Foolishness..../always do like master says!

[AriJ]

Hi everybody,

I want to share one very important lesson I did manage to learn in regional course two weeks ago. I did manage to make myself look like an idiot... Now I'm just making things worse by writing this on internet for everybody to see .
The important point is: Do always what master tells. Do not add anything.

This is what happened:
Sifu Wong was teaching us Sinew Metamorphosis, the technique was Flicking Fingers. He gave us very exact instructions: Flick the fingers three times. No more. The effect when flicking fingers was awesome: It was like a streak of energy surging trough my body which felt great. We had about half hour break during the training and I did go to my hotel room. This was when I did get stupid: The exercise felt so great that I decied to try it a couple more times. This is what happened:

1. First time: Nice current went trough the body
2. Second: Stronger current went trough the body
3. Third: Very strong current
4. Fourth: Even stronger current and my hands were pointing staright away from my body
5. Fifth: Extremeley strong current and my hands shot away from my body. Next it felt like a knife would have been stabbed in the middle of my chest. Painful jolt continued (from middle to right side) into three of my ribs.

I told about this incident to Sifu Wong who said that the feeling will go away after a while. Now after two weeks the pain in the ribs is only slightly noticeable, so things are now much better. This incident seems to have one positive side effect: I feel like my chest would be now much more open. But this could also be because all this high level Chi Kung that Sifu Wong was teaching to us....


Br,
AriJ

[Andrew]

AriJ,

Sometimes people need to learn lessons the hard way. I guess you needed this. Would you recommend people make the same mistake or learn from yours?

Andrew

[AriJ]

Learn...

Hi,

Sometimes people need to learn lessons the hard way. I guess you needed this. Would you recommend people make the same mistake or learn from yours?

I wrote about this experience just to remind everybody that not all things need to be learned the hard way. My recommendation to everybody is to use the soft (correct) way. I hope people will take this advice. It is just that in three years that I trained from the books, it has not been possible to hurt oneself so quickly by incorrect practice. The increase in amount of power was so high, that it took me by suprise.

For me hurting myself is one (minor) thing. Showing direspect to Sifu Wong by doing what he instructed us not to do is much bigger issue. This will haunt me for quite a time. But I did learn to trust the master.

So, does anybody else have experience about causing him/herself discomfort or other deviations due not following the advice?

Br,
AriJ

[Andrew]

You learnt many lessons from this one experience. Congratulations, AriJ.

Andrew

[Guest]

Hello brother AriJ,

I also had a deviation though much smaller in significance than your case.

I was practicing pushing mountains incorrectly and consequently felt pressure in my chest and pain in the shoulders. All of a sudden I remembered Sifu telling me back in the Summer camp to relax my shoulders and there upon the next time I trained pushing mountains I relaxed my shoulders and felt great afterwards

Take care Sham.

[AriJ]

Relaxing

Hello brother,

I was practicing pushing mountains incorrectly and consequently felt pressure in my chest and pain in the shoulders. All of a sudden I remembered Sifu telling me back in the Summer camp to relax my shoulders and there upon the next time I trained pushing mountains I relaxed my shoulders and felt great afterwards

For me the relaxation is a constant problem... Maybe the hardest part in training. I find myself quite often tensing some part of the body. Or Mind. More relaxed I can be, the better feeling afterwards.

It is just funny how we can forget how to relax...And relearning this at adulthood seems to happen in "levels". A signifigant leap in this happened during the regional course.

Br,
AriJ

[Neil Kelson]

the main thing is not to persist in deviation

Hi AriJ,

Experiencing what seems like deviation is not uncommon, and may even be a useful learning exercise - depending on individual circumstances.

The main thing is not to persist once the cause for concern has been recognised.

However, you don't seem to have any problems in this regard... so carry on and keep enjoying yourself, as we all like to say in the Wahnam family

Only the Joy,

Neil.