I have a kind of problem with the Qi Gung training I got in the past. Basically, from what I have read and seen, what I was taught in the past such as pushing hands and the like, I shouldnt have been doing yet. The instructor was going beyond where I should have been. I have only been training since April. I started talking to a co-worker and he was surprised that I was doing such advanced stuff. So I got a few books that came highly recommended and started training over, Back to basics. I was curious if their is somewhere out there to find good instructors for internal arts. I have tried looking but NW Arkansas just doesnt offer anything. Also, any advice moving forward is welcome. I can move my Qi, but I apparently started doing it too soon. Like I said, I am back to the basics with still meditation of just building in my dan tien and working back up. My moving training (sorry I dont have all the terms memorized) is also back to basics as well. I have seen a few posts similiar but not totally addressing these questions, so just looking for new advice. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Highlander, Can you please give more b/g on your studies and what exactly you are doing??? I cannot figure out what you mean by "starting over" and "advanced techs" unless you describe them. Some Qigong techs are "advanced" to other schools but fairly rudimentary to others, it depends on the teacher. There is also the case that some Qigong Techs. start out fairly "low level" but progressively advance. So even though you are practicing an "advanced tech." you really aren't as you are still beginning. This would be akin to say single whip in Tai Chi is an advanced tech. b/c well to an extent it is, but as you are beginning it really is not. Can you give more in depth info on what you are practicing and why???
Hi Highlander, In my experience, it is perfectly OK to do push hands/QiGong/NeiGong from the first lesson. Because it is only possible to do what you are capable of, it really doesnt matter if you are introduced to 'advanced' things early. As you are able to move Qi, it is OK for you to be taught push hands and Qi Gong. I was constantly taught 'above my level' and as I neared the level of instruction, it was 'upped'. This is, imo, the best way to learn. I am currantly being asked to teach that way. Every school and teacher has different ways to teach, which is where confusion and concern can creep in.
What book is it? How is it helping you start over? So, your a beginner and this other person is automatically a master well hum! You really can't learn to differentiate the levels of Qigong from a book! Review what you want not what others think is important! The thing that makes a person advanced at a specific thing whether it be Qigong or what, is learning than creating wisdom from what they learned! Wisdom is acting at the correct time with out tension! Do not ever think because someone has been at something longer than you that what you do is wrong! What you learn about Qigong is yours alone! Other words don't let someone else tell you what to do, it sounds like they know very little about Qigong. When people do this they often are trying to proclaim themselves as the source of knowledge. Just ignore them. Losing focus is what will do more harm than good! Stay focused!
Ok, I will try and answer all the questions. The book I am currently using is QiGong for Health and Martial arts. Some of what I have learned in the past, in addition to pushing hands, was mainly making energy balls and manipulating them, holding my hands out in front of me for extended time to promote Chi flow, and some Baqua (probably incorrect spelling) walking a circle carrying a heavy ball or weight. I also learned, somewhat, how to heal minor injuries like muscle aches, which has served me well with a pregnant wife. The things I didnt find was that I needed to be doing the sitting meditation as much as the motion. I also came to find that sitting can be done 3x a day, which over the last 2 weeks has made a huge difference. I guess thats what I meant by starting over. I created a new plan to move forward that has helped me a lot My Basic plan: sitting med in morning for 30-40 min Midday Moving meditation for 30-40 min and sitting meditation for the same evening 30-40 min sitting before bed. I hope this helps to answer the questions asked of me. I also hope it will give anyone some suggestions for me. Thanks
Highlander, I agree with CarysB and SnR, you have to maintain focus and not pay attention to others. There are many different Qigong's out there and just b/c you do something different or in a different order does not make it wrong. However, on this same note you also have to be careful when doing certain aspects of Qigong as it can be harmful, both to you and if you are doing healing, the patient. You can cause unknown harm to people if you are doing Qigong healing, by not first and foremost building your own foundation and knowledge. This is similar to a brain surgeon performing surgeries w/o a fair amount of education. I am unfamiliar with the book you speak of and unfamiliar with what it's ideas of practice are. Also you mention you meditate (a lot!) but what are you doing during that time? Visualizations? Just sitting? Breathing Techs? The more specific the better. Also I would personally recommend you balance out so much Yin (meditation) with some Yang activities (more strenous MA, working out, anything physical). Too much Yin is harmful as well. If you have previous exp. with a good teacher I recommend that you keep doing what they taught you. If you keep practicing what you already know and not "forcing it" to move on you will do fine. EDIT: After reading your post, can you clarify what you consider to be Qigong?? It seems you are mentioning push hands as a form of Qigong and this typically is not the case. Thanks highlander!
Well that is about what i do. Meditate early mid day than when i get ready for sleep. Some people do not even try to do that much meditation Highlander124. It is just suggested to help maintain emotional control. More mediation allows you to stay calmer. You know less anger, and fluctuation of emotions. This will cause you to drop some self improving energy. Like when you get angry! I also don't time my meditation.
Don't forget the stretching. Flexibility and potential qigong ability are intimately linked. Look at Yogis. Qigong exercise that also stretch you are even better when possible, but just doing a lot of good stretching of all types will speed up qigong progress a lot. Probably the ideal position for meditation is the full lotus, but your hips have to be very flexible to sit in it comfortably for extended periods.
I think that this is good advice (except that I don't do the sitting meditation so can't comment on that). Of course IMO zhan zhuang is standing meditation. The idea from my perspective is to learn to become aware of the whole body at the same time and the structural relationship between parts of the whole, the processs for which is of meditating awareness (the end result is it any different really than Buddhistic awareness meditation achieving a quiet mind? Or more likely to be tolerant of a noisey one ). Another tool that I find helps me in my quest to realise integrated movement is the Bagua (& also Xingyi) practice of circle walking. I do it the Xingyi way with the natural step while observing the principles of structural integrity, balance and our relationship to the force of gravity. The edit: Also meant to imply that I consider the above to be Qigong or I think the more correct terminology is Neigong? Cheers.
The distinction between qigong and neigong is splitting hairs. If it's exercises designed to work with the qi, it's qigong, if not, it's something else. In pre-modern china, neither term existed. They referred to it as "guiding and leading," "cultivating the blood and breath," "cultivating the energy," "internal alchemy" and so on.
Thanks Onyomi. Just to be clear, I was not criticizing the use of the term throughout the thread, but merely trying to be specific with my own descriptions.
I had my PC disconnected for a day because the wife has decided, less than a week before having labor induced, that she wanted to rearrange EVERYTHING. Including a new desk for the PC and the old one had to be out RIGHT NOW. So sorry for my dely in replying. I do still excersize. I have private Kung Fu lessons 2x a week and ride my mountain bike at least once a week. I also do the standing meditation as well once a day, although the last few days time for that has been limited. I must say I had never heard of the stretching part. I do some at my lessons, but very little at home. I will start working that tomorrow. As far as the healing part, I do it rarely and imagine it will stop after the baby gets here. I probably should do more research on it, but there is no longer anyone in the area to train from, so it makes it rough. Thanks again for all the suggestions. It was a lifelong dream to study martial arts but until recently I had been unable to. So all of this is new to me and I greatly appreciate the help.
The alchemist Ko Hung wrote about wai tan and nei tan in 320 A.D and at that time it was considered an ancient art. Qi gong, Wai tan and Nei tan are not the same. Wai tan and Nei tan practitioners were trying to make an elixir to prolong life. They usually talk in terms of metals and confusing secretive language much like the western alchimists. To be more specific the Wai tan practitioners where trying to forge the pill of immortality outside their bodys whilst the nei tan were trying to use their internal qi etc and transmute it into an elixir ie they use qi as a raw ingredient but try to change it into higher forms. They wish to transmute jing using the force of yin and yang Qi. Qi gong is just about circulating, storing and projecting Qi but dose not involve transmuting it. People today use the term incorrectly, if you say you practice neigong you are basically saying you practice alchemy.
If you want to make those distinctions then that is your prerogative, but like I said, you're splitting hairs. I know that in some cases the "waidan" stands in contrast to the "neidan," as the physical pill brewed with alchemy (like in a pot) as opposed to the internal "pill of imortality" you create in your abdomen. However, within qigong the term "neidan" is also sometimes used to refer to the "true dantian" as opposed to the "lower dantian." The "true" or "internal" dan is more in the direct center of the body, a bit lower than the "lower" or "false" dantian. The term qigong doesn't appear in premodern texts. They use a variety of terms like 'tuna,' 'xiu xieqi,' 'yin qi' and so on. Thus qigong, as a modern term, can be applied broadly to mean any practice that involves working with the internal energy of the body. The idea that there's one type of qigong just for regular old qigong and another for "internal alchemy" is also confused. When your qigong reaches a higher level it can be said to be 'internal alchemy.' It all works together.
