alleswasderfallist

Hi Sifu Terry

I started doing fp qigong once again a few months ago after a few years of not practicing (a very busy few years at that, with becoming a father twice and all.)  I've been practicing volumes 1 and 2, with my practice mostly being centered around doing BTB 18x.  I'm planning to start with volume 3 this evening.

I have one question regarding what you wrote above regarding the MSW meditations, i.e.

KEEPING THE BACK STILL while you perform the natural movements each meditation

When I do the part of MSW 1 or 2 where one raises the arms above head level, I arch my back/lean back slightly, though the shoulders are the primary lifters.  Is this wrong? 

Hi,

 

For weaker patients, can the basic standing stationary meds (Monk gazing moon,  monk holding peach, monk holding pearl) be done in sitting or lying down position?

 

Thanks

Monk Holding Pearl (50 40 30 20 10) can be done sitting or lying down, I believe.

Sifu Terry just answered this same question a few days ago on this thread.

Thank you, I found it. 

Hello again to all following the discussion.  I recently started practicing FP again after a very long hiatus.  Very glad to be back, and also happy and humbled to see many of my gongfu brothers and sisters still going strong. 

I do have a question that has probably been asked before, but I can't find any results using the site's search function.

Is it advisable for a pregnant woman to practice FPCK?  My wife and I are expecting a baby and she's about to enter her third trimester.  If so, are there particular meditations to avoid or focus on? 

Thanks!

The universe doesn't work that way. Love is a human based emotional concept.

Which scientific concepts aren't human based? And emotional?

To understand the sound of a drum you have to understand both drum and drummer. In understanding the universe, don't imagine that you're detecting the pure sound of the drum with concepts like time, space, energy, light, heat, etc.

How much previous internal martial arts training do you have?

I have very little - just a bit of Yang Tai Chi. I've about 2 years of qigong training aside from that.

Okay y'all, a few questions! There will be more

1. What would be a good way to practice all the material Andrew presents over a two hour session? ie, in which order should I practice the martial aspects of the art (standing strengthening, circle turning, strikes, etc) and the alchemical/medical (healing sounds, gathering & developing qi sensitivity, seated meditations, shaking, patting)?

2. I read that in general, a practitioner chooses an animal that suits him/her and sticks to it, with Lion being a good introductory choice for all. Having watched a few different animal system videos, I'd like to practice several standing strengthening postures from different animals (they're just too awesome!). Is this not a good idea?

3. In Andrew's presentation of the 'Lion Opens Its Mouth' and 'Lion Holds the Ball', the latter seems to be an inactive version of the former where only qi sensitivity and visualization are trained. At one point he switches between the two exercises quickly. If I want to practice these different exercises, what would be a good plan? A few minutes of each, trained on each side, or switching between the two?

I appreciate anyone's help.

Hi Alleswasderfallist,

 

Bending the Bows is one of the most important and central moving meditations in the FP Qigong system. There is no harm in doing Bending the Bows 50 times if that's your urge or predilection, for the energization and vibratory state created by the meditation will automatically subside at some point, depending on the practitioner.

 

The key, however, is do the BTB meditation with total relaxation and correction posture such that one no longer feels the body--at least approaches that state of "frictionless" movement. If one does 50 reps with bad form, that may simply develop or retain bad habits.

 

To answer your question: No, I have never tried or suggested that students do more than 18 repetitions of BTB because I have found that if I did the meditation as slowly as possible--at the speed of a shifting sand dune, then that took a good solid hour or longer. But if you are doing BTB at a super-slow speed and thorough bodily relaxation, then i would say, go ahead...knock yourself out!

 

When I practice the Basic FP Meditations or teach a class in it, I do all the standing meditations of Vol.1 for about 5 minutes each, do 10 minutes of BTB, and then do Wind Through Treetops once, Wind Above the Clouds once, then "Moonbeam" once or twice, and the Long Standing Meditation of Volume 4 once or twice. That's usually a good 60 to 90 minutes or longer, depending on one's speed of movement. Then I cover all the 3 basic seated preparatory meditations at the start of Vol.2 and then at least 2 of the seated Monk Serves Wine meditations (from either Vol.2 or Vol.7). That brings the total practice session to 2 hours or more.

 

Sifu Terry

I think I should focus on slowing down my practice of BTB at this point. It's been taking me 30 - 40 minutes lately, so I can still work on effortlessness and a more relaxed speed before I try a 'marathon'. Though, this idea does appeal to me and I'll eventually try it out.

I will post my first impressions of volume four later this week, as I've been memorizing the movement over the last few days. I haven't tried it with the breathing sequence yet, but the movements alone seem to be generating as much qi as 18 reps of BTB or the equivalent. Sifu Terry, I recently read through some of your older posts on the healing effects of volume 4 and its ability to bring one to the next level in using the FP energy to heal others. I can't wait to experience this for myself and report my findings. This truly is a remarkable system!

Andrew Nugent-Head goes into a lot of depth in these lectures, I'm very impressed and grateful. I'm beginning to learn the Lion System and the Gathering & Developing Qi Sensitivity practices. Does anyone here practice Yin style Bagua who can answer basic questions on the practices? It would be nice if the traditionalstudies website had a forum, maybe they'll get to that in the future.

Hi everyone, how's the practice going?

I've been doing 18 reps or Bending the Bows regularly for the last few weeks. This used to seem like a lot to me, but now I'm wondering what it might be like to do a sort of BTB marathon. Say 50 reps? I'm sure it will take at least an hour and a half.

Sifu Terry, would you recommend any particular number of reps beyond 18? Have you or any of your students ever tried a 'BTB marathon'?

I'm reading through the thread when I have spare time, but it is 165 pages, so excuse if this has been covered before.

 

Suppose the breathing for an exercise is 90-70-20 (not referring to any specific combination, just a made up example). If what one actually breathes is 90-60-20, will that prevent the exercise from having much or any effect, or will it just be somewhat less effective, and still work ?

 

Since the percentage numbers are expressed with some precision, is that much precision entirely necessary or just a goal ?

 

If this question has already been posed before, then if someone can repeat the answer, that would be appreciated.

Good question. I think this has been asked before, but I've been considering the breathing sequences lately and I want to offer my beginner's perspective until a senior practitioner addresses this:

The breathing sequences held in different positions help train you to breathe freely and naturally in different positions that might otherwise obstruct your breathing. Different positions, like standing verses seated or arms elevated (as in Monk Holding Peach) vs arms rested and lowered (as in Monk Holding Pearl), might be more difficult to keep and breathe naturally. I think this is related to the precision of the breathing sequence you asked about; generally it may be more difficult getting close to an exact number (30 for instance) for a particular meditation, while others are easier. So... maybe this isn't a direct answer, but clearing the energy channels so that you can hold certain positions more naturally (which comes with time and practice) and breathing more precisely are sort of two sides of the same coin?? At least that's been my experience, hope it makes sense. Anyone with a more informed answer please chime in!

Hi all -

I believe this has been mentioned a few times, but I'd like to confirm that FPCK practice is enhanced by practice in groups. My longtime girlfriend and I, who have been separated by a great distance for about a year, are living together again and have started practicing qigong. She hasn't had the time to practice very much during the last year, but we both are noticing a wonderful surge of heavenly energy gracing us during our sessions - that same same quality of energy I've been tapping into, but even more accessible. Perhaps this is especially enhanced when practiced with a significant other/loved one?

Since we're both blessed with lots of free time presently, we're going to start a 100 day "gong" (already months in the planning) this Monday. This will include 2 hours of FPCK every morning, among other practices and a healthy diet. We'll both be doing 18 reps of Bending the Bows, along with volume 3 and volume 2. I will do volume 7 and gradually incorporate volume 4 into my standing practice.

We just did 18 reps of BTB this morning along with Moonbeam and some MSW. When we were finished, my girlfriend exclaimed "Das war geil!" (That was awesome!)

I think you are "projecting" a straw man. You just repeated the same thing that I said.

 

The original point is that "secret sauce" generally means a marketing gimmick, and that the usage has not changed ( unlike the second example, which is why it was there ).

 

More projection, no one suggested that. (And, in fact, if anyone were to feel any lack of coincidence, they would skip the whole thing.)

 

You are taking this whole thing far too seriously, it was just a bit of FYI for Terry...

Okay, sorry for the misunderstanding! I didn't mean to be a contrarian, just wanted to say that I liked the 'secret sauce' metaphor. Happy practicing.

Shakespeare used plenty of phrases out of original context to express something poetically. Language is living because meaning is defined by usage. Would you really correct someone saying "you go girl" to a female and tell them that it ought to apply only to males?

But this is really pointless talk - I think anyone who has practiced FPCK knows that the breathing sequences are something special. If someone's really going to skip the breathing sequences, thinking they're comparable to the 'secret sauce' at Jack in the Box, maybe this is an example of the divine intelligence choosing who practices and who doesn't? I don't know. Language purism is a pointless cause to me.

To me, secret sauce just means esoteric and essential ingredient - like a special recipe that keeps people coming back for more, wondering how it works as they enjoy it. I don't think there's anything inherently pretentious about it.

I'd love to learn the advanced standing meditation from you eventually, Sifu.

I'm currently working on volumes 1 - 3 and I do some of 7 when I have time.

Regarding Wind Through the Treetops and Moonbeam Splashes on Water:

These meditations are very quieting to the mind. I usually save them for last in my standing practice, right before I do seated practice, in order to get the most out of my MSW meditations. I remember that the first time through Moonbeam, I immediately sensed a tangible, heavenly energy rising up in me upon completion of the breath control. This wasn't as quite as strong with Treetops, probably because this sequence requires a little more physical endurance up front IMO. After practicing for a few weeks, I could feel that special energy guiding me.

I've benefited the most in my practice of volume 1, as a result of practicing 3. I feel like I understand much more about letting the energy guide me in BTB and even the static meditations now that I've seen how the celestial energy is there to guide one through the more advanced meditations.

A noticeable benefit in daily life is my range of motion. I've mentioned before that I had a spinal fusion surgery when I was a teenager, which significantly reduced my ROM. Much of this is mental or neural, however, and Moonbeam has taught me a lot about the importance of total body relaxation in rotating my torso (I can probably rotate about as much as the average person now (w/o qigong/yoga training) -- before, a fluid rotation of 45 degrees wasn't so straightforward ). I've also begun to understand motion of the shoulder blades and arms, especially as I've been practicing MSW 4 (50 20 10). And I honestly feel like I've only just begun to tap into the healing power of these meditations.

I took a sneak peak at volume 4 last week and it looks amazing. Can't wait to get into it.

I'm ordering GOT1 tonight. I was really hoping someone would take you up on that offer Ya Mu; I'd be on it in a second if I had the means to get to MO. It's nice to know I'll be learning from a generous and dedicated teacher. Looking forward to feeling the Qi for myself!

"I have been dreaming about Stillness Movement Qigong"

There is a reason for that. It is for you.

 

No problem with Hsing I. I used to practice Hsing I about an hour a day alongside Stillness-Movement & Gift of Tao.

When you start doing the Gift of the Tao movements you will see the Hsing I influence on their development, although the focus is entirely different as GOT is not a martial art but an energy art.

Nowadays I practice more Gift of Tao due to energetic efficiency - as in it is far more efficient at energetics than anything else I have found. I still occasionally practice the Hsing I, sometimes going for days in between practice sometimes doing it a bit everyday. No conflict.

 

Same with Tai Jee. I used to practice Chen Pan Ling style tai jee everyday alongside the Gift of Tao movements. But for the same reason as the Hsing I, I found energetic development and awareness development of the Gift of the Tao to be far more efficient than the tai jee so I now only do it sporadically.

 

It is interesting, however, that I can do the Gift of Tao in front on my horses and it lulls them into an extremely relaxed state with droopy jaws and hanging lips (anyone with horses will know what I am referring to). And these movements can become quite vigorous. Without thinking of anything on my part and with no muscle change on my part if I simply change into santi or do any of the elements or go into any of the tai jee the horses become full alert and the dominant one steps out to protect.

 

Try to get to a workshop.

The Hilton Head Island, South Carolina November 9,10,11 is going to be highly energetic and is also a great relaxation spot as the conference room and hotel are right on the ocean.

 

Brian said, "I think what happens there is that stillness-movement becomes infused into those arts so that they become an element of the practitioner's stillness-movement rather than "a separate practice." "

 

Yes, Once a person gets the Stillness-Movement practice then everything they do becomes an extension of it due to the energetic vibrational frequency.

I would love to come to a workshop, but unfortunately it isn't within my budget this year. Next year it will be one of my priorities. Do you plan to offer any more distance learning workshops in the future, as you did in Jan/Feb? Thanks

Ya Mu,

I have been dreaming about Stillness Movement Qigong, even though I never gave it much thought before. Upon awakening from a dream and having this on my mind, I decided I should go ahead and try it out, even though I already have a lot on my plate.

Do you have any recommendations or guidelines for internal martial arts practitioners who want to practice Gift of the Tao? Like, is it good to keep practices separate, or is it okay to do the exercises before/after Xing Yi/Bagua/Tai Chi practice?

Thanks

Daoist Monk FDD Had a vision of a goddess doesnt mention what one or culture, like Kuan Yin found in Daoism and Buddhism and different names in India, Tibet could be same for all???!!!!

I've also wondered about this. For instance, would chanting to the Egyptian sun god not bless one in the same way as chanting to the Incan sun god? Sometimes I've read warnings about mixing traditions, like the gods might be angry. I really can't say, but I never would have come to that conclusion on my own! Seems superficial.

Thank you for the clarification Sifu Terry.

 

 

P.S. Indeed it is a tragic shame--what the Vedic tradition has become.

Sifu Terry,

I can see how the name 'Vedic' might spur a lot of charlatanism. I own a textbook on 'Vedic Mathematics' that is, according to seemingly objective fact-checkers from India, not Vedic at all - just a set of clever but useful tricks invented by a modern Indian mathematician. The author claimed to have taken a set of 16 mathematical sutras from 'the Vedas', the source of which he can no longer produce.

I would like to know your opinion on Vedic knowledge that is demonstrably Vedic - like certain mantras from the Rig Veda. I have been chanting the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, mostly while working and before bed, for the last month. The first night I did this, I had a very profound dream in which I was forced to confront my fear of losing attachment to my body. Would you include this type of practice in the context of your comment, or did you mean specifically Vedic (and Buddhist) elements that have turned to book-learning and lost their substance? Forgive the ignorant question, as I haven't really delved much into the world of mainstream/degraded/modernized Buddhist/Vedic religion, and your comment was a little surprising to me.

Wing Chun is an internal art if you find the right teacher. Look for Chu Shong Tin lineage. Most people just teach external Wing Chun, which by itself is still brutally effective however if you add the internals and get good at it then you'll be able to crush almost any normal person. I know plenty of people who can throw the biggest guys around like rag dolls.

Very interesting... could you elaborate on the internal aspects of WC (or Chu Shong Tin's lineage)? Or post a link?

Thanks

Find a good teacher, and learn what he/she has to teach you. This is if you're interested in learning and not just saying 'I practice such-and-such'. If you're interested in an art that's unavailable in your area, or taught by a sub-par teacher, you can always learn it later, or practice on your own.

Very helpful indeed. I have been following your other posts and I would call your observations mind-expanding. I may be somewhere on my journey where I could easily overlook many deep things in Hellenism and Confucianism as you once did (Dao de Jing in one hand, indeed ) . What a pleasant surprise to once again find a world of meaning in the seemingly ordinary and mundane. I'll check out Sepharial for sure.