Dan Tien / Tan Tien

[cha kuen]

I talked to my praying mantis sifu and he said the reason I don't feel anything in my dan tien is because I don't train everyday. He said I'm " starting to open up, but slowly." He also said that the building of chi is a cycle. If I miss a day of practice that breaks the cycle and I have to start all over again.

Any thoughts on this?

Thank you

[joedoe]

Never had that explanation. I've found some people are more sensitive to these things than others. Some people feel it on the first lesson, others may take years.

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

[MantisGuy2]

I wouldn't worry too much about not feeling anything. After studying Tai Chi for a few months I mentioned at the end of class that I wasn't feeling anything. My sifu said not to worry, it was just important to keep practicing. It apparently took him quite a while to feel anything him self. Since then I've felt some minor "chi sensation" with increasing regularity. It's not the most important thing for me, but it is a nice indicator that I'm doing something right. It's slow going, but I'm getting there. As for practing every day, my sifu has also said it was important to do and that missing a day was like starting over. He used a metaphor about boiling water. If you keep turning the heat on for a bit, then turn it off for a long time the water will never boil. Practicing everyday is like keeping the heat on.

Good luck with your trainnig.
-- MG

[cha kuen]

mantisguy2,

Thanks for confirming my sifu's statement. I should start practicing soon.