Vol 7, Issue 1/2002

Before the harvest there is work to be done in the field

The Dantian as centre of energy. By Foen Tjoeng Lie

There is much talk and speculation about "Dantian", while a genuine feel for this centre or centres within the body usually occurs only after long and continuous practise. Foen Tjoeng Lie makes it clear that the "field of the elixir of life" is to be understood primarily as a place within the body at which concentration and thus the Qi is gathered. The Chinese alchemists developed techniques to produce an elixir of life within the body. Only through the experience that some spots in the body are particularly suitable for this could the three currently accepted Dantian be more precisely located, although there is not complete agreement about this. According to the author - and many other Qigong and Taijiquan teachers - trainees should follow their own perceptions in this respect. A simple exercise helps develop a feeling for the Dantian in the underbelly.

back back