Step By Step To Happiness

[cnholmes]

My story is not one of any major, harsh ailment which we hear of others suffering. My story is of minor nagging problems but which still degrade quality of life. So I will post here various accounts of successes which are modest compared to most, but which mean a lot to me. Together these small successes are making my life much better.

I'm afraid the first one is a bit gross, so I'll try and spare all but the essential details.

I used to have a growth in my nose. On a good day I couldn't breathe through my left nostril. On a bad day I would have pain, blurred vision and a constant slow nose bleed.

I spoke to my Doctor. He told me to stop smoking. I didn't smoke at that time.

Then I discovered chi kung. I didn't really plan for anything to be cured, I just saw straight away that Sigung teaching this Art had the mark of quality which is difficult to define.

I asked Sigung about my problem at a chi kung course at Cecil Sharp House in London. Some of you might remember that. I asked him about the fact I couldn't breathe in through my nose sometimes and he told me to breathe in as best I could and it would be cured.

He was, of course, absolutely right.

Several months after that course, during my chi flow, my nose started to vibrate. I know that many of you find this difficult to believe - so did I at the time. Then came the pressure. At one point I thought my teeth were going to be pushed out of my upper jaw. The weirdest sensation was when the inside of my face felt like it was physically moving up and down about an inch.

Then nothing happened for several weeks. I felt a bit disappointed after all that.

Slowly, the growth receded. Over the space of a couple of weeks, to my great delight, it gradually disappeared along with a lot of mingled pain and fear.

I humbly thank our wonderful Grand Master for freeing me from that torment.

Later I found that the blurred vision and headaches were in fact mild migraines.

I'm not completely free of it yet - there's still some work to be done. But thats ok because I know I have the ability. I haven't had pain, blurred vision or bleeding for over a year now. Much better than almost every day.

A last moment to share with you. Earlier this year, in springtime, I left my office to go home. The flowers near to the door to the building were in full bloom. And I could smell them. For the first time in years, I could smell them.

More later...

Chris.

[shaolin_mike]

Congrats
May this experience inspire you during times when life is not so rosy.

[Andrew]

This is a wonderful testimonial indeed Chris. You have shown that what others may consider "minor" can indeed seriously affect the quality of life a person may enjoy. Now, thanks to your own practice, you have improved your quality of life so obviously. Congratulations.

Andrew

[cnholmes]

Thank you to Sigung and to my friends here for your support for this thread.

As I said I have a number of stories to tell. In each I make every effort to simply recount the events as they happened. So here is another account of a minor ailment overcome. This one is a few years old, being from the very start of my chikung practice.

I'm a software engineer, and the repeated mouse clicking had taken its toll on my hand. My right index finger often ached badly, especially after a long days work.

Doing Lifting The Sky, my hand started feeling stiff at the knuckle. Later, it also started feeling stiff outside my practice.

One day, I was in a car with my friend driving, and my hand was feeling stiffer than ever. It occurred to me to massage the knuckle a bit. I did so, then suddenly there was a crack! loud enough for him to hear and be surprised. I hadn't cracked my knuckle - I'd barely bent it because it was feeling stiff. This wasn't painful.

I've never been troubled with that joint pain since.

I don't know whether or how this fits into chinese medical theory, but for me there is a direct link between the practice and the cure in these two stories (and probably further examples). The general running order each time has been - the ailment; experiencing a distinct sensation at the site of the ailment during chiflow, which I hadn't experienced before; sudden disappearance of the ailment, and finally no return of the ailment or the related sensation.

Further stories to come.

Chris.

[cnholmes]

Here's my next installment. This is about my stomach. There are no whizzy special effects here - just very effective chikung.

I used to suffer from terrible stomach pains, often caused by excess acid. I would often lose a lot of sleep from it and sometimes I couldn't even lie down in bed.

I also couldn't lie flat on my back, on a bed, with my feet hanging over the side from the knee. A pain in my stomach would force me to move.

Eating late at night was out of bounds. If I ate after about 8'o'clock I'd suffer terrible burning overnight and the next day.

I couldn't eat sweet things. After a couple of mouthfuls I would get 'sugar overload' and the taste would be horrible and bitter.

Two specific interesting things happened on the first Intensive Course I attended.

On one of the days we had our break time and I went to my room and laid on the bed to watch a bit of TV. With my feet hanging over the side. No pain. I just laid there and laughed with joy.

The other thing was that Sigung showed Mike and I how a particular small kungfu movement could be used to help indigestion. By this time chikung had solved most of my acid problem. However, one night I woke up with bad acid burning. I tried this movement in chikung state of mind. I expected the pain to fade in perhaps half an hour. It disappeared immediately.

I'm sure you can fill in the rest. I can now eat at any time without suffering. I can enjoy meals out even when they're late in the evening.

My wife is furious she used to get the chocolate all to herself. Now I'm rediscovering chocolate bars and desserts I hadn't enjoyed since I was a kid.

Regards,
Chris

[cnholmes]

I can now eat breakfast. In days before I started kungfu, I would have suffered appalling indigestion had I eaten before about ten o'clock, enough for me to need a couple of hours sitting quietly to recover. But when I was on holiday earlier this year, and staying in a hotel, I could enjoy a full cooked breakfast every morning before going out to enjoy myself.

Here, now, the season is turning to autumn. The weather is colder and the dark nights are drawing in.

I once went through a difficult time of life. I was working all day in a big office, from which you could not see any daylight. In the winter months this meant I arrived in darkness and left in darkness. Sometimes I would not see daylight for days. In this time I was bitterly short of money and I lived in a bad area where I was burgled regularly. The darkness stayed with me for years after, and autumn would be the harbinger of many months of gloom.

This morning I stepped outside for my stance training. The sun was not yet up, but there was a faint blue light everywhere. Everything was quite still. I did Lifting The Sky, enjoying the fresh cool air. Then I did my stances and flexible legs.

When I finished and opened my eyes the sun had risen. It cast a stream of shimmering gold across the lawn and trees in the garden. Our plum tree is hanging heavy with ripe fruit, ready for picking and eating and making into jam and wine. The walnut tree, covered in bulbous green cases, each holding a shell and kernel. These will soon fall to ground and split open, then we'll collect them and dry them to eat at Bonfire Night and Christmas Eve.

I'm not depressed by winter any more. It is no longer a time of darkness and gloom. It's a time of celebrations, festivals, fireworks, tinsel, food and drink and laughter. Because my heart is opening and I'm learning joy. Winter and darkness have their rightful place.

Thank you, Sifu, for clearing away the gloom.

[Michael Durkin]

Thanks Chris for keeping this thread updated. I think I missed it last year when you started it. Theres some really wonderful stuff here

[joko]

The other thing was that Sigung showed Mike and I how a particular small kungfu movement could be used to help indigestion.

What is the name of the Kungfu pattern?

[Jordan]

This is a great thread, Chris. Well done on your practise, it is inspiring and will be yet another beacon of hope for others with less than satisfactory health.

[cnholmes]

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me in this. You have each made me smile from the heart.

What is the name of the Kungfu pattern?

Sifu has contacted me and asked me to share this information. I am very pleased to do so.

It is the hand form of One Finger Shooting Zen, just like at the beginning of the set. Of course, its how you do it which makes the difference, but Shaolin Wahnam students who've learnt the set already know how.

You don't need the stance for this - Sifu was sitting at a table at the time and just moved his hand. The night I sent away my indigestion I just stood relaxed in no particular stance. I did the hand pattern three times and the acid subsided straight away.

Many Thanks,
Chris.

[cnholmes]

100 Breaths

Today, for the first time, I did a hundred breaths at Horse Stance. I got up to 60, where I've been for a while and I just felt relaxed and not tired at all. So I continued.

Stance training has been a struggle for me as it has brought on adverse effects. But with persistence and by carefully following my seniors' advice I am progressing.

Thank you, Sifu, for your teaching and guidance. And thanks also to all those who post advice here.

Many Regards,
Chris

[Charles David]

Good work, Chris.

Still,

[Antonius]

I remember my 100 breath breakthrough. Feels good, doesn't it?

[barrys]

Hey Chris, .

Barry

[Luo Lang]

Now go out cerlebrate, drink a beer, and well then carry on....

Congrats my fellow Bro'