Sifu Wong

[spyrelx]

[林愛偉]

[thaddeus]

[spyrelx]

Thanks Spyrelx. I think we should have a permanent posting on 'workshop nuggets' so we can all share these things. Can you walk me through what he says are the important points of the brocade? Just pick one of them and we can discuss. For example, for the first one..supporting the sky..i was taught to keep inhaling on the stretch, and not to go up on the toes as it dilutes the stretch. The main action is on the left and right sides of the torso and affects the triple warmer...feet/legs together, eyes follow hands upwards.

Also curious to hear the 5 minute explanation of TT breathing..

Thanks!

T

 

 

Focus, Relax, Don't Worry.

 

Those three instructions are the heart of his training, and worth their weight in gold.

 

Your description of lifting the sky sounds right. Eyes follow hands upwards with inhald, push up, hold (neither breathing in nor out but not holding breath either) and eyes come down with hands on exhale. All inhales through nose all exhales through the mouth. But there are other ways to do it and one could argue that it's really not that important (see below).

 

1. Focus. It's a moving meditation. If you're mind is wandering, it's not chi gung. One thing he said that applies to this and #2 below is "enjoy your breathing". I find this helps a lot to keep me focused and stay in the proper state of mind.

 

2. Relax. Nothing should be forced or strained. Nothing should be tense. Your breaths in and out shouldn't be forced. There's a tendency to breath in and especially out loud enough so you can hear it, or deeply so that you get all that chi -- both are forcing and thus not relaxed. Enjoy your (relaxed) breath.

 

3. Don't Worry. "You are going to be at home thinkng 'Did he say do it like this or like this? Should my hand be here or there? Breathing like this or like that?' -- DON'T WORRY. It's not that important. If you are focused and relaxed you are doing chi kung."

 

Other pointers. Before practice relax your body and smile from your heart. After practice, let yourself experience spontaneous chi flow for a while. Both these things aren't reccomendations. They are fundemental parts of the form. Without them you are not doing chi kung.

 

Hope that helps.

[thaddeus]

Focus, Relax, Don't Worry.

 

3. Don't Worry. "You are going to be at home thinkng 'Did he say do it like this or like this? Should my hand be here or there? Breathing like this or like that?' -- DON'T WORRY. It's not that important. If you are focused and relaxed you are doing chi kung."

yes, thanks, i was taught that these are basically 'simple' exercises..no complicated ideas about dantians etc. But I was told the most important thing was getting the stretch in the correct locations. The songs that accompany the exercises tell you what to stretch..so for example, the first one stretches the triple warmer..

the next one stretches the lung, etc..

Thanks!

T

[spyrelx]

The songs that accompany the exercises tell you what to stretch..

 

 

?

 

I'm not sure whether you mean songs or sounds. In any event, my lesson didn't involve sounds, though I could see how the six healing sounds could be integrated (and I think I've actually seen a brocade done like that).

 

Did you learn sounds with this in Wong's system or with someone else's brocade?

[mYTHmAKER]

i was taught to keep inhaling on the stretch, and not to go up on the toes as it dilutes the stretch. Also curious

 

You could go up on your toes while pushing your heels down. This would intensify the stretch.

[forestofsouls]

yes, thanks, i was taught that these are basically 'simple' exercises..no complicated ideas about dantians etc. But I was told the most important thing was getting the stretch in the correct locations. The songs that accompany the exercises tell you what to stretch..so for example, the first one stretches the triple warmer..

the next one stretches the lung, etc..

Thanks!

T

 

Sifu Wong is an old school chi kung teacher. He believes that chi kung is aimed at developing and circulating chi. He also teaches that any stretches you get from these exercises are secondary.

[thaddeus]

?

 

I'm not sure whether you mean songs or sounds. In any event, my lesson didn't involve sounds, though I could see how the six healing sounds could be integrated (and I think I've actually seen a brocade done like that).

 

Did you learn sounds with this in Wong's system or with someone else's brocade?

Songs meaning poems. Each brocade has a few lines associated with it. In Chinese, I presume it rhymes..translated to english it's something like 'stretch arms upward to hold up the sky and stretch the triple warmer'..something like that, it will take awhile to dig up my notes, but i'm sure a google would find it.

T

 

Sifu Wong is an old school chi kung teacher. He believes that chi kung is aimed at developing and circulating chi. He also teaches that any stretches you get from these exercises are secondary.

Yep. The stretch is supposed to regulate the chi flow in the particular area of emphasis...at least that's how it was explained to me..

T

 

You could go up on your toes while pushing your heels down. This would intensify the stretch.

Agree, I realized that on my own also..since I was told the important thing was the feeling in the appropriate area, and like the other's have pointed out, the exact form in this series of exercise is probably not relevant.

Another one I remember is the looking back one is supposed to stretch the area between the shoulder blades, the poem that goes with it mentions something about relieving bad emotions..which is interesting when you consider you tend to rub someone there when you want to console them..

T

[mYTHmAKER]

Songs meaning poems. Each brocade has a few lines associated with it. In Chinese, I presume it rhymes..translated to english it's something like 'stretch arms upward to hold up the sky and stretch the triple warmer'..something like that, it will take awhile to dig up my notes, but i'm sure a google would find it.

T

 

When you find your notes it would be appreciated if you shared them

[Mal]

[Fu_dog]

Mal - I've practiced Lifting Sky and Carry the Moon for several years now to begin my qigong practice sessions. These are excellent, and I have never been able to get away from them. Also, these two exercises seem to blend well with the other forms of qigong I have practiced.

[Mal]

Thanks Fu_dog,

 

After a week I quite like these. Drawing the moon is a good challenge and Lifting the Sky is especially enjoyable.

 

Will be interesting to see if I can keep them going for the 3 months. I'll let people know what happens.......

 

Cheers