Why do you practice?

[Old Man Contradiction]

Do you simply want a happy life?

Do you want to push yourself to beyond your limits and into mastery?

Do you seek a naturally healthy body?

Do you want to be the best you can be?

Why do you practice?

 

I practice in order to be the best I can be. This intense training in the style of i-chuan has been the most challenging, painful physically and mentally, than anything else I've seen. I feel I have a once in a lifetime opportunity to train with someone as skilled and experienced as my Sifu. In a way, I am training to master the art and make it my own. A creative task that as of yet is undeveloped, but one that my Sifu encourages. In truer terms, I am pushing to be my own best. The daily burning pain, profuse sweating, and shaky legs is worth it.

 

Post the reason that you train, and what exactly you train, whether it's qigong, taichi, i-chuan, yoga, meditation etc...

 

thank you and I hope this is a good thread.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Old Man Contradiction

[sheng zhen]

I practice because I love it.

[Mal]

Because at university I finally realized that while I was never going to be a great jazz musician, I was well on my way to dying as an unknown fat musician.

 

So I stopped practicing saxophone and dedicated that time to learning Tai Chi and Kung Fu.

 

Eventually I hope to be able to give something back to society by teaching the above to others.

[3bob]

because only Spirit can truly satisfy Spirit

[Eric23]

I couldn't stand myself before. Very tight, very up-tight, made mountains out of molehills. I do yin yoga, Unwinding the Belly style chi nei tsang, chanting OM and some sitting. Now that I'm doing the practice, I realize that I do it because because it's simply what I do. I'm finding life much more agreeable as well.

[Aetherous]

Enlightenment, healing self and others, becoming a better person, exploring this life.

[suninmyeyes]

its relaxing, interesting and i love it.

[awake]

at this point i practice just to be. the more it is for something, the less it seems like practice to me.

 

of course what is it to be, well to me, at this point it is to feel and observe, and all things that my life requires of me

 

as for me, since i learned about practice and all its different methods, it became very clear to me it was not something i sat and did 25 minutes once or twice a day, but it was the "substance" of all my life, and ihave approached it as thus to my best ability

 

i also agree with scotty. to explore. i could not have imagined what has happened "as a result of" practice, so its clear any of my expectations would just be wrong. "the map is not the territory"

Edited January 5, 2010 by awake

[NeiChuan]

Cause I choose to.

[Aria]

To allow myself to blossom. To acheive freedom. To relax. To allow my energy to move. To one day share my knowledge I learn with others.

 

<3

[Sloppy Zhang]

To get psychic powers.

[That Guy]

I want the truth, if possible the ultimate truth of existence. And and I want to know it to be the truth, rather than just be told that it is the truth by a master or text.

[Birch]

Because I'm a geek and I like to tweak;-)

 

In all seriousness:

- deepening my understanding of the interplay of our minds/bodies/souls,

- finding safe still harbor in the midst of an otherwise whacked-out worldview

- healing my own hurts in mind/body/soul

- prevention of future suffering

- finding the right way to act and be kind towards myself and others

- discovering that the weird shit I've been experiencing most of my life and more recently is no big deal ;-)

- finding the joy of play and imagination again

 

I've thought about intensely training to be an actual master of something like qi-gong but I think it's probably a better thing that I be in a more conventional life-role while doing it. Potentially just as helpful for a lot more people than those who would seek out a "master." Besides I figure I'd need a lot of training before I can make actual energetic inroads that would be useful for anyone.

[Lucky7Strikes]

I want the truth, if possible the ultimate truth of existence. And and I want to know it to be the truth, rather than just be told that it is the truth by a master or text.

 

_/\_

[King Kabalabhati]

I found SFQ and am now motivated doing about 1 hour daily.. because it seems to be very effective in healing emotional pain and opening the channels. I wish to be healthy and happy.. Love to spread the healing around.. And of course, whatever skills/experiences/attributes come with prolonged practice is just welcome extra something.

Edited February 4, 2010 by King Kabalabhati

[Guest C Yu C He Taiji]

Because I want to know my true self.

[IMPERIAGO]

Originaly, to learn how to cripple & kill with the least amount of effort . Then, to command spirits to do my bidding . Then, to restore health, sanity & willpower . Then, to be absorbed into the supreme origin of origins, if you will.

Later, all of the above.

 

Now, just the divine union-and everything else to give myself something to do along the way .

Edited February 4, 2010 by IMPERIAGO

[soaring crane]

I honestly can't explain it. I if could really identify the why, then I think it would move further away from me.

[Athanor]

I have an illness which limits my life quite much, so my main purpose is to get healthy again. Everything I practice primarily serves this goal.

A less direct reason of practice is to be able to show and teach others whatever I know. Learning from my own experience, if I can reach a higher quality of living, a higher degree of health and balance, then this knowledge can be worth sharing with others.

[sabretooth]

To become Darth Vader.

 

 

sabretooth.

[Mokona]

I practiced because of the people I meet, and the enjoyment I get from practicing, and besides cool shtuff keeps happening!

[steve]

I practice because I haven't gotten it right yet...

[fizix]

I practice because I believe Taoism is the Path nature intended humans to take, humans just hate believing theyre not above nature.

[rex]

To live with greater happiness and die with better hope.

Edited February 8, 2010 by rex

[Chitoryu]

""In all seriousness:

- deepening my understanding of the interplay of our minds/bodies/souls,

- finding safe still harbor in the midst of an otherwise whacked-out worldview

- healing my own hurts in mind/body/soul

- prevention of future suffering

- finding the right way to act and be kind towards myself and others

- discovering that the weird shit I've been experiencing most of my life and more recently is no big deal ;-)

- finding the joy of play and imagination again""

 

A nice summary for me. I was tired of all the alpha dog BS. Someone I know, without knowing, taught me the concepts because they just 'worked the issue' and maintained their core, no matter if it was work or their personally life. With retro 20 20 vision, they had discovered their own Tao and Chi and started me on the journey.