Middle Dan Tien

The Middle Dan Tien is located where most people think of their heart as being located at the solar plexus in the center of their chest. The Middle Dan Tien is generally considered to be the emotional center of energy and can be used to focus emotional mind energy or shen.

Often in very medically and intellectual (Yi) oriented Chi Kung the Middle Dan Tien is not intentionally manipulated and worked with as much as the lower and upper dan tien because you can easily cause yourself heart problems. In most acupuncture styles if the heart meridian needs work / adjustment then the needles will be placed in another meridian before or after the heart meridian so as to move a little more energy indirectly to the heart or to indirectly draw some energy away from the heart. It is done indirectly so that the heart can slowly adjust as it is ready and not be overly stimulated causing to extreme of a reaction in the way of a rapid or slow heartbeat. This is the same reason that the Middle Dan Tien is not directly stimulated or worked in medical chi Kung.

If you are feeling very emotional and feel the energy well up / build in your chest then you are most likely actually feeling the Middle Dan Tien. It can feel like a ball being inflated inside your chest. If you are not used to working with energy in the Middle Dan Tien area then it can feel a bit overwhelming and like the energy is stuck there. The overwhelming affects of it can make it difficult for you to talk and shorten your breath. Ideally you want to experience the energy enough that you understand that you are feeling / experiencing something and your body and energy are letting you know but generally you do not want to be overwhelmed or controlled by it.

One basic exercise that I have found that can help alleviate energy stuck in the Middle Dan Tien is to imagine very pretty green trees in an open meadow type of setting then hold your palms out at about 45 degrees with the Lao Gongs open and absorb the gentle tree energy into them from the trees. Let the energy gently pass all through you and you will find it will move the stuck energy and spread it out from your lower dan tien all of the way through your upper dan tien. The most important part is to really visualize the trees or use real trees and feel the energy come into the Lao Gongs. The rest happens pretty automatically causing almost instant relief.

In 3 Powers (Heaven, Earth and Man) training you work with the heaven energy with the upper dan tien and with the earth energy with the lower dan tien and then allow these 2 energies to mix in your Middle Dan Tien. You do not have to do anything with the Middle Dan Tien to facilitate the process you simply connect to heaven and earth and the rest happens automatically. This always causes me to think of how in the Christian bible in Genesis there is a passage that relates that God created man from the earth and then breathed spirit into man. Essentially man is the combination of heaven and earth powered by the divine spark imparted to us by God.

Comments

  1. Dan Eidson says

    This is great…thanks for sharing it.

  2. Dan Eidson says

    A question for you. When you take in the energy through your Lao Gong points are you standing with feet shoulder width or what I like to call hip width apart?
    This is a great visualization exercise for me because we live in the middle of the forest.
    Also, do you close the meridian circuit by putting the tongue to the roof of your mouth? When the energy enters the Lao Gong point do you sink it to the lower Dan tien first then let is rise back up into the upper Dan Tien or let it flow in all directions?
    Just looking for more specifics because this visualization technique may help the shakiness I have in the middle of my chest.
    thanks

    • Sigung Clear says

      Q: When you take in the energy through your Lao Gong points are you standing with feet shoulder width or what I like to call hip width apart?

      A: Yes.

      Q: Do you close the meridian circuit by putting the tongue to the roof of your mouth?

      A: I do not make it go there but I find that it goes there on its own as soon as I start the in breath so I recommend trying to let it occur naturally but if it does not then gently touch the tongue to the cleft pallet and close the circuit.

      Q: When the energy enters the Lao Gong point do you sink it to the lower Dan tien first then let is rise back up into the upper Dan Tien or let it flow in all directions?

      A: Yes, but again do not force it. Practice relaxed and gently softly.

      Please let me know how it works for you.
      Best Regards.
      Sifu

  3. Dan Eidson says

    Just stood in the freezing cold doing this middle Dan Tien exercise. Your right, the tongue automatically touched the roof of my mouth. Effortlessness is the key, just like meditation.
    I was completely oblivious to the cold and the energy was cool and felt great moving all over my body.
    A taste of whole body breathing maybe?
    Thanks Sifu…great stuff.

    • Sigung Clear says

      Hi Dan,
      What a positive experience. It does sound like whole body breathing. One warning I must give here however, be careful to not practice your Chi Kung in a cold breeze or wind. The cold wind can enter your body (particularly if you are whole body breathing) and it can make you quite ill. The cold is not a problem as long as it is not windy.
      Best Regards.
      Sifu

      • Dan Eidson says

        Thanks for the feedback. Lately any kind of wind in below freezing temps are avoided. There was not any wind that night I did the Middle Dan Tien exercise.
        Oddly enough, one night while I was doing Wu Chi in the cold a wind came up and something told me to go inside and not practice. Strange yet powerful guidance no doubt.

  4. Laoshi Moses says

    Well Put SiGung Clear,I thought I was the only one who felt this way..Chi originates,and belongs to God.we are only vessels.connecting with his earth latent chi,and grounding,and his heavenly latent chi..we are the conductor switch…You never fail to enlighten me…May the real force always remain with you..Use it wisely..Wiom much is given,much is required..

Speak Your Mind

*