qigung

Master Chang is getting eager to promote his qigung since he and his master are the only two people in this world have ever learned the whole thing of their system.
I understand his anxiety but not much I can help. I tried to figure out how he feels about teaching us: Analyzing Dickens to a bunch of people who hardly memorize the 26 letters of English.

Qigung is the basis of any martial art, and in modern time, it has been developed into diversified methods to improve health. Qiqung can be generally categorized as two: one is to exercise Qi with Will, one is to exercise Qi spontaneously. The later is called Spontaneous Qiqung. It happens when the state of your brain is between awake and asleep. The Qi of your body will find the ill parts of your body and heal them by shaking, rotating, swaying, any possible involuntary movements your body is able to endure. But Spontaneous Qiqung has hazards; if the ending movement is not complete, one might feel sick or dizzy until it is made up next time. Another risk is, it's said, that some people had been possessed during practicing Spantaneous Qigung.

Exercising Qi with Will is encouraged since it almost has not any side-effect. I said "almost" because some martial art genius might gone crazy if he/she has evil thoughts, but don't worry, you and me are far away from there.

Any movement of Qigung is to help your Qi to flow as you wish, and you can move the flows simply by thinking without moving. Concentration is the first thing, and it is the most challenging part as it requires you to get rid of all unrelated thoughts. Nevertheless, your attempt to do it is the first step of improving your body and mind.

 Image is from:
http://bloomerang.wordpress.com/2006/08/23/meditation-quit-eluding-me-me-quit-eluding-meditation/

It has been one and half years since I started Qigung classes and I do feel benefited by it. The most obvious phenomenon is that my Dan Tien(about 10cm below belly bottom) gets hot easily.

When I just started learning Qigung I felt funny whenever our master said: "Breathe your Qi back to Dan Tien." It was so much like magic to me and the best I could do was to "think" that my breathes were going back there. Our master did not teach us martial art until one year later, and all the movements for cultivating and controlling Qi don't look cool or real at all. But hey, your thoughts will lead Qi! Now I'd have my Dan Tien maintain hot merely by thinking, and it feels so good.

The image is from http://study.qmvip.com/236/122664.html

A sensational story of a teenage girl in French Indochina and her affair with a Chinese man as a social oddity not only because of the difference between their ages but also the bizarre social status of a wealthy Chinese man and a destitute French girl. Based on her own childhood experience in Vietnam, Duras however did not complete this story until she turned 60 years old when she already recognized as a great writer globally.

A novel wittingly tells about the path taken by the depressed wife of a successful doctor and by the way talks about the controversial Indian meditating camps extremely fascinating to westerners. Updike, one of the most eminent contemporary writers in the US, is admired by his humor that does not compromise his academic achievement.

Herman Melville did write something other than sailing. Very funny story, very insightful mind.........

This short story is like a fable, it presents the consequence due to the protagonist's obsession of perfection.........

In the ugliness of war, a naive young man finally understands that glory, honor or sacrifice are empty words. Everyone in a war is trapped in advances without strategies, retreats without dignity and valor without reason.

Ernest Hemingway received Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and Nobel Prize of Literature in 1954.

An audacious plot of history that is constituted largely by selfishness of human beings.......

Doris Lessing is the 2007 Nobel Prize Literature Laureate.

Not until the robin perches on a high branch
does it realize that
it has flied too high.
Unanticipatedly, it begins to miss
the dew on the grass
down to the earth......

When the seed of inequality is planted in a society, then everyone, black or white, high or low, rich or poor, is destined to be victimized.

J.M. Coetzee is the 1999 Nobel Prize Recipient of Literature.

With very complicated feelings to black people, with the past American historical incidents of slavery and civil war haunting in their lives throughout the first half of the 19th century, Faulkner marvelously wrote the lives of low people in the South. One hardly images it's the mistakes they made, the crimes they committed and the stupidity they have borne throughout their lives constitute this "Masterpiece".

William Faulkner was the Nobel Laureate of 1949.

I bought a book " The Hills Beyond" by accident a couple of years ago and got to know this novelist who died much too young(1900~1938). "The Hills Beyond" was published by Wolfe's editor after he perished. Wolfe was a very talented and hard working writer who wrote about broad topics, some are quite sad, some are very brilliant. The same figures would turn up in different stories to complete a long story that unfolds throughout several decades. Readers would grow up with his personages and laugh and tear with them.
The achievement Wolfe has reached is far beyond his too short life, one would be deeply touched by his extraordinary novels and his devotion to writing.

Believe, before seeing God's deeds
Fly, before grown full-fledged
Love, before being in love

Miracle is your name and ever shall be.

Imagining autumn in summer,
imagining daytime in the night.

Longing for hills at sea,
longing for ocean in the land.

The surface sinks,
the hidden emerges.

The past is the future,
the future has gone passed.
For we've always left something behind and been
left behind...

Unlike the romantic movie, this book is actually a witty, sarcastic story about the pretensious Victorian people.

Virginia Woolf's very exciting story, smart and sardonic writing.............
"Orlando" was dedicated to Woolf's lover Vita and the personage of Orlando was greatly based on her. As a female writer and a lesbian in her time, Woolf has been deemed as an icon by many feminists, however, her works have transcended such issues. The brilliant writing with unparalleled imagination brings pure pleasure of literature.

Very enjoyable reading.........

Getting Qi to Dantien is a fundamental step of Qi Gung. It is important because, according to Master Chang, our Yuan Qi dispersed from our Dantien as our umbilical cord was cut after our birth.

There are many way to get our Qi back to it, such as rubbing your underbelly clockwise and counterclockwise alternatively. As you're rubbing it, try to feel that you are absorbing the heat from your palms to your Dantien through breathing. Note that your palms must be warm, if they are not, rub your hands first to get Qi in your palms.

This is especially helpful for women suffering from uncomfortableness during period because the position of Dantien happens to be uterus.

About Yuan Qi, please refer my earlier message "More about The Adagio of Qi" below.

Getting your Qi to run through your torso is the most important step of Qi Gung learning. The circulation of Qi feels like a warm flow passing, and one is supposed to be able to control Qi's circulation through a lot of practice and great concentration. As the picture shows, the Meridian on our back is called Du and on our front is called Ren. As the Qi goes through them, our central nervous system, heart, lungs, spleen, liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines and bladder will be adjusted and refreshed.

We are taught a lot of ways to help open up these two meridians and in fact, meditation is also one way to get there.

Practicing Qi Gung one needs a lot of trust, trust this antiquated wisdom not yet proved scientifically, trust your own body and trust the power of Qi.