Earlier today I posted a video on Facebook. I adore Karen Soo's teaching, her friendly wave, and her chickens.
Click on the link to warm up with chickens: Karen Soo Warms Up with Chickens
After finishing this video and sharing, I felt compelled to define some terms. Not just Qigong terms, but terms used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). These concepts are common also to Yoga and Martial Arts, but perhaps called by different names.
Here is a glossary of terms you'll hear while practicing Qigong.
BAI HUI (pronounced "buy whey"): The Hundred Convergences. Great, huh?
Bai = one hundred, Hui = meeting place. Oh, that helped.
It is the crown on the top of the head, in line with the ears. All of the Yang Meridians meet at this point. (We'll save that for another time.)
In TCM and acupuncture, the Bai Hui is used to clear the senses, balance emotions and behavior, and calm the spirit.
It's helpful to remind ourselves to LIFT AT THE BAI HUI. You'll hear it often.
When you lift your Bai Hui:
You tuck your chin down and inwards. The head bends slightly forward.
You straighten your spine decompressing your vertebrae which will help to avoid or reduce headaches, indigestion, and low back pain and stiffness. And it does a heck of a lot to improve your posture and balance.
BUBBLING SPRING We've gone from the highest to now the lowest point on the body. Karen doesn't reference Bubbling Spring in this video, and the guy pictured above doesn't have legs and feet, but you should know what it is. Located on the sole of the foot, this point is where the Kidney Meridian emerges. It lies in the depression that appears when you curl your toes, between the second and third toes.
It's where we plant out roots. That’s what you really need to know.
Bai Hui
Bubbling Spring
DAN TIAN (Sometimes spelled Tan Tien or sometimes call the Three Treasures.)
Okay this is a big one people, pay attention. There are three Dan Tians. These are the the elixir fields, the energy centers, the power stations, the cinnabar fields where the deepest energies reside.
The lower Dan Tian located two finger widths below the navel is often where we start and end a practice. It's actually not on the surface of the skin, but on a line that runs straight up the middle of body called the Chong Mai. (That won't be on the test.)
In Taoist practices and Chinese martial arts training, much attention is devoted to connecting with this lower Dan Tian. In doing so we become physically and mentally ‘rooted’ or ‘centered’.
Now, this is where things get dicey. The Taoists came up with these Elixir Fields. Then, the Buddhists and the Yogis said "hold up now, try thinking of it like this..." (Not a direct quote.) This shift was influenced by the Yogic Chakra system.
It's where we plant out roots. That’s what you really need to know.
Bai Hui
Bubbling Spring
DAN TIAN (Sometimes spelled Tan Tien or sometimes call the Three Treasures.)
Okay this is a big one people, pay attention. There are three Dan Tians. These are the the elixir fields, the energy centers, the power stations, the cinnabar fields where the deepest energies reside.
The lower Dan Tian located two finger widths below the navel is often where we start and end a practice. It's actually not on the surface of the skin, but on a line that runs straight up the middle of body called the Chong Mai. (That won't be on the test.)
In Taoist practices and Chinese martial arts training, much attention is devoted to connecting with this lower Dan Tian. In doing so we become physically and mentally ‘rooted’ or ‘centered’.
Now, this is where things get dicey. The Taoists came up with these Elixir Fields. Then, the Buddhists and the Yogis said "hold up now, try thinking of it like this..." (Not a direct quote.) This shift was influenced by the Yogic Chakra system.
There is the Middle Dan Tian. Older models put the Middle Dan Tian at the Solar Plexus. This is the Hara in Yogic traditions. Newer models put the Middle Dan Tian at the Heart Center.
Placing attention at the older Dan Tian connects us with the earth element, grounding. Thinking of that Dan Tian as being higher at the heart connects us to our feelings, our heart-mind.
Then we have the Upper Dan Tian. Fasten your seatbelts. The Taoist older model places this Dan Tian at the heart. The newer models place this Dan Tian at the forehead, the third eye. Both places though conjure images of higher consciousness and intuition.
In a nut shell. All of these centers are recognized and hooked up when we’re practicing. When our candle is lit. I like to use this candle analogy.
The Upper Dan Tian is the illumination, the light created by the flame.
The Middle Dan Tian is the flame, the energy.
The Lower Dan Tian in the actual candle, the wax with the wick traveling up through the middle. This is the the center most often referred to while practicing.
MING MEN translates as “Door of Life”, or the “Gate of Destiny”… It is located in the lumbar vertebrae just behind the Dan Tian. In fact, between the Ming Men and the Dan Tian we have what’s called the “Sea of Qi”.
The energy of the Ming Men is essential for strengthening your body, balancing your mind, and vital sexual energy.
NEIGUAN is known in the “inner gate.” It is located on the interior forearm, near the wrist, about where you would wear your watch. You may be familiar with this point. Pressing on this point can help with nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness or chemotherapy or… Wristbands with small plastic knobs that apply pressure at the Neiguan point are worn by boaters. This point also helps calm people who suffering from anxiety, palpitations, hysteria, and insomnia by closing the inner gate, making us feel secure, at home.
SHAO GONG is a downward movement that settles the Qi. During practice we’ve created heat and energy. Heat rises. The practice of Shao Gong settles that upward flame.
WAIGUAN is the “outer gate.” This is a point located on the outer forearm, opposite the Neiguan point. This point releases discomfort or disease that come from our environment: colds, chills, fever, cooties… It is also used by acupuncturists and massage therapists to treat symptoms of the neck, ears, and legs; specifically sciatica, tinnitus and neck pain.
Okay one more:
WUJI is a practice of going to a place of emptiness. Specifically in Qigong, it is a posture that we start the practice with and end with. We root through our feet and lift from our Bai Hui. We create space in the joints. We remain quiet and simply breathe.
The heart of Taoist cosmology is the cycling between Tao-in-stillness and Tao-in-movement: with its dance of yin and yang. Focus and sensations unfold from Wuji, and then return to it.
The Upper Dan Tian is the illumination, the light created by the flame.
The Middle Dan Tian is the flame, the energy.
The Lower Dan Tian in the actual candle, the wax with the wick traveling up through the middle. This is the the center most often referred to while practicing.
MING MEN translates as “Door of Life”, or the “Gate of Destiny”… It is located in the lumbar vertebrae just behind the Dan Tian. In fact, between the Ming Men and the Dan Tian we have what’s called the “Sea of Qi”.
The energy of the Ming Men is essential for strengthening your body, balancing your mind, and vital sexual energy.
NEIGUAN is known in the “inner gate.” It is located on the interior forearm, near the wrist, about where you would wear your watch. You may be familiar with this point. Pressing on this point can help with nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness or chemotherapy or… Wristbands with small plastic knobs that apply pressure at the Neiguan point are worn by boaters. This point also helps calm people who suffering from anxiety, palpitations, hysteria, and insomnia by closing the inner gate, making us feel secure, at home.
SHAO GONG is a downward movement that settles the Qi. During practice we’ve created heat and energy. Heat rises. The practice of Shao Gong settles that upward flame.
WAIGUAN is the “outer gate.” This is a point located on the outer forearm, opposite the Neiguan point. This point releases discomfort or disease that come from our environment: colds, chills, fever, cooties… It is also used by acupuncturists and massage therapists to treat symptoms of the neck, ears, and legs; specifically sciatica, tinnitus and neck pain.
Okay one more:
WUJI is a practice of going to a place of emptiness. Specifically in Qigong, it is a posture that we start the practice with and end with. We root through our feet and lift from our Bai Hui. We create space in the joints. We remain quiet and simply breathe.
The heart of Taoist cosmology is the cycling between Tao-in-stillness and Tao-in-movement: with its dance of yin and yang. Focus and sensations unfold from Wuji, and then return to it.
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