PDA

View Full Version : Can meditation/yoga help internal kung-fu?



S.Teebas
10-18-2001, 05:51 PM
....Or is it different? I wonder if these are conflicting ideas. Or would I just be better off practicing what my sifu tells me to do?

A friend pointed me to this meditation and thinks its the best kind (ok im sure this is arguable)

Sahaja Yoga (http://www.freemeditation.com)

If you take the time to answer this i would appreciate it.


Thanks,
S.Teebas

origenx
10-18-2001, 07:08 PM
There are actually ALOT of similarites between yoga, taijiquan and qigong. The main differences I see (but only as a very novice beginner of all 3), is that hatha yoga focuses more on stretching/flexibility and taiji on relaxation.

Nexus
10-19-2001, 11:15 PM
Qi gong has an emphasis on relaxation, that is true, but the main focus in the beginning is breathing to the lower dan tien, relaxing into that breath. Your eventual direction is for your taijiquan to become your qi gong, which takes a lot of time. You can become very very relaxed, flexible, agile, dexterious and many of the things that yoga presents and still not have internalized your movements. In fact, I have several fellow taiji practioners whom do yoga or have done yoga and will testify to them usually being very different.

There are similiarities as well though, and both have been known to do great things for health, but yoga is certainly not designed nor applicable as a martial art.

To answer your question, I would say, sitting meditation (3-centered) would be the greatest assistance to your internal practice as it helps develop a calm mind and focus.

- Nexus

Nutt'nhunny
10-22-2001, 02:16 AM
why don't you go back to india/hippie comune and buy your "guru" another cadilac?

Scott R. Brown
10-22-2001, 04:13 AM
Nutt'nhunny,

If your comment was meant in jest, LOL, good one!!

If your intention is to ridicule, please take your sop****ric attitude to another thread where this type of behavior is more accepted. We welcome and encourage differing opinions in this section and we all have developed a respectful attitude towards each other’s differences. We would like to keep it that way please. Feel free to engage yourself in topics that interest you, but please keep the insults to yourself.

S.Teebas,

Meditation and Yoga can indeed be beneficial to the development of Chi; the techniques of each are very similar. I am assuming you are referring to Hatha Yoga, which on the physical level develops suppleness. On the mental level one develops the mind-body connection, which leads to developing the mind-body-spirit connection.

Yoga is from a root word meaning “to yoke” or connect the Mind, Body and Spirit. There are more than one form of Yoga. The primary ones are Hatha Yoga, the method of attaining transcendence through physical exercises, Jnana Yoga, the method of attaining transcendence through knowledge and Karma Yoga, the method of attaining wisdom through performing selfless actions.

The movement and control of Chi is based primarily (everybody notice I said “primarily”) upon “intention”. Meditation is a series of mental exercises some of which develop focus and intention. Intention and focus are crucial for developing Chi. Meditation and Hatha Yoga also focus on breathing exercises, which are also a primary focus of Chi-Kung.

So in answer to your question, yes, mediation and Hatha Yoga can be beneficial to Chi-Kung.

I was not that impressed with the Sahaja website. But, that is not necessarily saying much. It takes quite a bit to impress me any more. If you find benefit following their meditation method then that is good for you. Do not believe any claims that indicate they are the best and only way to attaining anything. This is the first warning sing of a cult.

Sincerely,

Scott

S.Teebas
10-22-2001, 12:22 PM
Thanks everyone fro your replys, especially Scott...very informative.

I wonder if anyone can explain to me what is 'hatha yoga'?

I also have some concerns about some of theiir claims, for example it says that you can increase your chi just buy looking at a picture of the founder (that woman). I admit i dont have any knowledge of yoga/meditation and find these claims a little hard to believe. What do you think?

Scott R. Brown
10-22-2001, 08:33 PM
S. Teebas,

I do not have much time at the moment. This claim is cultist. Stay away from the site. I will explain more about it later.

I will fill you in on Hatha yoga later as well if no one else does. Check back between 10pm and midnight tonight.

Sincerely,

Scott

GunnedDownAtrocity
10-22-2001, 10:18 PM
i actually think it would be harder to progress in the internal arts without meditating. it's not necessary but i think it would help allot.

of course, i never manage to find time to actually meditate, but i still think it would help any martial art just by offering you more clairty in thought.

yoga sure as hell wouldn't hurt and if you have the time to do it i would. sounds logical that it would open up the passages of energy more so that it can flow more freely while doing your internal work.

john wayne taylor is a big advocate of yoga and i'm pretty sure he does only external styles. so you may want to ask him about other benifits of its practice as well.

where's my beer?

origenx
10-22-2001, 10:35 PM
Hatha Yoga is simply the physical branch of yoga, and includes various styles like Ashtanga, Iyengar, etc...

It also includes the practice of pranayama. Prana means "breath" or "energy" just like "qi" in Chinese. Yama means "control" I believe. So, "pranayama" means basically the same thing as "qigong." I think both traditions are very similar, except I think yoga is more active with forcing the qi, whereas qigong is more passive with allowing the qi to flow. Which means that yoga might yield quicker results, but might also carry greater risk and be safer done under the supervision of a qualified teacher. At least, that's my guess so far as a total novice...

Meanwhile, most yogis teaching "power yoga" at gyms probably won't delve into these internal aspects - but it doesn't mean they don't exist. It's like a McDojo that leaves out the internal aspects because they themselves don't know them or think that their students can (or want to) grasp them..

Nexus
10-22-2001, 11:12 PM
Meditation is great, any at all! If you can do 15 minutes or 30 minutes a day that is wonderful. 15 minutes a day will yield great results.

Some is better than none, do what is comfortable, add on more when that is comfortable. Patience will be needed and will make advance in meditation within your grasp.

Just be diligent with your practices, and try new things and find out what is right for you.

- Nexus

Scott R. Brown
10-23-2001, 05:58 AM
S.Teebas,

Technically speaking looking at a picture can actually help you develop chi, however, it is a little misleading. It is not the picture that will increase your chi, it is your belief that that the picture will increase your chi that will make it occur. Jesus said if you have the faith of a mustard seed then you could move a mountain. It is the belief, or faith that something will occur that creates the ability not some magical picture. Any school or system that tells you they can do so is either ignorant or attempting to build a cult. Either way you should avoid such schools of thought.

Sincerely,
Scott