What is a human being? It keeps coming back to that. What are we? And where are we? Let us go back to how Chinese medicine sees a human being and our relationship with the rest of creation. And let us compare that to how a physicist might describe a human being. As I said in an earlier post, both the Chinese doctor and the physicist would be comfortable with the idea of a human being as a field of energy or a flow of force within a field of energy. Check out my previous post. River's Chi House: We are wondrously made.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a field as having many different meanings. The one we are interested in is under the number " (7) physics - A region of space characterized by a physical property such as a gravitational or electromagnetic force or fluid pressure, having a determinable value at every point in the region."
Under field of force or force field we have, “Field of Force- A region of space throughout which the force produced by an agent or several agents, such as an electric charge, is operative. This phenomenon is also called a force field." Hmm what does that mean?
I think it means that a field of energy or a force field is an area that is most directly affected or acted on by an action of an energy entity within its boarders. That entity could be a magnet or the sun or a human being.
We are therefore, dynamic entities that are inseparable from the fields and flows of energy we exist within. We are continuously surrounded and permeated by greater and lesser fields and flows of energies. We are constantly in relationships of exchange with all the fields that surround and penetrate us and that we in turn surround, penetrate and influence.
So the question is, where do we end and where does another field of energy begin? The answer is that we any division is at best arbitrary. It depends entirely on your point of subjective view. We, it would seem, are one big dynamic flow of energy existing in one big dynamic field of energy. Because we are taught that we are separate and distinct we see ourselves as such. Perhaps it is time to see ourselves in a different light.
What would it be like if we could feel and experience ourselves not just as our eyes and other senses permit? What if we could feel and experience ourselves as a force field of vibrating energy? What would it be like if we experienced ourselves as part of the dynamic flow of the Universe. What if we could imagine and experience our relationship with our environment as a huge cloud of brilliant loving energy comprised of an infinite number of flows and fields constantly dancing and singing together? What if we knew ourselves to be ONE with all Creation?
We can do that. We can expand our ability to experience more of what existence is outside of our conditioned beliefs. We can break free of our limited understanding of reality with a committed and disciplined study and practice of chi kung and might I add a bit of understanding of quantum physics. Once you experience yourself and all life as a radiating flows and fields of energy, even just for a very brief moment, your life changes forever. Chi kung can give you the experience and quantum physics can give you some of the theoretical understanding of energy fields and flows. The more experience you have with chi kung the more you appreciate what quantum physics have to say about the nature of existence.
When you combine the experience of chi kung with the knowledge of quantum physics you become more comfortable with life. You are no longer confined to the small sometimes suffocating realm of the senses. You are not just a small powerless person in a huge, uncaring, crazy, social world. You are a radiating child of the Heaven and Earth. All of creation is your family and home. You realize that we are never alone or unloved and that the Universe is as open to you as you are to it. A rather cynical a friend of mine said after experiencing himself as energy, "To hell with existentialism. Life is good!"
Now that we can begin to accept ourselves at least intellectually, as force fields and flows of energy we are almost ready to chi kung. First lets examine our force field and flows relative to what we need to know to practice simple aspects of chi kung. Within our force field there are many flows of energy. These flows can be compared to the rivers and streams of the earth. The most powerful flows are called meridians and Extraordinary Vessels or Extraordinary Channels.
There are twelve major meridians and Eight Extraordinary channels. We will explore the meridians and vessels later. Right now it is just important to know they exist. For more information on the locations of meridians and channels follow this link. Acupuncture, Alternative Medicine, and Wellness Information Site Yin Yang House This web site should be on everyone’s link list. It is the site I go to more often than any I have in my healing link section. You can find ways to treat any problem you may encounter physically if you know how to use it correctly. You will learn how on this blog if you like. It is up to you. If you want it, here it is.
Besides energy flows there are also a number of smaller force fields contained within our energy bodies. . Yoga recognizes eight and calls them chakras. The Chinese relate to three and call them dan tiens. The dan tiens are like little spheres of vibrating, radiating and spinning energy. They can be imagined as three small suns. The upper dan tien is white. It is located in the mid brain. The middle dan tien is pink and located in the middle of your chest in the heart area. The lower dan tien is red and is about an inch and a half below your navel in the middle of your small intestines.
Western and Eastern medicine know that if you pay relaxed and loving attention to an area of the body energy in various forms will flow there. Blood flow and chi flows are heightened in areas that the mind moves into and through. So if you wish to strengthen or heal an area of your body, one of the best things you can do is to pay relaxed and loving attention to it. Moving your awareness to and through an area with intent and for an extended period of time and you will increase the healing and strengthening of that area. This is something worth knowing and cultivating through practice.
When you move your attention through your body with intent you will eventually notice that you experience a current like sensation. That is because when you move your awareness through your body you produce a electro-magnetic wave or current. In away it is like the wake of a boat moving through water. This current strengthens the field it passes through much like a high power magnet restores or strengthens another magnet when placed next to it. Can you imagine feeling the current of your awareness flowing through your body? The more you can notice the current, the stronger it will become and the more effective it will be in healing and strengthening you.
Take a moment now. Relax, and let your jaw slightly open and make sure you are belly breathing. That is to say, let your lower abdomen expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale. Good. Now can you imagine and feel the area of your lower dan tien? Can you imagine that it is a beautiful warm sphere of red, vibrating, radiating energy? Can you imagine that as you inhale the red sun gets larger and more powerful? And as you exhale the red lower dan tien radiates warm healing and strengthening energy throughout your entire body? Can you imagine that? Let yourself spend time with your lower dan tien and you will find yourself getting stronger and healthier.
The three dan tiens are very important for so many reasons that we will explore at another time When a meridian or channel is weakened the lower dan tien provides energy to balance and strengthen it. That is one of many good reasons for doing what it takes to keep the lower dan tien strong. healthy and strong.
The middle dan tien and upper dan tien will be explored at another time. Suffice to say for now that the three dan tiens exist and are worth spending time with. Chi Kung exercises keeps all your dan tiens strong.
I am now going to take you on a brief tour of your energy body from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.
First, smile. Imagine that your heart is smiling. Imagine your lower abdomen is smiling.
Second, make sure you are breathing so your belly goes out on the in breath and in on the out breath.
Third, make sure you are sitting in a comfortable position.
Place your feet flat on the ground. Feel your feet and the ground they rest on. Feel your legs and adjust them to be as comfortable as possible.
Make sure your hips and abdomen are adjusted and comfortable.
Take your time and make sure your back is relatively straight and comfortable.
Adjust and relax your chest and let your inhale flow all the way to your lower abdomen. Exhale and relax.
Adjust and relax your neck and shoulders and arms and hands. Adjust and relax your head so you are comfortable.
Can you imagine a line gong from the tip of one ear to the tip of the other ear? Now can you imagine another line going from the center of the tip of your nose to the line joining your ears. Where the two lines meet is one of the most powerful points in your energy field. It is called bai hui or "the meeting place of a hundred points". Understand that when I use the word point I am not speaking of a western point on a line. Rather I am referring to a dynamic area in a flow of energy i.e. a meridian, within our energy field. The points or areas can be seen or felt as powerful mini fields of energy within the flow of the meridians.
The Chinese have discover well over three hundred places on the twelve meridians that when stimulated produce effects that benefit or harm the field. Bai Hui is one of the most powerful places on the body. Love your bai hui. Let yourself imagine and feel a big smile in bai hui whenever you can. Our whole energy field responds positively when we smile. Any place in the body we visualize a smile is helped by the smile. Try it.
Remember I wrote that a human being is blending of energies of the Heaven and Earth. Refer to the following link. River's Chi House: We are wondrously made. The bai hui is the most important place that Heaven energy enters the human field. The bai hui g.v. 20 is found on the Governing Vessel or Channel it is referred to as g.v. 20 . ( link to location of bai hui and gv channel(GV) Governing Vessel Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House . Treating bai hui can produce many wonderful effects in your field. If you feel depressed you can use bai hui to ease or eliminate the lowered emotional state you are stuck in.
Try this.
Can you imagine the smiling loving energy of God or the Universe? Can you imagine that as you inhale the smiling loving energy of God moves into and through a smiling bai hui? Let your self imagine and feel the smiling love flowing effortlessly down through your head, neck, shoulders, and chest to your heart area or middle dan tien.
Can you imagine that as God’s smiling love reaches you heart or middle dan tien that your heart smiles?
Can you imagine that as you exhale the smile and love of God or the Universe radiates out effortlessly from your middle dan tien, heart through your whole body-mind?
Can you imagine that the radiating loving smiles dissolve any and all negativity fear or sadness as you breathe in and out? Can you imagine that each and every time you inhale and exhale that loving smiling God Energy weakens and dissolves any and all fear, anxiety or sadness? Can you imagine that very soon your whole body-being is filled with loving smiles? Just relax and keep easily and effortlessly breathing in the smiling love of God and as you breath out feel the love and smiles permeating your entire being. Do it as long and as often as you desire. It can become very addictive.
Just being aware of bai hui and visualizing a smile in the area is powerful medicine. Love bai hui and you will be rewarded many times over.
The adventure continues.
Now that we know about bai hui and a little about the dan tiens, it is time to meet and greet some more of your energy self.
Move your awareness from bai hui right through the center line of the interior your body to your perineum. The perineum is the area between your sex organ and your anus. Their is a dynamic point at the start of the flow of the Conception Channel in the middle of the perineum called cv1 or hui yin or "meeting place of yin". More about the Conception Channel soon. For now check out the next link to find it.(CV) Conception Vessel Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House
There is a flow of force or channel that flows from bai hui down through the middle of the trunk of your body to hui yin it is sometimes called the center cannel. This center channel is a powerful flow and you will work with it often during chi kung practice.
Can you imagine moving your awareness from bai hui down through the central channel to hui yin and than from hui yin back to bai hui. The more you do this the better for the health of your body.
Visualize smiles in bai hui and hui yin. Imagine you are sending a smile from bai hui to hui yin and from hui yin to bai hui. Imagine the points are friends and love communicating with each other. You can also imagine that as you move from bai hui to hui yin and pass though the three dan tiens that all three dan tiens are smiling. Back and forth your smile flows as you breathe in and out from bai hui to hui yin. Notice that the three dan tiens are smiling at you as you pass through. How delightful. Such good friend bai hui, the three dan tiens, and hui yin.
Meet the Hara
Japanese practitioners of Chinese medicine pay more attention to the lower dan tien in their treatments and explorations than do the Chinese. The Japanese call the lower dan tien the Hara. While the Hara includes the dan tien it is more than the dan tien. The Hara is the entire area from below the ribcage to the pelvic floor. Kiiko Matsumoto wrote an excellent book called “ Hara Diagnosis: A Reflection On The Sea" that I highly recommend to anyone wishing to know more about the lower dan tien. She has also written a number of good books on the eight extraordinary channels. Take a moment to check her site out. Kiiko Matsumoto International David's Site
Because of the Japanese contributions to my understanding of the lower dan tien I will sometimes use the name hara when referring to that field of energy. The more time and effort you spend with the lower dan tien the more amazed you will be at what it is to be human. But that is for another time. Give your hara a big smile and lets go on.
On with the tour.
We have now explored some what the bai hui three dan tiens and the Center Cannel and hui yin and the hara. So to continue the tour of our energy body let us return our awareness to the lower dan tien. All the major meridians and channels flow through the lower dan dan tien.
Let me introduce you to the Governing Channel. It starts here in the dan tien and flows down to the perineum hui yin and up your back just underneath your skin parallel to the spine over the top of the head to the inside of the roof of the mouth just above where your two front teeth meet. The bai hui point is on the Governing Channel. Take a field trip to see the map and understand more about the Governing Channel. I know you have been there before with hui yin but go now and look at the whole channel. (GV) Governing Vessel Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House
Can you imagine and feel your awareness flowing up the Governing Channel? It is a nice trip full of interesting place to visit. There is a very special and powerful place or point on the governing channel called gv 4 or ming men or "gate of life". Ming Men is located parallel to your navel within the flow of the Governing Channel. You can go back to the cv link and find ming men. Visualize a beautiful happy smile in the ming men. Can you imagine that ming men is your nose and lower dan tien is your lung? Imagine breathing healing and strengthening energy from the Universe through ming men to dan tien and as you breath out imagine that healing and strengthening energy radiating throughout your entire body. More about the ming men later.
From ming men, flow on up past bai hui (is bai hui smiling?) to the end of the governing Channel on the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth. This point is called gv 28 or yin jiao. Touch the tip of your tongue to yin jiao within the Governing Channel. Take another look at GV and find gv28. (GV) Governing Vessel Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House
Another powerful channel or flow of energy starts where the tip of the tongue touches the end of the Governing Channel or gv28. The link to the path and explanation of the Conception Channel or cv follows.(CV) Conception Vessel Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House
The Conception Channel splits into two branches. One branch flows out from the end of the Governing Channel to the groove on your face between your lips and your nose. It flows just under the skin and around the lips and down the mid-line of the chest to just above the pelvic bone where it then enters the lower dan tien. The second branch of the Conception Channel flows down through the tongue and come out at the base of your throat where it connects with the first branch.
Let us take a ride along the Conception Channel. Can you imagine moving your awareness from the center of the groove between your lips and your nose down just under your skin and around your lips down the mid line of your face to your
chin? Can you let yourself imagine and feel the flow of your attention as you move down the midline of your throat just under your skin? Imagine and feel yourself flowing down the midline of your chest to a spot between your nipples. There is a dynamic area here called cv17 or dan zhong. Take a quick field trip to Yin Yang House to check it out. (CV) Conception Vessel Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House You can find more about how powerful it can be in relationship to a lot of breathing and chest problems by clicking the following link. CV 17 Acupuncture Point - Dan Zhong - Conception Vessel Meridian Yin Yang House
Can you imagine that cv17 is your nose and the middle dan tien or heart area is your lung? Imagine that as you breathe in, God’s loving, healing, and strengthening energy is flowing through cv17 and into your heart area or middle dan tien. As you breathe out can you imagine and feel that the healing strengthening energy of God or the Universe is flowing out from your heart or middle dan tien and is spreading out through your entire body? If you have breathing or other chest problems this is a wonderful exercise to do as often and as long as you like or need to do.
Well that was cool meeting Dan Zhong. Time to be moving on down the Conception Channel. Can you imagine and feel your awareness moving just underneath your skin down the mid-line of your chest from cv17 to hui yin? From hui yin move your awareness up the center channel to your lower dan tien. Ahh we are back home. The lower dan tien is often thought of as the home within the body for many reasons. Most people spend too much time in their heads. “Think, think, and think way too much thinking. Will drive you crazy. Go live in dan tien. Much better for you” as one of my chi kung teachers use to tell us.
Instead of thinking so many thoughts about too many painful or difficult things or people or situations try something else. Try moving your attention to your lower dan tien and spending time doing things there.
My teacher use to say, “Better to spend time at home doing good things than going all over doing nothing but causing trouble.” Some of what it was trying to tell us was that if we spend more time cultivating a relationship with our dan tien the rewards would become obvious over a period of time. By spending time he ment that we should do internal chi kung exercises that strengthened the dan tien and therefore our entire body-mind. There are hundreds of ways to play in the dan tien. Any chi kung exercise relating to the dan tien on this site will do that. But you have to play to have fun. Reading about exercises is not the same as doing the, It is as always your choice.
Saddle up partner and lets move out from the dan tien. We got places to go and energy fields and dynamics to meet.
So here we are moving out from dan tien to hui yin. Can you imagine moving your attention from hui yin down through the surfaces and depths of both your legs to the bottom of your feet?
There are places on the bottom of your feet where the energy of the Earth enters your body and where your energy and Heavens energy that moves through you enters the earth. They are called Kidney 1 or Yong Quan or Bubbling Wells or Gushing Springs. These two points are incredibly powerful and when treated right will benefit you in numerous ways. They are located at the start of a meridian flow called the Kidney Channel. Take a field trip to the following link to find them. (KD) Kidney Meridian - Graphic Yin Yang House To understand them a little take the next click. KD 1 Acupuncture Point - Yong Quan - Kidney Meridian Yin Yang House
When we consciously and with intent brought Heaven energy into our body through bai hui we entered a new way of relating to the Unified field. It was not that Heaven energy was not entering us before. Heaven energy is always entering and interacting with us and leaving our field to continue it’ flow. Earth energy is always entering our personal field, interacting with us and leaving to continue its flow as well. We are the meeting place between Heaven and Earth as the Chinese say.
One of my teachers told me that a human being could be seen as a living acupuncture needle if they were conscious and acted with intent.
We exist as individuals and that is obvious to us all. We are distinct creatures having definite shapes or boundaries where our skins meet the rest of creation. Our everyday life experience proves this unique identity to us every day. The only thing wrong with this fact is that it is not true. Quantum Physics shows us another very diffident truth. That in fact we are radiating fields of energy that flow into greater and lesser fields and flows of energy that surround and permeate us constantly. Many and varied kinds of energy are constantly flowing into us as fields of energy and nothing exists independently of anything else. Everything is in flux and flow and radiating and vibrating. We are one dynamic Unified Field of Energy.
Who was it that said,” Just because a child believes a lie does not make it true”?
So this teacher of mine said that when one person acts with conscious loving intent to help the world she changes the world for the better even if it seems nothing has changed. He told us that by consciously intending to act as a gate or channel for the healing power of Heaven we can draw wonderful Heaven energy to this planet and help all sentient being that exist within our planetary field.
He further pointed out that we on this planet can help the Heavens by consciously intending to send the healing power of this planetary field into the Heavens to act with other flows to help where it is needed throughout existence.
Back to Bubbling Wells.
To repeat myself, the kidney meridian starts at the sole of your feet. According to the acupuncture text book “Fundamentals of Chinese Acupuncture" The kidney meridian begins “in the depression appearing on the sole when the foot is in planter flexion, about one third of the distance from the base of the toes to the heel." These points are called Kidney one or yong quan meaning “gushing spring".
You can almost see or feel earth energy gushing up and into your energy field. I love feeling that. Visualize big happy smiles in both gushing springs. Become very familiar with gushing springs and you will become more grounded and have better health. That is true of all the points and channels you have discovered within your self.
Now for one final voyage through our field with intent.
Can you imagine that your intent is to be a living acupuncture needle for the planet? Can you imagine intending to bring the most beautiful, healing energy of the Heavens through your bai hui with every inhalation and guide it down through your center channel to your upper white dan tien? Can you imagine the energy of Heaven smiling with your upper dan tien and the upper dan tien sending loving healing chi with the Heaves energy into your middle dan tien? Can you imagine the Heaven energy smiling with the middle dan tien and sending flowing loving energy with the Heaven chi to your lower dan tien? Can you imagine Heaven energy and the energy from upper and middle dan tien smiling with lower dan tien?
Can you imagine as you exhale moving the smiling loving energies of Heaven, the upper middle and lower dan tiens down through hui yin and down through your legs and feet out bubbling wells into the Earth?
Can you imagine the Earth smiling with pleasure and love as it feel and greets the combined energies of you and the Heaven?
One of my favorite quotes from the Bible is, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." If you study and practice chi kung with a good heart and a disciplined mind a new life will open up to you. You will be blessed in more ways than you can now imagine. I know that from my own experience and the experience of many fellow students and practitioner. Come on it the water is wonderful.
I have created this free site to provide information that might prove to be helpful to you or your family or friends or even to a stranger or two that might be in need of some help. The second link in the Link section will take you to the introduction to my bog. Links found near the top are the most useful for understanding chi and healing. There are some real treasures here if you but take the time to find them, inshAllah.
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