Fruits of Fragrant Qigong?

[spanda]

I'm curious if some of the fragrant qigong practitioners here could share about their experiences with the system. I've been practicing for a little while and find it distinctive from Spring Forest. Are there any physical, emotional or mental benefits or changes that have been noticed, for example.

[Toni]

yes, I have experienced many changes, some of them:

 

-more energy and vitality

-more optimistic

-i need to eat less (weight loss in consequence)

-i need to sleep less

-less tired

-better general health

Edited July 29, 2021 by Toni

[Toni]

11 hours ago, spanda said:

I'm curious if some of the fragrant qigong practitioners here could share about their experiences with the system. I've been practicing for a little while and find it distinctive from Spring Forest. Are there any physical, emotional or mental benefits or changes that have been noticed, for example.

Do you prefer SF or fragrant?

[Vajra Fist]

I practiced for a while and I noticed greater mental acuity, less stress and generally a more optimistic outlook.

 

The downside is that it made me ravenous. I couldn't stick with intermittent fasting while practicing, and gained about 10kg in about three months (thankfully since lost again).

 

Interesting that you experienced the opposite in weight loss, @Toni.

 

 

[Toni]

24 minutes ago, Vajra Fist said:

I practiced for a while and I noticed greater mental acuity, less stress and generally a more optimistic outlook.

 

The downside is that it made me ravenous. I couldn't stick with intermittent fasting while practicing, and gained about 10kg in about three months (thankfully since lost again).

 

Interesting that you experienced the opposite in weight loss, @Toni.

 

 

How long did you practice fragant dear @Vajra Fist? In the first weeks it made me hungry too, but after a while it changed

Edited July 29, 2021 by Toni

[spanda]

Physically there is a very big difference in how the forms feel during practice. SF is much more pleasant and soothing, or even blissful. Not much happens when I practice Fragrant, sometimes some chills, but I notice it has a more optimistic energy as you say.

 

I do seem to be getting mental and emotional benefits from it and even a sense of increased intuition. I had similar experiences with SF, I noticed it seemed to be reshaping me mentally and emotionally (I was also meditating frequently at the time), but the energy of FQ feels a little more grounded or confident, if that makes sense. Not every day, but on many days after practicing, I have a strong feeling of everything being OK

[spanda]

I miss meditating though, so not sure I will stick with it as a form. It's been very helpful and interesting to learn such an easy, simple to perform form, but I don't like the meditation and breathing restrictions. Sometimes I'd just prefer to sit.

[Toni]

55 minutes ago, spanda said:

Physically there is a very big difference in how the forms feel during practice. SF is much more pleasant and soothing, or even blissful. Not much happens when I practice Fragrant, sometimes some chills, but I notice it has a more optimistic energy as you say.

 

I do seem to be getting mental and emotional benefits from it and even a sense of increased intuition. I had similar experiences with SF, I noticed it seemed to be reshaping me mentally and emotionally (I was also meditating frequently at the time), but the energy of FQ feels a little more grounded or confident, if that makes sense. Not every day, but on many days after practicing, I have a strong feeling of everything being OK

which would you say is better? i have never tried SF, I am happy with Fragant

[spanda]

I can't say one is better than the other. I've enjoyed both. If for some reason I was forced to only practice 1....that would be a hard choice.

[Toni]

32 minutes ago, spanda said:

I can't say one is better than the other. I've enjoyed both. If for some reason I was forced to only practice 1....that would be a hard choice.

mm actually you are forced, if you do fragrant you can't do another one!

[Learner]

On 7/29/2021 at 10:38 AM, Toni said:

yes, I have experienced many changes, some of them:

 

-more energy and vitality

-more optimistic

-i need to eat less (weight loss in consequence)

-i need to sleep less

-less tired

-better general health

 

Did you practice Level or Level 2 of FQ ?

[Toni]

25 minutes ago, Learner said:

 

Did you practice Level or Level 2 of FQ ?

I have been practicing level 1 for 6 months now. Very happy with the results

[Learner]

16 minutes ago, Toni said:

I have been practicing level 1 for 6 months now. Very happy with the results

 

One more thing. I have the John Dolic Level 1 dvd. When the narrator says practice this move 36 times, do we count in our head or do we just have an approximate idea of how many repetitions we are doing?

[Toni]

At first I was doing it in an approximate way, but then I realized I wasn't doing the movements 36 times, not even close, so I began to count and I still count them.

 

Feel free to ask me if you have more questions.

Edited August 7, 2021 by Toni

[Learner]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:48 PM, Toni said:

mm actually you are forced, if you do fragrant you can't do another one!

 

I have been doing lohan gong regularly for past few days and since I started FQ 2 days ago, I feel there is something, like, FQ keeps the practitioner to FQ. I have heard another member on this forum who said he practiced another qigong along with FQ and he was fine.

[Toni]

2 hours ago, Learner said:

 

I have been doing lohan gong regularly for past few days and since I started FQ 2 days ago, I feel there is something, like, FQ keeps the practitioner to FQ. I have heard another member on this forum who said he practiced another qigong along with FQ and he was fine.

It is recommended to practice only FQ at the same time, but who knows

[Vajra Fist]

On 07/08/2021 at 7:56 PM, Learner said:

 

One more thing. I have the John Dolic Level 1 dvd. When the narrator says practice this move 36 times, do we count in our head or do we just have an approximate idea of how many repetitions we are doing?

 

Ideally it's best not to count, because its a form of concentration, and the mind is supposed to be relaxed during practice. In the book by Tian Ruisheng he says:

 

Quote

Why shouldn’t the repeated movements be counted?
A: To count numbers is also a type of mental work. In the very beginning
the student must count 36 times to master the timing of the movements.
After mastering the qigong, there is no further need of counting, making
sure however, the repetitions are not fewer than 36.

 

Personally, because you practice with eyes open, I mimicked the movements from the 'follow me' section of the John Dolic DVD.

 

On 10/08/2021 at 5:23 AM, Learner said:

 

I have been doing lohan gong regularly for past few days and since I started FQ 2 days ago, I feel there is something, like, FQ keeps the practitioner to FQ. I have heard another member on this forum who said he practiced another qigong along with FQ and he was fine.

 

Also from the book:

 

Quote

Q: Why is it wrong to exercise two different types of qigong at the same
time?
A: While you exercise this qigong, do not practice another type. One
reason is the other type might require a lot of mental work, then you will
bring the mental work into this qigong. Another reason is that this qigong
has its special way of working on the qi channels. So, using two different
types may cause the qi channels to become tangled, which is difficult to
resolve.

 

John Dolic says in his 'do's and don'ts' pamphlet:

 

Quote

DO NOT concurrently practice other styles of Qigong or disciplines which require special breathing and/or mind techniques/meditation

 

Personally, to me this suggests that other forms of qigong that don't require special breathing or visualisation, should generally be fine.

 

But that begs the question of why you'd want to practice another form of qigong alongside it. If it's because you're not getting any benefit from fragrant, then you might as well practice something else entirely.

 

If you are getting benefit from it, then you may be inhibiting how well the system is working for you.

 

Fragrant is a fairly complete system of medical qigong. I doubt you'd be able to improve the effects of it by practicing something else alongside it, unless you were a really high level master and could see specifically what elements of the system are missing. 

 

That said, while I was practicing I found myself missing the mental equanimity I got from mindfulness meditation. So I asked a fragrant teacher in Germany, who said it was totally fine to practice the meditation along the qigong, as long as the meditation was just light observation of breath, and didn't involve visualisation.

 

 

 

 

[Learner]

This Qigong is indeed benefitting me. I want to ask, Can I do this qigong at night like after 11 or before dawn.

[senseless virtue]

1 hour ago, Learner said:

Can I do this qigong at night like after 11 or before dawn.

 

There is prohibition for practice after sunset if you are alone and in outdoors. If you have practice company or stay indoors late at night, then it's alright.

 

I have many times practiced in my home late at night and it was completely fine.

[Learner]

19 hours ago, virtue said:

 

There is prohibition for practice after sunset if you are alone and in outdoors. If you have practice company or stay indoors late at night, then it's alright.

 

I have many times practiced in my home late at night and it was completely fine.

I am relieved to hear this. Many times I have the only time at the end of the day. At midnight something.

[Toni]

17 minutes ago, Learner said:

I am relieved to hear this. Many times I have the only time at the end of the day. At midnight something.

It is fine, but if you can do it during daytime could be better