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When I first joined this forum I tried to be perfect in my execution of the various forms I was taught, and thought that by doing them very well I could "max out" their benefits so to speak. Later I painfully learned that how you practice (your mindset) is much more important than how well you execute the various meditations and forms. For example, if you are not relaxed and rush into it, if you do it with a perfectionist mindset, or a confused mind or body. Look honestly at yourself before even starting your form, ask yourself why you are doing it. Are you trying to sedate yourself, to run away from responsibilities, to gain a feeling of safety, to gain power, is it an ego thing ? When you get the "How" part down, when you are sincere and reconnect to your deepest consciousness, then the form won't add that much to your experience. I found. It's just an icing on the cake. Then later on I also painstakingly realized that the time you spend not-practicing is more important than doing a 30 form in the morning and a meditation in the evening. Because there's 23 other hours in the day. If you live an unbalanced lifestyle, no magical form is ever going to compensate for that. And for spiritual matters, I found cultivation is real life. So I found that true cultivation is rough, it's an every day, moment to moment adjustment of your energies. For example, for lower dantian development I don't think it's wise to meditate 10 minutes in the morning and then let your energy float the rest of the day. So at first I was trying to do a lot and fill myself of all kinds of energies. I tried to fill up my container actively. Now I see the reverse. I am already full and take a bottom-up approach. I avoid leaks to the container by appropriate lifestyle changes, you could say correct energetic hygiene. Of course I still practice, but when I do, it's not with the mindset of being a performer. If you are aggressive in the way you view your practices or attach tightly to them, then this energy will also reflect in your form. So you need to work on yourself, as a human being first and as a practitioner. How you move will reflect who you are. That's what I learned.

Well I think we're in complete agreement - and your point illustrates what I mean perfectly. You’re demonstrating great progress in your practice. You’re certainly not doing the same thing you were doing a year ago. Note that I didn’t say you should be changing your form... it normally takes decades to really master a classical practice. But you should be progressing in that form as you’ve illustrated beautifully But I see a lot of people just repeating some movements, thinking that the movements have some magical effect in and of themselves. And I’m trying not to name names, but there are very well known teachers perpetuating this notion. This error might have come from mixing ideas of ceremonial ritual with the Daoist internal arts (the familiar newage mishmash misappropriation of spiritual traditions). Ceremonial ritual and the internal arts are completely different. In the internal arts, the magic is not in the repeated movements - the magic is in how you use these movements to create change in yourself. And for that to happen, the focus and approach needs to be very different - much more aligned to how you’re describing your progress through your own practice. And yes - it takes time - a lot of time...

Because I don't see it as a static practice. It started off very mechanical and was slow going. Over time, I started to link the movement, breath and mind into a changing, fluid form which initiated healing, strength, flexibility and elasticity of body, mind and spirit. It has changed me in ways I never thought possible when I started. Once ingrained into muscle memory, it became automatic. It wasn't me doing the practice, the practice was doing me. This, I believe, is possible for anyone, whatever practice it is they do, provided they practice diligently, day after day, over a long period. Take a method, do it consistently and it becomes part of who you are.

For me, a big realization occurred after having dedicated taijiquan/daogong practice for close to 15 years (around 2015). cultivation needs to evolve from physical/energetic to spiritual. If we follow the path and have a good teacher, we will evolve naturally. These techniques (any cultivation technique being used - qigong, taiji, etc) are means to an end. The objective of cultivation is (or should be) purification of the mind (in that, the tendency of the mind to attach to "this and that", and judge, and take positions, etc etc). A pure mind results in stillness of the ever fluttering veil that hides our true nature from us. The result of all practice should be end of practice and abidance in our true nature, constantly. Most importantly, the cultivation practices should be accompanied by spiritual (jñāna) teachings and study, so that the mind has a proper direction (this can be taoist, buddhist, vedanta, tantra, etc etc, but a proper framework is required). Missed the part about an easy daily set -- I still do the taiji single form/daogong forms. But it has now transformed into dissolving of the physical. A constant bliss always exists (a deep sense of well being, even when I might be physically unwell). Whenever I tried too hard for it (after having a taste), it went way. If I just let go of the desire for the bliss, it came back. Eventually I realized that it never goes away. It, along with the True Nature, is always present. Only the mind needs to be relaxed. Transmission to my younger self -- i was too dumb for any advice. You know our teacher already told us all we needed to know, but it took a long time to get through to me

Dear Fellow Students, Beware the Ides Idleness of March! It is the third month of the year and for everyone's New Year resolutions to practice more, if life hasn't gotten in the way yet, it will. Here's a little something to remind you of: it is Mercury Retrograde now, and as posted before in the thread, Sifu Terry has recommended being vigilant with practice in order to help overcome the difficulties of this time with more frustrating communications from tech to contract signing to traveling and moving places, or just generally throwing your hands up in the air when talking with other people. One only needs to read YouTube comments or go to the Off-Grid section in this forum to see this. For most people, it's a challenge for our egos and our patience to deal with this astrological hurdle, but for Flying Phoenix students, we are more than prepared for it. Three seated and three standing forms daily are enough to put you in a state of awareness, psychic protection, calm, good health, and understanding to help you get through this and align with the cosmos. Today, I did the following forms, which includes some things that Sifu Terry taught me in our private lessons: MSW1 90 50 40 30 10, AMSW3 70 50 20 10, AMSW2 80 70 50 30, MSW Long Form, followed by supine MHPearl, Wind Above the Clouds, Wind Through the Tree Tops, and Capstone Long Form from Volume 4, followed by an advanced seated form from San Gong, a basic Bok Fu Pai form (Guardian Standing at Temple Gate), Flash Meditation 5 for Bat Din Gum, and Tao Tan Pai Cane form. In the words of Depeche Mode, "I just can't get enough!" For all newbies, don't worry if you're not there yet in your practice or you don't even know three seated and three standing forms yet. Even one meditation is enough to put you in a sublime state and ready for healing yourself (and eventually, others too)! EG

Illness and discomfort should be gone. Endless positive energy that is always refilled no matter how much we use should be the norm. All relationships should be positive and be able to give the gift of uplifting energy to those who are down. In professional work we should be at the top of our game and show others how to exceed. In life and returning to simplicity we have effectiveness with less effort. What is simple for us could be unattainable or hard work for others. To show others the ways of energy healing and give them responsibility for themselves instead of people playing a victim card is important . These things can be passed on in an informal, non teaching way and within the working environment personally without any mention of the discipline we may practice. Give light to others as if they are part of your own family.

I lay no claim to any particular tradition ... except in my practice of taiji and then I follow the forms as taught by Chen Zhenglei. As for my Daoist views and energy practice, I proceed from the point of view that Daoism cannot be simply a philosophical mental exercise, that there has to be a physical practice in order to appropriately balance the physical, mental and spiritual aspects. Its like a three legged stool. Lose one leg and you're gonna have a problem. My practice tends to be sporadic. I will practice regularly for a while and take a break and then resume again. My practice is a simple ZZ, although I do use visualization in my practice. I did a little Zen Buddhist style study and practice for a few years but did not find it as meaningful and satisfying as Daoist approaches. What would I tell myself as a younger person looking into Daoist related arts? Keep going boy, you're on the right track.

I've heard it said that a person must "exhaust the urge" to engage in negative action before they can turn around. This is another way of saying you must hit "rock bottom" in order to begin working back up. About a month ago I hit rock bottom. I felt rage well up in me at something someone wrote. It was stupid, and not worth getting upset about, but it tore me up enough for me to "suspend" myself for about three weeks to give me time to cool down. I'm glad I did that. It helped me see how foolish many of us have collectively been, are collectively being. I for one, don't enjoy being a cannibal. I suspect no one else here enjoys that either. None of us came here looking to tear each other apart. I encourage everyone who reads this to spend some time in reflection on this matter. Are you happy with the direction we're going? Can we learn from this? Can we grow from this? Can we be better? I believe we can. Let's give it a try. Let's start today.

Perhaps you need a 2nd chance? (Or a third, fourth, or fifth...etc) If so, you´re certainly in good company. Lots of people like to make it appear that they´re more successful than they really are so I hope you won´t get fooled into feeling bad about yourself because of social comparisons. It´s also possible that First-Place Winner status wouldn´t make you as happy as you might think, even if you were suddenly to magically achieve it. People say to take things a day at a time, but that´s often too ambitious. Can you enoy the present moment? Better yet, can you be present for this present moment -- no matter how it feels? Be a winner at that. That might be the only winning that really counts anyway. LL

The internet is littered with self help advice. At the risk of adding more dreck to it, I'd say concentrate on one thing at a time. Sleep is important and sleep preparation starts in the evening. Stopping the news and internet. Doing something boring, maybe some sips of an night time herbal tea or pill like ZMA.. look into it, spend time, and get sleep right. Then healthy breakfast. Then a To-do list with 2 or 3 musts, relatively easy ones that you should accomplish. I'd also say, let go the past. Unless you've got a time machine, stop blaming and thinking about it. Every month, every day is a chance to begin fresh. Go forward. We all fall somewhere between best and worst. It doesn't matter. What matters is (cliche alert) doing your best (addon eh screw that, what matters is showing up and putting in honest effort). Start easy, measure, make progress.. continue.. get back up when you fall down..thats how we do better in life. Not a hard formula.

I think that's a key point --- most of us don't want to spend years (or even 20-30 minutes a day) waving arms and imagining things. But I would bet that 99.99% of energy practices are exactly that. I suppose the same can be said for mind-based practices. With Buddhist meditation, you may end up spending many hours practicing with no noticeable result. Then one day, some large chunk breaks off and things are different. I couldn't stick with it in the absence of the class. I have only met one other teacher in the same vein--- you could feel the heat radiating from his lower dan tien. But he was very demanding and wanted people to spend all their free time on Tai Chi. And he lived pretty far away. I took Hsing-I recently for a couple of years--- but those guys wanted to fight and I kept getting hurt. I could not abide by the violent mentality. I had a meditation teacher who once said it doesn't matter if you meditate perfectly for an hour if you spend the other 23 training in distraction. So in this case, you would have to choose between mind-practice and energy-practice in daily life? Nice!

This thought occurs to me as well, 2ndchance. If your initial and following posts, it made me wonder if your posts were ignited by some sort of substance. That is the same mental place I would get into when I drank a lot. But if not..... It sounds to me like you are on a threshold of sorts. You were not capable of seeing your shortcomings until they started to peel away from you. Before this, you were your shortcomings. This seems to me like this is how the system works. If we reach a place where we can see ourselves for what we really are, warts and all, this is certainly a big step toward enlightenment. After all, a big component of enlightenment is nothing more than the intentional removal of our previous conditioning - which has to be seen before it can be removed. You appear to be at a place where you are seeing much of your conditioning to this point. Your unhappiness with your alpha male ego is huge. Personally, I think you're on the verge of a quantum leap to the next level, whatever that may be. Do be patient with yourself. Do understand that everyone who has reached enlightenment had to go through exactly what you're going through - looking at themselves for who they really are, and taking responsibility for the fact that we've screwed up in the past and hurt many people in the process. Some would call it the Dark Night of the soul. It is a necessary rite of passage. But you're in just the right place, on this website, where people will understand exactly where you are and what you're going through. I wish you the very best, friend. Just don't give up right before the miracle occurs. Love to you - Manitou

This is so true. To the outsider, walking along the spiritual path looks like a path of roses; to the one walking the path, each rose has a thorn, the underbrush is strewn with thistles, and the invisible insects just love to bite; so my advice to anyone outside looking in is this: be careful what you ask for. That said, @2ndchance you need to start small. Don't focus on the "end-game," that's too far off. You'll only drive yourself crazy if that's your focus. Instead, focus on what is right before you. Focus on today. Focus on now. Focus on what you are doing at this exact moment. Focus on what you are feeling in this exact moment. Listen to your own heart beat. Feel your own breath. Feel your own emotions as they well up inside you then crash like waves against a jetty and flow back to the sea. Don't try to be the best for all time. Simply do a good job today.

I think you need to speak to a mental health professional at the earliest opportunity. This forum probably isn't going to be the best place for you right now. Meditation and mantras could amplify any emotions.

Welcome, Zina. May you find what you need.

Find the quiet in the wee hours of the morning. Meditation around 3:30 am Find music Find the flowers Dont imbibe in the bleakness Shower in the Light

I'm going to have to disagree with this point. I have a practice that I've done daily for 17 years now. Over the years this practice has given me such wonderful health benefits. I still enjoy doing it. It makes me feel so good. It has grown with me and it is a part of my life. I couldn't imagine NOT doing it. Even though I've tried other methods, I've never strayed from it. There is a saying: "Repetition is the mother of all skills", which, through years of dedicated practice I have to agree with.

:Pssst: He just put you off of your dinner. :setting out some chocolate chip cookies :

I see, then would it not be prudent to toss out all of his account, until it can be shown that the Ice Atlanteans existed? That would require us to circumscribe a people who may have lived anywhere ,done anything ,and existed for an indeterminate time🙂

Thanks Dwai, I am happy that you are enjoying it. I'm glad to inform you that you are in luck because I just spent a month and a half writing sixty thousand words about those very same things. More about me and my practice: I'm one of the Bozos on this bus, and I practice Tien Shan chi Kung, something you probably haven't heard of.

Yup. Yes exactly - understanding where you’re going and what you need to work on to reach where you’re going is key. There’s this notion that there’s some magical quality to a specific set. One year you try Pan Gu next year you try Fragrant Qi Gong then you go for Hunyuan - always hunting for that magical effect. In my experience, the reality is that the internal arts are like any other skilful endeavour - like for example playing the piano. There’s no magical tune that will impart the skill of piano playing to you. You’ll need to use several tunes... You'll need to practice simple scales and focus on particular elements until you have them down. You’ll need to find places where you’re weak and work on improving those... When you’re ready to move on, you need to do that... etc. And of course you’ll need a teacher (or several) that will point out your errors, suggest new approaches and tell you when you’re ready to move on and where your focus should be next. I should also say that not everyone needs to take these arts that seriously... sometimes you just want to be able to bang out a nice little tune on the piano that makes you feel good. Similarly some people find it relaxing and rewarding to just let go and wave their arms about - and that of course has its place too - nothing wrong with that. But I think there’s a huge deception going on (or maybe it’s just delusion) when people market their arm waving and imagination based practices as some kind of advanced spiritual practice that will bring you enlightenment and help you manifest that yacht too. ‘Stay away from those teachers young freeform :)’

I wish I'd kept my ZZ sessions shorter and so I wouldn't have kept giving up.

‘Ignore teachers who use imagination!’ There is no magical practice set. The internal arts, like most other skilful endeavours, involves a progression. If you’re doing the same thing you were doing a year ago then you’re lost.

This is what I hope to get from my Qigong practice - To allow my mind to enter a state where I can experience "I AM". This conversation with Maharaj Nisargadatta in 'I Am That' seems to say everything that needs to be said. Why is it so hard for us to do? 65. A Quiet Mind is All You Need Questioner: I am not well. I feel rather weak. What am I to do? Maharaj: Who is unwell, you or the body? Q: My body, of course. M: Yesterday you felt well. What felt well? Q: The body. M: You were glad when the body was well and you are sad when the body is unwell. Who is glad one day and sad the next? Q: The mind. M: And who knows the variable mind? Q: The mind. M: The mind is the knower. Who knows the knower? Q: Does not the knower know itself? M: The mind is discontinuous. Again and again it blanks out, like in sleep or swoon, or distraction. There must be something continuous to register discontinuity. Q: The mind remembers. This stands for continuity. M: Memory is always partial, unreliable and evanescent. It does not explain the strong sense of identity pervading consciousness, the sense 'I am'. Find out what is at the root of it. Q: However deeply I look, I find only the mind. Your words 'beyond the mind' give me no clue. M: While looking with the mind, you cannot go beyond it. To go beyond, you must look away from the mind and its contents. Q: In what direction am I to look? M: All directions are within the mind! I am not asking you to look in any particular direction. Just look away from all that happens in your mind and bring it to the feeling 'I am'. The 'I am' is not a direction. It is the negation of all direction. Ultimately even the 'I am' will have to go, for you need not keep on asserting what is obvious. Bringing the mind to the feeling 'I am' merely helps in turning the mind away from everything else. Q: Where does it all lead me? M: When the mind is kept away from its preoccupations, it becomes quiet. If you do not disturb this quiet and stay in it, you find that it is permeated with a light and a love you have never known; and yet you recognise it at once as your own nature. Once you have passed through this experience, you will never be the same man again; the unruly mind may break its peace and obliterate its vision; but it is bound to return, provided the effort is sustained; until the day when all bonds are broken, delusions and attachments end and life becomes supremely concentrated in the present. Q: What difference does it make? M: The mind is no more. There is only love in action. Q: How shall I recognise this state when I reach it? M: There will be no fear. Q: Surrounded by a world full of mysteries and dangers, how can I remain unafraid? M: Your own little body too is full of mysteries and dangers, yet you are not afraid of it, for you take it as your own. What you do not know is that the entire universe is your body and you need not be afraid of it. You may say you have two bodies; the personal and the universal. The personal comes and goes, the universal is always with you. The entire creation is your universal body. You are so blinded by what is personal, that you do not see the universal. This blindness will not end by itself -- it must be undone skilfully and deliberately. When all illusions are understood and abandoned, you reach the error-free and perfect state in which all distinctions between the personal and the universal are no more. Q: I am a person and therefore limited in space and time. I occupy little space and last but a few moments; I cannot even conceive myself to be eternal and all-pervading. M: Nevertheless you are. As you dive deep into yourself in search of your true nature, you will discover that only your body is small and only your memory is short; while the vast ocean of life is yours. Q: The very words 'I' and 'universal' are contradictory. One excludes the other. M: They don't. The sense of identity pervades the universal. Search and you shall discover the Universal Person, who is yourself and infinitely more. Anyhow, begin by realising that the world is in you, not you in the world. Q: How can it be? I am only a part of the world. How can the whole world be contained in the part, except by reflection, mirror like? M: What you say is true. Your personal body is a part in which the whole is wonderfully reflected. But you have also a universal body. You cannot even say that you do not know it, because you see and experience it all the time. Only you call it 'the world' and are afraid of it. Q: I feel I know my little body, while the other I do not know, except through science. M: Your little body is full of mysteries and wonders which you do not know. There also science is your only guide. Both anatomy and astronomy describe you. Q: Even If I accept your doctrine of the universal body as a working theory, in what way can I test it and of what use is it to me? M: Knowing yourself as the dweller in both the bodies you will disown nothing. All the universe will be your concern; every living thing you will love and help most tenderly and wisely. There will be no clash of interests between you and others. All exploitation will cease absolutely. Your every action will be beneficial, every movement will be a blessing. Q: It is all very tempting, but how am I to proceed to realise my universal being? M: You have two ways: you can give your heart and mind to self-discovery, or you accept my words on trust and act accordingly. In other words, either you become totally self-concerned, or totally un-self-concerned. It is the word 'totally' that is important. You must be extreme to reach the Supreme. Q: How can I aspire to such heights, small and limited as I am? M: realise yourself as the ocean of consciousness in which all happens. This is not difficult. A little of attentiveness, of close observation of oneself, and you will see that no event is outside your consciousness. Q: The world is full of events which do not appear in my consciousness. M: Even your body is full of events which do not appear in your consciousness. This does not prevent you from claiming your body to be your own. You know the world exactly as you know your body -- through your senses. It is your mind that has separated the world outside your skin from the world inside and put them in opposition. This created fear and hatred and all the miseries of living. Q: What I do not follow is what you say about going beyond consciousness. I understand the words, but I cannot visualise the experience. After all, you yourself have said that all experience is in consciousness. M: You are right, there can be no experience beyond consciousness. Yet there is the experience of just being. There is a state beyond consciousness, which is not unconscious. Some call it superconsciousness, or pure consciousness, or supreme consciousness. It is pure awareness free from the subject object nexus. Q: I have studied Theosophy and I find nothing familiar in what you say. I admit Theosophy deals with manifestation only. It describes the universe and its inhabitants in great details. It admits many levels of matter and corresponding levels of experience, but it does not seem to go beyond. What you say goes beyond all experience. If it is not experienceable, why at all talk about it? M: Consciousness is intermittent, full of gaps. Yet there is the continuity of identity. What is this sense of identity due to, if not to something beyond consciousness? Q: If I am beyond the mind, how can I change myself? M: Where is the need of changing anything? The mind is changing anyhow all the time. Look at your mind dispassionately; this is enough to calm it. When it is quiet, you can go beyond it. Do not keep it busy all the time. Stop it -- and just be. If you give it rest, it will settle down and recover its purity and strength. Constant thinking makes it decay. Q: If my true being is always with me, how is it that I am ignorant of it? M: Because it is very subtle and your mind is gross, full of gross thoughts and feelings. Calm and clarify your mind and you will know yourself as you are. Q: Do I need the mind to know myself? M: You are beyond the mind, but you know with your mind. It is obvious that the extent, depth and character of knowledge depend on what instrument you use. Improve your instrument and your knowledge will improve. Q: To know perfectly I need a perfect mind. M: A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracles without any effort on your part. Q: You mean to say that the greatest work is done by not working? M: Exactly. Do understand that you are destined for enlightenment. Co-operate with your destiny, don't go against it, don’t thwart it. Allow it to fulfil itself. All you have to do is to give attention to the obstacles created by the foolish mind.

Yup. Thats a main point a lot of people miss. The bigger the block of stone the less cutting required . Put the blocks on rails and rollers and the number of men needed to move it is greatly reduced. Also waste and 'chippings are reduced in a big block, and if it breaks, just trim it to make two or three smaller ones. Still, I do find it at the limits of my comprehension ; Note marks from cutting through the rock with stone pounders

Other internal forms can be practiced in this manner. Often times in taiji the starting and stopping is unintentional. It came with learning the form in sections. Logical breakpoints were identified for teaching purposes. My teachers usually started and ended with a complete form, regardless of the ability of the student to keep up. In between, sections of the form were worked on for correction. But by emphasising the full form, the continuity of flow was conveyed. I actually had one instructor tell me that it was important in forms competition to have a slight pause between movements so the judges could assess posture. I did not buy that. I figured if they were judges they would be able to observe correct posture and alignment even while in transition. Still, the advice was helpful in that it helped me me develop a better sense of what competition was all about. I did not compete thereafter. btw ... I did not know there was much interest or practice in LHBF. Interesting to see.

This fingbs is never going to end. The whole society is weak, degenerating through it's indulgent consumerism, they are the walking dead. Better disconnect yourself from it; let the dead bury themselves. Solution is always the sunshine of hard work and engagement. Who gives a f how fed up they f the country. Don't walk off the cliff with the zombie sheep, they just get weaker each day, and teach their childrenall their new sexual indulgences. What future is there for the country. This works for me; My Self Reliance on youtube. The Muslims are not a problem, after all it was the GlobalistsTransBillionaire Agenda that encouraged all this migration. Now everyone hates each other and it keeps them weak. Many empires did the same to mess up all the populace and keep them like slaves. Then 10 Billionaires control half the planet. It is not a Christian/Muslim/Jewish problem at all. It is also not a Man/Woman problem. All is sacrificed for the billionaires, who are billionaires by creating a system to siphon the work of normal people into their pockets .... and this is done with the help of politicians lawyers and bankers who get a cut.

Hi I joined this site because I've started practising Flying Phoenix Qi Gong and would like to access the long discussion thread where practisers share their experiences. I'm interested in all healing traditions in different cultures. I was very ill in the past and that led me to search ways to cure myself outside mainstream allopathic western medicine. Best wishes, Zina

Resting in a dark room, attempting to control his rage and compose his thoughts.

High level and quality music - depending on the genre and artist - has the potential to heal, energize, calm, supercharge your meditation practice, even induce meditation/altered states of consciousness on its own, and so on. Music is magic.

@rene I recall March in Minnesota. Relentless is the word I'd ascribe to it and on average it starts with a glimpse of Spring to come, then is the heaviest snowfall month of the Season. I never minded Winter all that much, but March was an endurance test. Those drifts are very real. Respect. It was all worth it for me when those Earth shaking Thunderstorms in April kicked in though. Gaia how I miss those!

Dragons are mysterious an elusive. They appear only to disappear. From what I can tell StarJumper is a valid Dragon style practitioner. This is the point of my inquiry. Thank you.

Plato used the Atlantis story to write a critique of society and government. I think it is likely that as an Athenian he would characterise the Atlanteans as being city dwellers and so on. But it is possible that he only had a sketchy idea of what they were like or how they lived. He may have invented the war with the Atlanteans as part of his narrative rather than a received historical fact.

Hi Wu Ming Jen, Such a thought/possibility is gaining traction in me - from latency to potency... - Anand

Come on guys, this is turning into the Nungali vs. Micheal thread. You come from different perspectives ... good! As long as we share opinions openly what's the problem? If I was investigating this subject I would take the minimalist approach, in other words what are the least key facts you would have to substantiate to advance the Atlantis idea. For me these would be: 1. a pre Ice Age culture/civilisation which was destroyed by advancing sea levels (cataclysmically). 2. a knowledge of at least advance stone working and megalith structures 3. some knowledge of astronomy (observations over long periods of time) 4. ability to plan and execute large scale architecture Problems: 1. 500,000 years of last ice ages had erratic climatic conditions - what kind of culture could survive this 2. no evidence of agriculture pre around 6000 BC (?) so what food source? 3. if Atlantis was destroyed around 10,000 BC then presumably they went to Anatolia and taught the Gobekli Tepe hunter gatherers to build ... but then what? 4. if you back date the GP to 10,000 BC then what did they do between then and the dynastic period? how do you explain pre-dynastic cultures (primitive) 5. Genetic science has mapped modern human genetic ancestry without any Atlantean involvement - how is this explained? 6. Nothing from archeology/fossil record suggest Atlantean involvement (as far as I know) Possible 1. the idea of Atlantis is actually a 'memory' of early neolithic (or even mesolithic) cultures which were far more sophisticated and complex than is generally understood - coastal dwelling hunter gatherer megalith builders.

Tired of it.

A pranic journey for 19 years - how he applied it in his life. For me - when I cracked the code of the secret of the "moving of yin and yang" exercise - that was the means to maintain celibacy. So then I had more energy to do healing of others. So before I go to sleep I always to the "moving of yin and yang" - with the knees bent more so the thigh muscles get sore - clear out the colon and maintain celibacy and increase the qi energy from food. It's a Win-win-win situation.

IME energy practice is an extension and a function of the degree to which physical tissue is released (song'ed). With this, even quiet sitting makes sense only if physical tissue is reasonably song'ed. This is how far I've got anyway. I mean there are certain techniques and such, but eventually you have to sit still to get something. And for this you need the tissue released.

yes Dr. Porges emphasizes "flexing" the middle ear muscle while listening to certain types of sounds he's developed. I recommend you try the Wim Hof method - it's all over youtube - just search "wim hof" - so basically you just take 30 deep breaths (try to feel your kidneys as you breath in) and then after the 30th breath when you exhale - just don't breath in again. So you retain the breath AFTER exhale. So just don't breath in for as long as comfortable. Then repeat the above cycle - and each time you should be able to retain the breath AFTER exhale for a longer time period. This will activate the deep right side vagus nerve and increase your brain serotonin levels - and that will heal your energy blockages.

Hello Stillwater, I am at almost 10th year in FP practice, and still can not sit in any lotus position. While I cannot compare my progress with lucky practitioners who can sit proper, by sitting cross legged with some back support, I am quite happy with with my progress. I gave up forcing my hips long ago, as my practices are more meditation oriented, I found not efficient to add one more pain filter to the listening mind. If you are experiencing stress also at the standing meds like MGAM, that means you are not standing proper. The best exercise that thaught me how to stand properly was Bending the Bows. I highly recommend it. Also do Monk holding pearl while standing for at least 40 minutes, your pinkies touching slightly to your lower abdomen. Proper postures come after a certain time of practice, when the corresponding chi channels open up. Listen to your body, don’t fight with it 😀 Happy practicing.

my friend, hope where you are now, you get a chance to meet him,,,maybe you will find its not anger and not so old

To each one of you who took a moment to share and insight with me, I thank you from my soul. It was so hard to openly share something that I find to be so scary and so real to me at this time in my life. And each share touched on a unique way of looking at this time with new eyes. I know from your responses you've been there...been...here. This makes all the difference. You know I've walked the so called spiritual path for over 30 years. For most of that time it became the 'in thing' to do. It became hip to read self help books and then that lead to more esoteric practices, and gurus, and beautiful women, and experiences, and then on to the next book, teacher, and or experience. And why not, I was young, I really hadn't been hurt, hadn't been scarred, hadn't seen death up close. I just knew that life as I was raised was missing something. I just knew the people who damaged me weren't as smart as I was or could be. I was a rebel. I even moved to a big city to become a yoga teacher. I did so called healings on the side. I was part of the happening scene. Then...something shifted. All of a sudden it all felt empty, and dead. I no longer could do yoga or take a class. Everyone felt like they were lying. It all became about making money and a brand and on and on and on. Then my marriage ended, Dad died, went bankrupt, got sick, had a nervous breakdown, my mother became ill and needed care and I Was the one with no family so it felt right to be there for her. I didn't realize coming home would allow me to face all the stuff I ran away from my whole life! I felt helpless to it. I was the metaphysical guy who thought we was above it all. Only to see I am no different. smh...such a cliche huh? Without all the fluff all I am left with is my real fears. Poverty, Death, Loneliness, etc. Things I thought being spiritual would somehow save me from. My naivete crushed me. Reading your shares gives me some deeper perspectives on this. Leastwise I don't feel so alone. I did find a qigong practice but I've not fully committed myself too it as yet. I've dabbled somewhat but not consistent. But more importantly just embracing it all is a worthy challenge. I thank you.

Thanks for this Spotless. I`m interested in the relationship between depression and dark-night awakening. Perhaps the only thing depression has in common with the dark night of the soul is that it feels bad? I get that depression is often position-heavy and awakening about the letting go of positions. Still, I can`t help but wondering if there could be an unexpected spiritual upside to depression: can the no-way-out hopelessness of depression be used (for lack of a better word) as a kind of crowbar to put oneself in a place where awakening is more likely?

Absolutely - and it is also problematic: In time it can become your story - it can bring you close to Awakening and has so many elements of awakening but it does not generally come with the clean release of grasping but rather a sort of fenced-in no-out aspect - a bit like being surrounded by a bunch of police telling you to drop everything and put up your hands - their are no good options - not even to speak - zip - put the hands up and drop everything - get on your knees then lie face down. And like the above example - you are not really asked to give up your person hood - that group of “I’s” you consider YOU - but it is temporarily stopped in its tracks and you do not have willfulness as an option - in other words you cant talk the police out of the order - suicide or dead compliance are the options. In the case of the Dark Night of the Soul - you are surrounded by complete futility - the options are the same. And for a time - you are in the present - with a haunting bleak tiredness. You do not even resort to planning - futures are of no interest - your previous story seems like fantasy in ashes. You may turn to drink - you may turn to religion - you may sleep endlessly and not answer the phone and contemplate suicide - you may work and do what you must while carrying yourself as walking leadened dead weight with each step asking why? But with no interest even in asking or entertaining the question - no interest in sorting it out - there is nothing to sort out. AND then we come to the crux in the road. We begin to walk upright - like the first few days outside after a really bad bout of the flu - we are in a delicate physical state and in this case a very delicate overall state. We are planning nothing - we put one foot in front of the other and if need be we just stand and breath and perhaps then sit down or lie down fine with having had even a moment with some semblance of a part of us being slightly above water. This goes on for a time and then the crux - outside expectation comes to us and inside impulses of expectation begin to arise - but we are also experiencing SELF - we are IN SELF and their is something familiar and wonderful about it - an awareness of breath and Being that we are not doing but that we ARE - a part long covered over and sidetracked in those very noises of futures and pasts and hardened dead positions that we have just put under our feet. But............. The sirens start calling ever so faintly - you need to get back on the horse - put your hands back on the reins - you can’t sit on the fence - living in a van down by the river is not a nice option. At this point most simply begin to pick up pieces and familiar habituations begin to re-emerge. Some things may be off limits entirely for awhile and others not so much - it is a slow “recovery”. It is slow for many easily imagined reasons but particularly because whole pieces of the former life are of no interest and are no longer of value. Futures and Pasts both have taken a considerable jump back in terms of planning or prioritizing or wearing as a badge. And we are once again abandoning Present / Self and it becomes soon enough again - “our story”. Awakening is often frought with the same sirens - it generally does not come with a haunting bleakness - but it is often extremely disorienting. In much the same way whole portions of personhood (often felt as all of personhood) have dropped away - so much so that you also do not answer the phone - but not because you are ten feet under - you simply have nothing what so ever to say. And the sirens are your friends and family that know you are fine but - NOT FINE - and you have no explaination even if you wanted to explain - and at the same time you are uncommonly overwhelmed with immense Gratitude towards nothing and everything. Got to go - tough writing all of this on an iphone -

Hi Zina. Welcome. Yeah, listen to your body. It will tell you what you should and should not consume.

I'm a professional jazz musician and I can tell you my music is directly tied into my spiritual practice.. I can directly tell things about where I am in my spiritual consciousness (I am focused on raising my love consciousness and it's relation to physical and emotional healing) by how I am improvising. By what's coming out of the bell of my horn..and by how I'm interacting with the other musicians I'm playing with. When I go and give high school jazz clinics, I always use the analogy of jazz improvisation being the same as learning any other language. I find my own communication, whether through my spoken/written word or through improvisation, is very much related to the love in my heart. One of the wisest and most loving beings I know recently told me that the key for me for everything in my life is to live from my heart. She lived with me for several years and is getting ready to come back into my life (hint-she's not a person!) This is quite an incredible story that I'm in the middle of...When she comes back, I'll probably tell the story here and post some pics... Anyway, I refer to this because it's caused me to put my love consciousness practice into 'super-high gear' and every day one of my indicators to 'where I am' in this is through my improvisation.. I know it's not just me because I've gotten + feedback from the cats I work with the last month especially... About the sleep thing..The point is that, when you are really living from the heart and serving others in a healthy way, you need little sleep or food. I've experienced this on a small scale..but have known a few people who live this way to a high degree...it's very inspiring to me..and, when I'm around them, their energy kind of 'rubs off' on me.. and I'm not one to usually believe in all that 'energy transfer clap-trap'! I'm just going by my real life experiences that happen to me every day..that's all I care about, practical, real-life, tangible results.. I'm trying to communicate it in words as best I can. Hopefully, as I gain more wisdom, I'll gain more clarity in communicating all this stuff!

Music can be extremely valuable to a spiritual practioner. The key is to stay focused in the moment and just listening to the music. Different music resonates at different layers in the mind. So the type of music you choose will make a big difference.

The longer one practices TM, the more it reverses the aging process. I am more comfortable calling it slowing down the aging process rather than reversing. If someone wants to increase the effects from TM, all they have to do is take the advanced course which is called the TM Siddhi program. This includes the first stage of levitating. I have been in a meditation hall for 3 months with TM people hopping around from the levitation sutra of this program. For me it never worked. This Siddhis program is Patanjali's Yoga Sutras but with the secret method that has missing from books and teachers for hundreds of years but Maharishi rediscovered the method which makes the Siddhis now work. In 1977 I was initiated in the TM Siddhis and on that very same day I went into a state of Cosmic Consciousness which was bliss beyond description, unlimited love, total inner and outer fulfilment and the knowingness that this was the natural state of the human nervous system. The ego was suspended. Inner peace. All of this was a spontaneous occurrence brought about by what the Siddhis do to the brain. From this experience I was then able to understand many things from different scriptures. There is nothing like direct experience rather than just intellectual understanding of something. Bliss is not the same as happiness. And no love from another person could create the amount of love I felt. I saw a Light as bright as the sun inside my head and it lit up the whole room which was totally dark with blackout curtains at night. When I would mentally say a sutra, my head felt like it was exploding with waves of bliss and different kinds of colors were seen by my inner eye. Later in activity around other people I could automatically sense what they were feeling just from facial expressions, there was no analyzing from thinking. It was just direct consciousness. I was walking in the French Alps that night and I did not have a winter coat, but that night I could feel there was a temperature differential on my hands but there was no discomfort as there had been on previous nights when outside without a coat and I would be freezing. The bliss was so strong it even protected me from the sensation of a very cold temperature.So if anyone has ever had similar experiences from qigong, please let me know the name of the method you do and I will start to learn that method.