Loving the Eight Brocades!

[doc benway]

Most of my practice focuses on the martial aspects of taijiquan and meditation.

I practice shiba luohan qigong mostly from the perspective of martial development.

 

This weekend was a real eye opener for me!

I was nursing a bad cold last week that settled in my chest (due to my asthma) and I had to shovel ~ 2 feet of snow over the weekend from the driveway and sidewalks. I have some chronic neck and back issues from prior injuries and expected to be miserable.

 

Before and after each round of shoveling (twice on Saturday and once on Sunday), I practiced our version of the Eight Brocades. My teacher calls it Gu Chuan Ba Duan Jin - the ancient teaching of the Eight Brocades, and it's a little different than what I usually see others doing as the 8. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how effective it was. I expected to be much more sore and exhausted but it really helped a great deal. I felt so good on Sunday that I invited my training partner over and we worked out pretty hard.

 

I now plan to add a more serious consideration of Qigong for health and wellness to my regular routine.

I know I'm preaching to the choir and I should have realized this long ago but better late than never!

[soaring crane]

Great, I'm glad you discovered the "other side" of the coin

 

It's amazing to me how people get introduced to the martial side and totally miss the soft Qigong. It's good that your teacher does it with you, but I'm wondering, does he do it somewhat intesively or just kind of skirt around it and look at it as a warm-up routine? I know martial teachers who just scoff at us wimps who never get past the soft arts, lol. But I think their students are missing out on quite a bit of information and experience.

[bindo]

This version is pretty cool

 

[soaring crane]

This version is pretty cool

 

 

 

 

What was that?

 

lol, now I really do feel llike a wimp...

 

[Non]

Everyone I've seen that teaches the Eight Brocades has their own version of it.

 

Is there any one official Eight Brocades Qigong?

[soaring crane]

Everyone I've seen that teaches the Eight Brocades has their own version of it.

 

Is there any one official Eight Brocades Qigong?

 

"Official", no, no way, there are just too many variations out there. Did you open Bindo's link? If you want to see a unique version, that was a mind-bending experience, lol.

 

Yang Jwing-Ming claims to have the absolute original version, and I respect YJ-W, but still, no idea if he's right.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Eight-Simple-Qigong-...1658&sr=1-2

 

It really wouldn't make a difference to the practice, but would still be interesting to know.

[doc benway]

Great, I'm glad you discovered the "other side" of the coin

 

It's amazing to me how people get introduced to the martial side and totally miss the soft Qigong. It's good that your teacher does it with you, but I'm wondering, does he do it somewhat intesively or just kind of skirt around it and look at it as a warm-up routine? I know martial teachers who just scoff at us wimps who never get past the soft arts, lol. But I think their students are missing out on quite a bit of information and experience.

My teacher generally teaches Qigong in seminar format and leaves it up to us to figure out what we want to do with it. He shows us healing and martial aspects of the various routines and we take what we choose/need. I've just been neglecting the healing side of things for way too long! I'm older than I think....

[Ya Mu]

These exercises are great physical exercises. If done everyday they can help one to remain flexible and mobile. Good.

 

But they pale as energetic qigong exercises; I consider them physical exercises. There are far better forms for qi cultivation. A person should do both type of forms.

 

There are indeed many. many versions.

[Encephalon]

I love watching these videos for the pure joy of discovering the similarities between different styles. Almost very movement I do with Chu Nei Kung was represented here, although we practice no ballistic movements, and instead move more slowly and hold the positions for a count of at least two to three breaths of slow, continuous rthymic breathing. After 20-40 minutes of Embrace Horse, the nine movements follow:

riding the wild horse

Playing the P'i P'a

The Compass

double dragon leaps from sea

Rhinoceros gazes at moon

Riding the Tiger

Phoenix spreads wings

Hitting the Tiger

Owl turns Head

 

 

The more I practice this single routine the more I am convinced of its efficiency and power. www.neikungla.com

 

When I started it in Sept of 2007 I had no idea what I was getting into, except for some intellectual grasp of the principles explained on the website. It wasn't until the spring of this year that I even knew what MCO was all about, but once I did the research, it cranked right up. I'm still gathering my own catalogue of psychological benefits, but the physical ones are easily deciphered, the most obvious being a deep level of flexibility that more conventional stretching techniques never brought me to, and spontaneous energy movement throughout my meridians, especially when I am being still or actually doing sitting meditation. "Oh, the stomach meridian is opening up through the top of my foot today. Cool!" And I just go with it.

 

I'm 49, and don't expect to be an accomplished fighter with my shoulder the way it is, but the energy flow sure is pleasant.

 

Oh, and BTW, there is still a great deal of movement in the head, and I haven't yet suffered ill effects, except for some pressure headaches when the brow chakra started to pulse. As long as I stick with the dissolving -

Water - method of Frantzis, and go from top down, gate by gate, the circuits seem very open, unblocked, spacious, and exhilarating. When my feet first opened up, it felt like I was giving myself my own reflexology treatment, from the inside out. Thanks Bruce and Master Chu.

[bindo]

I love watching these videos for the pure joy of discovering the similarities between different styles. Almost very movement I do with Chu Nei Kung was represented here

Hey Blasto,

 

I was hoping you would see the video I posted. It's interesting to see the similarities between Chu Nei Kung and Yang Ba Duan Jin.

 

I've got to get down to L.A. for instruction from Jim.

[joeblast]

tx for the link bindo, I liked that version. havent done bdj completely in forever but some of the movements have been incorporated into my dailies.