"You never enjoy the world alright, till the sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens, and crowned with stars."
Thomas Traherne 1636 - 74
Something easy to try at home. I learned this practice at Margaret Bursnolls' Standish Chi Kung Workshops about twenty years ago and have personally found it to be very powerful and beneficial. It is used to recharge and balance energy at the beginning of the day, in times of stress it reduces anxiety by quieting the mind. It will renew your supply of chi by bringing fresh clean external energy into the body and integrating your three main energy centres, while also clearing out stale and negative energy from your system. In class I tend to generalize for simplicities sake and use the term dan tien (sea of chi) to refer solely to the lower dan tien. But you actually have three (don't confuse this with the triple heater - that's more or less a collection of physical functions) all of which sit on the Ren Mai Channel (ostensibly your centre line). Upper Dan tien: Spiritual Centre/Field of Light. Situated between the eyebrows and contains Shen - spirit or mind. One whose Shen is abundant is mentally fresh and spiritually mature. Middle Dan tien: Emotional Centre/Field of Vibration. Situated between the nipples and contains Chi - intrinsic energy. One whose Chi is plentiful is emotionally stable and full of vitality. Lower Dan tien: True Centre of Gravity/Field of Heart. Situated below the umbilicus and contains Jing - matter in its its finest form. A person full of Jing is physically fit and healthy.
HOW TO DO IT
1. Stand in Wu Chi stance, but let the weight move slightly more forward on the feet than usual.
2. Connecting with Earth Chi. Line up the hands on the dan tien region. You know the drill by now, ladies right hand innermost gentlemen the left. Breathe evenly focusing on the navel and draw surrounding energy into the abdomen, feeling the area become lighter and warmer.
3. Gathering External Chi from Heaven. Slowly separate the hands and allow them to float up sideways (like wild geese flying but keep going up) till they're above your head with the palms facing upwards. Breathing in connect with the Yang energy of heaven, the sky and the sun. Feel the energy entering the body through the palms. Repeat for three breaths or until your hands feel warm. Stay sung energy must pass through the difficult gates of the shoulders.
4. Directing Chi into the Sky Door Point. Turn the palms over to face the crown of your head. As you breathe out direct the energy out from your hands into the head. Repeat for three breaths.
5. Energising the Upper Dan Tien. Slowly lower your hands with the fingertips separated so your palms line up with the third eye region. As you breathe out direct energy into this centre to activate the brain and mind. Repeat for three breaths.
6. Energising the Middle Dan Tien. Slowly lower the hands further till they face the centre of the chest to direct energy into the heart and pericardium centres. Repeat for three breaths.
7. Energising the Lower Dan Tien. Again slowly lower the hands till level with the abdomen to direct energy into the dan tien region. Repeat for three breaths.
8. Slowly lower your hands to the sides of the body, turning the palms downwards. Feel that the energy is continuing down the legs and deep into the earth via the Bubbling Spring Point. This cleanses the system of stale chi and sends it out clear of your personal energy field.
It isn't a part of the practice but afterwards I like to gently shake out my hands, warm them together and give myself a chi wash (like the end of fang sung kung). My advice - throughout the practice be patient with yourself. Breathe, relax and smile (always smile). With regular practice you may find a heightened sensitivity to touch as a by-product, greatly improving push hands and healing skills. It can even tap into hidden human reserves - ours is a strange art indeed! You can perform this energy work anywhere, anytime. Remember 'you are Tai Chi'. You don't need buildings, uniforms, money, power or status to practice these arts. Heaven is right where you are standing and that is the best place to train.
Stay well and keep smiling
Mathew
Comments