8 pieces of brocade - questions of a newbie practitioner

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8 pieces of brocade - questions of a newbie practitioner

Postby paulkov » Mon Sep 06, 2010 5:33 am

Hello all,

At first, sorry for my poor "engrish" skills :(

I started 8 pieces of brocade yesterday and I've got few questions regarding sitting exercises:

1)7th exercise:
If I can't reach my feet, can I just stretch forward, catch knees or calfs and stretch my body?
2)Should my legs be tensed while sitting, during exercises 1-6, and 8, or not? (I think that they shouldn't, as it would distract my concentration)
3)Instead of visualizing fire (exercises 5,8 ) can I just visualize golden "aura"? (I think that I can visualize any kind of energy, which I recall as a powerful one)
4)5th exercise:
My belly was very hot during second part of this exercise. It was mentioned to visualize fire, but I didn't thought that I'll really feel that my stomach "burns"! Is this normal? Maybe I should just concentrate on my belly?
5) Where is located Solar Plexus mentioned in 1st and 5th exercise? Below or above navel?
Which image refers to it most accurately?
a)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Celiac_plexus_coronal.png
b)http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yu8apSfNOUg/STgLFIHEOZI/AAAAAAAAAJU/4LQvwW9KIqU/s1600-h/chakra.jpg

Greetings,
Paul.
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Postby joeblast » Mon Sep 06, 2010 11:11 am

1-With any of these exercises, do what is comfortable for your body - the intent is to gently push one's limits forward - too hard of an approach will only result in injury, and that is one big piece of the intent, cause no harm to yourself doing these things.

2-relax!

3-yes, you should be able to visualize those particulars as it suits you - the real focus of it is the lower dantien, as long as that's where your focus is, the quality of it is secondary.

4-normal

5-Celiac plexus - go to wiki's site and ponder the anatomy at some point, but if you're just beginning you will likely get more out of focusing on lower centers first, e.g. good embryonic breathing will help strengthen, regulate, seal the root; the abdominal (lower dantien) it will enhance, condition for more charge. The solar plexus is good to cultivate after you've spent some time smoothing out your breath (and diaphragm by proxy) and that will help you reach some longer breaths (smoothness) and it will also help gently support the heart center as you further cultivate these aspects.

Good luck in your training, Paul! There's plenty of good help here so if you have more questions, feel free!
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Postby paulkov » Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:49 pm

Thanks for your help, joeblast :)
I'm also going to read other books (and watch DVDs) by Dr Yang Jwing Ming, so I'll be better qigong practitioner (although my only priority is to maintain my health, so I'll stick to 8 pieces of brocade and maybe Embryonic Breathing).

Of course big thanks to dr Yang Jwing Ming for his amazing work! :)

Regards,
Paul
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Postby Dvivid » Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:31 am

1. Grab the back of the legs anywhere and pull. Over time your legs will be more flexible and you'll reach your toes.

2. Loose muscles. When you tense the muscles, you stagnate energy.

3. Aura or fire is fine. The idea is to bring the qi out to the surface of the skin and beyond, into the Wei Qi, guardian qi.

4. feeling hot is normal and healthy. Feeling heat means you are leading Qi to the area. The heat is not the Qi, but it is caused by the Qi. When energy is invlved, wherever there is resistance, or friction, heat is generated.

So, as you lead more qi there, it will get hot, until the tissue is conditioned to circulate more energy, and the resistance is reduced.

5. solar plexus is the center of your chest. Between the stomach and lungs. Diaphragm.
"Avoid Prejudice, Be Objective in Your Judgement, Be Scientific, Be Logical and Make Sense, Do Not Ignore Prior Experience." - Dr. Yang

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Postby paulkov » Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:34 pm

Dvivid, thanks for your support :)
I have one more question.
Can I do qigong exercises (sitting 8 Pieces of Brocade) before going to sleep ?

Regards,
Paul
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Postby joeblast » Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:14 am

Absolutely, just keep in mind things that move more will rev you up a bit too much for sleep, so the standing set might not be wise before bed ;) The sitting one feels like it was made for before bed!
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Postby paulkov » Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:56 am

I haven't started standing set yet :)
I want to practice sitting set for few months to recover from my lazy lifestyle :D
BTW, I practiced High Intensity Interval Training (cardio) few months ago and I dropped 26.4 lbs in about 3 months. Training constisted of short warm-up, and 10 minute session (1 or 2 times a day) on stationary bike.
Training was similiar to this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlfo9DyMUV0
I stopped this training because I wasn't sure if my heart will handle that type training (although I didn't had problems with my heart in my life).
I have another 3 questions:
1. Does cardio exercises are safe from "qigong point of view"?
2. If answer to 1 is yes, then can I mix qigong (8 pieces of brocade) with cardio workout (8 PoB - morning, noon and before sleep; cardio workout in the afternoon)?
3. If answer to 1 is no, does 8 pieces of brocade are suitable for losing fat?

Greetings,
Paul.
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Postby Dvivid » Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:06 am

Hi

The sitting Brocades can be done any time, but really, they were created to be done 1st thing when you wake up. Before you become fully awake, you are already practicing. The sitting set is for 'maintaining' health.

The standing set is for 'improving' health. I would not mix it with cardio. But I would say that it could be done right AFTER cardio safely. Wait til your heart rate is normal before starting the standing Brocades.

Yes, cardio is healthy and necessary, just don't overdo it.

Eat organic vegetables to replace minerals, vitamins, and provide fresh solar energy within the body.
"Avoid Prejudice, Be Objective in Your Judgement, Be Scientific, Be Logical and Make Sense, Do Not Ignore Prior Experience." - Dr. Yang

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Postby paulkov » Sat Sep 18, 2010 12:48 pm

Once again, thank you :D

Paul
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