Dear readers,
I compiled all the topical exchanges from our beloved Grandmaster's Q&A series for everyone's review. This is a good read! Thank you Sigung for giving so good advice to both men and women how to live a wholesome and happy life together. Your responses are heart warming and full of practical wisdom.
Mandatory reading for all Sifu Joan's students!
Starting with:
Advices for Fertility, Pregnancy, and Conceiving Good Children
http://shaolin.org/answers/ans15a/jun15-2-keep.html JUNE 2015 PART 2
http://shaolin.org/answers/ans09a/may09-1.html May 2009 (Part 1)
http://shaolin.org/answers/ans03b/sep03-3.html September 2003 (Part 3)
http://www.shaolin.org/answers/ans13a/may13-2.html MAY 2013 PART 2
http://www.shaolin.org/answers/ans12b/oct12-2.html OCTOBER 2012 PART 2
http://shaolin.org/answers/ans07b/aug07-1.html August 2007 (Part 1)
http://shaolin.org/answers/ans15b/nov15-2.html NOVEMBER 2015 PART 2
I compiled all the topical exchanges from our beloved Grandmaster's Q&A series for everyone's review. This is a good read! Thank you Sigung for giving so good advice to both men and women how to live a wholesome and happy life together. Your responses are heart warming and full of practical wisdom.
Mandatory reading for all Sifu Joan's students!
Starting with:
Advices for Fertility, Pregnancy, and Conceiving Good Children
Question 8
I am a reader and practitioner of your work, "The Art of Chi Kung", a book that I consider magnificent and everyone should have.
In this book you mention amongst other exercises, a practice called Absorb Moon Essence of the respected Chinese doctor, Chao Yuan Fang, which I would like to incorporate into my practice, but I just do not quite understand how to do it well. Do I have to practice the exercise at full moon, crescent moon, etc.
Is it necessary to practice precisely the time the moon set or anytime, and how many times I have to do the exercise? May I ask if you would be so kind to detail it? I greatly appreciate the attention to this mail, I hope for your valuable response and I send a cordial greeting.
— Gabriela, Mexico
Answer
Thank you for your kind words about my book, "The Art of Chi Kung". Many other people too have kindly consider it a magnificent book.
Regarding the exercise recommended by the famous Chinese doctor, Chao Yuan Fang, the essence of the exercise is to draw lunar or moon energy. It is not very important at what date of the night you perform the exercise. But you will get the best result when the moon is full and when the moon is new, i.e. the first night and the fifteen night of the lunar month. As you have to draw lunar energy, it is obvious that you need to perform the exercise at night, and not in the daytime. It is also not very important at what time of the night you perform the exercise, but the best time is between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. at midnight.
You can draw the moon energy for any suitable number of times. A recommended number is between 10 and 20 times. You draw the moon energy by gently breathing in through your nose and gently breathing in through your mouth facing the moon, or facing the direction of where you think the moon is if it does not appear clearly in the sky. It is best if you can bend your body or your head so that the two holes of your nostrils face the moon. It this is too tiring, you can stand upright. For those who are old or weak, they may sit on a chair.
This exercise is excellent for improving a woman's fertility. Two other chi kung exercises excellent for improving a woman's fertility are "Pushing Mountain" and "Nourishing Kidneys". You can find them in my chi kung book. These two exercises are also excellent for many other benefits.
I am a reader and practitioner of your work, "The Art of Chi Kung", a book that I consider magnificent and everyone should have.
In this book you mention amongst other exercises, a practice called Absorb Moon Essence of the respected Chinese doctor, Chao Yuan Fang, which I would like to incorporate into my practice, but I just do not quite understand how to do it well. Do I have to practice the exercise at full moon, crescent moon, etc.
Is it necessary to practice precisely the time the moon set or anytime, and how many times I have to do the exercise? May I ask if you would be so kind to detail it? I greatly appreciate the attention to this mail, I hope for your valuable response and I send a cordial greeting.
— Gabriela, Mexico
Answer
Thank you for your kind words about my book, "The Art of Chi Kung". Many other people too have kindly consider it a magnificent book.
Regarding the exercise recommended by the famous Chinese doctor, Chao Yuan Fang, the essence of the exercise is to draw lunar or moon energy. It is not very important at what date of the night you perform the exercise. But you will get the best result when the moon is full and when the moon is new, i.e. the first night and the fifteen night of the lunar month. As you have to draw lunar energy, it is obvious that you need to perform the exercise at night, and not in the daytime. It is also not very important at what time of the night you perform the exercise, but the best time is between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. at midnight.
You can draw the moon energy for any suitable number of times. A recommended number is between 10 and 20 times. You draw the moon energy by gently breathing in through your nose and gently breathing in through your mouth facing the moon, or facing the direction of where you think the moon is if it does not appear clearly in the sky. It is best if you can bend your body or your head so that the two holes of your nostrils face the moon. It this is too tiring, you can stand upright. For those who are old or weak, they may sit on a chair.
This exercise is excellent for improving a woman's fertility. Two other chi kung exercises excellent for improving a woman's fertility are "Pushing Mountain" and "Nourishing Kidneys". You can find them in my chi kung book. These two exercises are also excellent for many other benefits.
Question 5
My practice is going very well and it is helping me a lot. At the beginning of January I stopped my medicine, so I could become pregnant. I didn't expect it to be so soon! So now I am 4 weeks pregnant!
I wanted to ask you if it is OK to practice. Is there anything that I have to be careful about? I don't know where to focus: at my head (what I used to do until now), at my baby or in my entire body to give me strength in general? I think chi is very powerful to focus on my fragile baby.
— Effie, Greece
Answer
I am so happy to know that you are pregnant. Congratulations. Bringing life to the world and becoming a mother is one of the greatest blessings any woman can have.
From now to about three months of your pregnancy, you can carry on practicing your chi kung as usual, except that you should be more gentle and take care not to over-practice. Indeed, you should under-practice, i.e. practice in less time and in less intensity than what you do in ordinary times.
Many people mistakenly think that as they become pregnant, they should practice more for the baby. This is incorrect regarding high-level chi kung. They forget that a baby's needs are different from an adult's needs. As you have correctly mentioned, focusing chi on a baby may be too powerful.
This means you should not send chi directly to your baby, such as using visualization or directing chi there with your palm. But you and your husband can, and should, caress the baby lovingly with your hands. As you caress, gently think of the baby lovingly. The baby will appreciate it and it is excellent for his or her pre-natal development.
You need not focus on any part of your body during your practice or chi flow. Just enjoy wu-wei, i.e. let the chi flow where it flows. Your chi flow should not be vigorous.
From the third month of pregnancy onward, you need not practice chi kung forms. Just go into gentle chi flow from your standing meditative position. The chi flow must be gentle. There is no need to focus the chi flow at any part of your body. You may, once a while, gently think of your baby with love and care while enjoying your chi flow, but do not consciously direct your chi to your baby. If chi naturally flows to your baby, without you actively directing it, it is fine.
The following is an excellent exercise you can perform any time during pregnancy. Go into a chi kung state of mind. Gently think of your baby developing healthily and beautifully, and when the time is right, the delivery of your baby will be safe, normal and pleasant.
It is important that you must not use any force, physical or mental, while performing this excellent exercise. This is actually a serious exercise, but treat it like fun, i.e. if it brings the desired result, wonderful; if it does not bring any result, it doesn't matter.
This is also a very safe exercise that can be performed safely by any pregnant woman as long as she performs it gently. Tell your friends about this excellent exercise, including men so that they may tell their wives and daughters. It is a great blessing to help expecting mothers safely and pleasantly bring life to our world.
My practice is going very well and it is helping me a lot. At the beginning of January I stopped my medicine, so I could become pregnant. I didn't expect it to be so soon! So now I am 4 weeks pregnant!
I wanted to ask you if it is OK to practice. Is there anything that I have to be careful about? I don't know where to focus: at my head (what I used to do until now), at my baby or in my entire body to give me strength in general? I think chi is very powerful to focus on my fragile baby.
— Effie, Greece
Answer
I am so happy to know that you are pregnant. Congratulations. Bringing life to the world and becoming a mother is one of the greatest blessings any woman can have.
From now to about three months of your pregnancy, you can carry on practicing your chi kung as usual, except that you should be more gentle and take care not to over-practice. Indeed, you should under-practice, i.e. practice in less time and in less intensity than what you do in ordinary times.
Many people mistakenly think that as they become pregnant, they should practice more for the baby. This is incorrect regarding high-level chi kung. They forget that a baby's needs are different from an adult's needs. As you have correctly mentioned, focusing chi on a baby may be too powerful.
This means you should not send chi directly to your baby, such as using visualization or directing chi there with your palm. But you and your husband can, and should, caress the baby lovingly with your hands. As you caress, gently think of the baby lovingly. The baby will appreciate it and it is excellent for his or her pre-natal development.
You need not focus on any part of your body during your practice or chi flow. Just enjoy wu-wei, i.e. let the chi flow where it flows. Your chi flow should not be vigorous.
From the third month of pregnancy onward, you need not practice chi kung forms. Just go into gentle chi flow from your standing meditative position. The chi flow must be gentle. There is no need to focus the chi flow at any part of your body. You may, once a while, gently think of your baby with love and care while enjoying your chi flow, but do not consciously direct your chi to your baby. If chi naturally flows to your baby, without you actively directing it, it is fine.
The following is an excellent exercise you can perform any time during pregnancy. Go into a chi kung state of mind. Gently think of your baby developing healthily and beautifully, and when the time is right, the delivery of your baby will be safe, normal and pleasant.
It is important that you must not use any force, physical or mental, while performing this excellent exercise. This is actually a serious exercise, but treat it like fun, i.e. if it brings the desired result, wonderful; if it does not bring any result, it doesn't matter.
This is also a very safe exercise that can be performed safely by any pregnant woman as long as she performs it gently. Tell your friends about this excellent exercise, including men so that they may tell their wives and daughters. It is a great blessing to help expecting mothers safely and pleasantly bring life to our world.
Question 6
I just found out that my wife is pregnant. I'm so happy! Then some friends started saying all the horrible things about pregnancy like bloatedness, water retention and nausea. Those negative symptoms sound like a pregnancy is something to be dreaded.
— Yang, Singapore
Congratulations. To be a father or mother is one of the most wonderful gifts of marriage. Cherish this gift, and love your wife and children even more.
Don't worry about the negative things some of your friends say about pregnancy, even though they may mean well. They are mis-informed. Pregnancy and subsequent safe delivery of the baby are natural happenings. You can bet your last dollar on that. Pregnancy and safe delivery have happened since humans appeared on earth, and they will continue to happen for millennia. They have brought joy and life, and will continue to bring joy and life.
It is a fact that some people are negative. If the sun shines, they complain it is hot. If it rains, they complain why the sun does not shine. If they are poor, they wonder why they don't strike a lottery. If they strike a lottery, they worry about robbers going after their money or their lives.
Don't let these negative people and their negative comments spoil the wonders and joys of you becoming a father soon. If they tell you negative things again, thank them for their concern but tell them that they are mis-informed, and that pregnancy and delivery are safe and natural.
If they tell you the same negative things again, tell them politely but firmly that you do not appreciate their negative thoughts, and that they should keep those thoughts to themselves. Warn them not to say such things to your wife. If they are stubborn and say those negative things again, ask them to shut up and mind their own business.
I just found out that my wife is pregnant. I'm so happy! Then some friends started saying all the horrible things about pregnancy like bloatedness, water retention and nausea. Those negative symptoms sound like a pregnancy is something to be dreaded.
— Yang, Singapore
Congratulations. To be a father or mother is one of the most wonderful gifts of marriage. Cherish this gift, and love your wife and children even more.
Don't worry about the negative things some of your friends say about pregnancy, even though they may mean well. They are mis-informed. Pregnancy and subsequent safe delivery of the baby are natural happenings. You can bet your last dollar on that. Pregnancy and safe delivery have happened since humans appeared on earth, and they will continue to happen for millennia. They have brought joy and life, and will continue to bring joy and life.
It is a fact that some people are negative. If the sun shines, they complain it is hot. If it rains, they complain why the sun does not shine. If they are poor, they wonder why they don't strike a lottery. If they strike a lottery, they worry about robbers going after their money or their lives.
Don't let these negative people and their negative comments spoil the wonders and joys of you becoming a father soon. If they tell you negative things again, thank them for their concern but tell them that they are mis-informed, and that pregnancy and delivery are safe and natural.
If they tell you the same negative things again, tell them politely but firmly that you do not appreciate their negative thoughts, and that they should keep those thoughts to themselves. Warn them not to say such things to your wife. If they are stubborn and say those negative things again, ask them to shut up and mind their own business.
http://shaolin.org/answers/ans03b/sep03-3.html September 2003 (Part 3)
Question 2
Should a pregnant woman practice chi kung?
— Feredicia, Italy
Answer
If she already knows how to practice chi kung correctly, she can do so but she must practice at a low level with gentle movements and gentle chi flow. Stretching, vigorous movements and vigorous chi flow are not suitable. She must also remember that a baby's needs are different from those of an adult.
If she has not learnt chi kung before, it is advisable for her to delay learning and practicing chi kung after her delivery.
Such precautions are made not because practicing chi kung is not beneficial to a pregnant woman but because we want to avoid possible wrong practice or over-training.
There is, however, an excellent chi kung exercise that every pregnant woman should practice, and it is as follows.
Sit, stand, lie down or be in any comfortable stationary or moving position. Enter into a chi kung state of mind. For those who do not know what a chi kung state of mind is, just gentle breathe in and out about 10 times.
Have a gentle thought that the baby is developing wholesomely and beautifully, and when the time is right the delivery will be safe and pleasant. It will be.
This exercise is very simple and can be practiced any suitable number of times a day. Although it is a serious exercise dealing with serous matter, it should be performed as if for fun.
Should a pregnant woman practice chi kung?
— Feredicia, Italy
Answer
If she already knows how to practice chi kung correctly, she can do so but she must practice at a low level with gentle movements and gentle chi flow. Stretching, vigorous movements and vigorous chi flow are not suitable. She must also remember that a baby's needs are different from those of an adult.
If she has not learnt chi kung before, it is advisable for her to delay learning and practicing chi kung after her delivery.
Such precautions are made not because practicing chi kung is not beneficial to a pregnant woman but because we want to avoid possible wrong practice or over-training.
There is, however, an excellent chi kung exercise that every pregnant woman should practice, and it is as follows.
Sit, stand, lie down or be in any comfortable stationary or moving position. Enter into a chi kung state of mind. For those who do not know what a chi kung state of mind is, just gentle breathe in and out about 10 times.
Have a gentle thought that the baby is developing wholesomely and beautifully, and when the time is right the delivery will be safe and pleasant. It will be.
This exercise is very simple and can be practiced any suitable number of times a day. Although it is a serious exercise dealing with serous matter, it should be performed as if for fun.
Question 7
I have many friends who want very much for me to tell them and show them what I learned in the Intensive Chi Kung Course. Some of them have been reading your book. Of course I love sharing my experience and have taught women to use their energy so they can deliver their babies.
— Mary, Galapagos Islands
The informal chi kung exercise for pregnant women I explained at the Intensive Chi Kung Course is wonderful and safe. For those who read the answer in my Question-Answer Series, I shall explain again for their benefit so that they can cultivate some blessings by telling women who are pregnant.
Let the pregnant woman lie or sit down comfortably. Relax and don't think of anything. Smile from the heart, and be gently aware of her breathing. She does not need to regulate her breath, just be aware of the spontaneous breathing.
Then gently have a thought that the baby will develop healthily and beautifully, and when the time is right the delivery will be safe and pleasant. It will be.
Perform this two or three times a day, in the morning, evening or at night.
I have many friends who want very much for me to tell them and show them what I learned in the Intensive Chi Kung Course. Some of them have been reading your book. Of course I love sharing my experience and have taught women to use their energy so they can deliver their babies.
— Mary, Galapagos Islands
The informal chi kung exercise for pregnant women I explained at the Intensive Chi Kung Course is wonderful and safe. For those who read the answer in my Question-Answer Series, I shall explain again for their benefit so that they can cultivate some blessings by telling women who are pregnant.
Let the pregnant woman lie or sit down comfortably. Relax and don't think of anything. Smile from the heart, and be gently aware of her breathing. She does not need to regulate her breath, just be aware of the spontaneous breathing.
Then gently have a thought that the baby will develop healthily and beautifully, and when the time is right the delivery will be safe and pleasant. It will be.
Perform this two or three times a day, in the morning, evening or at night.
Question 3
My stepfather is a healer. He can make people well from physical or psychological sufferings by laying his hands on them. He has been aware of this ability most of his life, but only for a short time in the late 1990s did he actively use it. There was actually a line of people waiting outside our house.
He stopped this however, as he felt unsure of his abilities even though people told him he helped them cure anything from a cold to severe angst. He also told me he saw things, apparently some persons past or future as he was treating the sick, and this appeared to have disturbed and scared him slightly.
Answer
Some people have an in-born ability to heal others. It appears your step-father is one of them.
This in-born ability is due to three possibilities.
One, they are born with powerful chi. When they lay their palm on a sick person, their chi naturally flows to the sick person and stimulates a chi flow in the latter. This helps the sick to recover. They have powerful chi due to favourable pre-natal conditions, like their parents are strong and healthy, they were conceived when heavenly bodies were in favorable positions radiating good cosmic energy, or they received good care and treatment while in their mother's womb.
Two, they were healers or spiritual cultivators in their previous lives. The good training and development of their past lives are carried over to their present life.
Three, they are helped by divine beings, often without their conscious knowing.
If your step-father wishes to develop this in-born ability, he should take lessons on relevant courses from genuine masters. Courses on Chinese medicine and chi kung will be excellent for him.
My stepfather is a healer. He can make people well from physical or psychological sufferings by laying his hands on them. He has been aware of this ability most of his life, but only for a short time in the late 1990s did he actively use it. There was actually a line of people waiting outside our house.
He stopped this however, as he felt unsure of his abilities even though people told him he helped them cure anything from a cold to severe angst. He also told me he saw things, apparently some persons past or future as he was treating the sick, and this appeared to have disturbed and scared him slightly.
Answer
Some people have an in-born ability to heal others. It appears your step-father is one of them.
This in-born ability is due to three possibilities.
One, they are born with powerful chi. When they lay their palm on a sick person, their chi naturally flows to the sick person and stimulates a chi flow in the latter. This helps the sick to recover. They have powerful chi due to favourable pre-natal conditions, like their parents are strong and healthy, they were conceived when heavenly bodies were in favorable positions radiating good cosmic energy, or they received good care and treatment while in their mother's womb.
Two, they were healers or spiritual cultivators in their previous lives. The good training and development of their past lives are carried over to their present life.
Three, they are helped by divine beings, often without their conscious knowing.
If your step-father wishes to develop this in-born ability, he should take lessons on relevant courses from genuine masters. Courses on Chinese medicine and chi kung will be excellent for him.
Question 3
My plan for the session would be to transmit the basic skills for practice, as well as teach the basic pattern Lifting the Sky, as well as those more suitable for helping with fertility, such as Nourishing Kidneys and Carrying the Moon.
Of course I am aware that other patterns may be more suitable for some women depending upon their conditions, so I'm wondering if there are any other specific patterns you can recommend which might help with fertility.
Answer
Your teaching plan is excellent. Rotating Hips and Dancing Fairy are also useful, but these exercises need not be practiced, or only be practiced gently and occasionally, after women are pregnant.
Question 4
I was reviewing the instructions for Nourishing Kidneys that you wrote in the "Art of Chi Kung" and noticed some details in the book which you never mentioned in class when teaching this exercise.
When I teach this exercise, do I need to make any mention of a gentle focus of the Yongquan or Laogong points, or qi flowing up the spine, or is it best to simply pass this on as you have taught it to me in class, without those details?
Answer
The exercises, including Nourishing Kidneys, in my book, The Art of Chi Kung, were written for those who did not have the opportunity to learn from me personally. The book was also written when my teaching skills and methodology were far below my present levels. Those who have learned from me or from our certified instructors will get the best benefits practicing the exercises the way they have been taught.
Hence, in your teaching of Nourishing Kidneys it is not necessary to mention a focus at the Yongquan or Laogong points, or qi flowing up the spine. For other qigong patterns it is also not necessary to mention details described in my book.
Question 5
My other question is regarding how to proceed if any of these women do become pregnant during the course of the class. I recall you saying in a Question and Answer series that a pregnant woman with sufficient skill may practice gently until the third month of the pregnancy. Would you say that is still the correct guideline?
Answer
For precaution purposes, when a woman is pregnant she does not need to practice the way qigong has been taught to her by you. But she can induce a gentle qi flow once a day with some gentle exercises. My advice that a woman with sufficient qigong skills may practice gently until the third month of the pregnancy is still a correct guideline.
There is, nevertheless, an excellent exercise as follows that she should perform whenever she likes except around noon.
Enter into a qigong state of mind. Gently think that her baby is developing beautifully and healthily, and when the time is right, the delivery will be safe and pleasant.
Question 7
As for myself, my life is hectic but good. Joshua and I are still practicing kungfu regularly, are making good progress.
I had spent five months from May until October studying two to eight hours a day for all of my national Chinese medicine exams. Thanks to my kungfu and qigong practice, I was able to do that, work two jobs, go to school, and find time for my boyfriend, all without getting sick where someone else surely would have.
My lovely boyfriend and I have been together for nearly a year. We plan to get married next year, and start a family a year after that. It seems as if I'm on the brink of a new chapter of my life and I'm looking forward to it with excitement and gratitude.
Answer
You are an inspiration to all other students. Not only you are not sick for the hard work you are doing, I am sure you enjoy your work too and perform better than most other people. Our training certainly enrich our life.
Congratulations for having a boyfriend and planning to get married. To be a wife and mother, as well as to be a husband and father, are some of the happiest things in life.
My plan for the session would be to transmit the basic skills for practice, as well as teach the basic pattern Lifting the Sky, as well as those more suitable for helping with fertility, such as Nourishing Kidneys and Carrying the Moon.
Of course I am aware that other patterns may be more suitable for some women depending upon their conditions, so I'm wondering if there are any other specific patterns you can recommend which might help with fertility.
Answer
Your teaching plan is excellent. Rotating Hips and Dancing Fairy are also useful, but these exercises need not be practiced, or only be practiced gently and occasionally, after women are pregnant.
Question 4
I was reviewing the instructions for Nourishing Kidneys that you wrote in the "Art of Chi Kung" and noticed some details in the book which you never mentioned in class when teaching this exercise.
When I teach this exercise, do I need to make any mention of a gentle focus of the Yongquan or Laogong points, or qi flowing up the spine, or is it best to simply pass this on as you have taught it to me in class, without those details?
Answer
The exercises, including Nourishing Kidneys, in my book, The Art of Chi Kung, were written for those who did not have the opportunity to learn from me personally. The book was also written when my teaching skills and methodology were far below my present levels. Those who have learned from me or from our certified instructors will get the best benefits practicing the exercises the way they have been taught.
Hence, in your teaching of Nourishing Kidneys it is not necessary to mention a focus at the Yongquan or Laogong points, or qi flowing up the spine. For other qigong patterns it is also not necessary to mention details described in my book.
Question 5
My other question is regarding how to proceed if any of these women do become pregnant during the course of the class. I recall you saying in a Question and Answer series that a pregnant woman with sufficient skill may practice gently until the third month of the pregnancy. Would you say that is still the correct guideline?
Answer
For precaution purposes, when a woman is pregnant she does not need to practice the way qigong has been taught to her by you. But she can induce a gentle qi flow once a day with some gentle exercises. My advice that a woman with sufficient qigong skills may practice gently until the third month of the pregnancy is still a correct guideline.
There is, nevertheless, an excellent exercise as follows that she should perform whenever she likes except around noon.
Enter into a qigong state of mind. Gently think that her baby is developing beautifully and healthily, and when the time is right, the delivery will be safe and pleasant.
Question 7
As for myself, my life is hectic but good. Joshua and I are still practicing kungfu regularly, are making good progress.
I had spent five months from May until October studying two to eight hours a day for all of my national Chinese medicine exams. Thanks to my kungfu and qigong practice, I was able to do that, work two jobs, go to school, and find time for my boyfriend, all without getting sick where someone else surely would have.
My lovely boyfriend and I have been together for nearly a year. We plan to get married next year, and start a family a year after that. It seems as if I'm on the brink of a new chapter of my life and I'm looking forward to it with excitement and gratitude.
Answer
You are an inspiration to all other students. Not only you are not sick for the hard work you are doing, I am sure you enjoy your work too and perform better than most other people. Our training certainly enrich our life.
Congratulations for having a boyfriend and planning to get married. To be a wife and mother, as well as to be a husband and father, are some of the happiest things in life.
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