100 days, retention, and yijinjing

[UTI]

This is posted on another forum, but I figure the taoist cultivation crowd is a lot larger here, so I'm hoping some of you can give me your thoughts on my practice

 

So, I am very grateful for constructive criticism and thoughts in general. I know there's a lot I'm missing, since I'm practicing this on my own. I feel I am progress, but I also feel I could be deluding myself, going down a branch.

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________

From abrahadabra.com

 

Since I first started, it has now been 98 days. I admit, though, that I "failed" around day 70, but the practice was starting to get rigid, I figure it was necessary. Afterwards I could resume the practice in a more efficient way, and I did a lot to "catch up". After a week I was back to the same fullness of Jing.

 

I spent one month doing Ba Duan Jin daily, I used the set commented upon by Li Ching-Yuen in the book by Steven Olson, don't remember it's name. After a month I decided to do something more productive than just building jing. I've been really interested in the YiJinJing practice described by Yang Jwingming in "Qigong; The secret of youth..." since I first read it, so I decided to go along with a toned-down version of that (2x20-30min daily in stead of 3x45min daily).

 

So, now I have just about gone 100 days without ejaculating (more than once ) and done 3 of the four months of the first step of YiJinJing, which is filling the lower front channel with qi.

 

Problems faced along the way were, of course, extreme horniness accompanied by the difficulty in holding ejaculation this means (I've never been into thelemics), and after about two months, when the jing was more full and reverting back to normal cycles, the difficulty of adapting to the inner cycles of yin and yang in the body. By which I mean, around full moon the body becomes more yang, heating the jing up, making it more reactive. This has meant, for me, a far more rapid point of ejaculation during intercourse, as well as a risk for nocturnal emissions. To counteract having too heavy fluctuations I meditate twice daily now, and take Gotu Kola before practice (balances the energies and promotes yin), also during the week before full moon and three days after I eat plenty of Goji, which is very yin. To get more jing (like I don't have enough) I also eat Arctic Root once a day.

 

The effects, so far, would be summarised as;

 

* Heighened self-awareness

* Better health

* Presence of Dantien (warmth, solidity)

* Multiple orgasms through entire microcosmic orbit

* Enhanced abdominal muscles (nice for the summer )

* Generally happier

 

I can also say that I have become more diligent and structured in my practice, but I think that's just because it's become habit. Before I had a lot of trouble having a structured schedule for cultivation, it always felt as though there was no time, or I was distracted by restlessness, hunger, horniness, whatever. Now I have little trouble setting everything aside and training twice a day.

 

I have doubts about how good the training actually is for the body, though. I chose to do the YiJinJing because it's quite bad to stop, since you will do damage to the abdominal muscles if you don't practice regularly. However, I am not sure how fluid the step from building qi externally through massage to storing it internally in the marrow is. I have a feeling my body will have taken some toll from it... for which reason I have taken to practicing yoga and pranayama daily to make sure everything moves smoothly throughout the body, not making it only hard and rigid. There's quite a lot of beating and pounding involved in the massage, quite like iron shirt training I think, so it's not entirely healthy in the first stages. You need to complete it all for the benefits to be good.

 

Next step is to complete a full year of training, starting to build the energy internally, and getting more fluent with "emptiness". I feel emptiness meditation is crucial to progress, since it gives natural arisal of yang in the lower dantien -the creating of which seems to me the whole point of cultivation. For me this is felt as a heat and buzzing becoming present within the lower abdomen, as well as a great calm and lack of spatial and temporal perspective. I find staying in this state very difficult at the moment, though, as I have enough trouble actually getting there (1/5 meditations, never longer than half a minute). With practice, though, I hope I'll be able to get there every day.

 

That's about all I got for now, please comment as I have no real points of reference but my thoughts and the masters in my head!

 

-J

[everseeking]

Just curious, what/where is the source of your practice? Teacher, book, video, etc? Specifically YiJinJing.

 

I've been wanting to do just as you describe, and have been starting the Tien Tao Qi Gong correspondence course.

 

The videos that accompany in are on youtube, but their YIJinJing vid doesn't mention striking the body.

 

 

THe course is available free online.

 

Thanks.

[Biff]

What are you trying to achieve?

[UTI]

Just curious, what/where is the source of your practice? Teacher, book, video, etc? Specifically YiJinJing.

 

I've been wanting to do just as you describe, and have been starting the Tien Tao Qi Gong correspondence course.

 

The videos that accompany in are on youtube, but their YIJinJing vid doesn't mention striking the body.

THe course is available free online.

 

Thanks.

 

My source for the YiJinJing training is the book "Qigong; the secret of youth" by Yang Jwing-Ming. It is based on a couple of old pamphlets, commentaries and texts, and differs from the vids etc one can find of YiJinJing which consist of a qigong form.

 

Striking the body comes after a while, to make the qi penetrate the fascia beneath and around the muscle tissue.

 

What are you trying to achieve?

 

I am studying to become a TCM doctor, so my main goals are perfect health and an ability to treat patients with that "little extra" in the needling. However, my main drive mentally is to experience reality truly, through emptiness and communication without the senses. I've experienced it a lot of times, but it is never balanced. I figure I need to "return" myself to a state, physically, mentally, and energetically, that I was when I was born to achieve that.

[Yuen Biao]

The effects, so far, would be summarised as;

 

* Enhanced abdominal muscles (nice for the summer )

 

I must say I have never, ever read of this being as a result of the practise you mention; if anything I would have thought the opposite would have been evident.

 

Interesting post overall though.

[UTI]

I must say I have never, ever read of this being as a result of the practise you mention; if anything I would have thought the opposite would have been evident.

 

Interesting post overall though.

 

Sorry, that was said in a humorous manner. One of the effects is that the muslce fibres are successively lengthened, making the muscle tougher and more showy when contracted. When relaxed, however, it is a bit more round, soft, and big than before. Since I wont go around contracting my stomach every time I'm not wearing a shirt, your thought is correct.

[gendao]

I must say I have never, ever read of this being as a result of the practise you mention; if anything I would have thought the opposite would have been evident.

Actually, I think I've experienced the same thing.

 

Previously, my lower gut was starting to bulge out a little.

 

It has now seemingly receded after months of cultivation, stretching and "dantian breathing," which I think works out the lower core (kua)... And remember, simply sitting in some form of lotus is a static exercise that targets your core in order to maintain a straight spine.

 

UTI - Great to hear of someone really dedicated to dilligent training! Keep up the good work and us updated on your progress!

Edited January 14, 2010 by vortex

[Biff]

My source for the YiJinJing training is the book "Qigong; the secret of youth" by Yang Jwing-Ming. It is based on a couple of old pamphlets, commentaries and texts, and differs from the vids etc one can find of YiJinJing which consist of a qigong form.

 

Striking the body comes after a while, to make the qi penetrate the fascia beneath and around the muscle tissue.

I am studying to become a TCM doctor, so my main goals are perfect health and an ability to treat patients with that "little extra" in the needling. However, my main drive mentally is to experience reality truly, through emptiness and communication without the senses. I've experienced it a lot of times, but it is never balanced. I figure I need to "return" myself to a state, physically, mentally, and energetically, that I was when I was born to achieve that.

 

Qigongamerica.com (Ya Mu on here I think). His system will meet all those needs and more. I'm not a student myself but I can 'see'. Do not take my word for it, I have no standing here. Do yourself a favour and look up his posts and get his book. You will probably stop everything else you are doing.

[UTI]

Qigongamerica.com (Ya Mu on here I think). His system will meet all those needs and more. I'm not a student myself but I can 'see'. Do not take my word for it, I have no standing here. Do yourself a favour and look up his posts and get his book. You will probably stop everything else you are doing.

 

I'll check him out, thanks!

[sabretooth]

I have been practicing retention now for about 23 day's.

What I have noticed so far is less of a need to eat as much,even when it was cold,an increase in physical strength,I work with a heavy wooden ladder,I am now handling it easier.

My hair has suddenly gone through a growth spurt and is thicker.

I don't think I am feeling the cold as much,and when I circulate energy the sensation is stronger.

A good book I can recommend is Mysteries of the life force by Peter Meech.

It is about his apprenticeship with a chi kung master called Dr.Chow,he also has to remain celebate for 3 month's

And I feel calmer in myself.

 

 

sabretooth.

Edited January 20, 2010 by sabretooth

[IMPERIAGO]

shaolin-overseasheadquarters.org

 

 

Venerable Guolin has instructional vids on Yi Jin Jing & Xi Sui Jing.

[DalTheJigsaw123]

Thank you for this!

[voidisyinyang]

http://www.shaolin-overseas.org/home.html

Edited March 26, 2013 by pythagoreanfulllotus

[mike 134]

what the heck how did that dude last so long lol I went 3 weeks and by the end of week one I was agitated and couldn't sleep and by week two I was taking sedative pills.

[voidisyinyang]

what the heck how did that dude last so long lol I went 3 weeks and by the end of week one I was agitated and couldn't sleep and by week two I was taking sedative pills.

 

I just sit in full lotus as much as possible and this burns the energy into chi energy.

 

Sometimes people try to take my energy by deconverting it back into fluids and so if I sense this then I just repeat a mantra in my mind to focus the electromagnetic energy in my brain and this fights against the attempt to deconvert it back into fluids -- so I am pulling the energy up while the other person is trying to pull it down. haha.

[Songtsan]

QUOTE: "The effects, so far, would be summarised as...Enhanced abdominal muscles (nice for the summer )"

 

Now do you mean your abdominal strength/tone increased, or that you lost fat from around the stomach area...either could lead to the appearance of enhanced abs...just curious..

 

EDIT: saw you said something more about this is a post above...but generally a muscle will not lengthen for no reason, and in a postural muscle like the abs, unless your actual torso lengthened, I doubt your abdominal muscles would lengthen...that would mean they got weaker.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Songtsan

[emptiness]

Are you bringing the energy around the lessor heavenly circuit? I find that crucial when I'm doing the 100 days retention. It illiviates the horiness and irritablity and turns it to groundedness and energy.

 

And did you say you were able to have sex without releasing jing during the 100 days? I'm impressed. Can you say more about that?

[billb]

Are you bringing the energy around the lessor heavenly circuit? I find that crucial when I'm doing the 100 days retention. It illiviates the horiness and irritablity and turns it to groundedness and energy.

 

And did you say you were able to have sex without releasing jing during the 100 days? I'm impressed. Can you say more about that?

Ok don't you need the circuit to be opened up first to do this and doesn't it take years to accomplish this? I tried this and it did not alleviate anything and I think it is because my circuit is not open and circulating. I sometimes wonder if it even exists but I do feel energy in the dantiens all the time but would love to be able to circulate energy through the orbit but I think this Is a high attainment that takes a long time and people mention it casually as if everyone can do this. I think it is a very small percentage of people.