Shifting (quick) fire

[Neophyte]

[Mal]

If there a link or description of this practice? No luck on google for me

[Gerard]

What were you trying to do while doing this sort of practice? Forcing things only builds Qi blockages. Careful.

[joeblast]

how far away was this fixed circle? if it was not at a good distance to allow for somewhat relaxed focus, then perhaps its simply too much eye strain. try looking at the fingernail of your index finger held at arm's length, it may allow for a more relaxed focus.

 

you might just also be doing this practice too much...

 

Mal, sounds like this was picked up from taoist yoga (luk).

[z00se]

The fact that you said your eyes felt like they were about to explode would indicate to me that you are doing something wrong Don't keep trying to make the explode or eventually they might!

[Neophyte]

Thanks for your replies.

 

If there a link or description of this practice? No luck on google for me

 

I don't know where you'd find a description for it on the internet. I got the instructions from Taoist Yoga by Charles Luk. The instructions are simply to sit down in meditative posture, calm your mind, then stare at a circular object until your eyes water. This loss of tears supposedly removes latent ailments from the body before they develop into illnesses.(These tears are supposedly different than tears that form when you cry.)I do it by keeping my eyes open and not blinking. It is then immediately followed by Calming Fire, in which you sit in the specified meditation posture, focus attention to the spot between and behind the eyes (called tsu ch'iao) and swallow saliva (in a certain manner).

 

What were you trying to do while doing this sort of practice? Forcing things only builds Qi blockages. Careful.

 

I'm just trying to rid my body of latent ailments, so that I don't develop sicknesses in the future. I just sat in the meditative posture that Luk describes. It forms a circuit of the eight psychic channels. I then open my eyes wide and I try not to blink, while staring at a circular object. So the exercise is pretty simple. Within a few seconds my eyes begin to water and I still keep my eyes open until the feel as if they are about to break out of their sockets, then I close my eyes. My pupils burn, which I think is a positive sign because the book implied that the exercise causes burning sensation. It then says to do Calming(slow) Fire, which soothes the pupils "which otherwise might be injured by the heat"; so I always do this after practicing the shifting fire technique.

I did not know that forcing the exercises causes chi blockages, so I won't put so much exertion into future practices.

 

 

how far away was this fixed circle? if it was not at a good distance to allow for somewhat relaxed focus, then perhaps its simply too much eye strain. try looking at the fingernail of your index finger held at arm's length, it may allow for a more relaxed focus.

 

you might just also be doing this practice too much...

 

Mal, sounds like this was picked up from taoist yoga (luk).

 

The circle I use I place about a metre away (roughly 3 feet). The author isn't clear on how far way it should be. He only says that should be "neither too close nor too far and neither too high nor too low", which isn't very helpful. I will try your advice about looking at my fingernail held at arm's length.

 

The exercise is supposed to be done every morning and every evening. I only did it in the evening, and only did it for a few days before stopping.

[Mal]

[Procurator]

Thanks for your replies.

 

 

 

I don't know where you'd find a description for it on the internet. I got the instructions from Taoist Yoga by Charles Luk. The instructions are simply to sit down in meditative posture, calm your mind, then stare at a circular object until your eyes water. This loss of tears supposedly removes latent ailments from the body before they develop into illnesses.(These tears are supposedly different than tears that form when you cry.)I do it by keeping my eyes open and not blinking. It is then immediately followed by Calming Fire, in which you sit in the specified meditation posture, focus attention to the spot between and behind the eyes (called tsu ch'iao) and swallow saliva (in a certain manner).

 

 

 

I'm just trying to rid my body of latent ailments, so that I don't develop sicknesses in the future. I just sat in the meditative posture that Luk describes. It forms a circuit of the eight psychic channels. I then open my eyes wide and I try not to blink, while staring at a circular object. So the exercise is pretty simple. Within a few seconds my eyes begin to water and I still keep my eyes open until the feel as if they are about to break out of their sockets, then I close my eyes. My pupils burn, which I think is a positive sign because the book implied that the exercise causes burning sensation. It then says to do Calming(slow) Fire, which soothes the pupils "which otherwise might be injured by the heat"; so I always do this after practicing the shifting fire technique.

I did not know that forcing the exercises causes chi blockages, so I won't put so much exertion into future practices.

 

 

 

 

The circle I use I place about a metre away (roughly 3 feet). The author isn't clear on how far way it should be. He only says that should be "neither too close nor too far and neither too high nor too low", which isn't very helpful. I will try your advice about looking at my fingernail held at arm's length.

 

The exercise is supposed to be done every morning and every evening. I only did it in the evening, and only did it for a few days before stopping.

 

you welcome anytime, no sweat.

 

1. no . i am saying that the tears produced by this exercise are not normal tears. the latter are useless. what you need is tears connected with your qi. e.g. when i stand in immuvable post for 5-10 min then tears start to well up, even thou there is no shiny object. and it happens because the qi gathers inside and seeks an outlet.

2 it does work quite well but needs to be understood correctly. its a qi exercise not eye exercise.

 

3. you need to learn how to gather qi, so there is something to work with, both a shiny ball and your bodymind are just props, they aint gonna work without the amassed qi.

 

you are hurting yrself. u gotta desist and find a teacher.

[Birch]

Alright. "Future ailments"? What kind?

If they are the kind mostly caused by your own actions. Stop doing them. I think those are the only kind you can really avoid. If you're looking at a practice to get rid of prior effects of action, I think there are other techniques that might help more, especially when it comes to a) realizing the effects of your actions and um, same as a)?

[soaring crane]

There's a reason why that exercise appears toward the end of that book. Your tears are just tears (of pain) until you've mastered all the steps that come before, and that's saying a lot.

 

 

It's really not a good book for an introduction to Taoist/Qigong practices. A person of average ability needs years, decades, to master the techniques described, and isn't going anywhere without additional formal instruction anyway. It was one of the very texts first ever published in English, but that was a long time ago (1973). There have been so many more sensible, better structured, understandable, safer books published since then, many of them probably took their cues from Taoist Yoga, but would be a good idea to look elsewhere for instruction. And then, when you're old and wise and experienced, return to Charles Luk

[Neophyte]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

you are hurting yrself. u gotta desist and find a teacher.

 

I noticed how Luk continually talks about how important it is to find a teacher. If there is no realistic way that I can master the techniques of internal alchemy, etc, taught in this book without a teacher, then I need to find a teacher now. My question is, how do I go about finding a teacher? If anyone has any information for me about where I look, questions I ask, etc., etc. please let me know. (Sorry for my lack of knowledge, I'm very new to this.)

 

There's a reason why that exercise appears toward the end of that book. Your tears are just tears (of pain) until you've mastered all the steps that come before, and that's saying a lot.

 

 

It's really not a good book for an introduction to Taoist/Qigong practices. A person of average ability needs years, decades, to master the techniques described, and isn't going anywhere without additional formal instruction anyway. It was one of the very texts first ever published in English, but that was a long time ago (1973). There have been so many more sensible, better structured, understandable, safer books published since then, many of them probably took their cues from Taoist Yoga, but would be a good idea to look elsewhere for instruction. And then, when you're old and wise and experienced, return to Charles Luk

 

So what books are best as "stepping stones" that lead up to the material taught in Taoist Yoga? I eventually want to master the techniques taught in Taoist Yoga, but if it is best for me to return to that book in the future, and use something more basic for the meantime, then I will train using those simpler books. If anyone has any advice on what books are best (as preludes to Taoist Yoga), please let me know. Thanks.

[Procurator]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

how do I go about finding a teacher? If anyone has any information for me about where I look, questions I ask, etc., etc. please let me know.

 

 

Its a reasonable request put in a wrong format. The first rule of communication is specificity. Ask a vague question- get a vague answer. Ask "anyone" - replies no one.U have to address a specific person by name, tell him yr location, ability to travel, links to webpages of teachers in yr vicinity, books that u looked at etc. Then u will get a specific answer.

[soaring crane]

Short on time, but more or less in this order....

http://www.amazon.com/Gong-Total-Wellness-Longevity-Monastery/dp/0312262337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268558182&sr=1-1

 

http://www.amazon.com/Root-Chinese-Qigong-Longevity-Enlightenment/dp/1886969507/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268558092&sr=1-3

 

http://www.amazon.com/Qigong-Meditation-Embryonic-Yang-Jwing-Ming/dp/1886969736/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268558092&sr=1-12

 

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Promise-Qi-Creating-Extraordinary/dp/0809295288/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268558092&sr=1-6

 

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Qigong-Science-Chinese-Healing/dp/0345421094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268558092&sr=1-1

 

And plenty more...