Too much Yang?

[Gino]

Just a note: Excuse my descriptions, I have very little knowledge of qi.

 

I have been "recreationally" moving qi throughout my body and testing how much I can "pump" my qi up through simple exercises. I've been doing these things since I first felt qi (I was 12) and since then, physical feelings associated with qi have grown stronger and feel better. However, it hasn't been till this year that I gained knowledge of Taoism and qi.

 

However, having read the KoHsuan's "Zhuan Zhuang and Chakras" thread, I think I've been the cause of my anxiety and more problems I'm unaware of: these exercises I have been doing has caused my body to become mostly yang since I don't do anything with my qi.

 

These two quotes really struck home:

It may feel good and powerful in the beginning but then you will start to feel the nervous disorders kick in due to your body becoming to yang and it all goes downhill from there

Chi Gung is like eating. Tai Chi is like digesting your food. People who engage in standing meditation and don't DO something w/ the energy are asking for future problems.

What are the "future problems" of a body becoming to yang and how do I know if my body is mostly yang? More importantly, what can I do to stop this?

 

Thanks,

 

Gino

[mwight]

Just a note: Excuse my descriptions, I have very little knowledge of qi.

 

I have been "recreationally" moving qi throughout my body and testing how much I can "pump" my qi up through simple exercises. I've been doing these things since I first felt qi (I was 12) and since then, physical feelings associated with qi have grown stronger and feel better. However, it hasn't been till this year that I gained knowledge of Taoism and qi.

 

However, having read the KoHsuan's "Zhuan Zhuang and Chakras" thread, I think I've been the cause of my anxiety and more problems I'm unaware of: these exercises I have been doing has caused my body to become mostly yang since I don't do anything with my qi.

 

These two quotes really struck home:

 

What are the "future problems" of a body becoming to yang and how do I know if my body is mostly yang? More importantly, what can I do to stop this?

 

Thanks,

 

Gino

 

Just make sure you are balancing your routine. You need both active standing meditation, movements, etc.. and Passive sitting, deep trance meditation. You have to do both, you cannot neglect either.

 

In my practice my energies are stored in my dan tein (naval charkra) after I am done circulating and refining them. If I feel excess sexual urges, manic type euphoria, etc, I focus on collecting this extra energy, distilling it, circulating it, refining it, and then storing it in my lower dan tein.

Edited August 20, 2007 by mwight

[Trunk]

In addition to a balanced routine, and progressive investigation into qi gong (moving and still), I find self-acupressure (link) to be critically helpful in circulating the channels.

 

~ later edit ~

If you're going to be into qi gong for the long haul, it's worth while to get the english-language acupoint reference: Peter Deadman's "A Manual of Acupuncture", hardback (link), or CD (link).

[Pero]

Trunk, what, no mention of Jerry A. Johnson's Medical Qigong "bible"? Though it's expensive (and the one I have might not be available anymore since he split it in 5 separate books), I thought it was worth the money.

I heard only good things about Deadman's book, but it also is expensive. I think it's for people who really want to get into it. And so it might be for Medical Qigong too.

[Taomeow]

Sorry, this has nothing to do with anything except the title of the thread, but someone just told me something that seems to explain everything. He said, there's so much yang we've generated in the environment that Gaja, our gentle mother Earth, is turning into a butch dyke. All those storms and hurricanes and tsunamis... she's acting like a woman who's been exposed to too much testosterone.

[Pietro]

Gaja... she's acting like a woman who's been exposed to too much testosterone.

 

She's like witch! There is also a vague resemblance!

Now we got them both!

 

Well, don't worry witch, I am going to Lisbon to a conference, which includes a workshop on Gaia: Homeostasis and the Selection of Steady States.

 

Once I am there I'll look for possible rebalancing solutions, then when I'll be back, we'll find a way to fix you.

[Gino]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I'm going to take mwight's advice and engage in standing and sitting meditation. I'm not too keen on doing self acupuncture. Pietro, if you can find a way, thanks in advance.

 

I want to start practicing Taoism. I know from reading these forums that I must read the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching. But what else? Where do I start? There seems to be no clear way on how to start practicing.

 

I stress that I can't afford purchasing books so please recommend websites instead.

 

EDIT: Still recommend books because I may be able to borrow them.

 

Thanks.

 

Gino

Edited August 21, 2007 by Gino

[witch]

Yang energy is fire and air. All right, I do have a fire singleton in my chart and my chart is also very air heavy, but I am very earth and water-focused. My testosterone is perfectly normal for a woman--it's my free testosterone that is high, because I have a low (healthy) level of SHBG. I have very high estrogen because I am fat and my body works well--I am always wet.

 

I spend most of my time either alone and meditating or taking care of my children, when I am not at my job. My job is a very quiet programming job.

 

My orgasms are yin energy I believe. They are vaginal orgasms, not clitoral orgasms (corresponding to the male orgasm). My rate of clitoral orgasms is perfectly normal--usually three a week, sometimes more, sometimes less.

 

I am a walking sinkwell of yin.

[Trunk]

Trunk, what, no mention of Jerry A. Johnson's Medical Qigong "bible"? Though it's expensive (and the one I have might not be available anymore since he split it in 5 separate books), I thought it was worth the money.

I take your comment as partly a genuine recommendation, and partly a jibe at the complexity of stuff I'm recommending to a beginner (and to the community at large).

 

I hadn't actually heard of that book, and it looks pretty interesting. (link)

 

I know that channels and acupoints theory, and application, is overwhelming at first glance. I mention it for a number of reasons.

 

First, acupressure is much more accessible than acupuncture. You don't have to "pinpoint" an acupoint, you just need to be nearby, and search and massage at a place of tenderness / soreness.

 

Second, we're all - meaning the community in general - in over our head, here. We've been fed very popular-level methods and some people make it through ok, but the way is also littered with injured aspirants. There's hardly anyone to go to for remedial help. And, if you've been into a for a few years, you're probably in it for life, with whatever consequences that might bring: give up the notion that you're "an amateur, just dabbling".

 

If that's the case, if you're in it for the rest of your life, the faster that you can get past the shallow injury-prone pop-level bullshit, the better.

I've been doing these things since I first felt qi (I was 12) ..

I don't know how old Gino is now (how old are you?), but let's assume he's in his late teens ~ early 20's, so he's been doing this through most of puberty. He's in deep. Probably he'll be doing this for the next 40 - 60 years. If he (and not just him, I'm not trying to single you out, Gino, just as an example) tinkers with Chinese medical theory over the next few years, at a pace that is easy-going, then he'll have a good tool for his well being for decades.

 

And, yeah, definately, if sustained aerobic exercise (running, etc.) and maybe a couple of yoga classes a week solves it for him in a month or so - hey, great.

[Pero]

Well actually I meant this: Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy: A Comprehensive Clinical Text

 

(review written by Peter Deadman himself)

 

Now it`s separated into five volumes (the link you gave is vol. 1) and expanded: Medical Qigong Books

 

So the price went accordingly up too. From 135 $ (I payed about 160 with postage if I remember right) to 325 $ for all five volumes.

 

 

I agree with what you say otherwise.

Edited August 22, 2007 by Pero