doing so much qi gong ... I have come to the idea that it is the increasing awarness of body / respiration function ... so much of my life has been  mind/brain ... now I am experiencing the body intensely.  Flow, energy cellular respiration!  balance or organ systems  regeneration /  recovery from  surgery.

 

This has been a renewing of a long spiritual journey.  

[zen-bear]

Hi Charlie,

 

Great that you are doing more Qigong, concentrating your Qigong practice to aid your recovery from the surgery.

 

You've demonstrated that "Necessity is the mother of invention" as you are finding new synergies and syntheses in coupling AdvMSW #5 with AdvMSW #3 and AdvMSW#4 (Vol.7).

 

The most basic, rudimentary effect of any legitimate Qigong system is increasing awareness of the body and the respiratory function...that is the start of the mind-body integration process brought about by Qigong.  

 

Congrats on finding the blissful intensity of MSW #5, which is felt in feeling the connection between the mind and the breathing process.  Yes, MSW #5  is so short and yet so powerful.  Just 4 movements!  But if you hold the 2nd position for a few extra breathes as prescribed (before lowering the forearms) and then do following movements very, very, very slowly at the speed of a shifting sand dune.  The level of absorption is indeed "INTENSE"--and not just with the mind, but is with the TOTAL involvement of the MIND-BODY.  The mind-body visualization created by the super-slow movements returns you to the state of ONENESS--before you separated in terms (the symbols, sentences, thoughts of the mind) what was always One to begin with.

 

Actually, what you've described as  (tangible) "Energy flow" and "Cellular respiration" is simply the natural state of the human being.  This is your basic natural condition.  It's always been there.  Now you are finally "stopping the world" enough via the FP Qigong to feel it on a cellular level.

 

Your reported experience is further proof that sooner or later, if you just practice the FP Qigong exercises as presented in the DVD series, you will experience the body intensely...especially if one has been conditioned and educated to live high up on the brain stem and thus mentally filter  the body's reality in agreement with the consensus reality.  Because FP healthful, powerful and complete  meditation system, your dedicated practice of FP Qigong has enabled you to safely "Go out of your mind in order to come to your senses."

 

The ancients described this state of pristine consciousness as "Listening with the breath."

And FP Qigong practitioners who have a relative frame of reference from practicing other Qigong systems can attest that FP Qigong training gets you there very, very quickly!

 

It seems you've crossed a yogic threshold--what you call a "renewal" on your spiritual journey:  now you may begin to recognize, understand and appreciate what the ancient Taoist philosophers and alchemists--Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Chan Po-Tuan--are talking about in their "mystical writings."  It's kind of a gas to get precise corroboration of what you're feeling in the meditative state from the writings of the ancient metaphysicians.

 

Enjoy the Silence and the Bliss.  

 

Best,

 

Sifu Terry

 

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

Edited August 10, 2015 by zen-bear

[ridingtheox]

Sifu wrote

 

 

"But if you hold the 2nd position for a few extra breathes as prescribed (before lowering the forearms) and then do following movements very, very, very slowly at the speed "

 

this is a good description of what developed very quickly with this ...  holding the posture and gently letting y guide qi thru a microcosmic orbit ... emerging from the 'orbit'  flowed much slower than the tempo for the first moves naturally.

 

more... for somet days now (post operation recovery) I have been experiencing the microcosmic orbit in the initial three breaths for all of the forms.   At first it was only occasional,  but now is the norm.  Not always, but nearly.   

 

I have also been having good 'macrocosmic'  breathing in the case of the preparation for the long form.  

 

My tai qi long form has also progressed to feeling the connection ... energy from earth thru legs ... guided my dantien  to ming men,  shoulder,  lao gong ... a long spiral of energy

 

thank you again Sifu Dunn

Edited August 10, 2015 by ridingtheox

[rsalazar]

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to mention I had an awesome session with SIfu Terry this past Friday, beginning my training of the TTP 31.  Wow, so much great information on this practice as well as much more!

One of the perks of the session included getting a peek at some of the GM Doo Wai training clips from the early 1990's where he is punching through rows of students and directing the energy in specific directions. 

I've renewed my FP practice over the past year and I'm practicing the Flash meditations, ASM's and the Long Form almost every day.  I usually get in the flash meds and the long form as a minimum.

I mentioned some months back that after I renewed this practice after 2 years of spotty practice, the results mitigating my stress response were incredibly impressive (like turning off a faucet).  One interesting note (perhaps specific for my physiology, I have a tendency to have low magnesium levels and I need to supplement):  when I stopped my Mg supplementation, the FP effects waned a little until I resumed this supplementation.  Then the FP effects were totally back on, especially after using transdermal Mg oil.

For me, it has been a process of balancing my sleep and diet so I can get maximum benefits from my practice. 

I hope your practice is going well

R

Edited August 11, 2015 by rsalazar

[zen-bear]

Happy Summer to all,

 

Yesterday in my weekly private Tai Chi class, instead of leading the class through Qing dynasty Imperial exercises (that I learned from Master George Xu in San Francisco through workshops he gave in San Diego at the Taoist Sanctuary way back in the 90's)and Chen style Chan su jin exercises (that I learned from Master John Fey in the 80's), I started with FP Meditations:

 

A.  One round of Wind Above the Clouds (always a nice stretch)

 

B.  followed by 20 minutes--ten slow rounds--of Bending the Bows - probably the most important of the basic moving FP meds. and the one with benefits most transferrable to any internal martial art system.

 

C.  Then I taught the first four 90-second "Flash" Meditations on Vol.5.  Including learning/memorizing each meditation, their practice took less than 15 minutes.

 

D.  Then to segue from the FP healing energy cultivation to martial cultivation, we practiced the "Six Stars" (standing meditation) of the Tao Tan Pai system, which Master Lew had once told us (but which no one could believe was the 2nd most powerful in the TTP system, just below the 5 Dragons.  

Tao Tan Pai Monkey Form

Tao Tan Pai Crane Form (everyone slowly learning this one)

 

E.  Then the final hour was spent practicing GM William Chen's 60-posture Yang Form 3 times and his straight sword form 3 times.

 

That was an atypical Tai Chi class where the first 90 minutes was devoted to FP Qigong and TTP Nei Kung and Kung Fu forms.

 

 

Best to all,

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

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

[zen-bear]

Sifu wrote

 

 

"But if you hold the 2nd position for a few extra breathes as prescribed (before lowering the forearms) and then do following movements very, very, very slowly at the speed "

 

this is a good description of what developed very quickly with this ...  holding the posture and gently letting y guide qi thru a microcosmic orbit ... emerging from the 'orbit'  flowed much slower than the tempo for the first moves naturally.

 

more... for somet days now (post operation recovery) I have been experiencing the microcosmic orbit in the initial three breaths for all of the forms.   At first it was only occasional,  but now is the norm.  Not always, but nearly.   

 

I have also been having good 'macrocosmic'  breathing in the case of the preparation for the long form.  

 

My tai qi long form has also progressed to feeling the connection ... energy from earth thru legs ... guided my dantien  to ming men,  shoulder,  lao gong ... a long spiral of energy

 

thank you again Sifu Dunn

You're very welcome, Charlie.

 

You are wonderful living testament of the efficacy of FP Qigong, enabling you to enjoy and enrich your retirement years as a gentleman rancher!

 

Best,

 

Sifu Terry

[the fool]

Sifu Terry,

Is there a best time to swallow the saliva that accumulates? It is a problem for me in the long form at certain points.

[pitisukha]

Why not swallow it before it becomes a problem like one do naturally?

[growant]

Sifu Terry for Monk Gazing at Moon standing from volume 1 dvd, are fingertips held at eye level or nose or chin?  thanks-

[zen-bear]

Hi Gary,

Fingertips at eye level for Monk Gazing At Moon.

You're welcome.

 

Sifu Terry

 

 

 

 

www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

[rldawson]

If saliva is building up, maybe try relaxing the "weight" of the tongue, while it is gently touching the roof of the mouth. This typically allows the saliva to travel successfully down the throat  without the need to swallow.

[BluePhoenix133]

Hi, i am confused as to what i should do with my hands in-between repetitions of meditation 5 of DVD 2, 50 40 30 10, the breathing sequence starts with palms facing skywards then once the breathing sequence is done you start with hands in prayer position. The sequence ends with right hand in left hand in front of the dan tien, how is the transition made from this position back to prayer position?

Also i find i sometimes get a dead leg/pins and needles in my right leg during half lotus, what can i do to over come this... i know some opening exercises for the legs from yoga and qi gong should i just practice these and then will my legs open up allowing blood flow?

It does not seem to happen with the first few meditations on DVD 2 for some reason.

I heard that saliva build up is due to the parasympathetic nervous system being activated, well according to my elemental qi gong teacher. She told me this when i was practicing wood element and i was producing a ridiculous amount of saliva, im talking a couple of glasses full.

[zen-bear]

Hi, i am confused as to what i should do with my hands in-between repetitions of meditation 5 of DVD 2, 50 40 30 10, the breathing sequence starts with palms facing skywards then once the breathing sequence is done you start with hands in prayer position. The sequence ends with right hand in left hand in front of the dan tien, how is the transition made from this position back to prayer position?

 

Also i find i sometimes get a dead leg/pins and needles in my right leg during half lotus, what can i do to over come this... i know some opening exercises for the legs from yoga and qi gong should i just practice these and then will my legs open up allowing blood flow?

 

It does not seem to happen with the first few meditations on DVD 2 for some reason.

 

I heard that saliva build up is due to the parasympathetic nervous system being activated, well according to my elemental qi gong teacher. She told me this when i was practicing wood element and i was producing a ridiculous amount of saliva, im talking a couple of glasses full.

Hello Blue Phoenix,

 

A.  Answer to first question as to what to do with the hands between repetitions of the 5th seated med. on Vol.2, aka MSW #2 (50 40 30 10):   

You can keep the hands at the tan tien and take as many resting breathes as you feel like and then bring the hands up to the first position (palms clasped in "prayer position" in front of heart).  Or, you can also move your hands to the tan tien and rest them on top of the knees.  And then from there bring them up to the first position for the next round.

 

B.  Pins and needles sensation and the left falling asleep during MSW mediations in half lotus position is common.  One general solution is to get better circulation through the legs by increasing your level of any type of athletic sport (running, cycling, swimming, tennis, etc.) as well as stretching a lot using gymnastics or any form of yoga, and then, of course, doing holistic Chinese martial arts like Tai Chi or kung fu.

 

C.  Build up of saliva can be caused by a variety of factors, including keeping the tongue on the roof of the mouth during meditation.  But a couple of glasses full is a heck of a lot of saliva.  Are you saying that MSW #2 meditation (5th exercise on Vol.2) triggers and amplifies that output?  

 

Whatever the cause, applying basic 5 Element Theory (I prefer to call it 5 Phases Theory) would suggest that you are deficient  in the earth element (stomach, spleen) because that element is not keeping the water element in check.  Or perhaps if you have a serious problem with your liver (wood element), the excessive water is being generated to support it, but is not being used.  These are very general applications of 5 Phase Theory and need to be confirmed by finger-toe pulse diagnosis to be certain.  But that's a coarse first cut at a diagnosis.  (I'm not sure how your elemental qigong teacher  is connecting the wood element (liver) to the voluminous salivation.)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

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

[zen-bear]

After teaching a very long and slow class on "Moonbeam Splashes on Water" last Wednesday night, I am prompted to share:

 

NOTE TO ALL FLYING PHOENIX PRACTITIONERS:

 

It takes some concentration to learn the choreography followed by a lot of practice... but once you master "Moonbeam Splashes On Water" (Vol.3 of the CKFH dvd series), you will cross the threshold of moving meditation. All the preceding standing FP meditations are building blocks to develop good posture, relaxation and different sub-circulations of the FP Energy in different parts of the body. Once you seriously practice "Moonbeam" and the Long Form Standing Med. of Vol.4, you will begin to cultivate the FP Healing Energy in a more powerful way and experience total-body mobilization and circulation of the FP Healing Energy.  Once this cultivation begins to be felt, you will then naturally know when you have developed the capacity to heal others with the FP energy.

 

So get to it, everyone. I can tell from the lack of comments on this thread about the practice and the effects of "Moonbeam" that practitioners out there have not "broken through" in terms of doing it correctly and long enough.

 

Just a little prod.

 

Regards to all,

Sifu Terry Dunn

Edited August 29, 2015 by zen-bear

[ridingtheox]

while i have not done the moonbeam splashing ... the long form continues to open new channels for me ...  I appreciate the suggestion to do a faster practice occasionally followed by  a slower tempo repetition.   My quickest pass is usually on the 10 - 11 min  followed by  < 20 min ... usually a 5 min break between.   The breath pattern is different from the quicker to the slower version.   Quite an experience expanding practice.   

 

Most often I still concentrate on slow deliberate 25 min form.   I feel like I am getting a much better full body experience movement rooted moving to dan tien directed to one or both hands through the spine and scapula ...  I also do a little microcosmic orbit breathing before starting the practice.  Noticing that the hands / fingers tingle intensely  when I do this.  I have also experimented with mco breath between the percentage breaths.   No detrimental effects as far as I can tell and some intensification of  focus / awareness ... less drifting into ' monkey mind' during the practice.

 

The whole body involvement continues to encourage my daily practice.  

 

Amazing discovery so late in life!   FPCK  rules!

 

lol

[BluePhoenix133]

Hi, sorry for the late reply.

Yes that does help, i actually tried doing both of those things when doing the meditation. As for the pins and needles, i cycle allot, probably too much. I do know some hip and leg opening exercises maybe i should try practicing those more often, its annoying because when i do the sleeper by the 3rd or 4th round its pretty bad so i do 3 rounds then stop and resume again later on.

Also i recall you mentioning that after each meditation it is best to wait 10 minutes before doing another, just wanted to know if this is so.

As for the saliva thing, i have noticed a bit of saliva when meditating but that could also be because i have recently stopped smoking. When i was practicing wood element form two years ago i built up all that saliva and my then instructor said it was a sign of my parasympathetic nervous system being activated...

... however it is interesting that you mentioned i might be weak in earth element because if my astrological profile is anything to go by then i am extremely deficient in earth. I Looked at one website, i lost the address, said i had 42 bodies in fire, 7 in water, 6 in air and only 1 in earth.

Astrology aside i am pretty ungrounded as a person, day dreamy, not good with finance and not very materialistic. Maybe i need to find a nice Virgo woman to sort me out haha

I really do appreciate your feed back and i want to get back into elemental qi gong soon and learn about it as much as i can.

Thankyou

[zen-bear]

Hi, sorry for the late reply.

 

Yes that does help, i actually tried doing both of those things when doing the meditation. As for the pins and needles, i cycle allot, probably too much. I do know some hip and leg opening exercises maybe i should try practicing those more often, its annoying because when i do the sleeper by the 3rd or 4th round its pretty bad so i do 3 rounds then stop and resume again later on.

 

Also i recall you mentioning that after each meditation it is best to wait 10 minutes before doing another, just wanted to know if this is so.

 

As for the saliva thing, i have noticed a bit of saliva when meditating but that could also be because i have recently stopped smoking. When i was practicing wood element form two years ago i built up all that saliva and my then instructor said it was a sign of my parasympathetic nervous system being activated...

 

... however it is interesting that you mentioned i might be weak in earth element because if my astrological profile is anything to go by then i am extremely deficient in earth. I Looked at one website, i lost the address, said i had 42 bodies in fire, 7 in water, 6 in air and only 1 in earth.

 

Astrology aside i am pretty ungrounded as a person, day dreamy, not good with finance and not very materialistic. Maybe i need to find a nice Virgo woman to sort me out haha

 

I really do appreciate your feed back and i want to get back into elemental qi gong soon and learn about it as much as i can.

 

Thankyou

Hi B.P.,

 

here are my responses in bold & blue:

 

Yes that does help, i actually tried doing both of those things when doing the meditation. As for the pins and needles, i cycle allot, probably too much. I do know some hip and leg opening exercises maybe i should try practicing those more often, its annoying because when i do the sleeper by the 3rd or 4th round its pretty bad so i do 3 rounds then stop and resume again later on.

• Keep trying to do 7 rounds of the Sleeper. You'll eventually get there.

 

 

Also i recall you mentioning that after each meditation it is best to wait 10 minutes before doing another, just wanted to know if this is so.

• For beginners, this is not necessary.  Since all the FP Meditations (standing and seated) are synergistic, my purpose in getting people started is to get the to feel the complete synergy of every part of the system and to get them to feel the effects of the FP Healing Energy.  Waiting five minutes between FP Meditations is quite adequate to be able to discern the effects of one FP exercise and to different them from those of another exercise.  Throughout most of my 24 years in FP qigong, I almost always have time constraints on weekdays because of my busy schedule.  Therefore I tend to do one FP Qigong Meditations right after another.

 

 

As for the saliva thing, i have noticed a bit of saliva when meditating but that could also be because i have recently stopped smoking. When i was practicing wood element form two years ago i built up all that saliva and my then instructor said it was a sign of my parasympathetic nervous system being activated...

 

... however it is interesting that you mentioned i might be weak in earth element because if my astrological profile is anything to go by then i am extremely deficient in earth. I Looked at one website, i lost the address, said i had 42 bodies in fire, 7 in water, 6 in air and only 1 in earth.

•I just arrived at that using 5 Element Theory based on what you described as your symptoms with he salivation.

 

Astrology aside i am pretty ungrounded as a person, day dreamy, not good with finance and not very materialistic. Maybe i need to find a nice Virgo woman to sort me out haha

Taurus woman will ground you a good deal too and keep you ploughing the earth with oxen.

And a nice Capricorn woman might turn you into an investment banker. haha

 

I really do appreciate your feed back and i want to get back into elemental qi gong soon and learn about it as much as i can.

 

Thankyou

 

You Are Welcome.

          Regards,

          Sifu Terry Dunn   

 

 

 

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

 

[zen-bear]

To All FP Practitioners:

 

Last evening I practiced Advanced Seated Meditation No.1 (on the Vol.7 DVD:  50 20 10 ), aka, "the Sleeper" and again confirmed the appropriateness of its nickname that I coined.  I took 30 minutes to do the 7 rounds at very slow speed and smooth movement, hitting every nuanced hand position that GM Doo Wai had taught.  The mediation induces deep, restful sleep with a  profound activation of brain matter towards the back and top of the skull--as opposed to the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain that the other, "waker-upper" FP Mediations activate.  And one can feel the movement of energy in the brain directly in sync with the movements of the hands.

 

Woke up just 5 hours after doing the meditation fully rested and with a great sense of well-being.  Compared with Tao Tao Pai Nei Kung, however, I would still say that FP Qigong does not replace sleep, but requires adequate sleep to be most effective.

 

But I will offer these rock lyrics from 70's (Kansas) to inspire y'all to plumb deeper into "The Sleeper."

 

         Carry on my wayward son,

         There're be peace when you are done.

         Lay your weary head to rest...

         Don't you cry no more.

 

Then I went to my favorite park and practiced one round of Liu He Ba Fa and one round of 60-posture Yang Tai Chi Short Form (GM William Chen's).  And all day thus far, I feel more absorbed with--viscerally aware of--everything that I see.

 

Flying Phoenix Qigong is exactly the disciplined experience that John Blofeld described in his excellent book on Taoism, "The Secret and the Sublime."

 

Fortunately for the world, this art isn't as secret as it was just 12 years ago.

 

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

 

www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

Edited September 18, 2015 by zen-bear

[安永樂]

----

Edited August 22, 2019 by 安永樂

[Joolian]

Hey there,

 

this week I have had my second skype lesson with Sifu Terry and I want to express that I am deeply thankful for the great lessons, time and humbleness of Sifu Terry. I am also deeply thankful, that he made it possible for us to learn this marvelous art.

 

I can encourage you to also have a lesson some time. This time we worked on my long form, for which I got very fruitful corrections.

 

Good Sunday to you all.

 

Julian

[ridingtheox]

greetings from Cascabel  

 

well I have misplaced several of my FP disks       drat

 c

Practice consistently is the key about one hour minimum FP  plus a good round of TCC  

 

for Blue Phoenix:  I wrote a short message encouraging seated practice in a chair so that 7 reps can be attained during a single session.   If hip issues are a problem address that separate

 

Finally today i urge practicioners / players here to pay attention to the breath during the performance slow and rhythmic does the best results?   Keep a little note on how deeply and evenly you  breathe.   The lengthening, deepening of breath capacity is another sign of progress in your practice.   This may take some months or years to be really evident so be patient but persistent.

 

Peace to all beings  (esp my old cows,   )