Taoist Practices for Cultivating Health and Longevity
By Dr. Paula (Laxmi) Horan, Ph.D.
Even if you are a positive person, at times, negativity can sneak in and get the best of you. In a world filled with busyness and too much info-tainment to distract the mind, it is especially important to cultivate a deep sense of groundedness and a calm heart. Ancient Taoists recognized the powerful connection between the heart and mind. Too much mental busyness causes disturbance in the heart. If we calm the heart, the mind regains its own calm and vice versa. In fact all of the viscera or major organs of the torso were discovered to harbor certain sensitivities to specific mental and emotional states. Over the millennia, Taoist sages discovered how to cultivate the positive attributes in our "second brain" in the belly area and in more advanced practices, even use the dross of negative attributes as fuel for further awakening.
To understand how Taoist practices can help us, it is pertinent to define the Tao. As the great immortal Chung stated, "The great Tao has no form and no name. It asks no questions and gives no answers. It is so large that it has no boundaries; it is so small that nothing can fit inside of it". Essentially it is indefinable. Ultimately, it is so vast that it can never be known, but it can be experienced… and this is the key. The purpose of Taoist practice is similar to all spiritual practice: to release the dross of conditioning which filters a direct experience of life.
The Three Paths Of Taoist Practice
There are three main paths of Taoist inner alchemy. The first or lesser path is concerned with cultivating health. The second or Middle Path focuses on longevity. The third or Great Path is concerned with cultivating immortality. Similar to Tantra, the practices involve uniting three primordial energies into one, the yang spirit or yang chen and then liberating this spirit from the physical form. From moving the yang spirit to the primordial regions, practicing to "merge with the void" and releasing the yang spirit to merge with the cosmic energy of the Tao, these form the three main methods of the Great Path. Whereas the Lesser and Middle Paths are accomplished through a daily discipline of calisthenics, internal martial arts, tai-chi, chi-kung exercises and various meditations, the Great Path can only be attained by "abiding in absolute stillness", another term for "merging with the void".
Still, the Great Path cannot be traversed without the support of health and at times the longevity necessary to see it through, thus the basic practices that are done throughout, keep one healthy and the immune system strong. Taoists have always recognized the connection between emotional and physical health. Because of this, the basic practices cultivate positive emotional energy and train the novice how to radiate this energy throughout the cellular structure of the body.
The Inner Smile: Opening The Mind to Contentment
The first step in the Taoist tradition, which helps build the positive attributes of the different organs, involves a daily practice of flooding the body with the radiant energy of a heart felt smile. A number of healing sounds are also used, which act on specific organs in the body to evoke harmony. In addition, corresponding colors are visualized for each of the major organs which act to further balance the elements which are specific to each one, as well as to bring out positive and diminish negative emotional attributes.
A smile is permeated through the three main systems of the body: the first is the nervous system, the second the major organs in the abdomen or "second brain", and finally the digestive tract. The term second brain, refers to the fact that particular types of thoughts and feelings are actually stored in different organs in the body. By tuning into these different organs with awareness, the practitioner begins to feel areas that may feel light as well as areas that are blocked.
The inner smile exercise does not override or suppress any negative feelings that may be noticed as the body is explored consciously. On the contrary, the Inner Smile helps us to feel the thoughts which are stored in different areas of the body which evoke negative feelings. Through the actual noticing and feeling of whatever arises, they simply dissipate. Then through the use of the healing sounds combined with the Inner Smile and the visualization of the particular elemental color of each organ, we actually transform congested energies such as stored negative emotions and use them to create more life affirming chi. Fully energized by a radiant smile at the cellular level, a sense of contentment is produced which with consistent practice, begins to permeate our life.
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Sandeep Goswamy
(91)9818181991
sandeepgoswamy@gmail.com
www.TheNewAgeFoundation.com
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