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Bai Jiguan – The Daoist Wuyi Cliff Tea
My favorite type of teas to drink in the colder parts of the year are Wuyi Rock (Cliff) Oolongs (we are talking true tea here, i.e. the camellia sinensis plant, not herbal teas). From the Wuyi Mountain area of Fujian, China, these are legendary oolongs known for their rich, smooth roasted flavors that come about due to the charcoal roasting process that they go through. The tea gardens are nestled amongst the cliffs of the Wuyi mountains, hence the name. The soil that the tea plants grow in is pristine and rich in minerals. The cha qi 茶气 (energetic property of the tea) of Wuyi Rock teas is easily experienced…
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Five Black Tea 五黑茶 for the Greater Cold 大寒 Solar Term
As we approach “Greater Cold” (Da Han 大寒), the 24th and final solar term of the year, an arctic front and snow storm passed through the area that I live in, bringing the coldest temperatures that we’ve had this winter so far. It truly is “Greater Cold!” A good herbal tea for this time of year is called Wu Hei Cha 五黑茶, meaning “Five Black Tea.” This tea is also great in general for neigong practitioners. Winter is associated with the kidney organ system, the water phase, and the color black. The kidneys are our storehouse of the all-important jing 精 (essence), which fuels our neigong practice and is important for…
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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) ,…
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Pai da 拍打 (pat) the Heart and Lung Meridians in Winter
Pai da 拍打, which we could translate as “patting”, “slapping”, or “tapping,” when done along the body’s meridians, is a widespread traditional Chinese health modality. It is commonly done before and/or after practice (qigong, neigong, etc), but it is also very beneficial as a daily, stand-alone practice. Pai da is performed along the meridians (and acupoints) to keep the meridians unobstructed and the qi and blood flow vigorous. By smoothing the flow of qi and stamping out the turbid qi (zhuo qi 濁气) the functions of the internal organs are regulated and the body’s immunity is enhanced. Here we will focus on patting the meridians of the arm which is…
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Winter Solstice is an Optimal Time for Stillness
“The winter solstice marks the beginning of the return of Yang; a thunderclap shakes the sky” Dongzhi yi yang lai fu shi, pili yisheng zhendong tian. 冬至一阳来复始，霹雳一声震动天。 ~ Zhang Sanfeng’s Meditation Song 三丰打坐歌说 The winter solstice (dong zhi 冬至) marks a special point in the year: The days will start to get longer again, the sun will start to get stronger. Yin Qi has peaked and will now start to decline. Yang Qi will begin to emerge and grow. Neigong and neidan practice are concerned with accumulating Yang Qi in the body. This is considered an excellent time to practice stillness-based practices such as meditation (both specifically on the winter…
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Nourish and Store Energy for the Year to Come: Recipe for the Greater Snow 大雪 Solar Term
Da Bu Yang Cang Tang (大补养藏汤) might be translated as something like “Great Nourishing and Storing Soup” is a widely-recommended yangsheng (“nourishing life”) recipe for this time or year–starting from the Greater Snow (Da Xue 大雪) Solar Term (December 6th in 2024) and onwards for about the next month. This time of year to reduce excess physical exertion, increase stillness meditation and nourish the body’s storage capacity. Our Yang Qi has retreated to the interior and we want to carefully nourish it during this time. This soup nourishes the five internal “zang” organs: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. It is especially nourishing for the kidneys. It nourishes kidney qi,…
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The Microcosmic Orbit
Below is a brief exploration of the Microcosmic Orbit, also known as the Small Heavenly Orbit. We will touch on its significance, history, key features, as well as different types of Microcosmic orbits and associated practices, and how it is used in different modes of practice (i.e. qigong/neigong vs dandao/neidan). This is not meant to be exhaustive and only briefly touches on some key points with a few instances of specific examples. The video form of this post can be found at the bottom of the page. The Microcosmic Orbit is the flow of Qi around the loop created by the Ren and Du meridians, but what is the significance…
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Nuts: Wintertime Snack of the Immortals
“Ren you san bao jing, qi, shen You san zhong xianguo bu jing, qi shen de” (人有三宝精气神, 有三种仙果是补精气神的) People have three treasures: essence (jing), energy (qi), and spirit (shen). There are three kinds of xianguo “immortal nuts” that replenish jing, qi, and shen. Winter is the season for storage (cang 藏), storing jing (essence). Plants store much of their essence in nuts and seeds to prepare for spring. Nuts are ready to harvest in the fall, and we can take our cue from the squirrels outside scurrying around collecting and eating up nuts to fatten up and prepare for winter. Ancient Chinese named three nuts as the “three nuts of…
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A Visit to Dr Ho
Some neigong friends had reported a Chinese medicine practitioner in Singapore that could use (bio?)-electric emission techniques as a part of his diagnostic capability. Several reported having a good experience with Dr Ho, so I thought I’d pay him a visit the next time I was passing through the area. His approach is an integration of Chinese and Western medicine. Overall I felt it was a good experience and worth the very low cost. He seemed to be fairly skilled at diagnosis. He didn’t find any major issues with me, so I don’t have much to go off of to form an opinion. It’s worth stopping by to see him…
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Laoshan Daoshi 崂山道士 and Virtue 德 as Foundation
Laoshan Daoshi 崂山道士 is a fun short film from China done in the puppet animation style. It originally comes from a collection of folktales called Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio 聊斋志异, written by Pusong Ling 蒲松龄. It tells the tale of Wang Qi 王七, a poor scholar who becomes obsessed with a book about Daoist immortals. He even has the wish to seek out a Daoist master on Mount Lao 崂山 in order to learn how to train to become like the immortals in his book, although his wife thinks the idea is silly (probably a scenario that hits close to home for many friends of mine 🙂). In…
