Chapter 7
THE SMALL WATER WHEELS
One of the most important aspects of Nei Gong training is the circulation of energy along the various pathways of the ‘small water wheel’. The most famous of these circulations is undoubtedly the ‘small Heavenly orbit’, the cycle of Qi that takes place up the middle of a person’s back through the Governing meridian and then down the centre of their front through the Conception meridian. This is the first of several rotations of energy that we need to establish in order to move deeper into Daoist internal work. Much has been written about the first of these rotations but, once again, most of this has been from the viewpoint of a male practitioner. Women engaged in Nei Gong training have a couple of unique considerations when they engage in this practice.
There are various methods of activating the circulations of Qi in Nei Gong practice. Some of these methods use the mind and some use moving Qi Gong exercises, but in this book we are going to look at the practice of awakening the lower Dan Tien in order to utilise it as a driving force for the orbits. This practice is the same whatever your gender, because in the early stages our first challenge is connecting with the lower Dan Tien and gaining a conscious link between its movements and our mind.
LOCATING THE LOWER DAN TIEN
Almost every system of internal work from the Daoist tradition will at some point discuss the importance of the lower Dan Tien. It is generally the starting point for all other energy practices and is considered the first aspect of the energy body that a person should learn to work with. This sounds easy enough in theory – placing the awareness on the lower Dan Tien – but in fact it is generally more challenging than that. A great number of practitioners fall down in the earliest stages of their development because they either don’t know how to locate the lower Dan Tien or they work with it in the wrong manner. If you miss the lower Dan Tien with your mind, then this will obviously slow the practice down, and if you focus on it incorrectly, it can lead to the development of internal stagnation.
The exact location of the lower Dan Tien will vary slightly from person to person. This is due partly to body shape and also to people’s energetic nature. In textbooks it is normally discussed as being a few inches below the navel, when actually it is a little more complex than that to locate the Dan Tien. In order to locate it, a practitioner can go through various stages.
We first use two key meridian points as reference points to locate the lower Dan Tien. These points are Qi Hai (氣海) (CV 6) and Hui Yin (會陰) (CV 1). Qi Hai sits in the front midline of the body, two fingers’ width below the lower border of the umbilicus. Hui Yin sits on the base of the body between the opening of the anus and the edge of the genitalia. Figure 7.1 shows how these two points can be used as a cross-reference for locating the lower Dan Tien.
FIGURE 7.1: LOCATION OF THE LOWER DAN TIEN
Alongside the diagram is the Chinese character for Tien, as in Dan Tien. Looking at the character, we can see a way to cross-reference these two points in order to locate the lower Dan Tien. Maybe that is not really an aspect of the meaning behind the character, but it is an easy way for us to remember this concept!
The point at which these two lines cross each other gives the rough location for the centre point of the lower Dan Tien. From here we then need to move our awareness around a little until we find the exact location.
When attempting to understand how far back in the body the lower Dan Tien is located, remember that it sits directly upon the line of the vertical branch of the Thrusting meridian. This meridian travels like an upright bar through the core of the body. This is what places the lower Dan Tien directly above the Hui Yin meridian point. The majority of Qi Gong practitioners we have met actually place their mind too far forward within the body and so miss the Dan Tien by quite some distance. The awareness is a curious thing, as it likes to have certain locations to grab on to. If you ever try to put your awareness into a single point within a large space, you will see what we mean. Those of you with enough internal sensitivity to know where your awareness actually is will find that it quickly seeks to attach itself to a physical object within that space if there is one. If you want an easy experiment, just extend your index finger and then try to focus on the air a centimetre or two from its tip. What you will most likely find is that your awareness is dying to shift across on to the tip of the finger, and only an intense level of concentration will keep it where it is. If your mind wanders for just a second, your awareness will be on the fingertip. Locating the lower Dan Tien can be similar because within the space of the lower abdomen you basically have two points that the mind will be able to attach itself to. The first is the true lower Dan Tien and the second is the false Dan Tien. These two points are shown in Figure 7.2. The false Dan Tien corresponds with the Qi Hai meridian point.
FIGURE 7.2: THE TRUE AND FALSE LOWER DAN TIEN
The true location of the lower Dan Tien is what we seek. If we are able to find it, then our awareness will have a ‘tangible’ spot to attach itself to. If we cannot find this exact point, then it will almost always have a tendency to attach itself instead to the false Dan Tien point which sits on the front of the lower abdomen.
When new students come into our school, we generally ask them to place their mind where they think their lower Dan Tien is located. We then ask them to contract the muscles around the region of the perineum a few times. From this muscular contraction they can find the Hui Yin meridian point. If they then trace a line up within the core of the body from this point, it gives them the line of depth upon which the lower Dan Tien resides. In nearly every case students are surprised to find that they have had their focus too far forward; their mind has instead been resting on the surface of the lower abdomen in the location of the false Dan Tien. The Daoists long recognised the mind’s tendency to travel to this point and so it was known as an early hurdle to a person’s practice.
If a practitioner focuses on the false Dan Tien for any length of time, they will find that they start to develop energetic stagnation within the region of the lower abdomen. This will generally lead to physical swelling and weight gain in this region of the body. This is because your awareness is leading Qi to a point in the body from which it cannot be circulated away. Although the meridian point will initially stimulate an increase in vitality (the point is used for this in acupuncture), it will, over time, slow down your development. For women, focusing incorrectly upon this point for any length of time will run the risk of developing Blood stagnation within the Uterus, an issue that can cause painful cramps, a worsening of premenstrual symptoms and a great number of unhealthy conditions around their monthly bleed.
Once you have used the height of Qi Hai and Hui Yin to locate the approximate location of the centre of the lower Dan Tien, you need to then move your awareness lightly up and down along the pathway of the vertical branch of the Thrusting meridian. Move your awareness gently up and down along the length of the line shown in Figure 7.3. Move slowly in order to give your mind a chance to translate any sensations that take place during this practice.
FIGURE 7.3: THE LINE OF THE LOWER DAN TIEN
You should only have to trace your awareness up and down along the portion of this vertical branch shown in Figure 7.3. The most that your lower Dan Tien location should deviate from the height of Qi Hai is an inch or so.
Stick with this practice until you experience one of two different sensations. There does not seem to be any pattern as to why certain people experience one of these over the other, but it does not matter as both are positive signs of success. The first sensation is one of heat and the second is of a pulling feeling as though a deep muscle is gently contracting. As your mind runs over this point, you will find that there is a point that is hot and sometimes, if you are very healthy, slightly bubbling, like boiling water. The second experience when your awareness touches the correct point is of a gentle tightening of something inside the abdomen. It is an unusual feeling because there is no literal muscle there to tighten, but the feeling is nonetheless quite distinct. Either of these will only come when your mind passes over the exact right point. Do not worry if this takes some time, though; learning to feel the lower Dan Tien is not necessarily a fast process.
At first this practice can be a little tricky, but persevere and take some time to explore the region of your lower abdomen in this manner. Keep trying regularly until you successfully find the point of the centre of the lower Dan Tien. Once you have found it a few times, it starts to become easier to do. Your mind learns that this a point it can grab on to, and before long you will be able to simply drop your awareness down on to this point straight away with no risk of it moving forwards on to the false Dan Tien. It should not take you too long; as a rough guide, most people seem to manage it within a few weeks of trying each day.
AWAKENING THE LOWER DAN TIEN
Now that you have successfully located the lower Dan Tien, it is time to start looking at the practice of waking it up. This is accomplished through combining the location of the lower Dan Tien with your breath, your intention and your centre of mass. There is quite a skill involved in accomplishing this. It is much easier to do with the assistance of a skilled instructor, but if you move step by step and do not hurry past any stages, then it should be achievable by anybody. It should be noted that as soon as you start to wake up the lower Dan Tien, you will immediately start to generate change with regard to the quality and circulation of your Blood and Jing. In order to make sure you do this effectively, you should take the following guidelines into consideration:
•An internal arts practitioner should be aiming to eat healthily anyway, but certainly before trying to wake up the lower Dan Tien you want a good solid couple of weeks with a healthy diet. If you are not usually a healthy eater, then it is vitally important that you change this for the period building up to direct work with the Dan Tien. Try to cut out sugar and spices from your diet, along with any processed food and carbonated, sugary drinks. It is not necessary to be a vegetarian but it is wise to restrict your meat consumption at this time. In our opinion, the majority of adults who are not vegetarian should only really eat meat in two or three meals per week anyway. This is the absolute maximum amount of meat a healthy internal arts practitioner needs.
•Of course, there is a clear link between Jing and a person’s sex drive. For this reason men are advised to stay away from sexual activity for a period of time prior to working with the lower Dan Tien or attempting to wake it up. This is actually not so much of an issue for women as they do not lose anywhere near as much of their essence through sexual activity and orgasm as men do. Despite this, it is still wise to avoid sexual activity of any kind for a couple of days prior to starting to wake up the lower Dan Tien. This is to ensure that the energy within the lower abdominal region is as stable as possible before any rotations begin.
•Do not engage in this practice if you are feeling very low in energy or unwell in any way. This is because the initial process can be quite demanding. If you are unwell, then there is a chance your condition could temporarily worsen. Either wait until you are better or seek out Chinese medical treatment in order to get ready for this practice.
•Do not practise this exercise when under the influence of drugs or alcohol of any kind. It is wise to avoid any alcohol for the whole period of time you are working on the lower Dan Tien, and no internal arts practitioner should ever smoke or combine these exercises with drugs, especially hallucinogens of any kind.
•If possible, do not practise around mobile phones or any devices that are attached to the internet. You are trying to attach your mind to an internal vibration. Your awareness will find this more difficult if there are a lot of other vibrations moving through the area. These devices also serve to scatter a person’s energy and we are trying to consolidate it through the practice.
•No internal work of this kind should ever be practised when pregnant. While pregnant, a woman is going through a great deal of spontaneous energetic transformation due to the development of a new life taking place inside her. There should be no disruption to this process through working with the lower Dan Tien.
•This practice can develop a lot of internal heat in the early stages of the training due to an increased movement of Qi and Jing. Please be cautious if you have any weakness of the heart or high blood pressure, as this heat can tax the heart. If you are unsure of this, please consult a Chinese medical practitioner for assistance or train under a qualified teacher who can advise you on your development.
Once these guidelines for the practice have been taken into consideration, it is time to start looking at the awakening of the lower Dan Tien. The first thing we need to do is learn how to consolidate the various required elements into the lower Dan Tien region. These key elements are shown in Figure 7.4. They are each discussed in detail below.
FIGURE 7.4: THE THREE ELEMENTS OF LOWER DAN TIEN AWAKENING
If one or more of these elements is not effectively connected to the location of the lower Dan Tien, then the chances of you managing to wake it up are greatly lessened.
Centre of Mass to Lower Dan Tien
The Wuji posture (discussed in Chapter 6) is the easiest position to use in order to get your centre of mass to the correct location. This is largely because one of the key functions of this posture is to enable you to work with the lower Dan Tien in the foundation stages of Nei Gong practice.
Before starting to use the Wuji posture as a practice to bring your centre of mass down to the lower Dan Tien region, you will first need an internal point of reference. For this reason you should persevere with the previous exercises of searching for sensation around the lower Dan Tien region of the lower abdomen until you are successful. Once you have managed to locate this point, you will know exactly where your body mass has to be focused towards.
If you have practised the Wuji posture from the previous chapter to a point where it has become comfortable, then your next task is to continue with the refinement of its alignment principles. Stand in Wuji for a short time and use your awareness to tune in to and locate your physical centre of mass. It is a key realisation of anybody who has trained in the internal arts for any length of time that your centre of mass is actually a relatively ‘fluid’ thing which can be moved around your body according to how you structure it. It seems that with a fairly high level of skill it can even be transmitted through the soft tissues of the body according to intention. For our purposes in Wuji training, we don’t need to reach this level, though; we simply need to bring our centre of gravity down from the chest into the lower abdomen and then adjust our posture so that our mass is directed downwards to the location of the lower Dan Tien. The pressure of your mass going to the lower Dan Tien is then released down through the legs into the Yong Quan (K 1) meridian points as previously discussed. Once you have explored this concept and brought your centre of mass to the correct place, you will have folded your knees and Kua to the correct degree. There is never any need to go lower than this in any of the standing practices of Nei Gong. You will find that you don’t really need to go very low in your stance. In order to give you the right idea of the height of the stance, Figure 7.5 shows one of our students standing with their Wuji posture at the correct height for working with the lower Dan Tien.
FIGURE 7.5: WUJI WITH CENTRE OF MASS IN LOWER DAN TIEN
The arrows on the image show the direction of force within the body generated by the positioning of the body in this manner.
Awareness on Lower Dan Tien Region
The second ‘ingredient’ involved in the awakening of the lower Dan Tien is the effective placement of your awareness upon this same point that you have by now located. The awareness should be placed as exactly as you can on to the point to which you are directing your body mass through the Wuji posture. The skill in achieving this is twofold: first, the strength of the awareness needs to be at a correct level; second, it needs to be constant with no lapses in your focus. For many practitioners, this is very difficult; no matter how challenging any physical exercises become, nothing is as difficult as getting to grips with getting your acquired mind under control.
One of the greatest risks to your internal health when engaging with a practice such as Nei Gong or Qi Gong is misunderstanding the required strength of your awareness. The more force you put behind your level of focus, the more energy you will lead to a region of the body and thus the more risk there is of stagnation occurring. Many practitioners we have met over the years have walked a very dangerous path, using incredibly strong focused attention in everything they do. Although some had come very far in their practice, most of them had paid some kind of a price with regard to their physical or mental health. We cannot stress enough to new students that the ideal level of awareness is that of a ‘casual observer’ to the process taking place, all the while keeping your mind resting on a specific point within the body. The mind never has to generate or force anything in your practice; it simply remains calm and observes or, as the classical Chinese teachings say, ‘listens’ to the process. By learning how to regulate the strength of your awareness in this manner, you will create a definite enough point to draw energy to the correct location but nowhere near strong enough to cause it to stagnate. It is better to have your awareness too weak, which will result in it wandering. At least a wandering mind will not cause you any danger; it will simply slow down your development.
Once you have practised enough to regulate the strength of your awareness, you should bring it to the point of the lower Dan Tien in your Wuji standing practice and rest it there.
Leading the Breath to the Lower Dan Tien
The final ingredient for awakening the lower Dan Tien is actually quite simple to achieve, although it relies on your awareness already being in the right place. As previously discussed in Chapter 3, as we breathe, we cause an expansion and contraction of the energy within the auric field. In addition, our breath leads Qi through various regions of the energy body. By placing our awareness on to the region of the lower Dan Tien, we cause a certain amount of the energy shifted by our breathing to travel down towards the lower Dan Tien. As the classical saying goes, where the awareness goes, energy follows. This energy begins to take the form of an internal wave which is led downwards to generate a reaction with the lower Dan Tien on each exhalation.
It is much like gently blowing on the dying embers of a fire in order to get the heat to grow once more. The ‘fire’ you are trying to ignite within your body is the energy required to awaken the lower Dan Tien.
Once you have successfully brought these three aspects together, your practice at this stage should consist of Wuji practice with a continuous effort to refine them. Once they all work together in an efficient whole, then the lower Dan Tien will begin to stir.
HOW LONG TO CONTINUE WITH THIS PRACTICE
Possibly the most important question for any internal practitioner to ask is how long they should continue with any practice. Once the correct principles have been learned, timing becomes a major issue. In order to answer this question, we can divide practices into two main categories:
1.The first category of practice has no defined aim or set limit to the amount of growth it can bring. Many Qi Gong exercises, meditation forms or martial arts practices fall into this category. These practices are a lifelong study which sincere practitioners should only stop doing when they are on their deathbed. The skill with this kind of practice is to understand where it is supposed to be leading you and so in turn ensure that it keeps leading you down a continuous path of development. Many practitioners fall down in these kinds of practice simply because they lose sight of a developmental process and so allow their practice to become stagnant. Once it does not lead to growth, it does not help along the ‘path’ and it has become a useless practice.
2.The second category of practice leads to a very set place. These practices have a very specific goal, a set amount of time they should be practised and a limit to how far they can take you. It is normal to practise them until you have reached whatever the aim of the practice is and then to leave them and move on. It is worth noting here, however, that these practices should be left but then returned to on occasion. It is always an important part of internal training to occasionally return to the beginning. In these cases it ensures that you maintain the strength of the foundation upon which everything else is built.
Awakening the lower Dan Tien is an aspect of Nei Gong training that falls into the second category. It is a practice that has a definite conclusion, but it should then be returned to every now and then to ensure that you have consolidated your foundations.
When the lower Dan Tien begins to wake up, it generally produces the following result:
•First, you will begin to generate a reaction within the Jing of the lower abdomen, back and hips. As stated previously, Jing is simply a form of vibrational energy which carries with it a source of information. As it begins to react to the awakening of the lower Dan Tien, your mind will translate the information of the lower Dan Tien into something that it can tangibly understand. In the vast majority of cases this will manifest as waves of heat around the lower abdominal region or even a feeling of warm flowing fluid which travels around the body, including down through the legs. This heat is rarely subtle. If you experience a slight increase in body temperature which you could possibly explain away as autosuggestion or your imagination, then ignore it. The heat that comes with the movement of Jing is very clear to feel. It is normal for students in Wuji to be standing in sweat-drenched clothes, small puddles forming under their feet. Thankfully, this rather unpleasant stage only lasts for a very short time as your body learns how to normalise the experience. When this happens, it becomes a much more bearable warm, glowing sensation. It is generally only shocked-looking newcomers to the practice who end up being completely wet!
•Beyond this stage the lower Dan Tien then starts to generate more life and movement within the energy body. This sends more information through the meridian system, which in turn stimulates movement within the physical body. A student who has reached this stage will generally begin to shake or vibrate at a very high rate. At first these vibrations will be localised to within the legs, but after some time it is normal for these vibrations to then move through the rest of the body, through the arms and out to the hands. They are nothing to worry about and simply a sign of increased energetic movement through the body. As they take place, they cause a great deal of energetic repatterning to take place, changes that have a positive effect upon your health. These shakes should come and go in short bursts. As with the experience of heat, once the body has normalised the experience, they will quieten down and become more subtle, and you will be left with a gentle feeling of vibration through the body which is practically invisible to any onlooker.
•Once the Dan Tien starts to become consolidated to a point of waking up, it will begin to make sudden jerks within your lower abdomen. These jerks come quickly and can take you by surprise. Don’t panic when they begin to manifest, as they can sometimes be quite strong. They generally come quite a few minutes apart in your practice, with no observable pattern as to when they appear; as far as we can ascertain, they are not linked to either your mindset or your breathing. They are a clear sign of developmental progress when working towards awakening the lower Dan Tien, though. As these jerks go off within the lower Dan Tien, they motivate the physical body to follow. Do not be surprised if the sudden twist of the lower Dan Tien causes you to turn around abruptly to either side. We have even had many students who were thrown off their feet by the movement of the lower Dan Tien. The lower Dan Tien is the energy centre of movement, activity and action. It is the driving force for energy and life. As it wakes up, we are simply accessing these aspects of its nature and so we experience these various reactions.
Once you have started to experience these reactions, the lower Dan Tien is successfully awakened enough for you to move on to working with the ‘small water wheels’ of Qi, which are important for your Nei Gong practice. As a rough timescale, we have had some students achieve this after only a few weeks and yet others take around a year. It is individual from person to person. The secret is continuous refinement of the principles and regular daily practice.
THE FIRST SMALL WATER WHEEL
In order to initiate the rotation of energy within the first orbit of the congenital energy system, we need to learn how to consciously rotate the lower Dan Tien. This practice is not actually so difficult, providing that you have built a strong enough base in the previous practices in this book. Through rotation of the energy along the Governing and Conception meridians we establish the basis for Yin and Yang to begin stabilising within the energy body. The driving force for this rotation is the actualising potential of the lower Dan Tien.
The correct direction for the initial rotation of the lower Dan Tien is shown in Figure 7.6. This is the same direction of rotation for both genders. It is only beyond this stage that female followers of the Dao are required to establish further rotations.
FIGURE 7.6: THE INITIAL ROTATION DIRECTION
In Daoist Nei Gong practices, the rotation of this initial ‘small water wheel’ is actually differentiated into two aspects: the inner orbit of the rotation and the outer orbit. The outer orbit is the complete circulation of energy through the Governing and Conception meridians, while the inner orbit is a helpful ‘beginner-level’ orbit which serves to establish the correct directional force. When we first begin to rotate the lower Dan Tien, it is the inner orbit that we are trying to achieve.
In order to do this, place your mind on to the point that you have already ascertained is the central focal point for the lower Dan Tien. Use your Wuji stance to drop the body mass down to the correct place and stand like this for a few minutes simply relaxing and breathing. Ignore any sudden jerks the lower Dan Tien may make, although you should have progressed past that stage by the time you get on to controlled Dan Tien rotations.
After a few minutes you should simply begin to rotate the lower Dan Tien forward, as shown in Figure 7.6. Use your awareness to establish a smooth rotation of the lower Dan Tien in this direction. The vast majority of beginner students find it easiest to carry out this rotation in time with their breathing, although it is not vitally important that this is the case.
In order to understand exactly what Dan Tien rotation is, we should clarify one thing: we are not discussing a physical rotation of any muscles or joints within the region of the pelvis or lower abdomen, nor are we talking about using your imagination to picture a rotating ball in your gut. Instead, we are referring to setting up a forward rotational direction with your awareness within the lower abdomen and then being patient! After some time the lower Dan Tien will begin to rotate and you will experience a full rotation of this energy centre. It is a clear sensation of something turning over deep within your lower abdomen in time with your awareness. This turning has strangely been compared to a ‘fish turning over in the guts’. It is a very strange sensation at first, but after some time it becomes normal like anything else.
As the Dan Tien rotational practice becomes easier, you will find that the connective tissues within the lower abdomen begin to follow its movement. Once again, we wish to underline that you do not make any movements with the body yourself; you simply stand in Wuji. As the Dan Tien turns, it will begin to strengthen the connection between the energetic and physical bodies, and this is what starts to generate tangible movement within the lower abdomen.
There are various bodily reactions that often take place when the lower Dan Tien starts to make a full rotation. These are quite normal, very common and nothing to be concerned about.
•As the lower Dan Tien starts to rotate, it is normal for the body to enter into a period of energetic and physical purging. A combination of poor diet and negative emotional debris has left many people’s bodies full of stagnant toxins. As the Dan Tien wakes up and begins to move energy through the body, it will aim to naturally reverse this state and the result can be feelings of nausea or even vomiting. These should only last a day or two at the most and seem to occur in about a quarter of the students we teach, far more often in male students. In every case, after the temporary sickness has ended, students state that they feel much better for it.
•The second ‘purging’ body reaction that may manifest is a kind of colon cleansing which gives a new practitioner loose bowels for up to a week. The material that comes out during these spontaneous colon cleanses is not just faecal matter but also the same strange toxic leftovers that a person will experience leaving the body when completing prolonged fasting and enemas. As with the previously mentioned nausea, this only ever seems to happen once at the beginning of a Nei Gong student’s training and always seems to improve their health. This reaction is much more common than the nausea and affects roughly half of those starting to rotate the lower Dan Tien.
•If the rotation of the lower Dan Tien causes an increase in heaviness of the flow during menstruation, then stop and wait until you have moved past this part of your monthly cycle before continuing practice. The extra heat generated by the beginning stages of rotating the lower Dan Tien can sometimes increase the expulsion of menstrual Blood by the Uterus.
If any of these reactions take place, don’t worry – it is quite normal. You are entering into some of the stronger aspects of internal work and so bodily reactions like this are common. They should only last for a short space of time. If they last any longer, then please go and see an experienced Chinese medical practitioner and they should be able to assist you.
THE INNER ORBIT
Once the lower Dan Tien begins to make full rotations, it will generally start to awaken the inner orbit of the ‘small water wheel’ of its own accord. This is a rotation of energy along the pathway shown in Figure 7.7. This rotation moves through the lower back, along the underneath of the diaphragm and then down the front of the abdomen where it reconnects with the Dan Tien once more.
FIGURE 7.7: THE INNER ORBIT
This small rotation of energy is a direct result of the turning of the lower Dan Tien. It helps to establish the power for the remainder of the first ‘small water wheel’ and to open the lower back up enough for the first stages of movement along the line of the Governing meridian to take place.
The opening of the lower back is an important part of the process as it ensures that no blockages appear in the early stages of the circulation. It has long been recognised that although moving energy can stagnate anywhere along the line of the ‘small water wheel’, it is far more likely to occur at certain points along the two meridians involved. These points of potential stagnation are classically named the ‘clipping passes’ and they are shown in Figure 7.8. Effectively moving deeper into Nei Gong requires freeing up any blockages in these particular areas of the body.
FIGURE 7.8: THE CLIPPING PASSES
In the majority of classical Daoist texts, these points are given esoteric names. These names would only have been relevant to people ‘in the know’ in these traditions and in this way they could keep their training secret. In modern times there is a great deal more openness around energetic training and so consequently these esoteric names are generally replaced by the names of meridian points which are more commonly understood. We actually find the meridian point names to be a little misleading, as the energy does not always stagnate in such an exact location. Its blockage can deviate from the meridian point location by up to a few inches sometimes. For this reason we have simply named each clipping pass after the body region it sits within. For each of these points we have outlined the risks of energy stagnating to a large degree within this area of the body.
Pelvic Floor Pass
If the practice of the ‘small water wheel’ causes energy to stagnate strongly within this region, then it can lead to a dramatic drop in vitality. A practitioner will find that they quickly become very Qi-deficient, which generally results in a pale face, dizziness, weak breathing and becoming very easily tired. They can also be prone to experiencing great pain in the region of the groin as the energy becomes trapped.
Lumbar Pass
If energy becomes trapped within the lumbar clipping pass, then it is normal for energy to begin forcing its way into the lower back where it causes pain and weakness. This pain then often radiates down the backs of the legs, causing tingling sensations, numbness and weakness of the legs. It is a serious energetic condition which is not so easy to treat.
Scapula Pass
If energy gets caught in the region of the scapula, then there is almost always sharp stabbing pain in this region of the spine. Functional control of the arms and hands can be affected and it is common to experience tingling and numbness in the fingers.
Occipital Pass
This is one of the more dangerous clipping passes to become blocked. If energy cannot pass through this region of the neck, then it can lead to increased levels of aggression and anxiety. In extreme, prolonged cases it can lead to the development of mental illness. In classical teachings, it was said that a person was likely to begin talking crazily to themselves and hear the voices of the dead.
Crown Pass
If the crown pass is blocked and energy builds up here, then migraine-type headaches will develop as well as stabbing pain localised to the top of the head. It is a very intense pain which generally only clears after the blockage is removed.
Spiritual Eye Pass
In the centre of the forehead, between the eyebrows, is a common potential clipping pass of the ‘small water wheel’. If energy becomes trapped here, then it is normal to experience frontal headaches, pressure behind the eyes, sinus problems, insomnia and flickering lights in front of your vision. In extreme cases it can also lead to depression and psychiatric imbalance.
Mouth Pass
If energy becomes trapped here, then a practitioner can develop pain and aching sensations in the mouth and face. The early stages of this blockage often show up through spontaneous itching sensations on the face as soon as you begin your training, but after some time this blockage can become more serious.
Throat Pass
This is a very dangerous clipping pass point if it becomes trapped. Blockages here can lead to a whole-body stagnating of energy as well as a restricted feeling in a person’s breathing. In chronic cases it can also prevent a person from being able to express themselves and can even lead to irregularities such as a stutter.
Chest Pass
At the centre of the chest sits a large clipping pass which is largely controlled by the health of your emotions. If this point becomes blocked, then it can lead to either a hyperactivity of your emotional state or a lowering of your mood towards chronic depression. It can also affect the level of Jing in the breasts, causing it to disperse. The first sign of this is that along with an uncomfortable tenderness in your breasts they can also begin to decrease in firmness.
Abdominal Pass
If the energy within the ‘small water wheel’ becomes blocked here, then it is generally the digestive system that becomes affected, as well as the Uterus. Various menstrual issues can arise and they will normally be accompanied by distending pain which originates in this region of the body.
DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES
We decided to include the issues associated with clipping pass blockages in this book because we are contacted by so many people who have experienced them. It is only when you start to reach out and talk to the wider internal arts community that you realise just how many practitioners have suffered problems from their practice. The truth is that while some practices are safer than others, all internal energetic training will involve at least some degree of risk. This is why training under a skilled instructor is the wisest option. In spite of this, we have made the decision that people reading this are adults and probably already engaged in the energetic arts in some manner, and so we hope they are aware of the risks they may be taking. With this in mind, we are trying to present as much information as we can, as we feel it is better to be well informed than to have half the information before you begin your practice.
To keep it simple, if any of the above negative symptoms begin to manifest out of your practice of the ‘small water wheel’, then you need to step back from the training immediately. If this is the case, then you are simply not ready to move on to this kind of work. Instead, you should seek out assistance from either a skilled teacher or a Chinese medical practitioner who can help you with the blockage. In many cases you simply need to turn to a more gentle Qi Gong practice for a while until the blockage is freed up or spend more time on the foundation practices prior to engaging in the ‘small water wheel’.
THE LOGIC OF THE INNER ORBIT
There are various ways of working with the initial circulation of the ‘small water wheel’ of Qi. Some schools favour externalised movements and others use guided intention. With this second method, the primary mechanism is the rotation of the lower Dan Tien. The logic behind using the lower Dan Tien as a driving force is that a practitioner never actually has to have any interaction between their own energetic pathways and their mind. Almost all of the potential issues that can arise, such as those discussed above, are due to the strength and quality of a practitioner’s focus not being correct. If a person is to use their mind to lead energy around the circulation of the Governing and Conception meridians, then at some point they have to rest their awareness on each of the clipping passes in turn; if they mistakenly use an overly strong intention (which is quite likely if you have a direct goal of leading Qi somewhere), then there is the potential for energy blocking at one of the passes. If this continues for too long, then serious issues may appear. If you are familiar with the technique of Sung breathing, then feel free to use this technique on any of the clipping passes in order to help free them up. Sung breathing is gentle and will cause no problems, providing you are skilled with the method.
As the inner orbit begins to open up, there are several clear signs that will likely manifest within your body. The first and clearest of these is that as the energy moves through the lower back it will begin to increase the size of the spaces between your lumbar vertebrae. The expansion of these spaces is the body’s way of ensuring that there is enough of a physical opening for the energy being directed from the lower Dan Tien to pass through. There is no discomfort when this happens; in fact, it often feels pretty good for anybody who has been suffering with a stiff back up until this point. The clear sign that this is happening, though, is that as the lower back opens up it generates more length around the spine, and this has the added effect of causing the practitioner to spontaneously start bending forwards, often so much so that they are thrown to their hands and knees. Figure 7.9 shows a practitioner who is experiencing exactly this process.
FIGURE 7.9: OPENING THE LUMBAR SPINE
Do not panic when this happens; it is a very common sign of progress which a large number of our students go through. It is a temporary stage that usually lasts a few weeks during your daily practice – at the most a couple of months – if you are practising regularly. When the rear aspect of the inner orbit has opened up, this reaction will stop, as there is now enough space in the lower spine for the energy to pass through. This is a sign that the lumbar clipping pass has successfully been cleared.
After this there is generally a period of calm in people’s training, apart from perhaps a little vibration as the inner orbit starts to complete itself. When it is done, you will be left with the feeling of a clear rotation taking place in the space below your diaphragm, as shown in Figure 7.7 above. For some people, there is a small degree of muscular undulation that spontaneously takes place in the lower abdomen for a while, but this does not seem to be a very common reaction.
THE COMPLETION OF THE SMALL WATER WHEEL
The inner orbit serves to establish the base upon which the rest of the Governing meridian opens up. This should happen of its own accord when you reach this stage. By now your Dan Tien should be so active that it is no longer necessary to rotate it forward. Instead, you should just bring together the three ‘ingredients’ of your awareness, your centre of mass and your breath in order to enable the rotation of your energy system to happen of its own accord.
The curious thing about reactions in Nei Gong training is that they seem to come in stops and starts. Your training will generally move through peaks of Yang activity followed by more gentle periods of Yin quietude. It is during these quiet periods that the body begins to integrate everything that has been happening, so that your training becomes a part of you. One teacher put it well by saying that you do not really ever integrate your training into your life, but rather your training integrates you into it. It is at these times that you should trust what you are doing and continue onwards. A great many people we have known have a powerful experience through internal arts training which changes their complete view on life, and then they enter into a period of relative stillness. Disappointed that the entire process is not as exciting as before, they quit their practice. It is a real shame when this happens, because if they had just continued onwards, they would have moved through more of these peaks and troughs.
After the inner orbit has been achieved, there is normally one of these quiet periods until, when it is ready, the rest of the spine will begin to open up as the energy starts to flow through the Governing meridian. Once again, you are likely to be tipped forward as the spaces between the vertebrae become larger. This time, though, there is a clear feeling of expansion taking place along the length of your entire back. At this stage, as people are often pushed forwards on to their hands and knees, they will find it more natural to stay on the floor for some time as they can often feel the spine continuing to open under the influence of the energy as it continues to move through the Governing meridian. If this happens, then simply remain on the floor for some time and give your energy body enough space for this to happen unimpeded. For many people, this can be a very pleasant sensation – one that they do not wish to end too quickly.
A particular type of Qi begins to move into this orbit once the spine has successfully been opened up. This Qi brings with it the direct experience of expansion. It is a curious feeling, as if somebody has expanded the meridians with a bicycle pump! Some students say that this energy brings with it a feeling of warmth, while others state that they can clearly feel something like air or liquid moving around the orbit of the ‘small water wheel’. Experiences will be individual from person to person, depending upon how your own mind translates the information contained within the energy moving through your meridian system. At this stage, when the circulation has completed, up the back of the body and down the front, all bending-forward reactions will end and standing will become relatively quiet once more. When you reach this stage, you will have completed the first orbit of the ‘small water wheels’.
THE REVERSE ORBIT OR THE WIND PATH
The energy flowing within the Governing and Conception meridians also has the ability to flow in the opposite direction. In this case the Qi moving from the lower abdomen flows upwards along the line of the Conception meridian, over the head and then down the centre of the back. This flow is known either as the ‘reversed small water wheel’ or sometimes the ‘wind path’, although this second name tends to be more accurately applied to alchemy training rather than Nei Gong.
The reverse cycle of energy through this orbit is a very important aspect of training for female practitioners. Although men will also on occasion find that their own energy flows in this direction as well, it is not such an important part of their training. Men will find that it is generally a brief experience and then it is over for them. They should never attempt to make this circulation happen through any kind of directed willpower.
Women will find that this orbit begins to take place of its own accord, and they should simply allow it to happen. It will be far more regular for women than it is for men, and will happen more and more the deeper they go into their Nei Gong practice. Sometimes it will even happen for women long before the ‘regular’ direction of the first ‘small water wheel’ has opened, but generally it will start to manifest a little later in their practice. In the practice of Daoist alchemical meditation, women actually learn how to utilise this cycle in time with the phases of the moon, but in a practice such as Nei Gong we do not worry. Nei Gong is not as advanced as alchemy; we are not working on such a deep level and so there is no need for the connection of this cycle to the outer environment. In Nei Gong we are working primarily with energy at this stage in our training and so it is better to give the body the space it requires to repattern itself as it sees fit.
The key role of the reverse flow of energy in this orbit is to extract Jing from the Tian Gui stored around the Uterus. This Jing is then raised upwards through the Conception meridian towards the chest, where it is stored. This has the benefit of ensuring that women have a healthy amount of acquired Jing stored around the Heart centre so that they can establish a solid foundation in the intermediate stages of their training. Figure 7.10 shows the pathway of this flow of energy as well as the movements of Jing that take place.
FIGURE 7.10: THE REVERSE FLOW OF THE SMALL WATER WHEEL
As shown in the diagram, the general direction of flow of Jing within a woman’s body is from the region of Ming Men towards the Uterus where it becomes menstrual Blood. There is also a natural sinking motion that takes place as Jing from the region of the chest sinks downwards towards the Uterus. The reverse cycle of energy within the ‘small water wheel’ causes some of this Jing to be raised upwards away from the Uterus towards the chest where it moves into the region of the breasts to be stored.
As this cycle begins to open up, there is a clear feeling of upwards movement which begins low down in the abdomen before rising upwards into the chest region. Women will have the distinct sensation of their chest expanding outwards and sometimes you will even find that your body physically begins to stretch around the ribcage and behind the breasts. As the Jing moves along this line, it is also normal to experience sensations of heat moving upwards towards the chest and this can leave a woman with a feeling of warm energy expanding across the chest and breasts. If Jing moves into the nipples, do not be surprised if they become somewhat swollen. This is a normal reaction to the energetic movement taking place within your body.
This raising of Jing upwards into the region of the breasts is important for female followers of the Daoist arts as it helps to strengthen what is one of the biggest weaknesses for women with regard to energy work. Although men struggle with the stabilisation of Jing around the region of the lower Dan Tien, women do not; instead, they struggle with the hurdle of the middle Dan Tien. Because of the close connection between the Heart centre, the emotions and the Jing within the chest region, any extreme emotional swing will actually cause depletion of a woman’s vital essence. Although acute emotional experiences are quite normal, chronic states of emotional imbalance are the biggest drain on a woman’s health. On top of that, if a woman wishes to open up connections to higher states of awareness, then the emotions want to be relatively centred, and this is much easier to achieve with a healthy supply of Jing within the chest and breasts.
According to Daoist thought, women are born with a certain degree of Jing within the region of their chest; as they age, it naturally sinks downwards towards the Uterus to contribute to the formation of menstrual Blood. In addition, it converts into breast milk during lactation as this is a vital source of acquired essence for a mother’s newborn child. As the Jing within this region of the body becomes depleted, a woman will find that her breasts naturally begin to loosen and ‘sag’ downwards. If, however, this Jing can be moved through the reverse cycle upwards into the chest region, then much of this will be avoided. A clear sign of this working is that a woman should find that her breasts begin to tighten and some women even find that they begin to shrink to a certain degree. Although, of course, this physical effect upon the breasts is not something we are aiming for, it is a clear sign of progress.
As the reverse flow begins to extract Jing from the menstrual Blood, it is normal for a woman’s menstrual flow to lighten to a certain degree. Although there should never be a complete ending of a woman’s period, it is fine for it to become a little lighter. This is simply because there is not as much Jing present to generate the material basis for the creation of Blood itself.
The key factor to keep in mind with regard to this direction of flow within the first ‘small water wheel’ is that women will find that it happens of its own accord. You should find that sometimes it takes place for a small portion of your practice and other times it will be for the whole practice session. On the other hand, there may be weeks on end where it does not manifest. Do not worry about any of this, and do not look for patterns; the body will know what is best. Continue with your training, and if the reverse flow starts to take place, then simply leave it to happen. Do not worry about any particular method at this time, and don’t rotate the lower Dan Tien; simply observe what is taking place and give the energy the space it needs to move in the most efficient manner.
THE GIRDLING MERIDIAN CIRCULATION
As with the previously discussed orbit, rotation around the pathway of the Girdling meridian will activate of its own accord. When this happens, you should once again just observe and allow it to happen. This is normally a relatively brief aspect of the process. You should not experience this anywhere near as often as the reverse cycle of the first ‘small water wheel’.
When the Girdling meridian opens up, there is often a clear feeling of the lower Dan Tien rotating on a clear horizontal axis. Women will find that they naturally have a tendency towards one direction over the other while the Dan Tien is turning; this is fine – there is no need to worry about the two directions evening each other out. Figure 7.11 shows the two possible directions that you may experience the lower Dan Tien rotating.
FIGURE 7.11: HORIZONTAL DAN TIEN ROTATION
After some time that same expanding feeling will move into the pathway of the Girdling meridian. At this stage you will find that energy almost ‘sluices’ around the Girdling meridian in both directions. It is a very fluid and free-feeling meridian. In many cases women’s energy is quite ‘slack’ around the lower abdomen. This is generally due to issues around menstruation and the health of the Uterus. When the Girdling meridian begins to develop a healthy circulation, women often report that they feel as if this area has become more ‘bound up’, as if it has become wrapped up by something unseen. This has a healthy effect upon the Uterus and the digestive system.
The Girdling meridian also pertains to the energetic aspects of a person’s balance and the feeling of being ‘centred’ in themselves. If a person’s Girdling meridian is deficient in any way, then it is normal for them to suffer from minor traits such as a poor sense of direction, but also more severe imbalances such as feelings of not being in their own body at certain times. This may be a difficult state to understand for somebody who has never experienced it, but it affects a surprising number of people. All of these issues should begin to be rectified as the Girdling meridian rotates healthily.
The Uterus and the Heart have a close connection to each other. Although this relationship is often mentioned in Chinese medicine, it is rarely taken into account in women’s energetic practices. The connection between these two organs serves to generate a healthy relationship between a woman’s spirit and her unborn child when it is developing in the womb. The emotional bond that develops between mother and child is a powerful force, which relies on the energetic connection between these two organ systems. Figure 7.12 shows the connection between the Heart, the Uterus and the Girdling meridian.
As the Heart sends information down to the Uterus, it generates powerful shifts in the energetic field of the Uterus system. During the child’s development this serves to build a bond between mother and child as well as imprinting certain family emotional traits into the next generation. It is for this reason that a pregnant woman should spend so much time regulating her emotional and spiritual health prior to giving birth. Any great stresses during different stages of the pregnancy will cause a shift in the spirit of the Heart, which will in turn start to adjust the child’s developmental processes.
FIGURE 7.12: HEART, UTERUS AND GIRDLING MERIDIAN
Unfortunately, the nature of the Heart’s spirit can also cause the Uterus and its function with regard to both fertility and menstruation to be affected while a woman is not pregnant. Here is the link between a woman’s emotional state and the quality of her menstrual cycle. Part of the role of the Girdling meridian is to stabilise the Uterus Qi against any great imbalances that may otherwise result from the Heart spirit’s movements. It is for this reason that awakening the orbit of the Girdling meridian is important for women in the early stages of their Nei Gong practice.
THE SIDE BRANCHES OF THE THRUSTING MERIDIAN SYSTEM
The next circulation that opens up usually takes a little longer than the previous rotations. Once again, it tends to happen of its own accord and happens long after you have stopped needing to work on lower Dan Tien rotation. It will come as a by-product of your standing in Wuji and working systematically through the various rotations that develop prior to this stage in your development. The side branches of the Thrusting meridian pass through the left and right sides of the torso, connecting strongly to the Liver and Spleen systems as well as the breasts and nipples.
When the side branches begin to open, you will become aware of a series of fluid changes taking place within the middle of your torso. Many people have reported sensations of warm fluid rushing quickly through the body, while others say it feels more like slow, sloshing movements. It is quite difficult to feel exactly which direction the side branches are flowing due to their depth within the body, but this is essentially not that important. As these channels open, there are clear signs that can be seen and felt on the outside of the body. A person will find that they can open and close all of the joints of the body very easily. The easiest to experience is the opening and closing of the ribs, which comes very easily to somebody who has successfully awakened the side branches of the Thrusting meridian.
After some time at this stage you will find that your body becomes highly fluid in its motions, and yet it is strongly connected to its centre. It is a tricky stage for beginners to reach in their Nei Gong training, but an important one in connecting the energy body to the physical body when it moves.
CIRCULATION OF QI INTO THE LIMBS
Many practitioners of Qi Gong refer to the flow of Qi through the lengths of the arms and legs as the ‘large water wheel’ or sometimes the ‘macrocosmic orbit’. In this system of practice, we simply see them as further extensions of the ‘small water wheels’. For us, the ‘large water wheel’ is an extension of the energy out of the body into the surrounding environment, the ‘macrocosm’. That is not to say that other teachers are incorrect – it is just a different use of terminology, nothing more.
After all of the orbits have been opened up within the body, there will be a flow of Qi that extends right through the arms and legs out towards the hands and feet. This comes with a feeling of expansion all the way through the joints of the body including the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. This is a very pleasant stage which makes your arms and legs feel incredibly light and free. The expansion feels as though you have been ‘inflated’ right through to the tips of your fingers and toes. It is common for the arms to even float upwards of their own accord without you realising. We often see the surprised faces of students as they realise they are standing with their arms high in the air during Wuji practice.
It can take longer for the legs and hips to open up than the arms – sometimes several months longer. This is largely because we are standing with our weight in our legs for most of our daily lives, whereas our arms are relatively weight-free.
When a person has reached the stage of circulating energy down through the arms and legs, it is normal for them to look as if they move very fluidly when they perform their Qi Gong exercises. Their arms and legs can even take on a slightly ‘boneless’ look to them, and yet when you touch them, they still contain a great deal of strength. This strength is based on an emptiness within the joints and a healthy flow of Qi rather than physical strength; it is the internal power that is often felt in the touch of high-level internal martial artists.
THE REJUVENATING EFFECTS OF THE SMALL WATER WHEELS
As the energy begins to circulate through the various orbits of the ‘small water wheels’, you should experience the sensations discussed above. In addition, there are several key signs to look for in order to ascertain whether you are progressing in the right direction or not. Although these are not really phenomena we are aiming to achieve, they are useful signposts along the road of our journey.
•It is normal for the face to become a little smoother than it was before as the movement of energy begins to nourish the skin. In some people, it can actually look as if their face is slightly moist, but in the majority it simply begins to smooth out many of their wrinkles. This is partly why so many internal arts practitioners look fairly youthful even when they are well into old age.
•A practitioner who has reached this stage will naturally develop very sharp and slightly piercing eyes. The movement of energy upwards in the body helps to bring a person’s spirit into their gaze. This was a common way for teachers to check the relative skill level of their students.
•The skin on a practitioner’s body often becomes quite loose and rubbery. As Qi permeates the layers of the skin and fascia begins to unbind, the skin stops being so ‘bound up’. This is a particular quality to a Nei Gong practitioner’s skin which is easy to detect if you touch them.
•Some practitioners find that their grey hair begins to change back to its original colour. Although the entire head of hair may not change, patches of hair may begin to grow back coloured once more. This has long been an issue of pride among many teachers in China and so many of them hide their grey hair by using hair dye. During a class outdoors, it can be quite a shock when the rain causes their hair dye to begin running down their face!
•A person with all of the orbits opened up should be very relaxed and fluid in their movements. Flexibility is not about how far you can stretch your limbs but rather to do with how fluidly your joints move and rotate within whatever range of flexibility you have. It is always very impressive to meet a skilled Nei Gong practitioner who is in their later years, as they maintain a great softness in their body movements. An internal arts practitioner with large amounts of stiffness in their body has likely never fully achieved the various rotations of the ‘small water wheels’.
•Women should find that their breasts become somewhat more firm and may even begin to shrink a little. This is the result of the tightening of the Jing around the chest region. They may also find that they develop slightly more swollen nipples than they had previously.
In order to ascertain exactly where you are in your training, it is wise to use these signs, as well as the guidance of an experienced teacher. In a practice such as Nei Gong, there is always a great deal of confusion involved in what a person should be doing next and where they are exactly in the process. In modern times it has become all too common for teachers to simply state that the whole process is ‘purely internal’ and that there are no outside signs of progress. This is simply not true. Look for bodily changes in order to see where you are. Nothing can change within either the consciousness or energetic bodies without there being clear observable results within the physical body.