
Why Dynamic Sets Are an Important Part of Foundational Training
Summary:
Dong Gong 动功 (Dynamic Training Practice Sets, such as Yijinjing 12 Postures, Baduanjin, and other Daoyin) are commonplace in neigong training systems and often focus on developing and clearing/unblocking the 12 ordinary meridians associated with the internal organs. What are the benefits of this mode of practice? With many neigong systems highly focused on building the lower dantian in early stages, people often wonder if focusing on other areas will hold them back.
Perhaps the main reason that these types of practices are widely taught early on as a part of initial foundational training is due to the age-old Chinese theoretical approach which says that before you build (qi) , you need to clear, unblock, and regulate the system first. Here we explore this “correct sequence of Yangsheng” coming from the Huangdi Neijing and how it relates to neigong practice. I also provide some additional thoughts and a few anecdotes.
To Dong Gong or Not To Dong Gong?
Beginners who start practicing neigong will naturally question which types of practices are best to focus on in the beginning. In many schools of practice, the importance of building up qi in the lower dantian is taught early on. So a common question that comes up is whether it is OK to perform practices that focus in other areas–such as dynamic sets (dong gong 动功) that stimulate and guide qi through the 12 ordinary meridians associated with the body’s internal organs. The concern is that these types of practices would use up too much qi that would otherwise be directed to developing the lower dantian.
This is a good question, and there are likely various approaches to practice that are valid, but it is hard to ignore the fact that dynamic sets (dong gong) such as the Yijinjing 12 Postures, Baduanjin, Jingang Gong, Luohan Gong, and various other daoyin (“guiding and leading”) are very widely taught in most (if not all) neigong groups/lineages (at least that I am aware of) as a helpful and even necessary part of foundational training, and often as the first step. So the question arises as to whether there is good reason to practice these, or are they too much of a waste of energy that could have, say, otherwise been directed exclusively to building the lower dantian?
Dong Gong Sets Are Very Often a Key Part of Neigong Training Regimens
The rationale, for what we’ll collectively refer to as “dong gong sets,” is that they are particularly effective for conditioning and clearing the 12 ordinary meridians, which is a necessary first step before one can safely and effectively engage in practices that directly focus on building up energy (qi 气).
When I started seriously training neigong, in the first lineage that I practiced under, the Shaolin Gengmenpai’s style of Yijinjing, this reasoning was central. We weren’t even allowed to learn the basic neigong of the lineage until it had been confirmed that our energy meridians were free of any blockages and we had no serious health issues (this was ensured via examination by a master and the use of their famous blood-transforming pills and qigong therapy). To start practicing neigong with a blockage, it was said, could potentially be like adding pressure to a clogged pipe–there is a risk that the pipe could burst! Later, other masters within that lineage, sometimes refused to perform their third-eye opening “empowerment” (a quite intense experience) which irrigates the third eye with qi, if a practitioner had unresolved blockages. They said “he/she needs to practice more before they are ready for the empowerment.”
Clear, Unblock, and Regulate the System Before Boosting: An Idea With Deep Roots in Chinese Medicine
This idea of clearing and opening the body’s energy meridians first before boosting is actually a core principle in Chinese medicine which can be traced back to the Huangdi Neijing《黄帝内经》(The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine). The core of the argument is that there is a sequence of standard steps that must be carried out in order, and “supplementing/boosting” is not generally the first step (unless the condition is already present in which the first steps aren’t needed). While this is often used within the context of taking herbal medicine, the same principles can be applied to neigong practice as well. It’s not uncommon in Chinese medicine to hear the words “bu yao zhaoji luan bu!” (不要着急乱补) meaning, “don’t be in a hurry to indiscriminately supplement/boost!” Simply pumping energy into the system is often not the best way and can certainly be detrimental in some cases. There are steps that one must go through to clear and regulate the system first.
Five Step Order for Yangsheng from the Huangdi Neijing
The steps are outlined in the following order:
- Qing 清 (or Pai 排): clear, purify, discharge
First, it is necessary to clear out excess toxins and waste that the organ systems are having difficulty excreting. Through the process of living life we can accumulate all sorts of gunk: pathogenic and turbid qi, excess dampness, excess heat, excess cold, excess dryness. We need to clear any of these that are lingering.
- Tong 通: open, unblock, connect
We need the “rivers and lakes” of the body open and flowing. This involves clearing obstructions which may present as stagnation or blockage in the meridians, at the level of qi and blood, or stagnation in the stomach and/or intestines.
- Tiao 调: regulate, adjust
Our body’s systems need to be regulated properly so that our body can make use of what we supply it with. Particularly, the spleen and stomach systems need to be adjusted so that they can efficiently convert the food we eat into post-heaven jing 精 and qi 气 that can be used for body processes and also for neigong training.
- Bu 补: supplement, boost
When the body is ready, we can then supplement to replenish qi and blood (and/or boost yang or yin). When qi and blood are sufficient, the body’s internal organs are nourished and we have an ample supply of the body’s three treasures: jing 精, qi 气, and shen 神.
- Gu 固: consolidate
“Gu Ben Pei Yuan” 固本培元: consolidate the body’s jing and qi and maintain freely flowing meridians to preserve a solid foundation, nourish your vitality, and promote a balanced body-mind system.
As shown here, it is necessary to clear and discharge excess toxins, unblock the body’s meridians, and regulate/adjust important body systems before we seek to replenish/increase qi.
Mountains, Rivers, and Lakes of the Body: An Age-old Metaphor
One metaphor we can use is that of adding fresh water to a pond or lake. Ancient Chinese texts such as the Huangdi Neijing often compare the human body to a system of riverways, lakes, and mountains. If we want a nice, clean and healthy pond with smoothly flowing supplies of fresh water (qi) coming in and going out via connected waterways, we first may need to clean up and remove any pollution that is floating around or built up at the bottom. If we simply added a bunch of fresh water to a pond already chock-full of gunk it would not be helpful and it may well just overflow and seep back out into the surroundings. After cleaning and clearing, we would then seek to remove blockages in the connected rivers and streams, and restore other related ecological systems to a state in which they could naturally self-regulate. Adding too much water upstream to a river that was dammed up downstream wouldn’t help and might just cause floods in that area. Only after the above steps are completed can we pump more fresh water into the system to help the pond fill up with clean water. Once in an optimal state, we then just focus on maintenance (or further improvements).
The Body is a Complex and Interconnected System
It’s true that performing dong gong sets like the Yijinjing 12 Postures set will mobilize yang qi in the body and therefore use up some qi. However, by stimulating, dredging, and building up the meridians to restore and increase qi flow, the body’s organ systems are nourished and restored to an optimal state, resulting in increased efficiency. Yin and yang are balanced in the body. The body can extract more qi from the food it eats and the air it breathes. In this way, the result will ultimately be more qi and smoother qi flow. The body is a complex interconnected system with the various sub-systems mutually reinforcing each other. Improvements to the 12 ordinary meridians will also benefit the dantian(s) and microcosmic orbit, and vice versa. So it makes sense that a holistic training regimen that works on various aspects of the body-mind simultaneously would be practiced in most authentic lineages of neigong. The classic “five steps” provide reasoning for where we might place extra focus first.
Finding a Balance Between Training Too Little and Overtraining is Key
That said, as with any exercise regimen, the balance of exercise and rest is very important. Each person is different and needs to not only provide the body with enough healthy food and quality sleep, but also to be sure not to overtrain. Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. So those who start out in a weaker state, need to take it slower, practice for shorter time intervals and/or less times per day/week. It’s also important to remember that we burn up jing and qi when doing all sorts of things (not just qigong), and excessive physical or mental exertion (or excessive sexual activity, for example) can all be detrimental to our “reserves of qi” if overdone. Everything needs balance and moderation.
Holistic Training Regimen with Dong Gong in the Beginning
It is true that neigong practices, such as standing practices that focus on building the lower dantian and opening the Ren and Du Meridians (i.e. the Microcosmic Orbit) will also, by extension, develop the 12 ordinary meridians and nourish the organs. However, a more cautious and perhaps more effective strategy for beginners would, in the beginning, cautiously progress into dantian-building neigong while simultaneously giving extra attention to clearing the organ meridians and developing the connective tissue networks associated with them–effectively increasing the “wire gauge” of the meridians which will enable faster progress later. Of course, in lineages like the Gengmenpai, there are special medical treatments and energetic adjustments that can help beginners quickly clear their meridians and get to a safe starting point for dantian-building neigong.
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