Flying Phoenix Chi Kung

[Aeran]

Well I think at the least we can all agree that this probably belongs in another thread...

 

Happy NY to all the FP people around the world (and, of course, Sifu Terry) - here's to another year of practice  

Edited December 31, 2017 by Aeran

[Earl Grey]

Posting another review of my second one-on-one class with Sifu Terry:

 

It is very hard to not get excited about stories of the martial and Taoist world and applications of Flying Phoenix, to the point I nearly crossed into double lesson territory but was graciously pardoned for this lapse in discipline by Sifu Terry and balanced the time difference with a small compensation. The level of familiarity that builds up is great and one must always remember to be consciously disciplined to remember that it's class first--which is a lot harder than it seems because for me, stories are a way of giving life to the practice and inspiring more and more effort. 

 

We went over more martial applications from Sifu Terry's other traditions and corrections for the long form on volume 4 which has me emphasize that while you can easily learn the form from the DVD, it will take much effort and work directly with Sifu Terry in order to truly master its subtleties. 

 

Other noteworthy points were being able to discover how one's form shows the tension in our bodies (common with many high-level masters) and its relationship to primal therapy with the onion layers of anger, frustration, pain, and unmet needs and how grit and grace are the two words that summarize the cathartic nature of Flying Phoenix. For those who find unexplored depths in the psyche and reminders of the skeletons in our closets that we try to hide, you can't hide from reality or yourself when doing the Work, for the Work itself will tap you on the shoulder to help you remember that you still have much to work on and can't hide. 

 

Anger, anxiety, despair, and fear? You can't hide behind a stiff upper lip. A great career with great income and online profile will also never compensate for a tumultuous inner life. You can't escape--you have to confront it and grow out of it. As I confront my inner child's needs through the practice, I remind myself again it's not about me and remind everyone to always invoke those four words when faced with trials and tribulations, including but not limited to those of the physical, financial, social, emotional, and mental variety.

 

Don't wait and don't let the price of lessons dissuade you--you will grow exponentially whether in person or on Skype, Flying Phoenix-related or not. Don't be scared--healthcare and psychiatric care will cost you and taxpayer money far more than $220 USD an hour, but you will still get infinitely more value through the DVD series and personal instruction with Sifu Terry. 

[Sulo Eno]

Hello,

I joined this site specifically to practice Flying Phoenix Chi Kung. However, I am wondering if I am able to do this properly for the health (non-spiritual) benefits only. I don't need any supernatural sensations. I certainly don't want any negative Kundalini syndrome-like effects. I am not a Taoist. Is my task quite impossible? I have e-mailed the author of the DVDs, Sifu Dunn, but I'm sure he's quite busy. Does anyone have any input? Better yet, anyone in my situation? I am a practicing Catholic (I have read that a Master Duan was as well).

 

Regards.

[Earl Grey]

10 hours ago, Sulo Eno said:

Hello,

I joined this site specifically to practice Flying Phoenix Chi Kung. However, I am wondering if I am able to do this properly for the health (non-spiritual) benefits only. I don't need any supernatural sensations. I certainly don't want any negative Kundalini syndrome-like effects. I am not a Taoist. Is my task quite impossible? I have e-mailed the author of the DVDs, Sifu Dunn, but I'm sure he's quite busy. Does anyone have any input? Better yet, anyone in my situation? I am a practicing Catholic (I have read that a Master Duan was as well).

 

Regards.

 

Welcome. I know a few people who are devout Catholics and have no problems with Flying Phoenix (they make it their daily practice), so there is no issue unless you believe there is something to worry about. It has been covered in this thread multiple times that one does not need to be a Buddhist or Taoist but to just enjoy the practice and understand that only positive can come from the form when practicing correctly. In my encounters with people from the Catholic faith, some are very suspicious of Qigong and call it "Satanic" and can never entertain the idea of anything outside of the church. Others, priests included, have no problem with it so long as adherents to the faith remember all things come from their God and that the practice strengthens their connection to their church. 

 

As for Duan Zhi Liang, he practiced Primordial Chaos (Hun Dun) Qigong and was indeed from a Catholic family, and very devout as well. 

 

Enjoy your practice and don't feel shy about being a non-Taoist or non-Buddhist--we are here to practice Flying Phoenix Qigong and have a pleasant community, not to falsify and mock other faiths. 

[Sulo Eno]

12 minutes ago, Earl Grey said:

 

Welcome. I know a few people who are devout Catholics and have no problems with Flying Phoenix (they make it their daily practice), so there is no issue unless you believe there is something to worry about. It has been covered in this thread multiple times that one does not need to be a Buddhist or Taoist but to just enjoy the practice and understand that only positive can come from the form when practicing correctly. In my encounters with people from the Catholic faith, some are very suspicious of Qigong and call it "Satanic" and can never entertain the idea of anything outside of the church. Others, priests included, have no problem with it so long as adherents to the faith remember all things come from their God and that the practice strengthens their connection to their church. 

 

As for Duan Zhi Liang, he practiced Primordial Chaos (Hun Dun) Qigong and was indeed from a Catholic family, and very devout as well. 

 

Enjoy your practice and don't feel shy about being a non-Taoist or non-Buddhist--we are here to practice Flying Phoenix Qigong and have a pleasant community, not to falsify and mock other faiths. 

Hi,

Thanks much for the response. One item was unclear:

"...so there is no issue unless you believe there is something to worry about." If there is nothing to worry about (per my original question, such as the Kundalini syndrome-like effects), then there wouldn't be anything to worry about.

[Earl Grey]

40 minutes ago, Sulo Eno said:

Hi,

Thanks much for the response. One item was unclear:

"...so there is no issue unless you believe there is something to worry about." If there is nothing to worry about (per my original question, such as the Kundalini syndrome-like effects), then there wouldn't be anything to worry about.

 

I haven't heard any sort of issue in this thread nor have I and my local community of practitioners, but I certainly don't believe it's an issue and Sifu Terry will likely better explain. 

[Sulo Eno]

27 minutes ago, Earl Grey said:

 

I haven't heard any sort of issue in this thread nor have I and my local community of practitioners, but I certainly don't believe it's an issue and Sifu Terry will likely better explain. 

Thanks. 

I would very much enjoy an explanation from Sifu Terry at some point.

 

Best regards.

[Sudhamma]

12 hours ago, Sulo Eno said:

Hello,

I joined this site specifically to practice Flying Phoenix Chi Kung. However, I am wondering if I am able to do this properly for the health (non-spiritual) benefits only. I don't need any supernatural sensations. I certainly don't want any negative Kundalini syndrome-like effects. I am not a Taoist. Is my task quite impossible? I have e-mailed the author of the DVDs, Sifu Dunn, but I'm sure he's quite busy. Does anyone have any input? Better yet, anyone in my situation? I am a practicing Catholic (I have read that a Master Duan was as well).

 

Regards.

Flying Phoenix Chi Kung is one of numerous systems of qigong. Major systems emphasize different "aspects", for instance, more physical movements at one extreme, to a more static posturing with mindful breathing on the other extreme. As with systems, so are students, some will benefit from more physical movements as their lifestyle is more inactive, while some are physically weak and less mobile will benefit from static forms of qigong. Though the word 'qigong' means, effort and commitment to cultivate inner energy or "breath", systems also differ with no emphasis on any systemized breathing method on one end of the spectrum to disciplined system of a particular method of breathing on the other end. Whether or not a qigong system is effective therefore depends on the quality and depth of instruction, the student's situation and the system that he chose. The religious aspect of qigong, especially in Taoist (Daoist) system is restricted to qi-cultivation and not to cause the student to attain immmortality or supernatural powers; better health mentally, and physically yes. 

[taoguy]

Personally, I believe that not all forms of qigong are equal. They work on different levels in different manners with different methods. FPQG works on chi but it seems to derive its power from a much higher level, perhaps that of shen, which is why it is written FP shen-gong instead of qigong in its chinese characters on the official site.

 

Personally, from personal experience in Buddhist breath meditation, this kind of allostasis/harmonization is often achieved when the mind's thoughts are suddenly suppressed by a force/energy, eventually causing a friction of the four elements of wind, fire, water and earth, producing manifestations on the body, such as warmth, itchiness, pain and so on. Usually these kind of interactions happen when you transit from a coarser body into a subtler body, from coarser energy to subtler energies. At this moment, you would be able to feel the breath moving in particular patterns inside the body, usually breathing through the hair-pores, whereas the 'nostril breathing' has already been shut off.

 

I am not that sensitive yet in wisdom-discernment to be able to tell exactly what FPQG is doing in terms of the wind-element of the body, but I can tell that different breath sequences tend to ignite different patterns of wind movement in the body. For example, 'bending the bows' produces a distinctive different pattern from 'monk holding pearl', etc. Sometimes it is even possible to feel like the body has 'vanished' and that a mist-like, light-sensation body is in that place, the movement guided by wind, and the wind guided by mind movement, as if it is automatically-moved.

 

So basically my gist from this is ... If you master one yogic door, you master them all. The insights I got from breath meditation are very easily applicable to this shen-gong. I believe this to be the case for many types of other qigong, it does depend on the degree of wisdom you've developed though.

 

On a side-note, I agree with Earl Grey on the online-coaching, if you are serious about making progress with FPQG, do jump aboard with that. It doesn't matter what level you are at, the subtleties that Sifu Terry spots are sometimes things that I did not notice - for example, the angle of my wrist when doing 'Moon Gazing at Moon', how wide apart the feet are, the slight twisting of the arms, how far back to stretch certain movements, the non-necessity of certain movements, bad habits, poor development in certain aspects which needs more individualized training in certain movements, and so on. Sifu Terry has a pretty busy schedule and sometimes I feel bad trying to fit my hectic and sometimes unpredictable schedule with his, but he has always been very generous and accommodating with his time, which I am sure he will too if you are serious about learning from him as well.

Edited January 5, 2018 by taoguy

[zen-bear]

14 hours ago, Sulo Eno said:

Hello,

I joined this site specifically to practice Flying Phoenix Chi Kung. However, I am wondering if I am able to do this properly for the health (non-spiritual) benefits only. I don't need any supernatural sensations. I certainly don't want any negative Kundalini syndrome-like effects. I am not a Taoist. Is my task quite impossible? I have e-mailed the author of the DVDs, Sifu Dunn, but I'm sure he's quite busy. Does anyone have any input? Better yet, anyone in my situation? I am a practicing Catholic (I have read that a Master Duan was as well).

 

Regards.

Hello Sulo Eno,

Yes, anyone can practice Flying Phoenix Chi Kung solely for its health benefits.   While it was created by a Taoist and preserved through a Taoist martial arts tradition, Bok Fu Pai, any of the arts under the Bok Fu Pai umbrella can be practiced by anyone of any religious faith or spiritual path.  I myself was raised a Protestant Christian and I've never encountered any conflict between my Christian faith and the Taoist and Buddhist religious philosophies and spiritual traditions that I am initiated in as a result of my level of attainment in the Tao Tan Pai and Bok Fu Pai martial, yogic, and healing arts--as well as in Tai Chi Chuan and Liu he Ba Fa.  I would say that all the arts that I teach, including FP Qigong, are "non-sectarian."  You don't have to subscribe to any religious belief and philosophical tenets from any culture or appropriate any belief system whatsoever in order to derive the maximum health benefits from FP Qigong.

 

I certainly don't want any negative Kundalini syndrome-like effects.   FP Qigong is extremely safe and is virtually foolproof.  As I've stated many times, one has to really try hard and be truly bent to give oneself any type of energy sickness from practicing FP Qigong!  What you call "Kundalini syndrome" cannot be contracted from FP Practice because FP Qigong does not concentrate on cultivating the Kundalini energy to any extent like other Qigong arts, such as Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method.)

 

Sifu Terence Dunn

 

www.taichimania.com/chikng_catalog.html

[Sulo Eno]

9 hours ago, zen-bear said:

Hello Sulo Eno,

Yes, anyone can practice Flying Phoenix Chi Kung solely for its health benefits.   While it was created by a Taoist and preserved through a Taoist martial arts tradition, Bok Fu Pai, any of the arts under the Bok Fu Pai umbrella can be practiced by anyone of any religious faith or spiritual path.  I myself was raised a Protestant Christian and I've never encountered any conflict between my Christian faith and the Taoist and Buddhist religious philosophies and spiritual traditions that I am initiated in as a result of my level of attainment in the Tao Tan Pai and Bok Fu Pai martial, yogic, and healing arts--as well as in Tai Chi Chuan and Liu he Ba Fa.  I would say that all the arts that I teach, including FP Qigong, are "non-sectarian."  You don't have to subscribe to any religious belief and philosophical tenets from any culture or appropriate any belief system whatsoever in order to derive the maximum health benefits from FP Qigong.

 

I certainly don't want any negative Kundalini syndrome-like effects.   FP Qigong is extremely safe and is virtually foolproof.  As I've stated many times, one has to really try hard and be truly bent to give oneself any type of energy sickness from practicing FP Qigong!  What you call "Kundalini syndrome" cannot be contracted from FP Practice because FP Qigong does not concentrate on cultivating the Kundalini energy to any extent like other Qigong arts, such as Tao Tan Pai (Taoist Elixir Method.)

 

Sifu Terence Dunn

 

www.taichimania.com/chikng_catalog.html

Thanks much. 

Out of curiosity, is the Tao Tan Pai something that can produce this Kundalini syndrome (or something like it)? I have always wondered why people engage in Kundalini practice, when it is not infrequent that harmful effects are a consequence (and not uncomplicated to undo).

[tao stillness]

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. 

Edited January 7, 2018 by tao stillness
to add a point.

[taoguy]

On 1/6/2018 at 1:55 AM, Sulo Eno said:

Thanks much. 

Out of curiosity, is the Tao Tan Pai something that can produce this Kundalini syndrome (or something like it)? I have always wondered why people engage in Kundalini practice, when it is not infrequent that harmful effects are a consequence (and not uncomplicated to undo).

 

Any kundalini practice, if done wrongly, can lead to deviations. That's why if you learn TTP, you need someone to guide you and see whether your postures are correct. I learnt TTP on a basic level from Sifu Terry and I can say that it has greatly enhanced FPQG for me. However, TTP seems to be much harder work than FPQG in terms of gong-fu, such as the conditioning of the legs in deeper horse-stance, breath-work, etc.  I still feel that it is certainly worth it given how it synergises so well.

Edited January 8, 2018 by taoguy

[tao stillness]

The harder work required by TTP is one reason I stopped doing it.

But when I did it briefly even just doing the first movement resulted in so much stronger sensations of chi coming from the few other styles of qigong I was doing. But these days I am not into harder work. 

[taoguy]

I asked a Zen master (who is also a Tai Ji Quan master) what his opinion was on just seeing the Flying Phoenix Long Form and his reply was: "Practicing any form of tai chi is so important - body, Self & Soul are together, then, for that moment we are One. Very good, very very good." Interestingly, he encouraged me to continue on with this form instead of asking me to do Tai Ji Quan. Yet another testimonial on how powerful this qigong is. 

Edited January 9, 2018 by taoguy

[BluePhoenix133]

Hi, i wanted to ask if any one recalls a type of chi gong that i think was mentioned in this thread or perhaps on another in the dao bums forum. It was some kind of medical chi gong that produced the fragrance of flowers.

For some reason i keep thinking about it.

Thank you.

[Earl Grey]

1 hour ago, BluePhoenix133 said:

Hi, i wanted to ask if any one recalls a type of chi gong that i think was mentioned in this thread or perhaps on another in the dao bums forum. It was some kind of medical chi gong that produced the fragrance of flowers.

For some reason i keep thinking about it.

Thank you.

 

Fragrant Qigong, or Xiang Gong. I practiced it before Flying Phoenix and haven't gone back because they are incompatible to be done together due to the restriction of Xiang Gong that states no abnormal breathing techniques, which would include the breath control sequence of our practice. 

 

There are a few threads I've posted in about the matter, but feel free to PM me if you want to know more. 

[BluePhoenix133]

Hi, i have another question. Why is it when i do mindfulness meditation, seated with my right hand  in my left palm, do i sometimes feel more flying phoenix chi than when i am actually doing the flying phoenix meditations?

I remember it being mentioned that a reserve is built up, in the dan tien? Is that reserve finite? Also am i more attuned to the chi and tapping into it outside of my built up reserve?

Thank you.

[SandroFV]

On 16/12/2017 at 10:55 PM, SandroFV said:

(English is not my primary language. I am Brazilian, can understand well written english, but to write can be a different matter and I almost never need write in english. So I don’t know how clear is my written English, so I ask you some patience if my sentences seems a little “weird” to you.)

...................................................................................................................................

 

..................................................................................................................................

Hello!

I am a new member, I know this forum there some years but only today I decided register me.

 

I have some doubts about the Flying Phoenix guidelines. I practiced DVD1+DVD2 daily for six months, but I became confused about what to do with the DVD3 and DVD4.Some time after begin to learn DVD3 I gave up. I am returning to practice since one month ago and would like to solve this 'mysteries', before arrive again in the point where they become  a problem.

I tried obtain some direct explanations by email maybe three times, but taichimania never replied, so I will try obtain the answers here.

 

This topic is great but is so long that even if I try research, I found pages and pages and in none of them I found the direct reply to the points that I am looking for. So excuse me if I am asking a repeated question.

 

In the Training schedule ( http://www.taichimania.com/trainingschedule.html ), point 7, says:

 

 

1) This means what exactly?

 

----a)- Should I  abandon the practice of the first group 3 standing and 3 seated meditation to replace them for the next group?

----b)- Or should I continue doing them and only add the new meditations, and the GOAL would be  practicing DVD1+DVD2+DVD3  daily?

 

Maybe you think that item 8 clears this, but not:

 

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”

 

I ask this because you suggest that “some past experience” is enough to we can reduce the total time of practice. The item 9 suggest that some exercises will be abandoned in some point:

 

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?

 

And in 10 you says:

 

 

4) It means:

 

-----a)-after I left behind the practice of those 9 exercises I go back and pick two o them? But if they have some utility why they should be abandoned for so long time? I will not lose their effects for not practice for 6 months? Won't be better practice all of them daily?

 

-----b)-I should continue this cycle (pick two, practice 6monhs, scale back them to once a week, pick other two, practice 6 months, scale back to once  week, pick another two.....until make the same all 5 standind+6 seated? Or only with the two stronger effect exercises of each group?

 

5) And about those two moving meditations of DVD3? They can be abandoned too? Or I should  pick one of them so?  

           Like so: - 1 favorite exercise from DVD1 + 1 favorite exercise from DVD2+ all DVD3

 

Here seems there is some confusion:

 

 

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

 

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? ?

 

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

 

9) The next DVDs are “extras” to the main system? I suppose that the DVD5 don’t replace a practice of the DVD4, right? Nor DVD7 replace DVD2?

 

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:

 

 

DVD 1- 5 standing meditations*             ----DVD 2 - 6 seated meditations

ITEM FROM TRAINING SHCEDULE	FIRST CYCLE	FIRST 2 WEEKS	SECOND 2 WEEKS	THIRD 2 WEEKS	LAST 8 WEEKS
3-6	STANDING	EXERCISE #1	EXERCISE #1 + #2	EXERCISE #1 + #2 + #3	EXERCISE #1 + #2 + #3
	SEATED	EXERCISE #1	EXERCISE #1 + #2	EXERCISE #1 + #2 + #3	EXERCISE #1 + #2 + #3
7-8	SECOND CYCLE	15-16TH WEEKS	17-18TH 2 WEEKS	19-20 2 WEEKS	LAST 8 WEEKS
	STANDING	EXERCISE #4	EXERCISE #4 + #5	EXERCISE #4 + #5 +??? *	EXERCISE #4 + #5 +??? *
	SEATED	EXERCISE #4	EXERCISE #4 + #5	EXERCISE #4 + #5 + #6	EXERCISE #1 + #2 + #3
9	THIRD CYCLE	NEXT 6 MONTHS
	STANDING	FAVORITE EXERCISE 1
	SEATED	FAVORITE EXERCISE 2
10	Fourth cycle	FEX1+FEX2- ONCE A WEEK FEX3+FEX4- DAILY
11		Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Chi Meditation DAILY

 

 

 

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.  

 

[taoguy]

On 1/13/2018 at 2:09 PM, BluePhoenix133 said:

Hi, i have another question. Why is it when i do mindfulness meditation, seated with my right hand  in my left palm, do i sometimes feel more flying phoenix chi than when i am actually doing the flying phoenix meditations?

I remember it being mentioned that a reserve is built up, in the dan tien? Is that reserve finite? Also am i more attuned to the chi and tapping into it outside of my built up reserve?

Thank you.

 

I'm not advanced at all, just a beginner like you, but I feel the FP chi going into my brain centers mainly, I get a really 'refreshing' feeling in my head areas. I remember somewhere on the thread Sifu Terry said that the FP chi can be stored anywhere, monk-holding-pearl going to lower dan tian, peach going to heart, gazing-at-moon to third-eye and so on. But then again he used "store" so it may not literally mean storing too haha

Edited January 14, 2018 by taoguy

[Echo]

Are there any news on the possibility to get access to the videos over the internet (i.e via streaming)? 

 

[cihan]

Dear SandroFV

The way you ask makes answering very difficult. If you feel like you have practiced from the basic exercises to your satisfaction, do the intermediate series and also start working on the long form. Fpck does not act on everybody the same, so that scheduling of yours is very personal to you of which only you can resolve. Do what your heart feels like, and exercises will evolve. The key is practicing and applying the sceptic mind to personal experiences. 

[SandroFV]

 

 

 

1 hour ago, cihan said:

The way you ask makes answering very difficult. If you feel like you have practiced from the basic exercises to your satisfaction, do the intermediate series and also start working on the long form

 

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

[Earl Grey]

Perhaps the way you might understand practice is this: learn the forms and practice them and gradually learn new ones. Do not give up older forms, but do not obsess and do all forms every day. 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. If anything my practice of long form makes me appreciate the basic forms in the earlier volumes and doing the earlier volumes helps me understand the long form.

[Bubbles]

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