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Internal Practice

Inner Fire: A Beginner’s Guide to Tummo Breathing

February 28, 2024 5 Min Read

Imagine meditating comfortably amidst icy winds, generating warmth from within; this isn’t fiction; it’s the potential of Tummo, an ancient Tibetan practice, igniting curiosity in the modern world; look at Wim Hoff. While not magic, Tummo combines rhythmic breathing, Visualisation, and muscle contractions to awaken an “inner fire,” potentially reducing stress, boosting energy, and even enhancing cold tolerance. Debunking the Myths: Is Tummo scientifically proven? Research is ongoing, and claims…

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The Seated Eight Section of Brocade – 8 Seated Baduanjin

January 31, 2024 12 Min Read

Introduction Over the years, I have seen many versions of the eight seated brocades and practised different versions. Over time, I have come to the practice in the way I outline below, although this may change again as my practice deepens.The outline of the exercises can be found in the “Ten Works on Cultivating Perfection.” The poem is attributed to Zhongli Quan (one of the eight immortals) The Poem The…

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Daoist Qigong and Meditation: a genre overview from Robert Coons

August 1, 2023 1 Min Read

Robert Coons presentation from the event on 29th July from the Penglai Internal Alchemy Fellowship: Decoding Daoist Qigong and Meditation. In this lecture Robert will explain the current scholarly consensus in China about the major styles of Daoist Qigong and Meditation and what this means to students of the genre. The class will include:

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Free Seminar on Daoist Meditation July 29

July 27, 2023 6 Min Read

A quick correction about the times. The speakers start at 10 and finish at 12:45 with time for questions. Free Seminar July 29: When: Saturday July 29, 10 AM – 12:45 PM EST, Where: ZOOM, How much: free for everyone. The last Saturday this July the Penglai Internal Alchemy Fellowship is happy to offer our first online seminar where we will be learning Internal Alchemy theory and practice and Daoist…

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Bai zi bei: Hundred Character Tablet

May 4, 2023 1 Min Read

呂祖百字碑 To nourish the vital breath, keep watch in silence;In order to subdue the mind, act with non-action.Of movement and stillness, be aware of their origin;There is no work to do, much less someone to seek.The true and constant must respond to phenomena;Responding to phenomena, you must be unconfused. When unconfused, the nature will stabilize by itself;When the nature stabilizes, energy returns by itself.When energy returns, the elixir crystallizes by…

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Taixi jing: Classic of Embryonic Breathing

March 25, 2023 1 Min Read

高上玉皇胎息經 The Celestial Lord Jade Emperor said: The embryo is produced from the qi within. The qi has the embryo within the breath. When the qi enters the body, this is life. When the shen leaves the body, this is death. Knowing shen and qi, longevity is possible. So do not depart from nourishing shen and qi. When the shen moves, the qi moves. When the shen abides, the qi…

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Zhen Qi Yun Xing

August 16, 2022 8 Min Read

History This approach was refined over 60 years of study and teaching by Dr Li Shao Bo, intending to give a method for improving health. The practices can also be seen as a simple way to grasp the foundations of NeiDan or Daoist internal alchemy. Posture The practice can be done in all four primary postures, and over time the practitioner should work to make this their natural state. The…

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Stages of Meditation – The Mind Illuminated

April 28, 2021 2 Min Read

Some 2,500 years ago, the Buddha presented meditation training as a sequence of developmental stages in a series of verses known as the Ānāpānasati Sutta. Each verse describes one step in a progressive method for training the mind. – Culadasa (John Yates) I am currently reading, The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness by Culadasa (John Yates). He outlines the stages…

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