Gerard

Xingyi is not what I practice but I found this discussion (some of the comments are spot on!) very informative. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Xing Yi over other martial arts? https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-Xing-Yi-over-other-martial-arts Movement is an essential aspect of this internal style especially once one starts working with the Five Forces.

Online learning TJQ? You’ll only learn to dance; for the deep stuff you need a good teacher; however better dancing than doing NOTHING. Search for Ian Sinclair (Yang style) on YT. He has the full Beijing 24 set. Taught in detail showing various body angles which is unusual. They are placed near the bottom of his playlist. FREE of charge. Good luck bro

Preferably MOVING, eg. chopping fist/pi quan (Metal Force) see this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4uJJYBrH9Eo It’s an art like TJQ and BGQ designed to understand and apply the changes between Yin and Yang.

1. Yes but not something I can control. If happens sometimes. It’s a byproduct of practice and honestly it makes no difference of whatsoever when it comes to understanding what the Mind really is/what you really are deep down the rabbit hole. 3. Robert Bruce & Brian Mercer’s techniques discussed in “Mastering Astral Projection” are very good. Buddhist Vipassana in retreat doing NOTHING ELSE is another good method, follow teacher’s instructions strictly without being tempted to introduce other practices.

Ask that question to a Thai or Burmese Ajahn.

The Communist take over caused this. Most migrated to Taiwan, a country that today is more traditional than the mainland. Excellent teachers live in Formosa, including He Jinghan & Luo Dexiu, teachers of Ba Gua Quan and Xingyi Quan respectively. Further info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retreat_of_the_government_of_the_Republic_of_China_to_Taiwan

The thing is that you learn NOTHING from a book except for evidence about someone else’s achievements who happened to learn from a REAL LIFE TEACHER. Ask Michael Jordan if he became a successful sportsman by reading books about basketball. Same goes with chefs and cooking or singers and their music.

All practices are safe what is not safe is: 1. Ego. Pushing yourself too hard trying to achieve something on this path. 2. Sudden release of heat/blockages/unresolved emotional trauma. How to deal with: 1. Personal SOUL evolution. You’ll learn by yourself from your own mistakes. 2. Chinese medicine various treatment methods + keep going with your practice until you resolve/clear them. It takes many years to do so.

Hello, That’s a kindergarten practice! Well, we all start in the kindy level. Just breathe normally focusing your attention on the abdomen as well as the sensation of breathing in and out from the nostrils. Also observe your thoughts and how they are constantly shifting from one perspective to another but for now “breathing” is the most important part. Make sure to fully relax whilst you stand. Do not worry about the timing the book is suggesting, breathing starts from the get-go. Good luck.

YOU ARE ALREADY PERFECT. Your task is to find out HOW.

Sounds like: https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/the-deconstructed-standard-model-equation If you want to go deep in this path, I have this other ‘equation’ for you waiting: “A child of five could understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.” (Groucho Marx). You haven’t started yet; go find a good teacher in a solid system that makes you sweat, and practice for at least 10 solid years of hard yakka, bro. If you come back here to this forum after that time, is probably to help others walk the CORRECT PATH, not the one based on reading books and yabba yabba type of talk.

1. Stage one: train your legs hard 2. Stage two: train your legs harder 3. Stage three: train your legs even harder 4. Stage four: you won't bother asking this question ever again. In all stages you will be constantly PERFECTING YOUR MIND and ACQUIRING WISDOM while your overall HEALTH IMPROVES. FYI: "Ma Gui advocated a rigorous approach to training with a heavy emphasis on developing extraordinary lower leg strength." "Ma Gui had a reputation for being an extremely conservative teacher who demanded the very best of his students. As a busy lumber merchant he did not have to teach professionally and he was therefore able to maintain extremely high standards in training. Fiercely dedicated to the traditional way he had been taught Bagua by Yin Fu and Dong Haichuan, he refused to modify his teachings to make them easier and felt that "anyone who felt the skill was too difficult to learn should not be taught in the first place." Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Gui_(martial_artist)

It's not just the food but also lifestyle, especially how much mental activity you spend every day. Excessive thinking is related to Wood (Liver & GB) which in turn controls the Earth element (Spleen & Stomach, digestive system). The more one thinks the more it weakens the Spleen (and Stomach). It's all result from Ba Gua Zhang practice, which when practiced deeply develops a strong relationship with the internal organs. One becomes very aware of the internal processes, the specific forces they generate (Yin & Yang and the 5 Forces, which are the main manifestations of the Y&Y). Also cut down on how much information you process every day (internet, visual pollution if you happen to live in a city, TV, smartphones, etc) because that is the main cause of the Stomach becoming overactive ---> acid reflux. Stomach Qi should go down not the other way round.

You are welcome. The general rule of thumb when eating is this one: Refrain from any activity when eating specially MENTAL ACTIVITY. The forces you'll generate inside will mess up the digestive system and Liver becomes overactive as well as the Stomach since this organ has also role of "processing external information" which is less known and less talked about. It will take you years to break the habit so go easy. Edit: Grounding exercises: 1. Asian Squat https://fitnessvolt.com/asian-squat/ https://musclelead.com/asian-squat/ Plenty of YT videos. Start with the pole exercise if unable to squat at all: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2l4xzCJrQ98 2. Shaolin Five Stances https://shaolinsticksandstones.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/the-five-basic-wushu-stances-in-no-particular-order/ This will bring all lingering high Qi (head & shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, glutes and groin) down to the feet and into the Earth creating a solid root. You'll become more balanced, calm, worry-less, fearless, obsessed-less, positive & energetic due to improved digestion and increased Qi levels since the Spleen generates Qi from all food you eat and deliver it to the rest of the body. TO BE PRACTICED ON A DAILY BASIS, especially when Stomach and Spleen Qi are most active (8am to 12 noon). If Liver Yang rising is present (most common symptom is "ringing in the ears", also restlessness and high levels of stress and anger) then do grounding work when Gallbladder and Liver are most active (1am to 6am).

First. Not good. Second. No idea. You need to go in person and check it out. Other options: 1. Start sending emails to the reps of the official lineage holders asking for any instructors in your area: https://chenxiaowang.com/workshops/ The email address is a bit further down the page. https://www.worldtaiji.com/index.php/contact-us 2. Learn online for free. There is one teacher that shows the form not only from the front view, which is rare even in commercial videos. It is Yang style but it doesn't matter it is still TJ and still helpful if in the future you manage to find a live teacher. https://m.youtube.com/c/IanSinclairTaiChi/videos Scroll down the page until you find the 24 Simplified Form which is the essence of the style. Ian teaches the whole routine broken down into 24 individual clips, obviously. This will get you started in no time. Happy training

You'll eventually have to find a real life teacher. Online only good to learn the external movement and that's pretty much it. The subtleties and depth will be missing. How about the other Chen style teachers I listed later and belonging to that lineage?

You need to do a lot of GROUNDING WORK. I mean a lot. Asian Squat every day and several times a day. Use kettlebells to aid your progress until you can do them without the use of any extra resistance. *Liver Qi is overactive and controlling the digestive system and has weakened as a result. Stomach Qi is rebellious and should be flowing downwards during the process of digestion but in this case is flowing upwards (acid reflux). Also unresolved emotions can be the cause of rebellious stomach qi since the liver is overactive. Finally eat mindfully, happy and relaxed; never in a rush and while doing other things and let alone in a state of emotional upset. *Wood controls Earth (Five Elements Theory).

A: 1. Ego 2. Attract more students and further enforce their egos Spirituality is a PERSONAL JOURNEY. Avoid the above like the plague. Teachers that pass on a legitimate and tested method to heal and bring balance to the students is a totally different story.

Try this other teachers as that one could have relocated elsewhere: http://chenhuixian.org/San_Antonio_03-16.aspx Never forget TJQ is an art that requires decades of practice as it works its way out very very slowly plus being extremely complex and subtle.

Another charlatan wearing fancy clothes. Better learn from the real lineage: http://www.kctaiji.com/links.aspx San Antonio, Texas. Even with the real thing you'll need decades of practice to understand this art. Effects are moderate medium term. Quicker effects with Xingyi and especially Ba Gua Quan. Good luck!

Endless threads about the same issue. YOU NEED HEAPS OF GROUNDING WORK Real Kung Fu like Ba Gua or Xingyi will provide that + emphasis on the Five Stances and the Asian Squat: https://shaolinsticksandstones.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/the-five-basic-wushu-stances-in-no-particular-order/amp/ https://fitnessvolt.com/asian-squat/ He Jinghan from Taiwan has an entire collection of free material on his YT Channel. Good luck bro. Further advice: 1. Stop any energy moving and Qi bullshit, yogas of any kind and static practices. 2. Move a lot. Go hiking and lots of walking whenever you can.

Less Buddha, less big words (Damo Mitchell), less training material in written form and MORE of this; Hands and feet on the deck and sweat your pants off! I like He Jing Han's approach of opening the entire joint system of the human body. He has a YT channel and all his videos are free. He teaches Ba Gua Quan in Taipei. My teacher taught me the traditional way: Circle walking every Saturday morning in the park working my ass off on the Eight Mother Palms in order to bring a new human out of the mess I was when I arrived at his first class. Less talk and more hard work keeping the practice simple and sticking to the basics.

What you are seeking is also seeking you.

1. Ba Gua Quan/Zhang hands down and without a doubt. It's one of the traditional Chinese Internal Martial/Energetic Arts. 2. Buddhist Vipassana is good too but very slow and works better in a retreat environment due to the many hours a day involved in this system. Italy? I found this school: https://www.baguazhang.it/bagua-benessere/ + a lifetime journey of work on YOURSELF. Lots of commitment, discipline and determination.

It was so hot due to excessive Qi build up in the head. You got to do heaps and heaps of grounding work. The whole planet is ungrounded due to excessive thinking and now with all of this technology is exacerbating the problem. When you open a meridian properly you'll feet it as energy moving along sn specific pathway, eg. limb, and the following release which could be emotional, way of thinking (you change for better), Qi block dissolving, heat release...