Stealing Qi...

[lilman]

I was just curious if anyone has ever experienced this before...

When I met the teacher I am about to start learning Taijiquan from, he asked me to put my 2 fists out in front of my chest. He placed his hands over mine and said "dont let me push your hands down, resist." So I did, he wasnt that much stronger than me physically. After about 5 seconds, he stopped and waived his hands around like someone practicing Taiji without a purpose. I felt the Qi flow quickly to my lower dantian, and out of my body towards him like steam from a boiling pot. He asked me to put my hands back out and try to push up again. This time it was a little harder to do. He stopped and waived his hands around again, and asked me to push against his hands a 3rd time. This time I could barely resist, and he stopped and acted like he was throwing a baseball under handed into my lower dantian and I felt Qi rush to all my extremities... This is when he let me know the experience was him stealing my Qi. He stated he had to give it back or my immune system would crash...

Before this I had some doubts on if what I was feeling was really Qi or imagination. After this experience I knew what I was feeling was really Qi, and it greatly enhanced my practice and made me more aware of my Qi flow. I was just curious if anyone ever experienced anything similar. This is why I think Taiji is an amazing martial art. You can beat your opponent without even touching them.

[Dvivid]

Whoa.

Who's your teacher please?

Its great to have a strong physical sensation of your Qi, because it inspires you to become much more serious and invested in your practice once the lingering skepticism is gone.

Cool.

Any more Qi stories?

[lilman]

The teacher I am about to start learning from, is Sifu Beto Briseno. He owns a small Temple, not a "kung fu" school here in El Paso. He is an ordaned Daoist, Buddhist, and Muslim. He likes to keep himself low key and does not like a lot of attention. At his school he gets all kinds of Masters from China that come through and give free seminars, including a Chen Taiji master, I dont remember his name, but its on the website. His website, if you want to check it out, is www.TienShanTzi.com. He is retired and runs the temple and teaches martial arts and Qigong cuz its what he loves to do, and doesnt like to be bothered too much, (so pls do not use the website to pester him...) He teaches more than one martial art, not just Taijiquan, but I will only be learning Taiji from him. He teaches a form from all 5 major styles, but he teaches mostly Yang (to show the style is not important). He teaches 6 TRADITIONAL forms, (which is supposedly supposed to make you equal to a Grand Master in China, depending on who you talk to) Qigong, Qinna, and Martial Applications for STREET FIGHTING, not for show or for play. He has one rule, if he finds you use his martial art to bully or hurt people, he breaks your knees, so hes not a teacher to mess around with... He also teaches Qigong for free to cancer patients and whoever else wants to join, which makes me respect him more. He also taught the people in Juarez, Mexico that taught the current teacher Im taking classes with. It broke my current teachers heart and the other students when I told them I had to leave, cuz now he will have to teach more, and they will learn less, but I will definately progress more with Beto.

Actually yes, he also gave me a small demonstration on Iron Body the first time I went to visit. He took a knife and he cut through a piece of paper rigt in front of me with it like nothing (demonstrating it was not a trick knife and it was sharp). He told me to hold it out in front of me and do not let go, no matter what happens. He grabbed the knife, showing me the palm of his hand the whole time to prove it wasnt a trick, on the blade with his palm, and pulled. After about 5 seconds of really playing tug of war with the blade, he used some Qinna and disarmed me. He then showed me his palm, not even an indention from where he was holding the blade.

Ill be sure to have more stories after I start training with him This coming Sunday

[Dave C.]

He is an ordaned Daoist, Buddhist, and Muslim. He likes to keep himself low key and does not like a lot of attention.

You've got to be kidding, right?

He teaches 6 TRADITIONAL forms, (which is supposedly supposed to make you equal to a Grand Master in China, depending on who you talk to)

Wow. You become a grandmaster simply by knowing lots of forms! That's great.

It broke my current teachers heart and the other students when I told them I had to leave, cuz now he will have to teach more, and they will learn less...

Can I roll my eyes now?

[lilman]

lol.

Nope not kidding... Why? Is that bad or what? Thats why he runs a "temple" not a martial arts school...

Ok again play on words seemingly has offended you Dave C.
My apologies again. I see you have an issue with comparisons. I am not saying because you know 6 forms you are a grandmaster. I am saying that Grandmaster's ussually teaches these 6 taijiquan foms in his circle of Taijiquan. Not everyone in his circle learns these 6 forms. I already know 5 forms and am far from what I consider a Grandmaster. There are different people who call themselves Grandmaster for different reasons. My old teacher called himself Grandmaster because he had a Shaolin student who went and opened his own school. So you see the term Grandmaster can be used in different ways. Again to clarify, I was relating that sentence to knowing the 6 forms, not your level of experience and mastery of Taijiquan. Hope that clarifies for you.

Again Dave C., a matter of comparisons. You do not fully know my situation because you are not here, yet my comments appearantly offend you. Again I do apologize. My new teacher happens to be the teacher that taught my old teacher's teacher in Juarez Mexico. My old teacher learned Wushu Taijiquan, not traditional Taijiquan for martial arts per se (ie Taiji for competition only). He was not taught the 13 basic movements, and he was not taught the Qigong. He did learn the sitting meditation. He teaches Taiji for show, and as an external martial art. He knows the 42 movement competition form, the martial applications for the form, the meditation aspects, basic fa jing, and 3 wushu sword forms, the fan form, and everything else he's learning from DVD's and books. I have been showing his students how to feel Qi, Qigong, and the 13 basic movements, and trying to explain to them the Yin and Yang aspects of the movements which my teacher neglects. Besides substantial and insubstantial in the feet, his arms stay Yang when performing the form as far as movements like brush knee twist step and repulse monkey for example. The students have not learned the concept of Sung or rooting. He is not teaching techniques such as the unbendable arm or circulating Qi. He had me learn the 24 movement form from a DVD. He never learned it. I have been teaching his students for him. Whenever I start the form, or Qigong, he leaves the room and does whatever he has to do, so now that Im leaving, his students will not learn that form or Qigong. As far as push hands, he does not teach fixxed step push hands, so he doesnt train a lot on listening and understanding jings. He teaches pushands just to learn to flow with the movements, neglecting the listening and understanding aspects, which should technically come naturally, but fixxed pushing hands is to improve on that, and we all know is an important part of Taijiquan. He is a great teacher for someone who wants to learn Wushu. Unfortunately that is not what Im interested in. The other students are interested in the martial aspect and Qigong, and since Im leaving, he cannot teach what he does not know. And Im sure, someone on the outside looking in, not in my position, couldnt truly appreciate the situation I was in with my old teacher. One who knows does not speak, one who speaks, does not know.