VCraigP

Yoda, the handelsman card IS very cool. It has palpably lightened my mood and given me a sustained sense of well being - even though I forgot to wear it today.

 

It also worked by stopping my eyes itch, around a kitten.

 

I CANNOT see how it can possibly be doing what it does - it's paper thin with no obvious magical signs on it.

 

VCraigP (... are you the craig I met in Tulum on a K&L meditation retreat a few years ago..? )

 

Anyway thankyou for chiming in about the Q Link. I'm interested to hear what you say. It doesnt sound very desirable, what you experienced. I've had the same kind of experiences in early days of practise, when my heart was unblocking and discharging - a bit like being on coke. ie Overstimulated, but in the heart energy way.

 

What have you done with your pendant? Did anyone else you know try it? ( hint hint )

 

Have you also tried orgonite?

 

Coherent Space devices are also quite interesting.

Cat

Yes I was at Tulum in 2001 I believe was the year.

I can't really remember everyone that was there, though I remember bits of the trip quite well.

My life has changed A LOT in 5 and 1/2 years and I think my memory of people and faces has never been my best asset.

I still have the pendant. When I bought them for my wife and myself I think I was told they would tune themselves to the person wearing it. So I think perhaps not so good to share. I actually found the Q link and tried it on again for awhile to see what I would experience. There was definitely something still going on when wearing it, though perhaps not as pronounced as before.

I have tried Orgonite. I have also made a conscious effort of late to not engage my brain into the darker aspects of the community of towerbusters etc.

For now the most important thing to me is doing cultivation.

I got some free orgonite from a link found on ozarkorgonite it is not her company which is doing the free orgonite buttons.

When I got the orgonite buttons I could definitely feel something when holding them.

Then I got the home protector set from Ozarkorgonite. Very nice. Put 1 in each of the 4 corners of our house, and one each in my office, my wifes office and my two childrens bed rooms.

Also received a personal pendant from Ozarkorgonite which I wore for a while, but is too bulky for me and kind of annoys me. I think it does have an effect on my though. Also I didn't wear it for a while because it was still tacky to the touch on top. I guess she had a problem with the resin curing completely. Now it is finally almost completely hard ( month or more later!) Maybe I 'll try wearing it again. (put's it on...).

No earth shattering revelations or experiences from my contact with Orgonite thus far.

Craig

About the Q link.

There is definitely something to them.

I have had one since around 1999 or so.

when I initially started wearing it I definitely had the experience that it was affecting my heart energy.

I was wearing it over my heart center area. I felt stimulated, alert and VERY talkative, more so than usual.

It is NOT orgonite. but it may be related somehow.

I eventually stopped wearing the thing. I intuited that it was an artificial thing. Also, I don't know what the technology is that is being used. They make claim that they have designed it to harmonize with the frequency of the heart center, or some other quasi scientific language to that effect.

So there is something there, but how does it work? It does do something to your energy body, or for your energy body, but I eventually became suspicious of it. Do I sound paranoid yet??

I wouldn't call it a scam, as it does have an effect. No argument that it is expensive.

Does it block or ameliorate effects of EMF on your person? Don't know. I also have a Q-Link clock which I do still use because it is purported to have the effect of creating a positive energy field/shield against EMF pollution. Also not cheap, but I have left that device operating without thinking much about it.

Maybe I should try an experiment and turn it off for a while then turn it back on for a while to see if I can perceive any diference?

Anyway, just some input from someone with a bit of first hand experience of the device in question.

Happy Season of the returning light!

Craig

Aiwei

Thanks for appreciating my humor.

I look forward to supporting your endeavor.

I have been considering buying some clothes over the internet, but had some doubts as to what I would be receiving.

I purchased some lovely silk traditional frog button "pajamas" for lack of a better word, when I was in China two years ago. But they are generally too fancy for everyday use. It would be very nice to have something for my chikung classes.

I think it is beneficial to have clothes set aside for practice. This helps set the stage for the body mind to engage. I am accustomed to this from decades of practice in hard style martial arts and want to have to same approach to my regular chi kung classes.

Look forward to hearing more.

Regards

Craig

 

But for now, I want to highlight that he recommended I study his Tiger Qigong.

 

This is the same form Zongxian Wu teaches, but Wu was GM Zhang's student in the 80's. Wu learned form Zhang in a group setting, not even personaly.

GM Zhang said to you "Wu was my student in the 80's?

 

Zhang's form feels a lot more authentic and powerful than WU's. I am angry that Wu duped me with that...

How did Wu dupe you? Have you studied with him personally? Are there no other possibilities between what Wu represents and what Zhang has alleged? Is it not possible for example that Wu had more than one teacher for Tiger Form? I know he has studied with many masters.

 

I even read his book which has praises from all the top qigong people in the country... now I find this!? I am very glad I went to this lesson for many reasons.

 

It is good to study directly with an accomplished practitioner. This is my experience working with Wu.

 

One of the major things GM Zhang uses in his Qi Gong is unique healing sounds/mantras for various extraordinary meridians, the Dan tien... etc.

 

I wonder why you are so quick to judge the quality of instruction of a teacher based on limited experience of them? My experience of Wu is that of a genuine teacher who is accomplished in his arts and has genuiine transmission.

Was Zhang critical of Wu or is this your interpretation of the communication you had?

Why do you feel duped? I find the quality of his detailed guide to the tiger form to be excellent, and the DVD is even better for learning this form. My experience of this form is that he knows it VERY WELL and has much to say about each movement and its function. He performs it with grace and power. He knows the applications of the moves. He absolutely has the structure and you can see it when he teaches and in the DVD. Where is the Dupe??

Obviously if you have read any of my earlier posts about him, you will know that I have been studying with him much of this past year as often as I can manage. This has been exceedingly enriching to me. Therefore I take issue with what seems to me to be a superficial criticism of him and/or his instruction.

I am happy that you have had a very positive experience with Master Zhang.

I do not understand why you feel cheated by your experience with Master Wu.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it doesn't seem from your writing that you have studied with Wu personally.

I expect if you were to study directly with Wu your opinion might change.

Respectfully

Craig

Thanks for the offer.

I am interested.

Is it possible to provide a link to a picture of the type of clothing you are referring to?

I am familiar with some styles, but not sure what you are referring to precisely.

by the way, would you care to offer up an English version of your name? Otherwise I have to refer to you as "that guy from China whose name I cannot read"

Thanks

Craig

I've always admired drummers. I'm curious about something though, when you are drumming, what would happen if your mind wandered and you started thinking about a problem you were having yesterday? Isn't drumming about experiencing the moment..no thought, if you will..

I don't really know, just guessing that perhaps you may already have found your practice..it's about allowing, just being. You don't need to keep adding more practices and collecting exercises. Use your drumming to wake up.

T

I agree with Thaddeus. You are a drummer. You have a practice which requires full concentration, ie one pointedness. Quieting the mind is such an accomplishment and such a simple concept that many gloss over the topic too easily. Meditation first is about narrowing your focus. Your mind will wander, you gently bring yourself back to the single point of focus.

When I was a beginner I realized that many of the things I was involved with had a common theme. Martial arts, meditation, music (no the common theme was not the letter M :-) ) They all require total focus in order to refine and improve the practice.

Maybe you could try sitting and meditating while playing in your mind a simple 4/4 beat, like a shamanic drum beat, over and over. Or you could even sit and drum such a simple beat and just put your mind there. Do that for 10 15 30 minutes and then see if you are in a different state. That is simple meditation. Just bring your attention back to the focus point whenever the mind wanders.

What chikung to practice. I agree that simpler is better (please ignore recent post of mine listing the laundry list of complex practices I know!) You could go far using my teacher Master Zhongxian Wu's beginning practice. We start all practice by gentle shaking, bouncing up and down side to side, rhythmically for 20-30 minutes at a time. Focusing on letting tension dissolve into the earth, opening the crown to connect to heavenly energy, and most importantly breathing down with the Hunnnh sound to vibrate in the lower tantien. After which we stand still and focus on collecting everything from all directions into the tantien while breathing in and concentrating the energy ball in the center when breathing out.

This practice is almost as simple as you can get, but it is PLENTY to take in and in my opinion could take you a long way.

Portland Oregon is not too near you, yet it is not too far either. We had a student in Master Wu's class who was coming up twice a week from Eugene to Portland to study with Master Wu. I myself drive one hour each way once a week or more for my practice. It is a matter of priorities of course. I am not saying this is your solution, only that this is a small but profound piece which I got from my current primary teacher which is great for understanding and entering the chikung state. You could attend one class and get the basic idea and then take that home to practice after having experienced it first hand.

For a beginner I think it would be great to pick one simple piece and just work with it, without being concerned about taking on an entire "system", but just to open the door a crack into the big world of chikung/yoga energy art systems to have a look for yourself.

Experience is the only way to know anything here. Intellect will not do it for you.

Getting in the chi field of a master idealy accompanied by experienced students is a powerful way to experience the chi field.

Anyway, enough proselytizing for Master Wu.

Just what occured to me in the moment.

Craig

Hmmm

setting aside comments about lists, etc, for now, here goes.

HT Iron Shirt - Embrace tree. dropped others long ago.

HT Six Healing Sounds. This one is IMO on the border between active and stillness form.

HT - Tai chi chikung - 13 movements.

Bagua - Basic circle walking 8 hand positions.

Hsing I - pi chuan (spelling?) standing position

Winn - Six Animal frolics

Winn - 8 Extraordinary vessels.

Winn - Primordial Chikung

Winn - deep earth pulsing. Very simple, but DEEP. the best kind.

also used to know but am now rusty with deep healing chikung and gods playing in cauldron but probably couldn't do them without reference at this point.

Winn - Pan gu chikung

Wu - Shamanic Tiger Chi kung

Wu - Fire Dragon chi kung

Wu - Five elements chi kung

Wu - Shamanic orbit chi kung

Wu - shaking (drumming and dancing). Used at the beginning of all forms, but can be used as a practice in and of itself.

There are others I have learned, and pieces of which I use from time to time. But these are the ones I could teach at least the outline of, which is an indication of a certain level of understanding.

Also, there are practices, or techniques which couldn't properly be called "Forms" but which are useful.

I am leaving them out because I have chosen a definition of form that makes sense to me. Listing Deep Earth Pulsing as a form is actually a bit of a stretch as this is really a simple technique. But it is deep enough on it's own to deserve a line.

This list is maybe shorter than I would have thought on first take. There must be others which are not coming to mind, but I think they wouldn't count as "memorized" in that case would they.

Darebak - Reproducible results? That to me is a strange question. My results will definitely NOT be anyone elses I would say.

How would my body, mind and spirit be without these practices??

Well, that's my input for now.

Craig

LOL, orgonite is in everything, so its a little weird? Also pretty fun to have in my pocket and chillin, I feel some power for sure.

I got three buttons from FreeOrgonite also.

I actually thought I could feel something to them immediately when placed in my hand.

My wife thought so too.

I also just received some larger pieces from Ozark orgonite.

They are larger and denser seeming than the free pieces, and I am not sure how I feel about them at this point.

further comments later perhaps.

Craig

I have tried Kava in a multitude of forms. I don't like it at all. I suppose if you are high strung it might be helpful. It is calming, but seems dulling as well.

If you are looking for something to calm I would strongly recommend Theanine. Suntheanine is a good brand which has a patent on highly purified Theanine. there are others which are derived from Green tea which are more natural but not as potent.

But Kava, yuck, what's the point.

Craig

Thanks Craig (& others) for the solid advice. Especially from one with experience and a life situation closer to my own

 

In my perusing I ordered some kava kava. I had bought some years ago and was disappointed, tasted awful, no discernable effects. It turns out (from one website) that heat destroys the properties. The site recommended putting an ounce or two into a blender w/ 8 ounces of water, blending 4 minutes, then straining it out. Or the old fashion tea bag, squeezing in and out til it feels less oily. In both cases you strain before drinking.

 

In either case you use cool water then mix for better taste.

 

Michael

Michael - et al.

Psilocybe Cubensis would be my recommendation.

I did these mushrooms about 6-8 times between the age of 19 - 24.

Setting is very important of course, this is well established.

One particular instance comes to mind and still resonates with me.

I was in Santa Cruz CA. and several of my friends (6-7 of us.) decided to take a trip.

more than 1/2 of us had done them several times (myself included).

The night was quite fun and for me eye opening.

At one point we had all been gathered around a large fire on the beach. (Nighttime Fire at the Beach, highly recommended components of a good setting!!)

I was left alone at the fire as my companions wandered around the beach a bit. I began to sense and internally see the images of people/spirits dancing around a fire. This went on for some time til I eventually left the fire.

later in the evening while we were still tripping I spoke with one friend who said he was watching my from some distance away at the fire. He proceeded to describe exactly what I had been seeing/sensing internally. VERY weird. In my experience this kind of telepathy tends to happen among people who are close and doing the mushroom.

Of the group I was probably the one most interested in the sacred shamanistic nature of the experience, though none of us were what I would describe as the mindless partying type.

Later on in the evening when everyone else was coming down I was still going (I had consumed one quite large specimen which was about 4 grams dry weight). At that point we had gathered at a small park near the beach. I had a very strong experience of hearing and chanelling a musical vibration rhythym. I was going every where I could and drumming on things to express what I was hearing. At one pont I found a small wooden ornamental bridge and found that I could make a great drum rhythym by stomping on it, and proceeded to do so for quite some time.

towards the end of the evening at the same park I had one other strong experience. I was lying against a tree, kind of surrendered to gravity like a drunken person, sprawled out on the ground. I had a very strong experience of feeling the energy of the tree I was sprawled against and then of having this energy flow through me and out one arm to connect with another nearby tree. This went on for some time and was pleasant as I recall. Very strong sensation of the energy body. All of this was several years before doing any chikung.

This evening sticks with me to this day, though my recollection of it now is somewhat dreamlike. (20 + years later!!). So I would say that I learned some things from this, and it was a positive and almost revalatory experience. I have had other experiences with Mushrooms which were fun, some mysterious, some dark and not fun (bad setting and intention!). I generally approached them with some sense of their power and sacred nature. This is best IMHO.

I recommend mushrooms over LSD as I feel that the Mushrooms carry with them an intelligence of the plant kingdom which is not present in LSD. What is the nature of this intelligence? I don't know, but I have sensed it. There is a connection between the plant and man which is there. It is an experience of less intensity and duration than LSD also. The human body is the same, and they are both having an effect as the result of chemicals, but the plant has a connection with the planet and man which has a history attached to it.

Two tips.

One: Take dried mushrooms and put into mild herbal tea while still hot. Allow to re hydrate and then eat them. Drink the tea to consume any dissolved chemical present in tea. Do not pour scalding water over the mushroom as this might be too hot and destroy some of the properties.

Two: Take Milk Thistle Seed extract 80% Silymarin. Take for several days before planned excursion to tone your liver. Take more the morning after. I wouldn't take the day of the trip or during it because it is likely that it would diminish or halt the experience. All mushrooms of this type have liver toxicity IMO. This extract has even been used successfully in Europe to halt the effects of poisonous mushrooms.

I agree with ... and Grand Trinity about legality. The only issue I would be concerned with is from whom I am acquriing my Mushrooms. Have not done them for decades, but I am sure there are sources out there.

Mostly these are grown by small enterprises domestically. They are not handled by the big nasty drug distributors out there.

Interesting side note. Mushrooms - psychedelic kinds - are sold in "Smartshops" in Holland as recently as a year ago last time I was there. I was blown away that they had refrigerators full of them FRESH!!

No wonder the EU wants to get Holland to toe the line with regards to their soft drug policies. Cannibis and mushroom lovers take note, freedom in Holland probably wont last.

BTW Michael - Lerner, I am also a 42 year old father of two youngins. Apparently I was more busy experimenting in my youth than you. Well that's what you get growin up in Northern California in the 70's - 80's.

Craig

There is a theme here I have seen before.

Does a "Master" deserve to charge what the market will bear to make a living?

Should Robert Peng dress in sackcloth and charge by donation only?

I think not.

On the other hand, is Robert Peng the man who will finally answer all our questions about Chi , the universe and everything?

I think not.

But...

He is accomplished by reputation. And seems to be able to deliver what he promises in the treatment room.

Next question - Is he a good teacher? i.e. can he transmit what he knows?

This is an entirely seperate question.

My hard style MA teacher would often say, "just because you are a good fighter doesn't say at all whether you are or can be a good teacher." I think this applies equally well to this arena as well.

Not all accomplished people are interested in teaching, or are necessarily good at it.

Craig

I had a treatment from him last year before heading off to Tao Mountain (I was curious what electric shock chi felt like).

 

First he did some Tuina to relax me. He then had me put my hands in a prayer position and he touched each of my fingers for a while. It felt like pulsing electric shocks (like an electrical muscle stimulator). He told me that my kidneys had a good amount of energy but it was dispersed so he condensed it. He also said that I was easy to work on because I practice qigong.

 

I felt much better after the session.

 

He did operate out of a swanky New York studio and was wearing a Hugo Boss shirt. I figure if the other doctors in the building deserve to have an upscale lifestyle why not him as well.

I just love reading the so called scientists when confronted with issues relating to EMF try to explain it away with simple mechanistic logic.

"If you are holding it up to your head to speak a lot, it makes no sense it is having a direct effect on your testes."

Assuming that the only effect is microwave heating from the cell phone. What about the effect on the EMF of the body as a whole? Too deep a question to answer so they act as if it is not even a possibility, since they know next to nothing about the nature and implications of the EMF field. What about cell phone radiation effecting the pituitary and other structures in the brain/head??

Wouldn't it be nice to have some real investigation into the world of forbidden science which remains hidden.

EMF and microwaves and ELF, et al. Doesn't take much digging to seriously call into question the use of cell phones, wireless, etc.

(Sigh) I am writing this on my computer hooked up to the internet via wireless.

At least my cell phone is usually in another room unless I'm travelling

Craig

OK, I'll play.

Year - Wood Dragon

Month - Fire Rabbit

Day - Earth Dragon

Hour - Water Dog

Inner Element: Wood Constellation: Sheep

Elements Wood/3 Fire/3 Earth/4 Metal/0 Water/2

This agrees with a chart I had done before. I don't know what inner element means, but in looking at the level of the elements I see that I have a higher number for Earth than any of the other elements and a zero for metal.

I think this is significant. It means I have to be aware of strengthening the metal element and that I have characteristics of strong earth chi. At least this is the interpretation I learned some years ago.

The boxes around the center are a the twelve stems. If you notice Sean mentioned this will be covered in the next class.

I don't know what they mean either. Under offspring it has tiger. A coincidence is that my son (first born) is a Tiger. (PS - on a tangent I am using his knowledge of this fact as a stepping stone to teaching him Shamanic Tiger form, bit by bit.)

Thanks for sharking Sean

Thaddeus - looks like we are born on the same year. (unless you are like over 100 years old, ya never know

Craig

lol..this is so typical of chinese herbalists. if you ask questions in most chinese herbal shops they get extremely annoyed (i know..there are some exceptions). you're just supposed to take it without question. the herbalists in turn hate to talk details (it's good, just take it, very strong). have you ever taken V so you can compare it? basically, V works by inhibiting the breakdown of nitric oxide (NO), which is expanding your arteries and increasing blood flow. this is very simplistic, but V allows the NO to increase faster and stay around longer. no effect on libido, it's just plumbing. so for young(ish) people like us (and for women too), the physical part of excitement takes off like a rocket. a single thought and bam, off u go, like when you were in 7th grade. these herbs work in two ways , 1 to increase desire and 2 to modulate this NO. herbs and vitamins/amino acids like mucuna, tongkat ali, tribulus, zinc, work to modulate testosterone and/or dopamine to increase libido. herbs and vitamins/amino acids like arginine, citrulline, cnidium, goat weed, cocoa (yes chocolate), pycnogenol, gingko, ginseng, modulate NO in various ways by either increasing it or slowing it's breakdown. some work in both ways, like yohimbine, does something to dopamine and at the same time acts like an irritant that results in increased blood flow.

The herbal approaches do work and you can put your own stuff together by playing around with extracts.

I feel that probably 8 out of 10 times the 'happy pills' you buy contain prescription drugs in them.

These 10 ingredients most likely are the NO breakdown inhibitors with a couple libido boosters to boot. My guess would be cistanches, goat weed, he shou wu, lycii, cnidium, korean ginseng, gingko, siberian ginseng rhodiola, and arginine. But if it's expensive..like over 7-8 bucks a pop, then it prob has V or C in it.

Let me know what you discover..

I think these performance enhancers are alot of fun to play with, but be really careful with the 'happy pill' stuff.

Btw, these same substances work wonders for general sports enhancement too..not just the bedroom..

also, this is all just off the top of my head, so take it with a grain of salt..

Later edit...another effect is incredible engorgement..which is satisfying for both you and your partner..but in any case, the increased NO has other effects as well. Believe it or not, the bedroom knowledge I got from this is incidental. NO has implications for immune system which is how I stumbled upon this knowledge, it is also involved with creativity..so you just may find yourself coming up (no pun intended) with some great ideas, poetry, etc. while trying this stuff out. Some are very specific to the reproductive organs (esp. the PDE-5 inhibitors--which affect the eyes too..remember the V/eyesight issue that came to light) but some others act more generally. Anyway, very cool topic..

T

Thaddeus

What a great summary of the formulae within the industry, although what you summarized in a paragraph could easily be fleshed out to a pamphlett if not a small book!

Also, it has not only been alleged, but proven that some unscrupulous manufacturers have illegally added actual pharmaceuticals into their product.

More specific to the original question is the fact that the herbs/ingredients are not shown. while this is not unique to Chinese origin products it is ALWAYS a red flag to me. I want to know what's in that stuff when I take it and would also prefer to know the proportions, though this is often proprietary.

If the purveyor in question does not know what is in the product or does not respect the client enough to try to answer such a question it is not a good sign about his attitude towards his clients.

I personally have adopted a quite regular regimen of Dragonherbs formula for general tonic purposes.

I am regularly taking Reishi, He Shou Wu formula, adaptogen energizer and Schizandra Lyciium tincture (yum). I selected these formulae in consultation with an acupunturist on Staff at Dragonherbs in order to support Jing, Chi and Shen layers. Reishi is my primary jing tonic, Adaptogen energizer my primary Chi tonic and He shoul wu my primary Jing tonic. Though it was not my intention to stimulate libido the result of taking Heshouwu regularly has been very noticeable, especially first thing in the morning. Not that I was unhealthy, but the strength and duration of "morning wood" has been quite surprising. Although this program has not been cheap I feel it has been quite valuable. The herbs used to balance the primary tonics are selected carefully. It is not a case of just using jing stimulants to deplete oneself faster, but rather a base of support upon which to build up the many layers of the body. This is the only way a Taoist should seek to strengthen the libido. Short cuts have a way of coming back around to bite you.

On the subject of Maca. It is somewhat true that it is just a potatoe to the Andean people. However there is some indication that it supports hormonal function in men and women. If you can get quality Maca in bulk and take quite a bit at once it can be a good support food and mild jing tonic in my opinion and experience.

dont bother with pills unless you plan to take like 5000mg per day or more. I would use it in a protein shake or smoothy, closer to the actual use of the Andean people who make a porridge of it.

Tongkat Ali - I was originally skeptical of this ingredient. I think it likely that 90% of what is on the market does not contain sufficient ingredient or high enough quality to have an effect. However, even though I was skeptical I did purchase Dragonherbs version of this to try it out. Since I trust this company I thought it more likely they would have a product which worked. Lo and behold their product does seem to work. With me there is a delay effect. It doesn't work within a couple of hours to increase sexual strength, but seems to work after 4-6 hours. Also it seems to depend upon general energy levels. When generally low in energy it has almost no effect, while when in normal to high general energy state it seems very effective.

All in all I would say pass on this one.

I suppose that's enough for now. Thanks for your scholarly input. Care to post any links to further our study of NO? You have picqued my curiosity.

Craig

Anyone watching this awesome show? This guy is amazing and talks alot about energy..

T

Absolutely love Caesar.

He teaches people how to be real. Can't train animals unless you are real about what signals you are sending.

almost all dog training/behavior problems are problems with the people who are handling the dogs.

I love it when he tells people shit they don't like to hear and then they finally get it and wake up to some aspect of themselves they were unaware of.

Cool show.

Craig

 

Craig, did you read Chia`s book Tan tien chi kung? He uses the hun sound for inhaling to the tan tien, and the hum sound for exhaling. They are reffered to as dragon and tiger breath. Some also use the hun sound for stealing energy from others.

Pero

I have not read Tan Tien chi kung. Kinda stopped buying Chia's books a few years ago.

Hard to tell from a book whether we are talking about the same thing. From a comment Michael Winn made about Dragon and Tiger sounds I got the impression that they were very forceful and "stressful" to use Winn's words.

The Hunnh sound I am referring to is applied in a few ways in Master Wu's practice. Basic Technique is to breath and fill up the chest and then exhale fairly rapidly while expanding out from the tan tien. Important to hold the perineum closed and to keep the lower belly firm (these are key points throughout practicing his style.)

After learning the more forceful style as described above it can also be applied much more softly almost like a sigh.

Some forms use this technique when bringing energy back down, much like the triple warmer sound/movement of Healing Tao, and then it is usually soft and drawn out.

Of note is the fact that I have observed both M.Chia and M.Winn maing pretty much the same sound during meditation practice/teaching. With them it seems more spontaneous rather than part of a form. A natural expression of energy movement or focus perhaps?

With Master Wu it is a conscious technique to focus energy in the TanTien. We use it at the beginning of every class when we do shaking. Shaking and making the Hunnh sound are ALWAYS the first thing we do in every class. When using it in shaking practice it becomes more spontaneous and ranges from the most forceful to the least during shaking practice. Shaking usually lasts from 15 to 30 minutes!!

Wu also teaches a Shamanic orbit Chikung. This form uses six sounds in succession along with movement to move energy through an orbit. Although from my experience I don't think the intention is on microcosmic orbit, but more broad core channel movement. I will be seeking his permission to post a very detailed description of this form as a couple of forum participants have been seeking this information. However without direct experience of the sounds it is primarily for intellectual exploration rather than a method of transmitting the form.

Craig

Re the WBV thingy.

I have used this just once. Got a new Gym in my little town, 5 minutes away.

They have one of these. I used it post workout to do some standing stretches - 1 legged MA related stretches.

Theory was to add a little instability to get as much of my stabilizers working as possible while doing the active stretch.

How do you use it specifically?

Craig

Lamb lies down on Broadway!! Fun! Which song?

Must be "Lamb lies down on Broadway" the song from Lamb lies down on broadway the Album.

I developed a rather strong distaste for this album actually. Might have had something to do with someone telling me that it was all an anthem on the experience and effects of a trip on the "white horse".

Personally I still really enjoy Cinema show, Firth of Forth and Supper's Ready.

(Note for those trying to figure out how old I am - I didn't really get into this music until quite some time after it's original release.)

Misspent great chunks of my youth trying to determine the full meaning of the lyrics of "Supper's Ready".

Still think Peter Gabriel is a genius.

"With the gaurds of Magog swarming around, the pied piper leads his children underground. Dragon's coming out of the sea, shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me. He brings down the fire from the sky. You can tell he's doing well by the look in human eyes, better not compromise it won't be easy."

Moving right along...

As some of you may have read me mention before I have been studying with Zhongxian Wu here in Portland Oregon. One of the essential bits I have learned from him is the practice of using the "Hunh" sound. This is REALLY simple and profound. In so much of chinese internal martial arts and in chikung etc one of the first tasks is referred to as "sink you chi". When originally studying the healing tao systems the emphasis was not so much on the Tan tien as it was on opening the orbit. Theoretically I suppose once this is open it will make possible circulation of chi and storage in tan tien. The Hunh sound accomplishes the sinking of the chi in a much more direct way. Basically you breath in then breath out making the sound and send it down into your belly and at the same time drop your diaphragm and breath and the sound into your tantien. The first time I did it I felt like - Wow, so that's where the tantien is! Like the sound and the movement cause an impulse to travel down to the tantien and bounce from there outward. Echo locating your tantien is perhaps another way to say it. It is another one of those things that is best transmitted by live teaching transmission. Still it is a great technique.

Master Wu also teaches what he calls Shamanic orbit chikung. This uses 6 mantras which are really simple tones along with chikung movement to open up the energy centers and circulate chi. Much more visceral than other circulation practice I had done previously.

The sound component is one of the keys. I always knew it from the beginning when I had such tremendous results with healing sounds work.

Chi eers

Craig

"Don't know about it healing teeth but coQ10 helps regenerate gums. Apparently coQ10 is important for the heart and the gums and if the heart hasn't got enough it leeches it out of the gums. Gums return to normal really fast with coQ10."

Callan

CoQ10, also known as Ubiquinone because it is present everywhere on a cellular level is important to cardiovascular health.

Bad gums are indicative of low coq10 levels and therefore bad gums are predictive of potential cardiovascular trouble because Coq10 is Essential to cardiovascular health.

I don't think it is accurate to say that the heart Leeches Coq10 from the gums.

another important point and one which I preach whenever I have the oppurtunity, please follow my logic.

1. Co Q 10 is ubiquitous in the body and essential to cardiovascular health among other things.

2. High cholesterol is purported to be indicative of cardiovascular risk.

3. In fact as many people with "normal" chloesterol levels as those with high cholesterol levels will experience cardiovascular problems. High cholesterol IS a problem but what is the solution??

4. Most common solution for high cholesterol is the prescription of Statin drugs.

5. Statin drugs SHUT OFF your bodies ability to product CoQ10.

Conclusion - If you have high cholosterol do everything you can to reduce it WITHOUT resorting to Statin drugs.

If you succumb to pressure and use statin drugs you MUST supplement with CoQ10, and get off of them as soon as possible.

High Cholesterol is not necessarily directly correlated to cardiac problems.

LOW COQ10 IS directly correlated to cardiac problems.

PS- Good idea to take care of your teeth too.

Craig

I apologize if this is not where this goes, it's the only thread I read. I'm teaching Dao neigong and Yizong

martial arts once a month in Boston, if there any Boston folks here.

Perhaps you would care to elaborate on what you are teaching for those of us near and far.

Craig

I like "the chat".

Dont like "Heads"

Agree with Buddy. I grew up in California in the sixties and seventies. Head means Pothead or druggie to me too.

Besides I want to be an integrated body, not just a head floating around. Language is a virus, but I am declaring myself immune to this DNA string.

I see this type of recognition as noticing someone who is "awake". Perhaps the concept is a bit idealized though. some who are awake can go back to sleep. Some who are asleep can and will wake up.

Craig

You have no choice.

You must therefore practice...whatever it is....from 11-1, or maybe 10-2 just to be safe.

OK, now removing my tongue from cheek I would say that if you have the intention to connect with this HUGE planetary energy field, do you really think your tiny body energy field will react that differently whether you are practicing at the precise moment of shift, if such actually exists?

Michael Winn also says that the energy of solstices and ecquinoxes is available from several days before til several days after, so go do that practice RIGHT NOW.

Craig

First off, none of this stuff should be called 'work'.

Linguistically speaking Gong means (to the best of my knowledge) hard work done over a period of time.

So it is a bit silly not to call it work.

In essence I do understand what you are saying though. Rather than practice a particular "thing" for 100 days I think it is most important to do something/anything everyday which is related to your overall chikung/meditation/neikung practice. Although I would add that simple sitting meditation should be done at least daily.

Master Zhongxian Wu recently recommended to a fellow student that when learning a new chikung form that it is best to practice 49 days (7 weeks) before attempting to learn a new one, in order to set your system up properly with the new energy work. These Taoists love their magic numbers Interesting that this figure is just under half of the number recommended to really try out a new form as Ian mentioned.

Discipline. Consistency. Steady incremental progress. Sounds so easy right?

Apparently not so easy. Still not sure I buy the argument about merit put forth by Smile and Plato, ie if you had proper merit it would not be difficult at all to practice steadily, and those without merit will never practice regularly because karma is in the way, or something like that.

But I like to quote Mantak Chia here. "you do it, you get it. You don't do it, you don't get it."

What more can you say about practice?

Craig

Plato

Well done and thanks for sharing it here.

In part there is a lot of information for the layman who wants to know more about the prostate.

In other areas there is a lot of information which I think should be further fleshed out. You mention in passing things which the common reader might not chase down unless a bit more detail is given. Items such as the Frolov device which I know you and Max have brought to the attention of this community may have great value, but at least another paragraph or two going into the WHY are they good I think would serve the common reader well.

In a way it is delightful to imagine the reaction of the common reader who may encounter this manifesto merely in search of more knowledge about prostate health and find himself going down the rabbit hole into little known and esoteric practices.

I had some more specific items to discuss after I read it (yes I read the whole thing over the course of one working day at my computer). But now I will have to revisit it to bring them to mind.

Thanks for the work.

Craig