King Kabalabhati

I have understood this interplay of the gunas a bit differently. In this context rajasic could be thought of as utilitarian. Tamas would be hedonistic. Sattvic would be the perfectly balanced dynamics of both, and this I could also describe as the Taoist way. Now for a sage or a hermit this could mean celibacy or strict regulation since he is not much around women and seems to be transmuting most of his jing anyway. For a family man this could mean a deeply loving and well regulated sexual relation with his wife, with or without ejaculation control, depending on preference and natural ability. The key words here are love and mutual surrender. As soon as we start to make a problem out of spending moderate amounts of Jing (moderate would be different for each man) as semen we start to approach the rajasic pole. Things can get overheated here.. lots of sharp judgment may follow too. If we over-indulge in sexuality even when we feel it's draining our energy and distracting our attention, that would be tamasic behavior. This will simply make us foggy, out of focus, ina a haze.The balance of these two creates clarity, ease and a natural foundation for spiritual work.

To put it in negative terms, poor Feng Shui can be very unhealthy. On the other hand, Qigong practice should help strengthen one's personal vibration to a level where poor feng shui is no longer a threat, just unpleasant.

Listening is very beneficial. Sometimes you can learn a practice but then get a message to do it a bit differently. There is a major difference between thinking about your practice analytically and just listening for directions from the universe. Some masters tell their students to face certain directions when meditating in different times of day. One thing we learn in SFQ is "body compass" which means first asking which direction one should be facing when practicing. Then just wait for the universe to move you in the right direction. At first I couldn't tune in to the forces around me. Nowadays I feel a pushing sensation in the sides of my head telling me which way to turn, then a nice centered feeling around the third eye area that tells me I'm facing the right way. Sometimes there is a push in the back of my head telling me to step forward.

It is a stimulant but also a nutritive tonic with properties similar to Ashwagandha. Very good for you as I've read from both TCM and Ayurvedic sources.

I keep on bugging you with this, but please do some kind of detox with fasting and bitter herbs. Then build with rejuvenative tonics. This will save you lots of frustration later on. Emotional cleansing will follow along with the physical. Chronic tiredness means you're loaded with physical and emotional toxins.

Focusing on one thing only is a good exercise. It can lead to deeper states of meditation, to emptiness. But I don't know anything about TM.

Yeah I live in winter wonderland for half of the year. If you don't like cold don't come to Finland. I might move to a more suitable climate one day myself I dont have much body fat, I'm cool and airy and I really feel it when the cold kicks in.. Mornings are the most difficult. After practice I often feel cold even though it usually doesn't bother during the practice. I have a infrared heater, the heat is really pleasant compared to a "traditional" electric heater. Also I heat the house (an old one from 1920's) with wood stoves and ovens. That heat is the sweetest. The worst suffering from the cold I feel in the skin, as shivers and "pinching". I wonder if there's a way to cure that aside from winter swimming or cold water dousing, which I don't want to do.. I cup and massage the kidneys several times during the day. I try to eat more and more warming foods and herbs in the winter. Turmeric is great as it warms the blood and acts as a natural antibiotic, thus I don't seem to catch colds so easily. This is of course affected by several things, but it's funny how my friends who live in modern apartments with central heating get really bad colds and flus many times a year and I just get some runny nose and shivers from time to time, it's been very long since I had a "day off" because of colds. One thing is that I try to eat foods in proper combinations and avoid milk, cheese and most meats. Chanting OM or the six word chant for several hours a day keeps the sinuses open and prevents congestion. I must admit I love a good cup of espresso coffee, especially in the wintertime..

..and thanks for giving me a new definition of my faith and philosophy! Moderators please add one more cathegory to choose from: " New age pu pu platter Taoist."

No man! Don't stop until you've corrected everyone!

Is there a purpose? Why should there be?

I chose self-cultivated though many here probably wouldn't cathegorise me as a Taoist at all. I have done very little studying of religious Taoism and as far as I know I have never even met a real "master". I have read Taoteching a couple of times though, and love it.

Yes this is a good mantra for eternity

SFQ is lovely

I think true dual cultivation would mean a relationship based on mutual wish for spiritual growth. And whatever that may bring about..

Words of a Tao bum for sure.

Congrats!!

"They" do not exist unless " I " create them. Chant away!

"Ear worms" are pop music and people's voices you may "hear " in your ears when trying to still your mind. Chanting can help you slide into that calm state of "thoughtlessness" and being present. At some point the chanting can be let go of too.

I just realized I can chant Om, Mwah while cleaning the house and doing office work !! The kids seem to accept it which is nice. In fact I'm chanting at the moment.

Yes I do, namely Spring Forest Qigong "back to the Universe" and "Heart sutra Chant" but I have other titles coming in the mail. I also like to chant myself when meditating, it's a great way to repel "ear worms" and I happen to work in the music. Just the other day I was chanting "oooommmm, mwaaaaah" while driving. For five hours Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out.

I often get tears of joy or laughter from reading Chunyi's writings and this was no exception. It doesn't always happen when reading him talk about compassion, forgiveness and universal love etc., any subject he is writing about can cause this.

I've been both fatigued and energized by it. There will be different phases. When things started to crash and burn with my relatioship I was more energized than my nerves could take.. It was like a burning electricity, with my liver feeling as if it was boiling for a week or two. That was anger energy erupting because of dramatic happenings. If you can do it the soft way without too much drama then it's probably more healthy for the heart and nerves. Still I can't over-emphasise the meaning of bodily purification along with the emotional process. As you swallow the "bitter truth" and embrace it, it's very natural to drink a "bitter juice" to go with it

No, it's in the air

Seems like youre doing good, your process sounds somewhat similar to what I've been going through for the last couple of years. I think for emotional healing you won't find much better practices than inner smile/healing sounds. Gentle does it..

Dry ginger can be quite heating in everyday usage, fresh is not quite so. You could aso counter the heating effects wih lime juice or other cooling agent. When battling fatigue I had a habit of grating and squeezing a big chunk of fresh ginger, it made about half a cup of juice. Not the sweetest beverage really..