Cat Pillar

Nevermind. Not going to feed.

My initial response would be "oh for fuck's sake..." said in a mildly exasperated tone. That's generally one of my favorite responses to use for such things. I like Taomeow's answer though...nice and practical, getting right down to basics. Food and lodging and whatnot. Not too many options on the ol' cheese-wheel-in-the-sky.

There is a lot of "allowing" in S-M, yes. So, the thing about feeling qi is that everyone is different. There are so many factors that it's nearly impossible to say with any certainty when, or even how, someone will start feeling qi. This is something I've been having to learn the hard way. Qi is very subtle, so it's easy to get lost in second-guessing yourself if you're prone to that sort of thing (like me.) That being said, when I first tried Stillness-Movement I felt sensations that are indicative of qi right away, as well as spontaneous/automatic movements. I had practiced Kunlun prior to trying S-M, which is another neigong system that involves spontaneous movement, so I've had previous experience which is a factor. A popular rule of thumb with neigong is try a practice for at least 100 days before judging how effective it is. I'm around 70 days in to my practice with S-M (after attending a workshop and receiving the transmission, another factor), and I have no question that this is an effective and efficient neigong practice even after such a short time. Too much energy in the head isn't a good thing, and can lead to symptoms like you describe (some call it qigong psychosis). When you meditate, do you put your tongue to the roof of your mouth? Doing so connects the governor and conception channels and helps facilitate the circulation of energies through the body (and out of the head). Although when you see symptoms your response is a good one - stop meditating and ground yourself. When it comes to Stillness-Movement, Michael recommends against mixing other practices with it. If you decide to give the 100 days a try, you'll probably see results more quickly if you follow that advice. It's a complete system, so you'll most likely get any of the benefits you're looking for from your other practices if you decide to stick with it. But, as always, stick with what works for you and question everything for yourself. The proof's in the puddin', as they say.

Glad to be of service.

Looks interesting, thanks for the links!

It looks like that method involves a lot of visualization. The feedback loop in Stillness-Movement occurs automatically, and requires no visualization. In fact, visualization is generally avoided when practicing Stillness-Movement. If/when you get the book, you'll see that the Stillness-Movement practice is very very simple. I'll admit that I only glanced quickly through the link, but just from all the diagrams it doesn't appear to have much in common technique-wise with S-M.

I'm finding that keeping track of how long I practice every day in a physical practice log helps keep my motivation up. It's unpleasant having to write down that I didn't practice, so that alone helps motivate me to practice. I'm also tracking what time I wake up every mornintg, since that's been an issue for me. I don't keep a real diary/journal, though.

I didn't know that about Cayce. Very interesting.

Might want to study TCM, especially the acupuncture points and meridians. Be very, very careful, though. Just randomly shooting heat into parts of your body isn't a good idea.

This sounds like a party waiting to happen. Who's down for Saturday night??

Same here. Sometimes it's fun to talk anyways.

That show was entertaining, but Ramtha leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I've always been curious about past life regressions. Wouldn't mind going through one, except I'm not a big fan of getting hypnotized. I have such a cynical mind I'm not sure it'd do me much good anyways, hehe.

I think you're thinking of Apophis, Marblehead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

Welcome to the forums!

Can't argue with that, and I didn't mean to imply cultivators are perfect partners with nature. Just that those who cultivate are not likely candidates to actively fight nature.

People who "practice chi" generally learn to flow WITH nature, not fight against it.

Welcome to the forum!

My late Nana used to make an excellent mince meat pie, and I always rather enjoyed the brandy sauce she made to go with it. I nearly laughed out loud at "Satan's wee wee" though, so thanks for that!

TV in general puts you into a kind of trance. Epilepsy can be caused by rapidly flashing lights, which a lot of anime has. Video games have been known to trigger epilepsy as well. I find that the more I practice, the more I can move into what seems a trance-like state, or deep meditation. Focus on the dantian becomes so deep that other sensations start to disappear. I can't seem to maintain that state for very long yet, but that will come with practice.

I'ma build a house of water just to spite you... ...uh, any hydro-architects around?

With brandy sauce?

I don't see why you'd get banned for posting that, bubbles. Doesn't seem an appropriate response. Besides, I'd never read that before, and it IS good food for thought. So, thanks for posting.

I had it easy, really. Only real problem I faced was constant bullying up until high school. I was the guy everyone loved to hate, lowest on the totem pole at the school. But the schools I went to were safe otherwise. I only got beat up a couple of times.

If I were to die tonight, I'd be filled with regret for the things left undone, the things left unsaid, and the life left unlived.