Greetings to everyone here

[DSCB57]

Hello fellow cultivators. I have been a lurker here for quite some time. I decided to contribute formally because of my need for some help in identifying a cultivation practice I was taught quite some time ago. I have been practising various types of Gongfu, Qigong and Neigong over the years, far too much to list fully here, but just let's say that I started out with Pei Hung Shaolin Gongfu and Suang Yang Quan with the Nam Yang Pugilistic Association (Singapore) as far as 5th grade, then moved to Yang style Taijiquan, then Lam style Taijigong and Zhan Zhuan Qigong and Yiquan/Dachengquan. After this I practised Taijiwu for a few years after moving to Spain in 2000, then incorporated some Hunyuangong into my practice, learned from Dr Hu Yaozhen amongst other sources and also learned Neigong Yiliquan from a very kind forum member on another forum. I also learned some exercises from David Shen Verdesi more recently, but have been practising pretty much on my own since moving to Spain, with varying degrees of success and many setbacks including a car accident four years ago, which left me severely debilitated and unable to practice cultivation for a considerable amount of time.

Presently I have begun incorporating Taiji Ball Qigong into my practices, using a wooden Taiji ball which weighs 3kg, following Dr Yang Jwing Ming's Taiji Ball instruction DVDs. I find this surprisingly easy, and have now begun practicing it whilst walking the circle. 

However, between my Pei Hung practice and the period with Kam Chuen Lam (preceded by 6 years training with Master Lam's thumb student) I had the good fortune to learn an internal Neigong practice from a Chinese master called Yuan Yao. I have reason to suspect that what he taught me has its roots in Baguazhang, and it is in order to try and identify this practice and learn how to take it to the next stage that I am here now, and will subsequently post in this regard, once I am permitted to do so by the moderators. 

As a preface to the information I intend writing about, I would like to warn any beginners to not follow my example. Find a good master and stick with him or her - don't chop and change styles or methods, as it is potentially very dangerous, as you will see if you follow my subsequent post. This is simply my path up to now, and it is all too easy to enter an erroneous path and do yourself considerable damage in the process. However this is the result of the tendency for masters to hold back in teaching all they know, or deliberately leave key points and practices out of their instruction. In my case it led to a great deal of disillusionment and unnecessary seeking and even what may be considered many wasted years of fruitless practice.

[Marblehead]

Hello DSCB57, and welcome.

 

Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go.

 

Please take the time to read the two posts pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum terms and rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started.

 

For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day.

 

Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you,

 

Marblehead and the TDB team

 

 

Hi DSCB,

 

Sounds like you know exactly why you have requested membership.  And I feel you will find your way around.

 

You are welcome to jump right in ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forms to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started.

 

May you enjoy your time here.

 

Marblehead

[Kar3n]

I hope you are able to find what you are looking for and look forward to reading more of your story.

 

Welcome to the bums

[RiverSnake]

IMO it's important for a teacher to not teach everything he knows. Welcome to TDB. 

Edited December 17, 2016 by OldWolf

[DSCB57]

Thank you Marblehead, Kar3n and Old Wolf for your heartfelt responses and acceptance of my request to post to these forums. I hope to be able to contribute in some way to the pool of knowledge available to members. I am not sure where to post the follow up with my description of the Cultivation method I want to identify, but perhaps one of you will be kind enough to move it to the right place if I get it wrong? Thank you.

[Marblehead]

A good place to start is the "Newcomer Corner".  You will likely get pointed in various directions from there.  Then you will have choices.

[DSCB57]

Hi Old Wolf. I think I understand why you made that point, but in my case I am talking about masters who deliberately mislead students. Without mentioning names, although I already have - I witnessed one of my instructors deliberately teaching new students Zhan Zhuang postures that were incorrect - just to be able to verify that those students were actually obeying him. Later on he confided to several of us, his senior students that as of that point in time he would no longer teach the postures correctly, as he felt his time and energy were wasted on such people. It wasn't long after that that I left the association for good, because I knew that this was deeply wrong on many levels. I also feel that masters like that put Chinese martial arts in a bad light, and I feel that they should be exposed for such behaviour. 

[RiverSnake]

Indeed, teachers lying to their students and intentionally leading them astray....it is a disgusting thing to see. 

[thelerner]

Indeed, teachers lying to their students and intentionally leading them astray....it is a disgusting thing to see. 

One of my martial art senseis used to say: Everything I'm teaching you now is a lie, but a necessary one. 

 

I think what he meant is, at his level, he'd push, and we'd be blown off our feet.  If he held any part of you and moved his hand down, you'd drop to the floor.  For him, there was no trick, he just moved.  If we 'just' moved, nothing would happen.  To get from our level to his, we needed years of practice and a series of metaphors and tricks to get the body mechanics and internals right.  The metaphors and tricks to be dropped once internalized.