Tao of the Afro

Hello. I'm going to be going by the moniker of Tao of the Afro on here. I'm what you might call a Christian Taoist. I appreciate Taoist concepts and can see the connection to my own beliefs. As to the inquiry portion of the title, I'd like to get into qi gong or nei kung for both health reasons and to reach a heightened spiritual state(build up my energy and ascend I suppose). Would anybody mind passing some advice to me as to where to start? I'd like something a little more authentic than the "pay 399999999 dollars and learn to be immortal!" because I'd believe a sincere Taoist/spiritualist to be humble and not in it for monetary gain.

Here's another noob question for you guys: What exercises build yang chi? The storage area for yang chi is the lower dan tien, correct? What exercises build yin chi? The storage area for yin chi is the middle dan tien, right?

I just can't see why a realized/achieved taoist and/or true martial artist would try to sell knowledge that, as I would suppose they would believe, everybody should know. 100$ is quite expensive; the fact that money is being charged for something as immaterial as knowledge in the realm of taoism pushes me further to believe that the knowledge given isn't sincere or full. I'd believe a true person working for the spiritual achievement would not be attempting to get money out of it for themselves as this motive is counteractive to the information being "sold."

What do you mean by "work hard the horse stance"?

I'm quite the noob. I've heard of some exercises/practices focusing/cultivating more of one than the other. So by what you're saying, by cultivating the active yang chi, I'm actually cultivating yin chi too? Also, which exercises build yang chi? I was thinking something like crane breathing would, but then again, I have no idea about anything. lmao

I'd like to begin practicing qi gong and nei kung possibly for the health benefits, but I'm primarily looking for a heightened spiritual state. Where should I begin? EDIT: I'd like to add that I do already have a book on the subject entitled "The Complete System of Self-Healing - Internal Exercises" by Dr. Stephen Chang. I've been practicing crane breathing, bone breathing, and both "small and large heavenly cycles of immortal breathing."

What things might I be able to do to strengthen my leg channels/build the foundation you speak of?

Hmm, would you mind giving me more information on this system? My e-mail is [email protected]. (Humor intended) Would you mind sending me a message with some more detailed background/what I might be able to do to achieve more training/achievement in this?

I've been meaning to ask--I've heard of Tai Chi incorporating qi gong/nei kung aspects. Does this include all styles of Tai Chi?

I have been using the exercises from the book for about three days, and when I do it, I can feel a solid ball in the lower part of my stomach, and the top of my forehead tingles quite a bit. The newest experience was my heart beating irregularly fast, but what surprised me the most was the fact that I was able to regulate it by focusing on it, but I thought it became too slow. I also feel random pulsations/vibrating at random points on my body. I'm kind of scared because I don't know if this is bad or not, so I really would like a teacher to help me figure out if anything is wrong and possibly fix me. I'm afraid that I might have messed myself up.

I think I'm going to try to spend some time looking for some sort of master/teacher in the area that I live (not likely, but possible nonetheless), and for if I can't find one, I'm going to compile a list of books to read on the subject and hopefully achieve something on my own. Any tips for picking out the characteristics of a master/person with moderate-high achievement?