Hi Bluebird,
Regarding your question/comments, from a qigong standpoint. Do level I active exercises. End of story. It is all there, regarding your post.
Let's say you are someone who has an existing condition, and you have SFQ level I, and you still have the condition. First, turn the good to better, or the better to best, if you haven't already done that. I would say the best is something like two hrs of qigong exercise per day, minimum, or two one hr level I active, and one 30 minute small universe. Yikes! Sounds like alot of work... But, sometimes it takes a deeper commitment to effect deeper blockages, or gain the understanding to move them out. Some cancer patients in China, as part of their qigong in their hospital's programs, may exercise 6 hours a day. The quality of your practice, of course, makes a difference too.
Look at qigong like getting a paint set. Let's say, I got my paint set 4 years ago, and you got yours, 1 year ago, and we are about the same , as far as having artistic talent. Who do you think will produce better paintings, or rather, have better developed technique? I am thinking, that some people, that have blockages, try SFQ, and after they don't experience the blockage gone in some months, or a year, they start to look elsewhere, thinking it is not working. Our culture does not feature patience as a virtue. It 'is' good to check out information relative to your condition, or interests, outside of qigong. Sometimes you can find what you are looking for, or , you find something you can bring into your qigong practice regarding an increased awareness or understanding, making it more effective for you. As Master Lin has said about becoming a qigong master, some become one in a day, and some take years. Also, as I said in the artist story, the more time you spend practicing, the better you get. Sometimes, you can do something you have done for months, or years, and then, all of a sudden you get it, or it moves, or you understand at a different level, or you see something differently, etc. Qigong practice is a life style. Not a CD you buy, practice for a few months, finish, and move on. You could do that, of course.
Don't measure your success, or qigong's ability to completely heal you, by short term experience. It isn't that way, for most people. You should feel different in a good way immediately. Perhaps more subtle things like energy level. Some people alleviate blockages remarkably fast, others don't. I think people who have life threatening blockages, are often more focused on their practice, and, often tuned into the spiritual aspect of themselves, due to their condition or blockage. Serious inspiration...I find, with increasing age, there are more plates to spin(physically), just to hold your ground. It is easier to loose ground, faster, too. Also, you have alot of aspects to your physical body. Some obvious, some invisible to you, as far as whether or not, right now, they are healthy, or there are blockages. You can see the obvious ones more readily. How about the potential ones down the road, or, the one's you can't see, that aren't obvious. This is where it becomes a lifestyle practice. Daily work to clear your channels and bring in new, balanced energy from the universe. Not to mention spiritual growth, which again, is a choice, whether or not a person is interested in raising their level of consciousness. If you are, it is not usually one, slam bang accomplishment, that finds you finished in a few months, or years. If you have a blockage, or health issue, be patient, and keep practicing. It can take work to get done to the bottom of it. In the mean time, you are doing preventative work to help you now , and down the road, and, you are addressing aspects to your physical health, you are unaware of. You may go through life with this allergy, and have it stay the same. It depends on lots of factors, in and outside of your practice. It is a fact that you 'do' have the ability to self heal. You might not have artistic talent by the collective's standards either, but, if you truly know who you are, and can express that on the canvas, or any aspect of your experience here at that level, you are a great artist, whether other people like your work or not. The knowing who you really are, is part of qigong study too. The more you learn about who you are, the more success you will have with qigong. Your means or vehicle of discovery, can be your qigong practice. A lifestyle, and pursuit.. Not a short term perscription that makes everything better.
I think some of the available programs one can get, do have a beginning and end to them. You download the new software, and you are set. Qigong is not that kind of program. I believe it can clear anything. I still have aches and pains, here and there, and, will die someday. I feel qigong is my best investment, to take into old age. I should say older age! I am basically healthy, but, I do have things to take care of, and, as I said, I am not young, and I experience ageing having an increasing effect on my ability to bounce back from any self abuse. I also notice an increasing ability, to take away those aches and pains with qigong. Sometimes immediately. Check out Heartbeats tip, and stay with your practice of qigong. It is a good, long term investment, that can, go on beyond this lifetime, and, help smooth those big transitions down the road.
If you have level I, you have a complete program to address your condition. You can certainly add more, but, you aren't really missing something, that needs to be found elsewhere, as far as qigong information goes.
love,
gallen
