Dr.Joe's Data Base

TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICES
 
OVERVIEW OF TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICES
THE 5 ESSENTIALS OF TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICE
Two Fundamentals
Knowing How to Circulate Consciously the Qi through the Meridian System
Harmonizing the Emotions
Knowing How to Align the Physical Structure
The Right Nutrition
INCORPORATING THE FIVE BASIC STEPS OF TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICE
 
OVERVIEW OF TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICES
In the ancient Taoist tree of practices with branches such as acupuncture,
herbology, massage, five element nutrition, qigong, taichi, feng shui, I Ching
and meditation, the practices dealing with the sexual energy occupy a prominent
place.
In ancient China Taoist masters were well known for their specialized knowledge
on sexual matters. Emperors and Empresses would consult Taoist masters in secret
for learning the essentials of sexual practice. This would be done not only for
enhancing sexual pleasure with the numerous concubines that filled the court,
but more specifically for attaining the Chinese ideal of having a long and
healthy life.
From very early times sexual energy management has been associated in China with
high vitality, strong senses, sharp mind, vibrant health, personal magnetism,
psychic powers and the ability to prolong life beyond its ordinary limits.
Contrary to popular belief Taoist sexual practices are not an independent
discipline existing all by itself. On the contrary, sexual practices are
considered a branch of the Taoist tree of disciplines having as central trunk
the meditations for calming the mind and opening the infinite potential of the
human spirit.
return to top of page
 
-THE 5 ESSENTIALS OF TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICE
1-The Two Fundamentals:
The recycling of sexual energy requires first of all that the practitioner has
developed an ability to feel every part of the body and specifically the
movement of the Qi or life force through the meridian system. Without the
ability to feel the Qi there is no Taoist practice. The ability to feel every
part of the body is the opening of communication between the mind and physical
body.
To attempt any energy practice without the fundamentals of feeling the body and
identifying the movement of Qi the practitioner is energetically blind and
unable to know when practice should stop or how intensely a technique should be
done.
The risk of practicing without the two fundamentals is energy becoming stuck in
the upper part of the body and causing a host of undesirable side effects such
as headaches, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, ringing in the
ears and so on. The list becomes quite long.
return to top of page
 
2-Knowing How to Circulate the Qi Consciously through the Meridian System:
-Any energy practice has the potential to increase the energy flow through the
meridian system. Increased flow is akin to having more traffic through the
avenues of a great city. As we all know if everyone is heading out of town on
the holidays the traffic is going to be heavy and slow everywhere. Bottlenecks
raise tempers and overheat engines, besides the increase in the personal
quotient of impatience and frustration.
-Recycling sexual energy is as simple as moving the accumulated Qi in the
genital area and moving it through the nervous system and the vital organs.
However to do this the practitioner should be very acquainted with the best
meridians for driving safely from one place to another.
The energy superhighway in the human energy system is the combination of
meridians ascending up the spine from the perineum and descending down the front
of the chest to the perineum. This circular path goes by a variety of
traditional names and is better known in the Occident as the Microcosmic Orbit.
In the same way that the traffic in a superhighway can move smoothly, slow or be
totally blocked, the Microcosmic Orbit can be partially blocked and distributing
Qi flow inefficiently. So one of the most important priorities in energy work is
keeping the Orbit flowing as efficiently as possible.
-Many are the sexual practice aspirants who proceed to recycle the sexual energy
without knowing anything about the qi flow in the Orbit and end up with the
sexual energy stopping either at the head or the heart.
return to top of page
 
3-Harmonizing the Emotions:
Taoist energy work is known to increase energy flow and promote vitality.
However the Taoists are not just concerned with increasing Qi flow, most
important is the quality of the Qi.
One of the factors which most readily affect the quality of personal Qi is the
emotions that are being produced in our organs.
The ancient Taoists discovered in the course of their meditations that our
emotions, both positive and negative take their point of departure in the
condition of the vital organs. If for example, the liver is circulating the Qi
very smoothly then that ease of movement is experienced as a positive mental
state which expresses itself as kindness, generosity and a state of personal
ease. On the contrary if the flow is hindered by excessive tension and heat in
the liver then the experience of such a difficult flow manifests as anger,
aggression and a general state of dissatisfaction.
-The Taoists also discovered that the sexual energy that expresses itself
through the sperm in men and the ovum in women is a composite of the essences
from each of the vital organs, the nervous system, the glands, brain and bones.
In other words, sexual energy is a team effort where every part of the body
contributes its finest.
-If our organs at the moment of contributing their share for empowering the
sperm and the ovum are congested with negative emotions and tensions, then the
sexual energy is going to carry such qualities as part of its overall make up.
So it is essential that the practitioner of sexual recycling pays a great deal
of attention to the emotional quality that flows from the vital organs.
-The Taoists developed numerous practices for transforming the energy flow in
the organs and thus affecting the emotional quality. The first method is that of
Six Healing Sounds utilizing simple movements and the sounds that harmonize each
the vital organs. A deeper method is that of harmonizing the element in each of
the organs while at the same time resolving unfinished situations which are
still emotionally charged.
It can be said that any physical exercise which changes the rate of respiration
and accelerates blood and energy flow will have a positive effect on the
emotions and the organs.
return to top of page
 
4-Knowing How to Align the Physical Structure:
Although it may seem remotely connected to sexual practice, the ability to align
the physical body properly is fundamental in all energy work not just sexual
recycling.
The alignment of the structure is learned in order to facilitate the circulation
of Qi through the meridian system while at the same time opening the flow from
the energies of the universe. Without a correct structure the Qi has to fight
its way to circulate through every part of the organism. It is as if our
superhighway out of town is covered with roadblocks and detours every few miles.
Right structure is essential in sexual practice because of the nature of sexual
energy itself. Sexual energy has been called `the water of life' in many ancient
cultures because it was observed that when non-aroused sexual energy is tranquil
and behaves like water at room temperature. However during stimulation sexual
energy becomes like water which is heating up and heading towards boiling. As we
known, water at room temperature is easy to handle, but boiling water is another
matter altogether, it has to be handled with lots of care and we have to be very
careful where we pour it.
-The recycling of aroused sexual energy requires the most direct and easy line
of flow to reach the vital organs and the nervous system. In addition to having
the Microcosmic Orbit flowing properly, the physical structure should be lending
support to the meridian flow by providing the optimum facility of movement.
-The alignment of the structure begins with something as simple as feeling an
invisible cord lifting the crown and the sacrum at the bottom of the spine being
pulled downward. Many specialized postures were developed by the Taoists and now
form part of the basic structure of Qi Gong exercises.
return to top of page
 
5-The Right Nutrition:
Many of the men practitioners of Taoist sexual energy recycling are unaware that
the goal of learning to control the ejaculation and prolonging sexual play is
related to what they had for dinner last night and what type of food
predominates their diet.
The food we eat is one of the four sources of energy we have along with the air
we breathe, the energy we receive from heaven and earth and the inherited
ancestral energy our parents have passed to us.
Each of the four sources of energy is akin to the legs of a table-if anyone is
short or weak, it unbalances the table along with everything we placed on it.
A diet which is excessive in concentrated foods such as animal proteins will
render more difficult the goal of sexual energy recycling because sensitivity is
reduced, as well as blood circulation. Animal foods in excess also render more
difficult the task of raising the energy through the back of the Microcosmic
Orbit because such foods in general are strongly descending which is the
opposite of what is searched in sexual recycling.
return to top of page
 
INCORPORATING THE FIVE BASIC STEPS OF TAOIST SEXUAL PRACTICE:
Many publications have appeared in recent times promoting different methods for
sexual energy recycling. The impression is created that it is absolutely safe to
concentrate on a few breathing exercises along with some muscle contractions and
all will be well. Experience has taught that is not the case. The best evidence
is the countless number of people who search out Taoist teachers to help them
resolve energy problems in their sexual practice learned from books. Often there
is absolutely nothing faulty with the methods in the books, simply that the
practices lack the context of the five essentials outlined before.
It is important that anyone interested in learning the Taoist sexual practices
places them in the context of a complete system, rather than as an isolated
exercise.
This is the simplest way of honoring the tremendous power inherent in the
creative energy of the universe concentrated in the reproductive cycle.
return to top of page