ridingtheox

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Posts posted by ridingtheox


  1. just checking in  ... i am now at day 60 of my gong  FPCH long form.   I have had one close call to missing,  and indeed did a rather 'quick' set.   The form  has made much progress of me  lol.   I continue to do 25 min sets,  Recently,  several 26 and 27 min. 

    The quiet / silent portion of the form gradually has increased,   Some days are quieter than others,  but overall silence grows as does my balance.   Since beginning this form 10 years ago,  I have had some issues with the last movements which require standing on one foot/leg,   I still do.  

    I will keep this short,  but  encourage all who participate here to  follow the dao as expressed in  FPCH.  Thanks again to sifu.

     

    peace my friends on the Way

     

    ridingtheox

     

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  2. I have been away for  long time.   No good reaso, although the covid-19 contributed..   During that time I did a good bit of yi jin jing,  Shaolin Temple.  I also did the ba duan chin almost daily sometimes more than one style.  And I continued to teach a small class of tai ji in our very rural community of Cascabel,  AZ.  Actually the political situation contributed to a good deal of progress in my practice.  Every time some disturbing development occurred I would do a meditation /  qi gong form or taiji.  the meditative nature of this practice increased for me during the crises.   Limiting the number of types of qi gong has had the effect that monkey mind has receded.  I do catch it also so when I do recognise it I let it go. 

    I am writing now because I have begun a gong of (I hope) 108 days every day The Long Form.  Today i completed 23 days of that practice.  I review the long form on youtube in addition to make sure I am being relatively faithful to the one Sifu Dunn teaches.  (there is at least one other example.)   In the past i often reached 35 min per route and occasionally 39!   Today I did 25 min and that is basically what i am doing every day.

     At 80 yo approaching  3^4  heh heh,  I am aging gracefully compared to my peers.   I still do a certain amount of cow herding for our ranching coop,  though I am retired mostly.. 

    Well, the principal reason for writing was to acknowledge the gift that Sifu Dunn has contributed to my senior years.   And to encourage members of this forum to keep up their Flying Phoenix practice It really does pay off in physical and in spiritual health.

    Hoa Binh

    peace is the way

     

     

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  3. We do an occasional 108 repetitions of  cloud hands.   I notice sifu mentions the value of this practice.   Having viewed the 1st exercise of TTP circling palms,  I will give it a try as an alternative to cloud hands.   The long form includes a section which repeats 5 times,  i refer to it as 'cradling',  this move develops into a very solid root and spiral flow up the leg; turning the hips/pelvis and continues up the spine in a spiral, leading to the exchange of the cradling palms.   This twisting motion helps to realign and strengthen the spine and the hand exchange is reminiscent of the circling palms.   Interesting these movements have an unsuspected relation to the TTP, opening exercise.

    As I mentioned Embryonic Breath work has also been a recent focus of my practice.  The reverse breathing technique has finally begun to feel comfortable and reliable.  During this period my breath has settled into a 3 breath per minute rhythm and my heart rate has fallen into the mid-fifties,  resting.  

    Read the tao te ching regularly,  at present I find  the online version at Taoistic.com 'inspiring.'   The commentary is helpful and informative. 

     

    There is no Way to Peace, Peace is the Way.   Thich Nhat Hanh

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  4. I have been away for a long time.  The material needing study and review is a little overwhelming. 

    At present I am doing a ZZ standing of 8'46" for BLM every morning now at day 57 in a 108 day gong for peace and racial justice.

    My day includes a TJQ class 5 days (usually) per week with the neighbors and my wife.  In the afternoon it has been 110 deg F here and little is done.  I do usually a yi jin jing and /or ba duan jin. 

    There has been a hiatus in my practice of the long form FP,  but the last two days I have returned to do one 30' + and then a 35' session.

    That pleases me.   I have 10 x the qi flow,  for the form.  Perhaps a little distance improves the exercise? 

    This  fall i will be 80 and in good shape for the octogenarian  crowd.   My VO2  is in the range 55-62 which is excellent even for many younger kids,  lol. 

    I notice a good discussion about breath work here.   I have been studying Embryonic Breathing.  (It is a small part of my TJQ class now)

    I easily move into a 3 - 4 breath / minute meditation in the normal dantien breathing pattern. 

    I hope to return on something like a regular visit basis.

     

    If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence.  Bayard Rustin  African-American Friend (Quaker).

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  5. continuing on track  day  43  ..  the real test comes later this week ... we are traveling to visit family ..  It is always a little hard to keep to the daily practice with 3 dogs and 2 grandsons all of whom are very active.

    this week has begun with two consecutive 40+ minute long form meditations;  a first for this to happen.  

    As I may have mentioned I am also working on a yi jin jing besides my teaching my tai ji class 4-5 days each week.

     

    keep practicing  ... do the form for the intention of doing the form.

     

    Peace .. Hoa Binh

     

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  6. oh and the oriental new year approaches  technically it begins Jan 24th as the new year  is 25th in China and we lag behind.

    The year of the Rat.  white metal if i recall correctly.   Interesting to read some of the qualities of the Rat year.  Rather tragic that the flu outbreak will cause some rather serious disruptions in the celebration since travel will be impacted.

     

    anyway a happy new year of the Rat to all FPCH practicioners

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  7. well into the occidental new year day 22.  I am well along into a 108 day gong for the long form.  I start each day with the long form,  during the past 3 weeks I have experienced 4 sessions of 40 min duration.  These long sessions have begun to have periods of serious silence in the monkey mind.  It can be a little disconcerting because I may suddenly feel like I might have missed a posture.  However the timing in the end reassures that I have not.   I experience very intense periods of presence in ni wan gong.  This is a fairly recent development.   Tonight i did a couple of sessions following sifu dunn's youtube demonstations.  i turned the speed down to .5 in the shorter 7 min version. 

    Practice has helped with my general well being in a time of cultural insanity. 

    Peace to all sentient beings.

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  8. Finally,  well near,  a 40 minute practice.   very early morning  .    39' 50"    excellent flow   very strong ni wan gong sense.   fanning out across my whole forehead.   managed to maintain concentration through out    the stand on one leg posture still requires opening eyes for balance,  but that does not seem to detract at all from the sensations hence i presume the benefits. 

     

    daily practice  is the key

     

    peace to all sentient beings

     

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  9. just finished mirror image of Sifu's long form on you.tube and did a 36 min session ...

    feeling good and thankful I ran into the FPCH series 10 years ago!  helped plant winter pasture for the cattle today and will participate in branding and castrating next Saturday.   Life is good In Cascabel on the ranch!!!

     

    Peace to all beings

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  10. a couple of side notes:   I am working seriously on  the  long form again  a whole week of daily practice 33 to 35 min / form. 

    5 right side,  2 left side versions.    I  listen to Metamorphosis (piano P.  Glass composer) several sessions.   sometimes silence.

     

    Lots of awareness of the tingling energy throughout the body.  

    keeping a journal of practice time and form helps to track where you are over time,  I think it also inspires me to practice daily.

    ridingtheox

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  11. tao stillness:

    the concept of maximum benefit is not very useful in my opinion.   in math a bivariate maximum is relatively straight forward graph.

    when however one has multiple 'parameters' with non constant correlations ,  like we have in our daily existence  the idea of m. b. is not even definable in a real sense. 

     

    finding the right time every day never happens for me.   I do an early morning session,  but tracking it over time it is never a constant. 

     

    my suggestion:   listen to your body with each practice over time your experience will help establish a commitment to practice.  

    one simple example:   when standing in grocery line waiting   I adjust my balance and move into a zhan zhaung state,  when the line moves i pay attention to stepping and return to zhan zhuang .   Open your mind to other daily activities that can be turned into qi gong.

     

    Things that really aggrevate me,  oh yeah that is an opportunity to step away find a quiet location and do a short standing form. 

     

    Doing a long form takes time and energy so try to set that time aside for the particular day you will have.

     

    good luck,

     

    peace

     

    ridingtheox

     

     

     

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  12. I have completed 2 readings ,  one verse per day of this   book.    It has contributed to my qi gong practice as each verse has a section on the qi qong 'interpretation'.   Other translations of DDJ  may be more poetic or literary  ( Taoistic.com  by Stepan Stenrudd ),  but the linking of these two approaches to Tao  is quite appropriate.   

    I am left with wondering about Yang Jwing Minh and embryonic breathing.    I think I am experiencing it as the cellular respiration 'qi'.

    But it may take some time to let that settle in.

     

    worth the read imo

     

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  13. Cyan or what I call a  flourescent sky blue is the color of FP Qigong healing energy that anyone can cultivate and see in short order by practicing this art.  If you get around to reading the entire thread, you'll know that he entire system of Flying Phoenix Qigong is very effectively taught through my DVD series that I made in 2004, which can teach the entire FPCK art without the presence of a Qigong master standing next to you.

     

    I always see violet.   Have for decades.  In Chinese painting, the color violet represents the "unity transcending the duality of Yin and yang" and "the ultimate harmony of the universe".

      !Except,  recently I had the second detached retina.  The first was 7 years ago.  I was much younger (lol),  but already doing long form.  This time was much harder on me,  took considerably longer to heal AND several times in the process of healing I saw small round dots of Cyan.

    Today I had my first 35 min long form practice.   I have found that listening to Metamorphosis (Philip Glass) helps slow things down.

    It is also interesting the meaning of the name and the changes that are happening when practice is consistent and on going.

     

    I am having some trouble navigating TDB,  having been away for some time.

    finally a clerk at the local COSTCO selling vitamins or some ersatz product  guessed my age at 65   made me feel young again!!!

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  14. I am not on bums recently ...  I continue to practice regularly,  although I have been doing more 'standing still' of late, 45 min to 1 hour first thing in the morning.

    There seems to be a good deal of reference to the 5 short forms.   I think I reported that i did a 108 day gong,  during which I did not do the long form every day:(.   Now I do short form to combat  monkey  thought patterns that arise more of late at different times.  Politics of the destruction of  Nature stimulate a retreat to do one or more short standing meditations.

    those arising at unusual times during the day or evening make the 5 short standing forms very  helpful and healing.

    I need to return soon to a 108 gong of the long form,  I notice a 30 min practice feels very slow and that is just not in line with times that 35 - 40 minute forms were standard for me.

    I am reading Dao De Jing in several versions which is also worth doing.  

     

    Peace to all beings   Hoa Binh tat ca sinh vien.

    riding the ox

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  15. On 5/18/2019 at 7:10 PM, Benbeastmode said:

    So I still have some problems with half lotus after all this time. My legs get a little sore, especially the inside of my left leg, which is something I used to get with TRE (trauma release exercises) and when I have them crossed like that my legs are just tense and I can't relax them. I have to switch it around a few times to try to get a comfortable position and just settle for the best one.

     

    Sometimes I get pins and needles in my leg and feet too, it's doable, but still not comfortable after even like 8 months of doing it. Anyone else had this problem?

    I am now 78 + and no longer try to do seated meditations with lotus/ half lotus.  Simply find a straight back chair (Shaker chairs are nice).   Do not lean back sit forward on the chair with legs and feet straight forward and separated comfortably.   I believe I get complete benefits from the seated meditations. 

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  16. i am slowly recovering from surgery to re-attach the retina in my left eye.   Said surgery interrupted my practice in March.   I resumed exercises about a week later after the eye doc exam reported attachment was good.     at first i resumed tai ji and  the short standing FP exercises (no bending over to put pressure on the eye.  I resumed a toned down long form on April 1st.  Today I am at day 16 and have gradually 'decreased' the speed ie. lengthened the time of practice.  In fact today was my first ever  40+ min performance of the long form.   I was hoping that my recovery would be faster with the LF being slower.  LOL

     any how I had a really strong session today.  I feel like I am finally getting a sense of 'embryonic' breath,  which i interpret to mean the cellular respiration of the body, which occurs from conception up to birth of course.  After birth post natal breath also occurs via the lungs and external qi.   When I am deeply in the process my awareness of cellular breath increases.  I am pleased to have reached this new level of awareness of qi processes.

     

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  17. day 73 of 108  ...  long form 5 am,  (no  tai ji,  town trip) Ba duan jin 8pm   short sessions of Peng ( grasping bird's tail Left form, right form) 10 & 15 reps  I am also reviewing Yang,  MJ  Dao De Jing  qi gong interpretation the  embryonic breathing seems to be falling into my FP practice warm ups and percent breathing for each exercise.

     

    best thing is the daily  fpck long form.

     

     

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  18. day 56  having  completed more than half  my  108 day gong for the long form.    I discovered a youtube for moonbeam splashes on water by sifu Dunn;  left  a comment;  and  ...  realized i don't have the preparatory breathing sequence  and  would appreciate someone leaving a response so that i can incorporate MSW  in my 'exploratory'  practice regimen ...  

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  19. Day 37  ...  most days doing two FPLF    Sat  5:;30 am  my first  time to exceed 40 min practice.  

    Intense sensation at  the third eye point (actually spreading across most of forehead)    Today I

    followed sifu Dunn's youtube of the 10 min performance of the long form  reviewing and correcting form.  (done at .75 speed youtube)

    surely a healing and energizing process,   spirit (shen) becoming more apparent

     

    thanks Sifu  Dunn

     

     

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  20. I began a third long form FP gong (in 5 years)  108 day (hopefully) 6 down only 102 to go :D:D:ph34r:.  So far  i am doing a pretty consistent 33 min form.   this is a little short of my  goal  but  much richer energy than my previous beginnings.

     

    wish me luck

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  21. @Benbeast...   ok  from my experience  40 yr  tjq and at least 18 w various sifu Dunn tapes / dvd etc.    I have also done 8 pieces of brokade for almost 40 yr.,  which helped me thru several bouts of kidney stones  for almost 8 yr I have done the long form FP along with other qi gong practices  wu xing ,  zhan zhuang standing .... 

    don't worry so much  about combining practices,  just work on the FP as a central element is my opinion.   try setting a goal of practicing daily  the long form  at least once for 100 day gong ..  then try to evaluate what you have healed, strengthened,  refreshed

     

    if you are at all like me you will be surprized pleasantly at where you arrive.

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