There are two things that we train to effect Jing, Chi, and Shen. These two things are Yi and Blood. In all of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Traditional Chinese Martial Arts (TCMA), and Chi Kung these two are what we work with to effect Jing and Shen. Chi as we noted above is the intermediary, and you’ll see in a little bit why the description of Jing Chi and Shen was an important precursor to this post. If you haven’t read my previous post: Chi Kung: The art of using Jing, Chi, and Shen I’d say stop here, read that one and come back.

Alright, that being said, let’s get to it. In TCM we have a saying, “Yi moves the Chi, Chi brings the blood” This is the crux of all our training,  seeking to establish a seamless connection between Yi, Chi and blood, which is guided by Jing, Ying + Yuan Chi, and Shen. There are various avenues to do this which vary system to system, but for the sake of simplicity I’ll stick to broad examples across different mediums. We’ll touch on how this simple, yet quite complex, principle applies to massage, acupuncture, and how we train them in hard + soft Chi Kung, that also translates into internal and external training of Kung Fu.

All of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hinges on the interplay of 3 things. Jing, Chi, and Shen.  In this post we are going to explain the role of Jing and Chi to our martial art, meditation and self-healing practice. In the following post we’ll go over how we connect and use these “Three treasures” to greatly benefit our lives.

If you’ve had any exposure to me before you probably have gathered this, I’m not a big fan of esoteric or spiritual explanations of concepts. I like to keep things as concrete and useful as possible. I feel these types of explanations are detrimental to that goal. The reason I bring this up is because many times explanation of Jing, Chi, and Shen can get very spacey, I’ll do my best for that not to happen.

Lets start off by giving Jing, Chi, and Shen short simple definitions on which we’ll elaborate further. Jing is similar to our primordial essence, Chi is similar to vitality or energy, and Shen is similar to spirit or our true/detached selves.

I'd like to take this opportunity to share some things that I hold as a very deep and firm foundation of my practice. If you have any experience in training Tai Chi Chuan you may love or hate what I'm about to say.

My entire practice is based on balancing yin and yang, and constantly seeking that balance in myself and others. What allows me to use what I do as a tool for balance is polarizing the thing I'm practicing or doing. In other words my Tai Chi Chuan practice is Yin, my Kung Fu practice is Yang, my Shaolin Chi Kung practice is yang, my Daoist Chi Kung practice is Yin. When I lift weights or practice calisthenics it's Yang, when I practice Yoga, stretching ect. it's Yin. I believe you get the picture. The distinction must be pure and at a drastic extent, only in this way can the thing have the greatest "power" to tip the scales. 

Can you have the energy you want without a cup of coffee? I say YES! It will only take you 5 minutes (or less) and you don't need any fancy equipment, gadgets, supplies or substances. All you need is techniques to take advantage of some acupressure points, or leg room as far as your arms can extend, some knowledge, and possibly something to see your reflection.(until you get the right feeling) What are these energy techniques or this energy giving exercise???

The energy giving techniques I use are Chi Kung (Vitality work) and Tui Na (Chinese Massage) below you will find a simple look at my foundation of vitality giving exercises as well as my basic Self Tui Na routine. The Tui Na is slightly easier to do than the exercise, although both are great tools for energy the exercises have much more usage beyond health building. Try them both, keep and adapt the one that works for you. Enjoy my friends.

Winter time! Who doesn't love snow days? In case you don't know I live in North Carolina and we just got hit with our first big snow. Aside from the snowfall it has also been icing over night, layering the snow. Making it slick, hard to walk, and break through.

The good thing about North Carolina is snow and ice doesn't last too long, but when they're here it's important to know how to walk, move, and keep your footing amid the cold.

How do we do this? By following some basic Tai Chi principles, of course. 

• Forward with the heel, backward with the toes
• ​Separate the weight
• Knees heavy feet light
• Pull don't push
• All movement is directed by the hips

We all can feel relaxed when practicing our favorite Tai Chi Chuan form or Yoga posture. From beginners to advanced practitioners we're constantly reminded to relax, re-position, stretch and get comfortable in the various postures and movements. There is no better environment to build this awareness than class, but it will never come to enrich our lives if we don't find a way to take it out of class and into the real world.

Application of Tai Chi Chuan goes far beyond simply martial and combative concepts. The jewel of the practice is its ability to heal, balance, relax, and guide those who need it to a more fruitful life.

How do we apply  Tai Chi Chuan to living a better life physically, mentally and spiritually?

While in Chicago I learned a lot about Chinese Medicine, healing, and Tai Chi Chuan from my mentor there Dr. Tony Zayner (Right). Being in college and working closely with Dr. Zayner helped me hone in on the purpose of my Tai Chi, and massage practice. I progressed in many ways and refocused my practice.

Faced with the challenge of new knowledge it made me deeply evaluate what it was that I truly believed to be the purpose of Tai Chi Chuan, and massage in relation to my Kung Fu practice. The revelations I experienced during that time, and currently experience in the Tai Chi practice continue to shape the very foundations of all that I do.

The greatest insight I had in Chicago, (although I didn't grasp its depth at the time) was the two main principles of my Tai Chi practice...

I'd like to say I found my purpose the first time I stepped into a dojo and threw my first punch, however, this is far from the truth. The reason I got started in martial arts, like many people, is that I was bullied as a kid and had very low self-esteem. Gradually by consistent practice I built up confidence and eventually was able to throw some decent punches, kicks and so on.

At that time I felt my purpose was not to get bullied. I would soon find out how shallow a purpose that was.

This purpose of self-development is a major factor to why I joined the USMC. To show myself what I was capable of. In those years of hardship, I shaped the purpose of my entire life, although at the time I didn't know it.

Part 2