Chi Sink Dan-Tien

[Path to Mastery 4/13/10 – Wk31 D2 (Str 9.12.09)(Ph2 11.15.09)]

Continuing our Tai-Chi Journey:

When you know how to ‘Dropping the Weight’, and ‘Extend into Infinity’, then you have ‘Chi Sink Dan-Tien’.

When you have one principle, then you have all the others.  It is important to mention on many occasions and to stress that all these principles are really describing the same thing.  If you will these principles are check points to see how well you have any one of the principles.  It is a reality check.  If you have one principle, but not another, then you know that you don’t really have either.  There is lack of understanding somewhere.  

Many years ago I read a book called ‘The book of Ki’, by Koichi Tohei.  I recommend this book to anyone.  It is a great book to study Chi.  In this book he mentions 4 principles of Ki (Japanese way of saying Chi):

1) Relax
2) Extend
3) Weight Underneath
4) Keep one point

The 4th principle, keeping one point is what we call the Dan-Tien.  In this book, it mentions that by brining awareness to your one point (your Dan-Tien), you bring you body to being centered.  Your body relaxes, and your body extends out from your Dan-Tien, and you feel the weight underneath.  When one is present, then all the others are present.  Another thing that I thought really helped was how to find the Dan-Tien.  If the Dan-Tien is the center of your body, extend your mind out equally in all direction.  As you expand out, you will feel your center becoming more clear.  Extend it out until you start going out of the atmosphere, and start expanding your mind out into the universe.  Since the universe is infinite, you are the center of the universe from this perspective.  As you bring your mind out further and further, you will notice that your center becomes warmers, more centered and clearer.  You will notice when you do this, you are extending, you will automatically feel relaxed, and you will the weight underneath.  All of the principles are present.  This is one of the many ways to find your Dan-Tien.      

Tomorrow, I will discuss another.  

History of Tai-Chi Journey up to this point:
Before the blog opened to the public, we covered the single person part of the system.
1. Chi-Gong (Taoist Longevity, White Crane Chi-Gong); 2. Standing Meditation
3. Stepping Mediation; 4. 7 Basics; 5. Basic Form; 6. 30 Form; 7. 108 Form
8. 4 Type Pushing Hands

Interactive training after we went public with the blog.  
1. 8 Type Pushing Hands (Covered from 2/2 ~ 2/11); 2. San-Shou (Covered from 2/12 ~ 2/15)
3. Ba-Gua.(Covering from 2/16 ~ 2/19); 4. Weapons (Covered on 2/23)
5. Healing System (Covered on 2/24)

Non-Structured System:
1.Introduction (Covered 2/25); 2. Free moving – conditioning (Covered 2/26); 3.Free hand pushing hand (Covered 3/1); 4.Free hand (2 person drills and multiple person drills) (Covered 3/2); 5.Free hand weapon (2 person drills and multiple person drills) (Covered 3/3)

Detailed Instructions:
1.Principles (Covered 3/4)
2.Principle of Principles (Covered 3/5)
3.Principles of Upper Body #1~5 (Covered 3/8 – 3/15)
4.Principles Governing Lower Body #1~5 (Covered 3/16 – 3/22)
5. Principle Governing the Whole Body: (Covered 3/23)
6. Principles Governing Movement #1~5 (Covered 3/24 – 3/31)
7. Principles Governing Relaxation – General Concept (Covered 4/1)
   1) Mind Body Release Relax (Covered 4/6)
   2) Use mind not use strength (Covered 4/7)
   3) Internal external mutually integrate (Covered 4/8)
   4) Dropping the Weight (Weight Underneath) (Covered 4/9)
   5) Extend into infinity (Covered 4/10)
   6) Chi Sink Dan-Tien (Covered 4/12)