Homemade Qi Gong

[Kajenx]

So I'm curious if anyone has tried just doing their own thing for qi gong and had good results?  Is there a good reason to follow established teachings and methods, or am I getting the same thing just by winging it?

 

EDIT: Not to be disrespectful of any formal trainings.  I'm just a "wing it" knda guy, haha...

Edited June 10, 2015 by Kajenx

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Uh, i guess that depends entirely on what you hope to achieve, boring answer i know.

The thing with established methods is that you dont have to reinvent the wheel, although someone invented them at some point.

 

What kind of qi gong are you thinking about winging?

 

Edit: took out the rant and advice you didnt ask for and refer to the post following this one, good stuff there.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Rocky Lionmouth

[Aetherous]

Usually, you try your own thing and you get bad results. But people get bad results from other qigong things out there on the spiritual marketplace...much of it is made up by some person who doesn't really know what they're doing, anyway.

If you are very intuitive, and are able to systematically record how your body responds to various things, and understand correlations and symbolism in gestures, and have experience with true self healing...then you could probably come up with a decent type of qigong. But who is really like that and wouldn't hurt themselves in the experimentation?

[Kajenx]

I suppose I should say my main reasons for thinking about this.  I haven't done any kind of body-based meditation or energy work type thing, but I have spent a lot of time over the last two years doing meditation and working towards a "goal of enlightenment."  Something that's kind of been dawning on me is that the very idea of a goal, progress, or even "insights" or epiphanies has been a major problem for me.  I've been immersed in a buddist context focused on attainments, and I realized one of my core problems (pride, conceit, arrogance) has taken over practice and turned it into something to accomplish.  I've seen a lot of change in myself, but it's all been very intuitive and really has nothing to do with formal attainments or anything I can put my finger on solidly.  So, I'd like to let go of all this striving and move into a totally unscripted and goal-less type of practice.  Make it more into an art than a science, if that makes sense - play rather than work.  The other day I was just kind of stretching and moving around after reading for a while and I noticed a lot of the same feelings that show up during a good meditation were appearing.  I could feel things moving around, and the various areas of pressure I was feeling just kind of relaxed and spead out into a big "body-field."  I felt very solid and grounded and loose, and when I sat back down later, it was like everything had become completely relaxed.  This has happend with meditation before, but it was nice that it happened when I wasn't sitting, and I would just like to experience it on a regular basis, even if it doesn't end up anywhere.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Mmm, i can relate to the accomplishment issue. It's an easy trap to fall in with qi gong also.

 

I'd argue that play is play, just go with it and screw what anyone else says.

Maybe decide on a strict and exact opening and closing sequence and just do whatever you feel like between the two, clealry setting the space for a free session?

 

Or, completely opposite direction:

 

Have you tried tai chi?

It's got roundabout everything - a form to accomplish (clear your intent by exhausting it) and fun push hands with a partner (can be very focused or more playful). If you like it you can pour all that desire for accomplishment into something relaxing, useful and goal oriented and perhaps liberate your meditation practice?

Edited June 11, 2015 by Rocky Lionmouth

[silent thunder]

At some point every form in use today was created by someone winging it.

I regularly express myself via wuji and it suits me very well.

 

Though something one of my teachers shared with me still resonates.

 

calm heart

quiet heart

sincere heart

 

without these, it's all just waving your hands in the air.

[idquest]

Any qigong is a shell (choreography) by doing which you make your own discoveries about your energy body over time. You could try designing your own shell or do spontaneous qigong but as it has been said this is like inventing a bycicle. Just don't forget that inventors do make mistakes.

[AussieTrees]

Namo Amitabha Buddha

 

Hi all,

No instructor,how liberating,we love it.

 

This existence is illusion.

 

Qigong is one subtle way to adjust the illusion.

 

My new self arranged practice;

 

Sit,hands on knees,focus palms,soles of feet linking directly to earth centre.

 

Inhale,draw magnetic energy from top of head and from planets core from soles.

At peak of inhale,all energy circulating skull like a ball.

 

Exhale,tongue touching roof of mouth,energy back down to planet core,through soles of feet.

 

Option 2 exhale,voiding all negative energies from hands feet top of head and back of neck,usually start with this first then go to energy connecting to planet core and sky.

 

This is blissful magnet energy,drawn into top of head as is you were the base of a large mushroom.

 

This exercise can be continuos throughout your day,drawing energy with every step.

 

Blessings to all.

 

humbly juls

[Bearded Dragon]

You can do your own thing with your body because you can feel it, you know what ailments you have, etc. What do you know about your energy body? Do you even know what you want to do with it? All these questions need to be answered eventually. What are you actually trying to do with qigong, what are you trying to do with meditation, do you actually know what enlightenment means and what becomes enlightened? It all changes as you go along so you need to keep refining your answers.

 

If you have a good teacher perhaps you don't need answers, but if you're doing it alone then you're going to want to know what you're trying to do.

[AussieTrees]

Namo Amitabha Buddha

 

Theory of posted exercise.

 

As humans we are children of this planet,born of stardust,the present consciousness of this our earth.

 

Just as the animals and fish and insect are aligned with this planet and its magnetic field.

This is the purpose of this exercise,to help you align with planet earth.

 

This planet is our mother and father.

 

Health benefits are there,as with all practice,it's up to you.

 

Nil negatives as yet,does make you smile even laugh,haha.

Laughing started when having thoughts that this practice was or must be illegal,haha.

 

Blessings to all

 

humbly juls

[JinlianPai]

There is a great lesson in all the different neigongs.

 

A great teaching that is to be revealed.

 

Mastery actually means something.

 

but this is the discovery of the path of those who walk it.

[Taomeow]

Homemade qigong is an advanced form of creativity.  As in everything else, I would rely on the tradition here:

every master of every taoist practice started out by learning from masters that went before and imitating what they were doing for the longest time before proceeding (some, not all by any stretch of imagination) to creating their own routine, their own form or their own formless expressions.

 

If you start with your own inventions instead, without a background in the classical forms, chances that you will create something that can come close to the latter in its value are pretty much nonexistent.  Creativity is overrated.  Not everyone is a natural born author of whatever he or she would undertake.  There's way more artists that good artists, and way more good artists than great artists.  The same applies to qigong.  If you are a Leonardo of taoist practices...  hmmm, even Leonardo started out by imitating patiently and laboriously the masters that went before. 

 

To say nothing of genuine taoist masters, for whom lineage is everything, and creativity is maybe a hobby on the side, not the mainstay of what they do -- or else serves a specialized purpose.  E.g the purpose of instructing beginners, which is the origin of some of the newly created qigong forms (simplified for sloppier easier acquisition), or the politically motivated transmogrification of taiji into a competitive sport (for which purpose special competition-geared forms have been created in the very recent two or three decades.) 

 

If there's a clear goal in mind, one might choose a type of qigong to specialize in.  Some are good to teach to particular groups (youngsters, seniors, martial artists, people with disabilities, general population -- different groups have different needs.)  And some are for those who would invest into a system of ideation, sect, cult, or agenda.  (A good example of a qigong heavily invested into an ideology is falun gong, the most popular of them all before persecutions began.)  

 

I would at least try a few types of already existing qigong and establish a foundation -- with silk reeling, eight pieces of brocade, five animal frolics, six healing sounds, something tried and true -- before getting into the uncharted territory.  In fact, I really don't like the uncharted spiritual territory at all (except as an exception to the general rule), the night is dark and full of bafflement (in the best case scenario...) 

[dawei]

So I'm curious if anyone has tried just doing their own thing for qi gong and had good results?  Is there a good reason to follow established teachings and methods, or am I getting the same thing just by winging it? 

 

Unless you are incredibly, intuitively plugged into to your subconscious and can let go of seeking/attainment/attachment/goal as part of a natural path unfolding in front of you... then I would say statistically speaking you're going to hurt yourself at some point...   I did that  

 

Uh, i guess that depends entirely on what you hope to achieve, 

 

Good point... but hoping for achievement/attainment is not the Way (my past Zen reading speaks up)

 

Usually, you try your own thing and you get bad results. 

 

Relative.  Some get great results.  Outliers in data are as interesting as the norm.

 

I suppose I should say my main reasons for thinking about this.  I haven't done any kind of body-based meditation or energy work type thing, but I have spent a lot of time over the last two years doing meditation and working towards a "goal of enlightenment."  Something that's kind of been dawning on me is that the very idea of a goal, progress, or even "insights" or epiphanies has been a major problem for me.  I've been immersed in a buddist context focused on attainments, and I realized one of my core problems (pride, conceit, arrogance) has taken over practice and turned it into something to accomplish.  I've seen a lot of change in myself, but it's all been very intuitive and really has nothing to do with formal attainments or anything I can put my finger on solidly.  So, I'd like to let go of all this striving and move into a totally unscripted and goal-less type of practice.  Make it more into an art than a science, if that makes sense - play rather than work.  The other day I was just kind of stretching and moving around after reading for a while and I noticed a lot of the same feelings that show up during a good meditation were appearing.  I could feel things moving around, and the various areas of pressure I was feeling just kind of relaxed and spead out into a big "body-field."  I felt very solid and grounded and loose, and when I sat back down later, it was like everything had become completely relaxed.  This has happend with meditation before, but it was nice that it happened when I wasn't sitting, and I would just like to experience it on a regular basis, even if it doesn't end up anywhere.

 

Zen said, 'seek nothing to attain nothing'...  Your introspection leads to seeking.   but I think in a good way as it leads to questions    If you could cease all wondering/questioning then your mind would be at ease and ONE with what you experience, you'd get further along... but I suspect we'd get the question later

 

Homemade qigong is an advanced form of creativity.  As in everything else, I would rely on the tradition here:

every master of every taoist practice started out by learning from masters that went before and imitating what they were doing for the longest time before proceeding (some, not all by any stretch of imagination) to creating their own routine, their own form or their own formless expressions.

 

If you start with your own inventions instead, without a background in the classical forms, chances that you will create something that can come close to the latter in its value are pretty much nonexistent.  Creativity is overrated.  Not everyone is a natural born author of whatever he or she would undertake.  

 

Can we get a button that has a "hug" 

 

This is not just sensible and safe... it speaks to the majority of thoughts arising and falling and arising again on their path.

 

Unless you are born with an ability and thereafter can create your own path...  there is a long history which probably covers your ideas.

 

Having said all that, I am personally a homemade practice...  I have no system, lineage, teacher which someone can look up to say, "ah ha... I see".    To got to where I am, I followed a path which brought me to several masters/gurus and even deities/spirits/entities.    

 

I now have experienced ideas from everything from qigong, daoist martial, medical qigong, light-energy, indian tantra, etc...

 

I don't subscribe to any one... As Bruce Lee said, "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own".

 

As a caveat:  We are ten thousand arising... some can follow this destined path and some like systems, lineages, masters, etc.   Look within and find the answer.

[liminal_luke]

I think it´s useful to consider where the do-it-yourself impetus comes from.  Part of it, for me, is just a natural inclination to tinker with my own energy body out of curiosity.  When I saw Michael Winn massaged his ears as part of a kidney tonifying routine I thought...hmmm..why don´t I do this for an hour everyday for a week or so and see what happens.  Well, that was interesting.

 

But I also recognize a part of myself that rebels against anyone "telling me what to do."  There´s a part of my independence that´s not inherent to who I really am, but is a twist in my character.  Something to work on and through.  Perhaps with the guidance of a good teacher.  

 

Sometimes that part of ourselves that resists the structure of an established teaching needs to be tamed.  Just sayin´

 

Liminal

[Kajenx]

Actually, my impetus is that I'd like to stop thinking of what I'm doing as mental development with a path and a goal.  I'm dropping the whole concept of goals and paths and development and anything to attain or master.  I'm not trying to get through the forest, or even to enjoy a walk in the forest, I've just started wandering aimlessly in the forest and I kind of like it that way.  To me, the path has become a steady move away from "moving forward."  So, if I stop completely and go nowhere, that isn't a big deal.  I'm not too worried if I don't learn anything or develop anything. This mindset is actually what has gotten me interested in qi gong.  It seems like something happens to the senses and the physical feelings when I drop everything.  It's all just very open and nice, and stretching, specifically, is just great.  Or even just standing there, that can be very nice too.  It feels like my feet are very solid on the ground and my legs are like tree trunks.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Kajenx

[dawei]

I think it´s useful to consider where the do-it-yourself impetus comes from.  

 

Yes, useful to contemplate...

 

Where does it come from?  The source.

 

When it occurs?  is a better observation. 

 

Why it occurs?  is tantalizing

 

In the end, you never do it yourself... 

 

Your path has a way of showing you how to do it yourself

[AussieTrees]

Yes, useful to contemplate...

 

Where does it come from?  The source.

 

When it occurs?  is a better observation. 

 

Why it occurs?  is tantalizing

 

In the end, you never do it yourself... 

 

Your path has a way of showing you how to do it yourself

Home made qigong,is really an openness to possibilities.

The daily constant awareness of energy exchange,is an insight that persists with extension into experimentation.

 

What is possible?

To answer:'I'm not sure'is a good answer,'let's find out',this is 'home made qigong'.

 

Without any instructor,and small in experience,gleaning what is free over the Internet,after a while if you persist,you learn.

No there is no instructor to pick out improvements to work on,well that's the way it is for me.

 

Just over 12 months ago,it started,a slow sluggish awakening,what?,qigong,yeah what is that?

So relieved to find tdb,no one in my day to day life talks of such energies,and special thanks to Brian.

 

Years ago when we moved to our place,no trees,just grass,so we planted little tubes of Australian natives.

They were small and now they are big.

 

For years have been mowing and raking around these trees,they shed a lot of stuff,branches,leaves bark.

So at least twice a year we rake and burn as much as possible to reduce fuel and fire risks,it's a bit tricky trying to do this,cause of fire restrictions in summer and rainy weather over winter.

 

Raking leaves is a good exercise,I rake these leaves into long snakes of rubble,then burn them right where they are,we used to gather them up and burn them in a heap,which was a lot more work,so now just burn them in situ.

 

So have been doing this sought stuff since 1992.

The trees have grown enormously,some have been cut down as to big to close to the house.

 

The trees are young and only recently have become aware of their influence on their caretaker.

To be continued:?

[PLB]

Great question.

If I had a daily connection with a great teacher, I would definitely just roll with that until it filled my cup. I am largely stuck with myself a lot of the time, though.

One benefit to the martial element is that it is a context to meet other people who can let you sense what you don't have yet. The experience by itself may not give one a clue of how to proceed but the proximity is important. I didn't really believe a lot of things were possible until someone did them to me.
 

[vonkrankenhaus]

I have been doing almost completely "home-made" qigong for decades now.

 

But that is after many years of serious trainings in gong-fu.

 

And I still do many of old exercises.

 

They are genius, for the most part.

 

I do not believe it is very likely to develop 100% home-made qigong with no prior experience.

 

This could result in any sort of silliness.

 

Not that I would discourage anyone!

 

But after 10-20 years of learning and proving basics, gained understandings make more personal exploration possible.

 

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[Mudfoot]

So you can create a personal form, or,if you are an established teacher, you can create new sets to sell to your students. I know of at least two chinese Grandmasters doing just that. One obviously for the money, the other, well, who knows what is going on in the mind of the best chinese internal arts master ever (his words, from his webbpage)?

The annoying thing is when a teacher gives his personal set an already established name, thus pretending to sell ancient lineage.

[CummingsJD]

My Qigong teacher, during one of his workshops, highly encouraged experimental movements based off of the forms. He called this "dragon's play" and we were encouraged to do it on our own for 5 - 10 minutes at a time. It was really hard feeling anything at first, but I kept persistent and eventually Dragons play started to make sense. I hope this helps your original question.