Greetings

[Gorillabreath]

Hello.  I studied Yang Style Tai Chi for over a decade, then studied Chen style with an accomplished Chinese master in Los Angeles for another decade (he taught me Wild Goose Qigong as well). Don't do the Tai Chi anymore, moved to Yoga for various reasons (still do the qigong sometimes), but my interest in the taoists has always been strong. Love to wander around in here and see what people are up to with this training, philosophy and practice. I found this site when I was searching for comments on the Energy For Success program I'd just heard about from Dave Asprey's Bulletproof podcast. My BS alarm was going off pretty strong, sounds like I wasn't alone in that. First off he doesn't name his masters, second off his schtick follows the "huckster's patter profile", and 3rd of all it's $300/month for a bunch of video, pdf content and a few phone consults. Not necessarily bull, but most definitely suspect. Tony Robbins loves this guy (ok) and so does... Werner Erhard? So... there's that. If anyone has actually DONE his program, I'd love to hear about it. thanks.

[Fa Xin]

Hello gorillabreath, 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,

 

Fa Xin and the TDB team

 

 

Hi Gorillabreath,

 

Welcome... I did alot of gung fu/tai chi training myself in my late teens and 20s, and recently picked it back up years later.  We never know when it may come in handy down the road, for general health reasons, or otherwise.

 

I'm not too familiar with the other names you toss around, but it's a big community here and I'm sure people will have something to say.  If you don't get any hits on this thread, feel free to start a topic in the General section; there may be more eyes that browse that one.

 

 

You are welcome to jump right in ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, 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.

 

Fa Xin

[Marblehead]

Hi Gorillabreath.  Welcome!

 

Good luck at getting your questions answered.  I can't help.

 

 

[9th]

11 hours ago, Gorillabreath said:

Hello.  I studied Yang Style Tai Chi for over a decade, then studied Chen style with an accomplished Chinese master in Los Angeles for another decade (he taught me Wild Goose Qigong as well). Don't do the Tai Chi anymore, moved to Yoga for various reasons (still do the qigong sometimes), but my interest in the taoists has always been strong. Love to wander around in here and see what people are up to with this training, philosophy and practice. I found this site when I was searching for comments on the Energy For Success program I'd just heard about from Dave Asprey's Bulletproof podcast. My BS alarm was going off pretty strong, sounds like I wasn't alone in that. First off he doesn't name his masters, second off his schtick follows the "huckster's patter profile", and 3rd of all it's $300/month for a bunch of video, pdf content and a few phone consults. Not necessarily bull, but most definitely suspect. Tony Robbins loves this guy (ok) and so does... Werner Erhard? So... there's that. If anyone has actually DONE his program, I'd love to hear about it. thanks.

 

 

 

 

[Michael Sternbach]

Hi gorillabreath

 

Welcome to TDB! We may have some topics to talk about...

 

I am practicing the Old Yang form and other aspects of Taiji occasionally, and I let this "inform" my Kenpo Karate, which is my primary martial art.

 

In regards to the latter, I visited the LA area last year, meeting two of my instructors. A lot of martial arts and spiritual stuff going on there... I fell in love with SoCal and can't wait to go back one day soon.

 

About Dave Asprey, I can't really say anything, as I have never heard about the dude before. However, he sounds like a modern eclecticist with a method of his own making to me, which may be why he doesn't mention his masters/lineage, which would be more in keeping with traditional thinking.

 

That wouldn't automatically be a red flag for me. Creating a new method from a variety of influences can result in something useful, and being the 600th successor of an illuminated master who used to ride on a mastodon in time immemorial doesn't ensure that you actually have so much of value to share.

 

What a "huckster's patter profile" is, I have no idea, but hey, I'm no native English speaker...

 

As for the third reason why you think the dude is "definitely suspicious", charging 300 bucks a month... Well, it depends on what exactly he offers in return! How long are the videos and PDFs? That is, how much effort goes into making them? How often do you get the opportunity to talk to him on the phone, and how long is a session?

 

Especially the latter sounds like a fairly personal and potentially worthwhile interaction to me. I can't help being surprised sometimes how much people are ready to pay for all kinds of services, from plumbers to dinners, however, when it comes to spiritual/therapeutic offers, they become strangely closefisted. And I don't mean this personally, it's just a general observation.

 

Again, welcome to the forum!