Nei Gung is the most complete version of the Taoist approach to working with chi in the body and is at the core of chi gung, tai chi and Taoist yoga practices. In this 16-part system that moves from the simple to the complex, students learn to become aware of, and directly affect, all of the subtle energy flows that power an individual’s physical body, emotions and thought patterns.

This detailed system is usually not taught to beginning students. While some aspects of Nei Gung may be accessible to beginners, most aspects are more complex and may take many years to develop. Any stage of learning Nei Gung is very rewarding, as well as extremely beneficial for increasing physical health and well-being. (Bruce Frantzis, Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body)

How does this fit in with Taoist Longevity Yoga?

In Taoist Longevity Yoga we use Longevity Breathing exercises to access the breath, feel our insides and connect the breath within the body, an early aspect of the Nei Gung system. In this process we pay attention to the nuances of our own particular breathing pattern and learn how to relax and open the breath more deeply in the body. Longevity Breathing in and of itself becomes an ever more complex practice for advanced students to create longer and more precise breathing patterns.

In Taoist Longevity Yoga, we also work with specific postures to relax and open the body. Longevity Breathing exercises bring us in tune with how our body feels, and in the postures of Taoist Longevity Yoga, we work with that awareness to feel obvious and subtle aspects of the physical body. Advanced study of Taoist Longevity Yoga provides students the opportunity to delve into Nei Gung in detail.

The study of Nei Gung

The Nei Gung system is not necessarily, linear, and is more accurately described as circular. Beginning students touch upon aspects of  Nei Gung, more advanced students visit and re-visit these same aspects with an increasing depth of understanding and skill. (Frantzis, Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body). Most Westerners are accustomed to “linear” learning, and as a result we may attach significance to reaching particular points of external achievement, and there is often a distinct separation between individuals who have and have not reached these milestones. In the Taoist approach, students are encouraged to move at their own pace, take responsibility for themselves, and gauge their internal process, and it is possible that students in a class will have a mix of depth of skill in various aspects of Nei Gung.

The importance of finding a good teacher

If you decide to explore Nei Gung within the practice of Taoist Yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Gung , it is essential to work with a well-trained instructor. Reading and audio-visual material are an excellent aid to your practice, but it’s important to keep in mind that they do not take the place of a teacher. Bruce Frantzis discusses the importance of a good teacher in his book “Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body” :

“Generally, the components of nei gung are not casually taught, especially for beginning and intermediate students. The techniques should be learned from a skilled instructor and the student’s practice should be monitored and guided carefully….the danger with incomplete learning is that you can become unbalanced.

The job of your instructor is to make sure that you do not.

Instructors must do their best to make sure:

• Students’ energy remains smooth and does not become hyperactive
• Students avoid dangerous practices
• Students avoid addiction to over-stimulation
• Students abide by the 70% rule
• Students maintain clarity of mind

(Bruce Frantzis, “Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body“, pp.240-241)

In addition to Tai Chi, Chi Gung and Taoist Yoga instruction, these guidelines are helpful to keep in mind when looking for a teacher of yoga, meditation, or any other in-depth body/mind system.

The study of Taoist arts, including Taoist Longevity Yoga, at even the very beginning stages, is extremely beneficial in creating better health and vitality. Engaging in the process is also fun and relaxing, and provides the opportunity to get to know others of like interest.

Here’s the next video blog in the series “Feeling Internally with the Breath.” If you haven’t already done so, be sure to see the prior two posts in this series to get the most out of this one.

And, as always, play and enjoy!

But can we feel the inside of our bodies when we are calm? There is so much to feeling our internal landscape – tissues, organs, fluids, and the space in between - In LBY, learning to feel inside is foundational, and we start this process with the breath….

Breath is the most useful bridge to the inside of the body and the nervous system. Even though this is something we do every day, most of us don’t use our breathing to its full potential. Chronic pain and emotional stress have a direct connection to the quality of our breathing – conversely, breathing is directly connected to physical ease and deep relaxation on an ongoing basis.

Here’s a simple and interesting exercise you can use to begin exploring your breath. Sit comfortably someplace where you won’t have distractions. See if you can pay attention to the physical feeling of your breath, without forcing it – in other words, let your breathing happen naturally, don’t make it happen – and just observe.

How does it feel? Is it difficult/easy to “find” your breathing? Do you feel tension/relaxation in your breath? What parts of your body move when you breathe? Do you find that you get distracted from feeling the physical movement of your breath? How big does your breath feel? Is the inhale the same length as the exhale? Do you hold your breath in between inhaling and exhaling or vice versa?

When doing this exercise it is common to feel any of the qualities mentioned above, as well as many other subtle or more pronounced sensations. When working with your breathing, it is extremely important to spend time with this exercise, really getting to know the quality of your particular breathing pattern.

“December is coming, do anything you can to build up your kidneys during the winter season and get a lot of rest. The winter is the time of the regeneration of your body for the rest of the year. And I hope the forces of universe bring this opportunity into your life.”

We can use Longevity Breathing Yoga to relax and open our breathing so that each breath provides a gentle massage to the kidneys.  Taking  even a few a few minutes daily to practice the following simple warm-ups and posture can provide significant benefit.

1. Relax the body and “warm up” the breath

Sit comfortably. Let your  whole body, especially the chest and diaphragm, relax and let go. Feel how the front and sides of the belly begin to gently expand as you inhale and relax back as you exhale.  Don’t push your breath, Do let go and let your breath happen naturally. Lay your hands on you belly – see if they move slightly forward as you inhale, and slightly back as you exhale. You can also place your hands on your sides and feel for the same expanding-out and relaxing- in movement.

If you are unfamiliar with Taoist breathing or belly breathing, see the DVD Longevity Breathing and the section on breathing in Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body, both by Bruce Frantzis, for instructions on opening the breath in the front and sides of the belly.

2. Find the kidneys

The kidneys are located in the mid-low back area of the body. Sit comfortably and bring your hands to the area of the kidneys. Gently rub and/or pat this area to awaken the sensation in this part of your body.

3. Warm-up the back

Have  small pillow and a rolled blanket or towel close-by. Lay on your back, with the pillow under your head. Silde the rolled blanket under your lower pelvis so that the pelvis tips back and up slightly as pictured. Adjust the size and placement of your props so that your feel completely comfortable bringing the knees in toward the chest.

Rest in this position allowing the whole back to relax and sink into the floor, letting the back of your body gently open and stretch like a hammock. Spend at least a few minutes here.

4. Open the breath in the kidneys

Roll onto your side to come out of the back warm-up position. Now that we’ve warmed up the breath and the body, we will focus on postures for kidney breathing. Try one or both of these options depending on how comfortable your body feels in each.

Laying down

Lay on your back with your knees in the air and your feet on the floor. Now bring your attention specifically to the kidneys, and this part of the back. As you inhale, feel this part of the body gently pressing into the floor, and a gentle release of pressure as you exhale. Remember to keep relaxing to feel the breath here, as opposed to pushing the breath – let your breath breathe you.

Sitting up

Sit with your legs straight ahead. Keeping your torso aligned and your spine straight lean back slightly, about 15 – 20 degrees; place your hands behind you with the fingers pointing toward your body (or in a fist if this is uncomfortable). Let the shoulders and arms relax as much as possible (if you have too much weight on the arms, or if the shoulders are very tense, make the amount you are leaning back smaller).

Now, as you breathe, focus on the kidney area, letting the breath open and expand as you inhale, and relax back toward the center on the exhale. Do this for a few moments.

Remember to relax into your breathing rather than forcefully inhaling/exhaling.

Wrap up

Spend a few moments sitting comfortably in a chair or cross-legged. Feel your breath expanding through the front, sides and back (kidney area) of the belly and see if you can relax and let go your whole back. You may even begin to feel your breathing in your upper back. Remember to let the chest be relaxed and still as you breath.

Finally, spend a last few moments just simply relaxing and letting go…

If you have further questions, feel free to contact me (Katie) at k_keane@verizon.net

This first statue, “Kneeling Bodhisattva”, dates back to the late 7th century Tang dynasty. It is one of many statues found at the Mogao Caves in the southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China, where  influences of Buddhist and Taoist cultures likely intersected. Here is a depiction of the kneeling with one leg up posture of the Longevity Breathing Yoga routine.

The second statue, “Buddha Shakyamuni with Flaming Shoulders”, dates back to the Chinese Northern and Southern Dynasties period in the 3rd and 4th centuries. This figure is in the “forward folded” cross-legged seated position that we practice in the LB Yoga routine. It’s interesting to see the flames on the shoulders which represent the body heat associated with meditation,  according to the description under the statue. This is a familiar experience practicing Longevity Breathing Yoga as the combination of the breath and postures increase circulation.

Initially, it is helpful to simply notice your breathing, whether it’s happening, how it’s happening. In learning LB Yoga, we first get familiar with the poses. At the same time we are getting familiar with feeling inside the body and noticing how breathing is happening (or not happening) for us individually, without actively trying to change anything. It’s important to spend some time with this first phase before moving on, especially as a beginner. It will help your practice in the long run if you start with learning very clearly to feel your insides and breath, to be able to feel what’s really happening inside.

As we progress in class, we pay closer attention to feeling breath in specific areas of the body. After you feel that you can keep a steady feeling awareness in your body and breath, you may want to move on to understanding breathing in greater depth. Longevity Breathing will be most helpful in this phase, as it is a perfect compliment to Longevity Breathing Yoga practice. Longevity Breathing is a technique developed by Bruce Frantzis and is detailed in two resources – one, in the book Opening The Energy Gates of Your Body (Chapter 5), and the other, the DVD entitled Longevity Breathing (also available through the school). Both take you through a step-by-step process that teaches you how to breath fully, deeply and effectively in your whole body.