Chi Kung for Women’s Health and Sexual Vitality

Exercises for the Female Reproductive System

In the East, as well as in the West, exercise is a crucial way to keep the body healthy. But when it comes to increasing sexual energy, the teachers of the East have taken exercise to a new level. To strengthen sexual energy, and thus strengthen the senses and the whole body, the Eastern traditions have developed exercises that focus specifically on the sexual area. In the Tao, sexual exercises are not merely a way to enhance sexual pleasure or become more attractive. These exercises are a means to enjoy a more vigorous and healthy body, a way to become sensitive to deeper and more intense emotions, and to cultivate spiritual energy.

The sexual area is the root of an individual’s health. Leading into the pelvis are a vast number of nerve endings and channels for the veins and arteries. Here are located tissues that communicate with every square inch of the body. All of the major acupuncture meridians that carry energy to the vital organs pass by this area. If it is blocked or weak, energy will dissipate and the organs and brain will suffer. This is what happens to many people in old age. As their rectal and pelvic muscles sag and become loose, their vital chi energy slowly drains out, leaving them weak and feeble. Strength in this region is of inestimable importance.

CULTIVATING OVARIAN POWER

The ancient Taoists had extraordinarily astute powers of observation, and their findings on the subject of sex are surprisingly consistent among different groups and over long stretches of time, which in China means not hundreds but thousands of years. This is significant because many groups did not know of any others’ abilities, whereabouts, or even existence, since these esoteric practices were kept very secret.

The ancient Taoists noted that the ovaries, as the factories that produce sexual energy in the form of eggs and female hormones, are of prime importance, because all of the vital organs, such as the brain, must contribute some of their own reserves to create and maintain them. It is said that anatomy is destiny: women are designed to be mothers. A baby girl’s ovaries are immature, small, and smooth, but they contain the power necessary to create the three to five hundred eggs she will produce in her reproductive years, plus a reserve of potentially 450,000 eggs. In any case, whether a woman has children or not, her body continues cyclically to produce ovary energy. Instead of wasting that energy, it can be conserved through transformation into another form for later use.

The Taoist exercises given in this chapter—Ovarian Breathing and Ovarian and Vaginal Compression—provide a way to use that ovarian power. The Ovarian Breathing exercise will help you to open and utilize the channels of the Microcosmic Orbit, which runs from the sexual center up the spine to the crown, then down the front of the body and back to the navel. (See chapter 5 for instructions on opening the Microcosmic Orbit.) In Ovarian Breathing you use your mind to draw the warm, yang, vital egg energy up the spine to your head and to the third eye (located mid-eyebrow), down through the tongue (raised up to the palate), the heart, the solar plexus, finally to be stored in the navel. You will be drawing on the energy generated by the ovaries, eggs, and hormones themselves. At first the process is slow, but later a simple thought will send delightful waves of energy up your back to your head.

Crucial to the ability to control this flow of sexual energy is the strength of a group of muscles we refer to as the “Chi Muscle.” The Chi Muscle consists of the PC or pubococcygeus muscle (which stretches from the pubic bone to the coccyx or tailbone, forming the floor of the pelvic cavity), the muscles of the pelvic and urogenital diaphragms, the sphincter muscle of the anus, and many involuntary muscles located in the perineum region (see also figure 3.1 of chapter 3). The second exercise, Ovarian Compression, trains you to have more control of the Chi Muscle to build up warm Ching Chi in the ovaries and to move this energy safely upward.

A Woman’s Menstrual Cycle

Most women have a profound connection with their menstrual cycles. Women students of the Universal Tao system have revealed how sensitive they are to what seem to be subtle changes in their cycles. They notice right away if their periods are one day early or late, if they last a day longer or are a day shorter, and whether the consistency or color of discharge varies from what they have come to expect. Many women even remember an event that occurred the day they received their first periods. Those memories may be pleasant or unpleasant, but they remain indelible. One woman remembers the day as the first time a man tried to pick her up; another remembers that her mother slapped her face (a gesture of welcome into the world of being a woman). Yet another woman hit a home run in a softball game that day.

On the other hand, for many women, the menstrual cycle becomes a source of confusion and uncertainty. They are unsure about fertile times, are ashamed of secretions and odors, are discontent with available birth control methods, develop anger at common childbirth practices, or harbor a simultaneous dependency on and distrust of the medical profession.

Some women go through life with few problems with their cycles, having easy periods, uncomplicated births, and smooth transitions into menopause. Others have distressing problems, such as recurrent vaginal infections, abnormal Pap smears, difficult births, or hysterectomies, or may take synthetic hormones because of disabling hot flashes during menopause. Major changes can occur in the menstrual cycles as well as in many other aspects in the lives of some women simply by practicing Ovarian Breathing.

If You Practice Celibacy

No matter who you are, sexual energy is constantly building up and accumulating in the sexual region. Some negative evidence about the health of celibates has been collected, based on studies of priests and nuns who use only willpower to suppress the sexual fire within. This evidence suggests that the practice of celibacy by women has brought on the eventual deterioration of the sexual organs due to long-term congestion in the ovaries or breasts, which in turn affects the internal organs.

Some celibates are able to transform their sexual energy naturally, and as a result no problems arise in the celibate state. A woman who is not so naturally enlightened will find an accumulation of too much sexual energy in her body and sexual organs. This energy tends to need a release, and if the woman has no way to handle the problem properly, the energy can affect her adversely, multiplying her negative emotions. Without properly cultivating sexual energy and opening the energy channels between the lower and upper body, the sexual energy is blocked, thereby congesting blood and hormones in the woman’s genitals, ovaries, and cervix. A celibate woman can avoid such problems by practicing Ovarian Breathing and other Healing Love techniques (which can be found in detail in Healing Love through the Tao, Destiny Books, 2005).

Yang energy and the Menstrual Cycle

There are three distinct parts to the menstrual cycle. First is the menstrual period itself. Then, after menstruation, an ovary spurts several immature eggs into action, and usually one egg matures completely. Surrounded by a jelly-like covering, it breaks out of the ovary. Third, after ovulation, the ruptured area of the ovary heals and forms the corpus luteum, or yellow body. This yellow body produces progesterone. The function of progesterone is to keep the uterine lining from sloughing off. If the egg unites with a sperm and a pregnancy starts, progesterone will be secreted during the entire pregnancy. If there is no fertilization, the ovary will produce a spurt of estrogen, and the menstruation cycle will begin.

Ancient records point out that in the first part of a woman’s cycle, a tremendous storage of hot life-force energy, which they called yang Ching Chi (Ovarian Chi), takes place (fig. 1.1). During a woman’s ovulation, yang energy activates and charges an egg with full potential life force; this is a sign of a strong and youthful energy with the power to create and heal.

Fig. 1.1. Energy of ovulation: During the first stages of ovulation the energy is hot. As the egg travels toward the uterus, the energy turns warm.

As the woman’s cycle continues and the egg moves out of the body, the experience of heat gives way to what has been described as a mildly warm quality. All sexual energy, whether male or female, is yin in its latent or resting state. At this time the aroused sexual energy is more yin in nature, thus it is more healing than creative. It is important to use this sexual energy and not let its vitality pour outward.

Ovarian Chi, or Ching Chi, is denser than the life force, or chi, that normally circulates in the Microcosmic Orbit. Since it is thicker and slower to move, this energy needs all the help it can get to move upward to a higher energy center. Therefore it is important to be sure the channel of the Microcosmic Orbit is open and the chi is flowing before proceeding to Ovarian Breathing. Then the more you can bring the Ching Chi (sexual energy) upward, the more you will heal and revitalize as it travels through the channel in its loop up the spine to the head and down the front through the navel, genitals, and perineum, linking the various organs and glands with each other and with the brain. This energy can also be used to heal and revitalize your partner.

The Taoists note, and women’s experiences to date confirm, that the part of the cycle between menstruation and ovulation is the time that a woman will receive the maximum benefit from the practice of Ovarian Breathing, with continued practice then being optional until the next cycle. The process of Ovarian Breathing will draw energy out of the egg. Imagine having access to an energy that is powerful enough to bestow life! In Taoism, cultivation of the movement of the pelvis, perineum, urogenital diaphragm, anus, and the sacral and cranial pumps is very important and necessary in helping to move the sexual energy up the spine.

The Body’s Diaphragms

The body possesses not one but several diaphragms. Everyone is familiar with the thoracic diaphragm in the chest, which separates the heart and lungs from the abdominal organs and helps us breathe. When you inhale, this diaphragm lowers, thus increasing the space in the chest and allowing the lungs to fill. The deeper the breath, the lower the diaphragm moves.

Less is known about the pelvic and urogenital diaphragms, which separate the pelvis from the perineum. True breathing comes from these lower diaphragms. They are an exceedingly important element in the Taoist practice of transmitting the energy generated from the sexual organs into a higher energy form. They serve as floodgates, opening to spurt energy to the organs, or as pistons, pumping the energy up to higher centers. To practice Ovarian Breathing properly, you must use not only the chest diaphragm, but also the pelvic and urogenital diaphragms (fig. 1.2).

The Pelvic Diaphragm

The pelvic diaphragm is a muscular wall that extends across the lower part of the torso. It is suspended between the pubic symphysis (pubic bones) in front and the coccyx (at the bottom of the spine) in back (fig. 1.3). Several organs penetrate this muscular partition as it lies between the pelvic cavity and the perineum. These organs are the urethra, the vagina, and the rectum. One function of the pelvic diaphragm is to support these organs. Therefore, control over this diaphragm provides you with greater control over these organs. The pelvic diaphragm is also the floor of the abdominal cavity, which contains the stomach, small and large intestines, liver, bladder, and kidneys. It lifts up and helps shape these vital organs.

Fig. 1.2. Deep breathing issues from the pelvic and urogenital diaphragms.

Fig. 1.3. Pelvic diaphragm

The Urogenital Diaphragm

At the perineum, the point midway between the anus and vagina, below the pelvic diaphragm, is another muscular diaphragm called the urogenital diaphragm. This is penetrated by the urethra, and on its underside it is attached the shaft of the clitoris (fig. 1.4).

Fig. 1.4. Urogenital diaphragm

These two diaphragms seal and hold the life force, or chi, to prevent its escape through the lower openings in the body. When the openings that pass through these diaphragms are tightly sealed, chi pressure will be increased in the abdomen. When chi pressure strengthens, it will invigorate the vital organs, helping to improve the flow of chi and blood.

The Sacral and Cranial Pumps Move Chi up the Spine

Contained and protected within your spinal column and skull is the very “heart” of your nervous system (fig. 1.5a). Cushioning it is the cerebrospinal fluid (cerebro for “the head” and spinal for “the vertebrae”). This fluid, as described by the Taoists long ago, is circulated by two “pumps.” One is located in the sacrum and is called the sacral pump. The other is in the region of your upper neck and head and is known as the cranial pump (fig. 1.5b). Many people who have activated these pumps have reported the sensation of a “big bubble” of energy traveling up their spine during Ovarian Breathing.

Fig. 1.5. The sacral and cranial pumps move cerebrospinal fluid and chi up the spine.

The Sacral Pump

Taoists regard the sacrum, which contains the sacral pump, as a point at which the sexual energy coming up from the ovaries and perineum can be held and then transformed as it is given an upward push. It can be compared with a way station that refines the energy of the ovaries, or Ching Chi, as it circulates in the body. If the opening of the sacrum to the spinal column (the sacral hiatus) is blocked, the life force cannot enter and flow up to the higher center.

The Cranial Pump

The Taoists have long regarded the cranium of the skull as a major pump for the circulation of energy from the lower centers to the higher centers. Medical research has recently confirmed that minute movements of the joints of the eight cranial bones occur during breathing. Cranial movement is responsible for the production and function of the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and this is necessary for normal nerve and energy patterns in the body. Strengthening the cranial joints can increase energy and alleviate symptoms such as headaches, sinus problems, visual disturbances, and neck problems.

During Ovarian Breathing, we use the mind and a slight tensing of the neck and jaw to help activate the sacral and cranial pumps.

Perineum Power

Taoists regard the perineum region as the lowest diaphragm, one that functions like a pump. The perineum region is known as the seat of yin (cold) energy and is closely connected to the organs and glands (fig. 1.6). The Chinese term for perineum, Hui Yin, means the collection point of all yin energy, or the lowest abdominal energy collection point. It is also known as the Gate of Death and Life. This point lies between the two main gates. The front gate, or sexual organs gate, is the big life-force opening. Here the life force can easily leak out and deplete the organs’ function. The walls of the vagina are tight during youth and after a refreshing sleep, but they become looser as we age or when fatigued. The walls of the vagina, housing the PC muscle, must be strong in order to permit the life-force energy to flow and increase their strength. The second gate, the back gate, is the anus.

Fig. 1.6. The perineum

Control of the Chi Muscle influences the pumping action. As Ovarian Breathing floods this region with energy, the perineum, vagina, and anus begin to tighten almost immediately. In the Universal Tao practices, especially in Iron Shirt Chi Kung, the perineum’s power to tighten, close, and draw the life force back up the spine is an important factor (refer to Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Destiny Books, 2006, for the complete Iron Shirt practice).

The Five Sections of the anus

The anus is divided into five sections: middle, front, back, left, and right, which are closely linked with the chi of the organs and glands (fig. 1.7). When the anus is not sealed or closed tight, we can easily lose the nutrition needed for our life force and sexual energy through “a river of no return.” By contracting and pulling up the various sections of the anus, energy is directed upward to the organs.

Fig. 1.7. The anus is divided into five regions.

Fig. 1.8. Pulling up the middle part of the anus

Middle Part

The chi in the middle of the anus is connected with the following organs and glands: the vagina and uterus, aorta and vena cava, stomach, heart, thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary and pineal glands, and the top of the head (fig. 1.8).

Front Part

The chi in the front of the anus is connected with the following organs and glands: the bladder, cervix, small intestine, stomach, thymus and thyroid glands, and the front part of the brain (fig. 1.9).

Fig. 1.9. Pulling up the front part of the anus

Back Part

The chi in the back part of the anus is connected with the organ and gland energies of the sacrum, lower lumbar spine, twelve thoracic vertebrae, seven cervical vertebrae, and the cerebellum (small brain) (see fig.1.10).

Left Part

The chi in the left part of the anus is connected with the organ and energies of the left ovary, large intestine, left kidney, left adrenal gland, spleen, left lung, and the left hemisphere of the brain (see fig. 1.11).

Fig. 1.10. Pulling up the back part of the anus

Fig. 1.11. Pulling up the left part of the anus

Right Part

The chi in the right part of the anus is connected with the organ and gland energies of the right ovary, large intestine, right kidney, right adrenal gland, liver, gallbladder, right lung, and the right hemisphere of the brain (fig. 1.12).

Once you are well trained in controlling the Chi Muscle, you can easily guide the sexual healing energy to the particular organs or glands that you need to heal, or guide the energy to help your partner during lovemaking. As you begin working with these exercises, remember that a contraction of the vagina is a contraction of the PC muscle, which initiates the contraction of the entire Chi Muscle group. Since the anus belongs to the area known as the perineum, we can say that “to contract and pull up the anus” is “to contract and pull up the perineum.” Therefore the contractions of the Chi Muscle used in Ovarian Breathing are often expressed as “to contract and pull up the perineum.”

Fig. 1.12. Pulling up the right part of the anus

OVERVIEW OF THE OVARIAN BREATHING EXERCISE

The Ovarian Breathing exercise involves a gentle contraction of the Chi Muscle, as delicate as the closing petals of a flower and so minimal that anything less would have no effect at all. After bringing your awareness to both ovaries, you will gather energy in the area known as the Ovarian Palace, which you will learn to locate when we discuss the steps of the Ovarian Breathing exercise in detail. From the Ovarian Palace, you will move the energy through the uterus to the perineum. From there, you will guide it up your back to the brain, and then, using your tongue as a switch, you will guide it down to your navel, where it can be stored.

We have noted that the energy of the ovaries is regarded as hot energy. As such, it can be stored in the heart center or navel center. Some people store too much energy in the heart and find that it causes heartburn and difficulty breathing. This means there is excess energy that is not circulating sufficiently. Therefore, in the early stages of your practice, we advise you to store the sexual energy in the navel. As your practice continues, you can store it in the heart to increase love, joy, and compassion.

Postures

There are three postures in which to practice Ovarian Breathing: sitting, standing, and lying. It is best to begin practicing in a standing or seated posture and try other postures only later on, when you are more adept.

Sitting Posture

For simplicity and comfort, sit on a chair (fig. 1.13). Sitting lends ease to a practice that favors relaxation and good concentration.

Sit on the edge of a chair with both the legs and buttocks supporting your weight. Do not put all the weight on the sitz bones because in time this can create sciatic nerve pain. The vagina and perineum should not be constricted but should be covered with comfortable underwear or loose clothing to protect them from any draft. As a helpful technique used since ancient times to help the chi activate easily, you can place a hard, round object, perhaps a ball, in such a way that it presses directly on your vagina and clitoris during practice, or you can sit on the heel of one foot, pressing it tightly against the clitoris. If you already practice the Microcosmic Orbit circulation, you should be adept at directing energy upward and can omit this step.

Raise the tongue to the roof of the mouth: this is essential in circulating the chi and completing the loop between the front and back channels of the Microcosmic Orbit (fig. 1.14). Plant your feet firmly on the floor. Your back should be quite straight at the waist, but slightly round at the shoulders and neck. This very minor forward curvature of the upper back tends to relax the chest, and helps the power flow through the neck, chest, and abdomen. Keep the chin slightly tucked in. Military posture, with shoulders thrown back and head held high, tends to lodge power in the upper body and prevent its circulation back down to lower centers.

A variation on the sitting position is to sit cross-legged, either in the lotus position or Native American style. We appreciate the esoteric virtues of the lotus position, but Chinese practice attributes serious disadvantages to this way of sitting. Some monks suffered severe sciatic nerve pain or were crippled by lengthy meditation in the lotus position. Also, turning the soles of the feet away from the ground prevents you from directly drawing in the earth’s yin power through the feet. When you are very good at controlling and directing the energy, you can sit in any position and still direct the energy as you wish. However, the human body is designed to absorb earth energy through the Kidney meridian (KD 1 point) and other meridians in the feet and filter it before passing it up to the coccyx and brain. Some people can develop problems if they absorb too much “raw” Earth Chi directly into their perineum and sacrum, as occurs in the lotus position. Eventually they can become allergic to this undigested energy and experience numerous unpleasant reactions. Nevertheless, those accustomed and devoted to the lotus position may use it, as long as they are comfortable and can apply their whole attention to the exercise. Few cross-legged positions afford the relaxation of the perineum provided by sitting on the edge of a chair.

Fig. 1.13. Sitting posture

Fig. 1.14. The tongue touches the palate so the energy can flow down.

Standing Posture

Standing is particularly favorable for Ovarian Breathing because it allows the sacrum and pelvis to relax. Standing up straight in a relaxed manner encourages good posture. Your hands should be at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart. Discipline yourself to relax if you feel too tense, or the chi power may stick in the heart region and make you irritable.

The instructions on raising the tongue tip to the palate and maintaining correct posture given for the sitting posture apply also to this position.

Lying Posture

In the beginning, before you learn to control the energy, do not lie flat on your back when performing these exercises. In this position, the chest sits higher than the abdomen and receives too much energy. Nor should you lie on your left side. Both of these positions unduly stress the heart. The best way to practice Ovarian Breathing lying down is on your right side with a pillow beneath your head, your right leg extended, your left leg resting on your right thigh, and your right hand supporting your head.

Placing a pillow beneath your head should raise it about three or four inches, so the head sits squarely on the shoulders. Place the four fingers of your right hand immediately in front of your right ear, and place your thumb behind your ear, folding the ear slightly forward to keep it open. The ear must stay open to permit air to flow through the Eustachian tube and keep the pressures of the left and right ears balanced. This is important, because you can create a great deal of chi pressure during this practice. Rest your left hand on your outer left thigh. The right leg should be straight; the left leg, which rests on the right, should be slightly bent (fig. 1.15).

Fig. 1.15. Another way to practice Ovarian Breathing lying down

Lying on the right side can relieve the spine from stress. Lions often sleep in a similar position. Animals have a wise instinct, since this position frees the spinal column from the pressure of gravity, allowing it to assume its natural curvature. As mentioned previously, when you have mastered the energy well, you can lie on your back to practice, but make sure that the energy does not get stuck in the chest and heart. Do not lie on the left side.

Getting the Most from Your Practice

Before beginning, be sure your whole body is relaxed. If you are tense, do some stretching exercises or take a walk first in order to disperse tension. Allow all tension to flow out of you, as if you were in meditation.

In the Taoist practice sexual energy is the primary energy. If you only exercise the muscles and have no knowledge about life force and sexual energy, then the benefits are less. Use the mind alone to raise and lower the sexual energy.

With practice, you will learn to identify the hot Ching Chi stored in the area of the ovaries. Always start by breathing and collecting energy in the ovaries, until you get more familiar with the way the energy feels.

Unless otherwise specifically indicated, all breathing is to be done through the nose. Nasal breathing affords better control of the air inhaled. It filters and warms the air and supplies life force of a well-balanced quality.

All of your inhalations in the exercise should be short sips of air.

Ovarian Breathing Step by Step

In this section we will explain each step in the practice of Ovarian Breathing in great detail. In chapter 5, we have included a quick summary of the practice, to be used as a guideline only when you are more advanced.

Assume the Posture

Remember to wear loose pants or comfortable underwear to protect the vaginal opening from drafts and to avoid leakage of chi. Do not practice naked in a cold room, or you will lose a lot of chi. Of the three suggested positions, sitting or standing are preferable for this exercise.

Sitting: Sit erect on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor, approximately shoulder-width apart, palms on knees; chin tucked in; head held high (and, if desired, with a hard, round object placed so that it presses directly on your vagina and clitoris).

Standing: Hands at sides; feet shoulder-width apart.

Bring Energy into the Ovarian Palace

1. Begin the exercise by locating the Ovarian Palace. Place both thumbs on the navel and use your index fingers to form a triangle. The place where the index fingers touch is the Ovarian Palace. Spread out your little fingers evenly: underneath the points where they rest are the ovaries (fig. 1.16).

Fig. 1.16. Locating the ovaries and the Ovarian Palace

2. Become aware of your ovaries as your fingers rest on them. Rub the ovaries until you feel them warming. Concentrate in order to produce more energy from the ovaries and eggs.

3. At the same time, use your mind to control the PC muscle to slightly close and open the vagina, as delicately as the petals of a flower. The energy may begin to manifest itself with such sensations as warmth, tightness, swelling, or tingling. Each woman can react differently to the energy.

4. When you start to feel something, inhale and bring the energy to the Ovarian Palace (where your index fingers touch). The gentle opening and closing of the vagina and the concentration of your mind gradually will enable you to collect and absorb the energy of the ovaries into the Ovarian Palace.

First Station: Perineum

1. Concentrate on that warm feeling and mentally guide it from the Ovarian Palace to the front part of your perineum as you inhale a short sip of air. Pull the energy of the ovaries down to the perineum by contracting both the outer and inner lips of the vagina, pulling downward, and then contracting and pulling up the front of the anus (the perineum).

2. Be aware of the energy now flowing from the Ovarian Palace to the perineum. You might feel the route the energy follows from the uterus down through the cervical canal and along the back wall of the vagina down to the perineum, an action induced by setting your mind at the perineum to hold the energy there. The energy might make a detour to the shaft and glans of the clitoris before arriving at the perineum. In any case, you should feel the energy move from the Ovarian Palace to the perineum, whether or not you can feel the exact route it follows (fig. 1.17).

Fig. 1.17. Ovarian Breathing

3. Hold your breath, inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and retain the energy of the ovaries at the front part of the perineum for a while. Exhale.

4. With each inhalation and exhalation counting as 1 repetition, repeat the process 9 times per session. Each time, return to the ovaries, and while you are there, inhale and exhale several times to build up more energy before you begin the process again.

Retaining the Sexual Energy at the Perineum Point

Retaining the Ching Chi at the perineum is very important, for if you release your attention, the warm energy will drop down and leak out of the vagina.

Think of drinking a full glass of water through a straw. You cannot draw all the water in one sip. You have to break the flow in order to breathe, and if you do not hold or retain the water that you already have in the straw, the water will flow out. In order to drink again you will have to begin drawing through the straw all over again. However, if you place your finger over the top of the straw while you breathe short sips of air, you can hold the water inside the straw.

By practicing, you will learn to use the power of the mind to hold the sexual energy at the perineum. Practice for several days, or until you are successful.

Returning to the Ovarian Palace

As you strive to reach each energy transformation point in Ovarian Breathing, you must begin each time by returning to the Ovarian Palace to collect the energy of the ovaries.

1. Practice Ovarian Breathing by opening and closing the vagina slightly in order to collect the energy in the Ovarian Palace.

2. Once you feel that you have collected enough energy, repeat the process of bringing energy to the perineum. Each time, inhale a little sip of air and close the vagina with minimal movement of the Chi Muscle. At the same time you close the vagina, pull slightly downward toward the perineum, and then contract and pull up the front part of the perineum. Hold your breath, inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and use your mind to create an awareness of the perineum point, thereby drawing the energy of the ovaries to this point. Retain the energy at the front part of the perineum. Exhale.

3. Upon exhalation, rest for a while, mentally guiding and feeling the Ching Chi as it travels from the Ovarian Palace down to the vagina, clitoris, and perineum, while maintaining your awareness of the perineum point and continuing to hold energy there.

4. Practice to this point for 1 to 2 weeks, or until you can definitely feel the energy at the ovaries, the Ovarian Palace, and the perineum. You will experience a sensation of energy traveling down to the vagina and a strong feeling as the energy moves gradually to the clitoris.

Second Station: Sacrum, First Energy Transformation Point

Along with the ability to hold sexual energy, the sacrum also helps transform it into the first stage of life-force energy.

Guide Energy to the Sacrum

1. Guide the ovaries’ warm energy down from the Ovarian Palace to the perineum and up to the sacrum by first inhaling a short sip of air, slightly contracting and closing the vagina’s outer and inner lips, pulling downward toward the perineum, and then contracting and pulling up the front part of the perineum.

2. Pause for a while, holding your breath; then inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and retain the energy of the ovaries at the front part of the perineum. Be aware of the Ching Chi as it flows to this point.

3. Exhale and return to the ovaries, maintaining a part of your awareness at the perineum to retain the energy that you have brought there. Practice Ovarian Breathing by opening and closing the vagina slightly and collect the energy in the Ovarian Palace.

4. Once you feel that enough ovaries’ energy has been collected, inhale and close the vagina, pulling downward toward the perineum, and then contract and pull the front part of the perineum upward to bring energy to this area. Rest briefly and be aware of the energy that travels from the ovaries down to the vagina, clitoris, and perineum.

5. Inhale slightly. Now pull up the middle part of the perineum, and at the same time pull up the back part of the perineum toward the coccyx at the very bottom of your spine.

Activate the Sacral Pump

1. Slightly arch your lower back outward, tilting the sacrum downward to bring the energy to this point. As you pull the ovarian energy up the front, middle, and back parts of the perineum to the coccyx and then to the sacrum, hold the sacrum down to help activate the sacral pump (fig. 1.18). This action will be further accentuated if you gently tighten the back of your neck and skull bones. In the beginning, use a wall as a guide by pushing the sacrum against the wall, exerting force on it.

2. Hold the energy at the sacrum for a while, and then exhale, but continue to focus your attention on this point.

Fig. 1.18. Activating the sacral pump involves tilting the sacrum down without moving the hip bones.

Open the Sacral Hiatus

The hiatus opening of the sacrum is an indentation in the bone of the sacrum, located a little higher than the tip of your spine. Once opened, this is the place through which you will draw your warm ovarian energy into the spine (fig. 1.19). This is usually a little difficult, because ovarian energy is denser than regular chi and has to be pumped through. Some people experience pain, a tingling sensation, or “pins and needles” when this energy enters the hiatus. If this happens to you, do not be upset. If you are having trouble, you can help pass the energy through the hiatus by gently massaging the area with a silk cloth from time to time.

Fig. 1.19. Guiding energy through the sacral hiatus and up the sacrum

Rest in Order to Feel the Energy Move Unassisted

1. Now let your sacrum and neck relax back to their normal positions. As they relax you will feel the energy move by itself, assisted by the activation of both the sacral and cranial pumps. At the same time continue Ovarian Breathing.

2. Bring the energy up to the sacrum again and hold it there until you can feel the hiatus at the sacrum open and the energy gradually move up. You will actually feel the warm energy move up a little at a time.

3. Practice 9 times, then rest. The resting period is very important. Often, while you are resting, the energy will rise up through the point you were focusing on. If you can, still your mind and use it to guide the energy along the pathway you were working on, and then rest your mind and let the energy move by itself. You will find that the energy then automatically flows through that pathway.

An Exercise to Help Open the Sacrum

If you have trouble feeling the energy at the sacrum, the following exercise can be helpful in opening the sacrum. The sacrum and the hips are three separate pieces of bone, which eventually become fused because we do not exercise them (fig. 1.20).

Fig. 1.20. The sacrum and the hip bones are three separate pieces of bone.

1. Try rocking your sacrum back and forth and then hold the hips stationary, moving the sacrum only. Use both hands to hold the hips, and try to rock the sacrum. In the beginning it is difficult to do, but after a while you will gradually separate the hips from the sacrum.

2. You can also ask a friend to hold your sacrum with one hand with his other hand on your hip in order to let you know if it is the hip or the sacrum that you are moving.

3. Then hold still and observe the effect of the sacral pump working.

The Sacrum Helps Transform Raw Sexual Energy into Life-Force Energy

The Taoist masters discovered that the sacrum has the ability to transform sexual energy into a life-force energy that is more readily accepted by the organs and glands. Therefore, the practitioner must be aware of the state of the energy entering the middle part of the body. Some people practice by pulling up only the middle part of the perineum, causing the raw ovarian energy to shoot up the middle part of the body and become stuck in the organs and glands. Unaccustomed to handling this kind of raw sexual energy, the organs and glands may suffer from disorders such as indigestion, overheating (especially the liver), pain in the kidneys and back, and worst of all, heart congestion. These and other symptoms have come to be known as “Kundalini syndrome,” and they occur when a person is not open enough to channel the raw sexual energy before it enters the vital organs.

This phenomenon is mentioned in the books Kundalini—Psychosis or Transcendence? by Lee Sannella, M.D., and Stalking the Wild Pendulum by Itzhak Bentov. These books contain many examples of people who suffered from the inability to control the rising energy. The energy they held in their hearts or in their heads was too raw or too hot for those organs, and they experienced allergic reactions to that energy. However, the symptoms disappeared once they learned about and felt the connection of the tongue to the roof of the mouth during the Microcosmic Orbit meditation. This connection allows the energy flowing up the spine through the major stations to transform into life-force energy and flow down to the navel. Many never know how to escape the problem of too much raw sexual energy rising up because they never learn how to bring the energy to the proper channels to circulate it back down.

Once you have practiced Ovarian Breathing and have felt the sexual energy circulate and become transformed, your organs will begin to adapt to and be able to withstand the raw sexual energy of the ovaries. This energy can then be directly transformed without problems arising.

Third Station: T11, Sexual Energy Transformation Point

If you have managed to bring the energy up through the sacrum, spend the next week drawing the energy of the ovaries to T11 in your mid-back, opposite your solar plexus. T11 (the eleventh thoracic vertebra) also has the ability to transform the sexual energy into life-force energy. In Taoist practice we regard T11 as the energy center of the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands sit atop your kidneys and can act as a mini pump. When you arch the T11 point you create a vacuum in this area that pushes the energy up higher.

Collect Energy in the Ovarian Palace

1. In the same manner as above, start with collecting the energy of the ovaries in the Ovarian Palace by opening and closing the vagina with a minimal movement of the Chi Muscle.

2. Inhale with a short sip and close the vagina slightly, pulling the energy downward toward the perineum. Then contract and pull up the front part of the perineum and pause for a while, holding your breath and retaining the energy at this point. Be aware of the Ching Chi that you have brought there.

3. Inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and concentrate on retaining the energy of the ovaries at the front part of the perineum.

4. Exhale and return to the ovaries, but maintain a part of your awareness at the perineum to retain the energy that you have brought there. Continue to practice Ovarian Breathing, opening and closing the vagina slightly and collecting the energy in the Ovarian Palace.

Draw Energy to T11

1. Once you feel that you have collected enough ovarian energy, inhale using a short sip and close the vagina by pulling downward, pulling the energy down to the perineum. Then contract and pull the front part of the perineum upward to bring energy to this area. Rest for a minute or two and be aware of the energy that travels from the ovaries down to the vagina, clitoris, and perineum.

2.Inhale a short sip and pull up the middle and back part of the perineum toward the coccyx to bring the energy to the sacrum. Slightly tilt the sacrum outward, as if you were pushing the sacrum to the wall. Pause for a while and feel the sacral pump activate.

3. Inhale a short sip again without exhaling, and tilt your spine outward against the imaginary wall to straighten T11. This will create an upward pumping action, which will pull the energy of the ovaries up to T11 (fig. 1.21).

4. Retain the energy at this point until the area feels full and until you feel the energy continue to open T11 and move up by itself. When you feel uncomfortable, exhale and regulate your breath.

Flex the T11 Point to Help Activate the Pumps

1. As previously noted, ovarian energy is denser than chi. To accommodate it, flex the part of your back housing T11 in and out, thereby straightening and loosening the spine at this point for freer passage of the warm energy. Then allow your sacrum, T11, and neck to relax back to their normal positions. This action will help to activate the sacral and cranial pumps, as well as another mini pump located at the adrenal glands, a little at a time. If you have trouble feeling this, return again to the Ovarian Palace and repeat the process.

Fig. 1.21. Guiding energy up to T11

2. Practice 9 times, then exhale and relax every part of the body. Concentrate on T11 and feel the energy flow up to this point.

Fourth Station: C7, Sexual Energy Transformation Point

Your next stopping point is at cervical 7, or C7, located at the point of your spine at the base of your neck. You can feel it as the vertebra that sticks out when you bend your head down. This point controls the energy provided to the hands and neck, and is the connecting point providing power to the scapulae and spinal cord. This point also has the ability to transform sexual energy into life-force energy.

Collect Energy in the Ovarian Palace

1. In the same manner as above, start with collecting the energy of the ovaries in the Ovarian Palace by opening and closing the vagina with a minimal movement of the Chi Muscle.

3. Inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and concentrate on retaining the energy of the ovaries at the front part of the perineum.

4. Exhale and return to the ovaries, but maintain a part of your awareness at the perineum to retain the energy that you have brought there. Continue to practice Ovarian Breathing by opening and closing the vagina slightly and collecting the energy in the Ovarian Palace.

Draw Energy to C7

1. Once you feel that enough ovarian energy has been collected, inhale a short sip of air and close the vagina, pulling the energy of the ovaries downward toward the perineum, and then pull the front part of the perineum upward to bring energy to this area. Rest for a while and be aware of the energy that travels from the ovaries down to the vagina, clitoris, and perineum.

2. Inhale a short sip and contract the middle and back part of the perineum, and then pull the energy up to the sacrum, T11, and C7. When you reach C7, push slightly from the sternum to the back, and feel the push of C7 and both shoulders as they activate to draw the energy up (fig. 1.22). This action will activate the thymus gland to increase the upward pulling power. Hold the energy at this point as comfortably as you can. As you practice, you will find that gradually you are able to hold your breath longer and increase your capacity to intake air.

Fig. 1.22. Guiding energy up to C7

3. Exhale, and then let your sacrum, T11, and neck relax, returning to their normal positions. Concentrate on C7. This action will help to activate all three pumps (sacral, adrenal, and cranial) a little at a time. If you have trouble feeling this action, return to the Ovarian Palace and repeat the process.

4. Practice 9 times. Remember that you must return to the source of energy in order to bring it to the higher center.

Fifth Station: Jade Pillow, Mini-Storage and Transformation Point

Your next stopping place is your Jade Pillow. This is located at the back of your head between cervical 1, or C1, and the base of the skull. This point also serves as a small storage and transformation point for sexual energy.

Collect Energy in the Ovarian Palace

1. In the same manner as above, start with collecting the energy of the ovaries in the Ovarian Palace by opening and closing the vagina with a minimal movement of the Chi Muscle.

3. Inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and concentrate on retaining the energy of the ovaries at the front part of the perineum.

Draw Energy to the Jade Pillow

2. Inhale another short sip and bring the energy up to the sacrum, T11, and C7, then slightly push your chin down and pull it back, moving it toward the back of your neck at the base of your skull (fig. 1.23). Feel this push create a force that activates the cranial pump, which will help to pump the dense ovarian energy. Hold the energy at this point for a while, feeling it being stored and transformed.

3. Exhale, then permit your sacrum, T11, and neck to relax in their normal positions. This action will help to activate the adrenal, sacral, and cranial pumps again. Retain the energy at the base of the skull.

4. Repeat this entire process 9 times.

Fig. 1.23. Guiding energy up to the Jade Pillow

Sixth Station: Crown Point, Larger Storage Point for Sexual Energy

Your next stopping point, called the Crown point or Pai Hui, is located at the midpoint or crown of your head and is the center that houses the pineal gland. This is a larger storage point for sexual energy.

Collect Energy in the Ovarian Palace

1. Practice in the same manner, only this time fill the “straw” to the top. Collect the energy of the ovaries in the Ovarian Palace by opening and closing the vagina with a minimal movement of the Chi Muscle.

3. Inhale in short sips, close the vagina tightly, and concentrate on retaining the energy of the ovaries at the front part of the perineum.

Draw Energy to the Crown Point

1. Once you feel that enough ovarian energy has been collected, inhale a short sip and close the vagina by pulling downward to bring the energy of the ovaries to the perineum, and then contract and pull up the front part of the perineum to bring energy to this area. Rest for a while and be aware of the energy that travels from the ovaries down to the vagina, clitoris, and perineum.

2. Inhale and tilt the sacrum and T11 to the back in order to straighten the spinal curve out a little bit and thereby help activate the lower (sacral) pump. At the same time push the sternum in toward the back, tuck your chin in a little, and squeeze the back of your skull: this will activate the upper (cranial) pump. Continue pulling up to the point at the top, the center of the head (fig. 1.24).

3. As you continue to inhale, bring the energy down to the perineum, up to the sacrum, T11, C7, Jade Pillow, and then turn your eyes and other senses upward to help guide the energy up to the Pai Hui, or Crown point, and the pineal gland.

Rest and Use Your Mind to Guide Energy to the Brain

1. Once the energy has finally completed its course up into your head, use your eyes and other senses to help retain it in the brain, holding it at the top of your brain as comfortably as possible.

2. Exhale, then let your sacrum, T11, and neck relax, returning to their normal positions. This will help to activate the three pumps: sacral, adrenal, and cranial. Use your mind to guide the energy station-to- station up the spine to the top of the head. Fix your attention and eyes at the Crown point. Remember it is the resting period that is the strongest in guiding the energy to the brain.

Fig. 1.24. Guiding energy up to the Crown point

3. Repeat this process 9 times.

Circulating Creative Sexual Energy in the Brain

As people age and use up much of their chi, they gradually drain themselves of brain energy and spinal fluids, drying them up and leaving a cavity. Ovarian Breathing transports creative sexual energy to refill this cavity and thereby revitalize the brain. Taoists regard sexual energy as similar to brain energy.

1. When you have finished practicing 9 times and can feel the sexual energy of the ovaries fill the brain, start to circulate the energy in the brain for 9, 18, or 36 counterclockwise revolutions. You should notice a very distinct feeling of spinning outward (fig. 1.25a).

2. When this circulation is completed, turn the energy back into the center of the brain for 9, 18, or 36 clockwise revolutions (fig. 1.25b). This should feel pleasant and energetic and will help to balance the left and right sides of the brain, revitalizing the brain to increase memory and facilitate clearer thinking.

Fig. 1.25. Circulating energy at the Crown point

Collect Sexual Energy at the Navel

It is very important to end your practice by storing the energy in the navel. An excess of energy in the head or the heart causes most of the ill effects of this practice. The navel can safely handle the increased energy generated by the ovaries.

1. Be sure the tongue is touching the palate (behind the front teeth will suffice) (see fig. 1.14), so that the warm energy of the ovaries can flow down to the third eye, to the inside of your nose, and through the tongue from where it can travel down the throat to the heart center.

2. Retain the energy in the heart center for a while, filling it with energy until it feels open. Enjoy the feelings of love, joy, and peace; then bring the energy down to the solar plexus and to the navel. Collect the sexual energy at the navel, where it can be safety stored.

Spiral the Energy around Your Navel Center

To collect the energy of the ovaries, concentrate on your navel area, about 1½ inches inside your body. Use your mind, eyes, and other senses to move the energy in and out, spiraling it around your navel. Do not spiral above the thoracic diaphragm or below the pubic bone.

1. Start by spiraling counterclockwise (outward) 36 times (fig. 1.26a).

2. Then reverse the direction of the spiral and bring it back to the navel, circling it clockwise 24 times (fig. 1.26b). Use your finger as a guide the first few times. The energy is now safely stored in your navel, available to you whenever and wherever your body needs it.

Fig. 1.26. Collecting smiling energy in the navel

Opening the Heart Center

Energy can also be stored in the heart center, which is a powerhouse for a woman. It is the seat of love, joy, and happiness, and is the center of rejuvenation, because it is the site of the thymus gland, which plays an essential role in the immune system. With this center open, you will experience all of these positive emotions and will be provided with abundant healing energy to heal yourself and others.

However, if the heart center is opened before you are ready, the Microcosmic Orbit will not be complete and the energy will not circulate property. The sexual energy can adhere to the heart, and the heat generated and congested there can cause problems such as uneasiness, shortness of breath, or pain in the chest. If you experience any of these problems, practice the healing sound of the heart as detailed in chapter 5. Lightly tap your chest and heart, and use your hands to brush your chest downward until you belch to release the trapped energy.

If you are a yang body type (meaning that your energy runs hotter than that of other people, perhaps manifesting in a hot temper), you should not start by storing the sexual energy in the heart. Instead, begin by storing it in the navel. Once the navel is filled, this is an indication that the channels are open enough to begin to store energy in the heart without problems.

Collect and Spiral Energy in the Heart

To collect the energy of the ovaries in the heart, concentrate on your heart center located up 1 inch from the lower tip of the sternum, and about 1½ inches inside your body. It is approximately 3 inches in dimension. Use your mind, eyes, and other senses to move the energy in and out, spiraling it around your heart center. Do not spiral below the pubic bone.

1. Start by spiraling around your heart center counterclockwise (outward) 36 times (fig. 1.27a).

2. Then reverse the direction of the spiral, returning the energy to the heart center, circling it 24 times (fig. 1.27b). Use your finger as a guide for the first few times. The energy is now safely stored in your heart center, available whenever and wherever your body needs it.

Fig. 1.27. Collecting smiling energy in the heart

Bringing Energy to the Brain with One Action

In the beginning of your practice, it is best to simply travel from station to station until you feel that the back channel, or Governor Channel, is more open.

1. Once you have mastered the process, you can practice the Ovarian Breathing exercise and the energy will travel up to the brain in one sweet drawing-up of the “straw,” with a single, clean inhalation and one contraction of the vagina. Eventually all you will need is your concentration on both your ovaries and the crown of your head to mentally move the sexual energy from the ovaries all the way up to the brain in one step.

2. Exhale, then inhale and bring the energy up again.

3. Practice this a few times, but since the ovarian energy is warm, be sure to put your tongue up to your palate and bring the energy down to the navel.

One session of Ovarian Breathing should take about 10 minutes. When practiced 4 to 7 times a week, women have noticed changes in their menstrual cycles, such as less bleeding, decreased cramping, and a reduction in breast pain. With continued practice, menstruation may cease. The energy conserved in this manner becomes part of the vital energy of the body, increasing the amount of energy available for transformation into a higher form. There is also historical evidence that women who practice Ovarian Breathing have very healthy, well-balanced children, once they decide to have children.

Some perform Ovarian Breathing and then proceed directly to the Microcosmic Orbit meditation. The practice can be done any time and virtually anywhere, once you have achieved the direct pathway from the ovaries to the brain. When you find yourself with unstructured time—waiting in line, driving, sitting at your desk, watching television—carry out several series of contractions, or as many as you choose to fill the time available. The main consideration is that your back is properly straight, your chest relaxed, and your vagina protected from the breeze. You must also remember to touch your tongue to your palate after you practice 3 or 4 times.

The Effects of Ovarian Energy

Now that you are in touch with your ovarian energy, notice how it feels. Some women say the energy moving up their spine feels wide, thick like honey, and slow. Most women who perceive the temperature at all say it feels warm. Some women experience it as cool at first, but after practicing for a while, notice that it becomes warm. Some experience sensations in their genitals or on their thighs, usually describing them as warm to hot. Many women describe the energy as warmer, wider, heavier, or thicker than the organ chi that is circulated in the Microcosmic Orbit. This is because ovarian energy is heavier and denser than chi.

It is not unusual for the energy to feel cold when there is a lot of healing going on, such as with women who have menstrual problems. The sensations may vary over time. What is most important to understand is that if the energy feels warm, it must be circulated back down to the navel and not left up in the head.

Take your time to really feel the warmth when you practice. Do not rush it, and always maintain the action of the pumps as you breathe in and out. Use a more mental than physical pull when you do the exercise. Let the warm feeling be your guide. Always remember to bring the energy down to the navel after a few breaths, since the navel is roomy and a safe place to store this warm vital energy.

Ovarian Breathing tones the pelvic diaphragm. The whole lower abdomen is deeply massaged each time the pelvic diaphragm flexes. Life force flows into the region on periodic waves of breath, which stimulate the glands and vital organs.

Ovarian Breathing also has tremendous implications for women’s control over their reproductive systems. There is too little evidence to come to any conclusions about the effectiveness or reversibility of this method when used for birth control. However some women are experimenting with this method, trusting that it will be reversible just by stopping the practice for a couple of months. These women feel justified in using themselves as their own laboratories, since the method is gentle and appears to be under control, especially in the context of so many women who, out of desperation to control their reproductive systems, have already accepted the wholesale experimentation of dangerous birth control methods, by supposedly trustworthy institutions, such as IUDs, DES, morningafter pills, sequential birth control pills, and forced sterilization.

OVERVIEW OF THE OVARIAN COMPRESSION EXERCISE

Many of the benefits of Ovarian Breathing are magnified when performed in conjunction with the Ovarian Compression exercise. This exercise will help you consciously direct energy into and out of the pelvic region and pack chi into the ovaries and vagina. As an expanding sensation fills the genital area, sexual energy increases, eventually reaching into higher centers of the body through the Microcosmic Orbit, as it is needed. This practice is particularly important to use after the Sexual Energy Massage or Chi Weight Lifting to replenish the energy extracted from the ovaries.

By packing the chi into the ovaries and the vagina, you warm up the sexual region so that you can be more sexually active, more easily aroused, and more easily brought to orgasm. When the sexual region lacks chi, it gets cold and is difficult to arouse. This can be likened to attempting to boil ice water, as opposed to water at room temperature: it takes much more heat to bring ice water to the boiling point. By warming the ovaries, Ovarian Compression will warm your heart as well. It helps you calm down when sexually overexcited. It also reduces mental problems, strengthens the ovaries and the cervix, and increases the power of the vaginal muscles.

In this exercise you will inhale a fairly large amount of air into the throat and swallow it. Swallowing drives the air down to the solar plexus. From the solar plexus, you roll the air down into the pelvic region then drive it down both sides of the vagina to be compressed there. This is accomplished by contracting the abdominal muscles downward in a slow wave (fig. 1.28). The vagina will seem to expand, you will feel a flush of heat, and after a short time the power driven into the vagina will flow up your spine to your head, which will also become very warm. Remember to keep your tongue up on your palate when compressing the air.

Fig. 1.28. Ovarian Compression

Ovarian Compression Step by Step

The three postures recommended for Ovarian Breathing also apply to Ovarian Compression. Of the three suggested positions, sitting or standing are preferable for this exercise. Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor, about shoulder-width apart. Feel your feet support a part of your weight; do not place all of your weight on the sitz bones. Wear loose clothing so that it will be easy to compact the chi.

1. Inhale through the nostrils into the throat. From there, swallow the air down to the solar plexus, midway between your heart and your navel. Do not stop at the heart center. Imagine the air as a ball of chi.

2. Feel the energy of each breath culminate at a point behind the solar plexus. From the solar plexus, roll the “chi ball” down to the navel, then into the pelvis, and spread it out to both sides of the ovaries. To accomplish this, contract the abdominal muscles downward in a slow wave.

3. Feel the chi pressure drop around the ovaries, pack and compress the ovaries to energize them, and gradually pack the cervix. Squeeze the inner and outer lips of the vagina tightly, and keep on pushing into the vagina as if you were blowing up a balloon, until the vagina feels as if it is expanding.

4. Forcibly compress air into the ovaries for as long as you can. Once the air is driven into the ovaries, you will experience a flush of heat. Every single compression shoots tremendous energy into the vagina. Each compression should last a minimum of 30 to 40 seconds. Slowly work up to at least 1 minute. With compression that lasts an entire minute, the exercise will take full effect. The anal sphincter and perineum muscles must be squeezed tightly during this exercise to prevent leakage of energy.

5. Keep your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth to maintain the flow of energy through the Microcosmic Orbit. Move it around to stimulate the saliva flow. Swallow deeply into the sexual center to enhance the compression. When you have finished the compression, exhale and relax completely. Swallow the accumulated saliva before exhaling.

6. After complete exhalation, take a number of quick, short breaths by pulling your lower abdomen in and pushing it out (Energizer or Bellows Breathing) until you are able to breathe normally. Relax completely. Remember to breathe through the nose, and do not inhale unduly large quantities of air.

7. In the beginning perform 2 to 3 compressions, gradually increasing to 9. When you have grown stronger you may do 9 compressions in succession, and then rest by rotating your body from the waist. Begin a second series of 9 compressions. Keep the breathing between compressions short and shallow so you do not lodge power high in the body.

Quick Energy Recharge

If you feel ill or out of sorts, several Ovarian Compressions will restore you to good form, as this exercise charges the whole body. Try the following sequence:

1. First practice one Ovarian Compression.

2. Next, rotate the waist with the arms at shoulder level.

3. Rest for a moment and repeat.

Practice Ovarian Breathing and Ovarian Compression twice a day for approximately 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. Regular practice of these breathing techniques will yield many benefits in addition to those already mentioned, such as a decrease in insomnia and nervousness and an improvement in overall energy.

The exercises should start to take effect within 3 days after you begin practicing. The ovaries will feel warm and may itch or feel somewhat tingly, an indication that the ovaries are receiving unusually high amounts of vital force. These signs will occur only if you are doing the exercise properly. A month or two of exercise will produce substantial increases in strength and well-being.

VENTING EXERCISES FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

After practicing Ovarian Compression for two to six weeks, some women with high blood pressure notice a large flow of chi to the head. They feel tension in the head because the blood has followed the upward flow of the vital power. This is not unlike a mild symptom of “Kundalini syndrome,” in which freed energy races about the body out of control.

If you suffer from high blood pressure and have not practiced meditation to open the Microcosmic Orbit, which distributes the energy evenly throughout the circuits of the body, you can vent excess pressure by meditating on two points. These are the Ming Men, or Door of Life, located on the spine directly opposite the navel (between the lumbar vertebrae 2 and 3), and the Yung Chuan, the kidney point (KD 1), located on the soles of your feet. The Ming Men is regarded as a very important safety point, as well as the strengthening point of the kidneys.

If blood flows too strongly to the head during or after Ovarian Compression, vent the power by practicing the Ming Men and Yung Chuan exercises right after compression. Imbalanced force will flow down the body through these two points.

Using the Ming Men Point to Vent Chi Pressure

1. To find the Ming Men, place a string around your waist like a belt. Make sure it is perfectly horizontal, and place it across your navel. The Ming Men lies where the string meets the spine. When you bend over backward from the waist, the point feels like a hole in the spine (fig. 1.29).

2. Meditate on the Ming Men point by smiling to the area and guiding excess chi in the head down to this point. Here it may be cleaned, balanced, and safely recirculated.

3. You can use your hands to help induce the downward flow of chi: envision the right hand sending out energy like a pitcher and the left hand receiving it like a catcher.

Fig. 1.29. The Ming Men is located opposite the navel between the second and third lumbar vertebrae.

Using the Yung Chuan Point to Vent Chi Pressure

The Yung Chuan point is the yin energy entry point. The Taoists regard the soles of the feet as the roots of the body, and the root is important as the foundation for the work of the spirit body.

1. Locate the Yung Chuan points on the soles of your feet (see fig. 1.30).

2. Once you have found the points on both feet, tape onto them spiny little balls such as prickly chestnuts or plane tree seed pods. Place both soles on the ground and press firmly on the spiny balls while concentrating on the Kidney 1 point (also known as the Bubbling Spring).

3. Help to guide the energy down to the soles by placing your left palm on the sacrum, and your right palm on the top of your head. After a short time of practice you will feel the power flow to the Ming Men. Direct it down through the spine and backs of the legs to the Yung Chuan. Press down on the balls of the feet so that you feel the soles very distinctly. In severe cases it may take a month or two to get the power into the Ming Men and bring it down to the Yung Chuan. After practicing these exercises, many students open the Microcosmic Orbit so that their energy flows in a continuous circuit, and there is no need to bring the energy down through the back to the soles. You can also bring it down the front of the body through the heart and navel, down to the perineum, and down to the backs of the knees to the soles. This alone has often ended high blood pressure.

Fig. 1.30. Yung Chuan (KD 1) Point

POWER LOCK EXERCISE FOR WOMEN

The Power Lock should be practiced before and after the Sexual Energy Massage (presented in chapter 2) to assist in the upward draw of released energy and sexual hormones from the perineum to the crown. Air is inhaled through the nose in nine sips as the vagina, perineum, and anus are simultaneously contracted to draw Ching Chi upward. In conjunction with these contractions, the three middle fingers of either hand are applied to a point at the back of the perineum, near the anus (fig. 1.31).

Fig. 1.31. Perineum and the point where pressure should be applied

How to apply the Pressure

Fingernails should be cut short and filed. Using either hand, combine the three middle fingers into a triangle. Immediately after each inhalation, press the three fingertips on the point in front of the anus to lock the Ching Chi into its upward journey, preventing its return to the perineum. Release the fingertips as you sip in more air and then reapply them as each breath is held. Press the point only for as long as you hold each breath and muscular contraction, then release. Do not apply the fingers as you inhale because you will block the energy from rising. Remember that the fingers help to push the energy upward. (You may forego using the fingers if it causes discomfort.)

Warning: Before you begin drawing Ching Chi up to the higher centers, remember that you should never leave hot sexual energy in the head for long periods of time. Always draw it down to the navel through the Functional Channel (front) of the Microcosmic Orbit at the end of your practice. There is an old Chinese saying: “Don’t cook your brain.” When in doubt about the hot or cold status of your energy, store it in the navel.

Activating the Pumps at the Five Stations

The pressure at the perineum helps to guide the rising energy up to five stations: the sacrum, T11, C7, base of the skull, and the crown (fig. 1.32). Each of the five stations has a “pump” to move energy, but the sacral and cranial pumps require the most concentration to become activated. Activating the pumps is done in sets using nine muscular contractions of the lower trunk simultaneously with nine sips of air to draw the energy up to each point from the perineum. The exercise then starts again at the perineum after each station has been completed, although the energy is actually held at the previous station.

Fig. 1.32. Sacral pump and cranial pump

Fig. 1.33. Activating the cranial and sacral pumps

To direct the energy up the spine, tilt the sacrum slightly and clench the buttocks as you contract the anus and perineum (fig. 1.33a). As the sacral pump is activated, it creates a vacuum in the urogenital diaphragm, which draws the Ching Chi up from the sexual center. The cranial pump is activated by first pressing the flat part of the tongue up to the roof of the mouth as the tip of the tongue presses the lower jaw behind the teeth (fig. 1.33b). Your teeth should be slightly clenched as you pull in the chin toward the back of the head. Take in 10 percent of your lung capacity with each sip of air through your nose as you pull up the sexual center, apply pressure with the three fingers, and contract the individual sections of the perineum region. Simultaneously push up your tongue, pull in your eyes, and look up to your crown.

Note: Remember never to contract the chest muscles. This can cause energy to congest around the area of the heart.

Sequence

Begin with Ovarian Breathing, slightly contracting the vagina to accumulate Ching Chi in the Ovarian Palace. Then use a short inhalation to draw the energy through each successive point leading up to the first station. Remember to apply the fingers as you hold each sip of air. First inhale and contract the perineum. Then inhale again as you contract the anus. With the next sip of air, pull up the back part of the anus as you draw the energy up to the sacrum. After covering these points, use several sets of nine contractions to push the energy into the sacrum. This entire sequence is repeated for each subsequent station.

As Ching Chi expands in the sexual center, use one sip of air with each contraction to draw it up through the aforementioned points. At least one set of nine contractions should be used for each station that was previously opened. Then emphasize each new station with several sets of nine contractions. Although a week or two may be required to open each station completely, you can practice using all of the stations, concentrating more on the difficult points. Exhale after the ninth sip of air, and release the tension as you repeat the process.

Power lock Practice Step by Step

Station One—the Sacrum

1. Begin with Ovarian Breathing, slightly contracting the vagina to accumulate Ching Chi in the Ovarian Palace.

2. When you feel the Ching Chi expanding, inhale a sip of air and contract the perineum, drawing sexual energy into the perineum. Use your fingers to press on the point each time you inhale and contract, releasing them briefly before each subsequent contraction.

3. Inhale, contract the anus, and draw the energy from the perineum up to the anus.

4. Inhale, contract, and draw the energy up to the back part of the anus.

5. Inhale, and tilt the sacrum as you clench the buttocks to activate the sacral pump. Draw the energy up to the sacrum.

6. Use 9 contractions with 9 sips of air to draw Ching Chi from the sexual center to the sacrum (fig. 1.34).

7. Hold the energy at the sacrum as you exhale and return your attention to the sexual center.

Fig. 1.34. Collect the energy at the sexual center; then do 9 contractions to draw the energy to the sacrum.

Station Two—the T11 Point

Repeat the previous steps, drawing the energy up through the sacrum until you reach the T11 point.

1. Use 9 contractions with 9 sips of air to draw the Ching Chi from the sexual center to T11 on the spine. (Activate the T11 pump by pushing the spine outward at that point.)

2. Hold the energy there as you exhale and return your attention to the sexual center.

Station Three—the C7 Point

Repeat the previous steps, drawing the energy up through T11 until you reach the C7 point.

1. Use 9 contractions with 9 sips of air to draw Ching Chi from the sexual center to the C7 point. (Push the C7 out, and pull back the chin slightly to help activate the C7 pump.)

2. Hold the energy there as you exhale and return your attention to the sexual center.

Station Four—the Base of the Skull

Repeat the previous steps, drawing the energy up through C7 until you reach the base of the skull.

Use 9 contractions with 9 sips of air to draw Ching Chi from the sexual center to the base of the skull as you activate the cranial pump. (Pull the chin back once again.)
Hold the energy there as you exhale and return your attention to the sexual center.

Station Five—the Crown

Repeat the previous steps, drawing the energy up through the base of the skull until you reach the Crown point (fig. 1.35a).

Use 9 contractions with 9 sips of air to draw Ching Chi from the sexual center to the crown (see fig. 1.35b).
Exhale and rest as you spiral this energy 9 times outward from the crown, and then 9 times inward.
Finally, bring the energy down and store it in the navel.

Fig. 1.35. Power Lock: guiding the energy up to the crown

Completion of the Power Lock

Cover your navel with both palms, right hand over left. Collect and mentally spiral the energy outward from the navel 36 times counterclockwise, and then inward 24 times clockwise (fig. 1.36).

Fig. 1.36. Collect the energy at the navel.