Old Man Contradiction

I know for sure that any movement at all correlates with energy movement. Even walking. In this way, I think we tend to underestimate traditional western exercise.

Themind has more silence between the thoughts which are more muffled and much lighter than when ungrounded. This is my post-zhan zhuang experience. From bodily meditation on grounding, I've felt a really welcoming, warm, non-causal happiness while meditating with a group. That's just my experience, I've heard both medical science and traditional chinese medicine explain it... I feel that it is all much simpler in reality than in theory.

If you are doing the basics of the basics in zhan zhuang. You will see good health and a silent mind. It can be a nondual practice. With the more martial oriented things you can do with zhan zhuang, you connect up all of the different muscles in your body by physically joining them in activity. Doing this for several hours, everyday will really hardwire your neurology to link up all the muscle in the body. Meanwhile, your fascial tissue be adapting to the given force you exert. Your fascia surrounds all muscle, skeleton, and organs. It literally interconnects every part of your body. When force is exerted on the fascia, it adapts by growing more dense and therefore strong in order to deal with the new trauma. This is what gives people bad posture... and why sometimes the bones that a chiropractor re-sets will go back into poor position... because the fascial tissue that gives the spine it's structure has re-allocated it's collagen fiber to concentrate on supporting the bad spinal position. When you mentally exert force a la Yichuan in zhan zhuang, over time you are creating enough force to stimulate dense growth of fascial tissue that connects your musculature and skeleton. It can then be part of the creation and movement of inertia most effectively from the feet, through the body, the fist, and into your opponent.. Properly executed, it will be your opponent's organs that stop that inertia. note: studies only show the way fascia reacts to trauma. No studies have been done on zhan zhuang and fascia that I can find in english, so technically this is theory. Check out the article on this website about Zhan Zhuang and Tensegrity.

stand for 20 minutes to several hours. Your focus should be on relaxing any tension at all, but keeping your body held together structurally. Another main focus is keeping your body ready to move and your mind ready to react. Stand in your posture as if ready to start a 100 yard dash. You keep your body awake and ready to move, and your mind is anticipating the gunshot sound. The key part is focusing on your body and your surroundings, all of the sounds and sights. If in nature, that would be the trees, the silence, the wind etc.. always being ready to react.

My view of sex is possibly clouded by my desire for the experience of it. What is the truth that you've realized in regards to sex? I know my body desires it, my mind wants it, and my deeper truth seems unaffected by it. My mate's body/mind loves it too, so what is it about sex that is not true in some cases? Is it when the ego co-opts the experience for it's sense of self? When the ego desires the idea of sex, more than the experience? What have you discovered? ps. I am now leaning towards sex is good if it is fully experienced, moment by moment and only for the moment. If you are fully present for your partner.

Right now, i'm 19yrs old, I don't drink alcohol. I'm not sure if even the smallest amount would negatively impact the neural and neuro-muscular connections I'm developing in yichuan/taiji. I think Lao Tzu's nondual teachings would simply allow alcohol to be as it is, and is probably indifferent to drinking it. By the way, I am referring to natural alcohols... non-fortified, non-distilled, and non-genetically modified yeasts. What do you believe?

I am equally guilty of letting my ego co-opt my spiritual experiences for it's own purposes. My progress is truthfully measured by how I respond to life, sometimes I respond mindfully... other times I find myself trying to convince people to change their beliefs, putting energy into my anxiety of the future, and fear of the past. Even this post is an expression of ego.

don't forget that I don't drink. Also, even though I don't believe in it, it's still not too fair of you to bring spirits into the equation and than dismiss the apparently best tool for defense against them.(according to my old spiritual counselor, grounding was the best way) In order to keep my feet planted on the ground, I've gradually stopped looking at metaphysical theories and started to just look at my experience. I practice yichuan because it helps my body feel good and my mind stay quiet, not because it "balances my qi" and "grounds me", because the truth is I don't know those things for sure, but what I do know for sure is the benefit that I experience.

Here are my issues: Chronic tension-type headaches, they usually start in the back and eventually wrap around my entire head. In the last two weeks I've had a headache at least 7 days. On more than half of the non-headache days I feel like parts of my brain are semi-contracted. Like a muscle contracting in a relaxed way, it almost feels like a light partially uncomfortable pressure. This pressure usually precedes the headaches on the days that I actually have headaches. question #2, which is not really a health issue. How can I cool down my body's craving for sex? The last day or two this has really presented itself to me. Porno and masturbation feel like they drain me, but in the moment I want to release the tension build up in the 2nd chakra region, I think the prostate area. May have to do with my recent break up. Also, how come during sex it takes me about 5-10minutes to get close to orgasm, and than I lockup my muscles, hold it back, and continue for another minute or two then get too close and lock up again, and I continue this for like 4-5 times, and then after that it becomes really difficult for me to orgasm, sometimes it feels like my nerves go numb, and it usually take me like 20mins, but sometimes it just doesn't happen at all. What's going on here and what can I do? I'm mainly focused on my headache issue, so any advice is welcome. Thank you.

I bet this will help me not feel awkward smiling. It sounds weird because it's just an old ego pattern. But sometimes I'll be happy and smiling, than I will notice that I'm smiling and a feeling of awkwardness comes up and washes my smiling happiness away. I'm left In a state of an awkward, fear based feeling. Also I'd like to be able to smile at people, even my friends, without feeling self-conscious about it. By the way, these issues have calmed down since I started my practice.

yeah ashtanga yoga is where it's at. BUT I believe that gymnastics is a faster way to build abilities (like handstands and planche) and full body strength. Ashtanga is definitely better though, artistically, spiritually, and overall benefit.

If you are grounded, meaning there is no obstruction between your and the earth's energy, than entities can't do anything to you or your aura.

is secret smile similar to "inner smile" a la mantak chia? I've been taught (but almost never do) to hold a smile during zhan zhuang (along w/ full body awareness, mind initiated muscular work, and the readiness to react to the environment at every moment). Would smiling into the body during zhan zhuang have a similar transformation occur?

You seem to have taken my statement personally... All I'm say is that I feel that buddhist scripture and teachings point beyond buddhism itself. You are eventually going to have to transcend beliefs too. I did not know that, thanks for the help.

I agree, usually drinking isn't fun for me. If it is just once in a while too, I doubt motor function will be harmed.

It's as simple as if you say you are anything at all, you are in duality. I am a person, I am universal conscious, I am buddhist... it doesn't really matter what you are saying, but the basic statement of being some thing, implies that there is some thing that you are not, which is a totally dual perspective. Eventually the practice has to be dropped too.

thanks again

so I should just do my best trying to massage along these lines, spend more time on the points? hmmm, the tissue is far more sensitive and hurts more on the liver channel than the gallbladder channel.

I think my practice has generally been lacking self acupressure and massage anyway, so i'll definitely look into the specifics. By the way Trunk I started reading Alchemicaltaoism.com yesterday, I'm not sure if you built the site or how you are connected to it, but it is good information. So today I added lower tantien breathing while in the bridge posture. For now I practice: body conditioning - Gymnastic holds and progressions (l-sit, planche, front lever), pushups for endurance, pullups, core exercise, stretching, and zhan zhuang in horse stance qigong - taiji and zhan zhuang horse stance presence - sensing the "I AM" Will add acupressure, massage, and bridge to my routines. I feel it won't be long till my body reaches a balance. Maybe then I might take on retention practices lightly, but do you agree that right now it would not be wise?

Yeah I love tao bums, especially if help is here. I've read all your posts and it seems like I'm doing the right thing. I contemplate my mind all day long(and not using thought), and recognize thoughts for what they are. I'll pay closer attention as time goes by. I see my sifu in a day or two... I'll ask him about the headaches. He'll definitely give me a practice to take on for a while. I'm not going to ask him about my sex drive because that'd be embarrassing, and I honestly don't know he'd say. TTB is anonymous. Okay, so I posted this topic to hear anything that might help. I've gotten some great advice, I especially look forward to trying sub-occipital release. Some things I've noticed: If I focus my attention on feeling inside my brain, a headache starts developing. Along with eating all my vitamins and minerals, a training sequence full of pushups, pullups, core work, zhan zhuang in horse stance, and taiji form seems to cure me of both headaches and overdrive cravings. I just sometimes don't have the time for a training session. thank you bums

Be a dick, the way of the Tao.

I voted self realization. My main interest at TTB is self realization. Really, it is no different than my martial art though, the state of being just carries over between daily life and the martial arts training.

Earthclinic Earthclinic.com is a place for folk remedies, i've had great success with tooth abscess pain. Go to the link above, scroll down and look at the home remedies, how many people it did and didn't work for, as well as the testimonials. I highly recommend this very popular site for finding easy remedies for whatever it is that you need.