Wanderingdragon wrote:How bout someone break that down to laymens terms, we are not all versed in the meridians, are they front, back , north or south MIX
D_Glenn wrote:
The high level/ final stages (meaning it's high or advanced because it's taken years to get there, finally), both in the martial and cultivation methods/training practices, are then just ideas, or concepts, and can be done with just a thought, but only if there has been years of physical foundational training. You can't only practice the final stages or imitate or mentally replicate the concepts and think your way to martial or meditation mastery.
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amor wrote:I've heard it mentioned that the damai could be likened to the transversus abdominus, you think or does it encompass more than that?
But from an energetic perspective you usually end up feeling a bulge in the kidney areas or the area kind of 'balloons up'. The 'ballooning' part occurs when you apparently wrap the kidneys. But this wrapping is not just exclusive to the kidney's. All the organs can apparently be 'packed' and 'wrapped'. Anything in your works/translations about organ packing/wrapping?
Apparently the elbow move in taichi makes use of this packing/wrapping idea.
Also you talk about the foundational training pretty well but what about when it comes to locking down the structure, after everything has been 'filled' by working with soft energy. Doesn't one then proceed to use the 'hard energy' to 'harden' the structure? How often then should one be working with soft and hard energy?
What's this earth door or duhu the western related accupoint label for it?
D_Glenn wrote:amor wrote:But from an energetic perspective you usually end up feeling a bulge in the kidney areas or the area kind of 'balloons up'. The 'ballooning' part occurs when you apparently wrap the kidneys. But this wrapping is not just exclusive to the kidney's. All the organs can apparently be 'packed' and 'wrapped'. Anything in your works/translations about organ packing/wrapping?
I don't quite understand what you're saying, maybe you can word that in a different way?
LaoDan wrote:When done this way, the bones of the pelvis as well as the spine contain the abdomen to a degree from the back. However, since there is some movement possible from the spine, this ‘packing’ tends to push out towards the back which ‘opens’ the mingmen region of the spine (as well as ‘opening’ due to the tucking of the sacrum like you mentioned). Although from my understanding the focus is on the ‘opening’ of the mingmen rather than what is happening with the kidneys, there is a ‘ballooning’ that I can feel that occurs there, which may be what Amor is describing.
This sensation may be because compressing from the back is not mentioned in the training that I received, since it is desirable to have the mingmen push out (‘open’). If a balloon is compressed from the top, bottom, front and sides, then, even if there is not much movement possible towards the back due to the bony structures located there, there is some outward ‘ballooning’ that occurs.
Dan
amor wrote:This is essentially what I was describing which is initial phase which is basically about opening the mingmen. Don't forget there's two mingmen's, the regular accupoint one you describe which is between L2/L3 then I think there is the one down by near the sacrum which is often referred to as the 'chikung' one. I think the latter one is the one just as relevant to dantien building and because its so far down its quite difficult as the sacrum area take a while to open completely.. You have to get this bit right first if you want to do the packing stuff.
amor wrote:I don't know how you define "soft or hard energy", I can't even begin to understand what you're trying to say or ask
I've also heard it called a soft wave or hard wave so might make more sense
The soft wave is basically the rising you get when you mange to 'sink the chi'. Goes up the legs and side of body out to palms and somewhere else in between that Im not quite sure before ending back at the dantien. I think, from your posts, you are more familiar with getting this flow to occur by looking at your hands to try to influence it to go that way. This way is good too but sometimes I just prefer to 'sink' and then let it goes wherever. The more unblocked you get the more familiar with the route, that it takes, become to you.
As for the hard wave im not as familiar with it as above but I think it just goes straight up the spine. It might be the one you work with to do your Bolang Jin?
I just mentioned it because working with the soft wave doesn't really help you much for fighting because you're SOFT still. Sure you'll be fast and can do some degree of damage but not unless you harden everything down which I assume you get from the hard wave you can't use stillness to defeat your opponent. This is what I understand from 'investing in loss'. and you can not do much damage unless you harden the f*ck up
Just my 2cent on this but speak to Jinbao and see what he says about this.
amor wrote:@D_Glenn
I have to agree with LaoDan's description when he says:This sensation may be because compressing from the back is not mentioned in the training that I received, since it is desirable to have the mingmen push out (‘open’). If a balloon is compressed from the top, bottom, front and sides, then, even if there is not much movement possible towards the back due to the bony structures located there, there is some outward ‘ballooning’ that occurs.
The term iliopsoas (ilio-so-as) refers to the combination of the psoas major and the iliacus at their inferior ends. These muscles are distinct in the abdomen, but usually indistinguishable in the thigh. As such, they are usually given the common name "iliopsoas" and are referred to as the "dorsal hip muscles"[1] or "inner hip muscles".[2] The psoas minor does not contribute to the iliopsoas muscle.
Structure
The psoas major originates along the lateral surfaces of the vertebral bodies of T12 and L1-L5 and their associated intervertebral discs. The iliacus originates in the iliac fossa of the pelvis.[2]
The psoas major unites with the iliacus at the level of the inguinal ligament and crosses the hip joint to insert on the lesser trochanter of the femur. The iliopsoas is involved in flexion and lateral rotation (supination) of the thigh. If the limb is fixed they involve in flexion of the trunk.
Innervation
It is a composite muscle. The psoas major is innervated by direct branches of the anterior rami off the lumbar plexus at the levels of L2-L4, while the iliacus is innervated by the femoral nerve (which is composed of nerves from the anterior rami of L2-L4).
Function
The iliopsoas is the strongest of the hip flexors (others are rectus femoris, sartorius, and tensor fasciae latae). The iliopsoas is important for standing, walking, and running.[2] The iliacus and psoas major perform different actions when postural changes occur.
The iliopsoas muscle is covered by the iliac fascia, which begins as a strong tube-shaped psoas fascia, which surround the psoas major muscle as it passes under the medial arcuate ligament. Together with the iliac fascia, it continues down to the inguinal ligament where it forms the iliopectineal arch which separates the muscular and vascular lacunae.[3]
Clinical significance
It is, however, a typical posture muscle dominated by slow-twitch red type 1 fibers. Therefore, it is susceptible to pathological shortening or contracture, especially in older people with a sedentary lifestyle, and requires regular stretching to maintain normal tone. Such shortening can lead to increased anterior pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis (unilateral shortening), and limitation of hip extension (bilateral weakness).[2] ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliopsoas
amor wrote:@D_Glenn
I dont try to compress the back when I'm doing in Zhang Zhuang, just mainly from the diaphragm, hui-yin and daimai. The back just seems to naturally expand out (note I dont try to compress it). All this is pretty difficult as it is especially when trying to feel for the diaphragm to make sure its in position since its the most difficult part. While engaging in the other checklists you mentioned such as relaxing the hipflexors and iliacus which elongates the waist so that the kwa will relax while keeping head suspended so that the rest of the spine can elongate. If you do all this right then you naturally tend to just put all your weight on one leg supported by the quads and nothing else really so that the weight goes down through the center of the foot.
That other mingmen point is I think below between L5 and the sacrum so on second thoughts could that point (opposite it, located on the front, CV4) be the one that allows access to the earthdoor point you mentioned. It could be just another point on the list to remember but because of its significance they just call it the 'chi-kung' point, maybe? Can't remember where I saw it again, might have been something from BK.Frantzis or YM-Jwing.
The hard energy I referred to which you mentioned about in BolangJin is probably just another term for xue jin. But its different from the yang chi (normally associated with the soft wave) because the soft wave follows the path of the 8 extraordinary meridians (if I remmeber correctly) wheres the xue jin just goes up the spine but has to be held in the lower dantien. This is what causes the 'bulge' then you can rotate the dantien horizontally or shake (vertically) do whatever you want with it. It can be quite intense trying to contain this if your body is not well developed enough.
By the way BolangJin mechanical movement sound pretty risky, even though I'm nowhere near competent at this, I'd only ever use this in practice environment. But at higher level you should be able to use the yi to reproduce it's effects with hardly any discernible movement, no?
D_Glenn wrote:I just looked through a couple of YJM's books and B.K's Opening the Energy... book and they both have Mingmen at GV4 in the lumbar. I like to read about this stuff, so if you get a chance try and remember where you came across that and post or PM it to me. TIA
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