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?

Inspired by Eknath Easwaran's books, I'm going to start practicing with a mantra. Something to repeat whenever possible. I don't like the idea of repeating 'Jesus' or 'Rama' or even 'Om Mani Padme Hum', simply because these mantras don't have a universal appeal to me. Since I'm going to be repeating this mantra quite a bit (possibly years, or the rest of my life?) I'm giving this some serious thought. What appeals to me most is 'om'. Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts about choosing mantras? Also, is there any difference between the pronunciation of 'Om' and 'Aum'? David Frawley's Bija Mantras book makes it seem like there is, though most people on the internet say it's just a transcription difference. Thanks.

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

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!

I thought some people here might be able to shine light on Bill Nye's objection to astrology, as explained here: Basically he says that because of precession, the zodiac constellations have lost their meaning, if they ever had any. I've been very interested in astrology lately, though I rejected it earlier in life. I bought a book combining Chinese and Western astrology (The New Astrology) and was amazed at the accuracy of the readings. Nearly everyone I've shown it to has reacted similarly, regardless of belief. And yet, these readings are based on correspondences that have without a doubt changed dramatically over the millenia. Does anyone have a good way of explaining this? Or know of any sources where I can learn about this?

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.

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.

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'?

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!)

What do y'all make of this? http://www.tibetantaichi.com/

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 discovered Eknath Easwaran through his translations of the Upanishads. Recently I began reading one of his originals, "Passage Meditation", and I really appreciate his clear style and knowledge from experience. He outlines a type of meditation he developed himself, called Passage Meditation. It's basically a method of developing awareness by getting really 'lost' in a spiritual passage of your choosing I just started reading the book, and I plan to start this practice tomorrow. It really appeals to me because it's non dogmatic, non faith-based, yet a seemingly a good way to get in touch with one's natural mind. I've been feeling the lack of spiritual practice in my daily life, which I gave up a while ago to focus on Qigong for health. This seems like a nice way to get upper hand over the ego without all the visualizations and the like. Does anyone do anything like this?

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 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

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.