NeiGung & Internal Iron Body

neigung-internal-iron-bodySee the Nei Gung post for the first part in this series on Neigung

Neigung has many amazing self defense benefits. Iron Body training exists in both internal and external Chinese training methods.  Of course the methods are quite different from one another.  Iron shirt usually refers to an external kind of Iron Body created from specific conditioning of the muscles within the body and is generally not the kind of iron body that results from neigung training. Neigung develops an internal type of Iron Body known as Golden Bell Covered.  Fortunately, I have trained extensively in both types of training and so I am well equipped to compare and contrast the two different methods.

Iron Shirt protects you from blows but it generally will not help you to generate energy jing type strikes with your body and the entire body must be worked through various different  postures held over a long period of time in order for the entire body to be covered with Iron as opposed to just having Iron Shirt or vest which just covers your torso but not your arms and legs.  Golden Bell Covered neigung is specific energetic training that is about your internal development from head to toe.  Golden Bell Covered neigung protects you from head to toe and the training will help you to generate strikes that originate from your body as well.  This can be an important skill against multiple attackers or a surprise attack.

One aspect of this kind of neigung internal iron body but which can also be used for quite a few other purposes including Distant Energy Healing (energy healing of others from a distance) is called The 3 Powers of Heaven Earth and Man.  The 3 powers connections are each trained separately and then they are trained altogether at the same time.  When you can immediately activate and utilize all aspects of the 3 powers connection with your mind as soon as you think to do it then you will have the proper energetic connection to do quite a few of the more advanced Tai Chi skills including generating jing strikes with your body against someone striking or shoving you.  The effect of a fa jing strike with your body  is that the striker literally gets thrown off of your body.  You will still have to train the jing skills but without the neigung the jing skills are not even possible.

Please do not confuse the 3 Powers of neigung training with the 3 Treasures of internal martial arts.  The 3 Treasures are Chi / Qi, Mind Intent Shen or Yi, and Jing.  In order to do the 3 Powers training you use your mind intent and proper body alignment to make the appropriate connections and then allow the body to fill with Chi / Qi on the inside and on the outside or surface of the body.  The inside filling, connecting and then working of the Chi / Qi is all neigung.  Once you have the 3 Powers and the ability to move the Chi / Qi energy inside your body with other aspects of the neigung training then you can manipulate and express the Chi / Qi energy as jing or form the energy into various different jing expressions so that your body takes on different energetic qualities as you desire.  This is still within the parameters of neigung or internal work training.

to be continued…

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