Flying Phoenix Chi Kung

[SandroFV]

Yes, it helped. At least I understood that the DVD4 is the Main Goal and all before is only preparation and the one session of practice is more or less limited to six meditations.

 

 

Quote

From point 6 to point 8, we can see that:
- once it is done you set aside these 6 meditations and follow the same process with all the others meditations of all the DVDs from volume 1 to 3. Which means that you should always pratice no more than 6 meditations per day. So it is not about practicing 8 hours a day.  

The problem is exactly “set aside”. Let’s see an example focusing only in the DVD1, to be shorter.
Here in http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html you see:
…………………………

Quote

The first three standing meditations focus qi development at three tan tiens (chakras or energy centers):

 

-    "Monk Gazing At Moon" at the  upper tan tien (third eye or brow chakra),
-    "Monk Holding Peach" at the middle tan tien (heart chakra),
-    "Monk Holding Pearl" at the lower tan tien.

 

These are followed by two dynamic moving meditations that concentrate qi and circulate it through the body:  

 

-"Bending the Bows" opens and closes the body and mind in synchronicity with nature, mustering energy from the extremities and channeling it into the Conception Vessel (Jen Mo) and Governing Channel (Tu Mo);

-"Wind Above the Cloud" uses five easy and elegant bending and stretching movements to perfect physical balance and flexibility, strengthening the waist, opening the hips, regulating qi flow to the legs and arms, and ultimately develops frictionless movement of energy. (60 min.)

 

So, the first three meditations have a mainly “charging” function. The last two meditations have a mainly circulation function.

 

When you see all them working together in a whole daily practice this combination makes sense.

But when you “select your favorite exercises (one or two that have the most pronounced effect on your energy level and well-being)”, it makes no much sense.

 

For example, if the exercises that have “the most pronounced effect” are the last two,  then I will not charge the Tan Tiens and it is all ok??? Does’nt matter??
If my favorite exercises are the first three, I will not circulate the energy, only charge it, and it is ok?? Does’nt matter???
It seems a strange criteria to select the exercises that will be “set aside”.

 

The same problem again in the point 10 with “you can scale back your practice..”.

 

If you choose them in a certain way, by what you “feel”,  can happens that you can be only charging meditations for six months, and do only circulating meditations for another six months, which I SUPPOSE it is a not a good practice. But like  the criteria is “one or two that have the most pronounced effect on your energy level”  this kind of selection for exercises can happen.

 

 

3 hours ago, Jack of Hearts said:

after learning all the meditations from wol 1 to 3, you can choose the meditations you like most and practice them daily for 6 months; then rotate with other meditations.

 

The term "rotate them" is not clear to me. "Rotate them" means option A or B? 

 

a) MONDAY- Meditation X

TUESDAY- Meditation Y

and so forth...

 

 

b )  FIRST SIX MONTHS- meditation X

SECOND SIX MONTH- medtattion  Y

and so forth...

 

4 hours ago, Earl Grey said:

I do six forms on average a day rotating between each volume and just doing what I feel like doing that day due to the unique effect of each meditation.

Earl grey, I practiced the DVD1+DVD2, both complete in one full session of two hours, daily, by six months, and never "felt" any "unique effect of each meditation". So I need to choose using the knowledge and reason.

 

I can understand if the criteria was like  "pick always one charging meditation and a circulating meditation to a balanced practice", but I can not understand "choose by what you feel".

 

I feel energy vibrating in hands in “Monk Gazing at Moon” and sometimes  flowing up spiralating  by legs until the hips.

I feel some energy flowing from my hand to my forearm until the hand and foot in the  folded position of "Wind Above the Clouds.

In DVD2, when I was practicing it, I felt, sometimes, in the third meditation. like if there is a very big and strong  dragonfly flapping wings between my hands, so strong that I need open easy to check what was that.

And in the fourth meditation of the DVD2 I had the more strong effects in terms of cleasing of energy, wich, im my case is to produce much belch, all time ( This happens too when I apply reiki and the patient have some problem in some area. Usually I will belch until HE is clean. I don’ know how is with other, I don’t see nobody speaking about this, but I know that in me blech meana cleaning of energies)

But see, they are only feeling of movements of energy, they don't generates none feel like “oh this is good”, “this is better  than that”,  "this make me fell so…that makes me fell that". So I can not choose by what I feel, I would like to obtain logical criteria or information to decide, to avoid dicard the "more necessary", if sometihng like that exists, if someone knows anything about this. 

 

If there is none knowledge available about the differecen and importance of each one of this meditations, nor logical criteria to choose, it is difficult to me. It is exactly what I am trying obtain here in the case someone know. I thought that Terence knew but maybe not.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2018 by SandroFV

[senseless virtue]

Hello everyone. The Flying Phoenix system seems very unique in that you don't have to keep mental silence while practicing it. Instead you get the same benefit regardless whether your mind kept thinking or resting. Honestly, I wouldn't have guessed that such a wonderful method could exist.

 

Does aynone know whether there are other Qigong, Neigong, or meditation systems out there, perhaps in GM Doo Wai's tradition, that have this same feature? I tried searching, but there was no direct confirmation besides of some other GMDW arts using breath percentages.

Edited January 17, 2018 by virtue

[phil]

One example would be Shaolin nei jin yi zhi chan I think.

[senseless virtue]

Thank you phil. I saw it best to start a new topic

where this discussion should carry on.

[Earl Grey]

SandrofV I think you may want to go through this thread and see some of the outlines Sifu Terry made of what he practiced that week for a class. You may notice he doesn’t practice everything, and his students still benefit from doing whatever form in no particular order. 

 

Even if you don’t see the unique benefit of each meditation, it’s your task as a student as well to keep practicing and discover while engaging in dialogue here. There are several students with practice journals here who you may read and note their reactions. While it’s good to compare notes you can also focus more on your own diligence.

[Bubbles]

SandroFV

 

If you are already able to practice 2 hours a day, then I suggest you practice 6 meditations instead of 12 in two distant sessions (for example, one in the morning, one in the evening) so that you allow yourself to immerse into each of them. It may help.

 

I find strange your search for logical criteria in selecting meditations.

By practicing 2 hours a day, did you find yourself more energized, having more mental focus and clarity, being more joyful and willing to engage into your daily business?

 

If yes, having a criteria to select meditations seems of no importance to me. I would just pick some meditations randomly and practice them as the guidelines say and change them after some time because in the end, you must go through all of them.

 

If you don't see any tangible benefit after your 2 hours daily practice already, then why bother about a logical criteria? A logical criteria won't deliver you anything more.

 

I would keep that to the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid), it suits me well.

 

Take care.

 

 

[BluePhoenix133]

I was thinking of doing 3 meditations at a time instead of say 5, im talking about dvd 1,2 and 7. However surely if i did all of dvd 1 strung together the last meditation would be more powerful.

[phil]

After doing the meditations for more than a year now it has become quite easy to know intuitively which meditations to choose for a session. 

The energetic pattern of each meditation become more and more obvious. 

I start each session with around 15 minutes of BTB. Every session the energy gets a little more intense and instead of me doing the movements it's the energy moving my body - in the speed of a shifting sand dune. I am looking forward to get this effect with every meditation.. but the important point I think is to train your intuition and to feel which meditation is the right one at a given time 

Edited January 19, 2018 by phil

[BluePhoenix133]

Maybe your right, although im sure i have done a meditation i had not wanted to do but got good results that surpised me.

[zen-bear]

On 1/13/2018 at 5:15 PM, SandroFV said:

 

As my question in the page 182 went unanswered after one month, and  we entered now in the page 183, I am rescuing it here, to avoid it can be buried and never answered.  

 

Hello SandroFV,

I think the fact that English is not your first language may have led to your confusion about the FP Qigong training guidelines.

 

Here are my answers to your questions:

 

About Guideline No. 7 on webpage and on brochure:

 

7.   Now begin another cycle of practice starting with a new standing meditation (Number #4) and new seated meditation (Number #4) everyday for two weeks, and repeat steps #3 through #6.

 

Steps 3 through #6 to be repeated in the "Next Cycle":

3.  For an intensive start: practice one standing and one seated meditation everyday for two weeks.

1. After two weeks or longer of practice, add the next standing and seated meditation appearing on the video, while continuing practice of the first two meditations.
2. Then after two more weeks of practicing two standing exercises and two seated meditations every day, add the next standing exercise and the next seated meditation.
3. After you have increased your practice to three standing meditations and three seated meditations, practice this combination daily for at least two months. This can take between 50 to 70 minutes a day. This training time can be broken up into several sessions spread-out throughout the day.

1) This means what exactly?

 

It means just what it says:  after you have practiced for 6 weeks or longer, you then practice 3 standing + 3 seated mediations daily for 2 months.  After that 2 month period, you can stop doing the first 3 standing + first 3 seated meditations, and then start a second cycle by practicing a fourth standing and fourth seated meditation for 2 weeks, then add a 5th new standing and seated meditation for 2 weeks, and then add a 6th new standing ad seated meditations for the next 2 weeks.  Then after you've practiced 3 standing plus 3 seated meditations of this new cycle, you practice the 6 meditations for 2 months.  Thus, after two "cycles" which span:  6 weeks + 2 mos. + 6 weeks + 2 months = 7 months of practice, you will have thoroughly practiced 6 standing FP meditations and 6 seated Monk Serves Wine seated meditatios.  Note:  this is a rather rigorous schedule, but one that will ensure you master each FP meditation and become saturated with each one's effects.  

 

One can shorten this schedule.  If one has the time and doesn't want to ramp up gradually, one can do 3 standing FP meditations plus 3 seated FP Meditations "right out the gate" everyday for 2 months ( and skip the 6 week ramp up period).  

 

2) I can not understand if this “until you have practiced” means:

---a)-“until you are practicing all of them daily”

---b)-or “ until you have some past experience in all of them”

 

> It means through your  practice, you want to attain even coverage of all the FP Meditations in the DVD series equally on a daily basis if possible--where you have practiced all of them equally over the long term.  In general, as I've stated many, many times on this thread,  the goal is to practice all the meditations on all the DVD volumes 1 through 5, and Vol.7 until you are intimately familiar with the energizing, healing, and brain activating effects of each of them.  You want to start from Volumes 1 and 2 because the entire series presents the FP Qigong meditations in the exact order in which GM Doo Wai taught them to me and my classmates starting in 1991.  How you achieve coverage and a "saturation" of all the FP MEditations in the DVD series  is really up to you.  You don't have to strictly follow the Guidelines that I published.  They are based on how I rotated the FP Meditations after I had learned them from GM Doo Wai.  As highlighted years ago here, "ridingthe ox" was able to jump right into Vol.4 's Long Form Meditation because he had 25+ years of Tai Chi experience.  Then he went back and picked up all the shorter standing FP Meditations in the earlier volumes, and found that their practice was quite profound.

•The Guidelines I suggested are not hard and fast rules. They are just suggestions for those who have no Qigong, martial arts, or meditation experience and don't know how to structure a practice routine.  

 

3) So I will practice only two of eleven ( 1 standing and 1 seated)  and remain without to practice all the others nine exercises for six months?

> No.  I don't know where you got this interpretation.  As stated above, over 6 months you will have practiced at least  6 standing + 6 seated FP meditations.

 

>>This is my answer to both your questions No. 4 and no.5:

Practice each and everyone of the FP MEditations on the DVD series until you instinctively know which ones you can do less of or discontinue altogther.  That is up to you.

 

 

6) The DVD3 have two moving meditations, none of them is it. I suppose that you make a mistake, should be written "Volume four"?

>What are you talking about?  Just practice volume 3 until both are memorized and you can do them with eyes closed.

 

So, If I was able to understand something, I suppose that:

 

7) When I begin to learn the DVD4, I should be training daily:

------a)1 from DVD1+1 form DVD2+ 1 from DVD3 AND Maybe practicing a “second best exercise” only once a week?

or

------b)-1 from DVD1+1 from DVD2+  DVD3 complete AND Maybe practicing a “second best exercise” only once a week? ?

You are creating confusion where there is none to begin with.  No one has posted such confused and abstruse questions in the 8 years and 3 months of this discussion thread.  I will attribute the confusion to your unfamliarity with English.  My best advice is to just practice the DVDs from Volumes 1 and 2 and move forward until you have practiced everything and memorized Long Form Standing Meditation called "FLying Phoenix Heavenly healing Chi Meditation" taught on Vol.4.   

 

8) AFTER learn DVD4 should I abandon completely the practice of the DVDs 1,2,3 ? Or should continue practicing them once a week?

That is totally up to you.  I have advised every student of mine and every person following this forum that for shortage of time, the practice of Vol.4's Long Form Standing Mwditation (FPHHCM) can subsume practice of all the preceding standing FP Meditations--but not the seated ones.  If one practices FPHHCM alone on a daily or regulary basis, one will maintain peak immunity and continually perfect one's control over one's internal energy and involuntary organ functions.  But if one has unlimited time, one should practice all of the FP Meditations as regularly as possible. 

**Nothing in this Flying Phoenix Qigong art is to be "abandoned" or jettisoned and never practiced again.

 

9) The next DVDs are “extras” to the main system? I suppose that the DVD5 don’t replace a practice of the DVD4, right?

It should be quite obvious that the five 90-second standing FP Meditations taught on Volume 5 cannot replace the Volume 4 capstone exercise.   

 

Nor DVD7 replace DVD2?    

Correct again.  That the Vol. 7 meditations do not supplant the practice of the Vol.2 Meditations becomes obvious to you when you become familiar with each one of the seated meditations on Vol.2 and with each one on Vol. 7.  

 

10)By the explanations it seems that the correct steup training schedule  to the DVD1+DVD2 should be  like this, but I don1t know where put the two meditations of the DVD3:

You can put the Vol.3 Meditations, "Wind Through Treetops" and "Moonbeam Splashes on Water" anywhere that you care to in your training schedule.  Just do them.

 

Good luck with your training.

Just work your way through the DVD series from start to finish, Vol.1 through Vol.7 and practice all the Meditations thoroughly and equally. 

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

 

P.S.  Please read "Jack of Hearts'" very nice and very clear interpretation of the FP Training Guidelines in his posting above:

 

*******************************************************

From point 3 to point 6, we can see that:

- you should start practicing one standing and one seating meditation for two weeks at least, then add another standing and seating meditation and then again adding one standing and seating meditation until you practice: 3 standing and 3 seating meditation per day. You should do this for at least 2 months.

 

From point 6 to point 8, we can see that:

- once it is done you set aside these 6 meditations and follow the same process with all the others meditations of all the DVDs from volume 1 to 3. Which means that you should always pratice no more than 6 meditations per day. So it is not about practicing 8 hours a day.

 

From point 9 and 11, we can see that:

- after learning all the meditations from wol 1 to 3, you can choose the meditations you like most and practice them daily for 6 months; then rotate with other meditations.

- you may also add the long standing meditation from vol 4 (there is probably a typo about this in the training schedule).

Edited January 23, 2018 by zen-bear

[zen-bear]

deleted as duplicate.

Edited January 23, 2018 by zen-bear

[zen-bear]

On 1/17/2018 at 2:45 AM, Jack of Hearts said:

Hi SandroFV,

 

I am sorry to see that you have hard time figuring out how to practice.

 

Let's look at the training schedule (http://taichimania.com/trainingschedule.html) :

 

******************************

Training Schedule

 

1. Learn and diligently practice one standing exercise and one seated meditation at a time.

2. Master each exercise so that you can do the breathing sequence and the posture and movements from memory with your eyes closed.

3. For an intensive start: practice one standing and one seated meditation everyday for two weeks.

4. After two weeks or longer of practice, add the next standing and seated meditation appearing on the video, while continuing practice of the first two meditations.

5. Then after two more weeks of practicing two standing exercises and two seated meditations every day, add the next standing exercise and the next seated meditation.

6. After you have increased your practice to three standing meditations and three seated meditations, practice this combination daily for at least two months. This can take between 50 to 70 minutes a day. This training time can be broken up into several sessions spread-out throughout the day.

 

7. Now begin another cycle of practice starting with a new standing meditation (Number #4) and new seated meditation (Number #4) everyday for two weeks, and repeat steps #3 through #6.

8. Continue with more cycles of this "step-up" training until you have practiced all the exercises in Volumes One through Three. The latter standing exercises are much longer forms than the introductory ones and require more time to learn and memorize. Go slowly.

 

9. Once you have learned all of the meditations, and can feel the different energetic effects that each one has, select your favorite exercises (one or two that have the most pronounced effect on your energy level and well-being) and practice them daily for six months.

10. After the six months, you can scale back your practice of your favorite exercises to once a week. Then pick up another two exercises that you feel are similarly powerful and effective and practice them daily for six months.

11. Practice the standing long form meditation called "Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditation" (on Volume Three) as regularly as you can for vitality and strong immunity. This long form meditation is the capstone to the system.

12. In summary, learn each exercise following steps #3 through #6, and then master your favorite Flying Phoenix exercises-and ultimately the entire system-by practicing each one daily for six months.

 

*******************************************************

From point 3 to point 6, we can see that:

- you should start practicing one standing and one seating meditation for two weeks at least, then add another standing and seating meditation and then again adding one standing and seating meditation until you practice: 3 standing and 3 seating meditation per day. You should do this for at least 2 months.

 

From point 6 to point 8, we can see that:

- once it is done you set aside these 6 meditations and follow the same process with all the others meditations of all the DVDs from volume 1 to 3. Which means that you should always pratice no more than 6 meditations per day. So it is not about practicing 8 hours a day.

 

From point 9 and 11, we can see that:

- after learning all the meditations from wol 1 to 3, you can choose the meditations you like most and practice them daily for 6 months; then rotate with other meditations.

- you may also add the long standing meditation from vol 4 (there is probably a typo about this in the training schedule).

 

Hope it helps.

Happy practicing

 

 

Hello Jack of Hearts,

 

Thank you very much  for your very clear summary interpretation of the training guidelines for SandroFV...and your subsequent comment about finding it odd that he should be searching for a logical critera or framework by which to select what FP Meditations to practice.

 

It helped me to form my replies to him, most of which boil down to the old Nike slogan:  "JUST DO IT." 

I think much of the confusion, as I said, was due to English being not his first language and his admitted shortcomings in writing in English.

 

Thanks again for your help here.

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html

 

 

[zen-bear]

On 1/17/2018 at 2:45 AM, Jack of Hearts said:

Hi SandroFV,

 

I am sorry to see that you have hard time figuring out how to practice.

 

Let's look at the training schedule (http://taichimania.com/trainingschedule.html) :

 

******************************

Training Schedule

 

1. Learn and diligently practice one standing exercise and one seated meditation at a time.

2. Master each exercise so that you can do the breathing sequence and the posture and movements from memory with your eyes closed.

3. For an intensive start: practice one standing and one seated meditation everyday for two weeks.

4. After two weeks or longer of practice, add the next standing and seated meditation appearing on the video, while continuing practice of the first two meditations.

5. Then after two more weeks of practicing two standing exercises and two seated meditations every day, add the next standing exercise and the next seated meditation.

[zen-bear]

On 1/7/2018 at 9:48 AM, tao stillness said:

Not all Kundalini practices create problems. That is one reason people engage in Kundalini practice. Another reason is not so widely known. Awakening, which is a stage of higher consciousness different than Enlightenment, is achieved when Kudalini rises to the upper chakras, the brain, and remains there. It is that simple. It all depends on who is teaching you the kundalini methods in order to know if they are safe or not. That is how I view it. The Kundalini experience I had 40 years ago resulted in the most normal functioning of my brain/mind/consciousness that I have ever experienced. Thus, it was completely opposite any negative effects whatsoever. As I said, it depends on who is teaching what. 

And I practiced the short form of TTP without any problems. It was taught by someone from the Lew K. Share lineage. 

 

Thanks for your input on this "Kundalini syndrome" question, Steve.

 

I just want to say that you should come up to Lenox, MA if possible this winter while I'm here so that you can learn the Tao Tan Pai 31.  Every Monday, night I teach a 90-minute class in the Tao Tan Pai 31 Basic Meditations.  Tonight, in 90 min. plus an extra 15, I led the class the fifteen standing meditations of Tao Tan Pai 31's,  and then we did the first three (Meds. # 16, 17, and 18) seated meditation.  A jolly, energetically juicy good time was had by all.

 

Best,

 

Sifu Terry

 

[zen-bear]

On 1/17/2018 at 2:15 AM, SandroFV said:

 

 

 

 

Always adding all together, or replace them?

 

Another way to put this is:

 

 If there are ,for example, 8 DVDs form Flying phoenix chi kung, each one with one hour, the goal is to practice 8 hours a day? If suppose not, but maybe it is, they kind of thing is old, when the people live in country and have too much time available. I don't know, maybe Terence know, because this I am asking.

 

If not, some are only preparatory and can be abandoned after you reach more advanced exercises, because these more advanced already include all past benefits exercises?

 

Think like "Calhistenics+Strengh Training+Flexibility". If you are sedentary is good to do Calisthenic, but if  you do Strength Training is waste of time to do Calisthenics. But is is not waste of time to do flexibility work,  and should be trained together. This decision should be not by what you feel, but by what is need, by what the people really KNOWS about this matters.

 

 I don',t want to arrive in the DVD 4, "feel"  that it alone should be enough, and maybe three years after read here :

 

"Oh no, if you stop to praticed the DVD1 you will reduce too much the results form FPCK!".

 

Would be a great waste of time because the right information never was given when asked.

 

If doesn't matter, so a person can pick any DVD, and never do the others, and he will have the same results. We can????

But I read here in some point, when some people asked "Cam I do only the DVD1? And Terence replied

 

"If you skip DVD 2 you will lose important benefits for FPCK.

 

So, it is very simple:

 

- what exactly to do? the guidelines are confuse and need more explanations.

 

If nobody know, so say:

 

"I don't know, maybe nobody never knew"

 

But if someone know,  it would be great to be direct to the point

SandroFV,

Please get a good English interpreter to explain the Guidelines to you.  They are quite clear and accurate.  No English-speaking practitioner of FP Qigong over the past 20 YEARS has ever suffered the high level of confusion  from reading the Guidelines that you have reflected in your postings here nor has any other person ever complained about the Guidelines, which, btw, were first published and copyrighted in 1998 (as seen below).  Again, I simply attribute your confusion to your less-than-perfect understanding of the English language.

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

 

 

Edited January 23, 2018 by zen-bear

[SandroFV]

Thank you very much. I think that the problem was some details in language. Writing in a little different way solved the problem.

 

9 hours ago, zen-bear said:

, most of which boil down to the old Nike slogan:  "JUST DO IT."

As you read before, "I JUST DID IT" 2hour sa day, by six months, daily, and this didn’t helped absolutely nothing about the this. So, yes, it was really necessary more direct clarification.

 

On 18/01/2018 at 2:30 PM, Jack of Hearts said:

 

I find strange your search for logical criteria in selecting meditations.

By practicing 2 hours a day, did you find yourself more energized, having more mental focus and clarity, being more joyful and willing to engage into your daily business? If yes, having a criteria to select meditations seems of no importance to me.

 

In fact, it is exactly BECAUSE THIS a logical criteria was important, if there was some logic in this system. By all your replies I now know that there is none.

By you explanation and by what other said I deduced  that the problem was exactly because I did the two full program together always. So, as in anything in the life, if you do 12 things in a row, even “you find yourself more energized, having more mental focus and clarity, being more joyful and willing to engage into your daily business”, this will be felt like the result of the whole 12 practices,  nobody will be not able to know how each part contribute to this final result, excet maybe the very sensitive people. Exactly  because this I was worried about "how to select" them.

Maybe if I had trained each one separately (It is not a option to me, I only can do all of them in the end of night, I have no intervals in my daily activities since 6AM until 22PM.) I would be able to detect different effect from each one of them.

But it is ok, now I know what I need to know to continue in DVDs ( In this new begining, I am practicing only the DVD1 since end of november, I only will add DVD2 in March. So, maybe this time I can "feel"  some difference between them ) ,and about like the people here make their choices. I will do the mine in the way as I judge more efficient way to make any choises. I only was afraid I was losing some important infromations. Like this, for example:

 

11 hours ago, zen-bear said:

-, the practice of Vol.4's Long Form Standing Mwditation (FPHHCM) can subsume practice of all the preceding standing FP Meditations

 

--but not the seated ones. 

 

-  But if one has unlimited time, one should practice all of the FP Meditations as regularly as possible. 

**Nothing in this Flying Phoenix Qigong art is to be "abandoned" or jettisoned and never practiced again.

 

It was exactly as I had imagined, but I was not sure, the idea of select some of them began to confuse me. It was necessary confimation.

 

For while my free time is limited to two hours a day, none of them before 22:00.PM. But In 2019 I will be retired, so I will have ilimited time and my intention is to pratice the whole system during moments of the day, and the problem of selection will disappear. Thank you to everyone that help me to clear  this.

[Aeran]

For what it's worth, I've stuck with the "JUST DO IT" approach since I properly dedicated myself to the FP training a year ago and I found very quickly that the mind and body seem to develop an intuitive leaning towards certain meditations depending on what they need. With the exception of some nudging by Sifu Terry towards a couple meditations in particular and some experimentation just to get a taste for some of the later exercises, I've allowed this intuitive sense to guide my practice and found it extremely effective. I went through a long stretch at the beginning where I practiced almost exclusively with BS#3 and MHPearl and found this addressed some deep seated postural issues I didn't know I had, significantly improved my mental state and overall health and made for an easy transition into a phase where I added in MSW1 and BTB. MHPearl also seems to do an amazing job at building something of a "resorvoir" of FP Qi within the lower Dantien (accompanied by some rather incredible sensations and effects after a few months).

 

Likewise, BTB in particular has been something of a miracle meditation for me, since it's both done an incredible job of loosening up some extremely long held and progress-impeding tension in the hips and lower spine, and with improving overall internal health through what feels like a circulation of the FP Qi up and down the torso and head.

 

Cool - if maybe gross - story: last August I had a rather nasty flu/cough for a few weeks, but I found that not only would the coughing stop as soon as I started any FP meditation, but that immediately (literally, within seconds of the third closing breath of the meditation) after ending every session of BTB, I would run to the sink and proceed to cough up nasty chunks of phlegm, after which my lungs would feel much better and I'd stop coughing at all for several hours. Talk about cleansing...

 

Anyway I'm possibly rambling a bit because I'm still feeling a bit buzzy after tonight's training  but I guess what I'm trying to say is: I've found it really helps if you don't overthink it too much  As someone who tends to overthink compulsively, this aspect of the FP system has been a real blessing once I managed to embrace it. I still find myself gnawing over the exact hows and whys of the system once in a while, but at least it doesn't interfere with the practice (in fact the desire for greater understanding of the mechanics through direct experience provides an additional motivator).

 

[Joolian]

Interesting, I see myself in your post Aeran. I also pretty much stayed intuitively with Monk holding Pearl, Monk gazing at moon and the BS#2 for a long time. Mostly I did MHP right before bed and still do to have a very good sleep. Yesterday I did the "Sleeper" again since a long time and the sleep was also very very good afterwards.

 

Since I did some exercises more than the others and neglected BTB and the MSW meditations greatly, I want to focus on especially these meditations in the coming weeks. So your post inspired me to do that, thank you

[Aeran]

That's awesome dude Interestingly, I just decided to branch out a bit further and started integrating MGAM into my practice, so it's almost a bit of a trade haha (and yeah, MHPearl is amazing before bed, gets you right into those deep, super-relaxed states which drifts fairly effortlessly into a great sleep).

 

If you want things to get really interesting, do MSW1 then MGAM back to back. The last two nights I've done this combo, 20 min of MSW1 followed by 10m of MGAM (I tried for more but the arm pain is real! going to have to build up to it). I don't want to spoil it for other people or create preconceived expectations, but the results from this combo are... intense (the good kind) 

 

Another random thing which I've noticed developing in my practice is a desire to make sure I include something from the whole spread of meditations (that is to say, standing and seated, and moving and still) each day. So if I only have time for 2 meditations, I can, eg. do BTB followed by BS#3. Or if I start out with a long relaxed MHPearl, I follow it with a MSW or BS#2 (I need to do some more work on BS#1 - would probably help with building up stamina for the MGAM arm posture as well). Either way I definitely come out of a session feeling better if I check off all 4 of those categories. I'm not sure where I picked this up, but it seems like a sound principle, so I stick with it.

[Joolian]

I also try to do at least 2 of those categories - will also try to incorporate all 4 in one day. I actually made the new year's resolution to do twice as much FP this year, about 40 to 60 minutes a day. Hopefully I will hold this resolution - so far I am doing quite well and am feeling very good throughout the day. Sometimes there is a lingering bliss feeling

 

Very cool about your recommendation - I will definitely try it out! Maybe tonight or tomorrow, will report back.

 

Best,

Julian

 

Also: Can someone recommend me something to get flexible in the legs? I am still very stiff in hips and legs, so that I can't yet sit properly in normal crossed leg posture or half lotus. Has BTB helped you in this regards? Last BTB session I felt some fluid release sensation in my hamstrings.

Edited January 25, 2018 by Joolian

[zen-bear]

I would like to ask the FP community if anyone can recall or find the posting on this thread on which someone had shared a link to a webpage that had a version of the oral history about the spiritual origin of Flying Phoenix Qigong and Bok Fu Pai.

 

Thanks very much to all for your help.

 

Sifu Terry Dunn

[senseless virtue]

 

I recall these two instances. Please enjoy!

Edited January 27, 2018 by virtue

[senseless virtue]

I would like to give my early impressions about the Flying Phoenix system which I started learning through a Skype lesson with Sifu Terry in the beginning of December. Since then I have learned DVDs 1 & 2 completely and 7 partially, and already got the rest of the series for advancing soon into more advanced standing meditations.

 

It had caught my eye on this thread that there seemed to be something quite exotic and fascinating about the Flying Phoenix. There were mentions of divine origin, blue energy and aura, spontaneous jumping of healing energy for others held in positive regard, naturally achieving dhyana-samadhi, moving in very slow motion, nerves and brains getting cleansed, cumulative benefits for continuous practice, virtually no requirements for focus or thinking while practicing, breath sequencing, and not fitting into any model of energy channels. These unfamiliar aspects made me a bit cautious about the system and its supposed effects, but I'm glad that I persisted in my curiosity. The user feedback was also clear that it only brought benign healing effects and bliss like a great art is supposed to do, and then Sifu Terry had given a good impression of being a caring and capable keeper and organizer. It's certainly not trivial to produce a high-grade internal arts program for public consumption. Very few traditional internal arts masters engage their community in a casual manner on a forum like Sifu Terry does.

 

There was no difficulty learning the meditations and they worked directly out of the box, which is remarkable as most arts have a threshold for getting into the mind training aspects first, altough some could say that this is substituted with learning the breath sequencing method. My first impression when trying the system was that the exercises really have a flavor of authentic meditation and not mere strange calisthenics and stretchings to manipulate energy. Being able to take time and relax into the smooth slowness is definitely the way I like it. If I tried that with ordinary types of qigong, it would just aggravate feelings of sickness because slowing down would uncomfortably condense and hinder the ordinary energy flow. The uniqueness and gentleness of FP energy was already perceptible on the first session when Sifu Terry taught me three meditations. To give an example, Monk Holding Pearl makes the familiar Wu Ji posture much more fun than any typical jing training in Taijiquan because the jing is so coarse and heavy in comparison. Getting an oversaturation of that type of energy is not pleasant at all, so it's amazing that FP energy only saturates in cool bliss and refreshing vitality.

 

Later on it became clear that habitually training FP begins restoring a sense of physical strength that I haven't experienced in a long time. For long and often I have stuggled with pain and nervous agitation that is related to an unfortunate energy sickness, but how the FP energy works is miraculous in that it soothes the neurological conditions, takes out the pain, and really disregards any possible energetic blockages. It's as if none of those existed, but instead I feel increasing bliss and well-being. It's strange and wonderful how the experience of energy in body follows the movement of hands in the vertical plane, which is a complete departure from other types of gigong I have learned and couldn't benefit much from. This is why I have now learned to recognize its complete dismissal of energy circuits and how energy is supposed to flow as the most important and distinguishing feature of the Flying Phoenix system. It makes the art innately safe and applicable to recovery without a master's supervision.

 

I can also offer some critical views on the system, although all these are well known already. Some other systems are more lenient on how they should be practiced, but there generally are trade-offs between different arts. Everything takes its own time, effort, and right circumstances. My personal beef is mostly that it takes a bit time to get into meditations because of breath sequencing, safety requirements during the practice itself are stern, and there is a lack of freedom and playfulness because adherence to the form and slow speed is mandatory for this specific energy. Timing can also be an issue because the nature of cumulative energy really rewards long sessions. Overall these are small issues really.

 

Sifu, I would like to ask you about the internal mechanism of the other GMDW arts that you preserve: Red Lotus Flying Phoenix, Advanced Flying Phoenix, 10 000 Buddhas, and Eight Sections of Energy Combined. Does any of these arts work similarly outside of energetic circuits and channels like the basic Flying Phoenix, or do they or some of their parts fit the more ordinary models of how energy mainly follows specific channels and structures?

 

I have asked a bit and looked around and found that the same feature may not entirely apply for all of the other GMDW arts such as Sunn Yee Gung which according to Sifu Garry's labels on his Youtube videos is a spiritual alchemy (neidan) practice with many applications. I would suspect the same is true for most kungfu systems because their basic training focuses on the physical body and activating its natural pathways, although their advanced training might go well beyond these.

 

Thank you Sifu for your time and expertise and making the Flying Phoenix system available!

Edited January 28, 2018 by virtue
small additions and improvements

[Bruce Qi]

Dear SIFU TERRY

I was wondering if you have ever come across the Doo Wai meditations called san gong ?

I am currently practicing them and they are a truly beautiful set of meditations ,

Does anyone know what san gong translates to?

They are 10 in the practice with the following titles

- Child praying to the goddess of mercy

- The wind above the waves

- Breeze on top of the trees

- The monk begging for rice

- The monk serving a cup of wine

- The monk disrobing

- The sparrow returning to her perch

- Monk gazing at the moon

- Clouds above the sky

- 8 goddess heavenly form

[senseless virtue]

6 minutes ago, Bruce Qi said:

Does anyone know what san gong translates to?

The Chinese title for Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditations is given as Fei Feng San Gung. I believe that San Gung is a dialectal variant of the better known term Shen Gong which translates as work with mind/spirit.

Edited January 27, 2018 by virtue
wrong word