The 100 day mark of my Taoist Cultivation passed a week ago, and lemme tell ya:
Semi-Fail.
I mean, give me a break here. I'm an entry-level urban monk. I got work, I got a medical "masters" program, I got a grieving mom, a wife and a toddler, all of which require my undivided attention (which puts this Taoist endeavor of mine often on the backburner). I'm not making any excuses... however, those are pretty darn good ones if you ask me. And if you want me to itemize every hour of my day, I'll be happy to oblige.
However, it wasn't a complete fail. Here's what happened:
1. I cultivated MOST of the 100 days, I'd say about 75 days, and for at least 30 - 90 minutes a day of both active movement cultivation and quiet sitting.
2. I was able to cut my cravings for food and cigarettes immensely, dropping 7 lbs with the diet change and light exercise.
3. I'm slowly becoming more in tune with the subtleties of life (that's where the sense of reality is starting to shift)
4. I'm more calm and collected, experiencing less anger, anxiety and depression
5. I'm able to project Qi to patients for medical purposes
Those are my changes after 100 days of Taoist Cultivation. Let's do another 100.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Cultivation of Stillness
Here's an excerpt from an esoteric classic of Taoist scripture of which I will remain nameless for absolutely no reason at all, but enjoy:
"During the twelve double-hours of the day,
Constantly seek clarity and stillness.
The numinous tower of the heart emptied of all things:
This is called clarity.
Not allowing even a single thought to arise:
This is called stillness.
The body is the dwelling place of qi.
The heart is the residence of the spirit.
When intent moves, spirit is agitated;
When spirit is agitated, qi is dispersed.
When the intent is stable, spirit remains fixed;
When spirit remains fixed; qi gathers.
The perfect qi of the Five Phases
Then gathers together and forms a pinch of elixir."
It's interesting to find that the esoteric Taoist practice of achieving immortality is in line with the style of qigong I'm currently learning.
"During the twelve double-hours of the day,
Constantly seek clarity and stillness.
The numinous tower of the heart emptied of all things:
This is called clarity.
Not allowing even a single thought to arise:
This is called stillness.
The body is the dwelling place of qi.
The heart is the residence of the spirit.
When intent moves, spirit is agitated;
When spirit is agitated, qi is dispersed.
When the intent is stable, spirit remains fixed;
When spirit remains fixed; qi gathers.
The perfect qi of the Five Phases
Then gathers together and forms a pinch of elixir."
It's interesting to find that the esoteric Taoist practice of achieving immortality is in line with the style of qigong I'm currently learning.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monk-iness
It's hard being an Entry Level Urban Taoist Monk. See, I live in the CITY of Chicago, Illinois (almost 100% of suburbanites say they're from Chicago, but don't live in the city, and yes, there's a huge difference, but that's another story)... oh here we go, another driver thinking their car horn is my neighbor's doorbell. It's fucking annoying, and you'd think people would use their cell phones instead of irritating the entire block.
See, there you go. Much of the challenge of being an Urban Monk is dealing with that sort of thing. The overwhelming stimuli, the appropriate responses (many times involving cussing and sarcasm) and the overall busy-ness of living in the heart of a densely populated city. And in my neighborhood... it's a culturally diverse area, where over 60 languages are spoken (according to a local 2003 report) within a gigantic variety of cultures (I, myself, being an American-born Asian). So people all around the world, from Schaumburg to Sweden, bring both their brilliance and their bullshit here.
My point is, and I do have one, is that - sure, I can probably uproot my entire family and move to some granola town, or move in with Michael Winn in his cushy little area in the Carolinas or someplace nice and serene... but number one, that would be selfish of me. And number two, I'd consider that escapism.
I've seen documentaries on monks leaving their loved ones and living in the woods to meditate for the rest of their lives. If they're fine with doing that to their families (some who have wives and kids), then that's fine. But I couldn't do that to my wife and little boy. So I'm gonna have to grin and bear it right here, smack dab in the heart of the third largest city in the United States.
I tend to think that reaching enlightenment, cultivating the Three Treasures, cultivating stillness and returning to the Wu Ji are quite difficult, even if you're in a peaceful environment... but not as hard as trying to do it in my neighborhood, boy. Try quieting your mind when you got people constantly honking their horns, blasting hip hop or mariachi music, and especially in the summer time when the gangbangers are out making noise, dealing drugs and looking at you threateningly. So imagine the irritation, anger and fear that I encounter on a daily basis. It can get pretty intense.
Well you know what, if you can achieve stillness and serenity amongst all that, then achieving it in a cushy Taoist retreat would be relatively easy to say the absolute least. In a Taoist retreat, I wouldn't have to worry about getting knifed or shot to death for wearing a certain color.
But again, I'm not one to escape. What I do is IN-ternal cultivation. I work with-IN my own natural dwelling, which is with-IN the city, with-IN the Matrix, and with-IN the beauty AND ugliness of human society.
Yes, it's hard being an Urban Monk, but I gladly accept the challenge.
See, there you go. Much of the challenge of being an Urban Monk is dealing with that sort of thing. The overwhelming stimuli, the appropriate responses (many times involving cussing and sarcasm) and the overall busy-ness of living in the heart of a densely populated city. And in my neighborhood... it's a culturally diverse area, where over 60 languages are spoken (according to a local 2003 report) within a gigantic variety of cultures (I, myself, being an American-born Asian). So people all around the world, from Schaumburg to Sweden, bring both their brilliance and their bullshit here.
My point is, and I do have one, is that - sure, I can probably uproot my entire family and move to some granola town, or move in with Michael Winn in his cushy little area in the Carolinas or someplace nice and serene... but number one, that would be selfish of me. And number two, I'd consider that escapism.
I've seen documentaries on monks leaving their loved ones and living in the woods to meditate for the rest of their lives. If they're fine with doing that to their families (some who have wives and kids), then that's fine. But I couldn't do that to my wife and little boy. So I'm gonna have to grin and bear it right here, smack dab in the heart of the third largest city in the United States.
I tend to think that reaching enlightenment, cultivating the Three Treasures, cultivating stillness and returning to the Wu Ji are quite difficult, even if you're in a peaceful environment... but not as hard as trying to do it in my neighborhood, boy. Try quieting your mind when you got people constantly honking their horns, blasting hip hop or mariachi music, and especially in the summer time when the gangbangers are out making noise, dealing drugs and looking at you threateningly. So imagine the irritation, anger and fear that I encounter on a daily basis. It can get pretty intense.
Well you know what, if you can achieve stillness and serenity amongst all that, then achieving it in a cushy Taoist retreat would be relatively easy to say the absolute least. In a Taoist retreat, I wouldn't have to worry about getting knifed or shot to death for wearing a certain color.
But again, I'm not one to escape. What I do is IN-ternal cultivation. I work with-IN my own natural dwelling, which is with-IN the city, with-IN the Matrix, and with-IN the beauty AND ugliness of human society.
Yes, it's hard being an Urban Monk, but I gladly accept the challenge.
Monday, May 31, 2010
1000 Days - the plot thickens!
So I've taken up another Taoist challenge: I decided to go even deeper in my Taoist studies and take the plunge into religious Taoism. In other words, for the next 1000 days, I'm going to recite Taoist scripture and do some sitting/forgetting meditations, as well as my Qigong practice. This doesn't mean that my "100 days to internal alchemy" has been bumped, but definitely complimented.
I figured, I feel I have this gift of compassion (despite my indignation towards many - oh, the duality of my nature!) and willingness to help people medically and spiritually... so why not dedicate myself to reading scripture and meditating upon its meaning every day? Why not be more well versed so that people who just wanna try to "understand" can come to me?
I know that this is gonna take even more responsibility on top of TCM school, Qigong, work, family and my favorite hobbies like music and skateboarding... but you know what... anything that's worthwhile is worth sacrificing for. And definitely know the priorities.
Also, this gives me an opportunity to not spend so much time on the internet, especially Facebook, Myspace and YouTube. That's my TV. I wasted soooo much time on that bullshit. So enough. I got the Tao Te Ching and Jade Emperor's Seal Classic to read, suckas!!!
I figured, I feel I have this gift of compassion (despite my indignation towards many - oh, the duality of my nature!) and willingness to help people medically and spiritually... so why not dedicate myself to reading scripture and meditating upon its meaning every day? Why not be more well versed so that people who just wanna try to "understand" can come to me?
I know that this is gonna take even more responsibility on top of TCM school, Qigong, work, family and my favorite hobbies like music and skateboarding... but you know what... anything that's worthwhile is worth sacrificing for. And definitely know the priorities.
Also, this gives me an opportunity to not spend so much time on the internet, especially Facebook, Myspace and YouTube. That's my TV. I wasted soooo much time on that bullshit. So enough. I got the Tao Te Ching and Jade Emperor's Seal Classic to read, suckas!!!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Day 57 - even MORE changes
The last 57 days have flown by so quickly that it's been a blur. However, in the last few weeks, I've been experiencing some major changes.
Basically, nothing has really changed in my workout regimen. However, my need to feel full every time I eat has been diminishing... but the big change is the frequency in which I eat. I've only really felt the need to eat a single meal every day. Not only that, but the meal is usually mainly greens and fruit, and very little grains/starch/bread.
What that means, is my meditations and Qigong regimen has really been helping me curb my appetite, yet have more than enough energy to workout and study throughout the day.
But the real changes were in my Qigong regimen. I was doing tree pose, microcosmic orbit and Tai Chi, but now I'm doing some simple movements to "play" with Qi, and doing quiet sitting cultivation. These techniques were introduced to me by a friend of mine who does Medical Qigong, and I find them far more powerful than the techniques I've done before, at least for me.
These techniques are called "Stillness-Movement," and are taught by an American Qigong master named Michael Lomax: http://qigongamerica.blogspot.com/
Just last weekend, a buddy of mine and I decided we were gonna take a trip to Indiana to learn more about Michael Lomax's techniques. The workshop was for 3 days, 2 days of learning some cultivation techniques, and the last day we learned how to apply our cultivation for healing others. Lemme tellya... when I first walked into the workshop and shook Michael Lomax's hand, it was incredible. I've never felt such an energetic presence like his before. It was like every cell of his being emits gamma rays of healing and compassion.
So naturally, I feel that his techniques really work for me and I can feel my vibrational level skyrocket when I'm done. I feel as if I'm as energetic as a beam of light, yet so relaxed that the world almost stands still.
That's interesting, because in Einstein's special theory of relativity, if you're riding on something going extremely fast (like a train), time becomes relatively slower. But if you're on a beam of light, time almost stands still. And that's what I've felt like. But I digress...
So yeah, while I was out there, (to make a long story short) I also came up with the idea start reading Taoist scripture every day, and be a true entry-level urban Taoist monk. I've been focusing on Qigong and school so much, I've been forgetting to study where it all came from.
Overall, I feel great so far. My wife is telling me that I look younger and certain stress lines in my face have diminished, like I've been reborn.
Basically, nothing has really changed in my workout regimen. However, my need to feel full every time I eat has been diminishing... but the big change is the frequency in which I eat. I've only really felt the need to eat a single meal every day. Not only that, but the meal is usually mainly greens and fruit, and very little grains/starch/bread.
What that means, is my meditations and Qigong regimen has really been helping me curb my appetite, yet have more than enough energy to workout and study throughout the day.
But the real changes were in my Qigong regimen. I was doing tree pose, microcosmic orbit and Tai Chi, but now I'm doing some simple movements to "play" with Qi, and doing quiet sitting cultivation. These techniques were introduced to me by a friend of mine who does Medical Qigong, and I find them far more powerful than the techniques I've done before, at least for me.
These techniques are called "Stillness-Movement," and are taught by an American Qigong master named Michael Lomax: http://qigongamerica.blogspot.com/
Just last weekend, a buddy of mine and I decided we were gonna take a trip to Indiana to learn more about Michael Lomax's techniques. The workshop was for 3 days, 2 days of learning some cultivation techniques, and the last day we learned how to apply our cultivation for healing others. Lemme tellya... when I first walked into the workshop and shook Michael Lomax's hand, it was incredible. I've never felt such an energetic presence like his before. It was like every cell of his being emits gamma rays of healing and compassion.
So naturally, I feel that his techniques really work for me and I can feel my vibrational level skyrocket when I'm done. I feel as if I'm as energetic as a beam of light, yet so relaxed that the world almost stands still.
That's interesting, because in Einstein's special theory of relativity, if you're riding on something going extremely fast (like a train), time becomes relatively slower. But if you're on a beam of light, time almost stands still. And that's what I've felt like. But I digress...
So yeah, while I was out there, (to make a long story short) I also came up with the idea start reading Taoist scripture every day, and be a true entry-level urban Taoist monk. I've been focusing on Qigong and school so much, I've been forgetting to study where it all came from.
Overall, I feel great so far. My wife is telling me that I look younger and certain stress lines in my face have diminished, like I've been reborn.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Qigong
You know... I'd have to be honest. I haven't been religious about my practicing of Qigong. For the last 2 weeks, I've been studying for midterms till late at night, causing me to sleep in until my son wakes up. Lemme tellya, it's pretty darn hard to supervise a 2 year old while trying to get into a meditative state. So yeah, now that midterms are over, I can get back on the horse.
As far as diet is concerned... again, I'd have to be honest, I haven't really been a good boy. But since the last entry, I've changed a bit. I probably lost a good 3-4 pounds, be it just water weight I bet. But since I'm well hydrated, losing excess water weight is a good thing.
I haven't really kept up with my cardio, although I have been doing my resistance training with weights, as well as calisthenics.
But the main thing here is Qigong. Over the past month, I've been influenced by real-deal guys, mainly Michael Winn and Michael Lomax. As a matter of fact, not only did I pick up books and DVD's from both of them, I also managed to book a Qigong workshop with Michael Lomax.
After reading his book and watching his DVD, I'm very much looking forward to working with Michael Lomax. From the looks of it, we're talking about some potent stuff here. Not only are we talking about gathering Qi, but we're talking about healing people... and at the highest levels, healing people through dreams and other planes of reality. We're talking quantum here. So far, I've just been working with the very basic stuff from his book and DVD and letting the workshop teach me the rest.
As far as Michael Winn, there's a level of healing in there as well because that's what Qigong is all about. But it's not medical Qigong, it's more on the gathering and harmonizing Qi, while healing yourself, not necessarily others (though he does have a DVD for healing others, which I just ordered). He comes from a very Taoist mindset and has pretty good seminars and retreats in his little nook in North Carolina (I think?) But after reading about him for a bit, he's pretty mystical. I like it. I haven't gone through all his DVD's that I ordered yet, but so far it's really good stuff.
After Lomax's workshop I'm gonna really work on what routine is gonna best work for my personality, lifestyle and philosophy.
As far as diet is concerned... again, I'd have to be honest, I haven't really been a good boy. But since the last entry, I've changed a bit. I probably lost a good 3-4 pounds, be it just water weight I bet. But since I'm well hydrated, losing excess water weight is a good thing.
I haven't really kept up with my cardio, although I have been doing my resistance training with weights, as well as calisthenics.
But the main thing here is Qigong. Over the past month, I've been influenced by real-deal guys, mainly Michael Winn and Michael Lomax. As a matter of fact, not only did I pick up books and DVD's from both of them, I also managed to book a Qigong workshop with Michael Lomax.
After reading his book and watching his DVD, I'm very much looking forward to working with Michael Lomax. From the looks of it, we're talking about some potent stuff here. Not only are we talking about gathering Qi, but we're talking about healing people... and at the highest levels, healing people through dreams and other planes of reality. We're talking quantum here. So far, I've just been working with the very basic stuff from his book and DVD and letting the workshop teach me the rest.
As far as Michael Winn, there's a level of healing in there as well because that's what Qigong is all about. But it's not medical Qigong, it's more on the gathering and harmonizing Qi, while healing yourself, not necessarily others (though he does have a DVD for healing others, which I just ordered). He comes from a very Taoist mindset and has pretty good seminars and retreats in his little nook in North Carolina (I think?) But after reading about him for a bit, he's pretty mystical. I like it. I haven't gone through all his DVD's that I ordered yet, but so far it's really good stuff.
After Lomax's workshop I'm gonna really work on what routine is gonna best work for my personality, lifestyle and philosophy.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 33 - a month passes by
So, it's been a month since I started this journey. And even though I haven't followed through in my diet change, the Qigong alone has given me some interesting results. I lost about 3 lbs even with overeating most of the time... and my body feels much more energized. Also I've adopted some new techniques along the way.
So for the coming month, I'm ABSOLUTELY gonna follow through on the dieting regimen, eating more high-frequency foods (veggies and fruit) while minimizing grains and meat.
Also, I'll be attending a Qigong seminar with some friends in Indiana, so hopefully it's gonna shed more light into the new techniques I picked up. The seminar also includes a section on medical Qigong, so hopefully I can treat my Mom for depression and hypertension, and hopefully even myself for PTSD and anxiety (my Dad suddenly passed away last summer).
So being the Entry Level Urban Taoist Monk that I am, I can't say that the past month's Qigong regimen has made me feel like Superman, however I can feel myself getting there slowly but surely.
So for the coming month, I'm ABSOLUTELY gonna follow through on the dieting regimen, eating more high-frequency foods (veggies and fruit) while minimizing grains and meat.
Also, I'll be attending a Qigong seminar with some friends in Indiana, so hopefully it's gonna shed more light into the new techniques I picked up. The seminar also includes a section on medical Qigong, so hopefully I can treat my Mom for depression and hypertension, and hopefully even myself for PTSD and anxiety (my Dad suddenly passed away last summer).
So being the Entry Level Urban Taoist Monk that I am, I can't say that the past month's Qigong regimen has made me feel like Superman, however I can feel myself getting there slowly but surely.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Day 15
So thus far, I've modified the regimen to do my workout first, then Qigong. So here's where I'm at.
Workout:
1) Cardio - Sprint/Walk intervals for one mile
2) Resistance - Push-ups, pull-ups, hang cleans
3) Stretching
Qigong:
1) Rooting - Tree Pose
2) Gathering - Breathing exercises
3) Harmonizing - Microcosmic Orbit, Tai Chi
Diet:
1) Still eating like a fat ass, but less frequently, and less portions.
2) 64 oz of water
Overall, I can feel some difference in daily energy. When I feel the most energy is right after the Qigong session. I've noticed that whenever I do Qigong after the workout, I feel a world of difference in my energy level. I feel very light and ready to rock 'n roll. Before I started this Qigong/Taoist regimen, I felt like shit after workouts. So doing Qigong is definitely a good way to build up energy after spending it on exercising.
However, something has to happen with my diet. I think it's more important than my exercise regimen in that my need to drop the adipose tissue and to normalize my blood levels (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc) has more to do with diet than exercise. Sure, exercise will help, but not as quickly as proper intake.
So let's work on that. I feel as if the effects of Qigong would be a lot more pronounced if my diet were correct.
Workout:
1) Cardio - Sprint/Walk intervals for one mile
2) Resistance - Push-ups, pull-ups, hang cleans
3) Stretching
Qigong:
1) Rooting - Tree Pose
2) Gathering - Breathing exercises
3) Harmonizing - Microcosmic Orbit, Tai Chi
Diet:
1) Still eating like a fat ass, but less frequently, and less portions.
2) 64 oz of water
Overall, I can feel some difference in daily energy. When I feel the most energy is right after the Qigong session. I've noticed that whenever I do Qigong after the workout, I feel a world of difference in my energy level. I feel very light and ready to rock 'n roll. Before I started this Qigong/Taoist regimen, I felt like shit after workouts. So doing Qigong is definitely a good way to build up energy after spending it on exercising.
However, something has to happen with my diet. I think it's more important than my exercise regimen in that my need to drop the adipose tissue and to normalize my blood levels (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc) has more to do with diet than exercise. Sure, exercise will help, but not as quickly as proper intake.
So let's work on that. I feel as if the effects of Qigong would be a lot more pronounced if my diet were correct.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Day 9 - more modifications
Okay, so I did some more modifications today, and I'm planning even more tomorrow.
This morning I felt like crap. I stayed up late last night, and woke up at 7:30am, later than usual. The reason why I get up early is so that I can get the morning routine done before my 2-year-old kid wakes up around 8am, after that, no time for cultivation.
Anyway, I felt like crap. I did my rooting as well as I could, and when it came to gathering Qi doing my 400 breaths, I had absolutely no energy to, I wanted to give up. But I kept going up till 200 and took my break. It was hard to do today! So I decided I'm gonna break it up into 4 sets of 100 instead of 200 + 200. So for the next 200 breaths, I broke it up in half, took a break and finished the rest. THAT, felt much better, and I got equally as energized.
Afterwards, I did some more tree pose with relaxed breathing, yet feeling like I was encapsulated by a sphere of pure Qi (more like being submerged in a sea of Qi), and felt the Qi infusing itself through every pore of my body, and then I led that to my dantien. After that, I did my microcosmic orbit and tai chi while maintaining that feeling of being submerged in a sea of pure Qi. I then closed out the Qigong regimen and did my short-light cardio and muscle toning/stretching.
So, one thought. Since it's so much for me to begin the cultivation right away I figure I'll need to warm up. Plus, what's the use of cultivating when I'm gonna expend the energy afterwards with my workout (although light, I'm still using up energy that I was trying to store)? The main goal is creating a surplus of energy. So I really should do the workouts first, and cultivate afterwards. Solid.
So... here are my proposed modifications starting tomorrow.
1. Light cardio
2. Muscle toning, stretching, yoga
3. Qigong cultivation
a. Rooting - Tree Pose
b. Gathering
1. 400 deep breaths
2. Tree Pose/skin breathing
c. Harmonizing
1. Microcosmic Orbit
2. Taijiquan - Tai Chi
DIET NOTE: although my fat-ass diet hasn't changed much (I'm still eating lots of rice and meat), my appetite seems to be normalizing, as I'm feeling the need to eat less.
That's a start. That's a good start.
Like I said, these 100 days are more of a "kick-off." Unlike a lot of diet regimens that make you do their diet for so many days, my goal during these 100 days is to gradually decrease my desire for food (and certain foods), so that on the 100th day, I will have a new and improved relationship with food, perhaps lasting for the rest of my life. That's my goal. Whether or not it works, it's worth a shot.
ANOTHER DIET NOTE: according to a friend of mine, who has done research and treated cancer with Medical Qigong and Bigu fasting, "food tends to feed cancer." Not only that, over-consumption of food in general (eating like a fat ass) can be carcinogenic. That's another reason behind my "grow older, eat less, hydrate more" theory. More on that at a later date.
This morning I felt like crap. I stayed up late last night, and woke up at 7:30am, later than usual. The reason why I get up early is so that I can get the morning routine done before my 2-year-old kid wakes up around 8am, after that, no time for cultivation.
Anyway, I felt like crap. I did my rooting as well as I could, and when it came to gathering Qi doing my 400 breaths, I had absolutely no energy to, I wanted to give up. But I kept going up till 200 and took my break. It was hard to do today! So I decided I'm gonna break it up into 4 sets of 100 instead of 200 + 200. So for the next 200 breaths, I broke it up in half, took a break and finished the rest. THAT, felt much better, and I got equally as energized.
Afterwards, I did some more tree pose with relaxed breathing, yet feeling like I was encapsulated by a sphere of pure Qi (more like being submerged in a sea of Qi), and felt the Qi infusing itself through every pore of my body, and then I led that to my dantien. After that, I did my microcosmic orbit and tai chi while maintaining that feeling of being submerged in a sea of pure Qi. I then closed out the Qigong regimen and did my short-light cardio and muscle toning/stretching.
So, one thought. Since it's so much for me to begin the cultivation right away I figure I'll need to warm up. Plus, what's the use of cultivating when I'm gonna expend the energy afterwards with my workout (although light, I'm still using up energy that I was trying to store)? The main goal is creating a surplus of energy. So I really should do the workouts first, and cultivate afterwards. Solid.
So... here are my proposed modifications starting tomorrow.
1. Light cardio
2. Muscle toning, stretching, yoga
3. Qigong cultivation
a. Rooting - Tree Pose
b. Gathering
1. 400 deep breaths
2. Tree Pose/skin breathing
c. Harmonizing
1. Microcosmic Orbit
2. Taijiquan - Tai Chi
DIET NOTE: although my fat-ass diet hasn't changed much (I'm still eating lots of rice and meat), my appetite seems to be normalizing, as I'm feeling the need to eat less.
That's a start. That's a good start.
Like I said, these 100 days are more of a "kick-off." Unlike a lot of diet regimens that make you do their diet for so many days, my goal during these 100 days is to gradually decrease my desire for food (and certain foods), so that on the 100th day, I will have a new and improved relationship with food, perhaps lasting for the rest of my life. That's my goal. Whether or not it works, it's worth a shot.
ANOTHER DIET NOTE: according to a friend of mine, who has done research and treated cancer with Medical Qigong and Bigu fasting, "food tends to feed cancer." Not only that, over-consumption of food in general (eating like a fat ass) can be carcinogenic. That's another reason behind my "grow older, eat less, hydrate more" theory. More on that at a later date.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Clarification
I know that being 35 years old isn't old at all, but after all the knowledge I've gained in medicine thus far, I feel more inclined to participate in exercise, diet and lifestyle regimens that "Nourish the Yin." That basically means - being healthy from the inside, which will then express itself on the outside. And by "inside," I mean my internal organs, blood, fluids and Qi flow within my energetic channels.
It goes a lot deeper than that (as I wish to one day study Medical Qigong with a master that I've found), but that's it in a nutshell.
So to clarify... when I said that this is my "100 Day" journey, it's more of a kick-off for the rest of my life, not just for 100 days. And it's not taxing, nor does it take too much effort. It just takes a relationship change between yourself and food, drink, air and life. And I believe that 100 days is a good amount of time to re-establish a new relationship with them.
It goes a lot deeper than that (as I wish to one day study Medical Qigong with a master that I've found), but that's it in a nutshell.
So to clarify... when I said that this is my "100 Day" journey, it's more of a kick-off for the rest of my life, not just for 100 days. And it's not taxing, nor does it take too much effort. It just takes a relationship change between yourself and food, drink, air and life. And I believe that 100 days is a good amount of time to re-establish a new relationship with them.
Day 8 - a slight change in Qigong regimen
Well, today I decided I wanted to keep my morning Qigong practice more towards the gathering of Qi and circulation of Qi. I decided to omit the quiet sitting meditation for the mornings, and save that for later on during the day or towards the evening.
So what I did differently during my "Breathing the Mile" (400 deep breaths) exercises was breath even deeper and faster, while holding my palms on my navel, right palm over left. The previous days, I had my arms in a sort of circle, as if holding a beach ball to my lower abdomen, while expanding/contracting my arms with every inhale/exhale.
So with the new hand positions, together with the faster/deeper breathing techniques, I felt yet an even bigger change from yesterday. By the time I was done with that segment, my whole body was vibrating, particularly my upper body and my arms/hands. Very interesting and pleasant. I felt as if my body were vibrating with pure energy.
Afterwards, I did my Microcosmic Orbit. Today, I decided to do this sitting on the edge of my couch, take nine deep breaths, holding my breath on the nine breath while leading the Qi to my navel, exhaling, then doing nine rotations of the Microcosmic Orbit. I did this nine times. By the time I was done with that, my energy level was still high.
After that, I did the Tai Chi Yang 24 form once, then did some light cardio and yoga for a few minutes.
So in summary:
1. Tree Pose - meditation on deep rooting
2. Gathering Qi - 400 deep breaths in to lower dantien (around/just below the navel)
3. Microcosmic Orbit (Small Circulation) - 9 deep breaths and 9 rotations for 9 sets
4. Taijiquan - Tai Chi 24 Posture Yang Form
5. Light cardio
6. Yoga - basic sun salutations
I feel good, so far even better than the first day.
So what I did differently during my "Breathing the Mile" (400 deep breaths) exercises was breath even deeper and faster, while holding my palms on my navel, right palm over left. The previous days, I had my arms in a sort of circle, as if holding a beach ball to my lower abdomen, while expanding/contracting my arms with every inhale/exhale.
So with the new hand positions, together with the faster/deeper breathing techniques, I felt yet an even bigger change from yesterday. By the time I was done with that segment, my whole body was vibrating, particularly my upper body and my arms/hands. Very interesting and pleasant. I felt as if my body were vibrating with pure energy.
Afterwards, I did my Microcosmic Orbit. Today, I decided to do this sitting on the edge of my couch, take nine deep breaths, holding my breath on the nine breath while leading the Qi to my navel, exhaling, then doing nine rotations of the Microcosmic Orbit. I did this nine times. By the time I was done with that, my energy level was still high.
After that, I did the Tai Chi Yang 24 form once, then did some light cardio and yoga for a few minutes.
So in summary:
1. Tree Pose - meditation on deep rooting
2. Gathering Qi - 400 deep breaths in to lower dantien (around/just below the navel)
3. Microcosmic Orbit (Small Circulation) - 9 deep breaths and 9 rotations for 9 sets
4. Taijiquan - Tai Chi 24 Posture Yang Form
5. Light cardio
6. Yoga - basic sun salutations
I feel good, so far even better than the first day.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 7
Well... I tried the "Breathing the Mile" thing.
So first, I did my preparatory routine (sitting meditation, tree pose) and did my 400 deep breaths. For the first 25 deep breaths, I was like "hoh, crap, this is gonna suck." I was only breathing through one nostril and I got really thirsty. But I worked through it and did what I had to do. I wanted to stop several times during the experiment but there's a point to where you just have to go for it. But after the 200th deep breath, I stopped, closed out the technique, took a few sips of water, and got back into it. Eventually, I did finish the 400th slow, deep breath. If I recall, the total time was roughly 35 minutes.
Afterwards, I did my usual microcosmic orbit to tai chi to quiet sitting. Total meditation/Qigong time was 1 hour, 17 minutes.
More on the "Breathing the Mile" thing... immediately after the first set of 200 breaths, I felt energized. I walked around and I really felt like I've been running, only my legs and body were not sore. But I felt really good.
During the 2nd set of 200, that's when things started getting a little hairy. I'm not sure that I rooted myself correctly before I resumed, because in the middle of the 2nd set, I started having visions. The vision was of me walking through space or a dark corridor and spirits and demons were staring at me as I passed. One demon, seemed like he was trying to pounce at me or trying to scare me. This has happened to me before, and being an entry-level monk that I am, I freaked out and stopped on the spot. My friend advised me to work on my rooting, so I did. So this time, when I saw those visions again, instead of freaking out, I rooted myself even deeper and continued on my merry way. It worked.
When I got done, I felt energized, however the lateral aspect of my left leg (from my hip to my knee) were really fatigued, and kinda numb. But that's basically from standing in my Qigong stance for 35 minutes (besides the 2 minute break for water).
One thing I noticed was that I had goosebumps and chills, but it may have been from the visions I received during the routine. I may have been creeped out a little bit, but not as badly as I was the first time I saw it. I did my best to re-root myself and to "Kill the Buddha" (to basically not dwell upon any of the visions you see, especially the bad ones).
So in conclusion... yes, my body felt like it received the same amount of oxygen as if I ran a mile, yet without the feeling of fatigue, lactic acid buildup, shin splints and sore joints (I have flat feet). I felt energized and ready to take on the world.
So first, I did my preparatory routine (sitting meditation, tree pose) and did my 400 deep breaths. For the first 25 deep breaths, I was like "hoh, crap, this is gonna suck." I was only breathing through one nostril and I got really thirsty. But I worked through it and did what I had to do. I wanted to stop several times during the experiment but there's a point to where you just have to go for it. But after the 200th deep breath, I stopped, closed out the technique, took a few sips of water, and got back into it. Eventually, I did finish the 400th slow, deep breath. If I recall, the total time was roughly 35 minutes.
Afterwards, I did my usual microcosmic orbit to tai chi to quiet sitting. Total meditation/Qigong time was 1 hour, 17 minutes.
More on the "Breathing the Mile" thing... immediately after the first set of 200 breaths, I felt energized. I walked around and I really felt like I've been running, only my legs and body were not sore. But I felt really good.
During the 2nd set of 200, that's when things started getting a little hairy. I'm not sure that I rooted myself correctly before I resumed, because in the middle of the 2nd set, I started having visions. The vision was of me walking through space or a dark corridor and spirits and demons were staring at me as I passed. One demon, seemed like he was trying to pounce at me or trying to scare me. This has happened to me before, and being an entry-level monk that I am, I freaked out and stopped on the spot. My friend advised me to work on my rooting, so I did. So this time, when I saw those visions again, instead of freaking out, I rooted myself even deeper and continued on my merry way. It worked.
When I got done, I felt energized, however the lateral aspect of my left leg (from my hip to my knee) were really fatigued, and kinda numb. But that's basically from standing in my Qigong stance for 35 minutes (besides the 2 minute break for water).
One thing I noticed was that I had goosebumps and chills, but it may have been from the visions I received during the routine. I may have been creeped out a little bit, but not as badly as I was the first time I saw it. I did my best to re-root myself and to "Kill the Buddha" (to basically not dwell upon any of the visions you see, especially the bad ones).
So in conclusion... yes, my body felt like it received the same amount of oxygen as if I ran a mile, yet without the feeling of fatigue, lactic acid buildup, shin splints and sore joints (I have flat feet). I felt energized and ready to take on the world.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Day 6 - with an overview of my Qigong regimen
Well, it's day six, and lemme tell ya... I just happened to start this whole thing near Easter and I've fallen off the wagon already (as far as diet).
But you know what? It's okay. Consistency makes the habit, the habit makes the lifestyle. So you get back on that horse and keep going. You should never beat yourself up over your mistakes. They happen. Grow up, live and learn.
So here's my morning Qigong regimen:
1) Sitting meditation - relaxing the mind and body in order to prepare for the intake and free flow of Qi
2) Standing meditation - Wuji state, tree pose. Maintaining the relaxed state, concentrating on deeply rooting myself (my feet) towards the center of the earth.
3) Qigong cultivation - breathing exercises. Maintaining the relaxed state, deep breathing exercises, breathing into my navel, or two-three finger-widths below, and storing the energy (Qi) from the oxygen there even as I exhale.
4) Sitting Qigong - Microcosmic Orbit/Small Circulation. Taking the Qi from my lower abdominal storage and circulating it around the center of my body.
5) Taijiquan - 24 posture Yang Form. I consider this "Macrocosmic Orbit" because now we're circulating Qi throughout all the energetic channels of the body.
And lemme tellya... after the Qigong session, I feel friggin' amazing.
And strangely enough, I feel less need for food for the rest of the day. Just plenty of water.
So, I've been wondering... what are the average breaths one take when running a mile? I looked it up because my lazy ass won't run the mile to find out. I discovered somewhere on Google that it's about 400 breaths per mile. Whether or not that's feasible, I'll find out later, but I'll take that number.
Interesting. So what if I decide to do my Qigong cultivation exercises based on that number? 400 reps of deep, controlled breathing. My proposed theory is that perhaps my body will be just as oxygenated as if I actually ran the mile... however, my body wouldn't have to recover from sore muscles, as well as the build up of lactic acid, thus my body wouldn't have to expend that extra energy to heal itself. So would that mean that I would feel better and have more energy from BREATHING the mile than if I actually RAN the mile? Maybe.
But just so you know, this is just for my Qigong session... in the workout session, I do a series of sprints.
Wow... interesting. "Breathing the Mile." I think I'll try it and I'll let you know how it goes.
But you know what? It's okay. Consistency makes the habit, the habit makes the lifestyle. So you get back on that horse and keep going. You should never beat yourself up over your mistakes. They happen. Grow up, live and learn.
So here's my morning Qigong regimen:
1) Sitting meditation - relaxing the mind and body in order to prepare for the intake and free flow of Qi
2) Standing meditation - Wuji state, tree pose. Maintaining the relaxed state, concentrating on deeply rooting myself (my feet) towards the center of the earth.
3) Qigong cultivation - breathing exercises. Maintaining the relaxed state, deep breathing exercises, breathing into my navel, or two-three finger-widths below, and storing the energy (Qi) from the oxygen there even as I exhale.
4) Sitting Qigong - Microcosmic Orbit/Small Circulation. Taking the Qi from my lower abdominal storage and circulating it around the center of my body.
5) Taijiquan - 24 posture Yang Form. I consider this "Macrocosmic Orbit" because now we're circulating Qi throughout all the energetic channels of the body.
And lemme tellya... after the Qigong session, I feel friggin' amazing.
And strangely enough, I feel less need for food for the rest of the day. Just plenty of water.
So, I've been wondering... what are the average breaths one take when running a mile? I looked it up because my lazy ass won't run the mile to find out. I discovered somewhere on Google that it's about 400 breaths per mile. Whether or not that's feasible, I'll find out later, but I'll take that number.
Interesting. So what if I decide to do my Qigong cultivation exercises based on that number? 400 reps of deep, controlled breathing. My proposed theory is that perhaps my body will be just as oxygenated as if I actually ran the mile... however, my body wouldn't have to recover from sore muscles, as well as the build up of lactic acid, thus my body wouldn't have to expend that extra energy to heal itself. So would that mean that I would feel better and have more energy from BREATHING the mile than if I actually RAN the mile? Maybe.
But just so you know, this is just for my Qigong session... in the workout session, I do a series of sprints.
Wow... interesting. "Breathing the Mile." I think I'll try it and I'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Intro Part Two - 100 Days
Just to briefly start, I've been casually reading/researching Taoism since about 2005, and fell in love (Didn't I say that I'm new to this???). As time went by and interest seemed to deepen, I eventually found myself a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine (acupuncture, herbal medicine, medical massage, etc) in September 2008. It was then when I truly started researching Qigong ("chee-gong": energy cultivation) via books, DVD's and classmates. After more than a year of reading and researching, I have come up with my own "entry-level" theories on health and vitality.
Basically, from what I've learned in school thus far, I'm starting to wonder if I can be equally as strong and healthy if I've got more internal energy versus having big muscles. And I'm wondering if increasing my vitality will naturally lead my fat-ass to lose more weight, rather than over-taxing myself with over-strenuous exercise.
So... to make a long story short, on April 1, 2010 I decided to test my little theories for 100 days. So here it is (as abbreviated as I could):
1) Qigong Cultivation - I will slowly increase the frequency and length of my Qi cultivation and meditation sessions. Breathing exercises to increase oxygen intake in order to improve and normalize overall body metabolism, as well as to assist in cleansing the blood and relieving blood stasis. Meditation is for calming the body and mind to maximize my full potential, and to also unblock any energy stagnation caused by prolonged emotional trauma (long story).
2) Diet - I will slowly decrease the amount of food that I eat, but increase the amount of liquids that I drink. I tend to think as you get older, the less you need to eat and the more you need to drink water. That could explain why as we get older, our metabolism slows down and our bodies dry up, hence, the decreased need for food and the increased need for water.
3) Exercise - I will do only exercises to maintain natural strength and flexibility, without it being over-taxing on the body. Yoga, moderate cardio, etc. Moderate exercise that focuses on natural strength and flexibility is just plain something that appeals to me more than being Mr. Muscleman.
My proposed outcome should be as follows: 1) increased feeling of energy, 2) a more calm and clarity of mind, 3) an improvement in blood levels (cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, etc, 4) loss of excess adipose tissue (fat), but with maintained toned muscles resulting in the "cut" look.
Mind you, this is more for my health and vitality, and less for my "looks." I'm married for chrissake, why would I obsess over my looks? If I'm healthy on the inside, most likely it will show on the outside anyway.
That, my friend, is what I call "Yin Nourishing." More on that later.
So there. Wish me luck.
Basically, from what I've learned in school thus far, I'm starting to wonder if I can be equally as strong and healthy if I've got more internal energy versus having big muscles. And I'm wondering if increasing my vitality will naturally lead my fat-ass to lose more weight, rather than over-taxing myself with over-strenuous exercise.
So... to make a long story short, on April 1, 2010 I decided to test my little theories for 100 days. So here it is (as abbreviated as I could):
1) Qigong Cultivation - I will slowly increase the frequency and length of my Qi cultivation and meditation sessions. Breathing exercises to increase oxygen intake in order to improve and normalize overall body metabolism, as well as to assist in cleansing the blood and relieving blood stasis. Meditation is for calming the body and mind to maximize my full potential, and to also unblock any energy stagnation caused by prolonged emotional trauma (long story).
2) Diet - I will slowly decrease the amount of food that I eat, but increase the amount of liquids that I drink. I tend to think as you get older, the less you need to eat and the more you need to drink water. That could explain why as we get older, our metabolism slows down and our bodies dry up, hence, the decreased need for food and the increased need for water.
3) Exercise - I will do only exercises to maintain natural strength and flexibility, without it being over-taxing on the body. Yoga, moderate cardio, etc. Moderate exercise that focuses on natural strength and flexibility is just plain something that appeals to me more than being Mr. Muscleman.
My proposed outcome should be as follows: 1) increased feeling of energy, 2) a more calm and clarity of mind, 3) an improvement in blood levels (cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, etc, 4) loss of excess adipose tissue (fat), but with maintained toned muscles resulting in the "cut" look.
Mind you, this is more for my health and vitality, and less for my "looks." I'm married for chrissake, why would I obsess over my looks? If I'm healthy on the inside, most likely it will show on the outside anyway.
That, my friend, is what I call "Yin Nourishing." More on that later.
So there. Wish me luck.
Intro Part One - Me
Yes... not only did I decide to finally commit to my journey towards immortality (or vitality) through Taoist internal alchemy... TODAY, I decided to write a blog about it.
But while I'm at it, I might as well flood "teh 1nterw3bz" with the ones-and-zeros regarding my experiences as a student of Oriental Medicine, as I have more than a year left to earn my "Masters" degree in it.
LOL, "Masters." What a load of shit. By the time I'm done with school, I would have helped make an impact on at least 1,000 lives within 1,000 hours of clinical practice (via the internship). By the time I'm done with school, I would be able to diagnose and treat thousands more. By the time I'm done with school, I'm "pretty much" a physician. It's Arrogant American Society that would prevent me from legally calling myself a "doctor."
But whatever. As an Entry-Level Taoist, I'll just say "it is what it is."
Anyway, the reason why I'm writing this blog is because I want to document the changes and growth that I go through as my journey progresses and the plot thickens. I'm learning as you read. So welcome.
I'm Sonny, and these are my thoughts...
But while I'm at it, I might as well flood "teh 1nterw3bz" with the ones-and-zeros regarding my experiences as a student of Oriental Medicine, as I have more than a year left to earn my "Masters" degree in it.
LOL, "Masters." What a load of shit. By the time I'm done with school, I would have helped make an impact on at least 1,000 lives within 1,000 hours of clinical practice (via the internship). By the time I'm done with school, I would be able to diagnose and treat thousands more. By the time I'm done with school, I'm "pretty much" a physician. It's Arrogant American Society that would prevent me from legally calling myself a "doctor."
But whatever. As an Entry-Level Taoist, I'll just say "it is what it is."
Anyway, the reason why I'm writing this blog is because I want to document the changes and growth that I go through as my journey progresses and the plot thickens. I'm learning as you read. So welcome.
I'm Sonny, and these are my thoughts...
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