how to open chakras?

[dragonphoenix]

hello please reply to inform me on this topic

[sabretooth]

Meditate on them.

By focusing on an energy centre you send energy to it.

That in turn activate's them .

 

sabretooth.

[markern]

Meditate on them.

By focusing on an energy centre you send energy to it.

That in turn activate's them .

 

sabretooth.

 

You probably need some guidance to do this, at least a very detailed book. It also depends upon the meditation. As I understand it some will just fine tune a bit whereas others will set in motion powerful processes.

 

One method is chanting a mantra externally or internally that vibrates in the area of the chakra. Another is just to bring awareness or intent to the area of the chakra or to visualize a color or yantra there.

 

They have Chakra meditations in KAP. The orbit is also sort of a chakra meditation.

[Mal]

Moved to Taoist discussion

 

Mod squad

[NeiChuan]

You probably need some guidance to do this, at least a very detailed book. It also depends upon the meditation. As I understand it some will just fine tune a bit whereas others will set in motion powerful processes.

 

One method is chanting a mantra externally or internally that vibrates in the area of the chakra. Another is just to bring awareness or intent to the area of the chakra or to visualize a color or yantra there.

 

They have Chakra meditations in KAP. The orbit is also sort of a chakra meditation.

 

Yeah I'd say probably the orbit/or circulation could help you with that.

[Cyril]

In my wanderings, chanting mantras or visualizing colors work to a certain extent, but they don't really work to fully give you the full experience of having opened each chakra. By using a one-pointed meditation technique to quiet your mind and to reduce one's sensitivity to external stimuli that might otherwise distract you, you can move forward to working on awareness of each chakra. Knowing the approximate physical locations of these chakras is important in bringing your awareness there at first, but as you move along you won't even have to make yourself bring the awareness there, it will happen automagically

 

Also, make sure you go from the Root chakra (1st) up to the crown chakra (7th) in that order, one by one, making sure you have fully opened each one before you move on to trying to open the next one in subsequent steps. So if you were success in opening the 1st and 2nd chakras, you would move up to opening the 3rd chakra, with the 1st and 2nd being open by way of your bringing awareness at that time to your 3rd chakra. Not being methodical and persistent about it could end up making strange imbalances that are not particularly fun to deal with after the fact.

 

Hopefully some of this at least made some sense

Edited February 26, 2010 by Cyril

[Sloppy Zhang]

In my wanderings, chanting mantras or visualizing colors work to a certain extent, but they don't really work to fully give you the full experience of having opened each chakra. By using a one-pointed meditation technique to quiet your mind and to reduce one's sensitivity to external stimuli that might otherwise distract you, you can move forward to working on awareness of each chakra. Knowing the approximate physical locations of these chakras is important in bringing your awareness there at first, but as you move along you won't even have to make yourself bring the awareness there, it will happen automagically :-)

 

Also, make sure you go from the Root chakra (1st) up to the crown chakra (7th) in that order, one by one, making sure you have fully opened each one before you move on to trying to open the next one in subsequent steps. So if you were success in opening the 1st and 2nd chakras, you would move up to opening the 3rd chakra, with the 1st and 2nd being open by way of your bringing awareness at that time to your 3rd chakra. Not being methodical and persistent about it could end up making strange imbalances that are not particularly fun to deal with after the fact.

 

Hopefully some of this at least made some sense :-)

 

Thanks for the info, great post Cyril

[Ya Mu]

How to open a chakra?

 

You go to the store and getya a chakra opener. I like the blue-green ones as they seem to work better.

EVERYONE knows that the red ones don't work as well.

 

And EVERYONE knows exactly the proper time of night to open the chakra; if you try to open one of those suckers at the wrong time of day I hear that little things pop out of them and a person can't walk in a straight line afterwords.

 

Not trying to make light of your question, but only one person in 10,000 seems to understand that chakras have dimensionality, unlike the ENERGY CENTERS that have a more or less fixed location, so how the heck do you expect a question like this to be answered on a forum? Are you seriously considering trying to do this from suggestions on a forum? If so, my, how brave you are! Or perhaps some words of caution are in order? If someone tells you they have seen many anomalies in folks that have played around would you heed the words? Probably not; carry on.

[Birch]

Ok, now I'm interested

 

I was reading something the other day that concerned NOT having them (chakras)open as probably more of a good idea, per your multidimensional suggestion. As a reference to "energy centres" then we still have some ideas of "activity" vs "inactivity" and there's lots of nice literature (and teachers) who will clue people in. The "traditional" chakras (the 7 or 8) also have their TCM concordance as well as their endocrine mapping. It's lots of fun/interesting to get into but IMO takes some study and perhaps some guidance?

 

In my posts, when I mention "3rd chakra" or "4th chakra", I'm very much talking about bodily-based issues. Yes they have their metaphysical correlations but I'm not (yet) clued in as far as multiple dimensions go. Sometimes I figure I have enough to work out in this dimension

[gj551]

thinking about chakras and tcm made me wondering if it wasnt really just a way of looking at stuff which had no inherent structure at all

 

since as of yet there was no such thread to be found we may try our luck equating chakras and elixir fields

 

a less known thing about chakras is that according to common lore on the internet chakra 2 to 6 have a front and back side/vortex which may correspond to the jen (funtion) mo und tu (governor) mo channel

 

if i go by the definition given by mister avalon in the serpent power the muladhara chakra is where mister luk pinpoints the mortal gate (sheng szu ch'iao). now here differences start. if id simply focus on said regoin i presumably wouldnt get anywhere since the generative force would have to be transmutated in the respective elixir field but according to tantric yoga im supposed to do exactly that to aroused the snake which lies there coiled 3 and a half times

 

another questions which remains left in the open is if the upper cauldron does resemble the 6th or 7th chakra.. because descriptions locate it as being between and behind the eyes (some books as this http://www.amazon.com/Sexual-Teachings-Jade-Dragon-Revitalization/dp/0892819634/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267186041&sr=8-4 for example have graphical depictions too which makes it easy to identify as the ajna chakra) so that the sahsrara could fulfill the role of the aperture of brahman where one kind of exits at the end appear in countless transformation bodys in space. but then i for one feel the upper dantien as being the 7th chakra because it is diametrically opposed to the lowest one and as such would function as the other end of the line. hu xuezhi writes

There are four most important points in human body: the Hui Yin acupoint at the bottom, the Shan Zhong acupoint in the front, the upper elixir field at the top and the clipping spine pass in the back. Linking the four points with lines you can get a rectangle

http://www.taoiststudy.com/content/step-7-revolve-first-water-wheel-2

imho the corners of it would then imply the front and back side of the anahata and the 1st and the 7th chakra

[3L3VAT3]

yea... there seems to be a lot of disrepency/different opinion as to wtf is up with the chakras...

like for example they say to open em in order; but a lot of people here give advice that you should focus on the dantien... well isn't that the 3rd chakra?

also some think the second is the point between the kidneys (gate of life, right?), and some say it's the sexual center at the pubic bone... some say the 3rd is the navel, and some way its' the solar plexus...

hmmm, differnt strokes fer differnt folks...

but i was watching the Esoteric Anatomy by UMAA tantra (JUST got #6) and i really like how they break it down in regards to easy access (not being too complicated) maybe you could peep it and it'll help you...

[RyanO]

I don't know about the chakras specifically, but I will say that the Inner Smile can allow some powerful energy flow and help with accessing deep inner realms...

[Sloppy Zhang]

How to open a chakra?

 

You go to the store and getya a chakra opener. I like the blue-green ones as they seem to work better.

EVERYONE knows that the red ones don't work as well.

 

And EVERYONE knows exactly the proper time of night to open the chakra; if you try to open one of those suckers at the wrong time of day I hear that little things pop out of them and a person can't walk in a straight line afterwords.

 

Not trying to make light of your question, but only one person in 10,000 seems to understand that chakras have dimensionality, unlike the ENERGY CENTERS that have a more or less fixed location, so how the heck do you expect a question like this to be answered on a forum? Are you seriously considering trying to do this from suggestions on a forum? If so, my, how brave you are! Or perhaps some words of caution are in order? If someone tells you they have seen many anomalies in folks that have played around would you heed the words? Probably not; carry on.

 

Or you could, you know, give some serious advice. You usually give a lot of good advice, but I'm kind of sad when reading this post

 

There are always a few people who rely on getting good info from posts because they don't have access to a teacher, but want to study spirituality, so if you have something to say, be it advice or a cautionary tale, please say it.

 

If you are just going to dangle a carrot in front of someone's face and then take it away at the last minute because it's an internet forum and you think they are being stupid by asking a question, please just don't even bother posting.

 

yea... there seems to be a lot of disrepency/different opinion as to wtf is up with the chakras...

like for example they say to open em in order; but a lot of people here give advice that you should focus on the dantien... well isn't that the 3rd chakra?

 

The dantiens and the chakras are a big different.

 

This thread here has some good information: http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/1566-subtle-body-anatomy-of-tan-tiens-and-chakras/

 

Specifically the post about the kanda.

 

But different systems and paradigms focus on different things, as well as occasionally attributing different names/qualities to them.

 

also some think the second is the point between the kidneys (gate of life, right?), and some say it's the sexual center at the pubic bone... some say the 3rd is the navel, and some way its' the solar plexus...

hmmm, differnt strokes fer differnt folks...

 

 

Haven't worked a lot with the mingmen, I'm just working with the lower dantien right now in my practices, but from where B.K. Frantzis described it, it's between the lower dantien and the spine.

[Ya Mu]

Ok, now I'm interested

 

I was reading something the other day that concerned NOT having them (chakras)open as probably more of a good idea, per your multidimensional suggestion. As a reference to "energy centres" then we still have some ideas of "activity" vs "inactivity" and there's lots of nice literature (and teachers) who will clue people in. The "traditional" chakras (the 7 or 8) also have their TCM concordance as well as their endocrine mapping. It's lots of fun/interesting to get into but IMO takes some study and perhaps some guidance?

 

In my posts, when I mention "3rd chakra" or "4th chakra", I'm very much talking about bodily-based issues. Yes they have their metaphysical correlations but I'm not (yet) clued in as far as multiple dimensions go. Sometimes I figure I have enough to work out in this dimension

...but IMO takes some study and perhaps some guidance?

Yes, true.

 

thinking about chakras and tcm made me wondering if it wasnt really just a way of looking at stuff which had no inherent structure at all

 

since as of yet there was no such thread to be found we may try our luck equating chakras and elixir fields

 

a less known thing about chakras is that according to common lore on the internet chakra 2 to 6 have a front and back side/vortex which may correspond to the jen (funtion) mo und tu (governor) mo channel

 

if i go by the definition given by mister avalon in the serpent power the muladhara chakra is where mister luk pinpoints the mortal gate (sheng szu ch'iao). now here differences start. if id simply focus on said regoin i presumably wouldnt get anywhere since the generative force would have to be transmutated in the respective elixir field but according to tantric yoga im supposed to do exactly that to aroused the snake which lies there coiled 3 and a half times

 

another questions which remains left in the open is if the upper cauldron does resemble the 6th or 7th chakra.. because descriptions locate it as being between and behind the eyes (some books as this http://www.amazon.com/Sexual-Teachings-Jade-Dragon-Revitalization/dp/0892819634/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267186041&sr=8-4 for example have graphical depictions too which makes it easy to identify as the ajna chakra) so that the sahsrara could fulfill the role of the aperture of brahman where one kind of exits at the end appear in countless transformation bodys in space. but then i for one feel the upper dantien as being the 7th chakra because it is diametrically opposed to the lowest one and as such would function as the other end of the line. hu xuezhi writes

 

http://www.taoiststudy.com/content/step-7-revolve-first-water-wheel-2

imho the corners of it would then imply the front and back side of the anahata and the 1st and the 7th chakra

Thoughtful post.

 

yea... there seems to be a lot of disrepency/different opinion as to wtf is up with the chakras...

like for example they say to open em in order; but a lot of people here give advice that you should focus on the dantien... well isn't that the 3rd chakra?

also some think the second is the point between the kidneys (gate of life, right?), and some say it's the sexual center at the pubic bone... some say the 3rd is the navel, and some way its' the solar plexus...

hmmm, differnt strokes fer differnt folks...

but i was watching the Esoteric Anatomy by UMAA tantra (JUST got #6) and i really like how they break it down in regards to easy access (not being too complicated) maybe you could peep it and it'll help you...

 

Amazing all the different stuff written yet each book will tell you that they are right.

 

Or you could, you know, give some serious advice. You usually give a lot of good advice, but I'm kind of sad when reading this post

 

There are always a few people who rely on getting good info from posts because they don't have access to a teacher, but want to study spirituality, so if you have something to say, be it advice or a cautionary tale, please say it.

 

If you are just going to dangle a carrot in front of someone's face and then take it away at the last minute because it's an internet forum and you think they are being stupid by asking a question, please just don't even bother posting.

 

 

 

The dantiens and the chakras are a big different.

 

This thread here has some good information: http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/1566-subtle-body-anatomy-of-tan-tiens-and-chakras/

 

Specifically the post about the kanda.

 

But different systems and paradigms focus on different things, as well as occasionally attributing different names/qualities to them.

 

 

 

Haven't worked a lot with the mingmen, I'm just working with the lower dantien right now in my practices, but from where B.K. Frantzis described it, it's between the lower dantien and the spine.

Sorry to hurt your sensibilities. I was just having fun and trying to laugh with the OP not at them. AS above 2 posts there are many things written but very few things actually understood. This is one of those things where forum posts are difficult to take at face value. The 2nd part of my above post was dead serious. If one doesn't understand the dimensionality of "chakras" how the heck would they expect to go about "opening them"? What exactly are they "opening"?

 

Here is the thing; if one learns and practices proper qigong then each and every energy center will open in a relaxed easy natural manner. There is absolutely no need for forced openings which can lead to problems. The actual dimensional understanding comes much later, after opening, by practicing LISTENING.

 

This is why I roll my eyes, shake my head, and wonder at humanities trial whenever I hear this subject. Oh, and sometimes carrots make people think; I understand they are also good for the eyesight.

 

Bottom line advice to the OP - find a teacher that actually knows something and spend some time studying and practicing.

[gj551]

to complicate matters even more, rosalyn l bruyere writes in wheels of light (http://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Light-Chakras-Healing-Energy/dp/0671796240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267198639&sr=8-1) that "men and women have a first-chakra placement that differs by almost two inches in the body" (p.144)

[Sloppy Zhang]

to complicate matters even more, rosalyn l bruyere writes in wheels of light (http://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Light-Chakras-Healing-Energy/dp/0671796240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267198639&sr=8-1) that "men and women have a first-chakra placement that differs by almost two inches in the body" (p.144)

 

Again I suggest you look through the thread I linked earlier in my post there's some good info.

 

In general, I would say chakras and dantiens are different, even though their placement in the body seems to be about the same, even though a few of them have similar functions.

 

Also, I wouldn't get too worked up on specific placement of the chakras. It's more important that you feel around in that area, and find where energy seems to be located or centralized in your body. Once you really get to feeling energy, you won't have such a reliance on what other people say or the contradictions you find in books- you will have self validated results from your own personal practice.

 

And to that extent, when it comes to feeling energy I would say get "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" by B.K. Frantzis. Many of the energy gates are found where the dantiens/chakras are located, and when you get used to feeling energy move through your body, you will be able to notice patterns.

 

I spent a lot of time trying to rationalize and figure out what everything was across many different systems. Which is not necessarily a bad thing- it's good to get the "rational mind" engaged, research, learn about different traditions and different paradigms. But it is much more useful if you have a rather large dose of experience and experimentation under your belt as you do this.

[3bob]

Christianity and (7) chakras in somewhat veiled terms:

 

10. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

 

11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

 

12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

 

13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

 

14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

 

15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

 

16. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

 

17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

 

18. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

 

Om

 

Some schools teach of 21 chakras, example: -7,-6,-5,-4,-3,-2,-1 as the various hellish states, then 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 as rising states, then +1,+2,+3,+4,+5,+6,+7 as even deeper divine states that can only be spoken of in hints. That makes three sets of 7. And an example of what that can mean if you will is that it would take the power of a level 7 being (or at the "Christ" level, who has the keys to hell and death) to truly deal with a being of nearly total malice and hate who is at a level of -7.

 

Also, related to what one poster here said, it is important to stabalize and seal off at state 1 so that any of the -1 and lower states don't co-mingle and get jumbled up in the process. There is also that saying that goes something like, "the higher we go the further we can fall" thus we don't really want to fall below the state of 1 and shouldn't if such preparation made there is sound.

Edited February 26, 2010 by 3bob

[joeblast]

I thought his swing & dissolving descriptions in energy gates were excellent

[Sloppy Zhang]

S.Zhang, do you practice the Energy Gates practices from the book? Or, have you taken classes from Bruce or his students? What have your results been? (Please point me to a TB thread if you've written about this previously.) Would like to hear.

 

From the little that I've practiced with the swings in classes, I can't imagine learning solely from the book. And the dissolving process is much more difficult to do without a teacher's guidance. Unless one has a background in meditation, maybe. I'm grateful to be taking classes from a student of Bruce's. And I will also begin to dive deeper into the sinking/dissolving in my daily practices.

 

I practice solely from the book, and honestly I haven't even started working on the swings- I am still working on the energy gates (for those that don't have the book, the book progresses like so: intro, longevity breathing, sink/scan/dissolve qi, opening the energy gates, swings, spinal stretch, and other stuff. I'm working through it, and only on the gates). I have never taken a class from Bruce or any of his students, though I hope to travel to a school sometime this summer. I'm a college student now and the workshops and stuff are too pricey for me, so I just do what I can.

 

My usual meditation position is lying down, though I will also work in half lotus as well as standing (I'm a college student living in a dorm, no privacy, and if I'm lying down no one will bother me or ask me questions.... not that I don't want to talk about it, but I gotta practice!). I start with around ten minutes of dantien breathing. After that, I do the sink/scan/dissolve qi process. Then I work on the gates, keeping in mind to dissolve everything else I run into even if it isn't a gate. On gates I've already worked with, I focus on them until I can feel them, then I do about ten breaths (in/out one, in/out two) before moving onto the "new ones", and for ones I haven't worked on I focus and breathe on them for as long as I need to until I start to feel something. On some days it's within minutes, and sometimes it takes days. So far I've at least felt (though not necessarily opened) the gates down to my solar plexus and elbow.

 

As far as results go:

 

In general, greater awareness of energy, both my own and of other people, as well as places (so if I walk into a room, I will more easily pick up a certain vibe). Some senses have also gotten better, or perhaps, I am paying more attention to my senses, namely hearing and smell. I've started to pick up on different peoples' "scents" once in a while, which is a rather interesting experience. I've become more aware of my body position- my posture has gotten stronger, my exercises have been more efficient, and I have even become a better runner (I've always sucked at running) simply because I understand relaxation and movement much better, and am aware of what my body is actually doing rather than just working on theory.

 

I have also discovered quite a few things that I have seen corroborated in other texts. For example, one day I felt a particular blockage in my arm, and just dissolving didn't work, so I decided to move my arm around gently in a way that I felt started to free up the energy. I later was looking through some qigong exercises on the net, and found that there was actually an exercise which was exactly what I was doing I have also found myself having the sudden urge to sit in certain ways, which I later find are yoga positions (though I don't really do yoga).

 

Also, when walking around I will occasionally feel all of the gates I have worked with so far pulsing and filling with stuff- when that happens I start to relax/dissolve them as much as I can, and let whatever I am feeling flow downward- unless it has its own direction it wants to go, in which case I let what happens, happens. In "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" he says that you can reach a point where you can open and close the energy gates like you open and close your eyes or your hand. I am nowhere near that stage, and even with the gates I've worked with, it takes a few minutes to even feel it, let alone open it.

 

And even though I was never really into specific chakra meditations, I have definitely noticed within myself various energy centers that seem to correspond to certain thoughts, emotions, colors, etc, and they seem to line up pretty perfectly with what I have read of chakras, so that too.

 

I should also note I do the standing practices from "Relaxing Into Your Being" as well as the Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong that I learned from the book on his website. I plan on incorporating some of the movement practices/palm change that's in "relaxing into your being", though honestly I have not reached the point where he says you should be by the end of "Relaxing Into Your Being" (namely, a good awareness of the mind-stream, if not the ability to enter and remain in it for a while).

 

The thing about the stuff Bruce has put out in books is that it is rather low energy. Bruce himself states in almost all his books that he doesn't want to put high energy stuff out there, mostly because he doesn't want people to screw up. But he also says in one of his books that Taoist techniques progress in a spiral fashion. You cover the same material, but deeper. So, for me at least, advancing in a practice is not necessarily learning new techniques, but getting better with the techniques you already have.

 

Like I said, I don't quite have the money to make it out to a seminar, and there's no school that I have access to in the moment. Hopefully this summer I'll have a chance to get in contact with some folks. Honestly though, I don't even want to go to a seminar until I have exhausted the material he has already put out- simply because I don't have the means to. If there is something I can learn from a book, I want to thoroughly master that, so when I do get the chance to meet someone at a high level I have the chance to learn something really good- rather than learning something I could have already done on my own. But for now, I just read everything that Bruce has out. I read his books over and over again, he has a lot of great articles on his websites, and I try to keep integrity in my practices. In my opinion, Bruce has actually put a LOT of material out there, but a lot of the "higher level" material is in hints. On top of that, there is no "secret technique"- the "higher level" stuff is stuff you already have, you just haven't gone deep enough yet. So with practice, reflection, and intuition, I really think you can reach a significant level just from the stuff that has been put out. And as long as you really focus on feeling, no offense to anyone, you don't need a teacher. You either feel the energy, you either open the gate, or you don't. Plain and simple. You don't need to ask, "did I do it right?" Well, did you feel something? No? Well then no. Yes? Okay, maybe you did it right, maybe you didn't. Keep practicing, see what comes up.

 

 

Ah, wow, that was long. Anyway, my main point is that, if you want to learn about chakras, you have to feel energy, period. If you want to do anything, you have to be able to feel what you are working with. Otherwise you will constantly be bound by forms, formulas, instructions, and tradition. Not that tradition is bad, but in my opinion it's better to do the work yourself. Sometimes you will come up with your own stuff, but many times you will find it is something that already exists- and sometimes you will find something that you didn't even know exists. Those are fun, because it's like you at least have some sort of external validation.

 

Bruce's works, in my opinion, are the best way to do that. There may be other things out there, I know a lot of people do a lot of different things, and a lot of people have put out much cheaper books with relatively more material (Bruce's books are expensive, and in his methods the MCO isn't to be learned without a teacher because it's considered a higher energy exercise.... well there are tons of MCO materials out there, even for free) However, you HAVE to keep the integrity in your practice. The hardest part of the practice is not fooling yourself, not getting ahead of yourself, not thinking you've done a practice when you haven't. It's easy to be like, "yeah I focused on a gate for 20 minutes, it's open, super saiyan go!" but in reality you have done nothing. I dunno. Simple but deceptive I guess.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Sloppy Zhang

[Sloppy Zhang]

Thanks for your reply SZ,

 

Respect for your path. As a college student, you're obviously willing to pay for (or have someone else pay for you to receive) teachings at an institution of higher ed. Can one really master teachings from a book?

 

 

Even if one could master a teaching from a book, Bruce's teachings have changed as he has mastered his own techniques. I suppose this happens with many teachers. Bruce's students have verified this. Although Bruce wrote a book about doing moves one way, he may teach years later another way. Like any good teacher, one refines one's teachings based upon feedback from students, and one's current understanding of the material. I would propose that refinement is inherent in a living tradition and a quality of a good teacher.

 

May you one day find a teacher of the internal martial arts. He or she will be able to greatly assist you on your path.

 

Well the way I do things isn't always the same as the way it is taught in the book- as I have said before, that's why feeling energy is more important, in my opinion, than knowing, say, the locations, colors, mantras, etc of a certain chakra. When you can feel energy you will know without a doubt, and the person next to you might find a different way of doing the same thing.

 

Same with martial arts. You learn the technique, but have your own ways of doing it. Each person is doing the same thing, but each in their own way. That's why students who learn from the same teachers can wind up having totally different styles, even if they are in the same lineage.

 

It's not "learning with a book" or "learning with a teacher", it's "learning through yourself", and while some people might jump off a diving board and others might jump off the side, we're all jumping into the same pool

[Creation]

I practice solely from the book, and honestly I haven't even started working on the swings- I am still working on the energy gates (for those that don't have the book, the book progresses like so: intro, longevity breathing, sink/scan/dissolve qi, opening the energy gates, swings, spinal stretch, and other stuff. I'm working through it, and only on the gates). I have never taken a class from Bruce or any of his students, though I hope to travel to a school sometime this summer. I'm a college student now and the workshops and stuff are too pricey for me, so I just do what I can.

...f

Wow Zhang. I really admire your commitment to learning from the book. A lot. Especially in a dorm environment. I know how hard it is to practice just from the book, so as far as I am concerned you have made a TON of progress. Way more that me, that's for sure