Michael- Integration of Qigong and Physical Training

HI Oscar, I am not Michael but a humble practitioner who has examined the same questions. I work out in a gym, do Pilate’s, yoga and other physical trainings. I have found that the core chi kung focus on imagery, body awareness and centering into the lower dan tien has been the common theme in all.
I used to do my weights and machines resisting the external music and grunting. Now, I put earplugs in and listen to my breath. I practice the fundamental ocean breathing chi kung on Michael’s first tape between sets. As you progress into bone breathing and standing poses, they also can play a big part in absorbing and digesting the chi generated.
However the primary return is always to settling into my center. Enlarging it with more chi and focus and having fun. As you move in the Healing Tao you will encounter emotional formulas for centering called Fusion and then the Alchemical formulas that allow you to breathe the polarities together and carry you into dimensions your soul wants to travel.
It is simple, really. If you intend to let the practices that balance or express yourself to emerge from and return to the dan tien in your lowest center,it bypasses the greedy brainy mind and saturates your deeper knowing of what’s skillful and what’s not, in that moment. Hope this helped, baba

Michael,

Thank you so much for putting out your home study courses and for these valuable tips on how to progress through these practices. A related question (with some background first):

I’m finding very much depth and richness in exploring the warmups, 5 animals, and 6 healing sounds through the CKF 1 home study course. I’m feeling like I’m STARTING to “own” those practices. And I already feel like I “own” the inner smile (as if it could ever be “owned”! 🙂 ). I have CKF 2 and Healing Love home study courses, but I haven’t done much with them yet. (I have, for a few years, practiced the Microcosmic Orbit from Chia’s “Transform Stress into Vitality” as well as the sexual practices in “Multi-Orgasmic Man.”)

I just signed up for the CKF 1-4, Fusion 1-3, and Healing Love retreats. Could taking all of these retreats, trying to learn all the additional practices at once, overwhelm me, and be too much too fast? I do plan to get the home study courses that I don’t have yet corresponding to the retreats that I’ll be taking in order to follow up and ground the learning.

Another complicating factor: Money. I figure, if I’m going to fly across the country, I might as well get my money’s worth and take 3 retreats, especially since I’m only going to have an opportunity like this once a year. But could this attitude actually get in the way of learning by causing me to overwhelm myself? I really don’t know what it’s like to be at these retreats – is this something (taking 3 retreats in a row, 2 1/2 of which I haven’t previously prepared for through home study courses) that people commonly do and find useful to their long-term learning?

Any advice? I’d very much appreciate your perspective. I’m looking forward to these retreats, but if you recommend that I only take CKF 1-4, for instance, then I’ll do that. Thank you.

Brian Sullivan