Sink Chi to the Dantien - 氣沈丹田

[ReturnDragon]

氣沈丹田
Sink Chi to the Dantien -
This is the most interesting phrase in the martial arts industry.

Everyone talks about it but does anyone know how this phrase came about?
Why it is so important in Chi Kung?
What is the phrase really means?

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by ReturnDragon

[ReturnDragon]

4 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

氣沈丹田
Sink Chi to the Dantien -

Where is this phrase originated? What does it mean?

Well it's origin was from the ancient Chinese Taoist. The term "Taoist" will be, hereinafter, referred as the Chinese Taoist. It is the highest realm to be acquired from Chi Kung practice. Before we move any further, we must quote the original Taoist meaning of Chi Kung. Let's say two thousand years ago or little bit longer. Chi Kung is the ultimate breathing method was discovered the Taoist. However, the term Chi Kung was not called by the Chinese Taoist at the time. FYI It was called 吐吶(tu na). It has other meanings too. I will not go into that. I just go over this esoteric term defined by the Taoist.
 

吐(tu) is to breathe with the abdomen fully contracted inward.
吶(na) is to breathe with the abdomen fully expanded outward.

Nowadays, Chi Kung is used to replace the term tu-na. So, please disregard what you had read in the past about Chi Kung, with an open mind, for discussion sake to avoid obfuscation and confusion.

Here comes the origin of the phrase "sink chi to the dantien".

Let's start with the term 丹田 "dantien".

The Taoist defined the upper body with three parts called dantien. The upper dantien is from the top of the head to the bottom of the neck. The middle datien is from the bottom of the neck to the bottom of the chest; and the lower dantien is from the bottom of the chest to the bottom of the abdomen.


Dantien(丹田) in the term "sink chi to the datien" is understood referred as the lower datien.

People forget how to breathe as they get older. The breath cannot reach to the middle or lower dantien. Thus they have breathing problem. A most healthy person can breathe down to the middle dantien was not consider to be a problem. However, a Taoist want the breath to reach the bottom datien.

After a long period of beathing practice, finally, the breath has reached down to the lower dantien. The Taoist described as 氣沈丹田(Chi Sink to the Dantien).

From here on, the idea of alchemy comes into play. In addition, the connect the two major meridians together and cosmic orbits are also derived from the idea of "chi sink to the dantien".  That would be covered by another thread.


PS
I want thank starjumper and dedicate this thread to him for his contribution with his famous quote.
starjumper: "Chi and air are/were the same word "

Edited February 26, 2020 by ReturnDragon
Edited to thank starjumper for his contibution

[Starjumper]

I don't really feel like engaging with confused people at the moment.  I already did that too much in the Jeff thread.  I was doing pretty well at ignoring all the idiots here, but go sucked back into it when the long lost Mo Pai thread, which I started and hid around three years ago, was revived.

[Limahong]

2 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

People forget how to breathe as they get older. The breath cannot reach to the middle or lower dantien. Thus they have breathing problem. A most healthy person can breathe down to the middle dantien was not consider to be a problem.

 

Hi RD,

 

You have covered the lower and middle dantien.

 

How about the upper dantien?

 

- Anand

 

[ReturnDragon]

15 minutes ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi RD,

 

You have covered the lower and middle dantien.

 

How about the upper dantien?

 

- Anand

 

The upper dantien is the head. There is not much one can control it directly. However, it can be controlled indirectly. If the chi can send to the dantien. then, it is automatically taken care by the body internally.
 

In modern term, the extra oxygen brought into the lower dantian, so to speak, the red blood cells will bring it up to the brain cells. Thus the brain has ample of oxygen to be consumed.

Edited February 27, 2020 by ReturnDragon

[Limahong]

1 minute ago, ReturnDragon said:

The upper dantien is the head.

 

Any linkage to the sixth and seventh chakras?

[ReturnDragon]

27 minutes ago, Limahong said:

 

Any linkage to the sixth and seventh chakras?

I believe what you had mentioned are from the Indian yoga. The Taoist do not see it that way. Their most concern was that everything takes place or initiated in the lower datien.

PS You will see what I meant in the later posts. Thank you!

Edited February 27, 2020 by ReturnDragon

[Limahong]

4 minutes ago, ReturnDragon said:

I believe what you had mentioned are from the Indian yoga.

 

I am a third generation Overseas Chinese and I like inclusiveness.

 

[ReturnDragon]

18 minutes ago, Limahong said:

 

I am a third generation Overseas Chinese and I like inclusiveness.

 

I thought you might be Chinese!
What do you mean by inclusiveness?

[Limahong]

9 hours ago, ReturnDragon said:

What do you mean by inclusiveness?

 

A ONE mindset.

[ReturnDragon]

15 hours ago, Limahong said:

The upper dantien is the head.

 

15 hours ago, Limahong said:

Any linkage to the sixth and seventh chakras?

Hi Limahong,
I am not sure what you were asking.

I didn't mean that you are an Indian. What I had said was what you had mentioned ( the sixth and seventh chakras) is from Indian yoga.

[Limahong]

31 minutes ago, ReturnDragon said:

I didn't mean that you are an Indian.

 

I know what you mean.

[Toni]

this man is clever, that is what i was looking for. If we interpret chi as breath/air then everything becomes much more clear.

 

Here you can read him:

https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/How_Does_Chi_Kung_Keeps_Us_Healthy.html

Edited May 12, 2020 by Toni

[Nungali]

Its the same in western tradition ;   air is spirit .   pnuema  , breath of life , etc

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneuma

 

But there is a 'higher' air  that is different from 'elemental air ' or  'normal breath'.  In the first air is primary, at the apex of a triangle with fire and water as the polarities.  In the second it is the 3rd principle in a fourfold arrangement  and ore the product of rather than the origin of the primary fire and water elements .

 

With all this 'breath stuff'  'things'  ( many things )  become focused around the chest area , eg, strength is thought (or thought unconsciously  -which drives the body even stronger ) to reside in and around the shoulders and  upper arms .  Which is 'above' the 'heaven earth intersection' part of the body - hence causing a potential 'over balance '

 

Hope that gives an insight to 'sinking' chi to  LDT .

[Toni]

yes, in the ancient greek tradition air (pneuma) was also the origin of life, the "thing" which gave life to living beings. When someone died it was believed that air left the body.

 

And interestingly enough it also meant soul in ancient greek

Edited May 12, 2020 by Toni

[Earl Grey]

5 hours ago, Toni said:

this man is clever, that is what i was looking for. If we interpret chi as breath/air then everything becomes much more clear.

 

 

 

 

 

[Toni]

his interpretation is that chi kung is just breathing work. When we do the slow movements coordinated with the breathing this helps bring oxygen into all the cells of the body. It has the merit of trying to give a scientific explanation of qigong. But there are problems: some forms of qigong don't coordinate movements with breathing, and also some forms don't do slow movements at all.

[Zork]

Chidragon relies on the interpretation of modern chinese and the official ccp government of qigong.

The CCP has done extensive crackdown on all spiritual practices since it's inception (Cultural "revolution".... yeah) so the supernatural elements are almost gone in mainland China.

The qigong practices that are allowed in China nowadays are just stretching exercises with almost no internal value.

He only has access to these sources. What do you expect him to know or help you understand?

He is a regular deluded guy who has no clue about qigong and does some physical exercise believing it to be qigong or taichi.

I have no problem with that but it is different when he seeks out to "guide" others.

[doc benway]

I mentioned ChiDragon in another thread because he is exploring what toni is looking for. I think his interpretation and experience are limited and somewhat narrow-minded but not inaccurate. Here is a far more sophisticated look from my Chen taijiquan teacher, CP Ong. I think you would really like his book.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Taijiquan-Cultivating-Strength-C-P-Ong/dp/061587407X

 

He has also published a few short articles on the subject you may find interesting:

 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cp_Ong

Edited May 13, 2020 by steve