QA with Bruce

[Anonymous]

I have been a member for a year and half and whilst I have enrolled in the Hsing I, Tai chi mastery and the Energy Arts training circle I have primarily been focussed on short form Wu Style Tai chi, I Chuan Cloud hands and Heaven and Earth Qi Gong. I live in Sydney Australia is there a way I can get accreditation as a Tai Chi instructor without travelling overseas? I am 60 years old my body and spine are getting stronger every day since I began the art and would like to teach people over 50 to help them as they move towards retirement to deal better with the aging process and all that comes with it. Thank you for the wonderful courses.

[Anonymous]

HI Bruce,
Thank you for talking about the 8 bodies of man according to Taoism.
If appropriate I would like to learn more about some of the other bodies;
Psychic, karmic and body of individuality.

A question for month 3; can you do seated meditation beginners section,
Doing the sinking chi Exercise with your eyes closed?

Many thanks
William

[Anonymous]

Speed of Sinking

In my sinking practice, I find that it is possible to do it at different speeds.
Generally, doing a full-body scan and sink takes me a little under 10 minutes.
And if I really want to get the maximum physical benefits form my sinking, I find that I have to do it much more thoroughly and that takes me around 20 minutes from head to toe. But then my body feels really great, very “wet”, feeling like I’m full of glittering liquid.

My question is :
how fast is it possible to sink through the whole body? And is there some landmark, some speed that when I reach it, tells me that I’ve stabilized the skill enough that I am ready to go on to outer dissolving ?

Thanks in advance
This Q&A system is fantastic.
All your answers have been deeply appreciated.

Erwan

[Anonymous]

Hi,
In breath and healing video in module 7, one hand on the patient’s abdomen and other hand free….you explained eloquently about the importance of keeping your self balanced as the energy movement is going on. It isn’t clear to me, though, if you mean energy moving into the fingers of both hands simultaneously. (And vice versa) Or while the energy moves out of the fingers into the abdomen, does energy move into the fingers of the other hand?
Thanks for the wealth of information you share monthly.
Jennifer Gardiner

[Anonymous]

Separating energies

Dear Bruce,
Thank you very much for all the teachings you have given us so far.
I find it very difficult to separate mental and emotional energies. For example, it feels that a worrying thought comes together with an underlying emotion and both relate to the same blockage in the body. Could you give more suggestions how to separate them?

Many thanks
Alla

[Anonymous]

Of late I have noticed a vibration starting at the knees during Standing, which at times moves through the body. It is especially prominent after a set of Dragon & Tiger. For now I have watched it, as it fluctuates and changes intensity. Sometimes it evens out on its own accord, at other times it gets strong or just persists until I finish my practice. I have come to wonder if this is just something that is releasing over time, or if it might be an indication that I should pay attention to some alignment or similar during standing or other practices.

NB: I might add that I have mild hip displacia – it has improved greatly thanks to qi gong. Yet I note it here, as I am aware that it has influenced muscles etc. along the legs in the past.

Many thanks for the wonderful insights and classes.

[Anonymous]

In bagua straight line walking, the three part mode, is it that you intend chi to the front toes from the dan tien, keeping some chi/awareness in the dan tien, then send/intend more chi to the back heel, and finally bring the mind/chi up from the earth as the back foot comes to be parallel to the front foot, but suspended in the air? How does the interplay with the earth energy enter here–only in step three, or is there a rebound from the earth when the front foot “stops” as it hits the ground that triggers the chi going to the back heel?

[Anonymous]

Hi Bruce

Thanks for another month of great advice for my practice. With the help of one of your instructors I have become aware that my left side is slightly collapsed and found a realignment that appears to correct it. Now when I am practising on my own, I use your “pipe connecting properly to another pipe” to feel for the correct alignment, which generates a clear feeling of connection through the channels on the left side of my body – so strong that the right side seems weaker. Would it be more effective to just acknowledge the imbalance and leave it a while to see if things start to balance out or to try and bring the right side online to the same degree? I have experimented with the latter option while standing, only to find my calves tense up and complain! Would the response be different for Bend the Bow practice?

Many thanks

Geoff

[Anonymous]

Hi there Bruce,

I’ve been practicing inner dissolving almost daily for quite a few years now, and I’m confused about how to fit in all the supplementary meditation exercises and practices I’ve learned from your various teaching resources – for example the Taoist Meditation Circle material and the breathing work. I’m also thinking about the component parts of inner dissolving such as scanning for blockages and working just on the ice-water phase.

Would you recommend maintaining a daily “full blown” inner dissolving practice, and having the other exercises as extras as and where I can fit them in, or is it better to drop the inner dissolving periodically and put my full focus on a specific component part or supplementary practice?

I’ve been wanting an answer to this question for a while now and would be delighted to get some clarity on what’s the best approach for me.

Regards,

Robin.

[Anonymous]

Module 8 – 20 repetitions

Dear Bruce,

Thank you so much for making Gods Chi Gung available for people who can only study online !

I’m curious about the 20 repetitions. I’ve noticed it is also the recommended number of repetitions for Dragon and Tiger as well as the exercices in Paul Cavel’s 5 keys.
Does that number apply to all Taoist Chi Gung Movements?
I’m thinking especially about the Marriage of Heaven and Earth, Cloud Hands and the Swings in Energy Gates, or even repetitions of Pi Chuan.

Thanks in advance,

Erwan

[Anonymous]

I have been practicing the longevity breathing over the past few months and find that although the overall length of time for one breath cycle has increased, the inhalation and exhalation are not equal in length. The inhale can comfortably be twice as long as the exhale. How can I increase the time of the exhale? Is it better for me to decrease the length of my inhalation to more closely match the exhale? or is there something I else I should do? Also, just over the weekend, I was listening again to The Tao of Letting Go and caught that the inhalation is related to the sympathetic nervous system and the exhalation is related to the parasympathetic… so in relation to my breath does that indicate that my sympathetic nervous system is still that stressed out?
Thanks for everything over the years!

[Anonymous]

Legs and Feet in Gods Mvt 1

Hello,

I’m not sure I perfectly got what the shifting of the weight should be throughout movement 1 of Gods. Could you clarify please ?

Also, you mention 2 versions of the movement : one where in the first half we stretch the legs, the other where we first bend then stretch the legs. Will the weight shift change depending upon which version we do ?

Finally, what determines which version we want to practice ?

Thanks in advance,

Erwan

[Anonymous]

Hello Bruce,

Before joining this installment of the training circle I was working on my second round of the Taoist meditation circle (month . Would it be reccommended to continue the TMC and apply what I learn within the Energy Arts training circle or keep it separate?

Thanks,

Kevin

[Anonymous]

Hi Bruce,

It’s great to finally be able to be a part of this circle, a nice opportunity as I have wanted to learn “gods” for a while. I have previous experience in the past 2 years, but a lot of it has been through other systems besides the one here on energy arts. I have done other kinds of qi gong, and meditation but not much specifically in your system. What advice can you give for learning “gods” to someone with some experience, but who is still a beginner, just not a raw beginner any more?

As to what I experience when doing movement 1 in gods, as well as basic standing practice, ie zhuang zhang, I feel energy move up my back and down my front, it’s more a sense of surging/rushing and sometimes like a pulse, but very much tangible and real. I assume this is a result of the more “song” I go, the more things open and move/release. I really like song and the idea of “loosen” and opening, that one word really get’s the point across.

It is helpful to that I actually know some chinese, mandarin to be exact, so when you share those little sayings in chinese I love it, as it really does get to the point. Especially the one from the bonus video from the retreat footage this month, I think you said something like…你是你，我是我。you are you, I am me, really summed up what you were saying about protecting yourself energetically when doing healing work and got to the point right away. Thank you for that.
-Michael

[Anonymous]

Hi Bruce,

My question is about Reiki.

My main interest is in Taoist Qi practices but I am a reiki practicioner as well.

In the past decade or more reiki seems to be gaining alot of popularity in the West. I suspect this is because of the relative “instant gratification” one receives from an attunement. People are instantly made “healers” and some even “Masters” in a weekend workshop.

Have you had any experience with reiki and do you believe that its roots originate in Taoism?

Much Gratitude,

Kevin Hartwell

[Author]

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