Sunday, July 5, “Independendence Day + 1” Livestream of Qigong For Health (Class #15) with Terry Dunn
Taoist Elixir Method 31 Basic Meditations + Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong Combined Qigong Practice
Our fifteenth Livestream session is set for this Sunday from 4pm to 6pm Eastern Time (U.S. and Canada), with 30 minutes of discussion and Q&A immediately following. Each class immerses you in—not one, but—two authentic and powerful ancient Taoist Qigong systems that will improve your health: Taoist Elixir Method Qigong created in Tang Dynasty and Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong, created in 1644 by the famous Ehrmei Mountain Taoist, Feng Dao Deh (Feng Do Duk in Cantonese).
A. Warm-up: We begin every class with this easy and healthful basic Qigong pattern called “the Silkweaver’s Exercise”, which you can learn on your own by practicing to this Facebook video that I made in Santa Monica in 2016:
https://www.facebook.com/236579434951/videos/10154646296514952/
If you do this exercise as homework and memorize all or part of this choreography, you’ll hit the deck “running” at each Sunday or Wednesday class because you will attain deeper levels of relaxation, mind-body integration, physical comfort, emotional calm, and mental concentration/jhanic absorption during our warm-up.
B. After warming up this manner, we will do 50 minutes of the Basic Tao Tan 31 Meditations, a complete system of Chinese yoga that is easily learned , is easy to practice, and will serve you for a lifetime. The TTP-31 consists of 15 standing moving meditations and 16 seated meditations, all of them involving movements except three. I start beginners on the “TTP Short Form Power Yoga” consisting of the first four standing Meditations followed by the third of the 16 seated meditations (aka, No.18). This is a classical practice, not a recent advent or abbreviation. Sometimes we will do 10 or 12 of the standing meditations and 2 to 5 of the seated meditations. At any rate, new meditations are added each week until we cover all of the 31 Basic Meditations of Tao Tan Pai in about 12 classes. But this easy practice can be started by beginners in any class.
• Eight of the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations (“TTP-31”) are seen on this video, including the all-essential first of the 31 Meditations known as “Circling Palms”, which is traditionally practiced by doing four sets of 8 repetitions:
*A fact of Qigong that I will emphasize this week and reiterate every week: Just like one can never practice enough of “Wave Hands Like Clouds” (an outward circling pattern done in the bow stance) in Tai Chi, one can never practice enough of “Circling Palms” (an inward circling pattern) in Taoist Elixir Method Qigong, with one’s eyes continually focused on the fingertips of the extended arm as it sweeps 180 degrees to the other side.
C. After our practice of the Tao Tan Pai “Short Form Power Yoga”—which is easy to do and good for all ages— we take our excellent body mechanics, mind-body integration, newly cultivated “shen” energy (from our mental and visual concentration on movements synchronized with breath cycle) to use as a strong foundation for our second hour’s practice of “Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong”. On this video (1:40) his is what one of the basic FP Qigong standing moving meditations, “Bending the Bows”, looks like:
Both the practice of the Basic TTP-31 Meditations and the Flying Phoenix Qigong involve standing and seated, moving and sedentary meditations. Both are complete and powerful health-enhancing and consciousness-transforming systems of Taoist hygienics in and of themselves. But as explained in an earlier issue and in all my email invitations to these Livestreams, I discovered about 6 years ago while teaching at Emperors College in Santa Monica that the TTP-31 Basic Meditations happen to work as a superb foundational catalyst that enhances the sublimely restorative effects of the Flying Phoenix Healing Qigong. Hence the format of every class in this series is one hour of Taoist Elixir Method Qigong followed by an hour of Flying Phoenix Qigong.
Both Tao Tan Pai and Flying Phoenix are esoteric Taoist Nei Kung systems. There are 10 instructors of Tao Tan Pai Kung Fu/Qigong in the world—most in the western United States. As for the Ehrmei Mountain Flying Phoenix Qigong, I am the sole preserver of this now very rare system of medical Qigong—more specifically, its seventh generation preserver looking for a few next generation practitioners to carry on this powerful and elegant tradition.
STUDY THE CLASSICS
In my Newsletter announcing the May 24th Livestream, we examined the very direct and explicit instructions in the I Ching (Book of Changes) Hexagram #52 “Keeping Still” for properly practicing meditation and Qigong. Those instructions in the Judgement and Image are about the Shape/Form of the body, or “Xing,” and about the focus of the mind, or “Yi”. Be sure to review and carefully study these classical instructions governing Shape-Form and Mental Focus provided in Hexagram 52 to understand and apply the most basic fundaments of meditation that you will need for progress in any style or system of Qigong.
“Keeping Still.
Keeping the back still until you no longer feel your body.
He goes into his courtyard
And does not see his people.
No blame.”
“Joined mountains. Stilling.
A noble one reflects, and does not come forth from his situation.”
*It is also important to study the meaning of the six “changing lines” of this hexagram, for they give further instruction as to important DO’s and DON’T’s when you practice any form of Qigong or meditation.
Joining the Livestream Session
To experience these two easy-to-do and profoundly restorative holistic health regimens, and join a lively worldwide community of students dedicated to health, personal growth, self-empowerment, inner peace and world peace, sign up for the next session:
The Zoom Meeting ID is: 876 7036 7085
FEE: $40 per class; $280 / 8-class series; or $480 / 16-class series
• Please send tuition via Paypal to zenbearinc@gmail.com (before noon on July 5) —or send an email to zenbearinc@gmail.com asking to be sent a Paypal money request that you can use any credit or debit card to pay.) You will then be sent the Meeting Password by 2pm on Sunday.
All participants must register in advance for this meeting at this URL:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmrqDwqEtEjB-HlQOUq2mDgznCVMevG
See you this Sunday for continuing our easy systematic practice of Taoist Elixir Method Qigong’s and Flying Phoenix Qigong’s sedentary meditations to perfect ”stillness with stillness” and to practice their ingenious moving meditations to develop “stillness within movement”—that merges one with the Infinite Event.
QUICK RECAP OF LAST WEEK’S TRAINING
Last Sunday afternoon I was driven inside due to a loud and thunderous heavy rainstorm over Lenox and we practiced Tao Tan Pai standing meditations 1 through 10, and then ending the practice as usual with Meditation No. 18.
The weather cleared just in time for Hour Two, which consisted of standing Flying Phoenix Qigong practice in this order: “Bending the Bows” (5 rounds), Monk Gazing At Moon, Monk Holding Peach, and Wind Above the Clouds,
This was followed by complete sets of 7 repetitions of the following two seated “Monk Serves Wine” meditations: (A) The last meditation on Volume 7 of Chi Kung For Health DVD series (with breathing formula 20 40 90 10), and (B) The second Monk Serves Wine Meditation on Volume 2 (the fifth of the six meditations with breathing formula 90 50 40 30 10, which I demonstrate in Volume 2 of my Chi Kung for Health DVD series (the preview clip of which is at the start of this issue).
NEW INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL QIGONG & KUNG FU CLASS ON WEDNESDAYS
Every Wednesday from 7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m., I will be teaching an intermediate-level Qigog that will also include four specially selected basic Kung-fu forms from three styles Tao Tan Pai (2), Ehrmei Mountain White Tiger (1), and Mok Gar (1):
QIGONG:
1. Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations -- we will cover a portion of TTP-31 every class so that after 3 months, you will have memorized the entire system.
2. TTP Shen Exercises – 5 standing meditations that extend psychic awareness.
3. TTP Six Stars -- the 2nd most powerful yoga in the TTP system, according to the late Grandmaster Share K. Lew.
4. TTP Sleep Yoga
5. Flying Phoenix Long Form Standing Med. (Vol.4)
6. Advanced Flying Phoenix Qigong -- 9 standing meditations. This is Exercise No.9:
7. Preparatory Form of 8 Sections of Energy Combined:
8. Advanced FP Monk Serves Wine seated Meditations
9. Selections from 10,000 Buddhas Ascend to Heaven Qigong system (54 meditations) that some have gotten a taste of from past Eastover workshops.
10. Feng Dao Deh’s 10 San Gung Seated Meditations -- a profoundly powerful and absolutely gorgeous set of seated meditations. Prerequisite: proficiency in entire basic level of FP Qigong (all the material in my Chi Kung For Health DVD series). For those working on this set on their own, I will give remedial lessons and corrections as needed.
KUNG FU:
1. Tao Tan Pai Cane Form, which many of you already know. We shall further perfect this cane/umbrella form and breakdown applications.
2. Tao Tan Pai Monkey Form (or Crane or Snake Form; or all 3, as time permits.)
3. The Ehrmei Mountain Bok Fu Pai (White Tiger) Kung Fu form called: "The Eagle Claw Ten Hook Attack Form", an extensive form that's a cousin to the Ehrme Mountain Bak Mei Kung Fu, which GM Doo Wai’s father got from th great Bak Mei Master Chun Lai Cheung the latter which seen here in this clip demonstrated my teacher Grandmaster Doo Wai:
**supporting the BFP Eagle Claw form in future classes will be these 3 Yau Kang Mun Kung fu forms: "Standard Form," "Small Cross" Form, and "Big Cross,” which are second generation descendant forms from Bak Mei Kung Fu.
4. The 4-Corner Mok Gar "Browns" Form. (Splashing Hands). shown here. This Form consists of 10 Brown fighting techniques. (Don't be too wow'd or intimidated by the demo in this video; this Form is learned slowly, systematically, one technique at a time; then you gradually train for speed and power. And, btw, I have trained women in this form--quite a few in the 1980's, actually. The "Browns" are learned one technique at a time linearly. Each technique is practiced at different cadences--Then at the very end, after all 10 have been learned, we string it together into this 4-corner form. And it's quite fun to do because of the shuffles (footwork):
Starting at 2:50 on this video, the "Browns" 1 thru 5 are broken down by Sifu James McNeil, who was a peer and friend with my senior classmate in the late 70's and 80's, the ven. John Davidson. He powers his Mok Gar with Hsing-I. (I empower my Mok Gar with the TTP and the 10,000 Buddhas meditations.)
**Again, the above Kung Fu forms (#1, 2, 3 & 4) are the prerequisites for learning more advanced Qigong. They collectively provide a solid kung fu foundation is required in order to derive max. benefits from Six Stars and other advanced Nei Kung arts like Feng Dao Deh’s 10 San Gung Meditations.
In last Wednesday’s inaugural class, we practiced:
Tao Tan Pai Cane form – 3 rounds.
Tao Tan Pai Shortest Form Power Yoga (Ex. #1 “Circling Palms” + Ex.#18 “Taoist Prayer”)
The TTP Six Stars – said to be the second most powerful Nei Kung exercise in the Tao Tan Pai system—second only to the Five Dragons.
Advanced Flying Phoenix Standing Qigong Exercises #2, #3, #4 and #5.
Mok-Gar Brown Technique No.1
FEES: $80/class or $600/ series of 8 classes. Send via Paypal to zenbearinc@gmail.com to receive Zoom Meeting password each Wed. by 4pm EST
• BASIC BREATHWORK PRELIMARIES FOR QIGONG
WELCOME to this NINTH edition of our Newsletter for Qigong for Health and Tai Chi for Health! This week, we begin again with a look at the new book by journalist James Nestor titled 'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.’ I strongly recommend that all Qigong practitioners—beginning through advanced—get this book as essential background. And while it’s on order, you can listen to this very informative podcast on the NPR program appropriately called, “Fresh Air”, in which Terry Gross interviews the author:
Nestor talks about the basic benefits of deep breathing and reviews the basic findings that ancient masters of meditation and yoga from numerous cultures developed at different times at different places. He explains the complementary/counter-balancing functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems: that the sympathetic triggers the flight or fight response that involves the the release of stress hormones, while the parasympathetic nervous system regulates the rest, relaxation or the stress releasing response.
His book articulates all the basic parameters, functionalities, and universal characteristics of ancient Qigong arts as well as the regulated breathing in Tai Chi:
(1) that humans can control the autonomic nervous system by simply breathing; that just by breathing in certain special ways one can elicit these different autonomic nervous states and strengthen them. In Qigong, we do exercises that are inherently designed to induce the sympathetic response through inhalation, while balancing or coordinating the induction of the parasympathetic response through the exhalation.
**Now consider how you are exercising the autonomic nervous system every time you perform the unique percentage exhalation formula at the start of each Flying Phoenix Qigong Meditation.
(2) that deep breathing is very healthful: increasing the duration of one’s inhalation and exhalation has a profound effect on your blood pressure, mental state, emotional state, and will ultimately increase longevity. [Now think about how you are increasing steadily increasing the tidal volume in your lungs every time you practice Circling Palms and each and every one of the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Mediations.
(3) Nestor explains that the diaphragm is considered the “second heart” because it is so essential to proper breathing. And you will recall that throughout our entire practice every Sunday—from the warm-up exercise known as “The Silkweaver’s Exercise”, to the 50 minutes practicing the Tao Tan Pai Basic 31 Meditations, to th 50 minutes of Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Qi Meditations, we are constantly breathing diaphramatically—expand the lower abdomen on every inhalation and contracting the lower abdomen, letting the stomach wall fall in, with every exhalation.
(4) Nestor’s book also has a fascinating chapter about his research into how the evolution of the human skull over the past 300=-400 years had led to the shrinking of the teeth and jaw and breathing orifices. He explains why so many chronic breathing problems are tied to the shrinking of the human skull over the past 400 years, and that shrinkage has been due to the ingesting of industrially processed foods that have enabled humans to not have to chew as much or as vigorously as his predecessors just 6 generations ago.
(5) An interesting finding that is so relevant and fundamental to Qigong: that just by increasing the length of the inhalation and exhalation can improve health. More specifically, it has been scientifically proven that by increasing the duration of one’s breath cycle to a minimum of 5.5 seconds for each inhalation and 5.5 seconds for each exhalation, the rest and relaxation response is induced and “parasympathetic tone” is enhanced.
So isn’t it interesting that the vast and complete Tao Tan Pai Qigong System created in the 10th Century A.D. begins with its very first exercise known as “Circling Palms”, which systematically conditions the practitioner to deepen each exhalation and inhalation to reach a norm during practice of 20 seconds in duration, surpassing th 5.5 seconds duration recommended Nestor by almost four-fold?
The one relatively minor criticism I have of James Nestor’s book is his title--'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.' I’m of the naturally biased opinion that his title is quite inaccurate—for there is really nothing new under the sun when it comes to “Breath”. Homo sapiens have been doing it for well over 200,000 years. And some ancient cultures in more recent millennia discovered and created breathing methods and refined and codified them into therapeutic sciences that promote health and actually heal disease. There is no new “science of breath”—there is only ancient Qigong that works! And some of these ancient methods, such as Taoist Elixir Method and Flying Phoenix Qigong are intact and produce tangible health and restorative effects that are repeatable and verifiable with every practice.
Bear in mind that James Nestor’s podcast and book discuss some interesting things about only one aspect of Qigong: Qi – or breathing method. But there are two other essential aspects of Qigong, “Xing” (the shape/form of the body and posture), and “Yi” (mental focus and concentration) that need to be synergized with Nestor’s concept of deep breathing or some unique style of deep breathing—before you have a Qigong art that is transformative.
SATURN AND PLUTO CONJUNCT IN CAPRICORN
Saturn and Pluto have been conjunct in Capricorn from January to late March this year, and will be again from July to December. Their conjunction in Capricorn doesn't happen often. The last time was in 1518—when Spain's King Charles I opened the trans-Atlantic slave trade on a massive scale.
He authorized Spain to ship enslaved people directly from Africa to the Americas, marking a new phase in the transatlantic slave trade in which the numbers of enslaved people brought directly to the Americas rose dramatically. (From 3 or 4 to 40 slaves per ship to 200 to 300 per ship Spain’s King Charles I)
Clearly, the Pluto-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn in 2020 is an opportunity to reverse and remedy one of civilization's greatest calamities.
• HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
—anthropologist Margaret Mead
+
Nonviolent protests informed by civil disobedience are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts. Those that engage a threshold of 3.5 percent of the population are usually successful.
—political scientist Erica Chenoweth
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There are moments in life when keeping silent becomes a fault, and speaking an obligation. A civic duty, a moral challenge, a categorical imperative from which we cannot escape.
—journalist Oriana Fallaci
ART PICK FOR THIS WEEK
Because it is the Fourth of July weekend and America is in the state that it’s in, our art pick this week is the fresco on the ceiling of the rotunda in the U.S. Capitol Building called “The Apotheosis of Washington”, painted in 1865 by Constantino Brumidi.
Freemasons and other American alchemists have used this unique image of Washington as a devotional icon to invoke his spirit since it was painted. There are no renderings of Washington quite like this one. So at this awful time in America’s history, if you’re wondering if there’s anyone to pray to besides the One God to save the Republic, this powerful fresco might inspire you to invoke George Washington’s spirit to do just that, as it is now in gravest danger from within.
Further Masonic inspiration will flow by studying this scene that Brumidi painted below Washington that expresses his genius in designing and founding American democracy: armored Freedom, sword raised and cape flying, with a helmet and shield reminiscent of those on the Statue of Freedom, tramples Tyranny and Kingly Power; she is assisted by a fierce eagle carrying arrows and a thunderbolt:
Personal Note that readers can take with 18 shakers of salt: In my meditations, I occasionally see George Washington right up there with the Taoist pantheon.
• SONG PICK FOR THIS WEEK
On this Fourth of July weekend, after members of the Black Lives Movement demonstrations did their homework and tore down a statue of Francis Scott Key, the composer of the national anthem, in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park because he owned slaves from 1800, during which time abolitionists ridiculed his words, claiming that America was more like the
"Land of the Free and Home of the Oppressed,"
I’ve decided to play out a fantasy game of replacing the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” with something better. As District Attorney of Washington D.C. appointed by President Andrew Jackson, Francis Scott Key suppressed abolitionists and did not support an immediate end to slavery. He was also a leader of the American Colonization Society which sent freed slaves to Africa. Thus in keeping with the progressive spirit and agenda of the BLM/ICB Movement to remove and replace old symbols of slavery, injustice, racism, and ignorance, which also led to protests in many locations against Fourth of July celebrations—because demonstrators saw the holiday as an exclusive celebration of white people’s independence, I’m joining Key’s 19th century critics calling for the retirement the “Star Spangled Banner” as America’s national anthem.
But what to replace it with—at least for this weekend? Well, I was at first going write-in the much better patriotic song, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” with its powerful lyrics and biblical references that inspire us to listen to the better angels of our nature:
“As Christ died to make men holy, let is fight to make men free…”
--but also is powerful enough to raise spirits when sung en masse during times of crisis—such as now.
Another candidate for new national anthem that I would nominate is my favorite British hymn, “I Vow to Thee My Country” which extols faith, quiet courage, and supreme personal sacrifice for the good of the realm-- and is so very Gnostic in its exultations and invocations. But I guess promoting this very famous British hymn over the Stars Spangled Banner would be too counter-revolutionary—even so long after the fact. LOL.
--I mean, anything would do better than that spiritually inert anthem that only celebrates the sighting of the American flag during the bombardment of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812, indicating that the fort had not fallen to the British. (Most national anthems are at least about people—e.g., England’s “God Save The Queen”.)
But to express my outrage and utmost contempt for the perpetrator of 3.5 years of daily assault, denigration and defilement of American values embodied in the Constitution, in its finest institutions, and in its patriotic people by this very dangerous buffoon composed of equal parts of 100-proof malignant narcissist, 100-proof venal shithead, with 200-proof “fucking moron”, who now is a clearly exposed traitor to American servicemen and -women, who has also directly caused no less than 80,000 unnecessary and preventable coronavirus deaths, and to express solidarity for the worldwide Black Lives Matter protest movement and to capture and bemoan the underlying decades of pain, agony and frustration of those victimized by racial injustice, my song pick for this week—to serve as the Fourth of July anthem that colors the trump administration— is one of the most powerful and creative social protest songs ever written, in my humble opinion:
Ghetto Defendant by the Clash, performed in collaboration with beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who joined the band in many of their New York shows in 1981 and 1982 to rap on this song. On their 1982 hit album, “Combat Rock.” The contrast between the two lyrical and vocal styles is brilliant and beautiful—and kicks ass:
The Clash – Ghetto Defendant
• Ginsberg’s “Voice of God” lyrics are in parentheses:
(Starved in metropolis
Hooked on necropolis
Addict of metropolis
Do the worm on the accropolis
Slamdance the cosmopolis
Enlighten the populace)
Hungry darkness of living
Who will thirst in the pit?
(hooked in metropolis)
She spent a lifetime deciding
How to run from it
(addicts of metropolis)
Once fate had a witness
And the years seemed like friends
(girlfriends)
Now her child has a dream
But it begins like it ends
(Shot in eternity
Methadone kitty
Iron serenity)
Ghetto defendant
It is heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city
(Strung-out committee)
walled out of the city
Clubbed down from uptown
Sprayed pest from the nest
Run out to barrio town
(The guards are itchy)
Forced to watch at the feast
Then sweep up the night
Flipped pieces of coin
(broken bottles)
Exchanged for birthright
(grafted in a jiffy)
Ghetto defendant, it is heroin pity
(strung-out committee)
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city
(not sitting pretty)
(Grafted in a jiffy)
heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city
The ghetto prince of gutter poets
Was bounced out of the room
(Jean Arthur Rimbaud)
By the bodyguards of greed
For disturbing the tomb
(eighteen-seventy-three)
His words like flamethrowers
(Paris commune)
Burnt the ghettos in their chests
His face was painted whiter
And he was laid to rest
(died in Marseille)
Ghetto defendant, it is heroin pity
(buried in Charleville)
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city
(shut up in eternity)
It is heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city
(Guatemala, Honduras, Poland, the Hundred-Years War
TV re-run invasion
Death squad Salvador
Afghanistan, meditation, OLD CHINESE FLU, (!!!!!)
Kick junk, what else can a poor worker do?)
Ghetto defendant
In heroin pity
Not tear gas nor baton charge
That stops you taking the city
Ghetto defendant
It is heroin pity
FROM SONGFACTS:
This song was initially written and rehearsed in September 1981 at Ear Studios. The guest vocal on the finished track is the famous beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who The Clash met earlier in the year when he joined the band onstage at one of their New York residency shows in June to recite some poetry with the band, providing an impromptu musical backing (referred to In bootlegs as "Capital Air"). Ginsberg then dropped in to the Combat Rock sessions with the initial aim of getting The Clash to provide musical backing to several of his recordings, but in the end the opposite transpired and he was invited to add a "voice of God" vocal to "Ghetto Defendant." Singer Joe Strummer remembers that "Ginsberg wrote his own bit to 'Ghetto Defendant' but he had to ask us what were the names of punk dances. He just did it on the spot, it was good."
Ginsberg's rap includes a reference to his own personal favorite poet, the existentialist Arthur Rimbaud (1854-91). According to Ginsberg's biography, several sessions and collaborations were recorded but this was the only song that was ever released.
mitakuye oyasin,
(Lakota prayer that means “To all my relations” or “All are related”, or “Help and Health to all my Brothers and Sisters”)
Sincerely,
Terry Dunn