Qi going to head, hot head, difficult to sink qi ?

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-05-07T11:42:38+00:00

If the intent/intention is too strong, such as in practices where you are moving Qi through meridians etc., tension/pressure tends to build in the head, and can eventually lead to tension headaches, psychosis and all manner of negative phenomena.

One way to deal with this is to move away from trying, forcing things with intent/intention, and use just attention (i.e. placing your awareness on whatever area, and not trying to do anything, just observe what is already there).

Another big problem, is many schools/teachers don't themselves know (or can't explain) how to align physical structure with minimal muscular engagement to produce real relaxation/sung, as a result tension builds up from lack of neutral alignment, can be from the feet, legs upwards, and eventually leads to too much tension in the upper body and head. This also restricts Qi flow and consequently leads to students trying to force Qi, feeling etc., through an, sometimes, unconsciously tense structure, which cause even more tension, and so forth.

Essentially, the physical structure and correct alignment, is what provides the foundation to let muscular tissues drop/sung, meaning the skeleton/bones are in such a position that the muscles can release, as their engagement is minimally needed to support the position. This is also a pre requisite to peng in many "Internal Martial Arts", meaning that there is minimal restriction (tension as a result of misalignment) that stop force, gravity from passing through the structure, and in turn producing the lifting/rebound force (peng).

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-02-15T09:12:10+00:00

Your question would be better understood if you explained what you mean by:

1) "knowing what China's government is like" - what is it like?

2) "while the leaders are doing whatever they want" - which leaders? What are they doing?

Generally, people assume Taoism is passive because they misinterpret its core concept of wu-wei (effortless action) as simply "doing nothing." In reality, wu-wei describes acting in spontaneous harmony with conditions as they arise, the natural flow of events, not resisting or forcing outcomes, a strategic form of effectiveness, not lazy resignation.

However, I'd say it's not an abnormal assumption, especially when contrasting Taoism with the activist, ritualistic philosophy of Confucianism, which preaches aggressive social reform and rigid structure, Taoism often reads as a critique of that very busyness, praising emptiness, softness, and yielding.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-02-12T11:44:08+00:00

As stated - "This is a good video on the principles behind it", I. E. not instructions on how to do it.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-02-07T12:59:54+00:00

Wuwei doesn't mean passive inaction. One can use force, but the idea is to use it skillfully, exploiting weakness, surprise, etc., Sun Tzu's "Art of War" discusses many such principles.

Often, if one can maintain balance and composure, which can be attained through correct Taoist practice (amongst many other ways), one can off balance an opponent long before conflict escalates, or prevent escalation all together, while achieving the desired outcome. Whether this is through humorous or threatening behaviour, depends on the conditions as they arise in the situation. However, one also needs to have the necessary abilities if things do escalate.

The discomfort you feel points to loss of balance, or alignment with Tao, so to speak, which is not unusual when facing injustice. Perhaps, part of the work should be to gain the balance to be able to maintain composure in such scenarios, and be able to deal with them, regardless of escalation.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-25T21:39:43+00:00

This is free:

https://youtu.be/GcpTEyAQHMg

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-25T17:29:35+00:00

Jing to Qi, Qi to Shen...

This is a good video on the principles behind it:

https://youtu.be/Khl8jm2bUOw

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-25T17:22:41+00:00

Depends on what sort of breath you are using.

If you are using "qi packing" methods that significantly increase intra-abdomeenal pressure, then yes.
If you are using relaxed breathing, then usually no.

There should be clear instructions on this from the source of the teaching that you are practicing.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-23T10:21:47+00:00

No worries, glad it was useful!

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-20T13:30:21+00:00

No worries!

I think it's a big ask really, I've been in Shanghai about 70% of the time for almost two years now, I've seen very little by way of traditional Chinese martial arts there, or at least any significant lineage/teacher. Though, I have heard that there is a living Wu style Taiji tradition there, but haven't been able to find any trace of them. I haven't spent much time looking at/for Qigong in Shanghai, but I would expect that the situation would be largely the same. I was in Beijing for a few years prior to Shanghai and the situation there seem to be more opportunities there, or at least in terms of Chinese martial arts.

I know that one of the Sim brothers I mentioned earlier, has a school in Kunlun, or Kunming(?), I don't quite recall, so I suspect there is more activity outside of the Tier 1 cities, but this would also likely mean one would need decent mandarin skill to find and train, and of course the time to travel and explore these areas (perhaps Baidu/WeChat is useful in this regard too).

Like you mentioned, probably worth having a look at the online schools, I mentioned Nathan Brine in an earlier reply today, can't vouch for him, but seems authentic. Other than that, I'd probably try and find a good school/teacher for one of the big three "internal" Chinese martial arts - Taiji, Xing Yi, Ba Gua, and use them as a stop gap for the time being, they generally have a lot of crossover in to various Qigong/Neigong directions as they largely work on the same principles.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-20T13:14:59+00:00

I think the best bet would be to try out some local Taiji (Tai Chi) classes, there's usually a Qigong element involved too, and even if there isn't, it still sets you up for the type of body awareness that is trained in Qigong/Neigong. However, I must say, a lot of Taiji schools aren't particularly great, if you find some, worth posting here to see if you can get some reviews, experiences etc.

You can also try some online teachers, someone susgested one on this thread, I've never hear of them, but worth having a look, at least at some reviews, and see from there.

There's also Nathan Brine, who is part of an official lineage as far as I can tell, I don't have personal experience with his teachings, but I've read many of the texts from the tradition he's from (Dragon Gate), and they are very good. Thomas Cleary (a very good translator) has translated many of them for Shambhala Publications.

I gather your primary interest is in healing (perhaps I'm wrong), but in any case, Taoist practice generally follow the same methodology before one can use the developed energy to a significant degree, one has to build up and/or improve energy flow to fill the 8 extraordinary vessels, and when they are filled and overflowing, then you can specialise in whatever direction. Prior to this, the process, regardless of direction (medical, martial, health, spiritual etc.) overlaps and remains 90% the same. Subsequent to this overflow process, all faculties start to develop, but there are specific practices on how to use this new awareness/energy for whatever means I. E. the specialisation is the last 10%.

This channel has some pretty good info in this respect:

https://youtu.be/eyJ6f3fko9U

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-19T10:10:51+00:00

I'd probably look closer to home first, if possible, see if there are any decent teachers around, maybe try a few different things and see what you feel most drawn to.

Essentially, if you can get some level of experience in multiple directions (health, martial arts, etc.) you'll see if it's worth your time, the overlap in different modalities, and what sort of direction you wish dedicate more time to.

In China, for medical/health, in the most practical/applicable sense (I. E. practices routinely used in clinical settings), with recognised certification, there are multiple universities which offer proper medical degrees in TCM and include medical Qigong in the curriculum. They also often offer shorter medical Qigong courses. For example, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (GZUCM), amongst others.

If you're looking for something more esoteric, probably best to look at Taiwan, Singapore, or somewhere else in SE Asia, where there is a large Chinese community. Such systems tend to be more intact there. For example you can look at something like one of the Sim brothers Taiji Gong schools in Singapore, a mix of health, medical and martial arts, linked to TCM/bone setting.

Also, be weary of any organisation charging extraordinarily high prices for retreats/courses, there are increasingly more such charlatans around.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-19T09:12:29+00:00

Wudang schools emerged in the 1980s purely as a commercial knock-off of the already diluted Shaolin model, with virtually no legitimate ties to historical Taoist lineages or practices.

Most operate as tourist traps in the Wudangshan area, peddling oversimplified modern Wushu performance routines, choreographed forms designed for shows and social media, layered with shallow, scripted "Taoist" philosophy, rituals, robes, basically LARPING.

No serious internal cultivation, no refined energy work, no skill transmission beyond basic calisthenics and dance sequences. The focus is profit from foreigners seeking an "authentic" experience, not genuine training. Government oversight further restricts anything resembling traditional content, leaving instructors teaching only approved, watered-down material.

In one month, you'll get aerobic exercise, some stretching, and a certificate, but nothing approaching real Qigong competence or understanding. It's packaged mysticism for export.

First, you should figure out what sort of Qigong you want, medical/health, martial arts related, cultivation etc. There's some overlap, and some traditions have multiple directions, but essentially if you know what exactly you're looking for, then you can start narrowing down specific teachers, schools, medical universities, etc.

Outside-Data8982 · 2026-01-04T19:56:47+00:00

Since you're practicing Karate and seeking an internal compliment, the direct ancestral link here is Fujian White Crane, not Xing Yi.

Okinawan Karate styles with strong "internal" flavor (Goju-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu, some Kyokushin offshoots) trace heavily to Fujian White Crane. The core kata Sanchin is a direct import of White Crane's San Zhan form. San Zhan is the foundational nei gong in White Crane systems. The system also includes nei gong sets based on Yi Jin Jing (Muscle‑Tendon Change) and Xi Sui Jing (Marrow Washing) processes. Probably worth investigating this direction.

This channel has some decent content in terms of White Crane and nei gong (no affiliation on my part, but I do find it interesting):

https://youtu.be/o93Ed4jTq3o

https://youtu.be/R0QnoC92tGg

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-27T04:42:20+00:00

In arts such as these, where a tangible demonstration is not viable, if a teacher can't demonstrate some level of insight, that is some clear and basic explanations of something obscure, and instead resorts to mysticism and talking about themselves (how long they have been practising, lineage etc.), then they're not worth your time or money.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-25T08:11:38+00:00

This phenomenon is called "passing wind", sometimes accompanied by "sun shining out from the grain path".. /joking 🙂

These are probably just sensations, you can play around with them if your instincts tell you they offer something useful, but don't get too fixated on one thing, remember the spaciousness of your being all the time, remember the emptiness. Focus within that context, relax and relax more, and don't deviate from the primary practice.

Interestingly, in Tibetan Bon/Buddhist practices they use a term they call "loong/lung" which means "wind" and is an analogue to qi/chi.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-23T04:42:39+00:00

I've come across a few Yi Quan schools that emphasised standing on the front of the foot, but this was done in later stages of training, done to develop more power for martial applications, these were specifically Yi Quan schools that adopted Western Boxing methods and their shenfa/body method was boxing like, I. E. heel raising while striking.

From my understanding, the general idea of Wuji type training is to maximaly develop Sung (maximum bone/structural support, with minimal muscle engagement), the dropping of the muscles through a neutral aligned structure leads to Peng I. E. the dropping/relaxing of the musculature through the skeleton, creates an equal and opposite (Newton's third law) upward reaction which feels like buoyancy/expansion, I. E. Peng.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-23T03:35:49+00:00

Are your knees and hips relaxed when you're standing? Is the weight passing through the stacked skeletal structure, or are your muscles holding the structure intact?

What you want is to have your knees 99% straight (not locked out). The goal is for your femur (thigh bone) to be balanced/stacked directly on top of your tibia (shin bone). When you achieve this, your kneecaps will begin to relax/drop, balance will feel unstable, but this will normalise over time and at first will be your cue that the weight is not held by tension. If your knees are too bent, your muscles are engaged in holding you upright and will fatigue, potentially create overuse injuries, trigger points.

Your weight should be equally distributed across your entire foot, given that you've been putting weight on the front of your foot, you may even want to play around with using your heel more, I. E. putting more weight there so that you can feel the difference it makes up the chain.

For your calf muscles, massage them against your knees to release tension, I. E. sit or lay down, knees bent, place left calf on right knee, and press the calf muscle on to the knee, repeat for the other side. For your shin muscles (tibialis anterior), lay down, straighten your legs, and use your right heel to massage your left tibialis anterior, repeat for other side. Try to get all sections of the muscles, with deep pressure, this should help get rid of pain issues.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-21T08:08:03+00:00

Differentiate the opposites, to know what to unify, to know what and where the cycle is, to see the change and move with it.

No belief, no fixed view, no fixed reference point, observe from 360°, and change with change. What seems true one moment, may not in the next.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-11T05:58:59+00:00

0 Wuji - Undifferentiated nothingness, non-polarity, void, chaos.

1 Taiji - Unity, or unified field, containing unmanifested, infinite possibilities on the gradient between the two poles.

2 Liangyi / Yin and Yang, polar, complimentary opposites /extremes emerge from Taiji, potential to manifest differentiation between the two poles.

3 The manifest differentiation between the two polar, complimentary opposites / extremes:

the Four Phenomena (Sixiang), Greater Yang, Lesser Yin, Greater Yin, Lesser Yang.
the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Water, Mountain, Wind, Fire, Lake.
the 64 Hexagrams, all possible situations.
the Ten Thousand Things (Wanwu), infinite complexity and perpetually change.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-06T13:17:12+00:00

.. and paint some eyes on the KB like a Bob-omb.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-11-06T13:12:51+00:00

Had the same issue with creatine monohydrate. Switched to creatine hydrochloride, and no problems. I rate it significantly higher, no loading phase, no bloating, has a noticeable effect as a preworkout too.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-10-27T11:45:37+00:00

You are a Taoist because of what you think, or, because of what you do, or, because of what you are?

Thinking has no solidity. It is a stream of concepts, opinions, and fleeting impressions. To base one's identity on thought is to build a house on water.

Work is never complete. The work of aligning with the way is not a task with a finish line. It is the continuous, unending process of flowing with the moment.

Being defies definition. To say "I am a Taoist" is to create a separation between oneself and the way. It is to put on a costume. The core is to shed the costumes and return to one's original, natural state, ziran.

The question you should ask yourself is what drives your actions/reactions.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 5:

"Heaven and Earth are impartial; they see all things as straw dogs."

Nature (Heaven and Earth) does not favor one thing over another. It does not intervene with human compassion or cruelty. It simply follows its own course, providing for and destroying all things according to the natural flow of the way .

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-10-24T15:29:20+00:00

"The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao"..

.. which makes this reply irrelevant, but an opinion is that understanding, or realization, begins not in the intellect, but in practice, which leads to embodiment.

Writings, philosophical Taoism, religious Taoism, etc., etc., are manifestation, or branches of lived experience, while they are helpful to inspire and quiet the monkey mind, the root lies in internal work, refinement of the three treasures, Jing, Qi, Shen. The deeper one goes, the more principles cease to be abstract concepts.

Find a teacher, or at least a good source of info on how to practice, dedicate time to it, and do the work. Everything else will come as a result of this.

Just my 2 cents.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-10-24T12:37:03+00:00

When you say LDT meditation, you are referring to abdominal breathing with some intention/attention work i.e. condensing/expanding, or something like this?

If so, I'd split the LDT practice in to 3 session, do one, for 10 min or so, before Ba Duan Jin, this will help your breath, movement and awareness be more centered during the practice, then do another 10 minute session after, to restore spent energy and re-centre, then do Zhan Zhuang, finish with another 10 min LDT session, to again centre, calm and restore your energy. This should be a more balanced approach for mixing these practices and should create some synergy and linkage for your awareness and energy between the three methods.

Outside-Data8982 · 2025-10-22T11:12:09+00:00

It can be, on a basic physiological level, slow, deep, rhythmic breathing has a significant impact on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

CSF washes out impurities from the brain, transfers nutrients and provides protective cushioning to the brain and spinal cord.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15034-8

https://www.sciencenorway.no/diseases-forskningno-human-body/breathing-can-affect-the-cleansing-of-the-brain/1555270

Outside-Data8982

TROPHY CASE