curiousone Posted January 8, 2014 Hello everyone, I somehow ended up here after a google search about liver damage caused by cannabis abuse. Interestingly, i have been reading a lot about TCM lately.I have read 3 books from Mantak Chia ( i've got no idea if he's a respected teacher or not, but i resonate with his teachings as they sound truthful and in line with my little experience), and right now i'm reading a book about reading faces. Anyways, in the middle of my google search i found a website about John Mini who is an american acupuncturist and herbalist who has experience with people who used and/or abused cannabis and went to him for help. He talks a lot about the need to balance the effects of cannabis and how, if one fails to do this, and is a regular user, can develop problems in the future by damaging your liver and kidney Qi. I first started using cannabis as a self treatment for depression after a bad breakup, about 8 years ago. Since i smoked it, and mixed tobacco, the tolerance built fast and for 6 years i used daily. 2 years ago i discovered vaporization and i managed to stop smoking but i continued to use cannabis. Since i no longer used tobacco i was able to control myself and lower my usage 10x comparing to when i did smoke. However, i still vaporize everyday and i feel like i should stop and do it once a week but i'm having a hard time doing that because cannabis helps me deal with my anxiety and pain. I should also add that i have practiced yoga for many years, and i meditate everyday although i stoped my regular yoga practice. I'm a health nut and i love studying about nutrition, natural medicine, and all that relates to human improvement and excelence. I also tend to eat somewhat close to paleo diet, suplement everyday with hemp seed oil (for my omega 3 and essential aminoacids) and korean ginseng extract (for overall brain and body health). My purpose right now is to learn some techniques that allow me to not depend on cannabis for my well being, as well as to balance the effects of regular use of cannabis. (i use very little quantity, amounting to 2-3g/month ) On top of that, i'd like to know if there are some routine i can use everyday to improve overall health. I do the inner smile meditation a lot, but that's about it. I also do breathing exercises at night i learnt in my yoga classes. I'd also like to immerse myself studying the TAO, but to be honest i don't even know where to start. Hope i make new friends here, this seems a great community! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chang Posted January 9, 2014 Hello and welcome to the Tao Bums. I am sure that you will find no shortage of advice here regarding your questions and I wish you much luck. The forum is very easy going and there is not a great deal that you need be aware of, just read the two posts pinned at the top of the Lobby and take a look at the forum terms and rules http://thetaobums.com/topic/19575-forum-terms-rules/. Best wishes, Chang 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Expanding ones consciousness through meditation and chi Kung is a very cool way to study the Tao. Welcome to TTB. My 2 cents, Peace Edited January 9, 2014 by OldChi 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Songtsan Posted January 9, 2014 One could certainly find other healthier herbal means for anxiety, such as Kava Kava - also, mood stabilizers come in many forms, including amino acids and nutritional supplements. Do you want any info on that? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
curiousone Posted January 9, 2014 Thank you all for the kind words, much apreciated. I already use ginseng and hemp seed oil, and actually i just bought spirulina and barley grass to help me balance my cannabis use. I'm also considering st johns wort as it helped me in the past too. But, i appreciate any links you might find could be helpful for me. Yesterday i've also saw a practice called Falun Gong, it seems quite simple for me to get started on this path and to complement my meditation. I was thinking of doing Surya Namaskar in the mornings and Falun Gong in the evenings since the Falun Gong practice takes roughly 30min and i know that i won't wake up 30min earlier, at least in the beginning. And it suits my objective of finding a couple of daily practices to keep me balanced and slowly improve myself. I also considered alternating Surya Namaskar with the Tibetan Five Rites. I know these are 3 different things, and Chi Kung a fourth one, but in my opinion it does not seem they conflict with each other in terms of my spiritual growth and physical health. What do you guys think? When i was studying Yoga my teacher would say that we should not mix different "cultivation methods". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted January 9, 2014 I do Surya Namaskar/Sun Salutations every morning. There awesome and have complimented my overall practice. My 2 cents, Peace 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dainin Posted January 9, 2014 Welcome curiousone. I'd recommend doing some research on Falun Gong before entering into that path. You could use the search box in the upper right corner (from the main home page) to find many past threads on it here, as well as Google. Read and then decide. Good luck with your practice. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cookie Monster Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) . Edited May 5, 2021 by Ocean Form 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
curiousone Posted January 11, 2014 At the moment my cultivation is mainly for health purposes, but i believe in overall well being not just physical but also spiritual and emotional. I have read a bit about Falun Gong here and it seems it doesn't have much credibility, perhaps due to being codified in 1992 and i also read about not allowing for big improvements in the long run. So that's a bit disapointing as i want to find something that allows for steady improvement as well. I read a bit about Zhan Zhuang and Wu Qin Xi, i also realized i did something very similar to the microcosmic orbit in my regular meditations and breathing exercises before bed. From what i gather, Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) is good to "toughen" your physical body. Will Wu Qin Xi (five animals) bring me the health improvements (not just in the physical) i need or is there a more complete set of exercises i can start with? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aetherous Posted January 11, 2014 Apparently you can mitigate the negative health effects of cannabis by cooking with it in various ways...letting the fats in your food take up the THC.Still, it's mind altering so that's not really good.Anxiety is tough to treat. It's really caused by the mind not being able to relax open, and this impacting the physiology. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) I read a bit about Zhan Zhuang and Wu Qin Xi, i also realized i did something very similar to the microcosmic orbit in my regular meditations and breathing exercises before bed. From what i gather, Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) is good to "toughen" your physical body. Will Wu Qin Xi (five animals) bring me the health improvements (not just in the physical) i need or is there a more complete set of exercises i can start with? You want some semi crazy unusual practices. I'll point you towards Rawn Clark's work at abardoncompanion.com. He's got a couple of free audio programs. Most are magic/hermetic influenced. Because you mentioned Zhan Zhuang, he has a practice called the Archaeous. Its a series of lessons on a hermetic element practice. I like to do them standing, they're just 15 minutes long, but you need to spend some time 'mastering each one before moving on. Being elemental they're simple, but run deep. You start at a physical level and explore other aspects of being. Good stuff. Edited January 12, 2014 by thelerner Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
