Master Chia - Tan Tien Chi Kung
Master Chia - Tan Tien Chi Kung
Hands - on Center ( Tan Tien ) for digesting Chi - open this space front & back
1) Qua: feel empty space
2) Rabbit Form - Breathe in & exhale with hands-don't bend knees
3) Iron Shirt Posture - turn & exhale
4) Sparrow Form - Sink on front foot & then back foot
5) Open & Close the body with arm straight out
6) Crank Form - Scoop the Chi up forming beams & exhale on side expanding figures
7) Wave hitting the Shore Form - Open up the lung with discharge force from Tan Tien (Charge) (strike) Used in Tai Chi II - Nourishes the Chi & Open cavities -Abdomen - Lower Rib Cage - Hips & Sacrum
8) Elephant Form - Trunk movement - hands come up over head
Seven Stars (Energy Points): Feet, Tan Tein, Hands, Solar Plexus, Crown, Perineum, Mideye.
TAN TEIN CHI KUNG
Maintain Chi Pressure (Original Force) in the Tan Tein. When you are angry, and stressful you release Chi and delete the Original Chi, so just release a little and breathe in a little more into the Tan Tein to maintain balance and Chi Pressure (Internal Power). So when you become depleted stop your activity, and rebuild Chi Pressure by breathing into the Tan Tein which is the key to Internal Power & Strength.
The Taoist Path
by August Christopher
The Taoist secret of longevity is to follow the nature of things, a sensitivity and skillobtained by minute concentration on the Tao running through natural objects of all kinds. This knowledge and skill cannot be handed down but is that all the men of old took with them when they died (Chuang Tzu)Through extolling the initiative comprehension and skillful handling of matter, the Taoist did make progress over the ages (for example, in alchemy) can be seen.
Taoism, along with Confucianism, is one of the two major indigenous philosophical traditions that have shaped Chinese life for more than 2,000 years.
In the broadest sense, a Taoist attitude towards life can be seen in the acceptance, yielding, joyful and compromising side of the Chinese character, an attitude that off sets and complements the moral and duty-conscious, austere and purposeful character of philosophy.
The essential Quest of Taoism is how to gain, preserve, and increase the vital force through a realization of harmony. On the basis of the Asian concept of a concentric, well-ordered, and single universe. Confucianism built its' wisdom of the order and functioning of human society in accordance with the Whole; and Taoism expressed the individual's as well as the group 5 need of harmony with the perceptible and the imperceptible Great Order (Tao) in all variations of magic, religion, and mysticism. To live in harmony with the universal mechanism without intervention (wu-wei) anywhere is to preserve one's energy.
This preoccupation with the vital force is one reason for that lack of speculative thought distinctive of Taoism. Taoist mystics are poets, priests are technicians of the Esoteric's, and thinkers are specialists in alchemy, ritual, or pharmacognosy.
There are no theologians in the Western sense and few philosophers in the Buddhist sense. This accounts for the Taoist non-argumentaive & competing with Confucians and Buddhists in debate. This also accounts for the fact that among the highly developed religions, Taoism is the one with the least rationalization, in which the communication of man with the sacred appears in its most immediate and unreflective form.
Yin and Yang are often referred to as two "breaths" (ch'i) Ch'i means air, breath, or vapor -originally the vapor arising from cooking cereals. It has also come to mean a cosmic energy. The Primordial Breath is a name of the chaos (state of Unity) in which the original life-force is not yet diversified into the phases that the concepts Yin and Yang describe.
Every man has a portion of this primordial life-force allotted him at birth, and his task is not to dissipate it through the activity of his senses but to strengthen, control, and increase it in order to live out his full span of life.
You can heal the sickness in your body by the power of your own mind. Energize your body by sweeping it from ,top to toe with positive thought vibrations.
And when your mind is weak, transform it by the action of your In dwelling spirit.
Human being is unity-in-trinity, he is a Unity of Body, Mind and Spirit.
You are a spirit dwelling in a body. You are eternal and will never die. The spirit is the real you, Tao's 'breath" becomes the 'breath' of life' for man, by which we can infer that man is really a spirit dwelling in a body. You can also infer that the spirit of man is in unity with Tao. Man's spirit is connected to the body by a 'silver cords and when this "cord' is severed, physical death occurs. The spirit gives life to the body.
Thus, you can overcome the fear of death by living in the spirit and remembering your unity with Tao By the action of the spirit, you can renew your mind, heal your body of sickness, and transform your life. Do this through spiritual disciplines, Recite daily: I am spirit, I am spirit dwelling in a body. I am eternal. I am peace.
You are what you think, because the mind controls your body and your life.
Tao is the natural heritage of man, but, in the majority of cases, that heritance has been set aside by other interests. This quest of Tao may, and must, be undertaken, if men are to regain that tranquillity, that complete contentment, which can never be acquired by the worldly-minded. The steps in the process are similar to those which are the common places of mystics generally.
(1) The first stage is purgation. As Lao Tzu says, "Only one who is eternally free from earthly passions can apprehend the spiritual essence of Tao.
Chuang-tzu says of the sages, or perfect men, "They wear the forms of men, but are without human passions." The process is a long and painful one, and Lieh-tzu Ilicius) is represented as telling an ambitious disciple of his own experiences as a novice, when for the space of three years his Master did not design to bestow a glance on him, and nine years passed before he attained that inner unity which was his aim. "I have not yet succeeded in cleansing my heart of impurities and discarding wisdom," is the confession of a professed teacher, who failed to achieve such harmony with Tao as would have enabled him to overcome the opposition of material laws.
(2) The second stage is illumination, when virtue requires no longer a conscious effort, but becomes an unconscious habit. Lao Tzu constantly deprecated the interested 'virtue' of his own times, when the would-be 'virtuous' were characterized by acute self-consciousness and were actuated by mercenary motives.
(3) Many instances are given of the third stage. when an inner unity is attained, notably by Lieh Tzu (3rd century B-C) e.g., that of Shang Ch'iu K'ai, who thus explained his extraordinary independence of natural laws; "My mind was simply One, and material objects thus offered no resistance. That is all"; and Tzu Hsia, who said: "The man who have harmony with Tao enters into close unison with eternal objects, and none of them has the power to harm or hinder him."
This is the goal of Taoist ambition, viz. to attain to such an unconscious harmony with nature as to become the unresisting vehicle of Tao, and partake of its properties which render the Taoist immune from the limitations which are imposed upon the uninitiated by the laws of matter, space, and time. This third stage included also that independence of external aids which is expressed by Lao Tzu in the words, "without going out of doors, one may know the whole world," etc.
In the broadest sense, a Taoist attitude toward life can be seen in the accepting and yielding, the joyful and carefree sides of the Chinese character, and attitude that offsets and complements the moral and duty-conscious, austere and purposeful character ascribed to Confucianism.
Taoism is also characterized by a positive, active attitude toward the esoteric and the metaphysical (theories on the nature of reality) whereas the agnostic, pragmatic Confucian tradition considers these issues of only marginal importance although the reality of such issues is, by most Confucians, not denied.
More strictly defined, Taoism includes: the ideas and attitudes peculiar to Lao Tzu (or Tao Te Ching; "Classic of the Way of Power), the Chuang Tzu, the Lieh Tzu, and related writings; the Taoist religion, which is concerned with the ritual worship of the Tao; and those who identify themselves as Taoists.
Taoist thought permeates Chinese culture, including many aspects not usually considered Taoist. In Chinese religion, the Taoist tradition - often serving as a link between the Confucian tradition and folk tradition - has generally been more popular and spontaneous than the official (Confucian) state cult and less diffuse and shapeless than folk religion.
Taoist philosophy has found the way into all Vietnam, Japan, and Korea. Various religious practices reminiscent of Taoism in such areas of Chinese cultural influence indicated early contacts with Chinese travelers and immigrants that have yet to be elucidated.
There is also a tendency among scholars today to draw a less rigid line between what is called Taoist and what is called Confucian. The two traditions share many of the same ideas about man, society, the ruler, Heaven, and the universe ideas that were not created by either school but that stem from a tradition prior to either Confucius or Lao Tzu.
Viewed from this common tradition, orthodox Confucianism limited its field of interest to the creation of a moral and political system that fashioned society and the Chinese empire; whereas Taoism, inside the same world view, represented more personal and metaphysical preoccupation's.
The aged Taoist sage became a saint because he had been able to cultivate himself throughout a long existence; his longevity in itself was the proof of his saintliness and union with the Tao. Eternally he had a healthy, flourishing appearance and inside he contained an ever-flowing source of energy that manifested itself in radiance and in a powerful, beneficial influence on his surroundings, which is the charismatic efficacy (Te) of the Tao.
The mystic insight of Chuang Tzu made him scorn those who strove for longevity and immortality through physiological practices. Nevertheless, physical immortality was a Taoist goal probably long before and alongside the unfolding of Taoist mysticism. The adept of immortality had a choice among many methods that were all intended to restore the pure energies possessed at birth by the infant whose perfect vital force Lao Tzu admire.
Through these methods, the adept became an immortal (hsien) who lived 1,000 years in this world if he so chose and, once satiated with life, "ascended to heaven in broad daylight." This was the final apotheosis of the Taoist who had transformed his body into pure Yang energy Taoists prefer to convey their ecstatic insights in images and parables.
The Tao is low and receiving as a valley, soft and life-giving as water, and it is the "mysterious female," the source of all life, the Mother of the Ten Thousand Beings. Man should become weak and yielding as water that overcomes the hard and the strong and always takes the low ground; he should develop his male and female sides but "prefer femininity." "feed on the mother," and find within himself the well that never runs dry.
Tao is also the axis, the ridgepole, the pivot, and the empty center of the hub. The sage is the "useless tree" or the huge gourd too large to be fashioned into implements. A frequent metaphor for the working of the Tao is the incommunicable ability to be skillful at a craft. The skilled artisan does not ponder on his action, but, in union with the Tao of his subject, he does his work reflexively and without conscious intent.
Much ancient Chinese mythology has been preserved by the Taoists, who drew on R to illustrate their views. A 'chaos' (hun-tun) myth is recorded as a metaphor for the undifferentiated primal unity, the mythical emperors (.Huang Ti and others) are extolled for wise Taoist rule or blamed for introducing harmful civilization.
Dreams of mythical paradises and journeys on clouds and flying dragons are metaphors for the wanderings of the soul, the attainment of the Tao, and the identity of dream and reality.
Taoists have transformed and adapted some ancient myths to their beliefs. Thus, the Queen Mother of the West (Hsi Wang Mu), who was a mountain spirit, pestilence goddess, and tigress, became a high deity - the Fairy Queen of all immortals Long life and the vital force were common concerns of all Taoist traditions andinseparable from saintliness. The original still of the infant or even the embryonicstate in which the vital force is still perfectly concentrated and undiminished was the ideal of the mystics, who sought it in trance, as well as developed countless formulas and practices to restore the infant's complete Yang energy to the physical body.
This effort, however, made them shift away from the classical ideal of adaptation to the course of nature and attempt a reversal of the natural flow toward death. Thus, the ideal of Yin and Yang as complementary, which implied the alienation of life and death, changed into a desire for the victory of life-giving Yang over Yin.
For the ancient Chinese in general, spirit and matter formed a continuum of more or less rarefied or crude vital energies, deriving from Heaven and Earth. Man was believed to be composed of several kinds of vital energies, to which the Western dichotomy of spiritual and material is not particularly relevant. The techniques of longevity were intended to prevent this scattering of these energies, which would result in death. They also sought to refine the coarse, perishable energies and transform the heavy mortal body into a light immortal one.
The Chinese ideogram for "immortal" (hsien) depicts a man and a mountain, suggesting a hermit; the older form of hsien, however, shows a man dancing around, flapping his sleeves like wings. To become immortal is to be "transformed Into a feathered being." Image comes from the mythology of eastern Chinese tribes who claimed bird ancestors, worshipped bird deities, and held religious rites with bird dances performed on stilts. The affinity of the Taoist immortals to birds (crane, phoenix, magpie, stork, or raven) is a persistent theme in iconography and legend.
There are many categories of immortals. The highest are those who "ascend to heaven in broad daylight."
There are also those who live in terrestrial paradises (on holy mountains or islands) for centuries without growing old and later appear disguised in this world to transmit their immortality formulas and magical powers to worthy adepts. Lower immortals do not reach paradise before dying and apparent death (shih chieh), leaving their sandals or their canes in the coffins to take on the appearance of their corpses.
The techniques of longevity, the detailed of which correspondence between the human microcosm and the macrocosm are at the basis of all techniques to "nourish the vital force" (yang-hsing). The communication between the five inner organs (lungs corresponding to metal, heart to fire, spleen to the earth, liver to wood, and kidneys to water), all other body organs, and the outer world proceeds through the orifices (nose for the lungs, ears for the heart, mouth for the spleen, eyes for the liver, and the lower orifices for the kidneys). All these orifices are passageways for entry and exit of vital forces and have to be closely guarded. Because the orifices are sense organs and desires result in loss of vital force, the senses have to be carefully kept in balance lest disease be caused through over indulgence in any one of the corresponding desires.
All dietary regimens are intended to nourish the respective organs in right proportions with foods and medicinal herbs containing the energy (ch’i) corresponding in quality to their respective elements. A preliminary step in diet in complete abstinence from all cereals in order to starve and kill the "three worms", or the "three corpses," which are malefecent demons inside the body that work to hasten its decomposition.
In order to make all energies in the body reach their proper place and to maintain a continuous circulatory process, the adept practices "gymnastics" and "Body building" called "to conduct (the breath) and to stretch" (or to attract it to its proper place, Tao Yin).
Chuang Tzu stated that ordinary people breathe through the throat but the saint breathes through the whole body, starting from the heels. The Taoist breathes not only atmospheric air but solar, lunar, and the directions, guiding the green emanation of the east to the liver, the red emanation of the south to the heart, and so on.
Others inhale the emanations of dawn in spring, of noon in summer, of dusk in autumn, and so on. Others warn against the practice of this discipline in the latter part of the day, because the universe exhales dead air from noon to midnight.
Another method taught how to "feed on air" by retaining breath and conducting it throughout the body. One who could hold this breath for the time of 1,000 respiration's would become immortal.
This inner breath was viewed as man's share of the primordial life breath contained In the lower of the three "cinnabar (mercuric sulfide fields" of the body centers located in the head, chest, and abdomen). This life breath is conducted, in a closed circuit like that of the embryo, through the body and directed by means of the "inner sight" (nei-kuan), an inward turned vision of the eyes (considered a source of light). In case of sickness, the inner breath is conducted to the diseased
organ and heals it.
The first sacred text of Taoism (3rd century AD), mentions the ability of the interior vision to discern the gods residing in the five organs. Books like the Classic of the Yellow Court owe their popularity to the enumeration of thousands of gods in all parts of the body, the same gods as those residing in the macrocosm.
Meditation establishes communication with these gods, either by making the external gods descend and visit their organs in the body and fortify it or by externalizing the inner gods disposing them in a mandala (a symbol of the universe) around oneself The latter practice is a preparation of religious ceremonies and recitation of sacred texts.
The sexual techniques of the 'inner chamber' (fang chung) go back to antiquity.
Their aim was to secure vitality, longevity, and male progeny. Specifically Taoist practices were the 'Way of the Yin" of the immortal Yung-ch'eng, a technique -to make the semen return and repair the brain" (huan ching pu nao). This technique consisted in the prevention of ejaculation during the sexual act and was thought to make the semen (ching, a potent mixture of all physical energies) circulate - mixed with breath - through the body from the lower to the upper 'cinnabar field", there to vitalize the brain.
Immortals are often depicted with a huge skull that is the storeroom of their Yang energy. Another idea was to blend seminal essence with breath in the "lower cinnabar field' and there to form the "mysterious embryo" of the new real body.
For the 'repairing of the brain," the male adept also needed to absorb as much a possible of female Yin essence (and vice versa). It was therefore desirable to have intercourse with a succession of partners. This led to the much' communal "union of breaths" (ho ch'i), a highly ritualized ceremony that might have resembled more a group ordeal than an orgy.)
The abstention from ejaculation exists equally in Tantric practices, which were known to the Taoists since T'ng's times or earlier. As in Tantrism, the sexual terminology refers also to mental operations because only thought processes can make semen and breath circulate and 'marry' to thus create the immortal man.
Chuang Tzu's descriptions of the indescribable Tao, as well as of those who have attained union with the Tao, are invariably poetic. The perfect man has identified his life rhythm so completely with the rhythm of the forces of nature that he has become indistinguishable from them and shares their immortality and infinity, which is above the cycle of ordinary life and death. He is "pure spirit". "He feels neither the heat of the brush lands afire nor the cold of the waters in flood",
nothing can startle or frighten him.
Not that he is magically invulnerable (as the adepts of physical immortality would have it), but he is "so cautious in shunning and approaching, that nothing can do him injury."
"A man's life thus rides the clouds as his carriages and the sun and moon as his steeds." The theme of the spiritual wandering (vuan yu), which can be traced back to the shamanistic soul journey, crops up wherever Chuang Tzu speaks of the perfect man.
Those who let themselves be borne away by the unadulterated energies of Heaven and Earth and can harness the six composite energies to roam through the limitless, whatever need they henceforth depend on'. These wanderings are journey's within oneself; they are roaming through the infinite in ecstasy.
Transcending the ordinary distinctions of things and one with the Tao, "the Perfect Man has no self; the Holy Man has no merit, the Sage has no fame." He lives inconspicuously among men, and whatever applies to the Tao applies to him.
Dietary and breathing techniques can prolong life so as to give time for the preparation of the elixir of immortality, which was composed of cinnabar (tan, for its red, or Yang, color and it transmutability) and gold (chin, for its incorruptibility).
Alchemy evolved early in connection with metallurgy. The patron of alchemy was the Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti), who ascended to Heaven after the casting of a sacred metal crucible. This legend is alluded to in the alchemical recommendations given by Li Shao Chun, a 2nd century, BC alchemist, to the emperor Han Wu Ti, the earliest known reference to alchemy in any literature of East or West.
Later, Taoist alchemists sought to produce liquid gold and pure (nine times transmuted) cinnabar, or a combination of both in an "elixir of immortality".
The practice of the techniques of immorality was restricted to the affluent and educated few.
The pantheon, ritual, and moral codes, as well as the theocratic organization of the early
Taoist temple bear much closer similarly to the Imperial and Confucian ideologies than to Buddhism. Folk Taoism came to be deeply influenced by the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation and punishment in hells.
The legendary first celestial master, Chang Tao-Ling was a magician and faith healer. His descendants evolved into a hierarchy of priests who treated the sick by ritual and prayer, using charmed water and talismans. Because disease was believed to be caused by sin, the sick were sent to "pure (or calm) houses" in order to repent and to recite to the Tao Te Ching. They also were supposed to make amends by doing public works, such as road building.
The moral code was based on the Tao Te Ching, of which Thai Seong Loh Khoon (that is, Lao Tzu defied) became the divine reveler. Moral conduct was rewarded with health and long life; immorality caused sickness, premature death, and according to later text; suffering in hell.
Taoism, distinguishes itself from Western mysticism by its conscious techniques and to give access to mystical experience. These disciplines of learning to "sit in forgetfulness" are akin to Plotinus "concern to be deaf to the words of senses and to keep the soul's faculty of apprehension one-pointed." Where the soul is fully awake as regards Tao, but wholly asleep as regards things of this world and in respect of himself'
In the way of the Celestial Masters, first developed in the mountains of the province of Szechwan. There, a certain Cheng Tao-Ling, in AD 142, is said to have received a revelation from Thai Seong Loh Koon (Lord Lao the most High). The deified Lao Tzu bestowed on Chang his "orthodox and sole doctrine of the authority of the covenant" (Cheng Meng-WeiFa), meant as a definitive replacement lapsed into demonism and degeneracy.
The Mao Shan revelations of the most brilliant synthesis of the Way of the Celestial Masters with the indigenous traditions were the principal beneficiaries of an extensive new Taoist revelation. Furthermore, building upon the way of the celestial Masters, the Mao Shan revelations envisaged some reform of the practices of the parent sect. Its sexual rites in particular were stigmatized as
inferior practices, more conducive to perdition than to salvation. Other rituals of the Celestial Master were allowed to continue in use among the Mao Shan adepts but were relegated to a subordinate position. Thus, the movement did not reject but rather incorporated and transcended the older tradition.
According to Chuang-Tzu there is a very special class of spiritualized being. They share none of the anxieties of ordinary folk and have the smooth, untroubled faces of children. These "supreme man", or "perfect men", are immune to the effects of the elements, untouched by heat and cold.
They possess the power of flight and are described as mounting upward with a fluttering (hsien) motion. Their effortless existence was the ultimate in autonomy, the natural spontaneity that Chuang Tzu ceaselessly applauds. These striking portraits may have been intended to be allegorical, but whatever their original meaning, these immortals (hsien), as they came to be called, were to become the center of great interest.
The pure literary descriptions of their freedom, their breathtaking mobility, and their agelessness were construed as practical objectives by later generations. By a variety of practices, men attempted to attain these qualities in their own persons, and in time Chuang Tzu's unfettered paragons of liberty were to see themselves classified according to kind and degree in a hierarchy of the heavenly hosts.
Ko Hung, the author of Pao-pu-tzu - "He Who Holds to Simplicity" stressed that all known Immortals had themselves once been men and so their state must be attainable by men today.
The essentials are a good teacher and tireless perseverance. To mineral elixirs he accorded a place above all other means of attaining everlasting life.
Long narratives containing descriptions of the stages and methods by which they had achieved perfection through midnight interviews with the visionary.
One of the most complex and interesting phenomena in Chinese religions history is Lao Tzu's advancement from sage to God.
A scroll found in the walled up deserted library at Tan-Luang, the Book of the Transformations of Lao Tzu (Lao-Tzu Pien - Hua Ching) shows him in cosmic perspective, omnipresent andomnipotent, the origin of all life. His human manifestations are listed, followed by his successive role in legendary history, as the sage was counselor of emperors.
Next, five of his more recent appearances are mentioned, dated AD 132-155, and localized in West China, where a temple is said to have dedicated to him in 185 AD. Then the God speaks, to describe his own powers. He recommends to his votaries the recitation of "My book in 5,000 words" (Tao Te Ching) and enjoins a meditation on his own divine attributes as they appear within the adept's body.
Finally, he calls upon the faithful to join him, now, when he is about to strike at the tottering rule of the Han dynasty.
The Inner Smile
by Caroline Robertson
Are you smiling or frowning to yourself? Smiling is the secret to health and serenity according to several spiritual traditions. The Inner Smile practice propounds that when we smile like a Buddha, the world beams back. Naturopath, Caroline Robertson visited The Tao Garden to experience some smile therapy.
The Smile Solution
Mother Theresa believed “peace begins with a smile.” A sincere smile shines from our soul, making the world a warmer place. As Joseph Addison expressed, “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.” A genuine smile puts us at ease whilst a frown creates unease, promoting disease and depression according to modern and traditional medicine. Smiling to others and ourselves is a gift of love. The universal language of a smile speaks straight to the heart, bypassing the intellect and ego. To nurture loving relationships Ayurveda advises one greet others with a pleasant face, Buddhism encourages friendliness to all (maitri) and Taoism teaches that giving ourselves a grin is the best medicine.
A deep inner smile spreads like a relaxing elixir making us receptive to transform negative energy into positive. Conversely, a scowl suppresses our immune system by increasing stress, contracting channels and blocking energy. Research by French physiologist Dr Israel Waynbaum indicates that facial muscles used to express emotion trigger specific brain neurotransmitters. Smiling signals happy healing hormones such as ecstatic endorphins and immune boosting killer T-cells whereas frowning triggers the secretion of stress hormones. Smile therapy actually lowers the stress hormones cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenaline and produces hormones which stabilise blood pressure, relax muscles, improve respiration, reduce pain, accelerate healing and stabilise mood1. If you’re feeling down the stress hormones secreted with a scowl may increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, increase susceptibility to infections, and exacerbate depression and anxiety.
But what if we don’t feel like smiling? Can we fake it till we make it? Though a heart-felt smile has a deeper effect, even a surface smile tricks the brain into releasing happy hormones according to facial biofeedback research2. And the more we smile, the more we want to smile concluded a study where people allowed to smile found cartoons funnier than those suppressed from smiling by holding pencils in their lips3. This is because each time we smile we reinforce happy neural pathways that fire more spontaneously with each subsequent use. Self- love smiling circuits then release healing nectar and self-hate messages release poisons that breed disease according to Taoism.
A Smile Trial
How often do you smile? Try a smile trial for a minute. Relax your face and let a subtle ‘Mona Lisa’ smile spread from your eyes to your lips. Now frown and sense the emotional and energetic shift. Feel the difference? Considering it takes only 26 muscles to smile and 62 muscles to frown, why wear the strain of a scowl? As motivational speaker Les Giblin felt “If you're not using your smile, you're like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no check book.”
Smiles seem to have a cultural element. Japanese rate so low on the smile-o-meter they’re being encouraged to smile to increase profits. “Japanese are truly hopeless at smiling. That's caused the loss of many business opportunities,” says Makoto Tonami, president of Mac Corp., owner of beauty salons offering thirty-minute smile sessions using exercises and a machine to uplift the mouth muscles and spirits. Britain has sorry smile statistics also as recent research revealed that if you smile at 100 people, 70 people will smile back in Bristol, 68 in Glasgow, 18 in London and only 4 in Edinburgh4. Writing this in Thailand I noticed how people go out of their way to smile to others while in many other places I’ve found people often avert their gaze as if avoiding a smile ambush.
It’s easy to share a smile with others, since it’s the second most contagious facial expression next to yawning. Smiling faces are always beautiful and the most endearing accessory. Whereas if people wear an ugly expression meticulous attention to grooming and clothes are overshadowed. But smiles do more than increase your face value; British researchers found that receiving a smile could give more pleasure than sex or eating chocolate. And receiving a smile generated much higher levels of stimulation to the brain and the heart than being given money or having a cigarette.
Don’t underestimate the power of a smile. Use yours and you'll find it helps to disperse sadness and dissolve stress. So when dressing in the morning remember author Jim Begg's advise, “Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available.”
The Cellular Smile
A genuine smile glows from our deepest layer of self-love, radiating like sunlight through clouds and embracing everything as an extension of oneself. Starting as an inner hug it spreads to soften the whole body, melting malevolent energy to emerge from benevolent eyes and lips. The smile says, “I accept and love you unconditionally.” Our being warms to this kindness, dissolving walls of psychic and physical isolation that prevent wholeness and health. Just as others respond to our loving smile, our cells soak up smiling rays, creating new cells from the inner love affair.
Taoist Master Mantak Chia has taught the inner smile for the past 40 years. He explained its significance to me on my recent visit to his Thailand retreat, “In ancient China, the Taoists taught that a constant inner smile to oneself, insured health, happiness and longevity. Why? Smiling to yourself is like basking in love: you become your own best friend. Living with an inner smile is to live in harmony with yourself.” The smiling energy emanating from Mantak Chia was reminiscent of enlightened souls such as the Dalai Lama. He has an aura of contentment and kindness that put me at ease immediately. Mantak Chia also explained that as sickness starts from negative emotions settling in the organs, the inner smile breaks this cycle. “By transforming destructive emotions into positive energy the inner smile removes the cause and symptoms of disharmony,” he said.
The subtle inner smile is different from a superficial smile set on a fake face with hidden motives and meaning. The inner smile is as innocent and natural as a blissful baby's smile. It doesn’t impose, demand or expect anything in return. Nor is it a spiritually superior or condescending smile but accepts everything as it is. A genuine smile as opposed to a posed mask makes a significant impact on people’s lives according to Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at the University of California. After studying college yearbook photos since the 1960’s, Keltner found people with Duchenne smiles, those which involved the eyes, were happier since graduation than the phoney mouth smilers. Keltner concluded, “Happy smiley people cheer others up around them, which in turn makes them more stable and less prone to depression or divorce than those who faked it in their yearbooks.”
Though laughing has significant benefits, as evidenced by the word-wide laughter clubs, excessive or loud laughing can cause excess surplus chi and increase blood pressure according to Chinese medicine. A mild smile is a more sustainable and inward expression. The soft smile dissolves hardened patterns without struggle or force, gently coaxing a shift in stuck energy. Attacking problems with aversion and aggression only increases resistance and abusing our frailties makes us weaker. Alternatively, sending ourselves loving smiling energy empowers us towards strength and restoration.
Smile Time
The inner smile arises from a loving intention, surfaces on the face then suffuses our internal and external reality. Though a smile may feel fake initially our psychophysiology responds with happiness anyway. As respected Monk Thich Nhat Hanh explains,
“ Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Eventually our being is saturated in smiling benevolence and it becomes a constant, effortless expression of our inner bliss.
If smiling feels so good why don't we do it more? Negative thoughts become entrenched in our energy and imprint themselves on our fa?ade. Helen, a recent participant in an Inner Smile Workshop observed- “Its easier to remain closed and blame externals for our problems. The inner smile requires us to look inside ourselves, accept ourselves and extend that loving energy to everything.”
Ironically we smile least when we need it most. Depression, pain and stress often rob us of the healing humour that can transform our state. Though smiling may be the last thing we feel like doing, it will do us the world of good. When we smile at our pain, worry, troubles and perceived inadequacies we dissolve compounding tension. As Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humour expressed, “The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery.” Smiling puts everything into a brighter perspective as we observe the psychodrama of life objectively. As Charlie Chaplin understood, “Life is a tragedy in close-up and a comedy in long-shot.”
A challenge many experience in practicing the inner smile is the tendency towards negativity. We can catch an inner frown from others negative outlook or our own. When you get tense simply remind yourself to smile again and any inner wrinkles will soon smooth over, uplifting others energy. Strengthen your inner smile by practicing it in difficult situations such as during exercise, traffic jams, long queues and when annoyed.
As it doesn’t take any extra time or effort like other meditation practices, nobody can say, “I don’t have time to smile”. Smile as often as you remember to, knowing it will override negative reactivity and reawaken your core unity of self-acceptance.
A Smile File
Before practicing the inner smile install smiling energy into your cellular memory by creating a smile file. Scan your past for moments of joy and laughter. Then recall your capacity for happiness by reliving that emotion. One can also visualise a peaceful natural scene to imbibe serenity and dissolve stress. Seeing a smiling baby or your own smiling face is another useful image. Looking at funny old photos, jokes, cartoons and movies can help to recapture one's innate sense of humour. Start the day with a smile by writing smile on your ceiling and invite more smiles into your life by playing with kids, giving to others and finding the humour in all situations. If you can't conjure up a smile frown for as long and hard as possible until you get tired and flip to the other extreme of a smile.
Emotional Detox Smile
Our organs store emotional garbage so to clear up inner clutter Mantak Chia recommends first smiling to major organs to detoxify negative emotions. This “refines and recycles harmful energy into healing energy,” says Mantak Chia. Our organs work hard to maintain our homoeostasis so we can thank them with an inner smile. The specific order for the inner smile follows the organs cycle of creation. The inner smile can be practiced at any time and for any duration. Familiarise yourself with the location of all the major organs before the practice to establish a strong mental connection with them. You may feel more in touch with your organs if you place your hands over them as you send your smile as well as visualising them. Feel the grateful response from your organs as they release blockages and receive loving energy. Open your eyes if you choose to make the healing sounds then close them to resume. To clear your negative emotions follow these simple Inner Smile Steps-
1. Begin by closing your eyes and relaxing your whole body. Breath slowly and smoothly, letting go on the exhalation.
2. Smooth facial muscles and focus attention on the third eye.
3. Feel inner joy. Visualising a peaceful scene, a smiling baby or your smiling face may evoke this feeling.
4. Gather this bliss behind your eyes and watch it internally as it travels down your body.
5. Let the smiling energy flow like a sweet stream down your nose to wash over your lips.
6. Raise the corners of your mouth slightly in a sublime inner smile. Simultaneously feel this soften your eyes.
7. Place the tongue behind the teeth to connect the energy circuit for the entire practice.
8. Relax your jaw.
9. Swallow your saliva and feel your throat open and relax as you smile to your voice box. Thank them for giving you the power of balance and speech.
10. Visualise your thymus like a blossoming flower and smile to it with thanks for strong immunity and healing energy.
11. Let the smile radiate to the happiness centre of your heart. Feel your heart soften and fill with red love nectar. Release cruelty, harshness, hastiness, impatience and hurt from the heart on the exhalation. You can also say Haaw to release negativity. Send a smiling love letter to your open heart. Thank it for giving you compassion, kindness, joy and good circulation.
12. Gather the loving energy from the heart and spread it to your lovely lungs. Sense every cell relax as it releases grief and depression, exhaling the sound Sssss. You can also visualise them as glowing white wings carrying you to your higher mission. Swelling with smiling sap let your spongy lungs soak up joy, love and courage. Thank them for oxygenating your body.
13. Smile to your liver as it emanates a forest green hue, releasing grey murky light on the exhalation. Release anger and resentment with the sound Shhh. On the smiling inhalation absorb kindness, forgiveness and acceptance. Thank the liver for its role in assimilation, metabolism and purification.
14. Send pure smiling streams to your stomach, pancreas and spleen.
Visualise these organs basking in a golden yellow light as they relax to release worry and anxiety while exhaling the sound Huuuu. Feel faith, fairness and present-minded consciousness saturate this region. Thank the organs for maintaining healthy digestion, immunity and blood sugar levels.
15. Keeping your body relaxed, send the loving smile to the kidneys. Visualise them like deep blue ears, releasing fear and stress from them whilst exhaling the sound Choo. Smile to them as they fill with soothing security, wisdom and calm. Thank them and the adrenals for filtering blood, balancing water and increasing stress resistance. Strong kidneys also give us the willpower to act on our convictions.
16. Smile to your orgasmic sexual area. Fill it with a tender loving energy, appreciating the pleasure and power it gives you. Thank it for producing hormones that nourish the mind and body.
17. To finish smile up your spine, washing the whole body with golden nectar flowing from each vertebra through the nervous system, bone marrow, bones, muscles, skin and hair.
18. The smiling waterfall rises to your crown showering your whole body in smiling ecstasy.
19. Allow the energy to flow back down behind your eyes and pool into your naval.
20. To complete the practice spiral energy around your navel. Men place their palms left over right and spiral clockwise 36 times whilst women place their palms right over left and spiral counter clockwise 36 times. Next reverse the direction and spiral back 24 times. By storing the smiling energy in the navel you will avoid accumulating excess heat in the head or heart.
Mantak Chia also teaches special postures to cleanse each organ.
Smile Infusion
Once we are filled with an inner smile it naturally overflows to others. The smile resonates with outside vibrations and reverberates back to us as a collective smiling wave. This creates an endless exchange of loving energy, invigorating and uplifting us on all levels. To keep this smiling circuit flowing remember to smile as often as possible. Smile to your past, present and future so you may continue on the spiritual path. Send an inner smile to those you love, hate, empathise with and are indifferent towards. Extend it to your house, family, work, community, teachers, well-wishers, country, continent, earth and universe. Send a special smile to the natural world of plants, animals, water bodies, mountains, the sky and planets.
The inner smile is considered a complete, non-sectarian spiritual practice that will benefit everyone. When consistently practiced it can nurture the enlightened awareness that we are all part of the same smiling energy. For world peace may we all share Paramahamsa Yogananda's prayer to, “Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” Wishing you a lifetime of smiles.
Chart of organs transform emotions colours animals element Sounds
Heart Hate, cruelty to love, compassion Red Eagle Fire Haaw
Lungs Grief, depression to joy, courage White Tiger Metal Ssss
Liver Anger, resentment to forgiveness, acceptance Green Deer Wood Shhh
Stomach/ Spleen/ Pancreas Worry, anxiety to faith, fairness Yellow Monkey Earth Huuu
Kidney, Fear Stress to security, calm Deep blue Bear Water Chooo
Caroline Robertson is a Naturopath, Homoeopath and Ayurvedic consultant practicing at Ayurveda Elements, Sydney. After suffering from over-seriousness for many years her main ambition is to smile more. Special thanks to Tao Garden, Thailand for their generous hospitality on her recent retreat there. To contact Caroline about Tao Gardens or Ayurveda courses or consultations phone (02)9904 7754, www.ayurvedaelements.com
References
1.Hodgkinson L. (1994) Smile Therapy, Optima.
Klein A. (1989) The Healing Power of Humour, GP Putnam and Sons.
Ornstein A. Sobel D. (1987) The Healing Brain, Simon and Schuster.
2.Strack, F., Martin, L.L. and Stepper, S. (1988) Inhibiting and facilitating conditions of the human smile: A nonobstrusive test of the facial feedback hypothesis. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 54: 768-777
3. Davis & Palladino, 2000 In a research study, participants were either prevented or encouraged to smile by being instructed how to hold a pencil in their mouths. Those who held a pencil in their teeth and thus were able to smile rated cartoons as funnier than did those who held the pencil in their lips and thus could not smile.
4. Comic Relief fundraising campaign that took place in December 2002. StudentBMJ 2003;11:87-130 April ISSN 0966-6494
The Power of Sex
Morakot Piyakesin Special to The Nation
The vaginal and anal flexing that’s going on at Tao Garden in Chiang Mai is about making the leap from orgasm to enlightenment
Female sexuality can be a formidable thing. Women who know how to use it can have men at their mercy; those who don't tend to be vulnerable.
So a course called "Cultivating Female Sexual Energy* is bound to draw some attention. It's on the menu with a variety of healing instruction at Tao Garden in Chiang Mai's green and robust Doi Saket Village .
Then again, the course has to compete with the likes of Breast Massage, Ovarian Kung Fu - which involves "Orgasmic Draw" - and the Egg Exercise, in which an egg-shaped jade ball is inserted into the vagina to strengthen muscles amid much anal flexing.
It all sounds like a training camp for Patpong showgirls, but the lessons arc supposed to be crucial to having good sex, and if you have good sex, you have a key stepping-stone to health in mind and spirit.
Prasert Jirapongsathon who's well known overseas as the Taoist master Mantak Chia, stresses that sexual energy - like fire - is neither good nor bad in itself. It depends on how it's used.
Taoists do not shy away from sex, he says, they transform its force into spiritual energy. Sex thus becomes an aid in. the spiritual pursuit of enlightenment.
The explosion of energy at orgasm is usually merely dissipated, but in Tao practice this energy is harnessed and drawn back into the body as chi, the essential life force that keeps us alive and young and is a potent remedy to any illnesses.
To ensure a full orgasm, all the sexual organs must be fit, and that's what the courses at Tao Garden aim for. There is also the abdominal massage called chi nei tsang and the higher Tao practice of lean and li dark-room meditation. Former Lufthansa airline attendant Jutta Kellenberger became a student of Master Chia in 1987 and is now herself, at 53, a senior instructor. She teaches the Cultivating Female Sexual Energy course.
The slender, red-haired German has facial wrinkles indicating her age but she's beautiful, radiating inner charm. She has the grace of a wise woman, but childlike fun glitters in her turquoise eyes.
Tao, Kellenberger says, has transformed her, both physically and mentally, as it has her husband Walter, also an instructor at Tao Garden .
"My course is so uplifting," she says, "you really feel that it's a treasure to be a woman."
She doesn't conduct the classes as a how -to workshop, but creates a warm and caring atmosphere in which the students can let down their defences and receive instruction in a relaxed, spiritual mood.
One student began menstruating again after a long time without, Kellenberger says, adding that regular practitioners find their monthly periods shortened by a few days, with less - or no - discomfort from cramps and sickness.
The practice, she says, balances and heals hormonal dysfunction in women, and may also be beneficial in treating hormone-related diseases like breast and uterus cancer. Celibates, Kellenberger notes, probably need the practice more than sexually active women, in order to control their sexual energy.
The real power of women, practitioners believe, is not something to be exerted over men but over themselves. In today's stressful world, women need to respect their sexuality more than ever. They neither have to run after, nor away from men, and power Struggles with men are unnecessary.
The best way for women to deal with men is to be genuinely happy with themselves and their health.
More information on the courses at Tao Garden is available at www. universal-tao.com .
The Sexual Energy Elixir
by Caroline Robertson
For centuries Taoism and Tantra have taught that sexuality is a tool to transform the spirit. Now recent research suggests that satisfying sex also has the capacity to heal the body and mind.
Intimacy Immunisation
When some of my patients revealed that a good 'roll in the hay' eased their symptoms I was intrigued. There was the 40yr old man crippled with arthritis who found masturbation more effective than medication. A woman who sidelined crampy periods with a dose of premenstrual sexual healing and the carpenter who recovered from chronic back pain and depression after trying Taoist love making techniques. Investigating the phenomenon further I discovered a plethora of reports and anecdotal evidence supporting sexual energy as a powerful panacea. One of the most startling scientific experiments found that hamsters copulating freely remained healthy even after being injected with cancer causing drugs while their celibate compatriots dwindled and died from the same toxic injections.
We know arousal creates feel good chemicals which is why sex sells but can it cure conditions? Measuring the effects of the 'shagadelic state' on brains and bodies has led to revelations that it boosts the immune system, releases powerful painkillers, elevates the mood to orgasmic heights and imparts a youthful glow. In fact, before spending a fortune on wrinkle cream a Scottish study suggests you should consider investing in a bit of nookie. When the research panel guessed the ages of 3,500 people they estimated that those who had more sex looked 7-10 years younger than they actually were. No wonder China's concubines considered canoodling the 'best beauty aid.' High hormones may also be connected with greater longevity according to gerontologist Paul Niehans when after autopsying Thomas Parr who died at 152 discovered his huge testicles ' a storehouse of abundant hormones. Another 10-year study found that men who had more orgasms had a 50 percent lower death rate than those less sexually active. Conversely, castrated eunuchs of Egypt's royal harem were found to suffer more illness and age prematurely according to Russian physician Serge Voronoff. Sexual suppression may be linked to certain diseases with an estimated one third of catholic priests dying from prostate problems whereas men who have sex a several times a week were shown to suffer fewer prostate problems.
The biggest aphrodisiac, our brain, is on constant call to respond to our primal programme for species perpetuation. So what happens when, according to psychologists, every 3 seconds men think of sex and every 6 seconds women join in? Titillating thoughts trigger nerve signals to the brain, specifically tickling the hypothalamus, neocortex and midbrain. These then release neuropeptides and hormones that can alleviate illness, health and prolong life. An MRI during orgasm shows a bridge fusing the logical left and intuitive right brain hemispheres, creating an integrating and ecstatic experience. Another factor is that levels of the 'cuddle hormone' oxytocin during orgasm can surge up to five times higher which contracts the uterus, strengthens emotional bonding, regulates body temperature, blood pressure and pain relief. The immune boosting immunoglobulin A is also raised considerably according to a study by Carl Charnetski, PhD., co-author of "Feeling Good is Good for You" who found that subjects who had sex once or twice a week had 30% higher levels of the antibody than the more cold-prone celibates. During arousal we can also tolerate up to 110% more pain due to the midbrain's release of potent painkilling endorphins and corticosteroids, which numb painful nerve endings, relax muscles and calm the mind. A study by Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., confirmed that during orgasm women could increase their pain tolerance by up to 75%, an analgesic effect that can last for six hours according to Drs Sadoughi and Brown. These painkilling properties have been applied successfully to arthritis, menstrual cramps and migraines where circulation away from the head to the genitals can give marked relief, making the 'not tonight I've got a headache' excuse redundant. Shifting focus from pain to pleasure also acts to remind cells of their capacity for joy, overriding persistent pain pathways. In addition the effect of increased hormones, progesterone, FSH and LH in women can regulate periods and ease menopausal symptoms. Using it may also protect you from loosing it, explains Irwin Goldstein, M. D., "If you're sexually active now, you're protecting your ability to stay that way later,' by pulsing oxygen rich blood and lubricating juices to the pelvic area thereby strengthening the whole reproductive system. A bit of sexercise may be another weight loss option as it burns an estimated 200 calories, equal to 30 minutes vigorous running. Other studies link increased sexual activity with a lower risk of breast and prostate cancer. Another sexual revolution is that whereas previously sex was restricted for heart patients today the American Heart Association (AHA) actually endorses various techniques of sexual healing. A study in Wales supports the move after showing that men who had sex twice a week or more experienced half as many heart attacks after 10 years as men who 'got it on' less than once a month. Sexual dissatisfaction was also prevalent in a high percentage of patients prior to a heart attack according to research by Dr. Paul Pearsall, author of Sexual Healing. Having long recognised the elixir of sex, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners may prescribe a course of particular sexual postures to address a range of physical or psychological illnesses. Positions combined with focused awareness and breathing stimulates specific reproductive reflexology zones thereby sending energy to related organs. For example the woman on top position is suggested to relieve menstrual cramps. Tantra also details advanced pranayama, mudra and bandha practices for healing and spiritual advancement.
Though the evidence is mostly anecdotal, the psychological effect of healthy sex or suppression is obvious to most sex therapists as Dr Sandra Scantling voiced, 'sexual closeness is the body's emotional fuel.' In1949 sexologist Dr Rudolf von Urban explained in his book-'Sex, Perfection and Marital Happiness' that deeply relaxed lovers create a resonance effect called entrainment that brings about deep healing for both partners. Prescribing the 'sexual bonding' method to hundreds of patients which entails lying motionless together for 20-30 minutes he showed it improved the relationship, insomnia, high blood pressure, irritability, ulcers and other health problems. This was attributed to the merging of bioelectric energy streams unblocking negativity such as fear, anger and resentment, the same phenomenon viewed by Tantra as divine union dissolving the illusion of separateness. In their healing love workshops Dianne and Kerry Riley teach the 'Daily Devotion' practice similar to sexual bonding where couples lie still with genitals, lips and limbs connected for at least five minutes morning and evening. Participant's response was that it helped them to heal daily disharmony, diffuse potential discord, energise, relax and improved moods. Some therapists have found that union with a loving partner or oneself in the right circumstances can heal frigidity, quell anxiety, release trauma from touch depravation or abuse and overcome feelings of negative self esteem, timidity and alienation. The emotional benefits of sexuality were evident in one study which found that men who masturbated regularly were less prone to bouts of depression. So next time you're feeling down try a sexperiment. Put on some sensual music, soak in a relaxing bath and stroke yourself while visualising the most appealing mate imaginable. Sense those happy hormones surging through your system? When the juices of healthy arousal flow through us we are tapping into an extraordinary energy that has the capacity to create new life. Letting this creative energy generate healing within and allowing it to overflow into everything we do we can transfer that passion, excitement, warmth and energy of sexuality to everything we encounter. As Rob, a 62 year old minister says- 'People who are sexual are blessed, they can remake themselves. They are a creative repository for all that sexual energy and they can take it in many directions, to build a new house, to attract a new person, to take an intellectual journey.'
Seed Saving
Ancient Tantric and Taoist teachings have always acknowledged the transformative potential of sexual energy. According to Ayurveda and Tantra health, immunity and vitality come from abundant ojas or the transformed creative essence of semen and ovum. This life-generating cream contains the concentrated nectar from all the cells, the culmination of all vitalising biological processes. It is this refined elixir that, when utilised properly, forms Amrita- or the fountain of longevity. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoism also attribute life energy to Ching or channelled procreative powers. This precious energy is to be expertly cultivated, conserved and circulated. Rather than wasting it Taoists aim to refine it just as raw honey is purified from its raw waxy form to the sweetest nectar. In women it contains the zenith of Yin and in men the potency of Yang- both essential for health and balance. Women are considered more fortunate than men as they naturally tend to retain this vital fluid since their reproductive organs are internal and they have a yin receptive nature whereas men loose it easily. Taoists connect this difference to the fact that women live an average six years longer than men. Women's innate ability to have multiorgasms of increasing intensity also make them sexually superior according to Taoists. This is reflected in an ancient Greek myth where the sage Tiresias changes into a woman and in response to Jupiter's enquiry as to which gender has greater sexual pleasure he replied 'women by at least ten times!' Maybe Freud's theory of penis envy needs to be updated to clitoris envy.
Whereas western research on sexual healing doesn't emphasise the importance of retaining and recirculating sexual fluids, the Eastern systems make the vital distinction. One drop of semen is equal to sixty drops of blood in the energy it bestows on the body according to Vedic science. In Taoism it is considered to be a superfood rich in easily absorbable nutrients and energy that can revitalise body and mind. Western science agrees as semen has proven to be a treasure house of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, hormones, proteins, irons, enzymes and other vital nutritional substances including calcium, albumin, lecithin, phosphorus and nucleoproteins. Interestingly these are similar constituents to brain and nerve tissue, areas which Plato, Pythagoras and eastern rishis believed were nourished by retained semen. They also held that a weak nervous system, depleted energy and brain function were connected with excessive seed loss. However, after investing so much internal effort to produce this beneficial brew many blow it without considering the consequences. The immediate effect is obvious- like a burst balloon men's energy and mood become deflated. They may also disconnect from their partner as one man bravely admitted, 'Once I ejaculate, the pillow looks better than my girlfriend.' But the long term effects are the main concern, as a New York Times report reiterated 'creating sperm is far more difficult than scientists imagined, demanding a diversion of resources that otherwise might go into assuring a male's long-term health.' Its estimated that the average American man spills roughly 15 litres of his seed in a lifetime- a reservoir that if redirected would amount to a vast store of energy according to Taoists and Tantrics. All species tend to depletion after expelling reproductive fluids. Male silkworm moths emerge from their cocoon only to mate after which they die. And plants have greater longevity if they are kept from going to seed. This energy loss explains why many athletes including Mohammed Ali abstained from coitus before competing, so they'd have reserve strength to draw on. Then there are those who find a pre-performance release relieves tension and relaxes them for a better result.
However Taoists masters caution that if a man continues to squander his semen he can get very sick. All Taoist works claim excessive semen loss causes premature aging, damage to the nervous system, muscular weakness, poor digestion, loss of eyesight and energy. Peng-Tze, an advisor to the Yellow Emperor explained, 'after ejaculation, a man is tired, his ears buzz, his eyes are heavy, and he longs for sleep. He is thirsty and his limbs feel weak and stiff. In ejaculating he enjoys a brief moment of sensation but then suffers long hours of exhaustion.' The early Kinsey report found that 80% of men ejaculated within two minutes of penetration, not good news for women who take on average 20 minutes to reach orgasm. The inability to delay release may be connected with early subconscious conditioning to climax quickly because sexuality was concealed as a shameful secret.
Rather than advocating suppressive celibacy as the solution, Taoism and Tantric masters advise sexual expression with awareness and expertise. Using special techniques one can retrain the downward and outward explosive ejaculation to become an imploding inward and upward intrajaculation. Not easy to say or do! But as Healing Tao master Mantak Chia explains 'Real sexual fulfilment lies not in feeling the life going out of you but in increasing the awareness of the vital current that flows through the loins.' This conserved force that would normally form new life is then channelled within to renew the whole body. Specific areas that benefit are said to be the nerves, endocrine glands, bone marrow, brain and immune system. Tantric scholar Sir John Woodruff in the 'The Serpent Power' says 'the force of the sexual centres if directed upwards, extraordinarily heightens all mental and physical functioning.' The methods for doing this involve practices such as contracting the pubo-coccygeal muscle, pressing on the perineum, pulling down the testis, pinching the frenulum and most importantly using breathing and visualisation practices to circulate the accumulated energy around the body's central energy channel. Known as Sushumna in Tantra and the microcosmic orbit in Taoism this circles from the sacrum up the spine, over the head and pools energy in the navel (nabhi or dantien.) Its vibrating energy has the power to create ecstatic whole body multiorgasms, without ejaculation, releasing healing ripples to all cells. This is different from the old practice of coitus reservatus where one makes love without an orgasm, as this didn't explain how to channel the contained energy it can lead to severe prostate pressure, pain and heat congestion. If done correctly however it is not dangerous to withhold semen. In the early stages a retrograde ejaculation occurs which passes into the bladder and is expelled with urine and with mastery the thick fluid is transmuted into a fine nectar that travels to nourish all tissues like a rejuvenating shower. Most men find it hard to conceive of orgasms without ejaculation though this is a natural pre-pubescent occurrence and according to Mantak Chia and Douglas Abrams Arava in 'The Multi Orgasmic Man,' after persevering with the practices 'Most men begin to experience multiple orgasms within a week or two and master it within three to six months'. In their study of multiorgasmic men Dunn and Trost found it was much easier for men to become multiorgasmic later in life and with an intimate, loving partner.
Writer William Burroughs noted the different types of orgasms 'There is the pleasurable orgasm, like a rising sales graph, and there is the unpleasurable orgasm, slumping ominously like the Dow Jones in 1929.' Taoist and Tantric practices create the regenerative valley orgasm, continuous ecstatic waves rolling throughout the body that get stronger and leave one energised as opposed to the degenerative peak orgasm where one rises to the wave's peak to come crashing down. As one Tantric scholar noted the 'Goal is not to climb one peak together, but an entire series of mountains, each higher and with a more spectacular view than the previous peak.' Couples dedicated to a deeper sexual experience have the choice to prolong pleasure so the climax builds to greater heights together. This mutually erotic healing journey creates stronger bonds of intimacy involving coming together rather than just coming.
The Sexual-Spiritual Schism
Having considered the physical and psychological benefits of sexuality let's venture into the minefield of sex and spirituality. For some it takes a mental leap to accept that sexuality and spirituality can be integrated. Our view of sexuality is filtered through the projector of past conditioning from cultural, religious and familial influences. Sex is such a deep-seated subconscious drive that, depending on our approach, it has the power to recreate or destroy us. According to our outlook we can see it as divine or depraved, a source of damnation or salvation, a process for procreation or pleasure. Whether we think it will degrade us to devil status or elevate us to angelic heights will decide whether it harms or helps us. Adopting the middle path between hedonism and asceticism, craving and aversion liberates us from restricting concepts, opening us to utilise sexuality for the highest good according to time, place and circumstance.
Though sex is easily accessible today many find it shallow and dissatisfying. Some are sexually wounded after degrading, disappointing, humiliating, exploitative, shameful or simply unstimulating experiences. This discomfort may manifest in subtle or obvious ways such as fear of nudity, public displays of affection or erotic art, frigidity, impotence, sexual perversions or most commonly an inability to release inhibitions in order to fully enjoy sex. Society does little to enhance our sexual wisdom, encouraging it while at the same time condemning and sensationalising the natural act that created us. As far back as the 1940's psychologist Wilhelm Reich was persecuted for extolling the orgiastic release as one of the most physically and emotionally healing experiences and as recently as 1994 US surgeons general Dr Joycelyn Elders was forced to resign for stating publicly that masturbation was a normal part of human sexuality. Religion often contributes to our aversion to sex, shrouding it in the same shame that prompted Eve and Adam to forage for fig leafs. Many religious traditions reinforced a negative concept of sexuality where celibacy was for strong saints and sex for weak sinners. In an attempt to redeem themselves some would suppress their baser sexual nature to cultivate superior spiritual sensitivities. Extreme cults such as the Skoptsi Russian sect would go so far as to castrate themselves, women cut off their breasts and Angela de Fulgino burnt her own genitals with hot coals in order to destroy desire. Preachers in patriarchal religions began blaming women for their sexual frustration, polarising them as either the demonised whore who traps them into lust or the sacred asexual virgin-mother. And you only have to see how harmless Peter Finch was branded a sexual predator in The Nun's Story and Black Narcissus to understand how female celibate orders bore the same prejudice against men. Celibacy can be a healthy aid to enlightenment if the creative energy is rechannelled correctly. But suppressed sexual energy wages an inner war which eventually surfaces in destructive ways such as through aggression, depression, neurosis and psychosis. Philosopher Omraam Michael Aivanhov agrees, 'Only idiotic puritans fight against this energy, and they are always hurled to the ground and crushed by it, because they are fighting against a divine principle.' Then there is the opposite paradigm where unrestricted indulgence is advocated. Practiced along proper guidelines, with pure intentions this can also be a path to enlightenment. In Tantra it is known as Bhukti when you don't deny pleasure but deepen it until you transcend it. But there are inherent dangers on this route such as sex addiction where one gets stuck in sensual pleasures rather than seeing them as rungs in the ladder to liberation. Excessive sex can devitalise partners and devalue its special quality as author Ayn Rand felt 'I consider promiscuity immoral. Not because sex is evil, but because sex is too good and too important.' There are not only physical dangers but also the negative energetic effect of absorbing malevolent vibrations if the experience is bereft of benevolent love.
However it's not a question of quantity but rather quality that will nurture sexual satisfaction. People are largely dissatisfied with their sex lives today because they lack a spiritual concept of sexuality that would greatly enrich the experience. By introducing a sacred dimension to making love we take advantage of its transformative quality. As Georg Feurstein noted 'The great ideal of a body-positive spirituality is to transmute the sexual energy, without squashing it and oneself, and to use it in order to intensify one's consciousness and one's erotic capacity.'
Many ancient cultures saw sexuality as sacramental. Sacred sexual symbolism permeates every civilisation right back to the oldest cave drawing showing a woman on top at Mesopotamia's 3,200 year old Ur excavations. Phallic effigies include the Roman's Mutunus, Japan's iron phalli of Kanamara-sama and Sarutahiko, the wooden priapus of Trani, Italy called Il Santo Membro, American Indian's totems, India's millions of Shiva lingams and shaligram shilas including the thousand lingams at Tanjore temple hall, Kashmir's natural stalagmite lingam in Amaranth cave and England's well endowed giant of Cerne Abbas. These are often invested with the power to bless infertile couples with progeny or to increase spiritual strength. Real genitals were also worshipped as BZ Goldberg reported in 1931 that the priests of Kanara walked nude through the streets, ringing bells while women ran out to kiss their member. Naked women were also worshipped as shaktis during tantric rituals such as Yoni Puja. Deities of the female form include the u-shaped yoni of India, the conch shell, a natural moist rock cleft at Kamarupa, Assam said to be Sati's genitals and the clamshell parade at Inuyama, Japan where girls throw rice cakes from the centre of the opening and closing clam. Icons of divine intercourse abound with the Ankh symbol, the yoni lingams of Asia including the 64 at Nepal's Pushpatinath Temple, a sacred stone in the Ark of the Covenant chest which represents coitus and at Japan's Chiba festival where a giant wooden phallus is inserted into a straw vulva splattering the audience with milky sake.
These ceremonies are a celebration of the universal act of creation. The male organ symbolises the proactive, impregnating energy of purusha, yang or the deity related to this such as Shiva or Krishna. The female organ signifies the balancing receptive, impregnated energy of prakriti, yin and goddesses such as Shakti and Radha. Their union is the synthesis of divine dualities, opposites merging in ecstatic creation. Erotic artistic traditions flourished in many ancient cultures including India where the 85 Tantric temples of Khajuraho embellished with sensual statues still stand as testimony to its liberal past. Rather than seeing sex as polluting it was considered a purifying rite to visit a temple prostitute in ancient India, Sumer, Egypt, Rome and Greece where women were worshipped as the doorway to the divine. 'The original whore was a priestess, the conduit to the divine, the one through whose body one entered the sacred arena and was restored,' says researcher Deena Metzger. In India there is even a temple hymn saying 'To have intercourse with a prostitute is a virtue that takes away sin.' However we must consider that these priestesses had presumedly raised their consciousness to a level beyond personal attachment and selfish desire. Muslims are known for practicing polygamy but there are also many cultures allowing woman more than one husband. In a study by Jane Barr she found that out of 853 human societies worldwide 84% practiced polygamy. These ancient traditions teach us that beliefs about sexuality very greatly according to time and culture. Holding negative concepts of sexuality holds us back from taking full advantage of its healing capacity. We restrict ourselves from the sacred possibilities of sexuality if we cling to past conditioning and limiting man-made conventions. When we open our perception to the spiritual side of sexuality it will start to manifest more spiritual energy. Many people already experience greater ecstatic transcendence in their bedroom than in their church or temple. As actor Omar Sharif confided- 'Making love? It's a communion with a woman. The bed is the holy table. There I find passion'and purification.'
Divine Union
Spiritual transformation through sexual experience begins with accepting the body as a temple of divine energy. Accessing this energy within ourself and others reveals the mystery of universal energies. Both Tantra and Taoism advocate methods to use sexuality as a springboard to more subtle realms as it is such a powerful and persistent force. Initially this requires willingness to experiment with techniques then ultimately an ability to totally surrender and forget all methodology. The Taoists call this effortlessness Wu Wei, understanding that the harder we strain to attain something the more it slips from our grasp. This is relevant to many of the 40% of women who struggle to achieve orgasm as stress blocks them from feeling pleasure in the present. Interestingly electroencephalogram readings have shown that women's brainwaves during orgasm are predominantly in alpha- the meditative relaxed state.
We all long for a loving connection at the deepest level. We can meet this love with a partner whilst also acknowledging that the same love we seek is within. Spiritual sex is best practiced with yourself or an unconditionally loving and willing partner. To be able to trust and surrender to your partner or yourself is essential as the aim is to soften separation boundaries and emotional armour with selfless and sharing intentions. The potential for blissful ego-transcending ecstasy rather than selfish ego-fulfilment is much greater when there is patience, communication and consideration between partners. This requires making love through the heart, not just the genitals. We can absorb the opposite energy of our partner or we can harmonise our own internal yin/yang or ida/pingala polar opposites. Jung called these the anima and animus- the male aspect in women and the female aspect in men. Worshipping the divine in our partners and ourselves allows us to really soul mate. During high sex the co-mingling force of physical, emotional and spiritual love is so supercharged with electromagnetic energy that it can lead to spontaneous awakening and healing.
Connecting the male and female parts is likened to turning on an electrical socket. This is often felt as a frission or shudder of electricity shooting up the body or as streaming sensations rippling and pulsing in waves as it dissolves blockages. As one women recounts 'It felt like my pelvis literally became a funnel of energy, widening and receiving this incredible force of energy.' It is essential to learn how to contain and channel this intense charge otherwise it can cause symptoms such as headaches and fatigue. These energies have enormous capabilities that we must respect as Benjamin Walker, author or 'Sex and the Supernatural' states 'Sex is not just a buzz in the genitals, or a form of biophysical electricity streaming through the flesh, but an occult power, attuned by invisible strings to the resounding harmonies of the cosmos.'
Erotic experiments
Freud once said that sexuality contained a "divine spark,' in order to fan that into a flame here are some tips.
- Be aware of blocks to sexual satisfaction by asking yourself-what stops me from fully enjoying my sexuality? What steps can I take to enjoy a healthy, healing sex life? Consider your self-esteem and attitude to pleasure. If you have a partner, include a list of sexual likes, dislikes and requests to share with them. Write a list of negative beliefs and experiences regarding sex then jot down alternative empowering beliefs and desires. It's amazing what surfaces when we take time to examine our deeper sexual psyche. One client with neck pain said she'd abstained for over a year, as it was too uncomfortable. After trying some alternative positions she was delighted to find it actually afforded relief and her husband was only too happy to help out.
- Become your own lover to learn what turns you on. Spend time alone getting comfortable with your body, experimenting and sensing your response. Making love with ourselves can be just as satisfying as with a partner, generating a positive self-image whilst regenerating new life within. Many women have trouble orgasming or even enjoying sex. The best way to overcome this is to explore self-service. Sexual energy can be more intense for a woman when she is alone as they can focus on their own pleasure, at their own pace. The arousal pathways can then be switched on more easily when with a partner. Self-massage to arousing music is one way to try this. Since vibrators dull sensitivity to subtle sensations they are not recommended for long-term use. Men practicing withholding ejaculation for an inner multiorgasmic experience are advised to master this alone first, free from the stimulating temptation of a lover.
- An emotional connection is the strongest aphrodisiac for a healing and transformative sex life. Intimacy is fostered by mutual commitment to communication, relaxed bonding time, consideration and by honouring each other's needs. People look to the athletic postures of the Kama Sutra or libido boosting formulas to improve their sex life whereas all it takes to be a phenomenal lover is a giving heart. No matter how technically good a lover is, unless the heart is in it, the sex will soon feel empty. The measure of a successful sexual experience is not by the number of orgasms achieved but by the degree to which the heart and consciousness expands to love more. Learning to love and accept ourselves is the first step to this. Meeting one's needs for relaxation, stimulation and nurturing are reaffirming acts of self-loving.
Loving intimacy is especially vital for women as author John Gray explains, 'Sex opens a man's heart, whereas a woman's heart needs to opened and then she can enjoy sex.'
- Bored or unfulfilled with your sex life? A US study filmed couples making love then twenty years later taped them again to find they made love in exactly the same way. To keep love alive in a long -term relationship one step is deautomate your sex life. Use your imagination, try variety, be spontaneous and open to the unpredictable. Consider different locations to jump-start the passion such as in water, a luxurious hotel or a secluded forest. Ecstatic experiences happen when we shed our inhibitions and loose ourselves in the moment.
- Condition your mind/ body instrument so when its time to play it creates an ecstatic symphony. Sex is usually the last thing we can be bothered with when we're sick or tired, though it may be the medicine we need. Optimising health and energy through good nutrition, adequate sleep and exercise will build reserve energy for healing sex. Exercise not only increases self esteem but a study of 78 sedentary men at California University found that after a nine month exercise regime it increased libido, frequency of sex by 30% and orgasm by 36%, however excessive exercise decreased testosterone and libido. Pelvic floor exercises as taught in pilates will also heighten enjoyment and increase stamina for both partners. As author Sheila Kitzinger says 'If your pelvic floor muscles are slack and you do not know how to use them, you are missing out on one whole aspect of sexual experience.' A simple way to condition these muscles is to stop and start the flow of urine for as long as possible.
- Getting in the mood takes elaborate conditions for some whereas 'just turning up' is enough for others. In The Elusive Orgasm by Dr Vivienne Cass one woman despairs- 'I just finish unwinding from work and the kids and he's ready to climax!' The joke that a husband vacuuming is foreplay for a wife has an element of truth to it. Since our erotic circuits are charged by emotion, the key to arousing yourself or your partner is to create a loving connection. Rather than thinking of sex as a stop/ start event it is an ongoing process of loving interaction with oneself and others.
You can make love the whole day by being considerate, appreciative and supportive to yourself and your partner and by seeing the inherent beauty in all things. To fill the environment with positive energy before lovemaking create a sensual ambience with seductive music, scents, edibles, mirrors, colours, gentle lighting and soft textures. Soaking in a soothing bath then 'slipping into something more comfortable' can also set your mood. While a man's strongest sexual stimulus is visual, for females it is more setting. To minimise disturbances take the phone off the hook and choose a time when people aren't around. Take a moment to calm and centre yourself before coming together. New research by Dr Saral Tulsi clinical psychology professor suggests that creative visualisation is a powerful approach to improving your sex life. "Think about the most pleasurable sexual experience in your life," Tulsi says. "You will get to a point where you are free from the negative images and can concentrate on creating or re-creating the positive images." If you take a while to get hot compared to your lover you may like to start some self-loving before uniting. Set aside enough time so there is no pressure or urgency as the Discourse on the Highest Tao Under Heaven explains, 'The essence of foreplay is slowness, if one precedes slowly and patiently the woman will be exceedingly joyful.'
- Sublime sex is a kind of mystical event that often happens in unexpected ways. As writer Simone De Beauvoir noted 'Sex pleasure in woman is a kind of magic spell; it demands complete abandon; if words or movements oppose the magic of caresses, the spell is broken.'
To practice sacred sex one must first acknowledge the divinity in oneself and one's partner. Next you can pray for positive energy to flow through you and meditate on giving and receiving healing energy with your partner. Create a calm, centred connection by gazing into each other's eyes whilst touching. Then to stoke passions fire take 10 slow deep breaths in synch. Alternatively with mouths together, exhale while the other inhales the air and vice versa. Breathe in each other's essence with the inhalation and on the exhalation release the energy throughout your entire body. Sex fails to satisfy us on a deeper level when we are penetrated physically but not energetically, resulting in a depleting and empty experience. Let barriers dissolve to envelope your partner as you both merge with universal orgasmic energy. An erotic massage helps this process by releasing mental problems and preoccupations whilst stimulating erogenous zones.
Enjoy the flow of subtle sensations rather than driving towards orgasm. Savour the taste, smell, touch of yourself and your partner. Problems preventing mutual enjoyment may include premature ejaculation in men and women failing to achieve orgasm.
Micheal Winn Senior Healing Tao instructor suggests a way to postpone ejaculation- 'The more a women can touch and stroke a man's whole body and help him to be less penis oriented, the easier it will be for him to move the energy out of his penis to other parts of his body.'
When trying to arouse a women remember that the tongue is mightier than the sword. Only one third of women experience orgasm through penetration alone so it is important to explore other techniques. Remember that the most sensitive area in a women is all within 1 inch of her love cave, dispelling the myth that deeper penetration is better.
Women who are self conscious or critical of their bodies tend to be more sexually inhibited. Interestingly a US poll asking men what they found sexy had very little to do with appearance rather 'what they want to do to me and what they want done to them' was the ultimate male turn on. Confidence was seen as another appealing trait. Liberating sex helps one to shed self-limiting beliefs by appreciating the pleasure you can give and receive irrespective of physical appearance. Still words whispered in a lover's ear can set the soul ablaze, especially if offering encouragement and appreciation.
A simple way to absorb your partner's energy is with muscle contraction, breath and visualisation. With tongues and genitals connected, on inhalation contract your pubococcygeal muscle and visualise energy flowing up your genitals, spine, head, tongue and finally to the belly. Then breathing out through the mouth feel the energy spread through your entire being. Remain relaxed and hold the energy within, resisting the urge to orgasm until the charge has accumulated to an overflowing level. Finally when you can contain it no longer, allow the dam to burst, creating an ecstatic surge like Victoria Falls.
Afterplay
Basking in the afterglow of love can be the sweetest experience of all. Relax in each other's energy and absorb the delight while lying together in still silence. It can take up to fifteen minutes for a woman's genitals to return to normal so she can continue to feel little tremors for a long time.
Store the peak sensations in your memory cells so you can access them whenever you need a shot of sexual healing.
A rejuvenating drink to help a man replenish lost fluids is warm milk or with a pinch of saffron, a tsp of honey and a few dates and almonds blended together. To add more creative courses to your love feast refer to '101 Nights of Tantric Sex,' by Cassandra Lorius and 'Healing Love through the Tao,' by Mantak Chia
Caroline Robertson is a naturopath, homoeopath, Ayurvedic consultant, teacher and writer. She has published dozens of articles on health, travel and spirituality. To download more articles see www.ayurvedaelements.com
