Sorcerer wrote:I have heard a number of things now about "Enter the Devil" and "Qigong Deviation".
How dangerous is qigong? Im guessing that the microcosmic circulation has more risks than perhaps embryonic breathing or other simple Wei or Nei Dan Qigong. What exactly is Enter the Devil and what is its cause within Qigong theory? What shold one avoid when doing Qigong?
I know a basic relaxing qi visualization meditation. Can I teach this to other people?
Its called "deviation" for a reason - behavior you can consider deviant in some fashion becomes poisonous, perhaps even a vortex of one. For example if you're an alcoholic, abuse drugs, sex, reckless behavior, etc...but 'deviation' like things become manifest when the 'rate of change' of energy potentials become too high for the person, and damage of whatever sort may occur if (too many?) improper steps are taken. Its not like "screw up once and you're cooked with high energy potential practices," but, things along those lines are the reasons that there are foundational practices, and there are 'advanced' practices. If you mess with energy potentials that you are not conditioned to handle, you're asking for a platefull. Some practices I have in the toolbox, I dont do very often for that reason.
Relaxation stuff is great, especially as an introductory thing. People naturally begin to search for more as they verify the benefits for themselves
Learning to breathe silently is wondrous of its own accord, lends well to embryonic breathing, all those foundational exercises (and moving qigong, taiji, etc) are plenty safe for anyone to do - that's why they're 'foundational' - grounding, calming and smoothing the breath, keeping the center - you're best off if you learn these things among the first! Relaxation is just that, a good exercise in grounding, in its own particular...idiom!