RobB

Good question - especially for us oldsters (50 here). You might want to consider kettlebells - lots of martial artists use them to supplement training and stone lock training has been a staple of CMA . You can over-do it though! I spent a couple of years doing loads of kettlebell work and got a lot stronger but also a lot tighter. I've recently committed to a new method of training and have basically been doing 30mins of jibengong every day and nothing else. I'm gaining strength & connection but not losing any flexibility. The tradition also uses kettlebells though and I'm going to a seminar in September to find out more about how this is done. Interestingly, the seminar teacher said that they work with KBs for a short period (a few days) then go back to normal training for the rest of the month. That way there are strength adaptations without any loss of flexibility.

[Edited because I didn't read your original post properly...] For the goals you have set yourself in your original post, ZZ is a good place to start. It's worth asking yourself whether you have a solid sense of what those goals are or what you expect to achieve by attaining them. Lots of people have an idea of what it might be like to 'open the meridians' or 'feel more grounded' but they are just ideas, mental constructions. If this stuff interests you, get into it and do it. Stand, observe, rinse, repeat. In 100 days, review and, if necessary at that point, re-orient.

I don't think you can go far wrong with that book. It is a good choice for someone starting out. The key thing is to get into doing something consistently - every day! Pick one thing and practice it, don't chop and change because 'it's not working' or whatever. I recall reading someone online describe ZZ training as a 'Mad Scientists Lab' which I like but the key thing about a lab is it is for making observations. I would concentrate on observing yourself during ZZ rather than looking for or visualising something specific (structures, flows, processes). Set your base line before you try and change anything. Most of all, enjoy!

Whenever you remember to do so, relax your buttocks and abdominal area.

I am currently two months into the online course. I find that it is worthwhile.

Alex is in Cambridge currently. Darren Rose (Serge Augier - Da Xuan Daoism) is in London. Cheers rob

HI, These guys are interesting: https://physicalalchemy.com.au/ I'd also recommend Kit Laughlin's book. Cheers Rob

If you can't do it slow - how do you expect to be able to do it fast? Cheers Rob

Ed, Cheer the fuck up mate! You need to get out of London. Are you coming up to Cantabridgium for Alex's one day meditation/neigung thing in March? Cheers Rob

Hi, Ask here: www.rumsoakedfist.org. Lots of very knowledgeable Xing Yi guys there. Cheers Rob

Find a few simple things and go deeply into them. A way of investigating stillness, a way of investigating movement and a way of training the mind. Find a good teacher. At the ripe old age of 46, I'm only just getting into this and my tools are WuJi standing, a little part of the TaiJi form, and simple breath-counting meditation. So much faffing abound in the past, half-arsed practice and looking for something better as a distraction from what I should be doing now. Good luck! Cheers Rob

Well then: http://www.daxuanschooloslo.com/ http://www.sergeaugier.com/news-en/the-real-deal-from-arne/ Just for clarity, I'm not one of Serge's students. I have attended a couple of seminars with him and my own teacher speaks very highly of him.

Where are you in Scandinavia? Serge Augier has students in both Oslo and Copenhagen. Google 'Da Xuan' Cheers Rob

is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope- it's the Flying Monk: Alex Kozma and Steven Benitez chatting about life, the Universe and everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx4HKOfcwBw&feature=youtu.be Cheers Rob

This week lots of talk about bagua circle walking - amongst other things... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwOYw02OoU0

As someone on Day 80 of a 100 day practice I feel robbed! Robbed! Damn!

Hi All, Just to let you know that the first film based on Alex Kozma's book Warrior Guards The Mountain is now available either via Vimeo or pre-order for DVD. www.warriorguardsthemountain.com cheers Rob

My teacher has currently got me doing 100 shoulder rotations a day i.e., 100 rotations forward + 100 rotations backward. Supposedly, slowly and mindfully. He also encourages a lot of arm swings during regular practice. I've noticed that, when doing my normal standing practice, that any shaking in the body (usually starting somewhere in the lower body) is carrying further into the areas around the shoulder girdle. cheers Rob

Hi, [Edit: Have just realised that my post could have been summed up as 'Yeah, what malikshreds said.] I've done a little of this (and I mean a little). I also took a seminar with (my Tai Chi teacher at the time) Brian Cooper, who taught a transmitted version of this practice. This transformed my practice of the method and was another example of the value of seeking out a good teacher. 1. Yes. In general,rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth/behind the front teeth unless you've specifically been told otherwise. 2. I was specifically told, as a beginner, to separate the two. The aim is to be able to dissolve independently of where you are in the breathing cycle. The temptation is to link 'breathe out' and 'dissolve' - you want to avoid that. 3. Scan downwards for areas of tension/blockages/not-quite-rightness 4. How long have you got? You need to do the whole body. If you have ten minutes then it takes ten minutes. If you have 6 hours then take six hours. When I was into it, a full practice would take me between 40-50 minutes but plenty of people went longer than that - plenty of people went shorter too. The important thing is consistency - better to do 10 minutes every day than 40 minutes twice a week. As you practice you'll find a balance between the time you have, the full body scan, and the desire to 'hang out' with certain blocked areas. 5. Bruce's 'Energy gates' book went into this specific practice in more detail IIRC - might be worth taking a look at that. Cheers Rob

Yes - what GreytoWhite said. Avoid like plague. At best you'll spend some pleasant evenings making tai chi shapes. It's not tai chi and you wouldn't be learning tai chi by going there. You could ask around here: http://www.rumsoakedfist.org They might be able to recommend someone in your area. In addition you'll see that a bunch of very experienced IMA practitioners have found lots of value in training in other arts and you may find your stubbornness becoming more fluid and - tai chi like! Another alternative is long distance learning with someone like Serge Augier: http://urbandaouk.blogspot.co.uk Good luck!

Arnaud, I can't get the quote function to work properly for some reason but I just wanted to say: This is a great article. Serge's teaching is very clear. Cheers Rob

Hi All, Any Robert Anton Wilson fans might be interested in this: Cosmic Trigger Play on Indiegogo Not long to go! Cheers Rob

More bagua: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0__7vAn_3o

Have you tried 5:2 'fasting'? It's a method that suggests eating normally for 5 days a week and then eating 25% of your normal calorie intake on two days of the week. It's not fasting per se but it might be a way of getting to a point where full fasting is more successful. Cheers Rob

My 2c: 1. Find a local teacher who has a verifiable link to CXW. Train with them. See if this answers your question. 2. Try and avoid arguing with people on the internet. Cheers Rob