Everything Undulates Understanding Neigong - November 1, 2010

In my Jindao system, there are three areas of benefit:
1) An integrated mind / body;
2) Peace of Mind; and
3) Self Transformation.

One of the means used to achieve these results is Neigong. Neigong (neikung, neigung) means internal exercise or skill. Neigong includes qigong breathing exercises, loosening exercises (daoyin), and different forms of energy (jing) exercises. There is a great number of different exercises which cultivates the treasures of Jing (Essence), Qi (chi, energy, air, breath or life force) and Shen (Spirit) for health, longevity, and enlightenment. Neigong also is part of Chinese internal martial arts (neijia). Neigong is a vast system that connects such subjects as qigong, meditation, yoga, massage, healing, food therapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The internal exercises of neigong also bring you happiness, peace, and enlightenment.

Neigong is a part of the 5,000 year old Daoist Neidan practice of internal alchemy in order to become a real or true human being, developed during  an era when those who were wise were very closely connected with Nature and themselves. At that time, one was considered healthy when one lived in unity with the cosmos, and ill when one subdued one's own emotions. The true human being is beyond the desires of the dissatisfied spirit. Neigong in essence is transformation techniques, which are aimed at living as one with the vast, unfathomable energy of Nature. The mother of all learning processes for a Daoist is Nature. Through observation one realizes that there are no straight lines in Nature, only curves, waves, and spirals. There is only flow: fluidity without rigidity; firmness without flaccidness. Everything undulates. Thus, the spontaneous naturalness of life – everywhere and in every form – is the fundamental principle of a Daoist.

Daoist life practices include not only medicine and martial arts, but also the systems of transformation, which cover all areas of life – the arts of changing resonance, vibrations. Daoist philosophic texts could help to convey such knowledge from teacher to student, but only to the extent that the trainee is prepared to explore Nature and the further development of the teachings prompted by one's own creative motivation. Becoming a neigong master meant that you would have a lifetime of research. Commitment to the Dao (The Way, the One True Source) meant commitment to Creation.

Following this path of perfecting existence involves the training of your individual perception. When doing the Neigong movements you are told to "Relax into your own being".  The Daoist learns from the embryo of a human being or from a sleeping animal, such as a cat or snake, to store energy at the center of a coiling spiral in a restful or sleeping position, or to preserve the energy of life in this position. In this way, you can feel the breath of the cosmos (energetic vibrations made out of light), which is known as Qi.

Three types of Qi are distinguished in the human being. The first is the prenatal Qi, which is produced from our genetic code (Jing) and gives our body its individual characteristics. In the second, we have the “acquired” Qi, the life energy, which we develop by eating and breathing. The third is the etheric Qi, which we produce through our thought and concentration potential. Qi is a term for the etheric life energy which contains life-giving light in various frequencies. The authentic teachings make it possible for the adept to synchronize the three circles of human vitality and thereby to harmonize them, thus enabling sheer vitality to unfold.

When the female aspect is united with the masculine, the great art of flow, of circulating energy, is attained. This universal Qi created order and energy, which allows all things to exist. L ook at the sky and you will see your inner space. Look into your inner space – and you will discover the sky. Just as you were once inside your mother's womb, so too today are you always within the womb of the cosmos. Inside this womb, we are all of one source. From our cells to the stars everything is connected and in constant communication.
All things are being experienced at all times. There is no "good" or "bad", there just IS. Inside your mother's womb you were breathing in water; similarly today you are breathing in the Qi of the cosmos.

Thus, we are permeated and surrounded by various forms of vibrations, whether we like it or not. Dealing with these vibrations – channeling, concentrating, and bringing them into a natural balance – is what the term “gong” conveys: more simply described as “work” or more elegantly as “unfolding”. The primary factors in the Daoist teachings of transformation are: storing, directing, regulating, and refining life energy.  If Qi were defined as the universal energy, there would preferably be two fundamental characteristics to emphasize: tangible and intangible energy. Objects that you can see are made of tangible energy. Since Thoughts are made of intangible energy, they are things as well, once formed they have an energy of their own that effects everything that one directs attention to. Modern quantum physics is gradually converging with the ancient knowledge of the alchemical magician: Light is “creative”, the cosmos is unpredictably magical change. Therefore, the creative human being is capable of producing the most Qi. Perfect tone, poetry, color, light, and vibrations, find your elemental personal expression of creation and perfect your Being through perfecting the arts.