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”—located in the lower abdomen, the solar plexus, and the brain. It is in these centers that the real alchemy of the human organism takes place. The energies circulate from these centers through various energy pathways, called meridians, that bring energy to all parts of the organism (Figure 12). In Western terms, the tan tiens and meridians are roughly analogous to electrical generating and transforming stations that create electricity from various raw materials of different density and efficiency—such as coal, oil, and natural gas—and deliver this power through a complex network of wires to our homes and thus to our appliances.

“ORIGINAL CHI”

One of the most crucial forms of energy for our overall health and well-being is the energy we receive through heredity—from the sexual union of our parents, of yin (female essence) and yang (male essence). This is called “original chi.”29A major part of our original chi is our sexual essence, or ching, so we will not discuss ching separately. According to Mantak Chia, our original chi is stored mainly in the lower tan tien, in the center of a triangle formed by the navel, the point on the back midway between the kidneys, and the sexual center (in the area of the pubic bone). The exact location of this center, which varies depending on a person’s weight and structure, is about one to two inches below the navel and approximately one third of the way in (Figure 13). The lower tan tien is the basic storage battery of the body, providing the core energy needed for the combustion and transformation of the energies we receive from food, air, and so on.

Figure 12

From the Taoist perspective, an abundance of energy in the lower tan tien makes it easier to assimilate all the other forms of energy available to us. This energy center, like all the others in the body, is a kind of magnet that can attract outside energy with a corresponding vib-ration. The Taoists would say, “where there is more, more is given.” They would also say, without much overstatement, that our health and well-being begins with keeping a certain reserve of energy in the appropriate energy centers of our organism, especially in the lower tan tien, the area of our sexual essence or vitality. When we sense energy in this area, we generally feel balanced and centered. When our energy is blocked in this area, or when we have insufficient reserves, we may feel a general physical weakness and imbalance. We may also catch ourselves behaving in judgmental or critical ways toward ourselves and others. Our energy can be blocked or lost in a variety of ways, including excessive negativity, tension, stress, daydreaming, talking, and sexual activity, as well as through gossip, criticism, worry, and so on. Although some of the lost energy is replenished automatically through eating and breathing, our original chi gradually dissipates as we grow older.

We can, however, learn to intentionally “conserve” our energy and to “recharge” our battery—to keep our lower tan tien open and filled with energy—through mindfulness (awareness) practices with the help of special breathing practices. Two of the most basic of these breathing practices are normal abdominal breathing and Taoist abdominal breathing. Normal abdominal breathing, in which the belly, rib cage, and lower back expand on the inhalation and contract on the exhalation, has a variety of benefits, including an automatic massage of the inner organs and an increased flow of chi around these organs. “It also helps to pro-mote the flow of blood, lymph, and hormones, and ... reduces the work of the heart.”30 This form of breathing is similar to the soft, natural breathing of a baby or young child. Lao Tzu makes reference to it in the Tao Te Ching when he says: “Focus your vital breath until it is supremely soft, can you be like a baby?”31 The other basic form of breathing, called Taoist abdominal breathing or “reverse” breathing (since the belly, sides of the rib cage, and lower back go inward on inhalation and outward on exhalation) compresses and packs the energy in the lower