Recovering JING for men

[Jma]

I think it is important once you have found the path for spiritual cultivation,
to stick to it, what is lost is lost no use worrying about it.
I have met 50 year old heroin addicts with all their teeth fallen out, hunched back and barely able to walk who think smoking and drinking is not that bad.

In my thirties I have discovered what spiritual cultivation is about,and I still have problems sticking to it consistently, so my advice is to remove yourself from the unhealthy atmosphere and keep on the right path, if you still err meditate on what caused the error so you don´t fall again to it.

Forget about the past and cultivate!!

[Akemi]

Understanding and Worry

Good day, all.

what I am concerned with...is, the loss of yuan chi, the essence you inherit from your parents.

Yuan Qi is created by your Jing. It is post-heaven essence. The essence you inherit from your parents (pre-heaven) is Jing, both Yin and Yang. From this essence, the yin and yang of your body is created, from that, your qi, blood, jing and ye fluids.

So what happens if you feel you have exhausted too much of your yuan chi? I understand that it is possible to recover "post-birth chi" by, as several have mentioned: chi kung, good sleep, food, wholesome sex (where possible and in moderation!), and meditation, but what about yuan chi?

Yuan qi can be replenished with all the methods you described above. It can also be supplemented with acupuncture, using the Source points, particularly YangQi San Jiao 4. This is the source point of the channel that carries yuan qi.

To illustrate my question, one year ago when I would meditate, I would "tap into" a strength that would stay with me through the day where I felt supremely confident, and would appear attractive to the opposite sex (this is not meant to sound egotistical). Lets call it a bio-battery. I also believe that this bio-battery enabled me to withstand the extreme amounts of alcohol I consumed, as I know without a doubt that I would not be able to drink as much as I used to now.

However now when I meditate it feels very much like that the Tiger has gone. I don't seem to have that raw masculine strength that carries me through the day, females no longer seem to notice me, etc. I also seem to doubt myself and worry a lot more. I am wondering if this is my bio-battery, or "yuan-chi" that is the key component that is missing?

Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. Maybe you're going through a growing phase, in which you are focusing on more internal aspects.

The doubting and worrying could be a sign of the Kidney Yang deficiency that your acupuncturist told you about. Fear is the emotion associated with the Kidneys. Eat some lamb. It will help give you courage and tonify your yang.

If it is missing and if I am still young, is it possible to FULLY compensate for this through training / strong chi, etc?

I.e, can I FULLY recharge my battery?

I cannot answer this question with experience to back me, but I can share what I have learned from my teachers.

Jing-Essence-YuanQi can be tonified, most quickly via high quality medical Chi Kung. Secondly through herbal tonics and acupuncture. Thirdly via wholesome food and a healthy moderate lifestyle. It took you time to tap into your reserves. It will take time to fill up your reserves. Your job is to live the best you can, enjoy life, take care of your vehicle (your body), and it will heal.

I am told that Sigung Wong is bouncing with energy, and this suggests that his reserves are full and then some. So have faith and practice.

Also note that I am visiting a chinese Doctor who prescribed some herbs for my Kidneys (he said my Kidney Yang Chi was weak), and he emphasised my state of concern when he said, "...you need to relax. You are MUCH stronger than you think" (he said this very firmly)... But somehow I still have my doubts!

This is a sign of a good physician. He was honest about your condition and he was honest in telling you that you don't need to worry. You don't. Modify your lifestyle, continue on the path you are on and you will feel better. Give it a little bit of time.

I hope this helped.

Have a worry-free day.

[Akemi]

Oops...didn't read the rest

I forgot to read the second page before I wrote my answer. So here's more.

This is very interesting. Could you elaborate on this, please?

I found that I am in my best shape when going to bed at 9pm, and then wake up at 3am to start the day.

Joko,

This was something I learned during my internship in acupuncture school. One of my supervisors (probably the most successful acupuncturist in the area), drilled that into my head. I have just emailed her and asked her for a source, so I will supply it to you as soon as I receive it. However, it seems that you are a living testament to that maxim.

All up, I definitely need more of: sleep, Chi Kung, and... beef.

My symptoms (which I had also looked up in the book - the Web that Has no Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk) were: low back pain, weak knees, diminshed libido, and low confidence (I had trouble disagreeing with people). The diminshed libido really damaged my self-esteem )

My doctor agreed. He kept telling me to relax. Relax. He gave me two weeks worth of Kidney yang herbs and told me not to drink alcohol AT ALL as it affects both the liver and the kidney and they were both weak. Unfortunately I had a friend's farewell one week followed by another friend's birthday the next and I didn't say no to beer either time...

The good thing is that you recognize what you need. Now you can give yourself permission to enjoy these things and replenish yourself. Your symptoms are classic kidney yang deficiency, and to me that's a great sign. You're not quoting chaotic symptoms or hot and cold symptoms. This is good. It sounds like you will respond favorably to treatment.

You had difficulty being compliant with the alcohol rule, which is not uncommon. Try your best. Your alcohol intake may have diminished the potency of your herbal formula so you don't really have a good sense of what the herbs can really do. So be honest with him, and perhaps he'll give you another 2 weeks worth.

I understand that low libido is especially concerning. I truly believe that if you follow your chinese doctor's advice, and eat well, sleep, and be happy that you will recover.

[speed_of_dark]

Patience, fortitude, faith, and discipline

When I wrote my first post here I had little hope. Now, I have a lot of hope and a lot more confidence Thankyou all.

Vanessa - Thank so much again. I am having a very worry-free day You will make an awesome chinese doctor. Your explanations are clear, relevant, and...heart-warming.
I've never been a big fan of lamb but now I'll definitely tuck in to some.

Sifu Andrew - Thankyou for the information. I did a search and found some useful information on recovering pre-natal qi, as well as some abdominal breathing techniques that I had been doing previously but forgot.

Jma - Thanks for the advice. Spiritual cultivation is something which I didn't mention but is also very dear to me. There's a lot I could mention but basically I think that life is the most incredible gift we have and that we don't go to heaven when we die but we can actually experience heaven now. We as human beings possess the ability to appreciate the beauty and simple joy of life, we can look at a sunset and say "wow that's magnificent". We have the power to appreciate so why not use it now. The most amazing times in my life haven't been when I was confident and strong but when I was as simple as a child and just enjoyed life for what it is... and then time meant nothing


I'll keep you all posted with my progress.

Best regards,

[Akemi]

Sleeping before midnight

Dear Joko,

Below is the email I received from my colleague regarding your question:

It had to do with following the sun. Before electricity we lived by the sun. We went to bed early and got up early. He is always stressing how important it is to get as much sleep before midnight as you can. I am pretty sure it was Tran who told me this.

She is referring to Dr. Tran Viet Dzung, of the Institute Van Nghi. Dr Tran is a fabulous acupuncturist, and is a fountain of information. Here is a link to the Institute Van Nghi, and another link to see an example of a typical Tran lecture.

[joko]

Dear Vanessa,

That's very kind of you. Thank you, and thanks to your colleague, and to Dr. Tran Viet Dzung.

It's 3:57 am now in my region, and I was awake since 3:10. And I feel very fresh and alive.

Joko.

PS. Your first name, Akemi, is very beautiful.

[Grimlock]

Simui(I think that's right?) Vanessa,

I've just re-read this thread, and first, I'd like to thank you for the fantastic advice and explanations you've provided. But now I'm incredibly curious about this whole each hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 after thing. My question is, is there a limit as to how long before midnight you can sleep to get this benefit? And if not, has anyone tried this in the extreme? As in, has anyone tried sleeping from 8 PM to midnight for several days in a row to see if the effect is similar to sleeping, say, midnight to 8 AM? (I'm sure this is probably missing the point of the comment completely, but you knew someone was gonna think it up! )

I imagine that even if it works, the effect won't be quite the same because it's not only about how much sleep you get, but how much time you spend awake functioning. What I mean is, if 8 hours of sleep prepares me for 16 hours of an active day, sleeping from 8PM to midnight may not adequately prepare me for all of the extra 4 hours of awake time I'd get.

I think (in the interest of science of course!) I might try this myself, since my current sleeping pattern is midnight to 7 or 8 AM (the perfect basis for comparison). I just better make sure I don't have anything too important that week, just in case!

[Akemi]

Siheng,

now I'm incredibly curious about this whole each hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 after thing. My question is, is there a limit as to how long before midnight you can sleep to get this benefit? And if not, has anyone tried this in the extreme? As in, has anyone tried sleeping from 8 PM to midnight for several days in a row to see if the effect is similar to sleeping, say, midnight to 8 AM?

I'm not sure what the limit is. I know that one of my teachers, Dr. P. Keshava Bhat sleeps from 9pm to about 3am. He gets up, does yoga, and works on his books. He is quite brilliant.

I imagine that even if it works, the effect won't be quite the same because it's not only about how much sleep you get, but how much time you spend awake functioning. What I mean is, if 8 hours of sleep prepares me for 16 hours of an active day, sleeping from 8PM to midnight may not adequately prepare me for all of the extra 4 hours of awake time I'd get.

I think (in the interest of science of course!) I might try this myself, since my current sleeping pattern is midnight to 7 or 8 AM (the perfect basis for comparison). I just better make sure I don't have anything too important that week, just in case!

It's true that the effect will probably not be the same. However, I do look forward to hearing your results. I think that time early in the morning is perfect for meditation, practice, contemplation, and any kind of intellectual work you might need to do.

If you're going to try this, I do encourage you to take a nap whenever you need to. It will probably take some time for your body to get used to it.

Have fun

[Grimlock]

Si Mui,

So far, my schedule hasn't allowed me to try the "extreme" 8 PM to midnight sleep schedule, but I have experimented with my sleep schedule in more limited ways. For instance, I notice a big (and immediate) difference between sleeping between midnight and 7:45 AM and sleeping between even 11:30 PM and 7:15 AM. And I feel especially refreshed sleeping from 11 PM to 7:15 AM. I haven't yet tried getting up any earlier than 7:15 AM -one of the side effects of these experiments is that I now realize how much I enjoy sleeping!

In contrast, last night I went out and didn't go to sleep until 2 AM and woke up at 10:30 AM not feeling very refreshed at all.

Anyway, I'll continue to experiment with it so I can find my own balance of enjoying sleep and being productive! And I still do hope to work towards the 8 PM - midnight schedule just to try it. Next stop: 11 to 6!

[Akemi]

I was wondering how you were doing. Thanks for the update!

I think I'm going to try the 11pm to 7 (I can't do 6 yet) schedule soon.

Sleeping is great. It makes me feel revelous.

[Maxime]

Interestingly, I just changed my sleeping habits since coming back from Malaysia two weeks ago.

Before, I went to bed around 11.00 or 12.00 and woke up at 07.30 or 08.00. My quality of sleep, although much better than before I started the practice of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung, was not so revelous ( ).

Now I go to bed before or around 10.00. I wake up naturally (i.e very easily) at 6.00. Very fresh and mentally alert.

There is no doubt that the quality of my sleep has been enhanced in a very positive way, thanks to this change.

I don't think I will be able to reach the 8.00/12.00 standard, because of social/family duties. But I am planning to reach the 09.30/04.30.

Meanwhile, I wish everyone a good, refreshing, and revelous sleep.

Shaolin Salute,

Maxime

[Darryl]

Stage 1: Revelous

revelous

Excellent, excellent (in my best Mr Burns voice)

[Damian Kissey]

Dear Vanessa ,

Thank You for your posts.

If i may enquire from your goodself , whether the type of yoga practised by your teacher , Dr. P. Keshava Bhat is Surat Shabad Yoga ?

Wishing you the best in your daily practise and life .

Sincerely ,
Damian .

[barrys]

Interesting thread. I found when I went to bed at c. 10:00pm I generally woke up c. 5:30 feeling pretty good.

I wondered how people squared this with Sifu saying that 12:00 midnight is the best time to practice chi kung. I generally follow this advice.

With metta,

Barry

[Antonius]

Dear Barry,

Midnight is the 2nd best time to practice. Dawn is the best time.

Best,