TAOIST ENERGY EXERCISES

[Donata]

These are useful for gaining control of your own personal energy, for gaining vitality and energy, and for dealing with mild depression.

From "Taoist Ways to Transform Stress Into Vitality" by Mantak Chia

THE INNER SMILE

In the Taoist view, harmony and balance are necessary for health. Anything, such as stress, injury, disease, that affects one part of the body, affects the whole body.  Illness is caused by blockage of energy. Body, mind and spirit are integrated. Chi, or energy, can be awakened and circulated to restore balance.

Negative emotions are the beginning of imbalance that may lead to illness.  For example: Stubbornness - may be from an imbalance of heart energy.Fear - may be from an imbalance of lung or kidney energy

Blocked energy means less life force to the organs and a holding in of bad/negative/sick chi.Daily practice to clear blockages may result in greater energy, less need for sleep, and more time for other things.

Negative emotions have low energy; the Inner Smile changes this to high energy. A smile transmits loving energy. The Inner Smile directs loving energy to your organs and glands, resulting in greater vitality and well-being.

Sources of Auditory energy - kidneys and bladder- kidneys are connected to ears- bladder eliminates toxins - if bladder is impaired, it affects kidneys.

Sources of power of Speech - heart and small intestine.Heart - the seat of joy and spirit of learning. The spirit of learning is joyfulness, fun, and delight and also the seat of respect and honesty. Small intestine helps with assimilitation - as in learning new things.

Sources of visual energy - liver and gall bladder. When the liver is functioning, you can be assertive, make decisions, and integrate what you learn.The eyes are the opening for the liver.

Sources of gestational energy: the spleen and stomach. The Spleen is the opening for the mouth and is involved with speech, voice, and digestion of what you learn. The stomach is associated with the spleen - gives receptivity to new ideas, etc.
                                                 
Sources of olfactory and kinesthetic energies: lungs and large intestine.
Lungs - associated with good impulses - their openings are nose & skin - they are involved wit kinesthetic feeling - awareness of surroundings.
Large intestine - elimination and release - lets us be more open.Adrenal glands - their energy gives enthusiasm to learn. Without this, you may  feel lazy and sleepy.

Thyroid and parathyroid glands help the power of expression of opinions and experience. Thymus gland helps the immune system - it is the seat of energy.                            

Sexual organs increase creative power.

The spine is the center of control and of communication - learn to smile deeply down into the spine and to relax it.


THE INNER SMILE EXERCISE:

Sit on edge of chair, back straight, right hand over left, in clasping position, slightly elevated over lap, legs a hip’s width apart, feet on ground.
Tongue is placed on palate, or behind front teeth - touching - it connects the two channels of energy in the body and forms a bridge.

FRONT LINE:
Smile from EYES, to 3RD EYE, to NOSE, to CHEEKS, into MOUTH and TONGUE, to JAW, to NECK and THROAT, into THYROID and PARATHYROID glands in front part of neck,  to THYMUS (to of chest below neck v), down into HEART, to LUNGS, to LIVER (bottom of rib cage on the right), to KIDNEYS and ADRENALS, into PANCREAS (above waist to left) and SPLEEN (bottom, left of rib cage), down to GENITALS, and return to EYES.

MIDDLE LINE:
Smile from EYES to MOUTH and TONGUE. Swallow SALIVA (gulp) and with inner smile, follow saliva down ESOPHAGUS to STOMACH, to SMALL INTESTINE, the DUODENUM, JEJUNEM, ILEUM, to LARGE INTESTINE and COLON, and return to EYES.

BACK LINE:
Smile from EYES, to 3RD EYE, to PITUITARY GLAND (behind 3rd eye), PINEAL GLAND, to LEFT and RIGHT SIDES of BRAIN, to top of SPINAL CORD. Smile down spinal cord:
Seven cervical vertebra (neck); twelve thoracic (chest); five lumbar (lower back);  sacrum, and coccyx at base.Return to the EYES.

Collecting and storing the energy of the smile at the navel:Concentrate on NAVEL. Move the energy in a spiral - counter clockwise for women; clockwise for men. Do 36x. Reverse. Do 24x.

Finish with the MICROCOSMIC ORBIT

THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT

Allow energy to flow down the front of the body from the eyes through the  Functional or Yin channel to tongue, throat, chest, navel to tailbone,                                 Continue the flow up the back of the body through Governor or Yang channel up the tailbone and spine to the head.

Continue in meditation with this for a few minutes. Do daily.

This entire exercise, Inner Smile and Microcosmic Orbit, facilitates the flow of life force energy, removes blockages, helps prevent aging, aids in many illnesses, including high blood pressure, insomnia, arthritis.

[sushimimi]

Hi Donata,
This is a wonderful exercise! I'm at work right now, but it's quiet and slow enough that I was able to do a light version of this. Really wonderful, and it feels a lot like a Reiki charge, very peaceful and centering. Mmmmm.

I never noticed this before, but now it makes so much sense.. the shape of the smile is the crescent moon! This is definitely food for thought.

Thanks!  :D

[Donata]

the shape of the smile is the crescent moon! This is definitely food for thought.

What a lovely thought! I'll think of that now when I smile. Thank you!

Donata

[Maulbeere]

These are wonderful exercises; I do them every day before doing anything else and if I get no time for any other [practice I'll do these. At the very least they're great for helping me get to sleep. ;-)

A smile is also relaxing, and since tension creates blockages, the inner smile is great for releasing tension and allowing your qi to flow. If you focus of relaxing each part as you smile to it, and be mindful of keeping a posture that allows you to hold as little tension as possible (without falling over, heh) the benefits are magnified. I call it 'Three Path Relaxation", but it's the same thing, and good preparation to doing the Microcosmic Orbit. Speaking of which, one of the reasons that's such a great exercise is because it crosses every meridian, helping to balance the energy across all of them and throughout your whole body.  

Did anybody try it after what Donata posted? Just curious, and keen on helping if a poor noob's allowed to try.  :)

[Michael C. Page]

Hey Donata! Long time no talk to! Thank you for the exercise - looks interesting. I'll give it a go and let you know about the expperience. Stay Warm up there! Blessings of many sled rides to you.

[Donata]

Hi Michael,

Good to hear from you too! have fun with the exercises!

Yes, it's winter. Much more than the snow - which isn't that much so far - I mind the overcast skies of western NY, and rejoice on the few sunny days! this isn't one of them.

BB
Donata

[Michael C. Page]

Hello oh Great one who will no doubt be covered in SNOW . Greetings from he who is either covered in ICE or MUD.....hey winter can't make up its mind in southern Indiana . Anyhoo, My first attempt was not so good, due to the fact that I had a strange sensation. Remember the part about putting the tip of your tounge to your pallet/back of top teeth? Well I had to stop because it felt like my wanted to go back in my throat. Since I'm not a big fan of swallowing my tounge, as it would not be pleasant , I had to stop. I'll try it again - Peace and STAY WARM Donata!!

[Donata]

uh..... before you choke to death

just rest the tip of the tongue gently against the top upper front teeth and the gum line... inside of course! It's OK if your tongue doesn't actually touch the teeth - just so it touches the top of your mouth. Actually it's a natural resting place (for me anyway ). It's just done to close the circuit so your energy flows evenly throughout your body.

Yes, covered in snow, wind storm, power out for many here, though not for me! whew! A good say to be indoors with a good book.... or the computer

Have fun with the mud and ice. I prefer ice to mud. Yuck. Unless I'm driving and it's black ice!!! (survivor of two black ice accidents

BB
Donata

[Michael C. Page]

Ok Donata. Sounds good to me. Thanks again for the exercise. You have a great day and a wonderful Imbolc. I'm excited - I have the white candles and the crystal water bowls ready to go This weekend is going to be fantastic. Only one thing: how do you light the candles under water......... Just kidding. I have under water fuses and a navy welding torch..... Got ya again! Peace

[Donata]

Ah... the mystery of how to light candles underwater isn't for Bards..... I can't say more.....

Blessings of Imbolc!
Donata

[Celtic.Chris]

Thanks for posting this. I have a friend who needs to constantly rework his energies and a new 'technique' to his usual meditations could be a great asset. *scurries off to share*

[Donata]

Glad you like them!

BB
Donata

[Darrel]

In the Western world, exercise focuses mainly on physical fitness and developing muscular strength. In the East, exercise systems balance the body, mind, and spirit. This balance is strongly emphasized in the Taoist system of Tao Yin, one of the oldest and most diverse forms of exercise in China. Tao Yin focuses on creating balance between internal and external energies and revitalizing the body, mind, and spirit with a combination of strength, flexibility, and internal energy exercises. Its ultimate goal is for the practitioner to become pure, responsive, and full of energy, like a child.

In Energy Balance through the Tao Master Mantak Chia introduces 45 fully illustrated Tao Yin exercises to Western readers. He explains the history behind the practice and its connections to other complementary Chinese exercise forms, such as tai chi. In this book Chia focuses on the lying and sitting positions of Tao Yin, which improve health and structural alignment and, once mastered, strengthen movements and postures in standing positions. The benefits of these remarkably simple exercises include harmonizing chi, developing strength and flexibility through tendon stretching, relaxing the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm, releasing toxins through the breath, and training the "second brain" in the lower abdomen to coordinate and direct these processes.

MANTAK CHIA, a student of several Taoist masters, founded the Universal Healing Tao System in 1979. He has taught and certified tens of thousands of students and instructors from all over the world and tours the United States annually, giving workshops and lectures. He is the director of the Tao Garden Integrative Medicine Health Spa and Resort and the Universal Healing Tao training center in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, and the author of twenty-five books, including the bestselling The Multi-Orgasmic Man.