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Found 186 results

  1. Aloha from Oahu

    Hi everyone. I'm looking for a teacher in Oahu who can help me through the first 3 years of practice to meet the preconditions Neigong. I'm practicing Damo's standing meditation daily, and I understand it will take years before my Lower Dan Tien activates and starts spinning. But in the meantime, I'm reading so much about the wonderful sitting meditations of Wang Liping, especially the meditation where you make your organs vibrate (Fusion of the 5 Elements?) and really wishing to practice those. But the texts all state that you really need a teacher to make any progress. I've looked around in Oahu and I am not finding any teachers of the Longmen Pai system here. I'm hoping there might be some secret society or something that I'm just missing. Does anyone have any advice on where to look for a good qigong mentor of an officially recognized system like Longmen Pai? Thanks!
  2. I've been intrigued by the buddhabrot fractal for some time. It had been called buddhabrot because it shows several features of historic Gautama Buddha depictions: The tikka, a topknot, ringlet hair and a meditation pose. I've done a bit of qigong during lockdowns and have become even more intrigued by it. If you take a look at it, you will probably see why. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhabrot High-res rendering: https://erleuchtet.org/2010/07/ridiculously-large-buddhabrot.html The buddhabrot is the same as the well-known mandelbrot fractal, which sorts 2D starting coordinates c into escaping / not escaping a specific boundary on the complex plane (a 2D plane that has its own set of mathematical rules and is linked to various physical domains, e.g. quantum physics) during a long simple iteration. The classic mandelbrot only shows the points that stay inside the set. For the buddhabrot, instead of showing points that stay inside the set, we look at where all the points that escape the set into infinity fly around. Simply said, the brighter a pixel on the buddhabrot fractal is, the more escaping points flew around there on their way to infinity. What are your thoughts about it? What do you see when you look at it?
  3. In the now

    riding the never-ending-change-wave, i find myself here interested in yijing, qigong, taiji, art, poetry, theatre, zen, dao and like-minded stuff going to wall-flower a bit to watch the dance and feel the breeze till i have something to say best wishes and peace and thank you for having me
  4. I have been practicing unguided spontaneous Qigong for a while. I thought it was good for releasing muscle tension and there was no danger in it as it's just allowing natural movements that come out without forcing anything or adding anything foreign to your body. I have been told recently that spontaneous Qigong is bad for you, will create Heart fire and should not be practiced unless advised by a teacher. Is this correct? Is it advised to stop practicing this completely? In that case, would you recommend any methods to suppress those spontaneous movements when they arise? An easy method to suppress them is to add muscle tension, but that seems like a bad idea. I was wondering if there is a way to stop the movements while keeping the relaxation and not adding tension. Thank you!
  5. I have been looking for resources on Soaring Crane and they are hard to find. It was supposedly practiced by 20 million people at one time in China. What happened to it? I have found some teachers online, such as Torben Bremann, but books are basically non-existent. Dr. Pang Ming originally taught Soaring Crane before he developed Zhineng. I started seriously practicing Zhineng over 2 years ago, stopped for a while, then started again. I originally started Zhineng because it was supposed to be safe and effective. My research, including comments here on The Bums, lead me to believe it was one of the best systems. But, I'm just not feeling it. I think I had better results with Master Lam Kam Chuen's Zhan Zhuang and Ba Duan Jin, which I continue to do. But, I'm looking for more moving practices that are coordinated with visualization and breathing. I also practice Mantak Chia's 13 Movement Tai Chi Chi Kung, but I have doubts about his system as a whole, although, I do like some other parts of it. I'm looking for a really good movement system that gets the Qi going to counterbalance my seated meditation practice. Right now in week 3 of 10 of Wim Hof's Fundamentals course. To sum things up, I'm a married householder with school aged kids and limited time looking for an efficient system of practices to cultivate Qi, have a calm focused mind, and ultimately become awakened. So, back to the original question, Is Soaring Crane a good system with an active community? Or, are there other systems my fellow Bums would recommend?
  6. I came across this person's videos and want to find all of them, specifically the ones where he talks about changing the bones. I have no idea how to get in contact with this person or where else to find his videos. Apparently his videos were posted on this site around 2015. Does anyone know how to find this person's videos, if so, please let me know. Thank you.
  7. Questions about Qigong and Healing

    I have come to this site in order to find answers to answers to the following questions: 1. can qigong fix scoliosis 2. can qigong really help you grow taller 3. can qigong really fix and change your bone structure (particularly the face)? 4. can qigong really be used to heal the body? After coming across this video on YouTube below along with another video with an older woman stating that her scoliosis was healed, I have a deep routed curiosity to know if chi can really heal the body this way. The video below is by a man named master Wong but I cannot find anything else by this man. In the video, he says that the bones are harder to change but the joints are easier, so the bones can changed? I'm curious. I have come across qigong in the past a long while back but was not in a position to really delve as deep as I would like into the subject. I spoke to a person that taught qigong and said in the chi world, anything is possible? I want to know more about qigong for the purpose of and I do not like to use this word in fear of sounding off my rocker but shape shifting. I do not believe that I can magically change into another person but to me it makes sense that certain parts of a person can change and heal. I do not think the story about the woman who used this practice to fix her scoliosis is far fetched. I have read many stories of the amazing things the body can do. I want to know to what extent qigong can be used to change and heal the body. This whole search could be in vain but for a long time, I have had the feeling that it is not and the only way to really find this out to leave no stone unturned. I will read whatever material I have to, and do whatever qigong practice I have to. So hello to anyone who is reading, I want to know all I can about qigong. *In the second video at time stamp 1:51, the elderly woman talks about the severe scoliosis, at 2:15 she states "I came to qigong for my Lyme disease and my scoliosis straightened"
  8. Is Mao Shan a Water or Fire Path?

    Hello Bums, with my most recent discoveries about the focus of Mao Shan energy practices, I have thought about the idea of any teaching or practice being either a water or a fire path. I know that some practices are labeled as a "water path" or a "fire path." I, myself have used the designation of my practice being a "water" path for years. And I still like the characterisation of it being a water path. It gives the feeling of cool, peaceful, natural, flowing, feminine, etc... My thoughts about this designation have changed lately based on my most recent discoveries about the path I practice. I read on this forum a comment that I agree with which is that the whole idea of "water vs fire path" is a modern distinction. I think this is probably true. I think the most relevant practice would be in regards to the direction of energy flow of the Microcosmic orbit meditation. Fire path- being up the back and down the front and water path- being up the front and down the back. But even with that difference, I think designating one path water and the other fire is just a way to explain the different flow of energy not really about the nature of the energy itself. I would say that, in my opinion, based on my experience and based on what I know now about the goal of Mao Shan energy practices, that Mao Shan practices are definitely FIRE. But that does not take away from its distinction from other, more traditional Taoist energy practices. As I recently posted in my latest thread, I discovered after 30 years of practice in a Mao Shan internal martial art, that the techniques of the Mao Shan martial arts as well as the meditations, qigong and neigong were specifically designed to stimulate the pericardium meridian. And it did so in ways that you do not find in other, more well known Taoist energy practices. The pericardium meridian is actually an energy center in its own right. It is referred to in TCM as "The Emperor's Bodyguard." In fact, the Emperors' Bodyguard is considered to be an entity in and of itself. It is designated as being FIRE element, Lightning energy and feminine. It would be accurate to classify the pericardium meridian energy as a goddess. She is the lightning power that encases the Shen ( soul) and protects it from the harshness of 3 dimensional reality. It is the pericardium meridian that acts as an energetic shield to protect the heart from emotional and spiritual attack. I read about a very accomplished TCM professional who could tell just by feeling the pulse if someone had gone through a divorce. He said he could feel it as a wound in the pericardium meridian's energy shield around the heart. So, in that sense, the Mao Shan energy can be said to be different from other "traditional" Taoist energy as being more associated with the Feminine whereas more traditional Taoist energy could be referred to as Masculine. So I would say that since we are dealing with Qi energy, we are talking about Fire. But is the Fire Masculine or Feminine? Since we associate Water with feminine and Fire as masculine, it is understandable that anyone who is familiar with both Mao Shan and other Taoist traditions would feel inclined to associate one with Fire and the other with Water. So, for me, I will no longer call the Mao Shan practices a Water path. I will call it a Feminine path. Similar to the Vedic idea of a "Shakti" path. Shakti is the feminine path of energy practice and worship in Yogic traditions. Shakti is another term for the Kundalini energy. Kundalini is an energy and she is also a goddess and she is also FIRE. I believe this way of describing Shakti energy is a more accurate way of describing the Mao Shan energy practices. But I feel the need to be clear and make the distinction between Kundalini and Mao Shan energy. The energy of the pericardium is NOT Kundalini even though they both are Feminine Fire energies... But the actual nature of Kundalini vs Qi is whole other kettle of fish better saved for another discussion. If I may continue on the comparison of Kundalini Shakti and the Lightning Power of the Pericardium.... It is well known in Vedic/Hindu practices that if one wants real power, one should worship Mother Shakti. But one should also be very respectful of the power She holds. She can be very unpredictable and dangerous. The goddess Kali is a good example. She is the Mother, the complete embodiment of the Feminine. But she is also sometimes (inaccurately) referred to as the goddess of death. She is radical transformation. In paintings of her, one can find Kali dancing on the corpse of Shiva. If one has the idea that masculine is active and the feminine is passive, the representations of Kali and Shiva are powerful reminders of the opposite being true. One might wonder how it is that I practice a martial art that is known for its speed and devastating power and yet it is also closely associated with the feminine. ( my teacher's teacher became known for his martial prowess as a result of worshipping Kwan Yin. He credited his power to her alone).. The Mao Shan practices are also in alignment with the general description of Shakti by the Vedics. The Lightning Goddess, the Bodyguard of the Soul, in my experience, is powerful, quick, merciless and potentially dangerous, but also undoubtedly feminine and healing in nature. If I may continue a bit further... I have discovered that what makes the Mao Shan distinct as a spiritual path is that it is strongly associated with shamanic channeling. Every practice that I have found that is associated with Mao Shan ( whether that is through the sect I learned from or other Mao Shan practices from other lineages), is strongly focused on having the practitioner channel powers and energies. This is what makes Mao Shan a path of magic. There is not so much emphasis on intellectual understanding of the techniques as an instinctual and intuitive connection to the powers associated with them. The Mao Shan pracitioner is taught and encouraged to use shamanic channeling techniques to learn even more meditations and practices. The practitioner is encouraged to deepen their shamanic connections to the deities and spirits to teach them and further understand the practices. In my experience, every person who has learned the Mao Shan martial tradition who showed any promise started to create their own forms, practices and meditations. Every person with any natural inclination also started discovering their own "supernatural powers" such as healing, divination, magic, etc... I have never seen this to the same degree in any other art I have researched. One day a Tai Chi master came to visit our Mao Shan martial arts class. My teacher was showing him the Water form. The visitor paused and closed his eyes and swayed back and forth and my teacher asked him, "What are you doing?" He replied, "I'm searching for the water so I can better understand what you are showing me." My teacher said, "Don't waste your time searching for the water, just BECOME water." And then he delivered a palm strike to his chest. "Feel that?" "Yes."... "That's water. I didn't have to summon it. I just became water... Now try again. This time, just become water and don't think about it." The great grandmaster was a Mao Shan sorcerer who also was a well respected martial artist. And after my 30 years of practicing this art, I found the likely method of how he created these "Mao Shan Kung Fu Forms" that I had taken for granted. As a young man he, like many other young men from Southern China in the early 20th century learned Hakka Style Shao Lin Kung Fu. After learning Mao Shan magic, ritual and nei gong, he then learned how to channel energy from the ascended masters. The Kung Fu Forms he developed looked very similar to other Hakka style Shan Lin forms, but there was an extremely powerful energy to them that set his forms and martial arts apart from the rest of the Shao Lin Kung Fu of his time.... His forms LOOKED like other Shan Lin forms but the energy came from the Mao Shan focus on the pericardium meridian and had a very different feel and devastating effect. The way it was described to me by someone who knew the grandmaster, was that, "The Forms were Shao Lin, but the Magic was Mao Shan." After reverse engineering the Mao Shan Kung Fu forms for 30 years, I now see that what makes the Mao Shan Kung Fu different is that the techniques are solely focused on stimulating and releasing the energy in the pericardium meridian. But these techniques are hidden within what looks like traditional Hakka style Shao Lin Kung Fu forms. I believe that it is possible that the great grandmaster may not have had any intellectual understanding of the technique of the forms. But being the proficient Mao Shan sorcerer that he was, he simply channeled the ascended Kung Fu masters who taught him forms that stimulated the Lightning energy of the pericardium meridian and released the power of the Feminine. The powerful, devastating energy similar to the Shakti of Kali Ma... There are other things about the magic of the forms but I will keep those secret for the time being Thanks for letting me ramble. I think about this stuff a lot and it helps me to unpack this info somewhere where it might be understood and appreciated... Let me know what you guys think...
  9. Hello, Dao Bums, I was on this forum 11 years ago and I am now back. ( some of you may remember me as fiveelementtao). I trained in an esoteric taoist practice associated with Mao Shan. so, after 30 years of training and practice, I have discovered something truly amazing about the qigong and nei gong I was taught. I have finally discovered that the techniques of the practice are not stimulating or focusing on the same meridian system as traditional taoist practices. The masters who taught me were "uneducated" in the sense that they were taught a lot of techniques and had mastered those techniques but did not learn a lot of specific theory. They just told me that what we did was "different.' But it was unclear to me exactly how. The techniques were undeniably powerful and unique, but it was shrouded in such mystery that we were encouraged not to try and figure it out... What I learned in the internal martial arts, qigong, meditation and nei gong was ( in my experience) unrivalled in terms of pure power. This practice was my first experience in Taoist energy work. So, when I learned it, I assumed that all taoist energy work was coming from the same place (energetically). But every time I would learn another school's energy practice or internal martial art, I could feel the energy was very different. Masters of all different schools ( including ones who claimed to be Mao Shan) who saw what I was doing or tried the techniques would either say the practice was evil, dangerous, demonic or they would tell me that they had never experienced anything this powerful. this included qigong, internal martial artists and tai chi masters.... So, for 30 years I have been extremely confused as to what exactly was different about this practice. Well, I have made some very exciting discoveries. instead of trying to learn from available sources about why the energy was so powerful and different, I started focusing on the meridians in my body that were constantly "firing" when I did the practices. And I finally understood what my teachers taught in terms of what meridians we focused on.... You have all heard of "Jing - Qi - Shen" right? Well my teachers would say we did "Qi - Xi - Yi" (life force energy - heart-mind - intent) When I asked about this compared to the Jing-Qi-Shen path, I was told "Oh just the same thing ". But I have come to realise that it is NOT the same AT ALL... I could explain for days, but the bottom line is that after 30 years I have discovered that the Mao Shan masters were intentionally NOT pursuing Jing Qi Shen, they were intentionally focusing not on the lower dan tien but on the pericardium meridian. Which I have discovered is a secret zone of power where the feminine "lightning" energy resides surrounding and protecting the shen (soul) from the harshness of 3 dimensional reality. In TCM this power is called the "Emperor's Body Guard." It normally is self-contained in the middle dan tien unless someone knows how to stimulate the pericardium meridian to release it into the body's meridians. This was a secret kept by the Mao Shan demon fighters for centuries. When I learned this, it explained so much about why this art was so powerful, dangerous and different. The benefit of releasing the power of the Emperor's bodyguard is immediate and unrivaled power. The kind of power that demons run from. but the downside is that if the practitioner does not have a mature relationship to the heart center, it can create a Sith Lord ( if you'll forgive the reference). ( now I know why my teachers were always warning us about the danger of becoming a Darth Vader). For those who remember all of the controversies surrounding me and other people who shall remain nameless who also taught this tradition, you will know why there was so much power and rumours of danger associated with this path... Anyways, 30 years later, after some seasoning, I now understand what I believe to be the true purpose of this Mao Shan path. I hope to share more on this forum if there are any who are interested... For now, here is a qigong routine I created using these techniques. Let me know what you guys think.... Mahadeva
  10. Let's Talk!

    I've been waiting for a group like this to show up, and I have a really good feeling about this forum. It seems to be a place with people who know what they are talking about, and treat each other with respect. I am studying Herbal Medicine and Vitalism (the body's ability to heal itself) and I've come to see things as roads we find or make, for us to walk on. All Paths lead to one destination, but will we have the energy to reach that destination by ourselves? Hardly. Again, there are several ways to overcome this, and one of those is by combining the paths, use several and let them strengthen each other. Over time, understanding for one subject comes effortless, fueled by the knowledge amassed by the other paths. None of the paths I walked better than other people in the beginning, but the secret was that I was walking several, and was average in all of them. One day, the growth shoots up exponentially all of a sudden. It's Spring, and Winter's hard work proves itself to be fruitful. There is one more thing that I learned. It's that I learn faster by asking for advice and teaching from people who have spent way more time than me on a subject. And that is why I am here. To quietly observe a new community that I've never had a chance to be part of even though I would have like to, but couldn't due to circumstances, and to exchange however much knowledge I can, then go back to my Hermit-Mode and assimilate, so to say. I've searched far and wide until I found an Art that I liked and that suited me. I have discovered Zhan Zhuang a few years ago, and knew it was what I was looking for. But it's only now that I felt ready to seriously practice it, and so, I am a total beginner, but an adept learner at Zhan Zhuang and Qi Gong. I have some decent knowledge in theory, and I have good instincts, but I also have a lot of questions and observations from my experience so far, and I'd love to talk about them and discuss them here. I should mention that I am also dabbling in Dao and Acupuncture/Reflexology, and I'm rather good at Graphology. That's because, as I said, if I'm stuck somewhere, I won't waste too much time and hop onto another path. Then when I come back later with a refreshed mind, I might find that I've already overcome the hurdle through another path that gave me the exact answer that I needed.. Anyway, if you are interested, please hit me up!
  11. Hello to all sifus Just started to learn the bone marrow cleansing form of qigong and trying to understand how many total forms are there to practice and which are considered to be important to practice? My intention is to first build up my qi in dantian, then learn to distribute it equally around my body. Would appreciate if anyone can provide a list with the name and purpose of each form as well.
  12. Qigong online suggestion

    Hi there, I lately discover Qigong and practicing Wim Hof Method I found the join very well together. I started on October a classroom training, but after few days it was stopped due the pandemic. So, I looked for an online course and watched the fundamental course of Lee Holden and liked a lot. Now I would like to go deep and I'm thinking if buying it's online course or look for someone different and would like your opinion. I found these and I will appreciate if someone that has followed them could tell me their opinion: -Lee Holden -White tiger -Lotus neigong -Videos of dr yang jwing-ming If you have other suggestion I will have a look.
  13. Moving Meditation

    As the title says, my main interest is mindful movement. The practice of melding the body and the mind. I’m a longtime yoga practitioner but would like to learn more about other mind/body forms of practice. Of course practice makes permanent a yoga teacher once to me. I need to move to bring calm and clarity to my mind.
  14. Hi all, hope someone can help me. I have bipolar one disorder, so I'm VERY open to energy and if I don't sleep this can lead to issues. I'm sleeping fine bar one occasion 2 weeks ago - I tried storing my sexual energy for 6 days, sleep got progressively worse as I went on, by day 6 I was getting around 1.5 hrs light sleep. So I gave up, and released the old fashioned way. So, I'm looking to try again. Do I need to move the energy around my body? Should I do qigong before bed? I'd prefer to just do meditation if possible, but nothing from Mantak Chia as he's a bit out of my range energy wise. Any advice would be much appreciated.
  15. Hi All!

    I've been practicing martial arts for about 30 years off and on and recently decided to put everything else on hold and focus on energy -- namely, cultivation, storing and utilizing qi. When I heard about this forum, I thought it would be a great place to find out what has worked for others. It's a long, lonely road and I figured that perhaps others may have stumbled upon ways to expedite the journey or somehow get more "bang for your qigong buck!" Through this forum, I'm hoping to get some new ideas and perspectives on energy work, make new friends and perhaps meet a few masters!
  16. Curious if anyone is family with this sexual qigong technique in Ken Cohens book "the way of qigong". The book states whilst standing in qigong stance with palms open on inner thighs, inhale clench fists raising palms to naval region whilst whilst trying to raise testicles upwards and inwards... My question is do you have to clench the perineum, I've found clenching the perineum or pulling the abdomen slightly inwards raises the testes.. The book doesn't elaborate.. Any feedback appreciated.. Dan
  17. Hello I am curious if anyone knows any good methods to loosen tight facial muscles specifically the eyebrows, and under the eyes. I sometimes have an issue where my right eye will become somewhat asymmetrical and I got the insight last night that it was due to my right eyebrow being too tense sometimes. which I never noticed but I can now obviously feel, like it's trying to compensate. I also got the insight that if I could get it all to relax and loosen up it might also fix my strange vision problem. So I'm going to attempt it. I've heard of the bates method, but I was wondering if there were TCM or Qigong specific methods or massages for it. Side note I developed a strange vision problem a few years ago where my eyes are still 20/20 and stumped the western specialists but they are slow to focus is all they could come up with, which makes artificial lighting and screens looks semi blurred and hard to read text. This all started 5 years ago when I started smoking Cannabis again and would look at tv screens for long periods playing video games. Also when I do smoke a good amount it sometimes makes the problem extremely noticeable. It also amplifies my ability to feel chi greatly since I started practicing as well, weird trade off. Thanks for the help or ideas.
  18. Experience with tcm - Not qi gong

    Greetings everyone. I am an experienced tcm practitioner here are some pictures of my herb garage: https://imgur.com/a/3M8MVCR And that is only a fraction of what I have in storage. I have tested almost 300 herbs in my body at this point. Not including mineral substances. I used tcm and herbs to completely occur extreme anxiety and psychosis that was ruining my life for years. Through this herbal journey I have become very very in tune with how different substances affect my body. At this point I can ingest herbs outside of the Chinese pharmacopoeia and with decent confidence say what their classical categorization would have been. The reason I am joining this forum is I want to add qi gong to my daily practice to enhance the energy manipulation I am achieving with herbs. Primarily I want to enhance kidney yin as that is the main deficiency I suffer from. Any classic routines for the enhancement of kidney yin?
  19. Discussion about the meaning and importance of emotional regulation in preserving good health and being a competent internal training practitioner. There are a few ways to formulate the seven emotions in terms of Classical Chinese Medicine so here are two good sources giving slightly different points of view. Please note that this is an issue of translation and interpretation: the basic theory connecting to the five element transformations and the respective organ systems is not changed. What Are The Seven Emotions? Suwen (The Book of Plain Questions) says "The five yin-organs of the human body produce five kinds of essential qi, which bring forth joy, anger, grief, worry, and fear." TCM also believes that certain organs are related to emotional activities, i.e. the heart is related to joy, the liver to anger, the spleen to pensiveness, the lungs to anxiety and the kidneys to fear. The emotions are considered the major internal causes of disease in TCM. Emotional activity is seen as a normal, internal, physiological response to stimuli from the external environment. Within normal limits, emotions cause no disease or weakness in the body. However, when emotions become so powerful that they become uncontrollable and overwhelm or possess a person, then they can cause serious injury to the internal organs and open the door to disease. It is not the intensity as much as the prolonged duration or an extreme emotion, which causes damage. While Western physicians tend to stress the psychological aspects of psychosomatic ailments, the pathological damage to the internal organs is very real indeed and is of primary concern of the TCM practitioner. Excess emotional activity causes severe yin-yang energy imbalances, wild aberrations in the flow of blood, qi (vital energy) blockages in the meridians and impairment of vital organ functions. Once physical damage has begun, it is insufficient to eliminate the offending emotion to affect a cure; the prolonged emotional stress will require physical action as well. The emotions represent different human reactions to certain stimuli and do not cause disease under normal conditions. 喜 Joy "When one is excessively joyful, the spirit scatters and can no longer be stored," states the Lingshu (The Vital Axis). However, in TCM, joy refers to a states of agitation or overexcitement, rather than the more passive notion of deep contentment. The organ most affected is the heart. Over-stimulation can lead to problems of heart fire connected with such symptoms as feelings of agitation, insomnia and palpitations. 怒 Anger Anger, as described by TCM, covers the full range of associated emotions including resentment, irritability, and frustration. An excess of rich blood makes one prone to anger. Anger will thus affect the liver, resulting in stagnation of liver qi (vital energy). This can lead to liver energy rising to the head, resulting in headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms. In the long run it can result in high blood pressure and can cause problems with the stomach and the spleen. It is commonly observed that ruddy, "full-blooded" people with flushed faces are more prone than others to sudden fits of rage at the slightest provocation. 憂 Anxiety "When one feels anxiety, the qi (vital energy) is blocked and does not move." Anxiety injures the lungs, which control qi (vital energy) through breathing. Common symptoms of extreme anxiety are retention of breath, shallow, and irregular breathing. The shortage of breath experienced during periods of anxiety is common to everyone. Anxiety also injures the lungs' coupled organ, the large intestine. For example, over-anxious people are prone to ulcerative colitis. 思 Pensiveness In TCM, pensiveness or concentration is considered to be the result of thinking too much or excessive mental and intellectual stimulation. Any activity that involves a lot of mental effort will run the risk of causing disharmony. The organ most directly at risk is the spleen. This can lead to a deficiency of spleen qi (vital energy), in turn causing worry and resulting in fatigue, lethargy, and inability to concentrate. 悲 Grief The lungs are more directly involved with this emotion. A normal and healthy expression of grief can be expressed as sobbing that originates in the depths of the lungs - deep breathes and the expulsion of air with the sob. However, grief that remains unresolved and becomes chronic can create disharmony in the lungs, weakening the lung qi (vital energy). This in turn can interfere with the lung's function of circulating qi (vital energy) around the body. 恐 Fear Fear is a normal and adaptive human emotion. But when it becomes chronic and when the perceived cause of the fear cannot be directly addressed, then this is likely to lead to disharmony. The organs most at risk are the kidneys. In cases of extreme fright, the kidney's ability to hold qi (vital energy) may be impaired leading to involuntary urination. This can be a particular problem with children. 驚 Fright Fright is another emotion not specifically related to only one organ. It is distinguished from fear by its sudden, unexpected nature. Fright primarily affects the heart, especially in the initial stages, but if it persists for some time, it becomes conscious fear and moves to the kidneys. Adapted and slightly edited from: http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/principles/sevenemotions.html The Seven Emotions and Qigong The seven human emotions, i.e. joy, anger, worry, anxiety, sorrow, fear, and terror are normal phenomena of life activities which do not induce diseases under normal circumstances. However, abnormal fluctuations in the “seven emotions” may directly affect he functions of the viscera, disturb the circulation of blood and Qi, and thus cause diseases. Being affected by these emotions, the exerciser of Health Qigong will not be able to enter a peaceful and calm state free of distracting thoughts. And the results of the exercise will be naturally affected. It is believed in theories of the traditional Chinese medicine that: “Anger impairs the liver, joy impairs the heart, worry impairs the spleen, sorrow impairs the lungs, and terror impairs the kidneys.” Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Su Wen: Ju Tong Lun says: “Rage drives Qi upward, overjoy slackens Qi, excessive sorrow consumes Qi, terror collapses Qi, …… and anxiety causes Qi stagnation”. All of these have indicated that the excessive and over-excited “seven emotions” will impair the mental and physical health of man to certain extents. Joy is an embodiment of the happy and delighted mind. Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Su Wen: Ju Tong Lun says: “Joy will harmonize Qi and facilitate both nutrient and defensive Qi.” But over-joy will impair the cardiac Qi, just as Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Ling Shu: Ben Shen says: “The spirit should be hidden and kept from being lost during joy”, indicating that excessive joy will impair the mind. The heart is the core, commander, and grand master of all the five Zang viscera. It is the key to the health of the body. By practicing Health Qigong, we can regulate the blood-pumping function of the heart and enrich cardiac Qi. Anger is an embodiment of agitated emotion of man. People get angry and furious when they are discontent and unsatisfied. Generally speaking, proper expression of emotions is important for maintaining the physiological equilibrium of the human body. But persistent rage, fury, and gloominess will cause negative effects on the organism. Gloominess impairs the liver and upheaves liver Qi. Blood will ascend with the upward invasion of liver Qi, congesting the brain and causing discomfort of the body. This will lead to headaches, cerebral distension, hypochondriac pains, chest distress, dry eye syndrome, and even critical symptoms such as faint, hematemesis, and shock. Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Su Wen: Ju Tong Lun says: “All diseases originate from Qi…… Anger will cause adverse rising of Qi and even hematemesis or diarrhea”. Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Su Wen: Sheng Qi Tong Tian Lun says: “Excessive anger leads to segregation of QI from the configuration; and blood stagnating in the upper part of the body will cause raged syncope.” The liver controls dispersion and blood storage. It facilitates the functional activities of Qi throughout the body, keeps unobstructed circulation of Qi in the channels of all viscera, stores blood, transports blood, and regulates and controls the blood supply for various parts of the body. Worry means something or someone that causes anxiety. Excessive worries will have negative effects on the organism, impede the movements of Qi, and cause Qi stagnation. It is believed in traditional Chinese medicine that: “anxiety causes Qi stagnation”. It was said in ancient times that: “When the shape is not straight, Qi will not move smoothly. When Qi does not move smoothly, the mind will not be at ease. When the mind is not at ease, spirit will be scattered”, indicating that obstructed circulation of Qi has a direct influence on the spirit of man. Excessive worries will lead to obscure complexion in the spleen and stomach, dyspepsia, insomnia and dreaminess, dizziness, and many other symptoms. Sorrow (depression) is the embodiment of sadness and depression. Excessive sorrow will impair the pulmonary Qi and cause short breath, just as Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Ling Shu: Ben Shen says: “sorrow will block Qi and hamper its circulation” and “deficient pulmonary Qi will cause nasal obstruction and asthenia Qi”. Fear (terror) is the embodiment of apprehensive and fright. Excessive terror will impair the kidneys and cause chaotic Qi in the viscera. Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: Su Wen: Ju Tong Lun says: “Terror collapses Qi……Terror disorders Qi”. To sum up, all “seven emotions” have important connections with the internal organs of the human body. The “seven emotions” are normal emotional signs of man and do not induce diseases under normal circumstances. And they actually play an important role in maintaining the normal physiological functions of the human body. But over-excitation which exceeds the normal range of regulation of the human body will result in diseases. Exercises of Health Qigong are mainly featured by: Body regulation, breath regulation, and mind regulation. Body regulation is the basis for breath regulation and mind regulation, while mind regulation is the core of the “Three Regulations”. It provides good regulating effects on all the viscera. Therefore the “Three Regulations” have very good influencing, regulating, and controlling effects on the mental state and temperament of man. And the emotional changes of the “seven emotions” will in turn influence the results of Health Qigong exercise. Therefore it is of great importance and value to learn the “seven emotions” and maintain a normal state of the “seven emotions” during the practice of Health Qigong. By doing so we can gradually replenish the “three treasures” of body (essence, Qi, and spirit) to achieve sufficient essence, abundant Qi, and complete spirit and thus truly understand the essentials of health preservation, disease prevention, and body-building. Adapted from here (original source isn't available anymore): https://neigong.net/2011/09/26/the-seven-emotions-and-qigong/
  20. Calligraphy as Cultivation

    Does anyone practice calligraphy as cultivation or have more information about it? I came across the following book description which some of you might find interesting:
  21. nerdyapple

    Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I want to share a very interesting book that I read recently. It's called China's Super Psychics, written by Paul Dong. Not sure whether you guys have heard of it or not. The author is a Qigong master himself, in this book he tells some really interesting stories about the Qigong fever in China in the 1980s. In one chapter, he even introduces a way to open "heavenly eyes", he says most people can achieve this with 4 months' practice. I'm impressed by one of the conclusions in the book, ie. Qigong practice has a strong relation to ESP abilities. The healing power of Qi is also real. He also mentions "bi gu" (Chinese fasting), it's basically an advanced form of Qigong. Basically, human beings can survive on Qi by practicing Qigong. I know some theories in Daoism also prove this. I'm still learning about these subjects and doing some research in my free time. Btw, I find this website has some instructional books on Qigong that seem legit. Also, here's an interesting released document on Qigong. I'm very happy to find this great forum. Hope to make some friends here!
  22. Buzzing in forehead

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  23. Hello, Dao Bums! I would like to know if anyone can recommend a specialist or practitioner of Traditional Chinese medicine able to help with Qigong deviations, ideally someone in Central Florida or not far from it. The person in question is a Chinese female in her mid-50s with no previous history of mental illness. She learned qigong on her own without a teacher, and began forcefully and obsessively directing Qi into her head in an effort to develop psychic abilities. I believe she also mixed in Maya Fiennes' Kundalini Yoga videos. After many months or perhaps a year of this, she had the first of several psychotic episodes, and began hallucinating a voice. During these episodes, her body became very hot, rigid, and her skin very flushed, and she would make rapid jerking or shaking motions. Her behavior has been stable over a year, but she still hears the voice constantly, and says she feels 'bad Qi' moving around in the left side of her head. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
  24. Hello, I am new to qigong. I can't find a good teacher in my area so I am exploring online video courses. I started Damo Mitchell's online course on vimeo, for beginners. I am really confused about the basic standing position, more exactly - the knees. Should they be perpendicular to the ground? Like, from the ground to the knees, there is a straight line up? I am looking to learn just from video resources, but I want to have a 100% correct posture.
  25. Hello, I am new on this forum! I don't know much about Daoism or Qigong, I was pointed towards these practices due to some of my interests and areas of improvement that I'm pursuing at this moment. I started with buddhist meditation some years ago (basically following the breath at the tip of the nose), at some point I developed strong sensations on my face and involuntary body movements which hindered my practice. I couldn't find much information in this regard from buddhist sources so people pointed my towards Qigong. I have body rigidity and lack of good sleep that hinder me when trying to pursue different physical activities. Some Qigong practices also seemed useful to improve in those areas. I have started practicing for a few weeks exercises from Damo Michell's book "Daoist Nei Gong", mostly the 8 Ji Ben Qi Gong exercises detailed in the book and the Sung Breathing exercise. I had a lot of success regarding my body rigidity issues, specially with the Sung Breathing exercise, I got many involuntary movements that have slowly untangled some rigid parts of my back, and released my spine in points that seemed too rigid. But I haven't had much success regarding the blockage issues on my face that hinder my meditation. I got some recommendations for Zhan Zhuang and some other "grounding" practices, but they don't seem to do much to reduce the tension and even strengthen it in some sitiations. Would be interested in learning from this forum more about other people's practices and possible methods that could help improve my meditation. Looking forward to participating in this forum and learning from other people!