Mal

Some of the people I study with are puzzled when I tell them that I don't really care about all the other forms my taiji teacher will eventually teach me. One is enough.

I read a quote from an old Tai Chi teacher many years ago, and they asked him if he could have his life over again would he do anything different?

His answer was. "Only learn one form"

but get this, there's lots of stories throughout martial arts history of people who become great repeating one stupid move over and over and over. There's a certain level of honesty and integrity in training like that. So I'm thinking, "what else is there to really learn?"

It's a fair question, if you only want to defend yourself IMHO you don't really need more than one move that you KNOW WORKS if you have the ability to set the situation so that move is effective. I found that after 6mts of Tong Long training I was able to defend myself against 95% of people out there. Basically because 95% of the people out there only know a few moves, and don't practice every day And I wondered why I should I put in a lot of effort over the next 10 years to learn the other 9 forms in our system when I had basically everything I needed in the first form (6 techniques)

As far as defending yourself the problem is IF you come up against that remaining 5% of people out there that do practice and do know more than a few moves. Then the technical advantages of the more "advanced" forms in your system are usefull. But running into people like that who want to "pick a fight" is pretty rare.

So why did I keep practicing? I found that there was a lot more to martial arts than just being able to fight and I found it to be a great program of physical exercise and spiritual development that really helps me a lot as a person, so I would like to learn the entire art.

I do not know whats the deal with Bardon... care to explain any?

I didn't look at the web site but Fraz Bardon's books provide a system of induction into Hermetics, very basically another type of ceremonial magic. I got into Bardon this after I stopped doing Golden Dawn practices.

 

"120-Year-Old Woman Claims Smoking Pot Everyday Is Her Secret To Long Life

 

Sweet, I'm going to live FOREVER !!!!!!!!!

Welcome Grover, enjoy your stay

Lucid dreaming has been accepted and moved into the main stream. Not only is it widely accepted, but there are pages of techniques for having one.

You could also try http://www.astraldynamics.com/

Good web site and they have a workbook for a 90 day course. I have the book, but didn't complete the course last year. They focus on energy work being a "key" to astral travel. I was doing it for a while but I had a martial arts comp comming up and even though it only takes about 30min a day for the course I just lost motivation.

Wasn't a waste as the energy work reminded me about the healing tao book that I had and eventually led me here

BTW, I think the dirty bastard he was talking about was OSHO! LOL!!!

I like OSHO, well I enjoy his books never got to meet him.

Mal:

 

Looks good. When I was doing the Five Tibetan Rites, I started with five reps per Rite. I added one rep per Rite each week week until I reached 21. That was the progression recommended on the website where I found the instructions, and it worked perfectly. After all, the Rites are about learning to move energy and feel comfortable in one's own body, not about creating overload.

At some point, you may wish to apply a similar principle to your Hindu pushups and squats.

Hi Japhy Ryder,

Thanks, it seems that taking these slowly is really important.

My lower back has always been weak and a bit sore, that's why I wanted to learn tai chi years ago. And I find that rite #2 is quite hard for me. Actually hard isn't the correct word, it's just that it is dificult to do without putting too much strain on my spine. If I just lift my legs my spine will "click" and can get sore after a few reps. I have to concentrate on raising my legs "with" my breathing and mind which makes the movement effortless.

This time because I've only been increasing the reps by 2 a week and only started at 3 reps I've been going o.k. last time when I got to 9 reps I started to feel really good (like now) and I increased them to 21 in a week or so which was too much, except for rite #1. I kept doing 21 reps of it on and off for months now, I really enjoyed it and it's the reason I decided to try T5T again.

I've also convinced my Dad to give them a go. Any suggestion for overweight 60 year olds who are having dificulity doing #4 and #5, apart from "Just hang in there and don't try too hard"

As for the combat conditioning. Not too sure exactly what I'm aiming for with it yet They certanly increase my aerobic fitness faster than anything else I've tried, but because they are quite strenious I find it's easy to burn out from trying too hard. So I'm not doing them Furey style i.e. really hard this time. I'm taking them easy and increasing by one a day for a week and then staying on that number of reps for a week to "recover." I'm not really intrested in getting to "X" amount of reps in "Y" weeks but I would like to still be doing them at the end of the year. I can do 100 squats so 25 is really only getting me breathing but I want to try to keep the same number of squats and push up's, last year I ended up doing 50 squats but could only manage 2x 10 reps for the pushup.

I'm more focused on the combat conditioning for the back bridge as I find it really helps my lower back and I enjoy sitting upside down just breathing, it's almost getting a bit meditative (even if it's only for about 30 sec) Have to keep trying to get my nose down................. perhaps one day

But i decided to train hard and to continue. One day, i progress.

Hi BD2, don't be concerned about any apparent "lack" of progress. I like you're attitude, as long as you keep trying I'm sure you will have success and enjoy the journey

Another week

T5T is going well, up to 9 reps and everything is feeling really easy and effortless. I'm actually enjoying getting out of bed to do these in the morning and I am NOT a morning person. But unlike last time I'm not going to jump up to 21 reps like I did last year and hurt myself, slow and steady.....

Combat Conditioning is going really well too. I'm up to 25 reps. The best I have ever done previously for the hindu push ups is 10 reps.

All in all very happy this week, although that could also be from having a slight amount of "success" trying the big draw in the last few weeks

Evidently I duplicated the post above and deleted the original, I hate it when that happens. Later.

and I think it was the one that you put a link into a forum of yours on

but I'm getting better at navigating here so I think I've found it again "www.skymountain.net" so it's all cool

This is cool, have you related this action to your form yet? You just described 'store' and 'release' and it's fundamental to taiji movement. So what I'm saying is that it's not a separate chigung to practice, it's in your form

Well spotted Our sifu belives that our tai chi form is "all we will ever need" too. His fathers only practice is doing Tai Chi twice a day.

However Sifu also believes it will take at least 3 years before we can do Tai chi "correctly" enough for it to "work" as a chi kung, that is why he teaches us the other Chi Kungs first so that we can experience this while we are learning tai chi.

I've been doing tai chi since 2002 with my Sifu. About 6 months ago he corrected our Tai Chi forms and now I can feel "something" when I am doing it. But not to the same extent as the chi kungs.

Another thought,

Perhaps the purpose of the Microcosmic Orbit is like a safety valve to preven and nasty side effects people often experience with the raising of sexual energies?

It seems that not many people practice it daily. But people do seem to be practicing something that could be doing the same job. Personally I have a set of chi kungs that I do.

Hi Star,

This is weird, I spent an hour last night looking for some post that would tell me more about your views or a web link (slow net connection at home I usually post from work

and then you post this..............

Anyhow my understanding was that the MCO was for circulation of enercy and it was generall accepted as a good idea.

I thought the orgasams were from the big draw and/or the cool draw testical breathing. Which increase your "power" by taping into youre reproductive energy that would otherwise be lost

I don't practice these exercises. My practical backgroung is from the chi kungs my sifu teaches us for kung fu and tai chi. Intrestingly the first and most important chi kung we learn seem like the MCO it involves a tai gung, (clenching of the feet, pelvic floor and anus) the breath is thought up the spine as the hands brush up the back, then to the top of the head. The air is then compressed following the hands down the front of the body to the belly and then everything is relaxed and the energy is released out the fingers.

I first read about Sexual kung fu back when I was 18, and wasn't intrested, sex was pretty great anyhow. And I couldn't really see what could do with the energy.

Now that I'm 33 I would enjoy the staying power But I'm still not sure exactly what the rewards of practicing Testical breathing would be apart from a great orgasam. (Forgive me, I know I know that's like saying the 6 mts I spent practicing the middle pillar exercise enable me to see a "great light" , i.e not even in the same ball park but do you get my drift ?)

Thanks for posting that, interesting and enjoyable to ponder.

To be a bit of a devils advocate, can you say that ""the present" doesn't exist"?

I would argue that "the present" is the only thing that "exists." While the past and future are only concepts that result from having language, which lets us think and talk about them.

But I think my idea of "now" or "the present" may be a bit different. I think of "now" as the changes in our sensory input. An experience rather than a static snapshot of "reality" As soon as you try to say "this is now" you run into that split the millisecond problem which makes your "now" into "the past" and then it's not really "reality" anymore, because "reality" is constantly changing.

it seems that *everyone* knows about Trigger Point Therapy and likes it,

Yes I've got

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief,

Second Edition by Clair Davies, Amber Davies, and David G. Simons (Paperback - Jul 2004)

(the workbook has enough infomation that you don't need the reference book to get results)

Do you have a "Thera-cane" or a "Back Knobbler" like they talk about? I've got a "Thera-cane" and found it really helped with trigger point therapy, much better than a tennis ball in a sock, very expensive but well worth it.

Unfortunatly I don't have any luck getting anyone to massage me so I can't comment on a stretching vs massage

I'm so excited cause the tao te ching is pocket size so i can carry it every where

Cool, I can still remember the first time I read it, thinking "now this is what the Bible should be like"

As mentioned, there are many translations, some will "speak" to you more than others but it's fun to read a few different ones just to see the different interpretations that people make.

Enjoy

... led me to Tai Chi and Aikido classes(and surgery on both of my shoulders, by the way!). Now I'm here and looking forward to getting to know others with similar interests. Happy New Year to all!![/font]

Hi Cloud, I hope your shoulder surgery wasn't caused by becoming one with the ground in your Aikido class Great martial art but LOTS of training injuries.

Hey man, welcome aboard.

Cheers Sean, great site you have here.

You're very wise to "make haste slowly" with the Royal Court. Several years ago, when I switched over from weight lifting to bodyweight workouts, I increased my repetitions too quickly and developed joint issues.

 

How's your bridging coming along?

Hi JR,

I had a similar problem, basically I was working too hard and burning myself out without enough recovery time. I use to lift weights too (a long time ago) and I'm finding there is a big difference in the way you train when doing traditional western exercises 3 or 4 times a week and doing eastern practices everyday (chi gungs etc.) My Sifu talks about Tai Chi "increasing" your energy levels. He teaches it to us because his teacher said it is needed to counteract the "depleting" effects of Tong Long Kung Fu

The bridging is going well, I learnt to bridge a few years ago when I was doing Brazilian Jujitsu (good fun but too many injuries at the club I trained with) My Bridge is only to the top of the head (that could be why I'm going bald perhaps one day I'll get my forehead closer to the floor, I try

I'm lucky as I'm short and stocky with a short, heavily muscled neck. So my body really suits this exercise. I'm a bit worried as my training partner wants to do bridges too and he is a lot taller and lankier than me. I'm not confident that bridging is a safe exercise for everybody.

There are some photos in the Gallery section, that you two may enjoy,

Thanks Two Trees, I didn't know they were in there, Cheers

another Downunder Daoist

 

Regards,Cloud

Cheers, always nice to hear from a fellow Aussie