Andy_W

Best to avoid this teacher. He is a self-proclaimed guru. Have a read around dharmawheel forum for more info. Search Kim Katami or Pema Rinpoche. He seems to have changed names again. https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?p=449098&hilit=Katami#p449098

Agree very much with what has been said about the seminar and teacher. Safety and health was stressed throughout the teaching which was was very clear, systematic and patiently given out, with much time given to all the questions. The practices are simple, elegant and gentle enough for most people to take on, they also fit easily into a busy day.I think most people in the seminar had some signs of success with the practices and there's plenty of ongoing support for further questions. My feeling is that these practices do exactly what it says on the tin. I'm really happy I signed up and would like to thank the teacher for blazing the trail and making these practices available in a very user friendly format.... It'll be interesting to see how things develop....

Thanks thats interesting. I looked up depletion symptoms and I have none of those. I was mainly wondering what dantien cultivation could do for health and it makes sense that its not enough on its own but must go together with a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks that makes sense to me regarding the importance of a harmonious mind and supportive lifestyle on the health of the body...that in place I'd imagine cultivated qi could increase health and robustness...

You mention health being a barrier to progress. I have the idea that when channels are opened and qi stored then that in itself creates health so a linear progress may be possible, is it common to have health limitations? I guess I'm comparing to tibetan tummo practitioners who are generally known for robust health.

Thanks this does sound like an interesting course. I wonder if the training involves really low stances, just not sure my knees would like that. I practice zhan zhuang with the focus on tendon strength development, it would be interesting to have some tangible dantian cultivation added to the mix. You mention the foundation can be developed for health alone, as oppose to emitting qi; are there any contraindications, possible negative health effects? all the best Andy

Cut dairy out of the diet for a month as that can slow elimination down. Drink a very large thick green smoothie and be have beans or lentils as part of a meal every day. If this is not working do above and take a magnesium supplement (oxide/chloride or sulphate, start small and increase dose until it works!) Plus 1g of vit C, can increase dose with this too. All very safe...

definitely a joker you are...

Heartbreak you gotta be a joker or a windup merchant...love to see you share some of your rhetoric with some of my white female friends face to face... it does come off as racist and sexist and has nothing to do with Taoist discussion...

Hi Raul, I'd take freeform advice too, he wrote a great post. There are many other practices that will give you good we'll being energy, without the dangers. Standing stake chi gung and any samatha meditation practice will take you way beyond emitting semen or not. wish you well with your practices...

Hi Raul, Yay to African music :)...the hearts energy seems different than the sexual energy from the organs... I'm much not a Mantak fan and heard a few bad stories about going against the bodies natural outlets or pleasures Let it be!

Hi Raul, You were asking for advice...good energetic feelings aren't just in the domain of ejaculation or not...theres a lot more going on...getting off on some good African rhythms beats orgasm Any day:)...Just saying about fixating...

Hi Raul, You seem to be fixated on ejaculation and energy wastage and your too young to be worrying about this. The worry will drain your energy more than ejaculation! I don't know what you've been reading but I would focus on a meditation to make the mind serene and peaceful. Take your pick, a good one would be anapanasati (mindfulness of breath) a Buddhist meditation with lots of resources online, better still go to a local Buddhist teacher. The fruit of this practice is calming energizing and can be quite blissful once you get good at it. For physical energy good diet and an exercise plan will cover it. Please don't worry about releasing semen it will lead nowhere and will do more harm than good in my opinion. That kind of practice requires a good foundation in meditation and a very good teacher, it is also unnecessary for spiritual growth which is the point of the practice, just one path amongst many... Good luck :)...

Yes the fire breathing is strong but can be scaled back as he describes to suit all types. Nourishing Qi is a lovely balancing practice to the above. As far as the warnings about it not being correct practice I imagine there are variations in all systems and it's to be seen what develops alongside the pushing contractions. Have to see how it goes :)....

Hi folks I'm signed up for the RP Yi jin jing course. So far at times we're using strong fire methods with reverse ab breathing. The activation of tissues/ sinews happens strongly on the exhale, the soft tissue activation reminds me of some of the practices in Yi chuan where there is stretching and pushing. Seems like an effective practice so far. Robert Peng makes the point that it is being taught correctly and a large part of that is correct use of breathing and lower dantian. He presents it well and seems very genuine. I'll report back further down the line.

It strengthens and thickens ligaments and tendons...needs to be balanced with loosening exercises.

All the above advice is worth a go...and try moving your scapular closer together by 1cm or so as the arms may be pulling the scapular to far forward. You'll have to experiment for comfort but the elbows should have a sense of not just going forward but also to the side. 2 hours a day is a lot and static postures will make you strong but also stiff if not balanced with movement exercises...imo 1 hour is plenty.

Just like Chang says, best to stay clear. I've met him many years ago when he was focusing mainly on martial arts. I do not believe he carries the lineage of the Palyul tradition and may very well be self invented;)...

For the time being and until you settle absolutely do not touch any alcohol or drugs of any kind. Spend time doing things you enjoy. Hopefully in a few weeks you'll settle down and if not then seek professional help. Wish you well

This reminds me of a time when I was following the lei shan dao discussions here and elsewhere. The events involved Verdesi and also Jiang, this was the time of taking energy from cattle for healings and pills sold to provide similar healing after the master had assessed the students. On the Verdesi forum there were some complaints from participants (trainees) who had already paid a large fee and were told that they could not progress without further healing of their energetic bodies. One disappointed woman and others were asked to pay thousands of dollars for healings so they could progress on the path. It was no surprise that these critical comments were taken down shortly after. On a different matter I find it interesting that when John Chang projects his chi into people it appears to cause muscles to shake and tremble a bit like an electric current compared to Jiang Feng’s that appears to burn like a laser; and unfortunately I’d agree that there is a flash of light that does look very much like a laser. I don’t know the truth or method of these teachings, but it seems to me that there are a number of red flags…

Thanks for the link, should be an good read :-)

I messed up that post please read below :-)

Sometimes I think the ideas about no self/self get complicated and too far away from anything we can relate to. Just the idea that I am not my.... feelings, thoughts, body, opinions, job, house, financial status etc....and why is that, simply because those things exist in awareness. So I am not them This is a starting point to explore what that awareness is and it also loosens the grip of identifying with the list of things above that are subject to change and therefore may cause suffering or enjoyment. I think most people can relate to this as part of everyday experience. Just what came to mind best wishes Andy

Ive studied with some of Bruce Frantziss senior students and other well regarded folk in the chi gung world. Michael explains in his book that the focus is not on form, rather it is on the energetics and that to me makes the practice very refreshing and actually easy to do. With other material I was often thinking of alignments, posture etc and trying to get it right, a big difference In terms of energy movement and cultivation Ive found that Gift of the Tao works very well, just got to give it a good go. One effect is that the surrounding air soon thickens up with chi. Best wishes Andy