28 Minutes A Day To Internal Power
Published In Inside Kung Fu Magazine - July 1994
by Gary J. Clyman
In the past, the internal arts have been obscured and were made nearly inaccessible. That no longer is true. The development of the internal arts is easy to understand and is accessible. The topic of internal power and internal energy has been confusing for the general public. They have been often led to believe that it is an obscure and complicated issue, difficult to understand, taking years to learn and its applicability was limited to the martial arts. Things couldn't be further from the truth.
The developing of internal power based on a structured, systematized method such as the method I teach is easily accessible. This material is easy to understand and perform and the rewards are prompt and ongoing, becoming geometrically more effective the more one practices.
An understanding of the structure of internal power and the truths around it will be helpful in helping the novice or advanced student further his study. The elements I'd like to explain are Chi Circulations, Chi Kung, Nei Kung and Gold Bell Training. It is important to understand that these techniques lead to what is called cultivating your vibration.
While people have often been led to believe that the particular form or how you are doing it physically are important, it's really not. The essence of the movement is with the mind, not with the particular position, posture or movement your body is doing. For example, in The Daily Practice Routine which is the structure of our Chi Kung system, simply doing 10 minutes a day of what I've termed "Basic Path Training," which consists of the Chi Circulations in the postures for Upward and Downward Meditation, Inward and Outward Meditation and Tai Chi Stance Meditation, you're able to build pathways for the later development of your internal energy.
Don't confuse these meditations with their simple counterparts in Tai Chi. These meditations have common names, but they are anything but common. "The Mind Training" in these Chi Circulations is what makes these meditations so important. You only need a handful of them because you spend a tremendous amount of time on each of them. Tai Chi students generally spend very little time on too many things. The ratio of practice time per form using this method is very high.
Chi Circulations are very special. Using Chi Circulations, you open and close various doorways in your body so you can create pathways for energy to flow through. This connects each cell to every other cell. This is important for fighting the aging process and in staying healthy and vital.
There are a handful of these Chi Circulations in my Chi Kung system starting with 1) Condensing Breathing. The rest are 2) Upward and Downward Meditation, 3) Inward and Outward Meditation and 4) Tai Chi Stance Meditation, as previously mentioned.
Chi Circulations are most important to the intermediate or advanced Tai Chi student. Without Chi Circulations you just do forms. The results most Tai Chi students are searching for do not come from the form. Your internal power ability does not develop from the form. Your martial art ability does not come from the form. You can do forms forever and never become exceptional. When Chi Circulations are added to your Tai Chi framework, that makes a world of difference. Speeding up the rate at which you can vibrate, that's important. The purpose of this article is to explain cultivating your vibration through using Chi Kung, Nei Kung and lastly, Gold Bell Training. If anyone is interested in learning more about how to cultivate your vibration, the first place to start is with my Chi Kung video instruction program.
In Tai Chi, generally the ratio of physical to mental is about 70% physical. In these meditation forms, the ratio is 70% mind training. Storing Jing (internal power) depends on how frequently you practice. If you practice everyday using this method, you will get results quickly. If you practice only a few times a week, your results will be slower. When I was a student, I lived to practice. I practiced 3 or 4 times a day which equaled 6 to 10 hours a day for the first 10 years of my Tai Chi career.
Imagine your internal vibration as a fragile little spark. The more you practice and take care of your spark, the more it grows. Someday it can be a torch. Take care of your spark and someday your spark will take care of you.
After spending years systematizing and structuring this material, it is formatted in a way that is easy to follow, understand and accomplish. People can do the final version of The Daily Practice Routine in 28 fun filled (joke) minutes a day. Intense practicing will reap the benefits associated with many more years of normal practicing. The first year is the most important. It sets the pace for your Tai Chi future.
The elements of The Daily Practice Routine are built upon the main elements of Chi Kung. In The Daily Practice Routine first comes The Condensing Principle which is the single most important element of Chi Kung. Through Condensing Breathing you learn to fit 18 inches of movement into one inch of space. By drawing in from all directions through a very simple method that can be taught, you learn to draw energy into every cell in your body and condense it down, tighter and tighter, to fit into less and less space. This practice has tremendous health benefits. The denser you become, the more powerful your internal vacuum becomes and the more explosive your internal power will be. You will be able to draw on your internal power as your vacuum grows.
The next part of Chi Kung is The Micro-Cosmic Orbit. In The Micro-Cosmic Orbit you are learning how to take this energy that you've accumulated and circulate it in the internal pathway through the Central Channel in the spinal cord. This will raise the amount of energy that your central nervous system can carry.
Immediately you can suck in and store this energy. Over a period of time you will be able to accumulate a greater and greater storehouse of this internal power that you can use for a lot of avenues. Many people use it for increasing their WILL, improving their health, abundance thinking, improving relationships, and removing negative beliefs, habits and attitudes. In fact, most people that learn my Chi Kung system never do martial arts. They take the Chi Kung training and quickly get what they need.
However, if you want to use it for martial arts, then you are going to need to develop a Tai Chi body. When a Tai Chi body is developed, it allows you to take this internal power and transfer it into a physical manifestation. When you've acquired your Tai Chi body using your form practice and the other components, you are then able to move on to Nei Kung.
The purpose of Nei Kung is to move the mind training into an accelerated and spontaneous reaction mechanism for martial art. WARNING: This practice will bring up your warrior spirit.
Nei Kung is considered a "formless" practice. When I say formless, I'm referring to the mind going faster than the body can keep up. When you practice Nei Kung in the system that I teach, Nei Kung is called "The Inside Form." "The Inside Form" means "regardless of what particular form of Tai Chi you are practicing, the principles stay the same, but the physical, structural, and mechanical details can be relatively dropped." Practicing Nei Kung still resembles the actual form, but the physical details become unimportant. What matters is how fast the mind is going in these specific moves. In Temple Style Tai Chi Ch'uan, Nei Kung is taught the same way you would learn First, Second, Third section or any other specific body of material. The Tai Chi form is only about 30% of the complete system.
Gold Bell Training relates directly to Chi Kung in its martial application. The main purpose for learning Gold Bell Training is to develop the ability to absorb and bounce off incoming punches. Gold Bell Training is a direct branch off the Chi Kung training, using the Tai Chi body and your vibration. The Gold Bell Training is your body shield.
Gold Bell Training is done by attacking the oncoming force by chopping it into little bits and accelerating the vibrations in your body. It's like sticking a pencil into a pencil sharpener. The pencil never gets past the blades. Gold Bell Training is discussed in depth later in this article.
THE GOLD BELL TRAINING INSTRUCTION ARTICLE
As I have already stated in this article and in all my other articles (IKF April 1987 and IKF April 1989), Condensing Breathing is the most important single ingredient in Temple Style. When learning Gold Bell Training, Condensing Breathing is again a prerequisite. Remember, without Condensing Breathing there can be no explosion of any magnitude. In the first lesson of my new video I teach Condensing Breathing the same way it is taught in my Chi Kung/Personal Power Trainingx workshops.
There is very specific material that you must learn before you learn Gold Bell Training. The first is Condensing Breathing. After you learn Condensing Breathing, the next piece you must learn and practice is "Chi in Voice and Action" or "Hung and Ha Training." I have included photographs that will illustrate the posture this is to be practiced in. Part of being able to give a good punch is based on your ability to take one. This training is aimed at sensitizing and desensitizing your body at the same time. There could be all sorts of emotional releases associated with learning this procedure. Don't worry, if any extreme emotional reactions come up, they will shortly pass.
Step 1) HUNG AND HA TRAINING - Hung training is a process in which the Tai Chi practitioner sends his energy down to the ground or floor. As one practices, he yells HUNG and directs his energy down his body and into the ground with his mind. This should be performed two times in a row before performing one single HA training practice.
HA training is quite different than HUNG training. HA training is taking the vibration or Jing and projecting it forward and out. Considerable time should be spent learning how to coordinate HUNG and HA Training with physical body motion. At first the body motion will appear rough and jerky, but after reasonable practice your coordination will become smooth and much more undetectable.
STEP 2) Understand that the use of Gold Bell Training is situation specific. It's to be used as a last resort. In other words, one should first neutralize the oncoming force. That means yield at the same time the force is approaching. Don't be there when it gets there. Next, only if you can't neutralize it, deflect the oncoming force. That means change the direction in which the attack or incoming force is approaching. This can be done with nearly any technique or form. However, do not confuse deflection with what other martial arts call blocking. Deflecting is a circular motion that does not stop the incoming force, but merely redirects it. Lastly, if you are unable to neutralize or deflect the incoming force, you must be prepared to absorb the incoming force. This requires a great amount of skill. When I say absorb I don't mean just to tighten up and take it. Absorption is a very specific method and requires a high level of skill. This part of this article is aimed at teaching you how to absorb an incoming punch, kick or other strike (except from a pointed weapon). As any seasoned martial artist should know, you want to avoid taking direct hits to the head, neck or face to the best of your ability. If it is inevitable that if you take a hit in any of these areas, you want to remain as relaxed as possible without losing the integrity of your structure. That means stay relaxed and yield, but don't go further than you have to avoid serious contact. If you practice Condensing Breathing, your body will eventually develop the ability to distinguish the difference between a harder hit or a lighter hit. Developing this ability requires practice and this ability will soon become a valuable asset.
This section of this article will coincide with the accompanying photographs. The method for learning Gold Bell Training is quite simple, don't make it complicated. Just practice it in the order given.
1) Practice neutralization gently, that means letting your body go with the flow. The specific areas this should be practiced on are the chest, stomach, collar bones, hip and knees in order to train the body how to respond to the incoming force or pressure. Use large circles to reduce impact and to increase sensitivity. It is important again not to move too much. Only move enough to neutralize the incoming gentle pressure. Moving too much is as bad as not moving enough. Also make sure that when you practice your neutralizing movements you move in exactly the direction of the incoming pressure.
2) Practice gently repulsing, which is meeting the incoming pressure with the exact direction. Match the incoming direction as exactly as you can. Again the specific areas this should be practiced on are the chest, stomach, collar bones, hip and knees.
3) Gradually increase the incoming pressure or force while learning how to repulse in the exact direction. This is quite the opposite to neutralization. Now you are going against the incoming force.
4) Improve your directions and angles to develop spontaneity. Close to the incoming direction is not enough. Your directions must now be perfect and exact.
5) Repetition with increasing force and eventually building up to FULL power, bouncing off the incoming force. Make sure your practice partner understands the purpose of this particular training. When you practice this part of Gold Bell Training, you can expect to get bruised, feel achy, and hurt, but it should not be serious and no bones or ribs should be fractured. Remember, if you want to develop this ability, you must be prepared to pay your dues. No pain, no gain.
Understand and remember that you don't want to rely on your ability to take a punch, but in the event that you do let one slip in on you, it is not the end of the world. If you practice Gold Bell Training it is using the principle of taking care of yourself, "An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure." Invest in loss and you will win. The first place to start to learn Temple Style is with my Chi Kung Video Instruction Program.
My Chi Kung video instruction program entitled Flexing The Muscle of Your WILL gives you a final version of The Daily Practice Routine that will take you 28 minutes to complete. To become proficient in Tai Chi takes a long time, but to utilize Chi Kung in your life can happen almost immediately.
When I say utilize Chi Kung in your life I'm referring to real life applications, not Tai Chi applications. Learning Chi Kung will raise your level of deservingness, improve your personal performance, strengthen your WILL, give you healing energy to prevent illnesses, and raise your level of assertiveness. Results are dramatic and permanent.
Good luck on your journey and remember, masters are made in the beginning, not at the end... GJC
To order videos: FOUNDATION FUNDAMENTALS - Temple Style Tai Chi Ch'uan and/or TIDAL WAVE CHI KUNG by credit card, use the order form on my home page or call my 24 Hour Voice Mail Energy Hot Line at (800) 7 TAI-CHI = (800) 782-4244 and I will call you back to confirm your order information.
c 1994 Gary J. Clyman
by Gary J. Clyman
In the past, the internal arts have been obscured and were made nearly inaccessible. That no longer is true. The development of the internal arts is easy to understand and is accessible. The topic of internal power and internal energy has been confusing for the general public. They have been often led to believe that it is an obscure and complicated issue, difficult to understand, taking years to learn and its applicability was limited to the martial arts. Things couldn't be further from the truth.
The developing of internal power based on a structured, systematized method such as the method I teach is easily accessible. This material is easy to understand and perform and the rewards are prompt and ongoing, becoming geometrically more effective the more one practices.
An understanding of the structure of internal power and the truths around it will be helpful in helping the novice or advanced student further his study. The elements I'd like to explain are Chi Circulations, Chi Kung, Nei Kung and Gold Bell Training. It is important to understand that these techniques lead to what is called cultivating your vibration.
While people have often been led to believe that the particular form or how you are doing it physically are important, it's really not. The essence of the movement is with the mind, not with the particular position, posture or movement your body is doing. For example, in The Daily Practice Routine which is the structure of our Chi Kung system, simply doing 10 minutes a day of what I've termed "Basic Path Training," which consists of the Chi Circulations in the postures for Upward and Downward Meditation, Inward and Outward Meditation and Tai Chi Stance Meditation, you're able to build pathways for the later development of your internal energy.
Don't confuse these meditations with their simple counterparts in Tai Chi. These meditations have common names, but they are anything but common. "The Mind Training" in these Chi Circulations is what makes these meditations so important. You only need a handful of them because you spend a tremendous amount of time on each of them. Tai Chi students generally spend very little time on too many things. The ratio of practice time per form using this method is very high.
Chi Circulations are very special. Using Chi Circulations, you open and close various doorways in your body so you can create pathways for energy to flow through. This connects each cell to every other cell. This is important for fighting the aging process and in staying healthy and vital.
There are a handful of these Chi Circulations in my Chi Kung system starting with 1) Condensing Breathing. The rest are 2) Upward and Downward Meditation, 3) Inward and Outward Meditation and 4) Tai Chi Stance Meditation, as previously mentioned.
Chi Circulations are most important to the intermediate or advanced Tai Chi student. Without Chi Circulations you just do forms. The results most Tai Chi students are searching for do not come from the form. Your internal power ability does not develop from the form. Your martial art ability does not come from the form. You can do forms forever and never become exceptional. When Chi Circulations are added to your Tai Chi framework, that makes a world of difference. Speeding up the rate at which you can vibrate, that's important. The purpose of this article is to explain cultivating your vibration through using Chi Kung, Nei Kung and lastly, Gold Bell Training. If anyone is interested in learning more about how to cultivate your vibration, the first place to start is with my Chi Kung video instruction program.
In Tai Chi, generally the ratio of physical to mental is about 70% physical. In these meditation forms, the ratio is 70% mind training. Storing Jing (internal power) depends on how frequently you practice. If you practice everyday using this method, you will get results quickly. If you practice only a few times a week, your results will be slower. When I was a student, I lived to practice. I practiced 3 or 4 times a day which equaled 6 to 10 hours a day for the first 10 years of my Tai Chi career.
Imagine your internal vibration as a fragile little spark. The more you practice and take care of your spark, the more it grows. Someday it can be a torch. Take care of your spark and someday your spark will take care of you.
After spending years systematizing and structuring this material, it is formatted in a way that is easy to follow, understand and accomplish. People can do the final version of The Daily Practice Routine in 28 fun filled (joke) minutes a day. Intense practicing will reap the benefits associated with many more years of normal practicing. The first year is the most important. It sets the pace for your Tai Chi future.
The elements of The Daily Practice Routine are built upon the main elements of Chi Kung. In The Daily Practice Routine first comes The Condensing Principle which is the single most important element of Chi Kung. Through Condensing Breathing you learn to fit 18 inches of movement into one inch of space. By drawing in from all directions through a very simple method that can be taught, you learn to draw energy into every cell in your body and condense it down, tighter and tighter, to fit into less and less space. This practice has tremendous health benefits. The denser you become, the more powerful your internal vacuum becomes and the more explosive your internal power will be. You will be able to draw on your internal power as your vacuum grows.
The next part of Chi Kung is The Micro-Cosmic Orbit. In The Micro-Cosmic Orbit you are learning how to take this energy that you've accumulated and circulate it in the internal pathway through the Central Channel in the spinal cord. This will raise the amount of energy that your central nervous system can carry.
Immediately you can suck in and store this energy. Over a period of time you will be able to accumulate a greater and greater storehouse of this internal power that you can use for a lot of avenues. Many people use it for increasing their WILL, improving their health, abundance thinking, improving relationships, and removing negative beliefs, habits and attitudes. In fact, most people that learn my Chi Kung system never do martial arts. They take the Chi Kung training and quickly get what they need.
However, if you want to use it for martial arts, then you are going to need to develop a Tai Chi body. When a Tai Chi body is developed, it allows you to take this internal power and transfer it into a physical manifestation. When you've acquired your Tai Chi body using your form practice and the other components, you are then able to move on to Nei Kung.
The purpose of Nei Kung is to move the mind training into an accelerated and spontaneous reaction mechanism for martial art. WARNING: This practice will bring up your warrior spirit.
Nei Kung is considered a "formless" practice. When I say formless, I'm referring to the mind going faster than the body can keep up. When you practice Nei Kung in the system that I teach, Nei Kung is called "The Inside Form." "The Inside Form" means "regardless of what particular form of Tai Chi you are practicing, the principles stay the same, but the physical, structural, and mechanical details can be relatively dropped." Practicing Nei Kung still resembles the actual form, but the physical details become unimportant. What matters is how fast the mind is going in these specific moves. In Temple Style Tai Chi Ch'uan, Nei Kung is taught the same way you would learn First, Second, Third section or any other specific body of material. The Tai Chi form is only about 30% of the complete system.
Gold Bell Training relates directly to Chi Kung in its martial application. The main purpose for learning Gold Bell Training is to develop the ability to absorb and bounce off incoming punches. Gold Bell Training is a direct branch off the Chi Kung training, using the Tai Chi body and your vibration. The Gold Bell Training is your body shield.
Gold Bell Training is done by attacking the oncoming force by chopping it into little bits and accelerating the vibrations in your body. It's like sticking a pencil into a pencil sharpener. The pencil never gets past the blades. Gold Bell Training is discussed in depth later in this article.
THE GOLD BELL TRAINING INSTRUCTION ARTICLE
As I have already stated in this article and in all my other articles (IKF April 1987 and IKF April 1989), Condensing Breathing is the most important single ingredient in Temple Style. When learning Gold Bell Training, Condensing Breathing is again a prerequisite. Remember, without Condensing Breathing there can be no explosion of any magnitude. In the first lesson of my new video I teach Condensing Breathing the same way it is taught in my Chi Kung/Personal Power Trainingx workshops.
There is very specific material that you must learn before you learn Gold Bell Training. The first is Condensing Breathing. After you learn Condensing Breathing, the next piece you must learn and practice is "Chi in Voice and Action" or "Hung and Ha Training." I have included photographs that will illustrate the posture this is to be practiced in. Part of being able to give a good punch is based on your ability to take one. This training is aimed at sensitizing and desensitizing your body at the same time. There could be all sorts of emotional releases associated with learning this procedure. Don't worry, if any extreme emotional reactions come up, they will shortly pass.
Step 1) HUNG AND HA TRAINING - Hung training is a process in which the Tai Chi practitioner sends his energy down to the ground or floor. As one practices, he yells HUNG and directs his energy down his body and into the ground with his mind. This should be performed two times in a row before performing one single HA training practice.
HA training is quite different than HUNG training. HA training is taking the vibration or Jing and projecting it forward and out. Considerable time should be spent learning how to coordinate HUNG and HA Training with physical body motion. At first the body motion will appear rough and jerky, but after reasonable practice your coordination will become smooth and much more undetectable.
STEP 2) Understand that the use of Gold Bell Training is situation specific. It's to be used as a last resort. In other words, one should first neutralize the oncoming force. That means yield at the same time the force is approaching. Don't be there when it gets there. Next, only if you can't neutralize it, deflect the oncoming force. That means change the direction in which the attack or incoming force is approaching. This can be done with nearly any technique or form. However, do not confuse deflection with what other martial arts call blocking. Deflecting is a circular motion that does not stop the incoming force, but merely redirects it. Lastly, if you are unable to neutralize or deflect the incoming force, you must be prepared to absorb the incoming force. This requires a great amount of skill. When I say absorb I don't mean just to tighten up and take it. Absorption is a very specific method and requires a high level of skill. This part of this article is aimed at teaching you how to absorb an incoming punch, kick or other strike (except from a pointed weapon). As any seasoned martial artist should know, you want to avoid taking direct hits to the head, neck or face to the best of your ability. If it is inevitable that if you take a hit in any of these areas, you want to remain as relaxed as possible without losing the integrity of your structure. That means stay relaxed and yield, but don't go further than you have to avoid serious contact. If you practice Condensing Breathing, your body will eventually develop the ability to distinguish the difference between a harder hit or a lighter hit. Developing this ability requires practice and this ability will soon become a valuable asset.
This section of this article will coincide with the accompanying photographs. The method for learning Gold Bell Training is quite simple, don't make it complicated. Just practice it in the order given.
1) Practice neutralization gently, that means letting your body go with the flow. The specific areas this should be practiced on are the chest, stomach, collar bones, hip and knees in order to train the body how to respond to the incoming force or pressure. Use large circles to reduce impact and to increase sensitivity. It is important again not to move too much. Only move enough to neutralize the incoming gentle pressure. Moving too much is as bad as not moving enough. Also make sure that when you practice your neutralizing movements you move in exactly the direction of the incoming pressure.
2) Practice gently repulsing, which is meeting the incoming pressure with the exact direction. Match the incoming direction as exactly as you can. Again the specific areas this should be practiced on are the chest, stomach, collar bones, hip and knees.
3) Gradually increase the incoming pressure or force while learning how to repulse in the exact direction. This is quite the opposite to neutralization. Now you are going against the incoming force.
4) Improve your directions and angles to develop spontaneity. Close to the incoming direction is not enough. Your directions must now be perfect and exact.
5) Repetition with increasing force and eventually building up to FULL power, bouncing off the incoming force. Make sure your practice partner understands the purpose of this particular training. When you practice this part of Gold Bell Training, you can expect to get bruised, feel achy, and hurt, but it should not be serious and no bones or ribs should be fractured. Remember, if you want to develop this ability, you must be prepared to pay your dues. No pain, no gain.
Understand and remember that you don't want to rely on your ability to take a punch, but in the event that you do let one slip in on you, it is not the end of the world. If you practice Gold Bell Training it is using the principle of taking care of yourself, "An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure." Invest in loss and you will win. The first place to start to learn Temple Style is with my Chi Kung Video Instruction Program.
My Chi Kung video instruction program entitled Flexing The Muscle of Your WILL gives you a final version of The Daily Practice Routine that will take you 28 minutes to complete. To become proficient in Tai Chi takes a long time, but to utilize Chi Kung in your life can happen almost immediately.
When I say utilize Chi Kung in your life I'm referring to real life applications, not Tai Chi applications. Learning Chi Kung will raise your level of deservingness, improve your personal performance, strengthen your WILL, give you healing energy to prevent illnesses, and raise your level of assertiveness. Results are dramatic and permanent.
Good luck on your journey and remember, masters are made in the beginning, not at the end... GJC
To order videos: FOUNDATION FUNDAMENTALS - Temple Style Tai Chi Ch'uan and/or TIDAL WAVE CHI KUNG by credit card, use the order form on my home page or call my 24 Hour Voice Mail Energy Hot Line at (800) 7 TAI-CHI = (800) 782-4244 and I will call you back to confirm your order information.
c 1994 Gary J. Clyman
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