Peter Ralston & Cheng Hsin

[sifusufi]

[Martial Development]

I remember that as a difficult book, and heard from others that his second one is much better.

[balance.]

Just recently picked up both "Principles...." and "Zen Body-Being" ..... I'll begin grinding through both quite soon here.... Collegiate mid-terms have my literary focuses diverted elsewhere at the moment... but give me a week or so (Sorry I can't contribute sooner)to read and partially digest and I'll see if I'm able to add something constructive to this discussion.

[SFJane]

Peter Ralston is one of the few masters other than Bruce Frantzis that I've ever been interested in. I took a few of his seminars quite awhile ago and let me say that the feeling of being pushed by Kumar and being pushed by Ralston is different. You get moved if either guy touches you but how they move you is what is so interesting.

 

Bruce uses this whole fa jin methodology based on opening and closing and nei gung principles as well as pung and ji and other energy.

 

Peter just pushes you and you go. What he showed us is that our connective tissues can compress and elongate a great deal. For example, Peter can punch you and hit you much further away than his reach would seem to indicate because his arms are like rubber bands. He can push and pull with the same principle of effortless power. First he outreaches and makes contact with you. Then he loads his connective tissue and then releases it gently and you just move.

 

Like BKF, Peter espouses deep relaxation and good biomechanical alignments as a way to generate power. I showed my brother this effortless power concept once by having him put his car in neutral on a flat road and I pushed his car without any strain or heaving or huffing and puffing on my part. I outreached into his car, compressed my tissues, stepped forward into the standard Tai Chi push pose and my tissues strung out relaxed and effortless power. It got his car rolling (albeit very, very slowly at first) and I didn't even break a sweat. Of course getting the car moving was the hard part anyway.

Edited April 2, 2010 by SFJane

[sifusufi]

Just recently picked up both "Principles...." and "Zen Body-Being" ..... I'll begin grinding through both quite soon here.... Collegiate mid-terms have my literary focuses diverted elsewhere at the moment... but give me a week or so (Sorry I can't contribute sooner)to read and partially digest and I'll see if I'm able to add something constructive to this discussion.

 

Thanks for responding!

 

That has to be Sun Ra you got up there!

 

Surprised to find no Sun Ra threads here!

 

 

"Space is the place"

[sifusufi]

Peter Ralston is one of the few masters other than Bruce Frantzis that I've ever been interested in. I took a few of his seminars quite awhile ago and let me say that the feeling of being pushed by Kumar and being pushed by Ralston is different. You get moved if either guy touches you but how they move you is what is so interesting.

 

Bruce uses this whole fa jin methodology based on opening and closing and nei gung principles as well as pung and ji and other energy.

 

Peter just pushes you and you go. What he showed us is that our connective tissues can compress and elongate a great deal. For example, Peter can punch you and hit you much further away than his reach would seem to indicate because his arms are like rubber bands. He can push and pull with the same principle of effortless power. First he outreaches and makes contact with you. Then he loads his connective tissue and then releases it gently and you just move.

 

Like BKF, Peter espouses deep relaxation and good biomechanical alignments as a way to generate power. I showed my brother this effortless power concept once by having him put his car in neutral on a flat road and I pushed his car without any strain or heaving or huffing and puffing on my part. I outreached into his car, compressed my tissues, stepped forward into the standard Tai Chi push pose and my tissues strung out relaxed and effortless power. It got his car rolling (albeit very, very slowly at first) and I didn't even break a sweat. Of course getting the car moving was the hard part anyway.

 

Wow!

Thanks for the awesome response and freely sharing the wisdom!!!

[sifusufi]

I remember that as a difficult book, and heard from others that his second one is much better.

 

Thanks!

Looks like his wife is in on this one!

Will get started soon.

[Martial Development]

[SFJane]

Wow!

Thanks for the awesome response and freely sharing the wisdom!!!

 

You are very welcome sifusufi.

 

Thanks for the video MD. Good stuff.

[sifusufi]

Thanks for the link. I first read his book Zen body being 3 or 4 years ago and it just struck such a chord with me and because I loved that book so much I decided to order Cheng Hsin: Principles of Effortless Power, Cheng Hsin Tui Shou: The Art of Effortless Power, and Reflections of Being. Boy where those hard to read especially Reflections of Being. I would reread sentences like 10 times and I still didn't grasp/comprehend what he was saying. So far this new book is more along the lines of Zen body being in comprehension terms. I think his wife helps him put his thoughts/teachings/ideas into layman terms.

 

Peter mentions of intuition a lot.

I have just had some cool things happen today (3)

I sent for The Book of Not Knowing ( Thanks Jessie ! )

My wife played some video of a zoo trip we took (after I spoke of this at work earlier)

E mails from

My former Mgr Cindi - 1

My Gig Guru Ben (Dio, Hank Jones news, RIP) - 2

My wife and I discussed (Ben) him earlier as well

 

It's really cool when this stuff is seen ( just being aware of it)

 

Any who thanks to all for the great input

 

Sinking,

Robert

[sifusufi]

This is good!

 

At the 02:30 mark

 

he can't remember Peter Ralston's name (but please hear the message)

 

Take what you like, leave the rest

 

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

 

In Transit,

Bobby

[sifusufi]

Just blows me away when two paths converge.

What peter is sayin' here speaks the same as Funkadelic's Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts (To me) seen?

 

 

 

 

 

Travel like a king

 

Listen to the inner voice

 

A higher wisdom is at work for you

 

Conqering the stumbling blocks come easier

 

When the conqueror is in tune with the infinite

 

Every ending is a new beginning

 

Life is an endless unfoldment

 

Change your mind, and you change your relation to time

 

 

You can find the answer

 

The solution lies within the problem

 

The answer is in every question

 

Dig it?

 

An attitude is all you need to rise and walk away

 

Inspire yourself

 

Your life is yours

 

It fits you like your skin

 

 

The oak sleeps in the acorn

 

The giant sequoia tree sleeps in its tiny seed

 

The bird waits in the egg

 

God waits for his unfoldment in man

 

Fly on, children

 

Play on

 

 

You gravitate to that which you secretly love most

 

You meet in life the exact reproduction of your own thoughts

 

There is no chance, coincidence or accident

 

In a world ruled by law and divine order

 

You rise as high as your dominant aspiration

 

You descend to the level of your lowest concept of your self

 

Free your mind and your ass will follow

 

 

The infinite intelligence within you knows the answers

 

Its nature is to respond to your thoughts

 

Be careful of the thought-seeds you plant in the garden of your mind

 

For seeds grow after their kind

 

 

Play on, children

 

 

Every thought felt as true

 

Or allowed to be accepted as true by your conscious mind

 

Take roots in your subconscious

 

Blossoms sooner or later into an act

 

And bears its own fruit

 

Good thoughts bring forth good fruit

 

Bullshit thoughts rot your meat

 

Think right, and you can fly

 

The kingdom of heaven is within

 

Free your mind, and your ass will follow

 

 

Play on, children

 

Sing on, lady

 

 

Yeah

[Taiji Bum]

Glad to hear I am not the only one who had trouble chewing on Ralston. I got "Effortless Power" back in the early '90's and have read it many times. SF Jane that was a great review!

[thelerner]

I also bought Ralstons books in the early 90's. Good stuff. The writing is a bit wordy, but I like the depth he goes to on principles. The simple things, how do you walk, how do you express power.

 

I liked watching him on the video, he's willing to move, willing to be pushed, while keeping control, balance and a sense of play. Very nice.

 

 

Michael

[sifusufi]

I also bought Ralstons books in the early 90's. Good stuff. The writing is a bit wordy, but I like the depth he goes to on principles. The simple things, how do you walk, how do you express power.

 

I liked watching him on the video, he's willing to move, willing to be pushed, while keeping control, balance and a sense of play. Very nice.

 

 

Michael

 

Well finally a day off! I can begin to read "The book of not knowing"

Twenty six chapters

581 pages (of not knowing)

A good workout for the flexors and extensors as it weighs nearly a kilo!

Decent outline format ( bookmarks will be needed )

As always looking forward to insight

 

Have a great weekend everybody, see ya at the dunes

Robert