In following our examination of the Daoist Triad approach to training, the next aspect after training physicality is to address the energetic body.  Our prior training, physicality, stretching the soft tissues, strengthening the muscles, increasing skill and agility, and caring for all aspects of our physical lives lays the groundwork for training the energetic body.

The energetic body consists of our nervous system, meridians, chakras, and various energetic receptacles and gateways.  We address this primarily through intention and movement.  The most common ways to train the energetic body are with Qigong, Taiji, Yoga, Gongfu, and meditation.

First of all, these practices do not create Qi, or energy.  This is not magic.  The first law of thermodynamics applies.  However, we can work with the energy that is available to increase our understanding of it, and to nurture and direct it effectively as we become accustomed to the practice.  On the other hand, humans are not isolated entities in an environment.  We are connected and interrelated with all things.  In essence, there is only one energy, albeit manifesting in apparent individual aspects.  We are each individual manifestations of the same energy.  And when we die that energy leaves our physical bodies.  However, as dictated by the First Law of Thermodynamics, it doesn't dissolve, it doesn't disappear.  It continues in some fashion.  As we live we are able to experience and work with our individualized internal energy and experience and be affected by the energy of other manifestations, or basically all manifestations.  For example, practicing Qigong on a mountain or by the ocean are experiences that are rich and informed by the environment,  yet different from each other and even more different from Qigong in the dojo with ten other practitioners, or in your living room alone.  We are training our energetic bodies but a major aspect of that is in interacting with the energy around us, whether that is other people, animals, or trees and water.

Without writing a treatise on Qigong, I want to summarize the practice of training our energetic bodies.  The best simple explanation is that we relax and intentionally move, or allow the movement of our internal energy.  Various energy practices will affect our energetic bodies in different ways.  While they are all good for you, there is a lot of difference in the hard style Qigong of Shaolin, soft Qigong, Pranayama, the various schools of Taijiquan, Hatha Yoga, Dao-Yin, and the various schools of Gongfu.  The best place for one to start is to find a practice that resonates and go with it.  In time, the practice begins to inform the practitioner.  If we follow the practice we will find our path. 

Qigong practice utilizes relaxed body movements with mind intention.  There are specific Qigong practices that address specific conditions.  There are simple Qigong practices such as walking Qigong that is helpful with preventing and treating cancer and dealing with chemo therapy.  There are Qigong practices that help us connect with nature and the Universe.  There is choreographed Qigong, such as Taiji and Gongfu forms that train strength, agility, and the storage and release of energy to be used in martial applications.  And there is static Qigong, standing, sitting, and lying meditations that not only train awareness but internal energy as well.  As far as that goes, awareness and internal energy are so interrelated they could be considered the same thing.  And while intention is important, the mind sets a certain intention for practice and then leaves it alone.  There is not a lot of effort in effective Qigong.  It tends to care for itself.

In the end, it's all Qigong.  Practiced with the right intention, sitting, lying, walking, running, swimming, even sleeping can be Qigong.  Unlike most physical disciplines, the key is not in how one moves but in the intention of movement.  The overall majority of Qigong practices are really quite simple.  Yet, for all its simplicity, Qigong is still a deep and mysterious practice.  There really are no gauges for Qigong practice.  Yes, it gets deeper and more mysterious the longer we practice, but it is impossible to measure and even harder to articulate.  The best way to practice is to just do it till you become it.  Let it be.  The best indication of effective practice is improved health and spiritual awareness.  Which leads seamlessly to the next section in the Triad of Training: The Spiritual Body (next blog post).

Following up on my last blog post, I will address the physical side of the Daoist Triad approach to training.  Since my primary practice is Taijiquan/Qigong, it follows that I am coming at this from that perspective, but I think it carries over to many other disciplines, and to Human Optimization in general.

In this context, physicality is interpreted as how we tend to our embodied existence.  This means our bodies, how we condition them, how we nurture them, how we feed them, and how we house them.  In a nutshell, if we want full and meaningful lives, we must tend to the basics of our existence first.  We need to exercise and nurture our physical bodies and we should aim for stress-free days and comfortable accommodations.  

In the Taiji world there is an idea floating around some traditions that practitioners should not engage in strength training as it will hinder Qi flow.  I absolutely do not buy into this, and in fact don't think it is a credible theory at all.  First of all, Qi is not some magical force that only belongs to a few dedicated practitioners, and is not something that can be hindered or lost.  To paraphrase my teacher, Qi is the intermediary energy between our physical essence and our higher, or spiritual essence.  It is a vibration that exists in every living thing.  Second, a look back at the history of Taiji practice totally destroys this idea.  The people who invented these arts were not monks and magicians living in mountain monasteries watching birds and snakes fight.  They were simple villagers who had to engage in hard labor on farms, roads, and village construction.  They worked their asses off and no doubt were more physically fit than the many keyboard philosophers who are floating these empty theories of avoiding physical fitness so as to maintain their soft Qi bellies.

In my training, we emphasize strength training as one aspect of a complete curriculum.  This doesn't mean being a muscle head or a cross-fit enthusiast, but it doesn't rule those out either.  I short, Taiji requires lots of movement.  The advanced training in Push Hands, San Shou, Pao Cui, and Sabre are demanding on the body.  Strength training helps to condition the body and to prevent injury.  But beyond that, it's good for you.

An adjunct to strength is stretching and agility training.  Many schools of Taiji/Qigong have stretching routines.  Further, the practice of Hatha Yoga integrates seamlessly with Taiji training.  Basically, one wants to prepare the field; to open the joints and many pathways in the body to allow for energy flow, both good energy in and bad energy out.  A brisk practice of Yoga or Gongfu that will both stretch and heat-up the body is a good way to flush out toxins through sweating and internal fire (Agni).

An important factor to all of life is getting the proper amount of sleep.  This is of course especially the case if we live an active life.  We need to allow the body the time to rest and heal.  Seven or more hours a night, every night is crucial.  Sleep deprivation is a major source of stress and illness.  If one doesn't have the time to get enough sleep, major life changes are in order.  I could write a lot more about sleep and stress management.  I will do another blog entry on this subject after this series.

Finally, we need to look at our day-to-day lives.  For many this unfortunately means a certain amount of stress.  Stress is not something that exists in our world, it is an inner reaction to the outer reality of our world.  While it takes time and focus, and for many major changes, stress is totally avoidable.  It does not have to be a part of our lives.

In general the world we live in is the world we create.  By living skillfully and intentionally we can have the lives we want.  There are of course things we can't control and situations that are outside our design, but we can learn to navigate life in a much more orderly manner, and in turn live into the ideal situations we envision.  This also is a very big topic that can only be touched upon here, but one that is nonetheless important to our physical existence; it is our physical existence.  And it manifests from our internal lives outward, not the other way around.

In short, the best way to approach the physicality of life is through skillful living.  Good Dharma equals Good Karma*.  It's really that simple

*In this context, Dharma is defined as: the proper order of things and the kind of conduct that maintains it.  Karma is defined as: action that causes an effect.  Together they interact for a wholesome life.

​

"This aliveness I have learned to call "me" is a mystery without final answers, so following others who offer such answers can lead only to a deepening of the hypnotic trance of transcendence--the fantasy of gaining and obtaining. There is no transcendence. This is it. And THIS is melting away like the morning dew."
Robert Saltzman

When you have realized understanding, 
even one word is too much.
Zen proverb

Our next public workshop will be on Dec. 1st, 2018 and will focus on Neigong practice.  Neigong is an often overlooked aspect of internal training.  In many systems, there is sometimes a focus on basic Qigong--if any--and a lot of Taiji form.  Other systems may have a much greater focus on Qigong, but never get into the deeper aspect of Neigong.  And then there are the systems that actually do teach Neigong but call it Qigong.  Of course, I'm not judging any system here, just offering a chance to look at a deeper practice.  I don't personally think Neigong is or should be a requirement for anything.  I just find it to be a good practice, and in my lineage a nice precursor to understanding the depths of all practice (Taiji, Qigong, Yoga).

A primary requirement for Neigong is physical conditioning.  The body needs to be open, flexible, loose, and strong in order to process and develop awareness of energy flow at higher levels.  A strong and flexible body doesn't only help with Neigong, but with all internal (and external for that matter) practices.  It's just good policy.  We want to condition the body and keep it that way.  Then we want to move on to nurturing the energetic body.  Ultimately, this means understanding the meridian system and the Wu Xing, or five elements.  But at a basic level, it means to have an awareness of the three dantien, a few key accu-points, and a sense of how breath connects it all together.  Once we have developed an awareness of and have learned to nurture our energetic body, we will find that meditation and the accompanying stillness/silence comes much easier and naturally, thus living into our spiritual body.

In my opinion, Neigong is more something that happens than it is something that is teachable.  We can find some literature and some teaching on it, but ultimately it requires a state of mind and intention along with dedicated practice.  To that end, I have a few recommended books to accompany this workshop.  My foundation is in Hunyuan Neigong.  Unfortunately finding solid material on Hunyuan Neigong that is easy for the Western mind is difficult. 

For workshop attendees who want a deeper understanding of Hunyuan Qigong/Neigong, I recommend the following books by Wang Fengming: "The Essence of Taoism Qigong" and "Special Taoist Taiji Stick and Ruler Qigong".  They can be purchased from his website here:  www.worldtaiji.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=12 Understand, most available writing on Hunyuan is typically esoteric and obscure.  The reader has to be patient, but the information is there.  The only other book I can recommend at this time is Damo Mitchell's "Daoist Nei Gong".  This is a good book and is very informing.  This is not a Hunyuan text, so there  are some differences in approach that may be noticeable to workshop attendees.  However, in the long run these are minor and this book can serve as an excellent foundation for Western minds.  Again, we need the basics, something to work with.  But from there it is less a system of following and more a system of discovery.  Just let it happen.