BluePickle Posted July 9, 2022 (edited) Hi, this will be kind of an info dump about how i discovered internal alchemy and what I discovered so far. I feel as though I'm making fast progress, would love to hear from others here if I am on the path of the rabbit or turtle. I am self-taught in almost everything I do, I consider myself a good judge of false truths and universal truths. I trust my instincts, but I know it can be dangerous to mess with these energies without guidance, which is why I'm here. A) I've been meditating on and off since middle school (24 YO now) to try and deal with anxiety, depression and difficulty falling asleep at the time. over the recent year I've noticed something is missing from the practice which is why it didn't feel natural to meditate consistently. B ) Started training in powerlifting when i was 16. Came across the Valsalva maneuver for bracing the core and efficient lifting. This has lead me to learn that breathing into the abdomen has many benefits (leaning nervous system to rest & digest), also Elliott Hulse's video about "breath into your balls" further reinforced that idea. now i know this is anchoring the breath. I've made this a habit for a long time before discovering internal alchemy. C) I've noticed animal products made me feel heavy and lethargic, and had a negative effect on my training. so I've been vegan for over 2.5 years now and developed more awareness of how the things i put in my mouth affect my body. I overall have higher energy and a clearer mind thanks to this. D) when i broke off my last relationship, I've noticed i felt like a different person when i had a gf vs when single. In a good way. i knew it wasnt the girl specifically, and i never enjoyed casual sex much. By process of elimination, i deducted it was because i didn't watch porn or masturbated while in a relationship, that desire simply never came. That lead my down the rabbit hole of NoFap, which somewhat worked for about a year or two, but by the time COVID came around it felt extremely forced and detrimental to my mental health. I realized that NoFap is incomplete. after further research of the psychology of (porn) addiction and the emotional knots of that habit i've reached a more complete picture of the issue. excessively expelling sexual energy is a symptom, not the core issue. Now i know this is Taming the White Tiger. About 3 months ago, i've decided to research the subject again. by that time i had fully taken in the sensations of sexual energy rising and falling, and how powerful (and dangerous) that energy is. By simply typing "Sexual energy" into YT i came across a channel that talks about sexual energy and the MCO, which led me to Qigong and Internal alchemy. I learned about the MCO, the 3 treasures, the dantien and some more of the basic concepts. I started doing Shi Heng Yi's Baduanjin qigong routine a few times a week. Which helped me: 1. feel much more connected to my body, within 2-3 sessions ive noticed a lot of stored tension in my shoulders, hands and head. 2. Meditate more easily. I became aware that i couldn't meditate a lot because it felt like too much energy is floating to the head. Thanks to the anchor to the body, meditation doesn't feel like suffering. 3. cultivate more of the non-action mindset. I'm insisting on NOT imagining Qi and simply doing the practice, and noticing the effects in my body naturally. During heavy training sessions i would listen to metal music in order to hype myself for the lift. for the past to month or two that desire did not arise. Syncing the breath and closing the magpie bridge during qigong made me realize how powerful my body can feel without external stimuli. So using the same methods in my training, i can focus on my body, gather and use immense amounts of force with a tranquil mind, ultimately making my training feel easier and energy refining rather than energy draining. 4. slowly feel the effects of the dantien and MCO. After a Saturday of going to the beach alone and an evening of meeting with a friend and smoking weed, I've had a realization on the drive back home. I started to remember the habit of the tongue positions and reminded myself to do it. suddenly i felt a click, almost like my mind was sharper the second my tongue and the roof of my mouth connected. Also i swear i could almost feel a flow, like it was almost very easy to see the breath and rhythm of the universe in that moment. perhaps it was an illusion, however it felt very real. The feeling carried over to my everyday even when i was sober, then faded and sometimes comes back just a little bit now and again. To reiterate, I've been practicing internal alchemy for only about 3 months, and already feel significant benefits. The absolute basics of the practice were already known to me (see A-D) and I haven't been grasping or forcing (as far as I'm aware). I really hope this is real progress and not an illusion. Please share you opinion or thoughts Besides that, is there something else i should do besides meditation and qigong to build a strong foundation? I still struggle with the White Tiger sometimes, however it is easier now than it has ever been. Should i read a book on qi/neigong? (all info so far was learned on the internet) OR should i hold off on learning about higher concepts for now until I've laid a strong foundation? Edited July 9, 2022 by BluePickle 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- Posted July 9, 2022 Best advice? Find a teacher. Don’t do this solo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BluePickle Posted July 9, 2022 1 minute ago, Pak_Satrio said: Best advice? Find a teacher. Don’t do this solo. No financial means to get one at this time. Any good sources for teachings or online guidance are welcomed 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- Posted July 9, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, BluePickle said: No financial means to get one at this time. Any good sources for teachings or online guidance are welcomed Flying Phoenix Chi Kung is a good, affordable way to start. Just get the videos and learn from them until you are able to have online zoom lessons with Sifu Terry. Check out the thread about it here: Check out the website here: http://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html Edited July 9, 2022 by Pak_Satrio 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zerostao Posted July 10, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, BluePickle said: No financial means to get one at this time. Any good sources for teachings or online guidance are welcomed Freebies from high level teachers from respected lineages https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCBowHwlMPzQ5ajJ2f5v9CYA https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPJ6HXitJTvzRsx7wtzW3LA Edited July 10, 2022 by zerostao 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MetaDao Posted July 14, 2022 (edited) Damo Mitchell has great stuff for fairly cheap. Checkout his YouTube for a bunch of free explanations. Books are some of the best you find on the subject as well. There is some stuff missing though. Nathan Brine also explains Neidan well. Replenish and refine the 3 treasures. Shed all attachment and desire. Cultivate the elixir by fusing Xing and Ming. Cultivate the embryo through nourishment. Different lineages have different methods. If it builds the elixir or the embryo it is Neidan. If it doesn’t, it is not. Qigong is not internal alchemy just so you are aware. If it is true QiGong, you are working with post-heaven Qi. Alchemy is pre-heaven. You need a lineage and teacher to truly practice Neidan but you can dip your toes into the Qigong, Neigong world pretty easily through an online course. I would suggest Qigong/Neigong along with a martial art. These are solid foundations. Edited July 14, 2022 by MetaDao 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
