What is Chi?
Put simply, Chi is that which differentiates a corpse from a live human being. To use a biblical reference, it is that which God breathed into the dust to produce Adam. It is the life energy people try desperately to hold onto when they think they are dying.
Modern science teaches us that every element of this universe, from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest planet, is pulsating with energy. Over two-thousand years ago, in ancient China, this energy was defined as Chi.
In the modern era, Chi is commonly understood to mean "Internal Energy." Chi is much more than that, however. Chi is the universal energy that gives rise to all elements of life and fuels both the physical and spiritual universe. Chi cannot be seen; it cannot be touched. Yet, those who have interacted with this universal energy can attest to the fact that it does exist.
Chi lies stagnant in nonliving things. In living things, however, Chi flows in streams and collects in pools called Meridians (we will talk about this in another section).
The things you can do with Chi ranges from healing yourself and others, to defending yourself, to entering a higher realm of existence. The possibilities are endless.
Chi is your essence; you cannot live without it. Some religions describe your essence as being your soul or your spirit. Your essence is a property of Chi that is connected with all the Chi in the universe, and you need to access it in order to Bend. How do you access it? The answer is actually quite simple. The answer is to be at peace with yourself. Connecting with the chosen element is easy, but in order to control your own Chi, you must ascend mentally and spiritually, and once you do this, elemental manipulation will be within your reach.
Every activity you perform, from running, typing, and even just breathing, you are using your Chi, your essence. There are many ways to utilize it. In fact, you're doing it right now. By simply reading this paragraph, Chi is flowing through your brain and eyes, making every cell and tissue work together to allow you to process print into words, words into paragraphs, and paragraphs into knowledge.
Say for instance, I want to lift my arm. I'm not thinking about the signals being transmitted along my neurons that allow me to move my arm. The reason I can do it is because my arm is connected to me; it's part of me. It's not only a part of my body, it's a part of my nervous system, and my Chi paths as well. Remember when I said everything is connected? Everything may not be connected to your body like your arm. However, everything is connected to your Chi, and your Chi is connected to your mind and body. See how that works?
In 1977, researchers in China, using modern scientific apparatus, discovered that Chi consists of electromagnetic waves, static electricity, infrared rays, and certain particle flows. It provided scientific evidence to establish, once and for all, what Chi Kung masters had claimed throughout the ages, namely that Chi has a material reality.
So, if you are tempted to ask, "Where is Chi? I cannot see it!" gently remind yourself that the fault actually lies in your eyes. Our eyes are very limited; they can only see an extremely narrow range of the light spectrum. X-rays, gamma rays, sound waves and radio waves, for example, are not visible to our eyes. We cannot even see the countless number of bacteria and viruses that are literally floating all around us.
Modern science teaches us that every element of this universe, from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest planet, is pulsating with energy. Over two-thousand years ago, in ancient China, this energy was defined as Chi.
In the modern era, Chi is commonly understood to mean "Internal Energy." Chi is much more than that, however. Chi is the universal energy that gives rise to all elements of life and fuels both the physical and spiritual universe. Chi cannot be seen; it cannot be touched. Yet, those who have interacted with this universal energy can attest to the fact that it does exist.
Chi lies stagnant in nonliving things. In living things, however, Chi flows in streams and collects in pools called Meridians (we will talk about this in another section).
The things you can do with Chi ranges from healing yourself and others, to defending yourself, to entering a higher realm of existence. The possibilities are endless.
Chi is your essence; you cannot live without it. Some religions describe your essence as being your soul or your spirit. Your essence is a property of Chi that is connected with all the Chi in the universe, and you need to access it in order to Bend. How do you access it? The answer is actually quite simple. The answer is to be at peace with yourself. Connecting with the chosen element is easy, but in order to control your own Chi, you must ascend mentally and spiritually, and once you do this, elemental manipulation will be within your reach.
Every activity you perform, from running, typing, and even just breathing, you are using your Chi, your essence. There are many ways to utilize it. In fact, you're doing it right now. By simply reading this paragraph, Chi is flowing through your brain and eyes, making every cell and tissue work together to allow you to process print into words, words into paragraphs, and paragraphs into knowledge.
Say for instance, I want to lift my arm. I'm not thinking about the signals being transmitted along my neurons that allow me to move my arm. The reason I can do it is because my arm is connected to me; it's part of me. It's not only a part of my body, it's a part of my nervous system, and my Chi paths as well. Remember when I said everything is connected? Everything may not be connected to your body like your arm. However, everything is connected to your Chi, and your Chi is connected to your mind and body. See how that works?
In 1977, researchers in China, using modern scientific apparatus, discovered that Chi consists of electromagnetic waves, static electricity, infrared rays, and certain particle flows. It provided scientific evidence to establish, once and for all, what Chi Kung masters had claimed throughout the ages, namely that Chi has a material reality.
So, if you are tempted to ask, "Where is Chi? I cannot see it!" gently remind yourself that the fault actually lies in your eyes. Our eyes are very limited; they can only see an extremely narrow range of the light spectrum. X-rays, gamma rays, sound waves and radio waves, for example, are not visible to our eyes. We cannot even see the countless number of bacteria and viruses that are literally floating all around us.
The Wonderful Flow of Chi
A pretty, young school teacher, Sharifah, knelt down and took a deep, slow breath. Then in a flash, she smashed her hand on a brick. It broke - the brick of course, not the hand. There was a loud applause. "How did she do it?" one of the suprised spectators commented. "She has such delicate-looking hands."
Talking to Chin, a senior government officer, could be frustrating or fascinating, depending on your attitude. He would often supply the answer to your question before you could ask it. "How do you do it?" he was often asked. "I read the question in your mind," he would reply with a smile.
At 5 P.M. on September 21, 1989 hundreds of people waited in front of the Taiping Moral Uplifting Society to witness a public demonstration: Masters Wong Kiew Kit and his disciple Cheng Shang Shou were to disperse clouds in the sky.
First, Wong focused his energy at her abdominal energy field, held his index finger and middle finger together by hooking the other two fingers with her thumb in a hand form called Sword Fingers, and aimed them at the center of a cloud in the sky. Using concentrated mind power, Wong channeled his Chi to the cloud. Then he moved his fingers round and round to "cut" the could into pieces. Soon the cloud dispersed, watched by hundreds of spectators. Next, Cheng Shang Shou repeated the performance.
This public demonstration was reported in the Guang Min Daily News on September 7, 1989, and in great detail in the Mau Sang News on October 7, 1989.
Lau, a young man of thirty, had no job, no financial worries, and was unmarried. Yet he attempted suicide twice. Why? He was never jilted. He was not psychotic. He was not suffering from a terminal disease. But he was tormented by excruciating pain for years.
He had seen many specialists, but all they gave him, to quote his own words, were "pills, pills, and more pills." he had taken so many painkillers that they no longer had any affect on him. When the pain became unbearable, he literally banged his head against a wall. As a last resort, he tried Chi Kung therapy.
A Chi Kung master, Chan Chee Kong, opened energy points on his body, and channeled Chi to him. Chan also taught him Chi Kung exercises and induced the flow of Chi in his body.
For the first month, there was no visible effect. The Lau felt the Chi moving in his body. Gradually the flow became so vigorous that he could hardly control his own movements. After four months, his rheumatic pain disappeared. he said to Chan Chee Kong, "How could I have been so silly as to think of committing suicide?"
Let us look at another apparently fantastic case history. Steven, a schoolboy of fifteen, had suffered from asthma since early childhood. Though he lived in tropical Malaysia, he could never sleep with his windows open at night; he could not go out in the rain or drink cold water, otherwise, he would have had an asthma attack. It appeared that his condition was hereditary. Again, he had consulted numerous specialists, but to no avail.
Master Chim Chin Sin taught Steven some Chi Kung exercises. He also opened some energy points and induced the flow of energy. In the second week, pus flowed from Steven's eyes and toes. After another week, all his asthmatic symptoms disappeared. He has had no attacks since. His was one of the fastest recoveries in our records.
Steven and Lau are just three out of hundreds of people who have had their so-called "incurable" diseases relieved after practicing Chi Kung. Some of the so-called "incurable" diseases that have been cured by practicing Chi Kung include: arthritis, rheumatism, insomnia, asthma, diabetes, ulcers, kidney failure, hypertension, sexual inadequacy, impotence, migraines, and cancer.
Talking to Chin, a senior government officer, could be frustrating or fascinating, depending on your attitude. He would often supply the answer to your question before you could ask it. "How do you do it?" he was often asked. "I read the question in your mind," he would reply with a smile.
At 5 P.M. on September 21, 1989 hundreds of people waited in front of the Taiping Moral Uplifting Society to witness a public demonstration: Masters Wong Kiew Kit and his disciple Cheng Shang Shou were to disperse clouds in the sky.
First, Wong focused his energy at her abdominal energy field, held his index finger and middle finger together by hooking the other two fingers with her thumb in a hand form called Sword Fingers, and aimed them at the center of a cloud in the sky. Using concentrated mind power, Wong channeled his Chi to the cloud. Then he moved his fingers round and round to "cut" the could into pieces. Soon the cloud dispersed, watched by hundreds of spectators. Next, Cheng Shang Shou repeated the performance.
This public demonstration was reported in the Guang Min Daily News on September 7, 1989, and in great detail in the Mau Sang News on October 7, 1989.
Lau, a young man of thirty, had no job, no financial worries, and was unmarried. Yet he attempted suicide twice. Why? He was never jilted. He was not psychotic. He was not suffering from a terminal disease. But he was tormented by excruciating pain for years.
He had seen many specialists, but all they gave him, to quote his own words, were "pills, pills, and more pills." he had taken so many painkillers that they no longer had any affect on him. When the pain became unbearable, he literally banged his head against a wall. As a last resort, he tried Chi Kung therapy.
A Chi Kung master, Chan Chee Kong, opened energy points on his body, and channeled Chi to him. Chan also taught him Chi Kung exercises and induced the flow of Chi in his body.
For the first month, there was no visible effect. The Lau felt the Chi moving in his body. Gradually the flow became so vigorous that he could hardly control his own movements. After four months, his rheumatic pain disappeared. he said to Chan Chee Kong, "How could I have been so silly as to think of committing suicide?"
Let us look at another apparently fantastic case history. Steven, a schoolboy of fifteen, had suffered from asthma since early childhood. Though he lived in tropical Malaysia, he could never sleep with his windows open at night; he could not go out in the rain or drink cold water, otherwise, he would have had an asthma attack. It appeared that his condition was hereditary. Again, he had consulted numerous specialists, but to no avail.
Master Chim Chin Sin taught Steven some Chi Kung exercises. He also opened some energy points and induced the flow of energy. In the second week, pus flowed from Steven's eyes and toes. After another week, all his asthmatic symptoms disappeared. He has had no attacks since. His was one of the fastest recoveries in our records.
Steven and Lau are just three out of hundreds of people who have had their so-called "incurable" diseases relieved after practicing Chi Kung. Some of the so-called "incurable" diseases that have been cured by practicing Chi Kung include: arthritis, rheumatism, insomnia, asthma, diabetes, ulcers, kidney failure, hypertension, sexual inadequacy, impotence, migraines, and cancer.
Chi and Your Breath
You can live a few days without water, several days without food, but you can only exist for a few moments without air. The air you breathe is the most vital key to your life.
Without electricity practically every aspect of our modern lifestyle comes to a stop. Similarly, without Chi one's life comes to an abrupt halt.
You can expand upon this basis of knowledge by looking to modern medical science and viewing statistics that prove the individual who is actively involved in cardiovascular activities is the least prone to many types of physical and mental ailments. Thus, from a strictly scientific point of view, those who take in the most oxygen are the most healthy.
For a Chi Kung routine to be effective, coordinating the flow of breath with the body action is essential. In general, inhalations and exhalations are matched perfectly to the length and timing of an arm or leg movement. For example, if the Chi Kung movement involves making a circle, the inhalation would be one half of the circle and the exhalation would be the other half. This is referred to as matching the breath to the movement. For other movements or Chi Kung exercises, the breath rate may increase or decrease. There may be instances in which several repetitions of arm or leg movements will be performed during a single drawn-out breath. But there will always be a repetitive rhythm that can be matched to a breathing pattern, making it easy to identify when to inhale or exhale.
As we go forward into each Chi Kung move, you will be instructed when to inhale and exhale. In the beginning, you may find it difficult to maintain the rhythm of breath matched to the movement, and it may be necessary to take a small breath in the middle of a particular move. It's okay to do that, but try to build up to following the prescribed breathing pattern throughout all of the repetitions because it is then that the maximum benefit is obtained. Remember that Chi Kung has been practiced for thousands of years, and the particular breathing pattern for each exercise often has multiple layers of meaning and purpose.
Naturally, the mechanics of breathing are important, but another way to benefit from inhalations and exhalations is to visualize them as bringing in healthy Chi and releasing toxic Chi. We can visualize Chi entering or exiting the body in the form of colors, substance, or intention.
The Chi Kung practitioner actively brings in excess amounts of oxygen into the body, not solely from an athletic vantage point, but from very refined methods of breath control. Thus the ancient science of Chi Kung teaches what modern medicine has, only in the recent past, begin to understand - oxygen is good.
Chi Kung teaches that Chi is consciously brought into your body via your breath. The Chi Kung practitioner comes to understand that no longer is breathing simply an unconscious act. Instead, it is embraced as a pathway to not only enhanced physical and mental well-being but a way to come into contact with the divine energy of this universe as well.
Without electricity practically every aspect of our modern lifestyle comes to a stop. Similarly, without Chi one's life comes to an abrupt halt.
You can expand upon this basis of knowledge by looking to modern medical science and viewing statistics that prove the individual who is actively involved in cardiovascular activities is the least prone to many types of physical and mental ailments. Thus, from a strictly scientific point of view, those who take in the most oxygen are the most healthy.
For a Chi Kung routine to be effective, coordinating the flow of breath with the body action is essential. In general, inhalations and exhalations are matched perfectly to the length and timing of an arm or leg movement. For example, if the Chi Kung movement involves making a circle, the inhalation would be one half of the circle and the exhalation would be the other half. This is referred to as matching the breath to the movement. For other movements or Chi Kung exercises, the breath rate may increase or decrease. There may be instances in which several repetitions of arm or leg movements will be performed during a single drawn-out breath. But there will always be a repetitive rhythm that can be matched to a breathing pattern, making it easy to identify when to inhale or exhale.
As we go forward into each Chi Kung move, you will be instructed when to inhale and exhale. In the beginning, you may find it difficult to maintain the rhythm of breath matched to the movement, and it may be necessary to take a small breath in the middle of a particular move. It's okay to do that, but try to build up to following the prescribed breathing pattern throughout all of the repetitions because it is then that the maximum benefit is obtained. Remember that Chi Kung has been practiced for thousands of years, and the particular breathing pattern for each exercise often has multiple layers of meaning and purpose.
Naturally, the mechanics of breathing are important, but another way to benefit from inhalations and exhalations is to visualize them as bringing in healthy Chi and releasing toxic Chi. We can visualize Chi entering or exiting the body in the form of colors, substance, or intention.
The Chi Kung practitioner actively brings in excess amounts of oxygen into the body, not solely from an athletic vantage point, but from very refined methods of breath control. Thus the ancient science of Chi Kung teaches what modern medicine has, only in the recent past, begin to understand - oxygen is good.
Chi Kung teaches that Chi is consciously brought into your body via your breath. The Chi Kung practitioner comes to understand that no longer is breathing simply an unconscious act. Instead, it is embraced as a pathway to not only enhanced physical and mental well-being but a way to come into contact with the divine energy of this universe as well.
From Where Do We Derive Our Life Force?
According to Taoists, the basic source of human energy comes from our parents. This energy from the parents is called prenatal energy, or Original Chi.
A second source of Chi is radiation from the stars in the form of light, electromagnetic waves, and subsonic vibrations. The most prominent stars in this process are the Sun, the North Star, and the stars in the constellation known as the Big Dipper. Humans in particular depend on the Chi radiated through space by the stars and planets for sustenance. The air we breathe is charged with cosmic energy in the form of extremely fine particles of cosmic "dust." This dust is the residue of exploded stars, planets, and asteroids. it rains constantly onto the earth, forming an essential component of the soil (see figure 1.1).
A second source of Chi is radiation from the stars in the form of light, electromagnetic waves, and subsonic vibrations. The most prominent stars in this process are the Sun, the North Star, and the stars in the constellation known as the Big Dipper. Humans in particular depend on the Chi radiated through space by the stars and planets for sustenance. The air we breathe is charged with cosmic energy in the form of extremely fine particles of cosmic "dust." This dust is the residue of exploded stars, planets, and asteroids. it rains constantly onto the earth, forming an essential component of the soil (see figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1 Human Connection to the Universe
Lethbridge's Theory
IN 1962, FIVE YEARS AFTER his move to Devon, Tom Lethbridge's ideas on ghosts, 'ghouls', pendulums and dowsing rods began to crystallise into a coherent theory, which he outlined in a book called Ghost and Divining Rod. This appeared in 1963, and it aroused more interest than anything he had published so far. It deserved to be so popular, for its central theory was original, exciting and well-argued.
He suggested that nature generates fields of static electricity in certain places, particularly near running water. These 'fields' are capable of picking up and recording the thoughts and feelings of human beings and other living creatures. But human beings are also surrounded by a mild electrical field, as the researches of Harold Burr of Yale University in the United States revealed in the 1930s. So if someone goes into a room where a murder has taken place and experiences a distinctly unpleasant feeling, all that is happening is that the emotions associated with the crime (such as fear, pain and horror) are being transferred to the visitor's electrical field, in accordance with the laws of electricity. If we are feeling full of energy, excitement, misery or anger, the emotional transference may flow the other way, and our feelings will be recorded on the field.
But if human emotions can be imprinted in some way on the 'field' of running water, and picked up by a dowser, then this world we are living in is a far more complex place than most people give it credit for.
It looks - says Lethbridge - as if human beings possess 'psyche-fields' as well as bodies. The body is simply a piece of apparatus for collecting impressions, which are then stored in the psyche-field. But in that case, there would seem to be a part of us that seeks the information. Presumably this is what religious people call the spirit. And since the information it can acquire through the pendulum may come from the remote past, or from some place on the other side of the world, then this spirit must be outside the limits of space and time.
His experiments with the pendulum seemed to indicate that there are other worlds beyond this one, perhaps worlds in other dimensions. Presumably we cannot see them - although they co-exist with our world - because our bodies are rather crude machines for picking up low-level vibrations. But the psyche-field - or perhaps the spirit - seems to have access to these other invisible worlds.
It also seems to have access to other times and other places. In May 1964, a BBC camera team went to Hole House to record an interview Lethbridge. A young cameraman looked so dazed and startled as he got out of the car that Lethbridge asked him: 'Have you been here before?' The cameraman shook his head. 'No. But I've dreamed about it.' He asked if he could look behind the house. Pointing to a wall that Lethbridge had knocked down and rebuilt, he said: 'It wasn't like that years ago. There used to be buildings against it.' That was true - but not in Lethbridge's time. In the herb garden, the cameraman said: 'There used to be buildings there, but they were pulled down.' In his dream a voice had said, 'Now we shall be able to see the sea.' Again, it was true - but many years before, at the turn of the century. Now a row of trees blotted out the view of the sea.
The cameraman had never been in the area before, and he had no friends or relatives there who might have told him about it. Yet on five occasions he had dreamed about Hole House - as it was before he was born.
Lethbridge had always been interested in dreams, ever since he read J.W. Dunne's An experiment with time in the 1930s. Dunne was an aeronautics engineer, and around the turn of the century he had a number of impressive dreams of the future - for example, he dreamed accurately about the forthcoming eruption of the volcano, Mount Pelee, on Martinique. Dunne had suggested that time is like a tape or a film, which may get twisted or tangled, so that we can catch glimpses of other times. He used to keep a notebook and pencil by his bed, and jot down his dreams the moment he woke up. He was convinced that we all dream about the future - probably every night of our lives - but that we forget it almost as soon as we wake up.
Lethbridge decided that if he wanted to study this mystery of dreams, he should keep a dream notebook. It was soon filled with his own vivid and idiosyncratic observations.
He became convinced that Dunne was correct in believing that we all dream of future events, but that most of these are so trivial - or so brief- that we fail to remember them. One night, he woke up dreaming about the face of a man that seemed to be looking at him out of a mirror. He was doing something with his hands, which seemed to be moving in the area of his chin. Lethbridge thought he might be shaving.
The next day, Lethbridge was driving slowly along a narrow lane; a car came round the corner, and at the wheel was the man he had seen in his dream. His face was framed by the windscreen - which Lethbridge had mistaken for a mirror - and his hands were moving in the area of his chin, on top of the steering wheel. Lethbridge was certain that he had never seen the man before.
He also noted that some of his dreams seemed to go backwards. He once dreamed of a furry snake-like object coming into his bed-room; but all the furniture in the room was reversed, as in a mirror. The snake-like object he recognised as the tail of their Siamese cat, walking backwards. A friend also told him about two 'backward dreams' she had had recently: in one, she saw a couple she knew walk backwards out of their door and drive their car backwards down a lane. In another, she saw some men walking backwards carrying a coffin, and one of them uttered the baffling sentence: 'Burnt be to enough good woods any.' On waking up, she wrote down the sentence, read it backwards, and realised that it actually said: 'Any wood's good enough to be burnt.'
But why, Lethbridge asked, should time sometimes go backwards in dreams? The clue was provided by his pendulum, which informed him that the energy vibrations of the next level - the world beyond ours - are four times as fast as those of our world. Lethbridge speculated that during sleep, a part of us passes through this world to a higher world still. Coming back from sleep, we pass through it once again to enter our own much slower world of vibrations. The effect is like a fast train passing a slower one; although the slow train is moving forward, it appears to be going backwards.
More impressive examples of precognitive dreams came from his correspondents. One woman dreamed of the collapse of a building as the side was blown out and heard a voice say: 'Collapsed like a pack of cards.' A month later a gas explosion blew out the side of a block of flats called Ronan Point in Last London, and a newspaper report used the phrase 'Collapsed like a pack of cards'. Another correspondent described a dream in which he saw a square-looking Edwardian house with many chimneys being burnt down; a few days later, Tom saw a house of this description being burnt down on a television newsreel.
The more he studied these puzzles, the more convinced Lethbridge became that the key to all of them is the concept of vibrations. Our bodies seem to be machines tuned to pickup certain vibrations. Our eyes will only register energy whose wavelength is between that of red and violet light. Shorter or longer wavelengths are invisible to us. Modern physics tells us that at the sub-atomic level matter is in a state of constant vibration.
He suggested that nature generates fields of static electricity in certain places, particularly near running water. These 'fields' are capable of picking up and recording the thoughts and feelings of human beings and other living creatures. But human beings are also surrounded by a mild electrical field, as the researches of Harold Burr of Yale University in the United States revealed in the 1930s. So if someone goes into a room where a murder has taken place and experiences a distinctly unpleasant feeling, all that is happening is that the emotions associated with the crime (such as fear, pain and horror) are being transferred to the visitor's electrical field, in accordance with the laws of electricity. If we are feeling full of energy, excitement, misery or anger, the emotional transference may flow the other way, and our feelings will be recorded on the field.
But if human emotions can be imprinted in some way on the 'field' of running water, and picked up by a dowser, then this world we are living in is a far more complex place than most people give it credit for.
It looks - says Lethbridge - as if human beings possess 'psyche-fields' as well as bodies. The body is simply a piece of apparatus for collecting impressions, which are then stored in the psyche-field. But in that case, there would seem to be a part of us that seeks the information. Presumably this is what religious people call the spirit. And since the information it can acquire through the pendulum may come from the remote past, or from some place on the other side of the world, then this spirit must be outside the limits of space and time.
His experiments with the pendulum seemed to indicate that there are other worlds beyond this one, perhaps worlds in other dimensions. Presumably we cannot see them - although they co-exist with our world - because our bodies are rather crude machines for picking up low-level vibrations. But the psyche-field - or perhaps the spirit - seems to have access to these other invisible worlds.
It also seems to have access to other times and other places. In May 1964, a BBC camera team went to Hole House to record an interview Lethbridge. A young cameraman looked so dazed and startled as he got out of the car that Lethbridge asked him: 'Have you been here before?' The cameraman shook his head. 'No. But I've dreamed about it.' He asked if he could look behind the house. Pointing to a wall that Lethbridge had knocked down and rebuilt, he said: 'It wasn't like that years ago. There used to be buildings against it.' That was true - but not in Lethbridge's time. In the herb garden, the cameraman said: 'There used to be buildings there, but they were pulled down.' In his dream a voice had said, 'Now we shall be able to see the sea.' Again, it was true - but many years before, at the turn of the century. Now a row of trees blotted out the view of the sea.
The cameraman had never been in the area before, and he had no friends or relatives there who might have told him about it. Yet on five occasions he had dreamed about Hole House - as it was before he was born.
Lethbridge had always been interested in dreams, ever since he read J.W. Dunne's An experiment with time in the 1930s. Dunne was an aeronautics engineer, and around the turn of the century he had a number of impressive dreams of the future - for example, he dreamed accurately about the forthcoming eruption of the volcano, Mount Pelee, on Martinique. Dunne had suggested that time is like a tape or a film, which may get twisted or tangled, so that we can catch glimpses of other times. He used to keep a notebook and pencil by his bed, and jot down his dreams the moment he woke up. He was convinced that we all dream about the future - probably every night of our lives - but that we forget it almost as soon as we wake up.
Lethbridge decided that if he wanted to study this mystery of dreams, he should keep a dream notebook. It was soon filled with his own vivid and idiosyncratic observations.
He became convinced that Dunne was correct in believing that we all dream of future events, but that most of these are so trivial - or so brief- that we fail to remember them. One night, he woke up dreaming about the face of a man that seemed to be looking at him out of a mirror. He was doing something with his hands, which seemed to be moving in the area of his chin. Lethbridge thought he might be shaving.
The next day, Lethbridge was driving slowly along a narrow lane; a car came round the corner, and at the wheel was the man he had seen in his dream. His face was framed by the windscreen - which Lethbridge had mistaken for a mirror - and his hands were moving in the area of his chin, on top of the steering wheel. Lethbridge was certain that he had never seen the man before.
He also noted that some of his dreams seemed to go backwards. He once dreamed of a furry snake-like object coming into his bed-room; but all the furniture in the room was reversed, as in a mirror. The snake-like object he recognised as the tail of their Siamese cat, walking backwards. A friend also told him about two 'backward dreams' she had had recently: in one, she saw a couple she knew walk backwards out of their door and drive their car backwards down a lane. In another, she saw some men walking backwards carrying a coffin, and one of them uttered the baffling sentence: 'Burnt be to enough good woods any.' On waking up, she wrote down the sentence, read it backwards, and realised that it actually said: 'Any wood's good enough to be burnt.'
But why, Lethbridge asked, should time sometimes go backwards in dreams? The clue was provided by his pendulum, which informed him that the energy vibrations of the next level - the world beyond ours - are four times as fast as those of our world. Lethbridge speculated that during sleep, a part of us passes through this world to a higher world still. Coming back from sleep, we pass through it once again to enter our own much slower world of vibrations. The effect is like a fast train passing a slower one; although the slow train is moving forward, it appears to be going backwards.
More impressive examples of precognitive dreams came from his correspondents. One woman dreamed of the collapse of a building as the side was blown out and heard a voice say: 'Collapsed like a pack of cards.' A month later a gas explosion blew out the side of a block of flats called Ronan Point in Last London, and a newspaper report used the phrase 'Collapsed like a pack of cards'. Another correspondent described a dream in which he saw a square-looking Edwardian house with many chimneys being burnt down; a few days later, Tom saw a house of this description being burnt down on a television newsreel.
The more he studied these puzzles, the more convinced Lethbridge became that the key to all of them is the concept of vibrations. Our bodies seem to be machines tuned to pickup certain vibrations. Our eyes will only register energy whose wavelength is between that of red and violet light. Shorter or longer wavelengths are invisible to us. Modern physics tells us that at the sub-atomic level matter is in a state of constant vibration.
Worlds Beyond Worlds
According to Lethbridge's pendulum, the world beyond our world the world that can be detected by a pendulum of more than 40 inches-consists of vibrations that are four times as fast as ours. It is all around us yet we are unable to see it, because it is beyond the range of our senses. All the objects in our world extend into another world. Our personalities also extend into it but we are not aware of this, because our 'everyday self' has no communication with that 'other self'. But the other self can answer questions bv means of the pendulum. When Tom and Mina Lethbridge visited a circle of standing stones called the Merry Maidens, near Penzance in Cornwall, Lethbridge held a pendulum over one of the upright, and asked how old it was. As he did so, he placed one hand on the stone, and experienced something like a mild electric shock. The pendulum began to gyrate like an aeroplane propellor, and went on swinging in a wide circle for several minutes - Lethbridge counted 451 turns. Arbitrarily allowing 10 years for each turn, Lethbridge calculated that the circle dated back to 2540 BC- a result that sounds highly consistent with carbon it dating of other megalithic monuments like Stonehenge. His 'higher self' - outside time - had answered his question.
In 1971 Lethbridge was engaged in writing his book on dreams - The Power of the Pendulum - when he became ill and had to be taken into hospital. He was a huge man, and his enormous weight placed a strain on his heart. He died on 30 September, leaving his last book unrevised. He was 70 years old, and his life's work was by no means complete. Yet even in its unfinished state, it is one of the most important and exciting contributions to parapsychology in this century.
Lethbridge's insistence on rediscovering the ancient art of dowsing also underlined his emphasis on understanding the differences between primitive and modern Man. The ancient peoples - going back to our cavemen ancestors - believed that the Universe is magical and that Earth is a living creature. They were probably natural dowsers - as the aborigines of Australia still are - and responded naturally to the forces of the earth. Their standing stones were, according to Lethbridge, intended to mark places where the earth force was most powerful and perhaps to harness it in some way now forgotten.
Modern Man has suppressed - or lost -that instinctive, intuitive contact with the forces of the Universe. He is too busy keeping together his precious civilisation. Yet he still potentially possesses that ancient power of dowsing, and could easily develop it if he really wanted to. Lethbridge set out to develop his own powers, and to explore them scientifically, he soon came to the conclusion that the dowsing rod and the pendulum are incredibly accurate. By making use of some unknown part of the mind - the unconscious or 'superconscious''- they can provide information that is inaccessible to our ordinary senses, and can tell us about realms of reality beyond the 'everyday' world of physical matter.
In short, these "energy fields" are what religious people might call "spirits." Every time a strong emotion occurs in the subject's body, the spirit sends out Chi vibrations to surrounding objects. Those strong emotions are imprinted on the object, and when someone else comes into contact with the area, his or her spirit picks up on the vibrations. This might explain why we have "ghosts" or "phantoms." Everyone has energy, and the big question is, where does that energy go after we have died? Perhaps most of our energy field goes to the Spirit World, in which case the spirit might go to heaven, purgatory, or hell. The minor part of your Chi is living inside objects in the areas which you felt extreme emotions.
As a reminder, I am still proposing this as a theory. I am saying that it could be entirely true, entirely false, or partly true.
In 1971 Lethbridge was engaged in writing his book on dreams - The Power of the Pendulum - when he became ill and had to be taken into hospital. He was a huge man, and his enormous weight placed a strain on his heart. He died on 30 September, leaving his last book unrevised. He was 70 years old, and his life's work was by no means complete. Yet even in its unfinished state, it is one of the most important and exciting contributions to parapsychology in this century.
Lethbridge's insistence on rediscovering the ancient art of dowsing also underlined his emphasis on understanding the differences between primitive and modern Man. The ancient peoples - going back to our cavemen ancestors - believed that the Universe is magical and that Earth is a living creature. They were probably natural dowsers - as the aborigines of Australia still are - and responded naturally to the forces of the earth. Their standing stones were, according to Lethbridge, intended to mark places where the earth force was most powerful and perhaps to harness it in some way now forgotten.
Modern Man has suppressed - or lost -that instinctive, intuitive contact with the forces of the Universe. He is too busy keeping together his precious civilisation. Yet he still potentially possesses that ancient power of dowsing, and could easily develop it if he really wanted to. Lethbridge set out to develop his own powers, and to explore them scientifically, he soon came to the conclusion that the dowsing rod and the pendulum are incredibly accurate. By making use of some unknown part of the mind - the unconscious or 'superconscious''- they can provide information that is inaccessible to our ordinary senses, and can tell us about realms of reality beyond the 'everyday' world of physical matter.
In short, these "energy fields" are what religious people might call "spirits." Every time a strong emotion occurs in the subject's body, the spirit sends out Chi vibrations to surrounding objects. Those strong emotions are imprinted on the object, and when someone else comes into contact with the area, his or her spirit picks up on the vibrations. This might explain why we have "ghosts" or "phantoms." Everyone has energy, and the big question is, where does that energy go after we have died? Perhaps most of our energy field goes to the Spirit World, in which case the spirit might go to heaven, purgatory, or hell. The minor part of your Chi is living inside objects in the areas which you felt extreme emotions.
As a reminder, I am still proposing this as a theory. I am saying that it could be entirely true, entirely false, or partly true.
Chi Meridians
Acupuncture Meridians
There are twelve "Acupncture Meridians" that function within each human body, referred to as such because Chi energy circulates through them in a constant and continually delineated path. Of these twelve, ten are defined by the specific organ of the human body that they dominate:
Dan Jing, "Gall Bladder Meridian"
Gan Jing, "Liver Meridian"
Fei Jing, "Lung Meridian"
Da Chang Jing, "Large Intestine Meridian"
Xian Chang Jing, "Small Intestine Meridian"
Wei Jing, "Stomach Meridian"
Pi Jing, "Spleen Meridian"
Xin Jing, "Heart Meridian"
Pang Guang Jing, "Bladder Meridian"
and Shun Jing, "Kidney Meridian"
The final two Acupuncture Meridians, Xin Bao Jing, "Heart Constrictor Meridian," which regulates the sexual and reproductive Chi energy, and Sao Jian Jing, "Triple Warmer Meridian," which dominates three specific functions of the body: the energy of respiration, the control of digestion, and the control of bodily discharges, are related to the control of bodily functions.
Each of these Acupuncture Meridians possesses a location on both the right and left sides of your body. By practicing Chi Kung, your Meridians are stimulated and thus remain balanced and open with a constant flow of Chi traveling through them (see Figure 1.2).
Dan Jing, "Gall Bladder Meridian"
Gan Jing, "Liver Meridian"
Fei Jing, "Lung Meridian"
Da Chang Jing, "Large Intestine Meridian"
Xian Chang Jing, "Small Intestine Meridian"
Wei Jing, "Stomach Meridian"
Pi Jing, "Spleen Meridian"
Xin Jing, "Heart Meridian"
Pang Guang Jing, "Bladder Meridian"
and Shun Jing, "Kidney Meridian"
The final two Acupuncture Meridians, Xin Bao Jing, "Heart Constrictor Meridian," which regulates the sexual and reproductive Chi energy, and Sao Jian Jing, "Triple Warmer Meridian," which dominates three specific functions of the body: the energy of respiration, the control of digestion, and the control of bodily discharges, are related to the control of bodily functions.
Each of these Acupuncture Meridians possesses a location on both the right and left sides of your body. By practicing Chi Kung, your Meridians are stimulated and thus remain balanced and open with a constant flow of Chi traveling through them (see Figure 1.2).
1.2 The Energy Meridians
The Secondary Meridians
There are two additional Meridians that also aid in the control and circulation of Chi throughout your body. These Secondary Meridians influence highly specific Chi channels and bodily activities. Thus they are referred to as "Secondary Meridians." They are the "Conceptual Meridian," which is responsible for balancing the overall functioning of your body, and the "Governing Vessel Meridian," which nourishes and aligns the other Meridians (see Figure 1.3).
Figure 1.3 The Governing Vessel Meridian
Dan Tien
Dan Tien is located on the human body where Chi congregates and can be accessed and used by the individual. Thus, this location is highly revered.
Dan Tien is located approximately two inches below your navel. From a central point it goes out approximately two inches in direction. In addition to being the location where Chi congregates in your body, it is your body's center of gravity. For this reason, martial artists become highly aware of this energy center through practicing their advanced form of movement. In fact, whenever you hear a martial artist let out a yell as they unleash a technique it signifies they are releasing Chi energy along with their movement.
This understanding has been adopted and used my many facets of Asian culture. To the acupuncturist, this location is designated by the expression Quhai, translated as "Sea of Chi." In the Korean language it is Tan Jun, and in the Japanese the word Hara is used to define this same bodily location.
Hara is perhaps the word that is most commonly known when describing this location on the human body. This is due to that fact of its frequent usage in association with Aikido, and the Japanese martial arts in general.
It is an absolute necessity that you become acutely aware of its location so you may become consciously interactive with Chi. Thus, your first step in active Chi Kung is to become interactive with your Dan Tien.
Dan Tien is located approximately two inches below your navel. From a central point it goes out approximately two inches in direction. In addition to being the location where Chi congregates in your body, it is your body's center of gravity. For this reason, martial artists become highly aware of this energy center through practicing their advanced form of movement. In fact, whenever you hear a martial artist let out a yell as they unleash a technique it signifies they are releasing Chi energy along with their movement.
This understanding has been adopted and used my many facets of Asian culture. To the acupuncturist, this location is designated by the expression Quhai, translated as "Sea of Chi." In the Korean language it is Tan Jun, and in the Japanese the word Hara is used to define this same bodily location.
Hara is perhaps the word that is most commonly known when describing this location on the human body. This is due to that fact of its frequent usage in association with Aikido, and the Japanese martial arts in general.
It is an absolute necessity that you become acutely aware of its location so you may become consciously interactive with Chi. Thus, your first step in active Chi Kung is to become interactive with your Dan Tien.
Proof that Chi is Real
The Dragon's Pearl
Most people are familiar with all of the miracles that Jesus did. Whether you are a Christian or not, these stories have become a part of Western lore. But what most people don't know is that most of these events were not miracles at all but were rather ordinary actions by a super-ordinary man. And since most of us today are ordinary men and women, we find it hard to fathom actions that we imagine ourselves to be incapable of performing. But we can do many of these things even in our ordinary state of awareness. Even though Jesus told us that "What I do, you also can do and some things greater," we find it hard to believe that He really meant us but rather that He meant someone else other than us.
All you have to do is place the palms of your hands close together but not touching, maybe an inch to three inches apart. It is almost like the familiar praying hands mudra that Christians all use when they pray to God. During prayer, the palms are pressed together in the prayer Mudra. But for generating Chi what you do is bring these two palms apart a few inches and begin rotating them in circles.
When the hands are cold, everyone knows how to generate heat by rubbing your palms back-and-forth together quickly. But for generating Chi you will do about the same thing, only do not let the palms touch each other and instead of moving them back and forth, rotate them in circles, not too fast, and not too slow, just at a comfortable and even speed. The circles should be about the size that is defined by the center of the palm going no farther in its circles than the edge of the opposite palm. thus, it is as if the center of one palm radiates an energy that touches the edge of the opposite palm as the two palms face each other and make circles on parallel planes as if they were orbiting one another in the same direction or rolling a ball of clay or bread dough between your palms.
As you do this, you will soon begin to feel the palms warm up a bit and then comes a feeling as if the two palms were similar poles of two magnets. They seem to have an energy between them that can be felt to be pushing the palms away from each other. The more you practice this exercise, the more powerful the magnetic feeling will become. Sometimes it is so powerful that it is hard to believe that such power could be coming out of your very own hands! Soon, you will be able to feel this energy radiating from your palms at will, and you will be able to feel the Chi in other people.
Not everyone will feel this magnetic energy in their hands at first. But EVERYONE who seeks it will find it! I have had students who never felt a thing for may months while others immediately had eyes wide wide as saucers and their hair seemed to stand on end in their amazement of discovering something about themselves that had been with them all of their lives but which they had never taken the time to look at ... their very own Healing Hands!
After you have rolled the energy ball around in your palms, do this: gently press your palms together in the prayer mudra and while the palms are still flat together, spread your fingers and thumbs apart as far as you can. Your palms should still be pressed flat together but now, keeping your finger tips and thumb tips touching, gently separate the palms away from each other as if you are holding an invisible ball in your hands that is just the exact size of the empty space between your hands with the finger tips and thumb tips still touching. In Kung Fu, if you separate the hands and keep the round shape, this is called the Dragon's Palm.
But in this case, you want to keep the finger tips of your two Dragon Palms touching and then create an energy ball by rotating the Dragon Palms over each other as if you are polishing a giant pearl clutched in your Dragon Claws. As you do this, you will begin to feel a ball of energy forming between your hands. And as you continue this exercise, the energy ball will increase in strength. Those who can see the Chi energy, see that this energy ball is composed of white light very much like a pearl in the sunshine. There is nothing mystical about it because it is just one of the powers that we all have as human beings. It was just a secret until now.
Just as you can generate Chi in your hands almost like Jesus, you can also hold in your very own hands the ACTUAL Pearl of Great Price and keep it for your very own.
When you hold the Pearl of Great Price in your own hands like a glowing ball of spiritual energy, you will understand that it is a treasure found within everyone. But only those who seek shall find it. Yes, it is the Pearl of Great Price and with some very unique properties, too. Both wisdom and power are obtained by those who possess the Dragon's Pearl. And if you give it away, you will not be poorer but will become even richer for doing so. The more you give it away. The richer you become in spirit. Maybe you can find a poor Christian whose spirit is low and whose treasure is small. Give it to him and make him rich. And don't call it by its Chinese name or he will cross both of his index fingers at you to protect himself from anything having to do with Chinese dragons, Dragon Pearls, Pearls of Great Price and all of those mythical things that modern men think of as nothing but allegories from fables of long ago.
All you have to do is place the palms of your hands close together but not touching, maybe an inch to three inches apart. It is almost like the familiar praying hands mudra that Christians all use when they pray to God. During prayer, the palms are pressed together in the prayer Mudra. But for generating Chi what you do is bring these two palms apart a few inches and begin rotating them in circles.
When the hands are cold, everyone knows how to generate heat by rubbing your palms back-and-forth together quickly. But for generating Chi you will do about the same thing, only do not let the palms touch each other and instead of moving them back and forth, rotate them in circles, not too fast, and not too slow, just at a comfortable and even speed. The circles should be about the size that is defined by the center of the palm going no farther in its circles than the edge of the opposite palm. thus, it is as if the center of one palm radiates an energy that touches the edge of the opposite palm as the two palms face each other and make circles on parallel planes as if they were orbiting one another in the same direction or rolling a ball of clay or bread dough between your palms.
As you do this, you will soon begin to feel the palms warm up a bit and then comes a feeling as if the two palms were similar poles of two magnets. They seem to have an energy between them that can be felt to be pushing the palms away from each other. The more you practice this exercise, the more powerful the magnetic feeling will become. Sometimes it is so powerful that it is hard to believe that such power could be coming out of your very own hands! Soon, you will be able to feel this energy radiating from your palms at will, and you will be able to feel the Chi in other people.
Not everyone will feel this magnetic energy in their hands at first. But EVERYONE who seeks it will find it! I have had students who never felt a thing for may months while others immediately had eyes wide wide as saucers and their hair seemed to stand on end in their amazement of discovering something about themselves that had been with them all of their lives but which they had never taken the time to look at ... their very own Healing Hands!
After you have rolled the energy ball around in your palms, do this: gently press your palms together in the prayer mudra and while the palms are still flat together, spread your fingers and thumbs apart as far as you can. Your palms should still be pressed flat together but now, keeping your finger tips and thumb tips touching, gently separate the palms away from each other as if you are holding an invisible ball in your hands that is just the exact size of the empty space between your hands with the finger tips and thumb tips still touching. In Kung Fu, if you separate the hands and keep the round shape, this is called the Dragon's Palm.
But in this case, you want to keep the finger tips of your two Dragon Palms touching and then create an energy ball by rotating the Dragon Palms over each other as if you are polishing a giant pearl clutched in your Dragon Claws. As you do this, you will begin to feel a ball of energy forming between your hands. And as you continue this exercise, the energy ball will increase in strength. Those who can see the Chi energy, see that this energy ball is composed of white light very much like a pearl in the sunshine. There is nothing mystical about it because it is just one of the powers that we all have as human beings. It was just a secret until now.
Just as you can generate Chi in your hands almost like Jesus, you can also hold in your very own hands the ACTUAL Pearl of Great Price and keep it for your very own.
When you hold the Pearl of Great Price in your own hands like a glowing ball of spiritual energy, you will understand that it is a treasure found within everyone. But only those who seek shall find it. Yes, it is the Pearl of Great Price and with some very unique properties, too. Both wisdom and power are obtained by those who possess the Dragon's Pearl. And if you give it away, you will not be poorer but will become even richer for doing so. The more you give it away. The richer you become in spirit. Maybe you can find a poor Christian whose spirit is low and whose treasure is small. Give it to him and make him rich. And don't call it by its Chinese name or he will cross both of his index fingers at you to protect himself from anything having to do with Chinese dragons, Dragon Pearls, Pearls of Great Price and all of those mythical things that modern men think of as nothing but allegories from fables of long ago.
The Basic Principles of Tai Chi Chi Kung
Stay Rooted in Each Movement
In Tai Chi Chi Kung, rooting means being connected with the ground. All forms of energy work require that the practitioner remain solidly rooted. Unfortunately, rooting is poorly understood outside of martial arts circles. Many longtime practitioners of meditation have never heard of rooting. Imagine an electrician who has never heard about grounding a line! He is bound for disaster sooner or later.
Tai Chi is also a martial art, and its emphasis on rooting is one of the facets that has made Tai Chi a superior system of self-defense. In Tai Chi, power and stability come from structural alignment with the ground. A person becomes very hard to knock over when he or she is aligned; opponents may feel as though they have just run into a solid tree with deep roots. When aligned, practitioners attack with the support of the earth behind their movements. The aligned fore is then directed, with all the parts of the skeletal framework working together with integrity.
Tai Chi is also a martial art, and its emphasis on rooting is one of the facets that has made Tai Chi a superior system of self-defense. In Tai Chi, power and stability come from structural alignment with the ground. A person becomes very hard to knock over when he or she is aligned; opponents may feel as though they have just run into a solid tree with deep roots. When aligned, practitioners attack with the support of the earth behind their movements. The aligned fore is then directed, with all the parts of the skeletal framework working together with integrity.
Figure 1.4 All forms of energy work require that we remain solidly connected to the ground
Maintain Your Center of Gravity in the Lower Dan Tien
In Tai Chi we seek to maintain perfect balance and stability throughout all of our movements, both in solo practice of the Tai Chi form and in Tai Chi martial Arts applications. For optimum stability, in Tai Chi one trains to keep the center of gravity in the abdomen, about three inches below your navel (see figure 1.3).
A baby's first attempt at moving around in the world is by crawling. A baby crawling on the floor has a low center of gravity. Later, as its leg bones began to solidify, the baby attempts to stand up. For a few weeks the baby goes through the process of standing and falling until he or she learns the trick of raising the center of gravity and staying centered. From there, the child gradually accomplishes the more difficult feats of walking, trotting, running, bicycle riding, and sports, where the balance is refined to a higher degree.
As a person grows older, the center of gravity rises to a fluctuating point in the torso. As the person experiences negative emotions, the center of gravity begins to travel farther upward in the torso. When a person becomes angry, the center of gravity can rise up to the chest, causing enough energetic pressure to produce a heart attack. In extreme fright, the center of gravity may rise all the way to the throat, making the person unable to utter a sound (see figure 1.5)
A baby's first attempt at moving around in the world is by crawling. A baby crawling on the floor has a low center of gravity. Later, as its leg bones began to solidify, the baby attempts to stand up. For a few weeks the baby goes through the process of standing and falling until he or she learns the trick of raising the center of gravity and staying centered. From there, the child gradually accomplishes the more difficult feats of walking, trotting, running, bicycle riding, and sports, where the balance is refined to a higher degree.
As a person grows older, the center of gravity rises to a fluctuating point in the torso. As the person experiences negative emotions, the center of gravity begins to travel farther upward in the torso. When a person becomes angry, the center of gravity can rise up to the chest, causing enough energetic pressure to produce a heart attack. In extreme fright, the center of gravity may rise all the way to the throat, making the person unable to utter a sound (see figure 1.5)
Figure 1.5 Excessive anger can bring the center of gravity high up in the chest or the throat
By the time a man reaches adulthood, the center of gravity may be permanently based somewhere in the upper chest, making the person top heavy. That is why elderly people tend to fall easily and often need the assistance of walking sticks.
In Tai Chi Chi Kung, the practitioner begins by learning to focus the awareness at the area of the lower Dan Tien, the midpoint of the body. As the breath becomes even and the body relaxes, the center of gravity naturally drops down to the navel area.
Centeredness and grounding are brought about not only by mechanical knowledge of the physical structure by also by corresponding emotional and mental states. If one is able to experience emotions and then let go and relax, the center of gravity returns to a place somewhere in the lower torso and all is well. However, if the person never lets go of emotions and tends to dwell in the past, the person will lack presence. The body will be characterized by a high center of gravity.
In Tai Chi Chi Kung, the practitioner begins by learning to focus the awareness at the area of the lower Dan Tien, the midpoint of the body. As the breath becomes even and the body relaxes, the center of gravity naturally drops down to the navel area.
Centeredness and grounding are brought about not only by mechanical knowledge of the physical structure by also by corresponding emotional and mental states. If one is able to experience emotions and then let go and relax, the center of gravity returns to a place somewhere in the lower torso and all is well. However, if the person never lets go of emotions and tends to dwell in the past, the person will lack presence. The body will be characterized by a high center of gravity.
Figure 1.6 In Tai Chi we keep the center of gravity low, maintaining a strong connection with the ground. This is rooting.
Through meditation practice, the student learns to keep the mind centered at the lower Dan Tien. The Dan Tien energy, guided by the mind, directs all movements. In Tai Chi, this practice is developed further; Tai Chi practice uses the mental power developed through meditation to direct the life force to any bodily point. If the practitioner wants to turn left, for example, the mind directs the Dan Tien Chi to turn left and the energy guides the hips into the turn. The same applies to moving forward and sinking back.
Figure 1.7 When we know how to stand aligned with the heavenly and earthly forces, we can learn to move with them.
Bubbling Springs Point
The human structure is like a tree. The feet are the roots, the torso and legs are the trunk, and the arms are the branches. The inner foundation of Tai Chi is the life force; the outer foundation is the feet. The feet support the body's entire weight and at the same time they connect with the earth force. In Taoism the feet are considered the ground wire of the body.
A chair or table is most stable when its weight is supported equally by all four legs. Similarly, a person is most stable when the weight is evenly divided over the nine points of the foot. These nine points are the heel, the outer edge, the small ball, the large ball, and each of the five toes. In Tai Chi we take great care to place these nine points evenly in contact with the ground each time we step and shift weight; thus the weight is poised over the middle of the foot, a point known as Bubbling Springs. This point is so named because when we align the body's weight over it, the earth energy seems to freely flow up into the body, just like a bubbling geyser.
When a person stands straight, with the central line of gravity perfectly aligned from the crown through the perineum and down to the feet, the weight is equally distributed over the nine points of the feet. This is called Perfect Balance of the Heaven.
A chair or table is most stable when its weight is supported equally by all four legs. Similarly, a person is most stable when the weight is evenly divided over the nine points of the foot. These nine points are the heel, the outer edge, the small ball, the large ball, and each of the five toes. In Tai Chi we take great care to place these nine points evenly in contact with the ground each time we step and shift weight; thus the weight is poised over the middle of the foot, a point known as Bubbling Springs. This point is so named because when we align the body's weight over it, the earth energy seems to freely flow up into the body, just like a bubbling geyser.
When a person stands straight, with the central line of gravity perfectly aligned from the crown through the perineum and down to the feet, the weight is equally distributed over the nine points of the feet. This is called Perfect Balance of the Heaven.
Figure 1.8 Kidney 1 and the nine points of the foot
Sitting
Many people sit down with the intention of immediately entering into a meditative Chi Kung technique and attempt to mentally force themselves immediately into the exercise. What this does is cause your adrenal gland to release hormones that cause your heart rate to increase and your mind to become alert and active - the exact opposite of what you wish to achieve in this exercise. Therefore, never force yourself to sit down and expect to immediately enter into a meditative mindset. Instead, take a few moments to become comfortable with your position.
When you perform seated Chi Kung, it is advisable that you sit in the Lotus Posture. This posture naturally "locks" Chi energy in the upper torso. As several Meridians end in your legs or feet, Chi energy, that has been consciously brought into your body, has the potential to escape unnoticed through these bodily elements.
As seated Chi Kung techniques were designed to be practiced in this fashion for highly refined reasons, unnatural loss of Chi will cause your Chi Kung exercise to provide less-than-adequate results. The Lotus Posture naturally keeps this from occurring.
When you perform seated Chi Kung, it is advisable that you sit in the Lotus Posture. This posture naturally "locks" Chi energy in the upper torso. As several Meridians end in your legs or feet, Chi energy, that has been consciously brought into your body, has the potential to escape unnoticed through these bodily elements.
As seated Chi Kung techniques were designed to be practiced in this fashion for highly refined reasons, unnatural loss of Chi will cause your Chi Kung exercise to provide less-than-adequate results. The Lotus Posture naturally keeps this from occurring.
Figure 1.9 The Lotus Posture
Due to age, arthritis, or previous injuries, many people have trouble sitting in this position. If this is your situation, there are two things you can do. One, slowly develop the ability to sit in this position for short periods of practice. When you are doing this you should not attempt to perform Chi Kung because the discomfort you are experiencing will distract you from the actual technique, and your results will be substantially minimized. Simply sit and make yourself comfortable with this posture.
The second thing you can do is sit in a chair, with your spine erect. The best way to keep your body conscious while performing Chi Kung from this position is to sit several inches away from the back of the chair. Sitting in this fashion, you will not become too relaxed.
If you perform Chi Kung in this manner, you must remain very conscious about the possibility of escaping Chi through your feet. Therefore, it is important to wrap a blanket or towel around your feet if you practice seated Chi Kung, no matter what temperature it is outside. With your feet naturally warmed, Chi energy will not naturally flow to that region of your body to warm it. You will then be saved from unnecessary Chi loss.
The second thing you can do is sit in a chair, with your spine erect. The best way to keep your body conscious while performing Chi Kung from this position is to sit several inches away from the back of the chair. Sitting in this fashion, you will not become too relaxed.
If you perform Chi Kung in this manner, you must remain very conscious about the possibility of escaping Chi through your feet. Therefore, it is important to wrap a blanket or towel around your feet if you practice seated Chi Kung, no matter what temperature it is outside. With your feet naturally warmed, Chi energy will not naturally flow to that region of your body to warm it. You will then be saved from unnecessary Chi loss.
Standing (Wu Chi Stance)
When practicing Chi Kung indoors, there are certain things that need to be taken into account, in order to absorb the Chi inimpended. It's very important to practice on a stone or wood floor. Carpet blocks the chi. In the monastery, the monks would go so far as to never wear socks, to always allow the soles of the feet to connect with the energy of the Earth. Even now, when you practice, it's best to wear shoes that don't have leather soles. If you feel up to it, you can skip the socks as well. Practicing barefoot increases your Chi's connection to the Earth's energy. Just make sure your shoes are flat and enclose the foot securely. (Clogs and backless sandals are not good.) Also, comfortable clothes that don't restrict the waist are best. Silk has a special ability to concentrate bioelectricity, but any breathable material is fine. If you would like to add a ceremonial aspect to your practice, by all means wear something that puts you in the right mood. A basic Taoist Feng Shui strategy is to wear the color that corresponds to your season of birth - green for spring, red for summer, yellow or orange for indian summer, white for fall, and black for winter. This is to attract Chi that is most similar to your own.
Being outside in the open air, around trees and plants, will surround you with fresh, lively Chi that can be used to nourish the body. Having your feet planted on the earth and the blue sky above your head grounds you energetically. Large quantities of Chi will be able to pass through your body without a physical feeling of overload or an emotional feeling of being overwhelmed. Being indoors, even with hardwood or marble floors, still blocks the flow of Chi that is necessary for maximum healing. Besides receiving a weaker flow of Chi, indoor practice is less rooted by the natural forces you are sharing with, and can result in odd occurrences and spooky sensations.
For the most part, unsettling sensations experienced during Chi Kung practice tend to be related to emotional or psychological processing. This is a perfectly natural and is in fact a very positive outcome of serious practice. Our unhappy memories and experiences all too often get lodged in our physical structure. Chi Kung helps to clear the decks and let go of the old baggage. There is a place to release, a place to renew, and a place to store and settle everything that has come before.
1. The feet should be close together but not touching at the ankles. The nine points of the feet make contact with the ground. This is the root, the connecting point with earth energy. The knees are extended but not locked. The back is straight and relaxed. No pressure, tension, or pain should be felt in the lumbar area.
2. The shoulders should be relaxed, with the head pulled upward at the crown. This is the heavenly pull that draws the earth energy up through the feet. Feel the heavenly pull, as if a Chi ball above your head is pulling you up. The pull also stretches your spine, allowing the energy to circulate more freely. At the same time feel the Chi enter the coccyx and strengthen the spine.
3. The eyes are open without strain. The focus is directly ahead, to the horizon. The chin is pulled back slightly. The subtile movement backward opens the base of the skull area so the energy can circulate freely up to the crown and down the front.
4. The tongue tip is touching the palate lightly at a point that helps induce salivation. The jaw is relaxed with the teeth lightly touching. Clenching the jaw brings tension to the sides of the head and the throat, which you don't want to feel. The throat is relaxed. Swallowing a little saliva and exhaling gently relaxes the muscles of the neck.
5. The chest is relaxed and slightly hollowed. This hollowing is produced by a subtile rounding of the scapulae. If the chest is tight, you can relax it by inhaling gently without making any noise and then exhaling just as quietly through parted lips.
6. The breath is even and deep, expanding the abdomen. The attention is at the navel, or at the lower Tan Tien, the point deep to the navel and close to the kidneys.
7. The arms are relaxed with a hollow in the armpits, as if holding a Ping-Pong ball there. The arms are not touching the body. The palms of both hands are relaxed and the fingers are loose yet straight. The index fingers are very slightly raised; feel energy sparkling at the tips of your fingers.
8. Once you are organized and internally present in this movement, place your concentration on your feet. Ask yourself, "How do they feel?" Then your legs. Move up to your torso, consciously taking notice of each inch of your body. Listen to the heartbeat. Follow the pulse from the heart out through the chest, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, hands, and fingers. Feel the pulse in the index and pinkie fingers.
9. Become aware of the earth energy at your feet, the heavenly pull at the crown, and the cosmic energy in the front of your body. Inhale gently without making noise and draw the cosmic energy in to the mid-eyebrow. Let the cosmic energy penetrate deeply to the lungs, spread to all the organs, and fill the soles of the feet.
10. When the inhalation is completed, retain the breath for a moment, without straining, and then begin to exhale gently without making noise. If a piece of paper were placed in front of the nostrils, it would not move with the air being exhaled.
Being outside in the open air, around trees and plants, will surround you with fresh, lively Chi that can be used to nourish the body. Having your feet planted on the earth and the blue sky above your head grounds you energetically. Large quantities of Chi will be able to pass through your body without a physical feeling of overload or an emotional feeling of being overwhelmed. Being indoors, even with hardwood or marble floors, still blocks the flow of Chi that is necessary for maximum healing. Besides receiving a weaker flow of Chi, indoor practice is less rooted by the natural forces you are sharing with, and can result in odd occurrences and spooky sensations.
For the most part, unsettling sensations experienced during Chi Kung practice tend to be related to emotional or psychological processing. This is a perfectly natural and is in fact a very positive outcome of serious practice. Our unhappy memories and experiences all too often get lodged in our physical structure. Chi Kung helps to clear the decks and let go of the old baggage. There is a place to release, a place to renew, and a place to store and settle everything that has come before.
1. The feet should be close together but not touching at the ankles. The nine points of the feet make contact with the ground. This is the root, the connecting point with earth energy. The knees are extended but not locked. The back is straight and relaxed. No pressure, tension, or pain should be felt in the lumbar area.
2. The shoulders should be relaxed, with the head pulled upward at the crown. This is the heavenly pull that draws the earth energy up through the feet. Feel the heavenly pull, as if a Chi ball above your head is pulling you up. The pull also stretches your spine, allowing the energy to circulate more freely. At the same time feel the Chi enter the coccyx and strengthen the spine.
3. The eyes are open without strain. The focus is directly ahead, to the horizon. The chin is pulled back slightly. The subtile movement backward opens the base of the skull area so the energy can circulate freely up to the crown and down the front.
4. The tongue tip is touching the palate lightly at a point that helps induce salivation. The jaw is relaxed with the teeth lightly touching. Clenching the jaw brings tension to the sides of the head and the throat, which you don't want to feel. The throat is relaxed. Swallowing a little saliva and exhaling gently relaxes the muscles of the neck.
5. The chest is relaxed and slightly hollowed. This hollowing is produced by a subtile rounding of the scapulae. If the chest is tight, you can relax it by inhaling gently without making any noise and then exhaling just as quietly through parted lips.
6. The breath is even and deep, expanding the abdomen. The attention is at the navel, or at the lower Tan Tien, the point deep to the navel and close to the kidneys.
7. The arms are relaxed with a hollow in the armpits, as if holding a Ping-Pong ball there. The arms are not touching the body. The palms of both hands are relaxed and the fingers are loose yet straight. The index fingers are very slightly raised; feel energy sparkling at the tips of your fingers.
8. Once you are organized and internally present in this movement, place your concentration on your feet. Ask yourself, "How do they feel?" Then your legs. Move up to your torso, consciously taking notice of each inch of your body. Listen to the heartbeat. Follow the pulse from the heart out through the chest, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, hands, and fingers. Feel the pulse in the index and pinkie fingers.
9. Become aware of the earth energy at your feet, the heavenly pull at the crown, and the cosmic energy in the front of your body. Inhale gently without making noise and draw the cosmic energy in to the mid-eyebrow. Let the cosmic energy penetrate deeply to the lungs, spread to all the organs, and fill the soles of the feet.
10. When the inhalation is completed, retain the breath for a moment, without straining, and then begin to exhale gently without making noise. If a piece of paper were placed in front of the nostrils, it would not move with the air being exhaled.
Figure 1.10 Wu Chi stance
Tai Chi Exercise One
To begin the Tai Chi exercise, stand up and loosen your body by moving your arms and legs around slowly and naturally - twist your ankles and wrists from side to side and pivot your neck. This will relieve any minor pent-up muscle tension you may have and cause blood circulation to increase throughout your entire body.
Once this is accomplished, sit on the floor in Lotus Position. As discussed, if this posture is uncomfortable, you can perform this exercise by sitting in a chair with your spine erect.
Once you have settled into this seated posture, close your eyes and become comfortable with your body - simply mentally relax into your position.
When you are ready, focus your meditative attention upon your breath. This is quite simple. Breathe calmly through your nose. As the breath enters your body, be aware of its life-giving force, traveling naturally through your nose, down into your lungs. When it is time to exhale, do so naturally through your mouth.
At this stage of Chi Kung, no part of your breath is forced or controlled. You simply observe the Chi-filled energy of life naturally entering and exiting your body. The breath comes in, it goes out - you come to realize that you are only an earthly conduit for this divine universal process of Chi transmission. A new breath comes in, you witness it. it goes out, you witness it. Allow yourself to simply be.
Perform this phase of the exercise for as long as you feel necessary. As it is a very focusing and meditative process, so it should go on for at least seven breath cycles, but can go on for much longer. Once you have completed this stage of Tai Chi you will encounter the day in a much more profoundly aware state.
Once this is accomplished, sit on the floor in Lotus Position. As discussed, if this posture is uncomfortable, you can perform this exercise by sitting in a chair with your spine erect.
Once you have settled into this seated posture, close your eyes and become comfortable with your body - simply mentally relax into your position.
When you are ready, focus your meditative attention upon your breath. This is quite simple. Breathe calmly through your nose. As the breath enters your body, be aware of its life-giving force, traveling naturally through your nose, down into your lungs. When it is time to exhale, do so naturally through your mouth.
At this stage of Chi Kung, no part of your breath is forced or controlled. You simply observe the Chi-filled energy of life naturally entering and exiting your body. The breath comes in, it goes out - you come to realize that you are only an earthly conduit for this divine universal process of Chi transmission. A new breath comes in, you witness it. it goes out, you witness it. Allow yourself to simply be.
Perform this phase of the exercise for as long as you feel necessary. As it is a very focusing and meditative process, so it should go on for at least seven breath cycles, but can go on for much longer. Once you have completed this stage of Tai Chi you will encounter the day in a much more profoundly aware state.
Dan Tien Defining Exercise One
Begin by standing in Wu Chi stance. Move your neck around a little bit, releasing any tension. Do the same with your shoulders.
When you feel comfortable, close your eyes. Slowly become very conscious of your body. Do not attempt to strain your mind, telling yourself, "Be conscious - be conscious." As you progress through several sessions with this exercise and other Chi Kung techniques presented on this website, you will come to a state of refined interactive consciousness with your body. At the early states of Chi Kung, never force your body or mind - simply begin to develop your new interrelationship with your body.
Simply begin to take notice of how your body feels. First place your concentration on your feet. Ask yourself, "How do they feel?" Then your legs. Move up your torso, consciously taking notice of each inch of your body. Experience your arms, and finally your neck and head.
At the point you have taken inventory of all these bodily locations, begin to focus your concentration on the approximate location of your Dan Tien. Begin by mentally surveying this area of your body, which you have probably placed very little focus upon previously.
As the exact location of Dan Tien is unique to each individual, it is you who must locate Dan Tien in your own body. Thus, simply begin to mentally feel this region.
As your consciousness becomes more focused on this energy center, begin to witness your breathing through your nose. Feel it enter your body, providing you with life-sustaining oxygen. Then witness it exiting your body through your mouth. Do this for a few natural breath cycles and then begin to mentally send your breaths to your Dan Tien - visualize each in-breath traveling through your nose, deep into your body, and lighting up your Dan Tien with golden Chi-filled energy.
Do not elongate these breaths for an unnatural period of time. Simply allow them to travel in and out of your body naturally. Each breath enters, touches your Dan Tien with golden Chi-filled energy and then exits through your mouth.
After you have performed this segment of the exercise for approximately seven breath cycles - with your next in-breath, again, watch it travel to your Dan Tien. Once this in-breath has been completed, hold it locked into your Dan Tien for approximately seven seconds. Then, release it naturally through your mouth. Do this segment of the exercise for approximately seven natural breath cycles and then return to normal breathing for a few minutes before you open your eyes and finish this exercise.
When you feel comfortable, close your eyes. Slowly become very conscious of your body. Do not attempt to strain your mind, telling yourself, "Be conscious - be conscious." As you progress through several sessions with this exercise and other Chi Kung techniques presented on this website, you will come to a state of refined interactive consciousness with your body. At the early states of Chi Kung, never force your body or mind - simply begin to develop your new interrelationship with your body.
Simply begin to take notice of how your body feels. First place your concentration on your feet. Ask yourself, "How do they feel?" Then your legs. Move up your torso, consciously taking notice of each inch of your body. Experience your arms, and finally your neck and head.
At the point you have taken inventory of all these bodily locations, begin to focus your concentration on the approximate location of your Dan Tien. Begin by mentally surveying this area of your body, which you have probably placed very little focus upon previously.
As the exact location of Dan Tien is unique to each individual, it is you who must locate Dan Tien in your own body. Thus, simply begin to mentally feel this region.
As your consciousness becomes more focused on this energy center, begin to witness your breathing through your nose. Feel it enter your body, providing you with life-sustaining oxygen. Then witness it exiting your body through your mouth. Do this for a few natural breath cycles and then begin to mentally send your breaths to your Dan Tien - visualize each in-breath traveling through your nose, deep into your body, and lighting up your Dan Tien with golden Chi-filled energy.
Do not elongate these breaths for an unnatural period of time. Simply allow them to travel in and out of your body naturally. Each breath enters, touches your Dan Tien with golden Chi-filled energy and then exits through your mouth.
After you have performed this segment of the exercise for approximately seven breath cycles - with your next in-breath, again, watch it travel to your Dan Tien. Once this in-breath has been completed, hold it locked into your Dan Tien for approximately seven seconds. Then, release it naturally through your mouth. Do this segment of the exercise for approximately seven natural breath cycles and then return to normal breathing for a few minutes before you open your eyes and finish this exercise.
Sensing the Chi
This exercise will help you to feel a concentration of energy between your hands. The more you practice it, the more easily you should be able to feel the Chi. If at first you are not too sure whether you can feel it or not, keep going: the energy will build up and intensify. Your fingers may tingle, you may find your hands become warm, or you may feel as if you are holding something. With practice, the moment you place your hands in this position you will be able to feel the energy between your hands. at the same time you may experience the sensation that the ball of energy is also within your abdomen, emanating from the energy center known as the Dan Tien.
1. Stand in Wu Chi stance. Place your hands in front of your lower abdomen with your palms facing toward each other. Imagine that your hands are encircling a ball of energy that emanates from your Dan Tien. Stay in this position for two minutes.
2. Move your hands slowly and sensitively a shoulders' width apart. Imagine as you do so that a ball of energy is expanding between your hands, gently pushing them out. Remain in this position for one minute, sensing the energy between your hands.
3. Imagine the ball of energy contracting, pulling your hands toward each other as it becomes more concentrated. Repeat this exercise several times, until you are aware of the change of sensation in your hands as they move apart and together. You may also feel a sensation within your abdomen, as if the energy is expanding and contracting in rhythm with your hands.
4. Contract the ball of energy until it fits inside your abdomen. Tuck one hand inside the other, and touch your abdomen. As the energy contracts further, imagine it becoming a tiny bright light in your Dan Tien. Release and shake your hands.
1. Stand in Wu Chi stance. Place your hands in front of your lower abdomen with your palms facing toward each other. Imagine that your hands are encircling a ball of energy that emanates from your Dan Tien. Stay in this position for two minutes.
2. Move your hands slowly and sensitively a shoulders' width apart. Imagine as you do so that a ball of energy is expanding between your hands, gently pushing them out. Remain in this position for one minute, sensing the energy between your hands.
3. Imagine the ball of energy contracting, pulling your hands toward each other as it becomes more concentrated. Repeat this exercise several times, until you are aware of the change of sensation in your hands as they move apart and together. You may also feel a sensation within your abdomen, as if the energy is expanding and contracting in rhythm with your hands.
4. Contract the ball of energy until it fits inside your abdomen. Tuck one hand inside the other, and touch your abdomen. As the energy contracts further, imagine it becoming a tiny bright light in your Dan Tien. Release and shake your hands.
Lifting the Sky
Stand relaxed and upright with your feet fairly close together. Hold your arms straight down, with your hands at right angles to the forearm, and the fingers pointed towards each other, in front of you. Bring your arms in an arc forward and upward so that the palms, still at right angles, now face skyward. Breathe in gently through your nose as you do so. Look up at your hands. Gently hold your breath. Next, push your palms up, still at right angles, towards the sky. Then lower your arms sideways, so that they return to your sides, gently breathing out through your mouth, and feel a rush of glowing white energy flowing down your body like a waterfall. When you are ready, return this energy back to the environment through your feet and into the ground. At the same time lower your head to look forward.
Repeat this about ten to twenty times. Each time you push your palms to the sky, feel your back straightening. And each time you lower your arms, feel the flow of energy down your body.
Like many other Chi Kung exercises, this form is deceptively simple, but what is significant is not the form itself, but the energy flow it induces. If you practice only this one exercise about ten times every morning without fail for three months, the results will be quite noticeable, and you will understand why it is one of the best in Chi Kung.
Repeat this about ten to twenty times. Each time you push your palms to the sky, feel your back straightening. And each time you lower your arms, feel the flow of energy down your body.
Like many other Chi Kung exercises, this form is deceptively simple, but what is significant is not the form itself, but the energy flow it induces. If you practice only this one exercise about ten times every morning without fail for three months, the results will be quite noticeable, and you will understand why it is one of the best in Chi Kung.
Figure 1.11 Lifting the Sky
Dan Tien Defining Exercise Two
Stand in Wu Chi as you did with Dan Tien Defining Exercise One. Loosen up your body and settle into a focused mental state with your eyes closed. Breathe naturally; consciously experience golden Chi-filled breaths entering and invigorating your body.
When you feel you are mentally ready, focus your attention on your Dan Tien and be aware of your breaths traveling to and from this energy center through your nose. After approximately seven natural breath cycles, bend your elbows, and bring your hands up to waist level at the frontal region of your body. As you do this, allow the inner tips of your fingers to come into light contact with your thumb.
In acupuncture it is understood that several Meridians culminate in the tips of your fingers. By joining your fingers and thumb together in this fashion, you seal off any Chi that may be randomly exiting your body, thus maintaining a more constant circulation of Chi.
As you take your next breath, be aware of it entering your body through your nose and traveling to your Tan Tien in a golden light. as it flows inward, allow your knees to lightly bend. as you bend, simultaneously pull your hands back at waist level until they reach your mid-region as you complete your in-breath.
Hold this Chi breath in your body for approximately seven seconds, visualizing the golden light of Chi energy emanating from your Tan Tien and expanding forward in front of your body.
When you are ready to exhale, do so slowly. As your breath exits your body via your mouth, see it illuminating the area around your body in the form of golden Chi-filled light. As you exhale, simultaneously bring your knees and your hands slowly back to your original position. When your breath has been completely exhaled, do not breathe in for approximately seven seconds. Instead, experience the lightness of Chi-filled energy throughout your body.
After this interval, again breathe in your Chi-filled breath, as your body slowly lowers and your hands pull back, exposing your Tan Tien, which is emanating Chi from this powerful energy center (see figure 1.12).
When you feel you are mentally ready, focus your attention on your Dan Tien and be aware of your breaths traveling to and from this energy center through your nose. After approximately seven natural breath cycles, bend your elbows, and bring your hands up to waist level at the frontal region of your body. As you do this, allow the inner tips of your fingers to come into light contact with your thumb.
In acupuncture it is understood that several Meridians culminate in the tips of your fingers. By joining your fingers and thumb together in this fashion, you seal off any Chi that may be randomly exiting your body, thus maintaining a more constant circulation of Chi.
As you take your next breath, be aware of it entering your body through your nose and traveling to your Tan Tien in a golden light. as it flows inward, allow your knees to lightly bend. as you bend, simultaneously pull your hands back at waist level until they reach your mid-region as you complete your in-breath.
Hold this Chi breath in your body for approximately seven seconds, visualizing the golden light of Chi energy emanating from your Tan Tien and expanding forward in front of your body.
When you are ready to exhale, do so slowly. As your breath exits your body via your mouth, see it illuminating the area around your body in the form of golden Chi-filled light. As you exhale, simultaneously bring your knees and your hands slowly back to your original position. When your breath has been completely exhaled, do not breathe in for approximately seven seconds. Instead, experience the lightness of Chi-filled energy throughout your body.
After this interval, again breathe in your Chi-filled breath, as your body slowly lowers and your hands pull back, exposing your Tan Tien, which is emanating Chi from this powerful energy center (see figure 1.12).
Figure 1.12
This exercise should be performed for a maximum of seven cycles per training session. You will not only come to effectively define the exact location of your Tan Tien, but you will additionally experience how Chi can be brought into your body and then projected into the environment around you.
The Three Dan Tiens
To the modern practitioner of Chi Kung, there is a single focal point that is the primary focus of Chi interaction, the Dan Tien. In ancient times, however, there were in fact, three Dan Tiens that were accessed by the Chi Kung practitioner.
This understanding was known as San Dan Tien, or the "Three Fields of Cultivation."
This understanding was known as San Dan Tien, or the "Three Fields of Cultivation."
Figure 1.13 The Three Dan Tiens
The first of these three Dan Tiens is the one detailed previously. Since ancient times, it has been known that this Dan Tien is the place in the body where Chi energy congregated, and could be drawn upon when needed.
The second, or middle, Dan Tien (known in Chinese as Zhong Dan Tien) is located at the solar plexus. This energy center was believed to be responsible for proper breathing. An individual who focused his Chi-oriented meditation upon this Dan Tien was believed to possess superior strength and unequaled endurance.
The third of these three energy centers is the Zuigao, or the "Upper Dan Tien." This focal point is located at the pineal gland, commonly called the "Third Eye." Chi meditation upon this Dan Tien was known to provide the individual with superior mental skills.
Though the primary focal point for the Chi Kung practitioner is the Dan Tien located just below the navel, the two additional Dan Tiens are important energy centers that can be cultivated to access specific types of Chi. Therefore, these bodily locations must be embraced for the student of Chi Kung to come to an overall mastery of this science. In the following pages, we will detail Chi Kung techniques that activate all three of the Dan Tiens.
The second, or middle, Dan Tien (known in Chinese as Zhong Dan Tien) is located at the solar plexus. This energy center was believed to be responsible for proper breathing. An individual who focused his Chi-oriented meditation upon this Dan Tien was believed to possess superior strength and unequaled endurance.
The third of these three energy centers is the Zuigao, or the "Upper Dan Tien." This focal point is located at the pineal gland, commonly called the "Third Eye." Chi meditation upon this Dan Tien was known to provide the individual with superior mental skills.
Though the primary focal point for the Chi Kung practitioner is the Dan Tien located just below the navel, the two additional Dan Tiens are important energy centers that can be cultivated to access specific types of Chi. Therefore, these bodily locations must be embraced for the student of Chi Kung to come to an overall mastery of this science. In the following pages, we will detail Chi Kung techniques that activate all three of the Dan Tiens.
Cleanse the Chi
Cleanse the Chi is an ancient Chi Kung exercise used in mmodern Chinese hospitals to lower blood pressure and reduce stress and tension. This exercise will not only get your energy flowing, but it will also ground and root your emotions, and send your tension and stress down into the ground.
It is called Cleanse the Chi because you will gather calm energy around you, wash it through your entire body, and then send it down and out through your feet, taking your stress and tension with it. I like to begin and end my Chi Kung practice with this exercise (it's a part of my own tradition). I use it to help ground my thoughts and to stop me from thinking about what I was doing before my Chi Kung routine.
Cleanse the Chi looks like a very simple exercise, but it may be challenging to incorporate abdominal breathing with your movements. Many students find it helpful to start by practicing deep breathing while standing in Wu Chi posture without moving. Once you are comfortable breathing properly without standing, add the arm movements of this exercise into your routine.
The more slowly you can practice Cleanse the Chi, the more soothing it is.
1. Begin Wu Chi posture, only this time with your knees slightly bent. Tuck your tailbone under to minimize the curve in your lower back. Relax your eyes with a soft gaze. Allow your hands to hang naturally by your sides, with the palms facing the outsides of your thighs.
2. Once you are standing comfortably, begin Chi Kung breathing. Push out your abdomen on your inhale and pull it back on the exhale. Take a few deep, slow breaths to ready yourself.
3. On an inhale, raise your arms out to your sides with your palms facing the earth until your arms are at shoulders' height. Visualize gathering the ebergy around you as if you were gathering a bright white light (see figure 1.14).
4. While still inhaling, turn your palms up to face the sky and continue to raise your arms over your head. Continue to visualize gathering the energy around you like a bright white light.
It is called Cleanse the Chi because you will gather calm energy around you, wash it through your entire body, and then send it down and out through your feet, taking your stress and tension with it. I like to begin and end my Chi Kung practice with this exercise (it's a part of my own tradition). I use it to help ground my thoughts and to stop me from thinking about what I was doing before my Chi Kung routine.
Cleanse the Chi looks like a very simple exercise, but it may be challenging to incorporate abdominal breathing with your movements. Many students find it helpful to start by practicing deep breathing while standing in Wu Chi posture without moving. Once you are comfortable breathing properly without standing, add the arm movements of this exercise into your routine.
The more slowly you can practice Cleanse the Chi, the more soothing it is.
1. Begin Wu Chi posture, only this time with your knees slightly bent. Tuck your tailbone under to minimize the curve in your lower back. Relax your eyes with a soft gaze. Allow your hands to hang naturally by your sides, with the palms facing the outsides of your thighs.
2. Once you are standing comfortably, begin Chi Kung breathing. Push out your abdomen on your inhale and pull it back on the exhale. Take a few deep, slow breaths to ready yourself.
3. On an inhale, raise your arms out to your sides with your palms facing the earth until your arms are at shoulders' height. Visualize gathering the ebergy around you as if you were gathering a bright white light (see figure 1.14).
4. While still inhaling, turn your palms up to face the sky and continue to raise your arms over your head. Continue to visualize gathering the energy around you like a bright white light.
Figure 1.14
5. Exhale slowly once your arms are almost straight up with the palms facing each other, and then slowly bring your hands down the front of your body, with your palms facing the earth and your fingertips pointing toward each other. Visualize the bright, white light energy flowing through your entire body, cleansing all stress and tension as you send the energy back down, deep into the earth.
Figure 1.15
6. Repeat by inhaling and bringing your arms out to your sides and over your head. Then exhale as you bring your arms down the front of your body with your palms facing the earth.
Begin with two minutes and work up to five minutes twice a day.
Begin with two minutes and work up to five minutes twice a day.
Gathering the Chi
This exercise uses visualization to fill all three Dan Tiens so that you will feel clam balanced.
The Upper Dan Tien stores spiritual and intellectual energy. The Middle Dan Tien stores emotional and empathic energy. The Lower Dan Tien stores physical energy and is the seat of your overall vitality.
1. Stand in Wu Chi posture or sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Raise your hands to forehead height, with your palms facing your forehead and your elbows either out to the sides or slightly dropped. Your palms should be about a foot away (forward) from your forehead.
The Upper Dan Tien stores spiritual and intellectual energy. The Middle Dan Tien stores emotional and empathic energy. The Lower Dan Tien stores physical energy and is the seat of your overall vitality.
1. Stand in Wu Chi posture or sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Raise your hands to forehead height, with your palms facing your forehead and your elbows either out to the sides or slightly dropped. Your palms should be about a foot away (forward) from your forehead.
Figure 1.16
3. Inhale, and visualize sending or pushing Chi in the form of white light or white mist into your head, while moving your forearms and hands slightly backward toward your forehead by bending your arms at the elbows.
4. Exhale, pull your hands away to return to the starting position, and visualize a bright light glowing inside your head.
5. Inhale, and push energy into your head like a bright white light brightening a dark room.
6. Exhale, and see the bright white light of energy glowing even brighter.
7. Repeat up to 6 times.
4. Exhale, pull your hands away to return to the starting position, and visualize a bright light glowing inside your head.
5. Inhale, and push energy into your head like a bright white light brightening a dark room.
6. Exhale, and see the bright white light of energy glowing even brighter.
7. Repeat up to 6 times.
Figure 1.17
8. Now lower your hands to about a foot in front of your chest with your elbows bowed slightly outward.
9. Inhale, move your hands and forearms toward your chest, and send a calming energy in the form of white light into your chest.
10. Exhale, and pull your arms back about a foot in front of your chest, while visualizing a bright, calming ball of white light inside your chest.
11. Repeat up to 6 times.
9. Inhale, move your hands and forearms toward your chest, and send a calming energy in the form of white light into your chest.
10. Exhale, and pull your arms back about a foot in front of your chest, while visualizing a bright, calming ball of white light inside your chest.
11. Repeat up to 6 times.
Figure 1.18
12. Lower your hands to face the area just below your navel. Inhale, and push the Chi into your lower abdomen.
13. Exhale, and pull your hands to about a foot in front of your belly. See a bright white light glowing inside your Lower Dan Tien.
14. Repeat up to six times.
13. Exhale, and pull your hands to about a foot in front of your belly. See a bright white light glowing inside your Lower Dan Tien.
14. Repeat up to six times.
Tao Yin Exercise One
Stand in Wu Chi stance. Close your eyes and take in a few natural breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Be aware of these breaths traveling to and emanating from your Dan Tien.
After a few moments of Dan Tien breath meditation, begin to very consciously feel your body, starting at your feet. Is there any tension? If there is, move them slightly as you watch golden Chi traveling through your Dan Tien down your leg to embrace and revitalize them. Then, place your feet firmly back upon the ground. Direct your consciousness to your ankles. If there is any discomfort, move them around slowly as you direct Chi to them. Move your consciousness up your legs, truly experiencing them. If you experience any lack of comfort, breathe Chi into them. Feel your hands. Any pressure? Move them slightly and send them Chi. Allow your consciousness to travel up your torso, feeling your neck and head. If any bodily location is experiencing an uneasy feeling, move it slightly, causing added blood circulation, and them very consciously breathe Chi from your Dan Tien to that location.
Remember, Chi is endless. All you need to do is breathe in its power and you will be re-energized. Once you have become very consciously in tune with your body, take a deep breath through your nose and watch it travel to your Dan Tien in a golden flow. Once the breath has completely entered your Dan Tien, you hold it in place and begin to circulate your tongue around your closed mouth ten times. At the completion of the tenth cycle, place your tongue firmly against your palate and release the gold breath of Chi through your nose. Witness it encompassing your body.
You will have noticed that excess saliva is being produced in your mouth. When it is time to breathe again, do so naturally, bringing the breath in through your nose. As the in-breath is completed, allow this excess saliva to be slowly swallowed nourishing your entire being. It will take approximately three natural breath cycles to consciously perform this Tun To exercise.
After a few moments of Dan Tien breath meditation, begin to very consciously feel your body, starting at your feet. Is there any tension? If there is, move them slightly as you watch golden Chi traveling through your Dan Tien down your leg to embrace and revitalize them. Then, place your feet firmly back upon the ground. Direct your consciousness to your ankles. If there is any discomfort, move them around slowly as you direct Chi to them. Move your consciousness up your legs, truly experiencing them. If you experience any lack of comfort, breathe Chi into them. Feel your hands. Any pressure? Move them slightly and send them Chi. Allow your consciousness to travel up your torso, feeling your neck and head. If any bodily location is experiencing an uneasy feeling, move it slightly, causing added blood circulation, and them very consciously breathe Chi from your Dan Tien to that location.
Remember, Chi is endless. All you need to do is breathe in its power and you will be re-energized. Once you have become very consciously in tune with your body, take a deep breath through your nose and watch it travel to your Dan Tien in a golden flow. Once the breath has completely entered your Dan Tien, you hold it in place and begin to circulate your tongue around your closed mouth ten times. At the completion of the tenth cycle, place your tongue firmly against your palate and release the gold breath of Chi through your nose. Witness it encompassing your body.
You will have noticed that excess saliva is being produced in your mouth. When it is time to breathe again, do so naturally, bringing the breath in through your nose. As the in-breath is completed, allow this excess saliva to be slowly swallowed nourishing your entire being. It will take approximately three natural breath cycles to consciously perform this Tun To exercise.