What’s your “Weekly” Daoist/Exercise/Meditation Practice Schedule (Or Do You Freestyle)

[Thrice Daily]

A few questions to get the juices flowing and a bit of inspiration if you want to jump on this thread. The more the merrier.
 

What does your weekly training cycle look like?

 

Do you practice everyday?

 

Do you practice after certain activities?

 

Do you practice before certain activities?

 

Why?

 

When do you practice, morning , noon , night, how does this fit

 

why does it work for you?

 

What is the wisdom in your routine, can you share any tricks, tips, insights etc that you have gathered over the years?

 

Do’s Donts,

 

Tips for beginners?

 

Or more intermediates?

 

Or any other little tweaks ? 
 

or profound, that spring to mind about your daily/weekly (even monthly or yearly )practice routine,

 

Either now? Or over the years previous?

 

Or maybe even what you are planning to do?

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

Weekdays:

 

Wake up

30 mins Tao Tan Pai cane form then Flying Phoenix qigong

10 mins Stillness 

Bus to work

15-30 mins Flying Phoenix Monk Holds Pearl seated

 

Arrive at work

5 mins Waigong

 

Lunch Break

10 mins standing static Flying Phoenix

 

Bus home

15-30 mins stillness

 

After Dinner

10 mins neigong

 

Before Sleep

10 mins stillness

 

Weekends:

 

Wake up

10 mins Tao Tan Pai cane form then Tao Tan Pai qigong

50 mins Flying Phoenix qigong

10 mins Stillness 

 

After Breakfast or Lunch

5 mins waigong 

 

After Dinner

10 mins neigong

 

Before Sleep

10 mins stillness

 

Sometimes an hour of yin yoga on Wednesdays or Sundays 

Edited December 6 by -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-

[Sanity Check]

When I was around 7 years old I saw a book in school that said kung fu monks would train horse stance while reading a book to train the body & mind.

 

Later as a teenager I realized TV was something like a waste of time. Ended up exercising while watching TV. The contextual element of a fictional story might stimulate the mind, while exercise stimulates the body. Later watching documentaries while exercising. Then later audio lectures and audio books while exercising. Although its hard to find good audio content I don't bother with it, usually.

 

Experimented with different exercise trying to create my own routine.

 

Some of the things I did might have helped train qi & qi meridians accidentally. I didn't realize until recently. 

 

I used to have issues with overthinking everything. To a point where physical labor becomes enjoyable. Being engaged with physical tasks, there's not much room to be overthinking anything.

 

As I don't mind that type of work and can enjoy it to a degree. I wound up doing physical labor 16 hour days x 7 days a week in worst cases. I wouldn't pace myself, I would try to sprint the entire 16 hours to complete exhaustion. Then wake up the next day and do it all over again.

 

Due to this, I might have a little more qi than average. Although I got lazy at some points and made bad choices.

 

Now. Trying to improve and refine my routine. Although I have no real goals or aspirations about anything.

[Thrice Daily]

2 hours ago, Sanity Check said:

Then later audio lectures and audio books while exercising. Although its hard to find good audio content I don't bother with it, usually.

Oh man, you reminded me of an old routine I had back in 2007.

 

Walking on the coastline in the dead of night listening to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-secrets-of-qigong-masters/id309482403

 

I just checked though and the interviewer has just 7 on now. Their were 100’s of hour long interviews with (usually) older masters …

 

Brilliant, I’m just checking his website to see if all the old interviews are still on…

 

I checked but what a pity, just a sales portal by the looks of things 

https://www.qigongmasters.com

 

maybe one recording but certainly not 100’s . Man if anyone remembers these podcasts and knows where they still might be please post link. Real real gems of conversations. The guy Lama Tantrapa was a great interviewer (for me back in 2007 at least.)

 

He really helped get me on the path for good 👍 

[Thrice Daily]

Was listening to this yesterday while eating. 
 

 

The master here suggested (with quite some verbosity) not to practice if very hungry.

 

I was a little taken aback as doing Exercise In a fasted state always seems to bring about great benefit for me. There are study that suggest even heavy weight training at the end of a fast can bring about specific benefits… as long as we eat afterwards.

 

I’d love to hear opinions about eating and practice from you, maybe 

• Is practice different after eating or fasted?
• If you do eat before what works for you?
• What about afterwards?
• have you noticed specific foods that support your practices, may even enhance them?
• What about herbs?
• Superfoods?

Or anything that springs to mind about working practices around meals…

 

And meals around practices…  

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

53 minutes ago, Thrice Daily said:

Was listening to this yesterday while eating. 
 

 

The master here suggested (with quite some verbosity) not to practice if very hungry.

 

I was a little taken aback as doing Exercise In a fasted state always seems to bring about great benefit for me. There are study that suggest even heavy weight training at the end of a fast can bring about specific benefits… as long as we eat afterwards.

 

I’d love to hear opinions about eating and practice from you, maybe 

• Is practice different after eating or fasted?
• If you do eat before what works for you?
• What about afterwards?
• have you noticed specific foods that support your practices, may even enhance them?
• What about herbs?
• Superfoods?

Or anything that springs to mind about working practices around meals…

 

And meals around practices…  

If your intention with practice is to turn jing into qi, then don’t practice on an empty stomach, as you need food to support your jing to use for qi

[Lukks]

6 hours ago, Sanity Check said:

I wound up doing physical labor 16 hour days x 7 days a week in worst cases. I wouldn't pace myself, I would try to sprint the entire 16 hours to complete exhaustion. Then wake up the next day and do it all over again.

 

Due to this, I might have a little more qi than average.

 

Can you explain this line? Why would you have more Qi than average since you were(probably) depleting yourself with all that hard work?

[Thrice Daily]

1 hour ago, Lukks said:

 

Can you explain this line? Why would you have more Qi than average since you were(probably) depleting yourself with all that hard work?

I can relate to that. I did 14 hour shifts 6 or 7 days a week for around 10 weeks when I was a young kid... 

 

It changed me, and any work after that I seemed to work harder for longer without giving up or complaining...

 

I don't think it gave me more Qi though I think it damaged it tbh...

 

It raises an interesting point, just because you can it doesn't mean you should... If a person gets a massive tolerance to hard work for prolonged periods as certain Qigong practices may help to stabilize, it doesnt mean you should work hat hard and keep pushing without adequate rest... 

 

I've done this a few times... Activity, Rest, Activity, Rest, I've come to realise it is more like a pulse and try to organize my days around it respecting it as a pulse...

 

I can still work had but not neglect the rest part.. "Pomodoro technique",,, I swear by it.

Think the guy who wrote the book nailed the ratio... 25 Minutes hard work... 5 Minutes deep rest ... AND REPEAT...

 

Can do it all day,, even off 4 hours sleep if absolutely critical.

 

I wonder if Sanity Check had rests throughout his day... Just to Check his Sanity at least   

 

[Lukks]

29 minutes ago, Thrice Daily said:

I can relate to that. I did 14 hour shifts 6 or 7 days a week for around 10 weeks when I was a young kid... 

 

It changed me, and any work after that I seemed to work harder for longer without giving up or complaining...

 

I don't think it gave me more Qi though I think it damaged it tbh...

 

Thanks for your answer!

 

I asked because my grandpa used to overwork A LOT when he was younger, for YEARS,  and he always been a strong man, even in his 80's people always think he's 20 years younger and I never understand it because I know his background and everything he went through and I know it wasn't easy, but somehow he maintain a lot of vitality, if we literally take what's written about Jing and Qi depletion, it just doesn't make sense, he is also very stressed about everything and every little thing, also had a very active sexual life.

 

So reading what Sanity Check said, I kinda linked both stories and maybe my grandpa had generated more Qi(Energy/Vitality) and that's why he still strong in his 84 years.

 

But in the end it can just be all genetics hahaha, but here it is, food for thought.

[ChiDragon]

4 minutes ago, Lukks said:

if we literally take what's written about Jing and Qi depletion, it just doesn't make sense

 

I am totally agree!

[ChiDragon]

3 hours ago, Lukks said:

 

Can you explain this line? Why would you have more Qi than average since you were(probably) depleting yourself with all that hard work?

It is because that he had a good dinner and a good night sleep. His energy will be replenished for being a healthy person.

[Lukks]

15 minutes ago, ChiDragon said:

It is because that he had a good dinner and a good night sleep. His energy will be replenished for being a healthy person.

Indeed, he always ate good food, slept early and woke up early. I'm just trying to get the mathmatics right on this, so a good diet and a good night of sleep can compensate for constant stress, active sexual life and overwork, that's very interesting.

[Thrice Daily]

Interesting topic sleep, do any of you know why it is preferred not to do qigong or meditate in he same place as you sleep? I heard this, are there ill effects supposed to be caused by this. 

 

It makes me think of people in small cells , renting a room etc, live in caravan or hut, or on a boat , in a camper etc, where they do everything in the same place. Do you have info on why this may be bad, or personal experience to share?

[Lukks]

4 hours ago, Thrice Daily said:

Interesting topic sleep, do any of you know why it is preferred not to do qigong or meditate in he same place as you sleep? I heard this, are there ill effects supposed to be caused by this. 

 

It makes me think of people in small cells , renting a room etc, live in caravan or hut, or on a boat , in a camper etc, where they do everything in the same place. Do you have info on why this may be bad, or personal experience to share?

 

I also heard the same. It has something to do with the energy generated with the practice, but I don't really know the in-depth explanation, sorry.

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

11 hours ago, Thrice Daily said:

Interesting topic sleep, do any of you know why it is preferred not to do qigong or meditate in he same place as you sleep? I heard this, are there ill effects supposed to be caused by this. 

It is because your brain associates the place you sleep as the place you sleep. If you practice there, it will be easier to fall asleep during practice. 
 

Having a dedicated place to practice is good because your mind will associated practice with that spot so you can easily switch to practice mode.

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

13 hours ago, Lukks said:

Indeed, he always ate good food, slept early and woke up early. I'm just trying to get the mathmatics right on this, so a good diet and a good night of sleep can compensate for constant stress, active sexual life and overwork, that's very interesting.

Think of your body like a machine, you need food as fuel and sleep to recharge your battery. Good diet means better and more efficient fuel, while good sleep means you aren’t draining your battery completely and will last longer.

[Sanity Check]

17 hours ago, Lukks said:

 

I asked because my grandpa used to overwork A LOT when he was younger, for YEARS,  and he always been a strong man, even in his 80's people always think he's 20 years younger and I never understand it because I know his background and everything he went through and I know it wasn't easy, but somehow he maintain a lot of vitality, if we literally take what's written about Jing and Qi depletion, it just doesn't make sense, he is also very stressed about everything and every little thing, also had a very active sexual life.

 

 

That sounds a lot like me.

 

Worked hard and played hard for years. 

 

Younger appearance than biological age.

 

Etc.

 

I don't get it, either.

[Thrice Daily]

Here is an interesting Conundrum . 
 

What practices do you favour in extreme heat vs extreme cold. Do they change, if so do your changes make sense, if so how, if not why.

 

Sounds kinda Cryptic but if you think of certain schools of thought, they say do all the dynamic hard stuff in the summer ,, then slow right down in winter … 

 

But then what about the opposite. Slowing down in extreme heat ,,, 

Then doing more dynamic practices in the winter??

 

And where does breath control and breathing techniques fit with all this. Extreme hot and cold… 

 

look at India for a clue and it doesn’t get much easier. Lots of static hatha in the far north,, and then in hot south, you have the Mysore the birth place of a yoga so dynamic you could mistake it as an Olympic sport… 

 

Make it make sense?? If you can  

[Thrice Daily]

Do you guys try to sneak a bit of Qigong at unlikely time, whilst brushing teeth, driving , standing in line at the shop???

 

What are your go too moves that help you drop anchor into the moment, in your shorter bursts of training throughout the day  

[Thrice Daily]

About daily routine, principles of Taoism, and the daily practice of Tai Chi or any exercise if the rest of the days,, devoid of the principals you know it might actually be quite useless, you know I realized for example taking a short walk. Even 3 or 4 times a day if only for 10 minutes or so you know that's a principle isn't it? moving joints don't rust moving water doesn't stagnate.

 

But if that's missing from your life and you're not taking few walks a day, but you're trying to do a practice staying in the house and not getting out then this could actually be really poor for your health,, and I think when you look at the day like that,  It begins to open up new Horizons to think of a day as a complete qigong with different parts of it that support and flow and build upon each other, really different parts of the day that can connect and nurture each other sometimes in beneficial sequences, and I think many of us have interesting things to share on the topic.

 

I'd love to read some of your thoughts on it , if I was not clear enough at the start of the post. I just thought I'd write this (I actually spoke it into Google translate on a walk) because I think it's a very interesting subject in itself. Looking at the principles and daily routine and you know how you make it fit with your life.

 

Overlooked and precious perspective I think. 

 

If there is even a single fly it the ointment, there is a chance the benefits of the ointment could be lost (food quality/quantity and sleep duration being most significant imo) 

 

I guess whatever principles you choose it may look quite different in your routine and different quality of outcomes perhaps…

MOUNTAIN 

LAKE 

 

HOME 🏡 

 

Edited December 9 by Thrice Daily

[Thrice Daily]

On 07/12/2024 at 2:32 PM, Sanity Check said:

 

 

That sounds a lot like me.

 

Worked hard and played hard for years. 

 

Younger appearance than biological age.

 

Etc.

 

I don't get it, either.

“If you don’t use it you lose it “

[doc benway]

My routine is very flexible and varies with my mental and physical state and with the season.

I run 5K about twice weekly and, depending on weather, walk the same distance once or twice weekly.

I practice xingyi and bagua about three days per week. 

I practice taiji form about 5 days per week. 

I practice shiba luohan qigong on days I do not run and I practice ba duan jin after running, xingyi, and bagua.

 

I find the ba duan jin to be a wonderful restorative and nourishing practice, it seems to help me heal and avoid damage from physically demanding activity, particularly with respect to my spine. 

Shiba luohan qigong seems to be a wonderful source of strength, balance, and confidence but it's a bit too much for me on days I engage in other vigorous exercise. 

When I trained seriously in the neijia, I didn't really get to the point where I felt my xingyi and especially my bagua skill were worth much from a practical application perspective but as a fitness regimen both are wonderful and I'm very grateful to have learned and studied enough to make them my own. 

Another observation is that taijiquan form practice, done very slowly and with deep stances, is deceptively powerful in terms of maintaining fitness and building strength. It may not seem like much is happening in the body at times but the effects are profound. 

 

Meditation is now an integral part of my life. I try to engage in some formal sitting practice daily but as I am able to integrate it into more and more of my daily activity, the need for a lot of time on the cushion has diminished. I do still engage in meditation support practices  a few days a week (tsa lung, trul khor, and tummo).

 

I practice standing meditation whenever I practice xingyi, bagua, or taiji. My neijia teacher strongly emphasized the value of standing before and after taiji form practice (minimum of 5 minutes, more is better) and of course it is a critical aspect of xingyi and bagua training. I think standing meditation offers amazing benefits (physical, mental, spiritual) that are often overlooked or under-appreciated because we don't spend enough time with it.