PurpleHeaven

I do not think energy practice are cure-all kind of thing. It is well documented that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. In my opinion it seems unhelpful to tell the OP that she just needs to work harder, just needs to immerse more, that she might not have done her Qigong seriously enough, that she needs to eliminate 110% of wheat in her diet. That just sounds fanatic. And seriously, HIV positives being cured by energy healing? I highly doubt that. There are only a very small number of documented cases in which HIV positve peoples HIV concentration went below the detectable. These cases, were, to my knowledge, related to bone marrow transplants with a mutated gene. Drew's fanaticism when it comes to Spring Forest Qigong and Chunyi Lin is rediculous. I honestly ask myself what kind of positiv effect Qigong is supposed to have if a proponent talks like an irrational and is unable to critically review his own statements. What kind of spirituality is that supposed to be? Who sits in full lotus the longest? Come on. I do not doubt that energy practices have an effect on people practcing and those being practiced upon. As I have experienced both. But I think it is unhealthy and doing the whole thing a disservice if we can't admit that we do not know why it sometimes does not work. Maybe it's just not meant to be. Blaming the victim is definitely not the right way in my opinion.

For anyone interested, I still have the following DVDs from dragongatesanctuary and would sell them or maybe lend them if someone is willing to pay for the postage. Internal Palm Workshop (If I remember correctly this one has the mung bean training) Tibetan Burning Palm 3 in 1 (Wudang Wu Family Vibrating Palm, Kuan Yin Magnetic Qigong, Hirai Family Mudras Deep Fatigue Flows) Tibetan Snake Kunlun Flying Needles I+II (Its a long time ago that I watched those but i liked this medical system) Bagua Dragon Form (I think its the water dragon)

Don't worry, you're not alone with that opinion. :-)

I especially like Lao Xie Matsuos DVD on Internal Bagua Palm and the Vibrating Palm Set. Tom Bisios books has a lot of connections to chinese medicine and explains very well how the different channel and axes are connected to bagua circle walking and how they are opened and stimulated through Ding Shi Bagua. This makes the basics seem ever more important. And rewarding.

I really liked these two books: http://www.amazon.com/Ba-Gua-Knowledge-Internal-Martial/dp/1556432763/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347546300&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=secret+in+taoist+internal+arts http://www.amazon.com/Gua-Circle-Walking-Nei-Gong/dp/1432796895/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347546405&sr=1-3&keywords=tom+bisio A demonstration of Liang Style that I enjoyed very much is this: ...and some of the stuff that Sifu C. L. Matsuo has produced.

I live in Germany and made the trip from Berlin to Springfield MO with five days just for the travelling. And that was absolutely worth all the stress and the money, which is A LOT. I think there are many ways to connect to the lineage and to Michael just by ways of harmonization with that particular energy/consciousness field. But attending the workshop and seeing Michael live and having him answer some of the question that where lingering in my mind is priceless. So much content was covered at the workshop and so much happened for me that I am still digesting and integrating all that new stuff into my life. Til now it has been the most efficient, effortless and most encompassing system that I have tasted. Sooo, if you have the chance to travel to Finland, DO SO. P.s. I used to practice a few different forms of Small Heavenly Cyccle Qigongs, especially the opening of the three gates in the back. Since starting the Stillness-Movement, it feels like there hundreds of orbits spinning at the same time, diferent routes and connecting you to higher and higher vibrations that would take lifetimes to reach by ordinary MCO practices. Peace

I found this video here: In his book "Kung Fu Elements" the author speaks a little bit about the Red Sand Palm (Zhu Sha Zhang) training and covers the basics of it. From what I understand it is different from regular Iron Palm training in that it employs only internal training methods.

Thank you for putting this together snowmonki. I find these martial traditions which incorporate daoist cultivation into their training immensely interesting. It seems to me like this part is mostly forgotten today. I read an interview with Ma Chuan Xu (Baguazhang) and Feng Zhi Qiang (Xinyi Hunyuan Taiji) that both said similiar things. Practicing with the correct method and a competent teacher and you will progress through these stages naturally without intensive mind work. bOth also place the utmost importance on the lower Dan Tian and never really move away from that focus or so it seems. Best

Hi, there is a chinese doctor who does external Qi treatment in North Wales. I cant testify to his ability or clinical effectiveness as I have never met him. http://www.chinesedoctorxy.co.uk/Contact-Us.html

I have experienced this as well, restlesness and negativity, just as Scotty mentiones sometimes releasing and sometimes lingering on even after the practice is concluded. When I practice the Gift of the Tao though this does not happen. If I sit for a moment after the GOT then its also not present. So I just abandoned the sitting. Maybe this changes with the attunement at the seminar, but the fastest way on ones own is the GOT I guess.

With GOT its no problem. I just start and at some point the irritation or restlesness disappears and the energy takes over. In the beginning I had some problems with the movements because I used to practice a bit martial arts and I noticed that my attention automatically moved towards my physical posture and not the energy, especially with the eigth' movement when moving and breathing out I automatically did it in a mechanical Fajin type of way and I felt nothing. After I started to relax more I could do the movement without my mind automatically shifting towards the physical process and I stayed with the energy, then this movement started to offer me its benefits ;-) I found that the longer I do the first two movements the stronger the overall effect is. Yeah GOT II is really awesome too, have fun with that!

I have mostly focused on the Gift of the Tao movement practice because I used to do sitting meditation with very strong focus on the dan tian, almost forcing my attention to stay there. That only brought me headaches and my internal chatter got even worse. Now when I sit for some time after the movement practice I am naturally able to keep a "relaxed" attention on the dan tian without so much force, but often when I am doing that throughout the day it becomes rigid again, feels like gates are closing rather than opening. Thanks for your feedback.

I hav had what you call zifagong too, it emerged during Standing Meditation and sitting practices, it got to a point where I just wanted to stand in a certain posture as I did usually, but felt that I couldnt, everytime I resumed the posture an internal movement started was completely different from what I intended to do. After some time I realized that when I used effort to stay PUT I felt exhausted and restless afterwards, when I just let it go and followed the movements (outside & inside) I felt very relaxed and refreshed afterwards. I started practicing Gift of the Tao a few weeks ago and when I sit down after the session and just put my awareness on my Dan Tian, sometimes spontaneous movemnt happens but it feels more like an extension from the Movement practice, as if the energy patterns are now repeated while sitting. Its completely different from the other zifagong I have experienced Very interesting to read. Especially as I have too practised Bagua and zhan Zhuang from a Wudang Lineage and remebmer one day in the White Cloud Monastery practising there, the Feng Shui is really awesome. I completely forgot that there was a loud and polluted city outside the walls. @Walker Would you mind telling me (PM if you want) who your Wudang Teachers are?

I wanted to voice my disappointment as someone who only reads on this forum and usually doesnt contribute. It is a real shame to see so many threads getting off topic because different members have to play out their own little mind games. I know how tempting it is to "just" say what you think and that is your right, its just sad that a lot of teachers, who are only human, stop posting here because of that. We might say: look this teacher is getting angry, how can he be a spiritual person. just because we think we know how a spiritual person should behave. I also know how hard it is to find ones own way amidst such powerful teachers as their realizations might intimidate us and in an attempt to find our own way without being influenced we push them away. And I experienced that not in the comfortable position behind my computer screen on an internet forum but in a monastery in the chinese mountains and believe me the monks there were much less forgiving for such an attitude than Michael is here for example. That doesnt mean they hold any power over you, but you might have pissed off a teacher that you could have learnt a lot from and if not you, maybe someone else. And I think the teachers that are still here have a really great tolerance to continue contributing amidst such butting of heads.

Thank you, you are very welcome, I had read that the best way to get started is to attend a workshop, but unfortunately the London workshop was cancelled and so I was left without that opportunity. I practiced Qigong before, sometimes several hours everyday, but what the Stillness Movement meditation has done for me after only two or three hours is unbelievable for me. I simply cant describe it. It just works where the work is needed, although work does not fit what it feels like. This method has come just at the right time. If it is so powerfull already I cant imagine what it will feel like to practice at a seminar, until then Im happily practicing on my own and eagerly waiting for the Gift of the Tao to arrive. I would be interested in the reasons the different practitioners started this practice in the first place. Was it for medical reasons or more spiritually, if you can make that distinction.