t'ai chi, qigong, health, longevity....

[Pranaman]

I'm looking forward to practicing t'ai chi for the rest of my life 'till death do me and my body apart until birth again. (my goal is not transcendence, this is a beautiful and diverse plane that needs the help of aware people like all of us)

 

Is there a good resource to learn turtle qigong or another longevity practice without a teacher?

 

how long have you practiced t'ai chi, any comments?

 

and anyone know of a good naturopathic doctor or psychologist that does energy work in the Portland Oregon area?

[松永道]

I'm looking forward to practicing t'ai chi for the rest of my life 'till death do me and my body apart until birth again. (my goal is not transcendence, this is a beautiful and diverse plane that needs the help of aware people like all of us)

 

Is there a good resource to learn turtle qigong or another longevity practice without a teacher?

 

how long have you practiced t'ai chi, any comments?

 

and anyone know of a good naturopathic doctor or psychologist that does energy work in the Portland Oregon area?

 

Easy to find in Portland. I know they taught Turtle qigong at OCOM (Oregon College of Oriental Medicine). And NCNM (National College of Natural Medicine) produces top class NDs some of whom are very savy with qigong and other energy work.

 

NCNM has a clinic down in SW. I think 1st ave. Best go ask around there.

 

Ahh Portland... how I miss thee..

[RedJade]

I don't know what kind of comments on taiji you are looking for but I have practiced taiji for about 12 years now after building on a previous decade of external Chinese arts. I have been lucky enough to have a couple of really great teachers help me and have had some really great results. In a way this is what brought me to this forum as many of taiji lineages teach about qi, qigong and the like but are very non specific when it comes to some of the results. I am seeking a higher attainment then I already have spiritually and through my taiji practice I must say some things have become much clearer. Connecting the body physically with the qi and dantien, exploring the dantien itself and its inner workings; Manifesting qi to the various parts of the body. Qi gong healing as a natural result from the training, a calmer mind form the constant focus and meditative aspect of the training. Many things...

 

I would heartily say practice your taiji even alone if you have no teacher. Learn the rules and the ways of the art through books or video's or forums whatever. Then practice and try to achieve carefully. If you always question your ability you will always be aware of the ego and your own failings. The art is so difficult there is always something to improve upon. My recommendation is to find a teacher as you can but be sure of the quality of their teachings. There are millions of taiji players out there and many (MANY) of them have only got a small amount of training and knowledge to teach. Spend ten years looking for a teacher rather than ten years with the wrong one. Some good books out there though. Here are a few suggestions: Hong junsheng - Practical taijiquan, Fu Zhongwen - Mastering yang style taijiquan, Yang style secret teachings, Hong Lou - The teaching of taijiquan from the ji hong lineage (look up ji hong taiji college in edmonton alberta for the book), Feng zhiqiang - hunyuan qigong, Chen Xin - Chen family taijiquan (recently translated).

Barring these ask questions of those who have access to, there are many forums out there with skilled taiji players on them who would be willing to help. Learn about the 8 basic energies and try to understand how they feel when done, practice standing post qigong in many of the taiji postures you know. It is worth the effort friend, of that I can assure you.

 

my 2 cents

[Pranaman]

Gregory Fong

 

This is my teacher, I see him as being a very good teacher of I-chuan, praying mantis kung fu, and chen/yang style t'ai chi. I am a newbie but i have a hunch that Sifu Fong is going to be the best teacher I can find, and will be my teacher for a long time.