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Breathing, Dancing, and Bone Chi Kung

NATURAL BREATHING

Abdominal Breathing

The natural form of breathing is abdominal breathing. This is the principal measure by which to evaluate the body’s state of health and capacity for self-healing. To the extent that we practice abdominal breathing, we have retained the natural way we used to breathe as a baby and child.

When, in the course of life, natural, low, deep, long, and quiet abdominal breathing is replaced by high, short, and shallow breathing in the chest, we lose our inner stability. We have lost a major source of vitality and self-healing, as our breathing requires more energy than it generates. We lose inner Chi pressure, and we lose the vital balance between the inner Chi pressure in the body and outer pressure from the atmosphere and environment.

We can only regain our vitality by recreating this internal power pressure so that the two pressures are once again in a dynamic and reciprocal state of interplay. Through the cultivation of deep, natural abdominal breathing, we recover our original Chi and thereby our internal Chi pressure. As we practice deep abdominal breathing, we build and maintain Chi pressure. Gradually, deep, abdominal breathing becomes very easy and automatic. The more natural it becomes, the more it enhances the free and full flow of original Chi throughout the whole body, its reservoirs, pathways, organs, glands, fascia, and all cells.

This kind of breathing may be compared to that in a deep and calm sleep. It is not without reason that when we see children sleeping, we are struck by the beauty and serenity of their expression and the peaceful energy they radiate. We feel the fine and good energies they emanate and it seems as if the inner quality of the Chi in the child’s body becomes transparent.

Deep abdominal breathing does not rely exclusively on external oxygen and external Chi, as it also draws on original Chi. The abdomen starts to breathe by itself and the process of breathing becomes economical, effortless, and unintentional. Inner breath and outer breath have a relationship as the external breath can move the inner breath and vice versa. “External breath” refers to the physical act of breathing, regardless of which technique you use. “Internal breath” methods directly focus the mind within the physical body, awakening subtle body energies and conducting the Chi using pure awareness. Chi pressure from the lower Tan Tien helps the lungs to breathe deeply. The way the lungs are used also affects the internal breath. Genuine inner breathing can only evolve if external breathing gives it space. Lower abdominal breathing is an external breathing technique used to facilitate the internal breath.

Through deep abdominal breathing, the amount of energy needed for external breathing and the intake of oxygen are reduced. Precisely because of this, the lungs can then take in more oxygen. At the same time, the capacity of the whole body and all its cells as well as the capacity of the lungs to store oxygen is enhanced. Thus, with less energy, breathing improves both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Skin Breathing

In prenatal breathing, the body doesn’t breathe through the nose, but through the whole body. This is at times called “skin breathing,” although the whole body is involved. Skin breathing is a higher form of breathing that we gradually cultivate as we practice Chi Kung. In skin breathing, there is an automatic generation and direction of Chi and a spontaneous rejuvenation of the body.

In skin breathing, on the in-breath, Chi flows to the bone marrow and organs. Red and white blood cells are created and renewed in the bone marrow; these cells are needed to transport the supply of nutrition, to remove waste, and to neutralize germs. They then replenish the organs with fresh energy. On the out-breath, the Chi flows to the tendons, muscles, and skin, expelling waste through the pores of the skin and opening it for fresh Chi to enter.

Thus skin breathing regulates the continuous exchange process between inner and outer energies. Brushing one’s skin with a soft brush enhances this natural exchange process. In the state of skin breathing, the borders between the inside and outside of the body tend to dissolve and a sense of unity with the universe may arise by itself. One feels at the same time at home within the body and in the universe, which is then experienced as one’s own extended body.

Natural breathing—both abdominal breathing and skin breathing—become possible when emotional fixations and entanglements are overcome so that we feel at peace with ourselves, relaxed, calm, and happy. To induce this process, the practice of the Inner Smile is of crucial significance. It helps to clear the energy reservoirs and pathways and also enhances the state of receptivity of the bones, organs, glands, and cells so that the flow of Chi can enter and do its work.

INNER AND OUTER DANCING

Dancing and shaking the body is very beneficial for the lymph system and is very good for our bones and joints. Dancing is a way to rebalance ourselves and regenerate our joyfulness and good humor. As we dance, we experience joy. We firmly touch the earth, which responds by sending Chi upward into our bodies. When we let the bones dance, we fill the joints and the spaces in between with Chi.

The more “inward” our dance becomes, as a form of energy meditation, the deeper will be the effect. There is evidence that Chi Kung in its earliest stages was a form of slow dance in which healing qualities were realized. The Taoist dance form, with its slow, rhythmic, gentle, and graceful movements, is an expression of the inner movement of the life force. The highest form of dancing is one in which we inwardly balance the dynamic relations between the elements and phases in our body with our surroundings. We then enter into a state of equilibrium and so merge with the Tao.

The more bones dance from within and in unison with the universe, the more dancing becomes a healing practice. Chi from all directions flows in and out and harmonizes, each time creating the inner power and pressure needed to infuse Chi power and gentleness in the next movement. The secret of the power and elegance of the natural movement of animals is the natural equilibrium they maintain.

In indigenous cultures, dancing was seen as a sacred form of expression. It opens a space to experience the divine directly through the vibrations it generates and the unity of yin and yang it enhances. In such a form of dance, people are not only involved as individuals separate from each other, but they also experience their unity and connections with other as a community and with the universe. In this way a regenerative process is set in motion and the unity of the community with the universe is reaffirmed. There is a state of dynamic balance in which we feel connected with ourselves and with the whole.

The Taoist style of dance brings the center of gravity down to the lower Tan Tien so that we enhance the ability to move from our center. This enables the Chi pressure to build up and naturally move the body in natural waves.

Dancing has an intrinsic erotic and ecstatic quality, as it serves to transform the Jing, or generative energy/sexual essence, into Chi, and stimulate the hormone flow. Dancing may therefore be considered a particular form of Healing Love practice.

It is not by coincidence that the traditional dances of many ancient cultures continue today. Dancing is connected with marriage celebrations, and is also common to great mystical rituals, in which it becomes the ecstatic expression of unity with the divine.

Belly dancing is a form of ritual dance that is closely connected with rituals of fertility and invoking the feminine powers of the universe. By pressing the ground and swinging the hips, the groin opens, and as the Chi from the earth flows upward, the sexual organ and the whole pelvic floor are stimulated and the life force starts to fill the belly. It then begins to tremble and vibrate and the Chi moves to the sacrum, up the spine, and through the whole body, filling the reservoirs, energy routes, organs, and glands.

This form of ritual dance was originally done by women among themselves, as men were not allowed into the women’s sacred, life-giving circle. It regenerates the life current and thereby grants a heightened sense of inner power, joyful vitality, and self-esteem. It is therefore not surprising that belly dancing has come back in circles of women who seek to raise their autonomy and self-esteem as well as their joyfulness in life.

Thus, dancing in which the mind, Chi, and body are properly aligned with heaven and earth may be seen as a particular form of Chi Kung. People practice Chi Kung as it helps them to generate, regain, and balance their life force and thereby enter into the Chi Kung state. They get more in touch with the energies of the universe and their own energy and inner power.

If we lead the flow of the Chi with our Yi (the Yi is a fusion of our upper, lower, and middle minds into one mind), the dance may turn into a kind of single-cultivation Healing Love practice, as we unite yin and yang within ourselves. Or, as men and women perform sacred dance together, they can practice another form of Healing Love practice, as mind, body, and breath mutually adjust in the dance.

Through practicing sacred forms of dance, in alignment with Taoist Chi Kung principles, a high quality of natural Chi pressure is built in both the body and the mind, and balance is restored within and without. When practiced in conjunction with forms of the Healing Love practice, through the cultivation of love, compassion, and other qualities of being, there is alignment with the forces of the universe. A whole new range of physical and spiritual transformations in our mind and body become possible.

Tai Chi masters often seem to move like tigers. This may have an “electrifying” effect on the surroundings and those who see and feel them, as Chi is emitted and the Chi in the empathetic onlooker starts to resonate. Although the tiger is fully grounded at each step and movement, they move very lightly. They are totally relaxed and calm, yet highly awake and alert. One feels highly concentrated power, which can be mobilized at any moment into any direction. One feels stillness in the movement and movement in the stillness.

In practitioners of sacred dance, one senses and sees the power of the mind and Chi combine in the power of the movement. That is also the reason why dance, as a practice to unite heaven and earth within yourself, has a transformational effect on the dancer as well as on those who see them and join in the dance.

True dancing only arises if and when the movement starts from the center, the lower Tan Tien. For this reason Tan Tien Chi Kung is an essential practice for all dancers or all those who wish to experience and practice life as a dance.

BONE MARROW NEI KUNG

In many indigenous cultures, bones are considered especially sacred and are, even long after a person has died, preserved with great care, as they are believed to contain the spirit of the person as well as the spirits of his or her ancestors. It would seem as if people intuitively knew that the bones are the generators of the substance of life and need therefore a special attitude of reverence.

Bone Marrow Nei Kung (“Nei Kung” means awareness or meditative practice), until quite recently a highly guarded secret practice, has always been seen as a vital key to grounding and embodying the life of the spirit in the body. Bone Marrow Nei Kung, by gentle Chi pressure and infusing the bones with Chi, serves to regenerate them by renewing the blood. It requires a form of deep sensing meditation that can only be realized in a state of deep relaxation. Through this practice, even the hardest elements in our body yield to the force of the gentle, as stone yields to water. To enhance the body’s receptivity to the electromagnetic forces of the sun, moon, planets, stars, and earth, the bones are first “washed” through special Chi circulation exercises. Through Bone Marrow Nei Kung, Chi in and around the bones can be significantly increased or even doubled. (A thorough discussion of these practices is presented in Bone Marrow Nei Kung by Mantak Chia.)

It has been discovered that the bones in the body that form its central axis have a crystal structure that facilitates the body’s receptivity to the electromagnetic power entering from the electromagnetic fields of the universe. The body generates and enhances itself as an electromagnetic field.

The more our bones and joints are alive and filled with the bioelectromagnetic Chi, and the more its vibrations increase, the more we feel alive and naturally bounce between heaven and earth. Like our organs and glands, our bones are centers of consciousness, connecting us with earth and heaven.

To move the bones from within and from without is very good. Taoist meditation always seeks a balance between stillness and motion, with awareness, because they are a unity of opposites. Yang can only come about because of yin, and yin can only arise thanks to yang. Actually yin is contained in yang and yang in yin.

Chi acts as a softening cushion between the bones so that they can smoothly turn and do not grind against each other, as happens when they have dried out and lost their softness. As the bones and joints regenerate through various forms of Chi Kung practice, Chi fluids are brought into them and between them. Chi may be viewed as oil which greases a lock or a motor to make it work smoothly again.

It should be remembered that the sockets of the hipbones carry the whole body and its weight and that it is often due to overweight that problems start. Another cause of the absence of Chi fluids between the bones is emotional imbalance and the predominance of negative emotions like depression and anger. These play a critical role. The smooth rotation of the hips over time is directly connected to our emotional state, especially as we grow older.

The smooth functioning of the hip joints is crucial in the whole Chi transmission process. The Chi that comes from below has to travel upward. Breathing into the hip joints and sockets, sending love into the bones, and bringing the inward smile into them helps this process. The hip joints play a critical role as conveyors of the upward Chi flow from the earth, and if our body is well aligned, it can then further travel upward.

The joints can produce abundant “saliva,” the elixir of life, which is replete with hormones and contains a variety of precious substances essential for our vitality. Afflictions like arthritis and rheumatism may be overcome by the loving use of consciousness and Chi breathing instead of by conventional medical treatment.