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I came into these courses having practiced kung fu for about 1.5 years under the guidance of Sifu Anthony Korahais, and having taken Sigung's chi kung courses in Miami last year. Last year's courses were fantastic, but I felt that I missed many of the transmissions because I just wasn't ready for a lot of it. While it is hard for me to remember where I was in my development a year ago, I remember enough to know that it feels like I've made 10 years worth of progress. Honestly, I didn't really think about it until Sigung commented that I've made tremendous progress. For that, I owe a great deal of thanks to my Sifu and Sigung.
I was excited about the internal force course because I had never taken a kung fu course from Sigung. For me, there were 2 moments that stood out. In the first one, Sigung had us go straight to flowingly still after either horse stance or golden bridge. That was the first time I'd ever done that, and the effect was amazing. The best (and grossly insufficient) way I can describe it is as a cross of dan tian breathing and my "normal" chi flow after zhan zhuang. The other moment that stood out was during the 3 circle stance when my entire body was trembling and I felt blockages in my kidneys being worked on which I had never felt before. I remembered from last year that previously unfelt deep blockages arise while taking courses from Sigung.
Still, the amount of junk I cleared out of my legs, arms, shoulders, and upper back was the most I'd ever cleared in one session -at least until Sinew Metamorphosis! 
And at the same time, it led to deep joy.
Generating Energy Flow was just as nice. Lifting the Sky, Pushing Mountains, and Carrying the Moon are the staple chi kung exercises of our school, and I'll take any opportunity I can to deepen my skill with them. Also, after the course was over, my Sisook Eugene, Siheng Andre, and I practiced kung fu together for a couple of hours in the hotel parking lot. It was so much fun and incredibly helpful. (Thanks guys!) Like I told Sigung the next day, after Generating Energy Flow, I felt fantastic, and after another couple hours of kung fu, I felt even better!
I wasn't sure what to expect with the Massaging Internal Organs course, but it was simply fantastic. Each of the exercises made so much sense. Separating Water really feels like you are separating water! And I couldn't help but smile when Sigung explained that Merry-go-round is especially good for the stomach and cleansing anxiety and worry. Who could possibly be anxious or worried about anything while practicing Merry-go-round? And Nourishing Kidneys is so effective!
The last course was Sinew Metamorphosis. We learned and practiced Flicking Fingers, and it led to the wildest chi flows and the highest spiritual attainment I have ever had or witnessed. I can only imagine what the Scots are like in chi flow after Sinew Metamorphosis!
The highlight for me was when we performed Sinew Metamorphosis in the standard mode -going straight to flowingly still. Parts of my physical body literally seemed to disappear! For instance, my physical hands completely disappeared, and all that was left were 2 huge balls of energy. More importantly, I experienced the deepest, most profound joy I've ever felt. Like my Simui Akemi said, we spent the next hour laughing and floating in the clouds (er, the cosmos?). After an earlier Sinew Metamorphosis practice, I was overcome with such a deep sense of gratitude, it was literally all I could do to just say that!
The following night, I took my Sifu's kung fu class, and Sipak Dr. Salvatorre, Sisook Eugene, and Sigung were there, too. It was a great class with lots of sparring, and Sigung stepped in several times to correct fine details in how we executed patterns. He took great care to explain and demonstrate *why* our mistakes were mistakes and how the corrections to our form fixed them. As a result, my kung fu became more alive. Eugene also helped me tremendously with combat sequences 9-11, and Dr. Salvatorre helped Akemi and I with Chop Hua Mountain and Reverse Hanging of Golden Lotus. Just his brief explanations and demonstrations triggered a sort of "right understanding" with these patterns for me. (And Akemi, too. I noticed a difference in her execution of them.)
I also got to fulfill a pre-trip objective of enjoying ice cream with Sigung afterwards. I'm not sure what size bowl he got, but it was large and completely packed with gelato, and he devoured it with ease!
One last thing. I was privileged to meet several new and old members of the family, and they are all examples to aspire to. I was helped selflessly in so many ways, all I can do is offer a huge Thank You! I look forward to seeing you all again and meeting more of the family.
Happy practicing everybody!
Chris
I was excited about the internal force course because I had never taken a kung fu course from Sigung. For me, there were 2 moments that stood out. In the first one, Sigung had us go straight to flowingly still after either horse stance or golden bridge. That was the first time I'd ever done that, and the effect was amazing. The best (and grossly insufficient) way I can describe it is as a cross of dan tian breathing and my "normal" chi flow after zhan zhuang. The other moment that stood out was during the 3 circle stance when my entire body was trembling and I felt blockages in my kidneys being worked on which I had never felt before. I remembered from last year that previously unfelt deep blockages arise while taking courses from Sigung.
Still, the amount of junk I cleared out of my legs, arms, shoulders, and upper back was the most I'd ever cleared in one session -at least until Sinew Metamorphosis! And at the same time, it led to deep joy.Generating Energy Flow was just as nice. Lifting the Sky, Pushing Mountains, and Carrying the Moon are the staple chi kung exercises of our school, and I'll take any opportunity I can to deepen my skill with them. Also, after the course was over, my Sisook Eugene, Siheng Andre, and I practiced kung fu together for a couple of hours in the hotel parking lot. It was so much fun and incredibly helpful. (Thanks guys!) Like I told Sigung the next day, after Generating Energy Flow, I felt fantastic, and after another couple hours of kung fu, I felt even better!
I wasn't sure what to expect with the Massaging Internal Organs course, but it was simply fantastic. Each of the exercises made so much sense. Separating Water really feels like you are separating water! And I couldn't help but smile when Sigung explained that Merry-go-round is especially good for the stomach and cleansing anxiety and worry. Who could possibly be anxious or worried about anything while practicing Merry-go-round? And Nourishing Kidneys is so effective!
The last course was Sinew Metamorphosis. We learned and practiced Flicking Fingers, and it led to the wildest chi flows and the highest spiritual attainment I have ever had or witnessed. I can only imagine what the Scots are like in chi flow after Sinew Metamorphosis!
The highlight for me was when we performed Sinew Metamorphosis in the standard mode -going straight to flowingly still. Parts of my physical body literally seemed to disappear! For instance, my physical hands completely disappeared, and all that was left were 2 huge balls of energy. More importantly, I experienced the deepest, most profound joy I've ever felt. Like my Simui Akemi said, we spent the next hour laughing and floating in the clouds (er, the cosmos?). After an earlier Sinew Metamorphosis practice, I was overcome with such a deep sense of gratitude, it was literally all I could do to just say that!
The following night, I took my Sifu's kung fu class, and Sipak Dr. Salvatorre, Sisook Eugene, and Sigung were there, too. It was a great class with lots of sparring, and Sigung stepped in several times to correct fine details in how we executed patterns. He took great care to explain and demonstrate *why* our mistakes were mistakes and how the corrections to our form fixed them. As a result, my kung fu became more alive. Eugene also helped me tremendously with combat sequences 9-11, and Dr. Salvatorre helped Akemi and I with Chop Hua Mountain and Reverse Hanging of Golden Lotus. Just his brief explanations and demonstrations triggered a sort of "right understanding" with these patterns for me. (And Akemi, too. I noticed a difference in her execution of them.)
I also got to fulfill a pre-trip objective of enjoying ice cream with Sigung afterwards. I'm not sure what size bowl he got, but it was large and completely packed with gelato, and he devoured it with ease!
One last thing. I was privileged to meet several new and old members of the family, and they are all examples to aspire to. I was helped selflessly in so many ways, all I can do is offer a huge Thank You! I look forward to seeing you all again and meeting more of the family.
Happy practicing everybody!
Chris
from the ♥
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