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.
Showing posts with label taoism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taoism. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
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!!!
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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