Most exercise in the West, such as jogging, swimming, bicycling, and so forth, work primarily on the muscles (including the heart) and the lungs. The Chinese also partake in Western-style exercise, but Chi Kung is thought to be of a higher level. Why? The following sections answer this question explicitly.

Chi Kung Loosens the Muscles and Builds Power
Chi Kung works with the muscles quite differently than typical exercises do. Aerobics and vigorous stretching build strength and flexibility; Chi Kung and other internal exercises build effortless power and looseness. The feeling of strength, of being "pumped up," obtained in Western exercise is actually due to muscular contraction, and even though you may be able to do leg splits, for example, this kind of contraction prevents the free flow of Chi.

In the internal arts, the feeling of strength is considered inappropriate; the goal, rather, is a feeling of relaxed power. Relaxed power comes when the muscles, rather than fighting and straining to do something, just loosen (open up) and allow the energy to flow through.

Chi Kung Strengthens the Organs
The Chi Kung techniques discussed in this series-especially the Swings-work to strengthen and balance all the internal organs. There are also other techniques (not mentioned in this book) to strengthen specific organs: to help the liver recover from hepatitis, for instance, or the lungs from tuberculosis, or the heart from a heart attack. Even without having had a serious illness, almost everyone is born with a weakness in one organ or another, and Chi Kung has exact exercises to address an individual's problems.

Chi Kung Improves Cardio-Pulmonary Function
Most people think that aerobic exercise is necessary to strengthen the heart and lungs. While aerobic exercise does accomplish this, so does Chi Kung. Slow, deep, regular breathing and energy movement combine to work oxygen deeper into the tissues than regular exercise.

Chi Kung Strengthens the Nerves
Chi flows primarily along the nerves of the body. Although at advanced levels of development chi and the nerves can be felt separately, the great majority of beginners only have awareness of their nerves. The nerves are an intermediary between the body and the mind, and it is through the nerves that we are used to gaining information about our body. Much of the initial Chi Kung work, which emphasizes getting in touch with the body and clearing out blockages, is accomplished through the nervous system. As your chi gets stronger through continued practice, your nerves are strengthened and your body awareness is enhanced. People with poor coordination and other motor problems can benefit greatly, and everyone is aware of the important role spinal nerves play in overall health. The entire chiropractic system is based on the importance of spinal nerve flow. Chi is also an intermediary between the body and the mind, and while it travels with nerve impulses, it can, with practice, be felt independently. It is commonly said in the internal arts that the mind moves the chi, and the chi moves the body. This is true, but it is important to be aware that most beginners need to work through the nerves first.

Chi Kung Improves vascular Function
Western aerobics increase circulation by exercising the heart. Chi Kung improves circulation by increasing the elasticity of the blood vessels themselves. It is standard in China to prescribe Chi Kung exercises for both high and low blood pressure, as both are due to problems in vascular elasticity and strength.

Chi Kung Can Be Used by the Seriously Ill
Western exercise utilizes either motion or resistance to motion to strengthen the body (for example, weight lifting, calisthenics, running). Unfortunately, the seriously ill and bedridden often do not have the capacity for vigorous exercise. This means that the muscles and organ systems get weaker during prolonged bed rest, and it may take months to get back to normal after recovery from the main problem (a back injury, say). Chi Kung, however, has many techniques specifically designed for the weak and immobile, techniques, which increase physical capacities.

Chi Kung Eases Stress and Balances Emotions
Much of the new literature on stress indicates that one of the largest factors in determining stress level is the emotions. Most physical exercise is at least somewhat useful for relieving anger, but one need only look at the behavior of some top athletes to see that typical physical activity is not the answer. The clearing process in Chi Kung can be used on strongly repressed, as well as on spontaneously expressed emotions. Many of the movements of Chi Kung can be refined to specifically address your problem area, be it depression, grief, frustration, irritability, or any combination thereof. The elements of standing meditation are quite safe, assuming you abide by the 70 percent rule. Demonstrate he standing meditation to anyone who is interested.
(The movement exercises are more problematical, and you should really have your movements checked by a qualified instructor before you teach them to others.) Be guided by the old maxim: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be clear with anyone you teach regarding the extent of your knowledge, and don't teach what you don' t understand. You may have managed to avoid pitfalls, but until you are quite familiar with the subject, you may not be able to help others do the same. Chi Kung works strongly on the body fluids, including blood, lymph, and the synovial and cerebro-spinal fluids. Concerning the circulation of blood, the object of Chi Kung is not to make the heart pump more strongly, but to increase the elasticity of the vascular system. As the vessels expand and contract with more vigor, the heart doesn't need to pump as strongly, which provides it with more rest. Thus, the beneficial consequences of Chi Kung, and the internal martial arts, are primarily vascular, rather than cardiac, in nature.

Lymph Pump, Hence the Immune System, Is Strengthened
The lymph fluids are moved primarily by tiny muscular contractions. The Chi Kung techniques taught here employ some of their strongest motions where the largest lymph nodes are located; that is, the armpits, the backs of the knees, and the inguinal region. The relatively fine muscular contractions improved by Chi Kung move lymph efficiently through the entire system. These actions, as well as the overall increase in chi that Chi Kung brings, strengthen the body's immune response.

Synovial Fluid Is Vitalized, Bringing Flexibility to Joints
Synovial fluid is found in the joints. It lubricates the joints, allows joint flexibility, and when functioning normally helps prevent arthritis and rheumatism. From the point of view of Chinese medicine, when "wind/damp" or physical obstructions (coagulated blood, calcium deposits, and so on) get stuck in the joints, the results are not only specific joint problems but a decrease in the flow of chi through the entire body as well. Chi Kung works with the synovial fluid by compressing and expanding it, preventing and reversing all sorts of joint problems.

The Cerebro-Spinal Pump Becomes Efficient
Cerebro-spinal fluid is basically a nutrient bath and lubricating liquid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain. It keeps a constant pressure in the human body. This pressure regulates nerve flow and affects every physical sense. All the Chi Kung techniques in this series of volumes help strengthen the cerebrospinal fluid pumps in the body and add chi to the cerebro-spinal fluid itself

The Muscle Tissue Gains Elasticity
Chi Kung also causes muscle tissue to elongate. This activity differs from stretching in the usual sense. The object here is to fill the tissues with energy, so that they stabilize at a given degree of stretch. With most forms of stretching, the body soon shrinks back to its original state when the stretch stops. With the stretches of Chi Kung, however, the muscles eventually attain a state akin to that of a springy rubber band. A few athletes possess this muscular springiness naturally, but anyone can attain this state with Chi Kung practice.

The Tendons Are Strengthened
Chi Kung also adds greater strength and elasticity to the tendons. This contributes to the tremendous flexibility many Chi Kung practitioners have, which derives primarily from the tendons and ligaments, not from the muscles. Chi Kung has the ability to not only make ligaments more springy but also to shrink and stabilize overstretched ligaments, which make a joint too floppy-a problem experienced by many dancers.

The Bone Marrow Is Energized
Chi Kung affects the bones by directly infusing the bone marrow with energy. This technique is an advanced one, but by the time a disciplined practitioner reaches an advanced level of Chi Kung, the energizing of the bone marrow has started to occur. If you constantly practice Chi Kung, your body will open up in layers. Muscles that were initially numb will begin to regain sensation. Your body will begin to reveal itself to you gradually, in a marvelous process of discovery. As your body becomes more alive, you'll be able to feel how your physical self works from the inside out. It is not farfetched to say that you may actually begin to feel your internal organs (kinesthetically sense where your liver and spleen are, say) and what they are doing at any given time (as opposed to knowing this information intellectually). This sensitivity allows for detecting potential problems well before they ever get to the point of causing trouble. What happens if you practice Chi Kung for a while but don't feel anything different going on in your body? This is in fact the case for many people. It takes time for you to become sensitive to e chi, but a good rule of thumb to go by is as follows: If you find yourself feeling more comfortable, or if you are able to do more things without strain, or if you do not get sick as much as you used to, or if you start developing a type of effortless concentration and ability to do physical things you never before even thought were possible-your chi is growing whether you are aware of it or not. Keep practicing and you will eventually feel the chi in a very real way. Some of the common sensations people report when they feel the chi starting to move in their bodies include: feelings of warmth, extreme heat, electricity, heaviness, lightness, expansion, contraction, pressure, an internal sense of wind or water moving.

If a person feels angry and takes it out on someone else either physically or mentally, the anger may actually increase rather than be expended. However, if the dissolving techniques taught in Chi Kung are used on the emotional "body," that same anger can then be transformed into a healthy, usable form. Behaviorally acting out negative emotional energy that was stuck to begin with may further entrench it. Again, understand that nothing has to be "done" with this energy. You can merely monitor it as it dissolves and is reassimilated and turned into a healthy constructive force. On the energetic level, it is just as unhealthy to throw emotional energy around externally as it is to repress it.

Emotions are only sensations, which we then designate as good or bad. The sensations themselves are fairly neutral. Chi Kung practitioners learn to differentiate between frequencies of energy that are intrinsically benevolent to their emotions (but nonetheless can evoke thoughts, even uncomfortable ones, that have to be dealt with) and energy running through the emotional body that is essentially malevolent; that is, out and out destructive to the overall energy system. The emphasis in Nei Kung is on developing the core energy that travels through the center of the body, and, from the core, opening and energizing the peripheral energy lines (the acupuncture meridians, for example). Chi Kung concentrates on working the more superficial energy lines first, and, through these, affecting the core energy. In this sense, Chi Kung is similar to acupuncture, which also manipulates the more superficial and peripheral energy through the meridians, collateral channels, and eight special meridians to bring about changes at a deeper level.
Chi Kung Moves Chi with a Sequence of Body Movements;

Nei Kung Moves Chi through Multiple Mind-Body Interactions
In Chi Kung, the practitioner works one technique at a time, combining them gradually into a specific sequence. For instance, one acupuncture channel is opened, then, once opened, the practitioner opens the next in line, and so on. There are any number of techniques used in Chi Kung, from slapping to stretching to stomping, but the most important principle to remember about Chi Kung in general is that one chi flow is sequentially followed by another. Two or more rarely go on simultaneously. The Nei Kung system, on the other hand, seeks to work all the chi flows of the system at one time, the ultimate objective being to synergistically combine the hundreds of chi flows in the body. This way, the practitioner will eventually have access to energy which, in its totality, is more than just the sum of the chi flowing through the channels. At high levels, the chi of the body, mind, and spirit integrates. The whole person then functions in the manner of a single huge cell, with all its chi pulsing in unison. Of course, Nei Kung is learned one piece at a time, but it is practiced in a way that all learned pieces are performed simultaneously Eventually, the practitioner's energy permeates to the center of both the bone marrow and the spine. For this reason, Nei Kung is generally considered superior for people who want to have both superior health and great physical prowess.

In Chi Kung, the physical breath is used to forge a link between the mind and the chi or subtle breath. The mind or awareness focuses on the physical breath: you visualize the physical breath moving chi through your body and you feel the breath go into a particular part of your body It thus makes contact with the chi or subtle breath. The in/out, suspension, and quickening/slowing of the physical breath is coordinated with whatever one is doing, whether it be body movement, energy development, or visualization of the emotional, psychic, or spiritual aspects of one's being.

In Nei Kung, however, the mind or awareness moves the chi directly, without the assistance of the physical breath. The mind may remain purely aware of the internal energy, or may direct it to specific tasks and energy channels. Nei Kung uses efficient physical breathing mechanisms that recreate how a baby breathes in the womb, but chi movement is independent of the physical breath, regardless of how you are breathing. The physical breath at times may become so slow, quiet, and still as to seem to disappear. The context of the subtle breath shifts from the physical breath to the presence of the mind itself. For a person doing chi development that involves physical movement, Nei Kung has one inherent advantage over Chi Kung. This advantage relates to the subconscious mind. Thoughts and emotions create "waves" in the mind. The way one breathes can also control and create these waves, and can cause the mind to take on the thought wave pattern of specific emotion. Usually, when the breath and the mind are coordinated, one simply experiences the emotion. However, if you practice the Chi Kung method of coordinating the physical breath with the body's movements, you may cause emotional suppression to occur. You will only become aware of your breath and movement, and not your emotions. The artificial breathing pattern masks awareness of your actual emotions, and at the same time, you strengthen these invisible emotions by your practice. Coordinating breath with movement will increase your physical capacities and charge up your physical chi, but it will also charge up the deeper layers of your being, the emotional and psychic basement where lie the emotions that have been repressed over a lifetime.

Thus, in Chi Kung, there is the possibility that emotional energy may be increased but suppressed. If, for example, individuals practice a breathing pattern that increases anger or depression, they could find themselves becoming extremely explosive or easily depressed without knowing why. The stronger one becomes physically, the more an emotional wreck one becomes. Many people in the sports and martial arts community have suffered on this account: One becomes aware of the physical, but not the emotional (or psychic) level of chi.

In Nei Kung, one works directly with the chi, bypassing, at the beginning levels, the use of the breath to move the chi. The practitioner slowly over time becomes sensitive to how the subtle breath or chi is not only penetrating the physical body, but also the more subtle energy bodies-the emotional body, the mental body, psychic body, the causal body, and so on. Once the connection between the mind and the various chi bodies has been stabilized, one will be aware of how the coordination of the breath with physical and chi movement affects all levels of one's being. Such practitioners will then be able to use the breath consciously to develop all of their energy bodies equally. They will become aware of the dark, dead emotional spots that need to be dissolved, as well as the bright, alive spots that should be energized. At this more advanced stage, the use of the breath will allow one to strengthen the whole energy body in a strong and balanced way. Chi Kung is in general concerned more with specific acupuncture channels and points, whereas Nei Kung works more with the energy running from the crown of the head to the perineum and through the center of the bones of the arms and legs, as well as with the muscles, fascia, internal organs, glands, spinal cord, and brain. From a medical perspective, Chi Kung usually utilizes specific techniques for specific problems, while Nei Kung energizes the whole system, and this overall improvement in energy function leads to the eventual resolution of particular problems.

All Tai Chi Chuan practices, as well as those of Chi Kung, are based on the fundamental Chinese concepts of Heaven, Earth, and Man (Tien, Di, Ren). Energy from the Earth is drawn upward from the practitioner's root; the root being slightly below the spot where the foot touches the earth. Energy descends from Heaven through the crown of the head. We are in the middle, and need to receive energy from both of these sources, which in effect are like positive and negative poles. When the positive and negative are connected, the life current can flow naturally. This current can be used on a day-to-day basis, and with training it can be stored in the body like electricity is stored in a car battery.

Posture
The first component of standing concerns the physical alignment of the body. If the body parts are not properly aligned, energy will leak out or dam up, as water would in a poorly constructed plumbing system. Most of the places where these blockages or leakages first occur in the human body are in and around the joints.
The second component involves bringing energy from Heaven through the body and down to Earth, which is purely an energetic process. A fundamental principle of Chi Kung and Nei Kung training, unfamiliar to most people in the West, is that the energy moving from above to below is basically responsible for general well-being.

The Ascending Chi Current: From Earth to Heaven
The third phase involves bringing energy up the body, from below the ground to above the head, or from Earth to Heaven. In many schools of energetics, this is the current that is emphasized, primarily because of its spiritualizing effects. This is the phase where people tend to begin having "spiritual experiences," such as psychic experiences, visions, internal sounds, and out of body experiences as well as, to be honest, all manners of hallucinations, spacing out, and general disassociation from the body. When energy is flowing evenly, powerfully, and naturally through you, you will experience a sense of comfort, ease, and relaxed clarity. It is blockages that create sensations. These experiences can seem to be either positive or negative. What needs to be understood about them is that they are all just essentially experiences of energy blockages. If the blockage feels bad, a person wants to "work through it," and a sense of achievement comes from emptying the garbage. Lights, sounds, visions, and other psychic phenomena are assumed to be great boons, to be coveted and possessed at all costs. The classic hook used to control people in all sorts of manipulative energy practices involves getting them to think that they are special, or more powerful or elevated than other people, simply because they have these paranormal experiences and can project energy in odd or unusual ways. This can easily lead people to substitute these psychic experiences for alcohol, cocaine, and other addictive substances, in effect creating an energy, junkie. Although this form of energy work is a much more positive addiction than drugs or other obsessive behaviors, it still is not the true intent of these exercises.

Internal pressure is extremely important, in that it cause the endocrine system and the glands of the body to maximize their secretions. A similar internal pressure is created in hatha yoga (which also develops the classic "V" shape body). In hatha yoga, however, rather than all the endocrine glands of the system being affected simultaneously, specific exercises exist for each gland. In standing postures and Nei Kung work in general, all systems are worked simultaneously. The end result of this relaxation of the chest is to allow energy to drop to the tantien, where it is stored like money in a great body bank account, to be used as necessary.

Dissolve Blocked Energy: Ice to Water, Water to Gas
As before, beginning at the crown of your head, notice where you have any feelings of strength, tension, something not being quite right, any general uneasiness, or any sense of contraction. These feeling may be physical, energetic, emotional, or mental. The blockages giving rise to these sensations must be dissolving process involves feeling as though these places change from ice to water, and from water to gas: from something very dense (ice) to something more dispersed (water), until this "stuff" dissipates outside your body (like gas). Let's take a closer look at this process.

Once identified a place where your energy is blocked or frozen, producing sensations of strength, tension, discomfort, or contraction, your awareness begins to feel or "see" the outer this contour frozen energy space. Your awareness then begins to penetrate this solid mass, causing the frozen energy to begin to soften until you reach the center of the blocked mass. This is the transformation of ice to water. (If you put an ice cube in a pan and heat it on the stove, you will observe that the ice cube melts starting at the outside, and moving slowly toward the center.) Once the entire frozen space in your body becomes soft or flowing (like the water in the pan), you keep your attention on that place and your awareness continues to cause that "water" space to expand until there is a sense of the trapped energy expanding out beyond your body, perhaps as much as a foot or two outside its surface. This is the transformation of water to gas. Like the water in the pan, which will not turn to gas until the ice cube is entirely liquefied, so the dissolving of an energy block moves in stages. The human energy field extends anywhere from six inches to two feet outside the physical body, depending on the strength of the field. This energy field takes negative energy that is leaving the body and recycles it back into the body as neutral energy that the body can then adapt for its needs.

At the stage of ice-to-water, the body will usually become relaxed, soft, and warm as increased chi flow causes blood circulation to increase. (Remember, the mind moves the chi and the chi moves the blood and other fluids.) At the stage of waterto-gas, pain will disappear and the deepest stresses and discomforts in the body (and, later-in more advanced Chi Kung-in the emotions) will vanish. At the level of ice-to-water, one will feel good, but the root levels of energy blockage will not completely disappear.

At the ice stage, your energy is frozen into a particularly disagreeable shape. At the water stage, the shape becomes fluid, making you feel better temporarily, but the possibility exists for the water to change back into ice. At the gas stage, however, the shape breaks up completely and is recycled back into the body as clean, neutral energy, which adds to one's life energy in a positive way and is then naturally adapted for whatever work is required.

This dissolving technique must be accomplished by feeling it, not by picturing it in your mind's eye. Many people are extremely visual, and, today, visualization techniques are very common. The dissolving process, however, is primarily a kinesthetic or body experience, not a visual one. The process of ice-to-water-to-gas is more than just a relaxation technique. Relaxation does not necessarily result in more energy, energy that can heal the body. Also, it is possible to relax the muscles and leave emotional blockages untouched. Energetic release affects you on all levels of being.

The energy gates are major energy relay stations of the body, where the strength of the life current (chi) moving through the system is regulated. Many gates are located at joints or, more precisely, the actual space between the bones of a joint. Initially, during your standing and dissolving practice, these are the most important places to clear out blockages.

The concept of "energy gates" is not new; rather, it has been passed down to us from ancient China. Originally worked out by Taoists, it has become common to many traditions. However, to the best of my knowledge, it has never been completely described in English.

These gates should not be conceived of as simple anatomical locations. They must be felt with the mind, for they are part of your subtle energy body From an internal perspective, their locations are approximate and can fluctuate slightly For acupuncturists, the anatomical location of acupuncture points is valuable, as they utilize these points to put something into the body and use physical markers on the body to get to the approximate location into which a needle is inserted. (The needle indirectly stimulates the body's chi.) Some of the energy gates are the same as the acupuncture points; others are different. The energy gates are like the critical step-up booster stations, each of which controls many smaller power stations. In Chi Kung, on the other hand, the mind is being put directly into the point. You must learn to feel these points in order to channel the flow of your chi to stimulate the subtle body to the greatest extent possible.

The object is not merely to visualize the gate (though a knowledge of anatomy can help in locating it), but to feel the gate precisely so you can learn to increase or decrease the amount of power flowing through the gate, using your will with the same amount of ease with which you can now open or shut your eyes, mouth, or hands. Bear in mind that these gates are inside your body and fluctuate minutely in size, depending on the strength of your chi body. Consequently, the exact depth inside the body and the exact location of a gate inside your body at a given point in time is not amenable to visual analysis. The physical and energetic bodies are not identical in form and function, though a good Chi Kung practitioner can feel these energy-gate points in the same manner that other people feel acupuncture needles in their skin. In fact, Chi Gun masters can feel these points in other people as well.

Neck
(1) Crown: The first gate ** to be dissolved (see Chapter 3 to review the dissolving process) is at the exact center of the crown of the head, which the Chinese call bai hwei, or the "meeting of a hundred points. " A line drawn over the head from the nose to the cervical spine would intersect another line drawn from the apex of one ear to the other at this point.

(2) Third Eye: Located between the two eyebrows, this point is called the third eye. A person with a history of mental illness should not dissolve this point unless under the supervision of a master. (This gate can open up suppressed areas of a person's psyche, which is best done under the guidance of a qualified master versed in the subtleties of the psychic realm.)

(3) Eyes: The gate is found directly in line with the pupil, just behind the eyeball. This gate is very important for people involved in visually demanding jobs, such as computer operators, as it controls the chi of the visual apparatus and is the interface with the brain. This gate can greatly reduce stress that is visually induced.

(4) Center of the Temples: Usually located on a line from the top of the ear.

(5) Center of the Ears: The next gate is m e center of the ear, no more than one-quarter of the way into the inner ear. (Except for points along the body's center line, all gates are found on both sides of the body.)

(6) Base of the Skull: This point is located at the back of the head, where the spine (atlas vertebra) and skull (occiput) meet. Here, the spinal cord meets the brain stem.

(7) Roof of the Mouth: This gate is located where the tongue meets the roof of the mouth on the hard palate, where the two main meridians, the governing and conception vessels, join. This gate is where the tongue touches the roof of the mouth when you say "le."

(7a) Jaw: There are four minor gates in the jaw that are particularly useful for dealing with TMJ (temporal mandibular joint) problems, jaw tension, and the grinding of teeth. These problems are often results of high-stress conditions. Four points are important for dissolving the jaw: two are at the hinges of the jaw, located at the depression just in front of the lower edge of the ear; the two others are located inside the mouth, on its bottom, behind the front teeth. For the location of these last two gates, imagine lines descending from the inside corner of the eyes down to the bottom of the mouth. All four of the gates of the jaw should be dissolved simultaneously.

(8) Throat Notch: The depression just above the breast bone is the location of the last major gate of the head and neck.

(9) Seventh Cervical Vertebra: This gate is found at the big vertebra that usually sticks out at the base of the neck.

Shoulders
(1) Shoulder Notch: This gate is found at the junction of the acromium and the clavicle; that is, at the end of the collarbone. If the arm is lifted up and to the side, it is where a depression is formed on the top of the shoulder.

(2) Armpit: This gate is in the center of the armpit, inside the body, about one-third the distance from the skin of the armpit to the shoulder notch.

(3) Shoulder's Nest: This gate is located in the depression below the outer end of the clavicle (collarbone), lateral to the throat notch. Eventually this area will become soft and pliable, until a depression, or "nest" is formed. Most people are actually very tense and bound up here, so the depression may not be immediately noticeable. Opening this area dramatically improves flexibility in the arms. This gate is very important for women, because, together with the point in the center of the breast, it regulates the female hormonal system, especially as it affects the breast. In China, these two points are commonly used in Chi Kung treatments for breast problems, including cancer.

(4) Center of the Shoulder Blade: This gate is found inside the body in front of the center of the anterior (front) side of the shoulder blade (that is, the side of the shoulder blade that faces the chest).

Arms
(1) Elbow Joint: Back, Inside, and Sides (10 Minor Gates; 1 Major Gate)
As the elbow, wrist, knee and ankle are the most frequently used joints in the body and must move in many directions, it is important to release the small gates surrounding each of these joints before releasing the main gate that is found deep in the center of each of these joints. The gates of the elbow are:
Back: the two indentations just above and the two just below the elbow tip, on either side of the tip (4 minor gates).
Inside: the two indentations just above and the two just below the crease of the elbow, on either side of the tendons
Sides: in the center of either side of the elbow (2 minor gates).
Center: directly in the middle of the elbow joint (1 major gate).
Dissolve each of the back, inside, and side gates of the elbow joint. Then dissolve the center of the joint.

(2) Wrist Joint: Back, Inside, and Sides (10 Minor Gates; 1 Major Gate)
Back: the two indentations just above and the two just below the back of the wrist joint, on either side of an imaginary line running from the middle finger to the elbow (4 minor gates).
Inside: the two indentations just above and the two just below the crease of the wrist, on either side of the tendons in the center (4 minor gates).
Sides: in the center of either side of the wrist joint (2 minor gates).
Center: in the middle of the wrist joint (1 major gate).

(3) Carpal and Metacarpal Joints: Dissolve all the spaces between the small bones in the palm of the hand.

(4) Center of the Palm: The gate in the center of the palm is commonly called the "eye of the hand." Dissolve it. Also dissolve the corresponding gate on the back of the hand. (The back-of-the-hand gate is the most critical part of the hand for those involved in any form of handson energetic healing.) Note: It will help to release the center of the palm if you dissolve the space between the palm and the base of the thumb.

(5) Fingers: In dissolving, pay particular attention to the center of the joints in the fingers. Complete the dissolving by concentrating on the exact center of the finger tips.

Trunk
(1) From the Corners of Your Mouth, in a Channel as ~de as Your Mouth, Down the Throat and Sternum (or Breastbone) to, but Not Including, the Solar Plexus

For the vast majority of the population, the area from where the tongue meets the roof of the mouth, down the throat to just before the solar plexus, is the most difficult for chi to pass through. This region is where the majority of people are blocked up, and it must be completely opened for any chi development practices to progress.* Special note: There are minor energy gates in the joints where the ribs attach to the sternum, in the spaces between the ribs around the sides, and in the joints where the ribs attach to the spine.(2) Center of the Breasts (for Women Only)
The breast gates, which have significance only for women, are extremely important for balancing the female hormonal system. These gates, along with those at the shoulder's nest, are commonly used in Chi Kung breast cancer prevention and treatment in China. These gates are located in the center of each breast, directly behind the nipple.

(3) Between the Shoulder Blades: Between the shoulder blades and the spine there are a large number of minor energy gates. For athletes, dancers, and martial artists, it is extremely important to open all the gates in this area. The strength of the arms derives in large part from here, while the flexibility of the arms comes from the shoulder's nest.

(4) Solar Plexus and Belly: This gate is located just below the sternum, or breastbone. It is the first soft spot you hit when you tap down the middle of breastbone.

(5) Lower Tantien and Mingmen: The lower tantien is located in the central core of the body, about two inches below the level of the belly button. The mingmen is directly behind the tantien and anterior to (just in front of) the spine. " The tantien is the single most important gate with regard to physical health. Located in approximately the center of the body, all energy lines related to physical health and well-being connect here. This area is the first main focus of all Chi Kung and Taoist alchemical practices. Taoist practices all begin from the premise'' that physical health is the foundation upon which spiritual development is built, and it is in the lower tantien that all energy that affects the physical body is processed, purified, and generated. This energy can later be connected to the middle and upper tantiens for purposes of emotional and spiritual growth. Martial artists in China who did not have a deep understanding of how to use the lower tantien to purify their grosser emotions merely became very proficient fighting animals.

(6) Back Muscles: ssolve all the energy in the back muscles, especially the energy around the kidneys. Begin from the neck and shoulder area and work slowly downwards to the top of the buttocks.

(7) Spine: eginning at the base of the skull, dissolve the entire spine, especially between the vertebrae. Pay special attention to the following locations: the place where the spine enters the skull; the big vertebrae at the base of the neck; the vertebra between the shoulder blades; the vertebra just below the shoulder blades; the vertebra level with mingmen; and the tailbone.

Pelvis
(1) Pelvic Girdle: Dissolve into the bones that make up the pelvic girdle; that is, the ilium, ischium, sacrum, and coccyx, especially the places where they join.
(2) Hip Socket, or Acetabulum (between the Head of the Thigh Bone and the Hip Socket).
(3) Area Inside the Pelvis, Starting from the Crest of the Hip Bones All the Way through to the Inguinal Crease
(4) Genitals: Men should practice the dissolving procedure up the shaft of the penis to the prostate, as well as from the testicles to the prostate. Women should dissolve the whole vaginal canal up to the cervix, but not the cervix itself. There is an energetic wall at the cervix that separates the womb from the vagina, and this should not be dissolved.* This natural energetic seal should be broken only at childbirth. It is possible to dissolve the womb, but excessive practice can make a woman more fertile-an important issue in this era of birth control.
(5) Anus and Rectum: Dissolve as far up the anus as any blockage is felt, no more than a few inches deep. This is an extremely important gate, and is definitely helpful in relieving constipation, hemorrhoids, and preventing colon cancer.
(6) Perineum: Located between the genitals and the anus, the perineum is the point where energy from the legs and the body joins.


Legs
The legs and buttocks support the spine, both physically and energetically.
(1) Knee Joint: Front, Back and Sides (10 Minor Gates: 1 Major Gate)
Front: the eyes of the knee; that is, the two indentations just above and the two just below the kneecap, on either side of the kneecap (4 minor gates).
Back: beneath the tendons on either side of the back of the knee, above and below the crease (4 minor gates)
Sides: center of either side of the knee (2 minor gates) Center: directly in the middle of the knee joint (1 major gate).
(2) Ankle Joint: Front, Back and Sides (8 Minor Gates : 1 Major Gate)
Front: just above and below the crease formed by pulling the foot up, on either side of the shin bone (4 minor gates).
Back: just above the point of insertion of the achilles tendon into the heel bone, on either side (2 minor gates).
Sides: in the center of the ankle bone on either side (2 minor gates).
Center: directly in the middle of the ankle joint (1 major gate).
(3) Tarsals and Metatarsals: Dissolve all the spaces between the small bones of the foot.
(4) Toes: Dissolve all the toe joints, up to and especially including the tips of the toes.
(5) Heel: About one inch from the very back of the foot, on the center line of the foot.
(6) Arch: In the center of the arch, on the midline of the foot (inside the foot).
(7) Bubbling Well: About one-third the distance from the base of the toes to the heel, on the bottom of the foot. This gate is in the depression formed when you point your toes. It is on the midline of the foot.

Below the Feet and Above the Head
Your energetic body extends below your feet and above your head. The size of your energetic body, unlike your physical body, grows and shrinks with time. It is in constant flux. Over time, and with practice, your energy body will grow in size and strength, but it will still fluctuate. Feel below your body until you can't feel anymore, until you find where your energy body has reached its natural end. Dissolve the energy from the bottom of your feet downward until the energy ends. No matter in what environment you find yourself, always dissolve to the ends of your energy body.

Feel above your head until the sense of energy ends. This is where you will now begin all dissolving practices. One complete standing exercise will constitute dissolving the energy from above the head, through the body, and culminate with all of the energy dissolving into the energy point below your feet; that is, your root. After standing, open your eyes slowly, making sure that they open at your internal speed.

Dissolve from the Skin Inward
In general, begin on the outer surface of the body, and over the next months begin to go deeper and deeper, until you gain a direct experience of the bones. Also, remember that during the first month or two, you should not go more than one-half inch into the brain, though later it is permissible to extend the dissolving process through the entire brain. Just be sure not to do anything specific with the chi of gates you encounter inside the brain, such as making connections or geometric patterns.

Opening and Closing the Kwa
The area of the body that the Chinese call the kwa extends from the inguinal ligament through the inside of the pelvis to the top (crest) of the hip bones. Included within the kwa are

(1) the left and right channels of energy;
(2) the pelvis, including the hip joint;
(3) the sacrum and first few lumbar vertebrae;
(4) the iliopsoas muscle group;
(5) the adductor muscles;
(6) the pelvic diaphragms (the health of which is essential to sexual vitality);
(7) the lower intestine; and
(8) the rectum. The muscles of the kwa (Fig. 5-6) connect the legs to the spine: the iliopsoas connects the lumbar vertebrae to the pelvis and femur (thigh bone), and the adductors connect the pelvis to the femur. The springiness of the spine and legs is partially determined by the elasticity of the iliopsoas muscles. Many lower back problems are caused by stiffness, spasm, or trauma in the iliopsoas muscles.

At the inguinal groove, the largest collection of lymph nodes in the body can be found. Lymph is a critical component of the body's immune response system. Unlike blood, which is moved by the heart and vascular system, lymph is basically moved by muscular contractions. Nature is very wise-every time we walk or move our legs and arms, large lymph collectors (at the inguinal groove, or in the armpits, for example) are activated, thus moving our lymph. Chinese Nei Kung exercises simply increase this natural phenomenon, thereby strengthening a very important component of the immune system. Increasing the movement of the internal elements of the kwa is one of the most significant and unique contributions to health of all the chi enhancing body practices.

Cloud Hands: This movement is a continuous flow. The positions shown are transitional guides, not static end points. (a) Starting posture: weight 100% on left leg, arms at sides (b), (c), (d), and (e) Shift weight to 100% on right leg, as the body turns to the right. Simultaneously, spiral and raise the left arm. (f) Begin to shift and turn to the left. Simultaneously, the upper arm begins to spiral and sink, the lower arm begins to spiral and rise. (g) Mid-point: weight equally distributed on both legs, body faces straight ahead, palms face each other on opposite sides of the centerline. (h), (i), and (j) Continue to shift and turn until weight is 100% on left leg, body turned to left. Simultaneously, spiral the arms until the left hand is palm down at side of hip and right hand is opposite the nose.

Three Tantiens and Three Jiaos of Chinese Medicine
From the point of view of practicing chi development, there are three main tantiens, each of which has a different function. The lower tantien, near the belly, is the source of life in the physical body. The middle tantien, located around the center of the sternum (i.e., the heart) is the energy center through which a person connects and forms relationships with other living things and their emotions, as well as being the source of thoughts and intentions. This is the source of compassion and benevolence, as well as the place where negative emotions are transformed. The upper tantien, located at the third eye, is responsible for connections with discorporeal beings, subtle forms of thought, and other dimensions and places. In terms of beginning Chi Kung, we are primarily concerned with the lower tantien; the upper tantiens are focused on in more advanced Chi Kung and Taoist meditation. We are concerned with the three burners, or jiao, of the body. The lower jiao, which begins below the lower tantien and extends down to the floor, is primarily concerned with the functioning.

First Swing: This movement is a continuous flow. The positions shown are transitional guides, not static end points.
(a) Starting posture: weight equally distributed on both legs, body facing straight ahead, arms at sides.
(b) and (c) Shift weight 100% to left leg and simultaneously turn to left; hands will swing in to touch body.
(d) and (e) Begin to shift weight to the right and simultaneously turn back to mid-point-hand will swing out
(f ) and (g) Shift weight 100% to the right and simultaneously turn to right hands will swing in to touch body

Second Swing: This movement is a continuous flow. The postures shown are transitional guides, not static end points.
(a) Starting posture: weight equally distributed on both legs, body faces straight ahead, arms at, sides.
(b) Shift weight 100% to right leg, begin to turn to left (allow left leg to pivot with the hip); arms will swing out. (c) Continue to turn to left (set down ball of left foot); arms will swing in to touch the body.
(d) Begin to turn to right; arms will swing out.
(e) Mid-point: weight equally distributed on two legs, body faces straight ahead; arms are apex of extension.
(f) Shift weight 100% to left leg, begin to turn to right (allow right leg to pivot with hip); arms will swing in.
(g) Continue to turn to right (set down ball of right foot); arms will swing in to touch body.

Third Swing: This movement is a continuous flow. The positions shown are transitional guides, not static end points.
Step 1: weight equally distributed on both legs; body faces front arms up as shown.

Step 2:
(a) Shift weight 100% to right leg as you turn to left simultaneously, sink in your kwa and drop your arms. (When you turn to the left, allow left leg to pivot with hip.)
(b) Open kwa to propel arms up as shown.

Step 3:
(a) Simultaneously, shift weight so that it is evenly distributed on both legs, turn body to face front, sink in kwa and drop arms.
(b) Open kwa to propel arms up as shown.

Step 4:
(a) Shift weight 100% to left leg as you turn to right; simultaneously, sink in kwa and drop your arms. (When you turn to the right, allow right leg to pivot with the hip.)
(b) Open kwa to propel arms up as shown.

Step 5:
(a) Simultaneously, shift weight so that it is evenly distributed on both legs, turn your body to face front, sink in kwa and drop arms.
(b) Open kwa to propel arms up as shown.

Spine Stretch: first haft.
(a) Starting posture: feet parallel, back straight, head lifted, chest dropped, belly relaxed, shoulders rounded. (b), (c), and (d) Gradually release vertebrae from bottom to top, bending forward as each release is achieved.

Release from the posterior (back) side of the vertebrae.
Spine Stretch: second half.
(a) Posture upon completion of first half (you are bent all the way forward).
(b), (c), and (d) As you stand erect, open the anterior (front) side of the spine from bottom to top. Opening means lifting each vertebra in the from (vertebrae are already opened in back from the first part of the stretch).