Dan Tian 丹田– Qi Core of Humanity

Dan Tian 丹田– Qi Core of Humanity

Dan Tian

In Chinese, the definition of “Dan” 丹 is the color ‘red’. “Tian” 田 can be defined as paddy field, or an area that can be mined for treasure or minerals.

In the vast universe, no creature can exist without the core. The principle is that the rotation or revolution of everything in the universe moves around their internal core and external core.

In nature, the core of all kinds of plants, trees and flowers are their roots. Plants cannot exist without roots, for example apples, pears, peaches, and apricots, etc. all depend for living on their roots or core. Seeds are another form of core, which induce plants to germinate, grow and produce fruit. Similarly, a country, company, family, and each person require a core to develop and strengthen. Thousands and millions of cores rotate and revolve endlessly to move, restrict, oppose, wane, wax, and interact with each other to wisely achieve the balance between internal and external. The core unites all things tightly. Meanwhile, the core transmits energy and power to each part of a substance from the inside. Core energy is the vital energy of all creatures; they cannot live without core energy.

  1. Where is this core of life – Dan Tian?
    The Dan Tian is below the navel inside the stomach area.
  2. What is Qi Core of the body? Human’s core (Dan Tian) of the body is the source of vital energy of life and blood, which includes innate energy, acquired energy, and root of wisdom.
  3. Why is Dan Tian the Core?
    • Dan Tian is the origin of the seed of humanity.
      The seed of mankind consists of ovum from female and sperm from male, which originates in Dan Tian.
    • Innate energy comes from Dan Tian
      The Dan Tian is a deep source of innate energy. Ovum (Yin) and sperm (Yang) combine together in our body (Yin and Yang), to generate an embryo, and multiply the next generation. Dan Tian is the origin of the fetus, humanities’ innate energy and body. In addition, Dan Tian is vital energy to induce the fetus forming, growth, and giving birth. The innate energy of each person is inherited from parents; and it comes with uniqueness constitution of energy, which decides composition and personality of each person.
    • Acquired energy comes from Dan Tian
      The Dan Tian is also a deep source of acquired energy. After birth, people rely on energy and blood to survive, and to maintain health. Energy and blood is obtained from nutrition of food and inhalation of oxygen. People digest and absorb nutrition to form energy and blood. The acquired energy from Dan Tian combines nutrition from food and oxygen, generates energy and blood, and supplies it to every part of body all the time. Therefore, people give birth and grow; internal organs work; and bodies do activities.
    • Wisdom is from the Dan Tian
      Wisdom is from the Dan Tianthe sun in our body. It can be regarded as the “Gut Feeling” in western countries to some extent (to be continued).
  4. How do we use and strengthen the Dan Tian?
    1. Exercising the movement of Dan Tian’s energy can help improve energy and blood, and movement of internal organs. They are effective methods to balance Yin and Yang in our bodies, help cure and prevent disease, increase longevity, and improve the quality of life, nourish energy and blood, and maintain optimism and help prevent depression, anxiety and dementia,

    Benefit for physical and mental health.

    Qi Gong and Tai Chi are specially designed to make full use of the Dan Tian Energy.

  5. Methods of daily exercise for Dan Tian:
    1. Open up the body from Dan Tian.
      Standing: open up Dan Tian to straighten the spine and organs.
      Walking: heels down, toes up, open up Dan Tian.
      Sitting: open up Dan Tian – body up right.

       

      Benefits of this include:

      • Opening up of internal organs makes energy and blood flow and decreases stagnation.
      • Opening up Dan Tian pushing spine up nourishes the brain to help prevent dementia, depression and stagnation.
      • Improved blood circulation.
      • Opens up skeleton and ligaments.
      • Reduced stress and anxiety.
      • Maintains optimism and helps prevents depression.
      • Helps fertility and gynecology problems.
      • Helps the immune system to help prevent cancer.
      • Helps improve posture.
        • Breathing from Dan Tian
        • It is a strong performance of energy and blood when we are able to breathe by using Dan Tian. Breath will be weak and shallow when we are ill, weak, and getting older. Breathing from the Dan Tian improves blood circulation, enhances energy and blood, and maintains physical and mental health.
        • Strong energy from Dan Tian leads to strong energy and blood. Moreover, strong energy and blood result in physical health and psychological optimism to help prevent depression, dementia, and stagnation. To exercise Qi Gong and Tai Chi is not only to be undertaken in classes, but also to be considered as natural daily activities. Thus, we can be healthier and have more enjoyment in our lives.

Prevention and wisdom are the principles of Traditional Qi.

Written by: Angela Zhu (TCM Practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi Instructor)

© Copyright Angela Zhu 2021

The Million-Dollar Point

The Million-Dollar Point

Hui Yin

People ask eye doctors for help if they have problems with their eyesight. Better vision can be obtained by wearing right eyeglasses.  When people suffer from poor hearing, they turn to hearing aids. Dentists help to fill and extract bad teeth, and to perform dental prosthesis to patients when they need it. Not only can Qi Gong, this well-known wise exercise with a long history since ancient China, help people to exercise the sensory organs, but also to other parts of body. People can receive far-reaching benefits by practicing Qi Gong; such as toning the Qi, enjoying a long life expectancy and prolonging youth.

There is an old story about a millionaire.  He came to an old temple and asked the monks for help about how to have a long life span through practicing Qi Gong. After a while of learning and practicing, he acquired the knowledge of preserving health by practicing and making the use of ‘Hui Yin’. When he decided to leave, he donated a million dollars to the temple. Since then, Hui Yin had been widely-known as the Million-Dollar Point.

1. Where is the Million-Dollar point?

The Million-Dollar point is one of the points in TCM, called the ‘Hui Yin’. It is between the anus and the external genitalia of the body. It is called the perineum in English.

2. How do we exercise the ‘Hui Yin’?

Lift up the ‘Hui Yin’ gently. Then connect to Dan Tian, (The Dan Tian is the very core of the Qi. It is under the navel, inside of stomach (abdomen). One of the most important theories of Qi Gong is to imagine it and then bring the mind into the body and picture it. Imagine and picture the ‘Hui Yin’. And then lift it up gently to connect it to the Dan Tian (the core of the Qi, life energy).  Try to practice it every day. Start by practicing it a few times on a daily basis and then this will become a habit of yours.

3. Why do so?

  • The ‘Hui Yin’ is the strongest and biggest point of the Yin energy. (Please click https://www.traditionalqi.com/about-traditional-qi/tcm-sydney/ to find out about Yin and Yang).  Lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up gently is greatly favourable to strengthen, store and exercise the Qi (life energy).
  • When we are lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up, the anus, the external genitalia and the prostate glands are lifted up simultaneously, which helps relax and contract the muscles of these parts of the body alternately.(Please reference the articles ‘the Two Directions Wisdom part 1 &2’ at the link https://www.traditionalqi.com/2011/03/31/the-two-directions-wisdom-part-1/ and https://www.traditionalqi.com/2011/04/07/the-two-directions-wisdom-part2/). The energy and circulation of these parts of the body become weak gradually as we grow old and even our physiological activities such as defecate, passing wind, urination, having sex, giving birth and having periods also consume the energy and circulation of these parts of the body. Therefore, by lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up gently, both of the anus and the external genitalia can be helped to relax and tighten the muscles of these parts of the body, at the same time, can get exercised.
  • For women, lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up gently and connecting it to the Dan Tian can help to nourish the blood and tonify vital energy to the vagina and uterus.
  • For men, lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up gently can help get the prostate glands exercised.
  • Lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up gently, at the same time, helps to strengthen the deep muscles of the bottom and the preaxial thigh.
  • Lifting the ‘Hui Yin’ up gently and then connecting it to the Dan Tian can also help keep the good body figure and maintain better posture. This is one of the important  Qi Gong movements.

4. What are the Benefits?

  • Help nourish vitality, improve life span and anti-aging.
  • Help keep body up right and posture.
  • Help prevent and treat urinary and fecal incontinence.
  • Help prevent and treat vaginal diseases and make vagina tight.
  • Help prevent and treat hysteroptosis.
  • Help prevent and treat prostatosis.
  • Help prevent and treat the diseases of the colon and anus.
  • Help improve sexual life.
  • Help strengthen the deep muscles of the bottom and the preaxial thigh.

We today are living a busy life. Therefore, it has a very point of advocating preserving health by exercising the Qi core, Qi gate and the Qi point as part of our daily life. It will benefit us for the whole life.

Prevention and wisdom are the principles of Traditional Qi.

Written by: Angela Zhu (TCM Practitioner, Qi Gong & Tai Chi Instructor)

Translated by: Charlie Lee

© Copyright Angela Zhu 2011