This year, Good Friday is also the day of the full moon.  Spring is everywhere, the pollen is thick, new life is abundant.  So are the potential metaphors.  This season is a time for remembering new birth, new life, second chances (and thirds, fourths,....), resurrection, change and impermanence.  New and full moons are special to me, as are noted seasonal days such as equinox and solstice.  Of course, in reality a day is a day.  But these markers are chances to be reminded of the constancy of change, to embrace that and all it implies.  And the thing is, it implies a lot.

If I reflect, I realize I'm not the same person I was a year ago, certainly not the same as ten or twenty years ago.  That shouldn't be a reason for stress or melancholy.  Rather it should be a wake-up call, a pointer.  We try to freeze reality in so many ways, when in fact what we are, the world we live in, and the minds we utilize to process are all in a constant state of flux, movement, and yes, change.  Nothing is solid now, nor has it ever been. 

Our true essence is one with all the Universe.  Quantum mechanics tells us the Universe is constantly expanding with the movement of time.  Every second the Universe expands a little more in all directions.  With every breath, so do we.  Not in the physical sense, per se, although that seems to happen with time as well.  But I'm speaking in a metaphysical, energetic sense.  Our existence is not limited to the boundary of our outer layer of skin, the limits of vision or hearing.

This expansion of the Universe is Taiji, change, Yin and Yang, it is the power of Hunyuan.  Hunyuan both creates and destroys.  It is the creative power of the Universe, and destruction is inherent in creation.  All is change.  As we notice this in the world around us, we can notice it in the world within us as well.  So, necessarily spiritual rebirth includes death.  To that end, acknowledgement is in order.  This is Grace.  Our part in the process of Grace is obviously gratitude.  So, embrace the season, the changes without and within, and be grateful.  Change is the godhead.  To acknowledge it is to accept the blessing.

I have been thinking about the various approaches to practice in the West, and the inevitable reactions to them, and what it all means, what it's all about.  The issue is the Westernization of practice.  Is it really a bad thing?  What is it, what drives it?  Why does it matter?

For example the arts of Tai Chi, Yoga, and Mindfulness have been, in the eyes of some, watered-down for the Western lifestyle.  There is no argument on this point.  For the majority of people, yoga is asana practice, Tai Chi is choreographed form, and mindfulness is learning to pay attention to the moment.  And that's all.  Of course, those who have chosen to delve deeper into these arts know there is more--lots more--to these practices.  We assume they are presented this way to make them easier and appealing to more people.  And that assumption wouldn't be all wrong.  It also wouldn't be all right.

Continued Below

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