Energy Cultivation Practices Keep Us Whole and Healthy

​Most of us come into the world healthy, with our bodies thriving in a state of balance with the world around us. But as we get older strange things begin to happen — we develop chronic pains, physical and emotional illnesses, and a laundry list of conditions that limit our wellbeing. When we look at ourselves, the people around us, and the various medications and products that promise us a better quality of life, it’s easy to get the impression that sickness is our default and that health is just the absence of disease. We forget where we started — that great health was, and still should be, our baseline. We forget just how amazing it feels to be alive! But with a shift in perspective, we can change this.

In wellness — East beats West

It’s common wisdom that to solve a problem in a meaningful way, we need to address the root causes, and not merely the outward symptoms. It’s very curious then that Western medicine places such an emphasis on prescriptions and “therapies” that only address symptoms and seek to merely reduce pain or numb us. This isn’t health in the true sense, and these aren’t lasting solutions.

Eastern philosophy has seen through these deceptions since the earliest days of recorded history, and developed many disciplines to overcome our barriers to wellbeing. These arts include Taoist practices like SunDo, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi as well as traditional yogic disciplines like Hatha Yoga and Pranayama. These arts all have one thing in common: an understanding that energy (qi/chi/ki) and the body’s ability to circulate it are decisive factors in not only maintaining a state of health, but feeling great and enjoying life to the fullest.

Finding the “qi” to your wellbeing 
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Taoist and Hindu practices direct their breath and focus inwardly on the qi energy system. Qi is thought of as “vital life energy,” but the way the traditional Chinese characters depict it tells us much more. The symbol for qi comprises two distinct parts — the outer symbol, which means air or steam, and the inner symbol which means rice.
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Cooked rice gives people across Asia the essential fuel they need to be productive each day. Just as steam is needed to cook rice, we depend on the movement of breath in our bodies to cultivate and circulate qi energy within us. When this process is working properly we are able to unlock our optimal states of wellbeing. This is the mission of many well-known practices within the Taoist arts.  

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Channeling your qi in practice

Meridians, or the body’s energy pathways, are another important aspect of the qi system. In order to feel not only free of discomfort, but in a true state of balance and wellness, our bodies need to regularly and efficiently send qi energy through the meridians — this is one of the major goals of Taoist arts like SunDo. For example, in a typical SunDo routine, a practitioner will work through three stages of activity that ultimately result in a balanced qi distribution within the body.

• Activating Sequence: A stretch-based warm up phase focused on unblocking energy channels for optimal distribution of qi across the meridians. This stage is not unlike the popular practice of acupuncture, as the exercises gently stimulate the flow of qi to clear energy blockages. However, the SunDo routine takes the health benefits two steps further.
  
  
• Building Sequence: Once the body has been warmed up and prepared for qi cultivation, participants practice deep, rhythmic belly breathing while holding gentle, sustained poses to build and store qi in the lower abdomen. Numerous health benefits arise from this honed deep breathing, alone.
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• ​​Circulating Sequence: Finally, students circulate their built-up qi from the lower abdomen throughout their bodies using a series of energizing stretches, tapping of meridian points and more vigorous exercise. The end result is a noticeable refreshed, controlled, and peaceful state of wellbeing that grows overtime with each session.

Sound too good to be true … one practice that brings a continuous supply of vital life energy into the body? Working with qi and the energy system is now becoming a preferred method of treatment for physical and psychological issues of all kinds. Here are just a few examples:
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• Medical Qi Gong: A popular form of ancient Chinese medicine that uses physical motions, breathing techniques, and focus to address mental and physical ailments at their root causes through the freeing of energy pathways throughout the body. Medical Qi Gong has been effective in addressing symptoms like lethargy and depression that Western medicine has struggled with.

• Reiki: Japanese energy therapy via direct touch. In Reiki sessions a therapist will gently apply his or her hands to a patient’s meridians in long-held positions to stimulate qi flow and foster feelings of wellbeing and relaxation.
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• EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique): Also known as “tapping,” EFT is a simple, but powerful tool that uses gentle acupressure stimulation across the body along with positive thought routines to relieve stress and pain and improve self-control and productivity. 
  
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Being healthy is being whole

We see the seeds of Eastern wisdom buried deep in the language of the Western World. The word “health” comes from the Old English hælþ, which means “wholeness” or “being whole,” and from the Proto-Germanic “hailitho,” also meaning “whole” or “uninjured.” We begin in a state of wholeness. Things are in their truest, most pure form when they are whole, just as living creatures are in their most natural states when they are healthy.

While energy cultivation routines are effective in managing numerous medical issues, their greatest objective is to keep us whole — to give us the ability to enjoy the highest of quality of life. And to that end we say, why wait until you have an ailment to reap the benefits of these transformative tools? Start up an energy balancing discipline now and begin getting the best out of your life.

Learn more about SunDo and our uniquely powerful method of energy cultivation here.