Pedram Shojai's Blog, page 3

Taoist Yoga, Taoist Alchemy, and Qigong Philosophy

In Taoism, there are various traditions and schools of thought that have come along through history. Taoist schools are rare and hard to find because there are so few of them out there and most of the secrets of Taoist Alchemy are guarded and kept secret. Why? Because in the old days, knowledge of these arts led to incredible power so warlords and Emperors would make sure these secrets didn't get into their enemy's hands. In the West, the Knight's Templars came back from Jerusalem with a mighty secret (Alchemy) and rose to power almost overnight. No wonder why the Church and ruling establishment went after them and killed them? Those in power like to keep it that way

The study of Taoist Alchemy is a tricky one. One must understand basic precepts of Taoism, Taoist tantric sex, Taoist yoga, and Qigong philosophy to have a foot in the door. Modern Taoist schools seldom teach all of this because most are either focused on scripture or on Qigong (Qi Gong) energy work alone. Qigong philosophy is important as is the practice but it is not everything. To understand Taoist Alchemy, we need to understand the underlying philosophy. We need to understand Who we really are in relation to this Universe and how things work here.

The Taoist way to attain the light body is a tried and true path which involves Taoist Yoga (Qi Gong), Taoist philosophy classes, Qigong philosophy, studies in esoteric Taoism, and, in some traditions, Taoist tantric sex practices. Different Taoist schools teach the path in various ways as there are many ways to climb the same mountain. What is important to remember is that the process is very scientific. We learn to use our body as the workshop and we test and analyze things within our consciousness. We take beliefs and prove them out- either dismissing them or turning them into "knowns".

Qigong philosophy sits at the core of Taoism in that it teaches us how to move the energy within our bodies and to harmonize yin and yang with the Five Elements. Qi Gong is the core practice of Taoist Yoga and is taught in most Taoist schools. Taoist philosophy classes are rare and harder to find because very few people understand this stuff, let alone can teach it. I'm personally not a big scholar- I've read the scriptures but am more interested in the practice of Taoist Yoga and the understanding of Reality as experienced through my own consciousness. Does that mean scriptures are not important? Of course not. Some people gravitate towards the ancient texts and gain immensely from them. It is important to test these principles in one's own life and to find and validate their truth in one's practice.

Taoist alchemy and Taoist yoga are broad subjects that also involve healing, the martial arts, Feng Shui (geomancy), and the culinary arts. There are Taoist schools which teach various aspects of these and it is important to learn wherever you can. The Taoist way to attain the light body is a powerful one and there are many rewards along the way. The best way to get in is to start some aspect of the practice today. Most people start with Taoist Yoga (and the accompanying Qigong philosophy). There are Taoist schools which teach Taoist philosophy classes and I'm going to set up a page for resources and links shortly. There's only so much you can get from a book- then you must find a master. There are good people out there- you just have to know where to look and what to look for.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

Related posts:The Hanged Man- Where Western Alchemy and Taoist Philosophy Meet
Qi Gong (Qigong) Balances The Nervous System and Activates the Brain
Qi Gong, Alchemy, and the Great Work- Posted in New Dawn Magazine

Kung Fu, Chakras, and Acupuncture – How they're all Connected

The ancient esoteric arts of Kung Fu, Yoga, and Acupuncture are all interconnected because they all come from ancient systems that have an energetic understanding of the body. In Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and several other ancient traditions, the energy meridians (Chinese) or nadi (Indian) in the body carry the life force to every organ. These energy pathways carry the flow of life-giving energy to every cell of the body.

Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese art of using fine needles to correct and manipulate the flow of this energy when it has gone out of balance. Restoring the proper flow of qi energy often quickly corrects ailments and allows the body to heal itself naturally. Acupuncture has been effectively used for thousands of years to correct all sorts of ailments in millions of people worldwide.

The Chakras are the energy storage sites (in the tradition of Hinduism) along the central channel. These spinning wheels of light show the quality and flow of the vital energy running through our systems and and can be used to both diagnose illness and to treat it. There are seven main chakras in the Indian system which correlate to three "dantiens" in the Chinese system. These "pools" of energy flow also act as reservoirs for our Vitality.

Now in Kung Fu, we also use the same network of energy flow but with slightly different intent. We essentially direct our own qi to flow through the hands and feet in order to deliver crushing power in our strikes. We can also effectively disrupt the qi flow of our opponent by striking them along certain meridians or at special points. This can instantly cut the flow of energy to their brains (or other organs) and render them unconscious. The goal of the true martial artist is to avoid conflict as it spins disharmony into the Universe. At times, when confrontation cannot be avoided, shocking the opponent's qi flow can end the altercation quickly. The onus is then on the martial artist to heal their opponent.

As you can see, the same understanding of the underlying flow of energy can be used in various ways. The end goal- to become a "Scholar Warrior"- a fully evolved person who understands REALITY and is fully accountable for their actions. The classic Kung Fu masters were not like the gladiator brutes we see punching each-other out in cages today. They were monks with advanced training in Buddhism, Taoism, or Hinduism who had taken vows to protect the innocent and uphold the Dharma in defense of the weak.

Everything is connected and the arts show us this. Our Kung Fu then becomes our healing (via Acupuncture and other arts) as it teaches us how to flow our energy and understand the power inside our dantiens (or Chakras).

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

Related posts:Chakras, Dantiens, and The Light Body – The architecture of The Human Energy Field
Mari Winsor, Pilates, Kung Fu's Dantien- the Core and the Power House
Tai Chi & Qi Gong: The Difference Between Them

The Secret of Alchemy Revealed?

Recently, an unknown author has released a book which purports that he has released the secret of Alchemy to the world. I received a call from a good friend of mine who was very excited about it and had run out and bought all of the beakers, burners, stoppers, and what have you in order to go through the 18 month – 5 year process of carefully cooking the Philosopher's Stone. The benefits of such practice: perfect health, the reversal of the aging process, incredible clarity that comes from being unbound by Time, and the ability to create Gold out of base metals.

Here is a link to the book: http://bookofaquarius.forgottenbooks.org/

I recommend reading only the author's bits first and skipping all of the long quotes until a second pass (if you should decide to take it seriously). The book illustrates very good points and gets into heavy concepts which are important for the adept to learn.

The author seems to have done his homework but there is a point where I differ in opinion from him. Coming from an "inner school" of Alchemy, the orientation of my training has always been within the framework of the human body. As opposed to creating a physical "Stone" which is the product of a tedious energy extraction process, practitioners of the Inner Schools learn to circulate their breath and perform many of the same processes the author describes within their own body.

My issue here (and maybe I'm wrong) is with the externalization of the process. Why fuss with an object outside of yourself when you can do the process within the temple of your own body? Why develop an outer object when you can work to immortalize and refine your own consciousness? Allow me to elaborate…

In Taoist Alchemy, we learn to circulate the breath and refine the quality of our energy within our bodies. Much like the process described in the manuscript, we learn to raise energy and circulate it back down- continuing to distill and refine our Qi daily. In fact, we learn to generate a fire in the lower dantien and, as part of the process, we swallow our saliva and drop this "water" down to the lower "fire" and internally watch it "steam" up to the third eye. From there, a "Heavenly nectar" is released which drops from the Pineal Gland into our brains. The process is a bit complicated but, in short, we continually raise steam up and drop dew down, working to extract vital Qi from the air and the saliva. Over time, the quality of our Pineal Gland shifts as it becomes more imbued with refined Qi- much like the physical Stone.

In fact, there are many internal practices that involve refining the Qi of each organ of our bodies- harmonizing the Five Elements and activating the Vitality of our systems. In essence, we are internally performing the refinement process as mentioned in the manuscript for each organ and also our third eye. This "immortalizes" our consciousness and gives the practitioner many of the same benefits described in the manuscript. It slows or reverses the aging process and also grants great wisdom and enlightenment to the practitioner.

My basic stance is this: Is it appropriate to perform the Great Work outside of our selves? Is this where the paths of Internal and External schools divulged which created all of the drama and mishaps in history. The Templars certainly learned something in Jerusalem. The inner masters went underground and have preserved their knowledge as well. The big question becomes- what's the most appropriate methodology here? On the superhighway to enlightenment and immortality, do we fuss with beakers and urine or do we circulate and cultivate the Life Force within ourselves? The author of the book argues the former and I'm sticking to the latter.

What's your take on this?

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

Related posts:Qi Gong, Alchemy, and the Great Work- Posted in New Dawn Magazine
Understanding How to Move Energy- Removing Obstacles in Your Life
Healing Trauma – Using Energy Medicine to Heal Emotional Trauma

If this doesn't get you up off your ass…

Here's a compilation of studies put together that show just how horrible excessive sitting is for our health. From bio mechanical problems that lead to low back pain to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity…you can be sure that sitting around is going to catch up with you. Paleolithic Humans evolved in an active and very dynamic environment where we moved around for hours a day. Frankly, modern living is killing us and here's some ammo for that argument:

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Paleo diet, Qi Gong, meditation, barefoot running, a life with meaning and purpose, and frankly, an active and engaged life worth living can cure most of this. In terms of exercise, I prefer Qi Gong and Tai Chi over the jumping jacks they recommend. I like hiking or barefoot running out in nature with a healthy weight lifting routine that strengthens the posterior chain and works to lengthen and stabilize the body. We know the answer to how to fix this. The problem- slavery was never really abolished in this country. We sit at those cubicles and pound away at those keyboards until our next coffee break and then we do it again and again for a lifetime. Any wonder why our bodies are falling apart?

Some suggestions:

Have a tall bottle of water on your desk and sip from it every 10 minutes
Get some trail mix and healthy snacks and have them in your desk drawer…snack every 2-3 hours. If you wait until you're starving, then the Supersize McCrap is blindly ordered and you'll regret it way after you've snapped out of the hypo-gylcemic trance you were under.
Stand at your desk as often as you can – I always stand up when on the phone and walk around
If you can't walk around- get into the traditional "square horse" Kung Fu Stance- you might catch some flak from the Jersey Shores watching mob around the water cooler but no need to worry…according to this study, they'll be dead sooner or later and you'll be rocking in life again

Here's the stance-

You can start here and drop lower and lower into it over time. Balance the weight evenly between both legs and avoid any pressure on your knees by making the feet either parallel or slightly pointed out as shown here. Over time, your legs will get stronger, your energy will circulate better, you'll have more clarity, and you'll feel the life rushing back through your body. These are good things.

Practice Qi Gong- here's a clip you can learn rather quickly- done daily, it'll open up the vital flow of energy and help offset the damage done by long-term sitting – http://taoistpath.com/online-tools/taoist-path-members-only/ (clip at bottom of page called "Silk Weaver's Exercise")
Meditation works!  This will help clear and calm your mind and keep cortisol levels down (which lead to insulin resistance and diabetes and heart disease). I've put up some free clips you can use here- http://taoistpath.com/online-tools/taoist-path-members-only/ – There are four to choose from- all good…pick one that you like the most and practice it daily for 100 days. You'll see an enormous difference.

There's plenty more but this is a good start. Yes, modern lifestyles suck but we can do something about it. Taking control of our lives is critical. As the article implies, either we wake up and start working to bring our bodies back to life, or, well…collapse is imminent.

Choose life and thrive.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

Related posts:Barefoot Running Brings us Back to Evolutionary Circuitry
The Paleo Qi Gong Connection
Rise and Shine- the book is almost here and we're taking pre-orders now

The Paleo Qi Gong Connection

Taoism is based on unity with the natural energy that is all around us. The early Taoists studied the movement of the seasons and stars while watching animals and their behaviors in order to unlock the secrets of the Universe. The aim- to connect with the innate wisdom of nature and be one with that flow.

As a modern-day Taoist, I find these to be very exciting times. Barefoot running is awesome. The Paleo diet makes the most sense. There are several people teaching primitive skills and survival all over the world. I've spoken with and interviewed a number of the specialists in these fields for my second movie "Origins" and am in the throws of this "ancient wisdom fiesta". We are really at a wonderful place in out understanding of ourselves and, funny enough, it really only had to do with looking back and studying where we came from.

Part of my fascination with this subject began with my studies into symbiotic organisms and their role in health mediation for the human body. The good bacteria not only help us digest our foods, they promote our immunity and contribute to how our DNA expresses in our bodies. The field of epigenetics is about to explode again as we are realizing that a good percentage of who we are ( as defined by our bodies) is cued by the bacterial DNA within us. Good colonies (why we take probiotics) help us thrive and enhance our life force. Bad colonies- well they feed the broken system of US healthcare…bringing us down both mentally and physically.

In the past, we'd drink water from streams and gulp down bacteria with every drink or meal. Our relationship with the earth and our natural environment around us connected us in the vast web of life on this planet. Yes, people died and let's not scrub modern science but…in our modern world of hand sanitizers in every mall and Z packs for throat infections every month or so, we've killed off the good guys and allowed the bad bacteria to nest in…driving our health down and contributing their DNA in our overall genetic expression. The Chinese used to actually use germ warfare (Hua Gu) to create psychological depression and overall ill health in their enemies. We've invited them in one Twinkie at a time.

In the next few months, I'm excited about the upcoming interviews I have with big names in this movement. I've also revitalized some of the ancient Taoist training I've had- Hua To's Frolics of the Five Animals. This is a powerful set wherein the practitioner "becomes" the animal they are playing and taps into the energetic wave form of their emanation. The Taoists understood how to learn from nature and to synchronize with it in order to enhance their health AND their consciousness. I would argue that those two are truly tied together and invite dialogue along these lines. Let's really explore this PALEO Qi GONG connection and tap into the undiscovered secrets of our own history.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

Related posts:Spirituality in Africa and the Origins of Humanity

Radio Interview with Dr Dale Archer

Dr. Dale Archer is a charismatic psychiatrist who's got a lot to say about education and the idea of what is considered "normal" in America today. We discussed anxiety, depression, education, and ADHD among many other things. He's a delightful man and is really great to listen to. Here's the archived show:

Listen to internet radio with PedramShojai on Blog Talk Radio

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Understanding How to Move Energy- Removing Obstacles in Your Life

The key to understanding personal transformation is knowing that there is no "out there" vs. "in here". As the famous Hermetic Axiom in Alchemy goes…"As Above, So Below".

In the practice of Qi Gong (or energy work), we cultivate the flow of the energies within our body and become aware of the blockages in this flow. Life moves. Nature moves. Energy flows. It is the impedance or blockage of this energy that creates suffering, disease, and blockages in our "outer" lives. This is the tough part- the paradoxical notion that any of the "problems" we are facing in our lives are reflections of inner stagnation or blockages within our bodies or our consciousness. It is hard to grasp and even harder to accept until one TESTS it.

Let's be scientific here. We can use our bodies and lives as our WORKSHOP and test various esoteric theories to see if they bear validity. I learned this from my Zen Master who always insists that the practice of observing one's mind is very scientific. It took me a while to grasp his meaning because the "New Age" stance on so many of these topics is so belief-oriented…just throwing one's self at a new set of dogma and usually a new "personality" one has inherited…

Once we start learning to observe blockages in our bodies, we can quickly learn to use our mind (shen) to guide our energy (qi) to help resolve these "dark spots" in our energy flow. This can be done with relative ease once the technique is learned. There is no reason to grasp and hang onto these energies. The problem: these energies are often tied to emotions wrapped around memories. We encapsulate emotions that we are unprepared to feel in real time and store them away in our fields to deal with on another day. Fast forward a few decades, we see that the barrage of "crap" life throws at us is endless. At this point in our trail of suffering, we've stored so much energy around these events that it starts to short-circuit the vital flow of energy in our energy fields.

The way around this is to understand the mechanism of how this energy gets trapped and learn how to release it with various Qi Gong exercises. Once we start, this process because very invigorating, liberating, and, quite frankly, fun. Yeah fun. It feels great to let go of the garbage we've been dragging around and it feels fun to restore the vital flow of Qi energy to our bodies. It makes us want to run, jump, and play again in this playground we call the world.

Test this out in your life and see how well it works. The more we clear from our fields, the more life starts to "work out" better for us. The less garbage from the past that we carry around with us on a daily basis, the more energy and enthusiasm we have to meet today's challenges and not react to them out of fear and frustration. Feeling well is your birthright. Wake up to your internal power and start clearing the cobwebs today.

(You can read about this in further detail in Ch 2 and Ch 9 of my book- "Rise and Shine" – I invite you to click HERE to download a free meditation clip that will help you get started on this process and feel for yourself how this works)

Use your body as the workshop and see what happens when you liberate your own energy flow…then it is an experience and not a belief.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Well.Org Radio Interview with Hyla Cass, MD

I had a great opportunity to speak with Dr. Hyla Cass today on Well.Org radio. We spoke about wellness, the importance of lifestyle, herbs, supplements, gut health, gluten allergies, probiotics, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to internet radio with PedramShojai on Blog Talk Radio

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Pulling our Own Weight – A Matter of Personal Responsibility

A couple nights ago I got off a plane from a two week trip to Europe. My wife and I had spent hours and hours walking around Paris and Amsterdam among people from all ages and walks of life. Young and old- people walked around and were moving their bodies.

Waiting for our luggage at the belt, there was a middle aged woman who came up to us and started to complain that the airport didn't have golf cart service to bring her through the enormous terminal (maybe half a mile). She was pissed! How dare they make me walk that much!

This was the same woman we saw chain smoking in one of those "designated areas" in the previous airport. She was overweight, cranky, and, at this point, trying to enroll me in her fury. I smiled and consoled her but walked away thinking about the stark difference I'd seen in her European counterparts.

Why is it that we EXPECT people, the State, our companies, or the airports to take care of us when we have chosen to not take care of ourselves? Nobody forced those cigarettes on her. Nobody force-fed her the bad food. Yet, it is now the airport's fault that she is tired because she is forced to do the one thing that we evolved to do best on this planet- move around. This is de-evolution in my opinion.

The socio-economic implications are also important. Her demanding a cart means the airport has to pay for it- the cart, the power, the staff, the insurance…all of it. Well, guess where the airport gets that money? US. Yeah- like any business, they either raise the airport fees or draw more tax dollars…however the heck they do it, WE are the ones having to pay that bill.

Now, if she was actually handicapped and could not walk, that would be a different story. In my opinion, we OUGHT to pay for those people because that's the humane thing to do. This lady is different though. How can you make a series of bad decisions and expect your neighbors to cover for you? Welcome to America's broken healthcare system. This is a major theme in my upcoming movie "Vitality" where many of the world's top experts in health and medicine discuss this very subject, and, more importantly, what we need to do to take our power back.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Independence Day- An Escape from Tyranny- An Escape from Slavery

July 4th- 1776. We were under the tyrannical oppression of the English Crown. Over-taxed and burdened by the Central Bank of England, we were fed up and wanted our freedom.  We fought for that freedom and are now risking losing it again…to the FED, to Goldman Sachs, and to the international treaties that bind us to laws we didn't vote for. That, however, isn't the main issue at hand in my opinion.

The real issue is freedom for our consciousness. Humanity has fallen asleep to a dreary trance and is being leveraged to act, vote, think, and fight for reasons we are not even aware of. We sit in front of the tube and buy what we are told to buy because hopefully "this new thing" will make me happy. Nope- sorry bud, keep feeding the meter.

Today is the day where we can declare our independence and break free from tyranny. Here's a list of a few areas where you may consider some action:

1- Your health – the "sickcare" system in the US is spiraling out of control and bankrupting the nation. Doctors have no incentive to keep people well as the drug companies keep promising miracle cures to issues that are lifestyle related. Personal responsibility is the key here. Take control of your diet, start to exercise, learn to meditate,  control your stress response, and get good sleep. Basic lifestyle is the "miracle" cure oftentimes. Stop eating GMO garbage food and you'll need less drugs. The whole system is a trap- designed to extract your money and keep you dependent on your job for the health insurance.

2- Your mind- Turn off the TV and learn to think for yourself. Read good books and get your news from international sources. Calm your mind and learn to become less reactive. It is important to see clearly and learn to think for yourself. In 1776, those brave souls signed that document wanting a democracy that was founded on an "enlightened citizenry". Nowadays, what color tie a candidate wears is almost more important than what they say…because they don't SAY anything. Stupid scripts and rhetorical debates is all we get.  Wake up.

3- Your finances- stop spending money on companies that are not part of the solution. We vote with our dollars so it is critical to support the good guys out there trying to save the planet and standing up against wage slavery all over the world. Stop getting into debt for consumer products and realize that this is the new look of slavery in our modern world. There is no independence from within this trap.

4- Your Time- going home and turning on the TV because you need some "downtime" or watching some show because it is "brainless" is a perfect way to lose your power. Yeah…just turn off your mind so we can drop subtle suggestions in there and tell you how to think.  Take your time back now. Take a walk, read a book, sit on the terrace, call an old friend, develop a spiritual practice…something positive. What we do with our personal time is a good reflection of how free we are.

5-Your food- find your local farmer's market and only buy organically grown local food. So much of the food we eat is dependent on PETROLEUM…from fertilizers, pesticides, packaging, to transportation. The food we get in our traditional grocery stores is supporting the people that are killing our planet and oftentimes funding terrorists offshore. Taking our power back starts with the food that we eat.

"If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."

Thomas Jefferson

Enlightened citizenry starts with us. Today is the day we should all declare our independence from any form of Tyranny and deceit. Waking up to one's inner power is a critical task as we have fallen asleep. In 1776, several brave souls took a stand for this and founded our great country. Today, we each have to do this in our personal lives first. Again, our actions will reflect into our community.

Be the change you want to see in the world

-Gandhi

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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