Some questions about exercises

[Imperial]

Hi! I have some questions regarding a few exercises/meditations. What is "fire in the belly"? Is it a meditation technique? If so, how do you execute it?

 

I also want to know what is "body breathing." I tried to find some information online about "fire in the belly" and "body breathing" but I couldn't find any that were plausible at the least.

 

Also, how do you manage sexual energy? Is there a technique for it?

 

Thanks!

[ChiDragon]

"Fire in the belly" is not a meditation. It is only an esoteric term used in TCM to describe some kind of physical condition in the belly. Please don't be concerned with those funny names that people came up with. Stay with the normal breathing method with your nose. Sexual energy depends how do you develop the physical condition of the body. If you have a healthy body, your sexuality will be high. If you are weak, then your sexual energy is weak. So, keep your body in good shape.

Edited January 5, 2013 by ChiDragon

[Truth Seeker]

What did you mean by "manage" sexual energy? Many in Taoism work to harness the sexual energy and conserve jing (semen). Depleting jing uses up qi, which depletes life. The older a man becomes, the more important this becomes. By using Taoist practices you may have sex quite often, but only orgasm once in a while. Sounds shocking and weird, but it actually can make sex more enjoyable. I'll leave it there and recommend the book The Tao of Love and Sex by Jolan Chang if this intrigues you. End result is your qi (which some people equate with sexual energy) stays strong no matter how much sex you have.

 

I wonder if body breathing refers to the sensation of drawing in qi through your whole body on the inhale. Common sensation in qigong and meditation.

[Imperial]

Thanks for the replies! Another question: is there an exercise for "ch'i follows the mind"?

 

Looks like I need to research a bit more on "body breathing." I'm trying to follow the meditation exercises here: http://internalart.tripod.com/the%20art%20of%20meditation/meditation.htm

Unfortunately, the website has not been updated for thirteen years.

Edited January 12, 2013 by Imperial

[ChiDragon]

Just pay attention to the breathing and ignore the semen retention part.

[Truth Seeker]

Just pay attention to the breathing and ignore the semen retention part.

 

Just ignore ChiDragon and test it for yourself. Once your qigong practice has been in place a few months, simply go 2-3 weeks without ejaculation and see how you feel during qigong. When I do that, I definitely feel the qi grow stronger day by day. However, who wants to be celibate for that long? So the next logical question is how to have sex without losing the qi. The Taoists answered this thousands of years ago and it has been rehashed again and again. It's all in the Jolan Chang book I mentioned, and in plenty of other books too. I don't advise the illogical, esoteric practices that supposedly send jing up the spine to nourish the brain. All I'm talking about is what's in that book, which is very simple, preserves your energy, and honestly makes sex even more enjoyable.

[ChiDragon]

All the sexual energy talks were from fiction stories. I read those stories throughout my life.

 

"send jing up the spine to nourish the brain"

How much truth can anyone see in that....??? Who can prove or disprove of that....???

 

The purpose of Chi Kung(with breathing) was to rejuvenate the body after the energy was consumed or to heal a damaged part of the body by mitosis. Preserving your energy was not by not using it. You energy will be diminished if you don't use it. If you've used it, then it will be regenerated. Another words, if you don't use any energy in the body, the energy generator was less active, so to speak.

 

Based on the yin-yang concept, when the yang energy was too high, it will start releasing the energy to go to a yin-state. After the yin-state was reached, then the energy will start building up to a yang-sate. The yin-yang cycle repeats itself constantly. BTW In the fallacy case about retaining semen, it violates the yin-yang concept by some offshoot Taoists.

 

"Just ignore ChiDragon and test it for yourself. Once your qigong practice has been in place a few months, simply go 2-3 weeks without ejaculation and see how you feel during qigong. When I do that, I definitely feel the qi grow stronger day by day."

 

The reason "I definitely feel the qi grow stronger day by day" was not because of the celibacy but it was the Chi Kung practice itself. I know someone who ejaculated twice in one day, after a nap and a short session of Chi Kung practice, feels like a brand new man and mow a good size lawn still feels very energetic. What is happening was that after the energy was used up, the Chi Kung will rejuvenate the body to replace the energy that was consumed. After the energy was resumed, the body will be continued to pick up where it was left before the sexual activity. If one thinks that celibacy help to preserve energy in the body, then one was really under estimate the efficacy of Chi Kung.

 

 

FYI All the confusion about jing was misled by the two jing's. The jing in "jing, chi, shen" was misinterpreted by some ancient Taoists as the 精子(jing zi), sperm. It was worse, somehow, it was mistranslated as "semen" in the west. Unfortunately, this jing was getting more misleading, misunderstood and confusing from person-to-person day-by-day.

Edited January 12, 2013 by ChiDragon

[Truth Seeker]

Thanks for the reply, ChiDragon, I for one appreciate you taking the time to explain your perspective. I'll still have to politely disagree, but maybe it's good we have 2 differing perspectives on here. I'm sure this subject has been contended in other threads on this forum. Let me explain further what I meant by "the qi grow stronger day by day." Yes, there is the slow, long-term increase in qi due to practice over the years. But on any given day, if I "emit jing" (to keep this PG-13) I will feel my qi level drop for several days. Now I do not mean the energy it takes to get through the day; I'm talking about the buoyant, tingling, powerful qi I feel during a qigong or taijichuan session. Are they the same energy? I couldn't tell you. All I know is the day after sex I'm fine to be an energetic person, but it will take several days to start getting that qi feeling back strongly. And after 2-3 weeks, it's humming in me almost nonstop. It even makes it hard to sleep sometimes because it's like a low-grade electric current running through me. It is directly tied to jing emission, as I've learned from many, many repeat experiences. As far as the "use it or lose it" philosophy, I agree to the extent that one must consistently activate the qi through meditation, qigong, taijiquan, etc. or else it will dissipate. But if you activate the qi daily, it will continue to grow - you will not lose it.

 

I am absolutely convinced from my experiences, reading Taoist theory and talking with my sifus that to supercharge your qi requires some regulation of ejaculation. I agree that you can have sex and replenish yourself with qigong and feel normal or even better than normal, but by limiting ejaculation you can increase your qi even further. It's all a matter of what's important to people and what their goals are. I'm interested in pushing the envelope in this regard and am willing to make sacrifices for it.

Edited January 12, 2013 by Truth Seeker

[Sifu ReL]

Looks like truth seeker found the truth!.... Experience is everything.

 

when ur feeling of Qi , feels better then a oragsm, i bet you all will quit "burping the worm"

 

lmao my penny for thought...

"cant afford to give 2 cents"

[joeblast]

Hi! I have some questions regarding a few exercises/meditations. What is "fire in the belly"? Is it a meditation technique? If so, how do you execute it?

 

I also want to know what is "body breathing." I tried to find some information online about "fire in the belly" and "body breathing" but I couldn't find any that were plausible at the least.

 

Also, how do you manage sexual energy? Is there a technique for it?

 

Thanks!

Heat will naturally manifest when coherence in the breath structures is achieved and combined with just a lil intent about the lower dantien. Have a look for embryonic breathing

 

Sexual energy can stir either of its own accord, or from the mind. Of its own accord is easier to deal with, use reverse breathing to absorb the energy of the erection and it will subside. Of the mind is a little more tricky in our hypersexualized culture - you basically need to cease lustful thought. There is a parasympathetic loop that engages the testicles, locations D&L in this gif basically respond to the parasympathetic connection and begin to energize and accelerate sperm there - I really only understood this in an experiential manner after having a vasectomy and the doc was describing some of these things to me, and "should I let my mind lustfully wander" I can feel the action from there translate and the mechanism will begin filling the vas deferens with sperm - but because of the snip it isnt smooth and unnoticed as it was beforehand. Ironically it does not respond in the same way to spontaneous, loving sex, it only responds like that when it is moved by the mind (I dont make myself into a guinea pig very often )

 

Thanks for the replies! Another question: is there an exercise for "ch'i follows the mind"?

 

Looks like I need to research a bit more on "body breathing." I'm trying to follow the meditation exercises here: http://internalart.t.../meditation.htm

Unfortunately, the website has not been updated for thirteen years.

Yes, qi follows the mind. Million ways to do it. Imagine you have a sticker on your forehead and I'll betcha it gets tense before too long (stop or it'll give you a headache ) I was trying to explain that to a lady I worked with a while back and she wasnt quite getting it, so I held my palm out, normal white color, and her eyes popped out when I made 'em red in about 3-5 seconds

 

Body breathing isnt as fundamental as something like embryonic breathing - start there and body breathing will eventually emerge from it

[Truth Seeker]

Interesting, Joe. Since the vasectomy you actually feel activity in the testes when you have sexual thoughts? Crazy. What does that feel like?

[joeblast]

Well, I noticed differences depending on how things were with the wife, so I investigated how the mind interacted so that I could obtain data on it. Its not like have a sexual thought and its all stuffed up immediately or anything, it happens as the thoughts are furthered, so that reinforces that the root is mind. Stuffed up isnt even correct, really, I dont know how to describe it. Not like uncomfortable or anything, its just that there's a lid on the container instead of it having 5x the length to act as a spring-buffer. I suppose if extrapolated far enough then that's where the ol blue balls might come from, but I certainly didnt feel the need to take my data points quite THAT far

[adept]

so I held my palm out, normal white color, and her eyes popped out when I made 'em red in about 3-5 seconds

 

Ahh, the old red palm trick ! I love doing that to qi skeptics.

[Imperial]

Thanks for all the replies. It's great to have many knowledgable seniors! Can someone explain body breathing? I want to read more about it.

 

Oh, and embryonic breathing is normal breathing, right? Stomach expands when inhaling, and contracts when exhaling?

[ChiDragon]

Thanks for all the replies. It's great to have many knowledgable seniors! Can someone explain body breathing? I want to read more about it.

 

Oh, and embryonic breathing is normal breathing, right? Stomach expands when inhaling, and contracts when exhaling?

 

I am waiting to see who is brave enough to come forward and say "yes".....!!!

Edited January 16, 2013 by ChiDragon

[joeblast]

Thanks for all the replies. It's great to have many knowledgable seniors! Can someone explain body breathing? I want to read more about it.

 

Oh, and embryonic breathing is normal breathing, right? Stomach expands when inhaling, and contracts when exhaling?

Body breathing...ever watch a bee breathe when you were young? Their butts move in and out - that's because they do not have a circulatory system and need to rely upon bodily motions to facilitate the movement of fluids (they have a dual purpose hemolymph as opposed to what we have for blood, its almost like comparing 4 stroke gas to the 2 stroke gas/oil mixture.) So the idea is similar in that you can use the entire body to breathe and motivate fluids. You can uptake oxygen through the pores in your skin, this is also enhanced by that.

 

Embryonic breathing is a little different of a concept in that it doesnt focus on the extremities and uses coherent abdominal motion centered about the dantien. Seeing as I just answered this, for the most part, link here.

[ChiDragon]

Oh, and embryonic breathing is normal breathing, right? Stomach expands when inhaling, and contracts when exhaling?

Yes, you got the right idea.

[Imperial]

Yes, you got the right idea.

Thanks for enlightening me!

 

Are there anything I should refrain from eating, or anything that I should eat?

[ChiDragon]

Thanks for enlightening me!

 

Are there anything I should refrain from eating, or anything that I should eat?

Eat less fats. Eat something that is good for the muscles.

 

What is good for the muscles, we can determine by the chemicals that were required for muscle contraction and relaxation. The chemicals such as sodium, calcium, potassium and etc. The chemicals are found in a variety of nuts, fruits and vegetables.

 

Edited to add:

Eat them nuts are rich in minerals which are good for the muscles:

1. almond

2. walnut

3. Brazilian nut

4. pecan

5. cashew nut

6. macadamia nut.

Edited January 23, 2013 by ChiDragon

[Imperial]

Eat less fats. Eat something that is good for the muscles.

 

What is good for the muscles, we can determine by the chemicals that were required for muscle contraction and relaxation. The chemicals such as sodium, calcium, potassium and etc. The chemicals are found in a variety of nuts, fruits and vegetables.

 

Okay, I'll try. D:

 

Also, what does reverse breathing do? I know it is a way to gain energy as we breathe like that after some cardio or exercises, but what are the effects?

[ChiDragon]

This post was edited and moved forward....

Edited January 23, 2013 by ChiDragon

[joeblast]

There's different schools of thought on when reverse breathing should be taught. Generally speaking, younger, more supple, easier. I dont think one could say reverse breathing is an achievement, though - it is a breath strategy to be employed towards one's goals, not a goal in and of itself. People often get confused by focusing too much on the front of the abdomen for reverse breathing - the front of the abdomen really only modifies the amount of force for breath or movement, it is not a fundamental breath mechanism in and of itself. If you only pay attention to the diaphragm-psoas-perineum dynamic, you see the diaphragm has basically the same motion in natural or reverse, it is the perineum doing opposites - relaxing on inhale for natural, lifting on inhale for reverse. They say at advanced stages reverse may naturally emerge - but that is because of the fundamental 3 structures being coherent, after the breath externally disappears, only using the fundamental 3, the motions arent *that* different

[ChiDragon]

Reverse Breathing(RB) is the highest level of achievement in Chi Kung. For martial application, it allows the muscles in the body to be contracted, holistically, to generate the maximum body strength to go against any external aggressive force. However, prior to the RB which can be done effectively, the practice of Normal Breathing(NB) must be accomplished first. However, you don't want to start RB in the reverse order. Otherwise, you will never succeed in accomplishing the purpose of Chi Kung. Besides, you will have health problems if you do it in the reverse order.

 

To see the RB in action is best to watch the Shaolin monks in performing their acts. You will see that they are going through a ritual of RB and contracting all their muscles before doing the actual performance.

 

 

Pay close attention to the RB ritual at 17:39, 29:40, 30:50, and 31:50 in the video.

Edited January 23, 2013 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

Also, what does reverse breathing do? I know it is a way to gain energy as we breathe like that after some cardio or exercises, but what are the effects?

To answer your question more specifically...

Reverse breathing will massage the internal organs to activate and increases the rate of metabolism. RB also cause the abdominal muscles to be tightened to protect the internal organs in a defensive situation. In additon, RB will allow the body to generate the maximum strength to resist any external aggression. The muscle contraction can withstand any impact caused by any external strike against the muscles as you can see in many demonstrations by the Shaolin monks.

Edited January 23, 2013 by ChiDragon

[joeblast]

Any good abdominal breath well massages the internal organs. Any tightening, especially of the front of the abdomen, depends on the application - if you are using reverse breathing meditatively, you will not be utilizing it much at all.

 

Dr Yang (ymaa) defines the energetic differences in breathing natural vs reverse in terms of qi flow focus - natural breathing as placing emphasis on the primary qi channels, reverse as placing more emphasis on both the marrow and wei qi. It is generally backed up well by investigating the yin/yang (think contractions) of the individual components of breath mechanics.

 

Natural, a good balance of the two:

 

 

Reverse, all yin at once, all yang at once:

 

So naturally, the coherently arranged effects will allow for higher energetic amplitudes, while the offsetting is a more harmonious and softer approach.