ancienthealth Posted March 21, 2012 As I already have some meditation disciplines I decided to practice them for long stretches in full lotus now, as i've read about how that cultivates energy. I have a very weak constitution and immune system, cold limbs, lack of energy, low appetite. Maybe full lotus can help this? And this would work great since i already have a routine... However I was wondering (especially considering my specific "symptoms") If there was a set of movement exercises to also help to stretch and spread energy.. maybe something that doesn't take more than 20 minutes so i can focus on my sitting practices? There is a lot of info and types of Qi Gong out there, and i am very attracted to it but also very new. I have heard of Ba Duan JIn, and that is kind of thing i'm looking for - but just wondering what else is out there, what's recommended.. etc. Thankyou for your help, this is a wonderful forum! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aetherous Posted March 21, 2012 Eastern Internal Arts Institute's "Qigong for Self Healing" DVD. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted March 21, 2012 Ba Duan Jin is a type of Qi gong which is good for basic health but in my understanding not neccesarily best for spiritual cultivation. There are many different types of moving Qi Gong. I practice Gift of the Tao. But there are other types like Spring Forest, Flying Phoenix, Dragon and Tiger...etc All would i am sure be complimentary with basic meditation and improve ones health. Strengthening the immune system is one of the hallmark benefits of practicing Qi Gong. -My 2 cents, Peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ancienthealth Posted March 21, 2012 Cool - I'll check out all of those, I looked at Dragon and Tiger, sounds great. I think the main factors are Health/Energy (as i said i have low immune, cold limbs, low appetite, high sensitivity to food, low energy sometimes), and Time, which i would prefer something under 20 mins or so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) As I already have some meditation disciplines I decided to practice them for long stretches in full lotus now, as i've read about how that cultivates energy. I have a very weak constitution and immune system, cold limbs, lack of energy, low appetite. Maybe full lotus can help this? And this would work great since i already have a routine... However I was wondering (especially considering my specific "symptoms") If there was a set of movement exercises to also help to stretch and spread energy.. maybe something that doesn't take more than 20 minutes so i can focus on my sitting practices? There is a lot of info and types of Qi Gong out there, and i am very attracted to it but also very new. I have heard of Ba Duan JIn, and that is kind of thing i'm looking for - but just wondering what else is out there, what's recommended.. etc. Thankyou for your help, this is a wonderful forum! It's not the Lotus sitting that will get you there, but it is the breathing will do all the tricks for you. Learn to do the abdominal breathing as recommended in Qigong. Edited March 21, 2012 by ChiDragon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mYTHmAKER Posted March 21, 2012 As I already have some meditation disciplines I decided to practice them for long stretches in full lotus now, as i've read about how that cultivates energy. I have a very weak constitution and immune system, cold limbs, lack of energy, low appetite. Maybe full lotus can help this? And this would work great since i already have a routine... However I was wondering (especially considering my specific "symptoms") If there was a set of movement exercises to also help to stretch and spread energy.. maybe something that doesn't take more than 20 minutes so i can focus on my sitting practices? There is a lot of info and types of Qi Gong out there, and i am very attracted to it but also very new. I have heard of Ba Duan JIn, and that is kind of thing i'm looking for - but just wondering what else is out there, what's recommended.. etc. Thankyou for your help, this is a wonderful forum! sitting should be balanced with movement - yin / yang I recommend taijiquan or bagua 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeblast Posted March 22, 2012 As I already have some meditation disciplines I decided to practice them for long stretches in full lotus now, as i've read about how that cultivates energy. I have a very weak constitution and immune system, cold limbs, lack of energy, low appetite. Maybe full lotus can help this? And this would work great since i already have a routine... However I was wondering (especially considering my specific "symptoms") If there was a set of movement exercises to also help to stretch and spread energy.. maybe something that doesn't take more than 20 minutes so i can focus on my sitting practices? There is a lot of info and types of Qi Gong out there, and i am very attracted to it but also very new. I have heard of Ba Duan JIn, and that is kind of thing i'm looking for - but just wondering what else is out there, what's recommended.. etc. Thankyou for your help, this is a wonderful forum! Dont neglect Yang. Lotus wont fix those bolded items. Get a membership to a gym and work out every day, break a sweat, motivate fluids of all sorts, eat, rest. If your body is not relatively strong and in decent condition then you're not going to have the best results possible, your meditation will not be as productive as if you have good yang motivation to make the yin methods efficacious. I'll also recommend baduanjin for stretching joints and meridians, organs, but dont miss the other piece of the pie. Of course, any method has its proper point at which to be dropped - but that's considering a pretty expansive picture. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ancienthealth Posted March 23, 2012 Dont neglect Yang. Lotus wont fix those bolded items. Get a membership to a gym and work out every day, break a sweat, motivate fluids of all sorts, eat, rest. If your body is not relatively strong and in decent condition then you're not going to have the best results possible, your meditation will not be as productive as if you have good yang motivation to make the yin methods efficacious. I'll also recommend baduanjin for stretching joints and meridians, organs, but dont miss the other piece of the pie. Of course, any method has its proper point at which to be dropped - but that's considering a pretty expansive picture. Hmm. Yes! Thanks - it's very common sense i should need more physical exercise.. Seems i was looking for a way to avoid that conclusion ;-). Whenever i start i end up stopping within a week but I don't know if I realized how important it could be to my health.. It might be the key thing I'm missing. As far as the internal organs, I might try Yin Yoga (which i read about on here) for now, simply because it is very relaxing to stay in a posture for that long. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted March 23, 2012 (edited) Indeed like various other people said physical exercise (Yang) is very important...you gotta nurture the body and keep it in good health. When it comes to internal alchemy you are using the essences of the body for spiritual transformation...therefore the body must be healthy. I feel many people neglect the body because they feel it is something that should be rejected because it creates attachment. To a certain extent this is true because we cannot take an atom of the body with us when we die...but we also want to get all the time and mileage out of the body we can so we continue to cultivate as long as possible and reach our goals...instead of dying young due to health problems that could have been prevented. I practice 20 minutes of Hatha Yoga every morning just to keep the body strong and flexible...but you should find the practice best suited to you. -My 2 cents, Peace Edited March 23, 2012 by OldGreen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eric23 Posted March 23, 2012 8 brocades of silk qi gong. Nice basic movement practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ya Mu Posted March 23, 2012 I am an intense fan of rebounding as a physical exercise. Here are more thoughts of combining the energetics with the physical. For movement the Gift of the Tao series is an easy to learn but powerful neigong movement system that one can do in less than 20 minutes. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walker Posted March 23, 2012 Dont neglect Yang. Lotus wont fix those bolded items. Get a membership to a gym and work out every day, break a sweat, motivate fluids of all sorts, eat, rest. If your body is not relatively strong and in decent condition then you're not going to have the best results possible, your meditation will not be as productive as if you have good yang motivation to make the yin methods efficacious. I can't directly speak on what the lotus posture can or can't do, but I think that the first sentence Joe Blast has given you cannot be understated. In China there is the phrase, 动则生阳: movement gives birth to yang. Your condition certainly sounds like one of yang insufficiency. In fact, even your statement, "maybe something that doesn't take more than 20 minutes so i can focus on my sitting practices," is an indicator of this. As one of my closest teachers has said more than once, "when the student is inclined to sit more and more, this is generally a sign that s/he needs to practice more movement. When the student is inclinded to move more and more, this is generally a sign that s/he needs to practice more sitting." In my opinion, garnered in part from personal experience, in part from listening to teachers, and in part from observing patients visiting the TCM doctors I study with in China, this point is really very important if you want to overcome the health problems you've mentioned. If you really only have twenty minutes to spare but want to get your yang qi moving, then I am inclined to suggest that, like Joe Blast says, you do something that really gets you to "break a sweat, motivate fluids of all sorts, eat, rest." Motivating fluids is probably very important for a person reporting a weak immune system--you gotta get that lymph fluid moving! I don't know anything about rebounding but Mr. Lomax certainly seems to know his stuff, so you might want to look into that. If you want to get the kind of results you're looking for from gentler practices, you're probably going to need to invest more time. As another of my teachers says, "gong fu is nothing other than the time you spend." I've been seeing great improvements in my health lately with nothing more than an increase in my standing and circle-walking practices. But we're talking 45 minutes of the former and 1 1/2 to 2 hours of the latter, day in, day out. A mere twenty minutes of either ain't gonna do ya! Conversely, I have a lot of friends out here who wish for major health benefits from a quarter or half hour of gentle taiji or qigong movements done here and there. Others in our modern world where most people barely move all day somehow dream of fixing their body with even more sitting! Unfortunately, from what I see around me, this path just doesn't seem to work unless you're at such a high level that your internal qi movement is as great or greater than what you would get from serious exercise. I only know two people at that level. One is 89 and lives in a cave, the other meditates all day and barely eats. Us normal folk require movement! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeblast Posted March 23, 2012 Yes, rebounding! and good additional points, Walker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ancienthealth Posted March 23, 2012 great thread guys! Last night i did some really intense burpees and plank holding, and pullups. I think it's what i need. I neglected to say, but you guys could probably infer that I am very physically weak as well. I weigh 110 pounds (which is my normal weight - always have) but I am a 20 year old male. Rebounding looks cool but i travel a lot and I don't have a rebounder as of yet. Just 10 minutes of really intense exercise last night made me feel warm, got my digestive system going, cleared my head, and then made the yoga I did afterwards much more effective. So I imagine 15 minutes of (very intense) exercise 4 times a week or so might make a huge difference. Then with time management in mind, my other physical practice for now is yin yoga (because i can listen to recordings of my favorite spiritual teacher while breathing and relaxing) Seems to work as a combo - I feel better than in a while! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted March 23, 2012 As I already have some meditation disciplines I decided to practice them for long stretches in full lotus now, as i've read about how that cultivates energy. I have a very weak constitution and immune system, cold limbs, lack of energy, low appetite. Maybe full lotus can help this? And this would work great since i already have a routine... However I was wondering (especially considering my specific "symptoms") If there was a set of movement exercises to also help to stretch and spread energy.. maybe something that doesn't take more than 20 minutes so i can focus on my sitting practices? There is a lot of info and types of Qi Gong out there, and i am very attracted to it but also very new. I have heard of Ba Duan JIn, and that is kind of thing i'm looking for - but just wondering what else is out there, what's recommended.. etc. Thankyou for your help, this is a wonderful forum! My friend and training partner Jeremy Harlow has created a shamanic shape-shifting Qigong system based on the Medicine Wheel. It's the best Qigong system I've ever practiced. I like it better than 8 Brocades, Shiba Luohan, Taiji Ruler, Taiji Jian Shen Fa - anything. His website is www.danceswithspirit.com. I'm currently practicing Golden Eagle Awakens a Vision. A crow helped me with it on the beach yesterday. It's simply amazing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ancienthealth Posted March 23, 2012 I bought good condition used Needak for $100... haha Thanks for the inspiration guys. What's the best way to use it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjjbecker Posted March 23, 2012 great thread guys! Last night i did some really intense burpees and plank holding, and pullups. I think it's what i need. I neglected to say, but you guys could probably infer that I am very physically weak as well. I weigh 110 pounds (which is my normal weight - always have) but I am a 20 year old male. Rebounding looks cool but i travel a lot and I don't have a rebounder as of yet. Just 10 minutes of really intense exercise last night made me feel warm, got my digestive system going, cleared my head, and then made the yoga I did afterwards much more effective. So I imagine 15 minutes of (very intense) exercise 4 times a week or so might make a huge difference. Then with time management in mind, my other physical practice for now is yin yoga (because i can listen to recordings of my favorite spiritual teacher while breathing and relaxing) Seems to work as a combo - I feel better than in a while! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17177251 A few relatively short bursts of intense exercise, amounting to only a few minutes a week, can deliver many of the health and fitness benefits of hours of conventional exercise, according to new research, says Dr Michael Mosley. But how much benefit you get from either may well depend on your genes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warrior Body Buddha Mind Posted March 24, 2012 Burning Palm System, Bak Fu Sun Yee Gong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johndoe2012 Posted March 29, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17177251 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training Tabata MethodA popular regimen based on a 1996 study[2] uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 170% of VO2max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles). Tabata called this the IE1 protocol.[3] In the original study, athletes using this method trained 4 times per week, plus another day of steady-state training, and obtained gains similar to a group of athletes who did steady state (70% VO2max) training 5 times per week. The steady state group had a higher VO2max at the end (from 52 to 57 ml/kg/min), but the Tabata group had started lower and gained more overall (from 48 to 55 ml/kg/min). Also, only the Tabata group had gained anaerobic capacity benefits. I think generally you would want to have a good technique before doing high intensity interval training to avoid injury. You can do it with push-ups, pull-ups etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
