ZOROASTRIANISM : 200 FACTS

 

HOW TO OPEN YOUR ENERGY CHANNELS

The energy body has a structure similar to that of the blood system. And by this I mean that it is made up of a vast network of channels that carry vital energy (Chi) to all parts of the body.

These energy channels are called "nadis" in Sanskrit and can be divided into four categories:

There are the main channels that are like the great highways that go directly through the entire body and that is where the energy mainly circulates.

Then there are various secondary channels that are the alternate avenues and that are related to some organ of the body (the lungs, the stomach, etc.).

Then there are networks of smaller channels that carry the energy to specific places in a part of the body (a muscle, a bone, etc.).

And then there are the mini-nadis that go into each of the cells.

(And this is because just as each cell needs oxygen and nutrients to be able to function. Well, at a subtle level, cells also need vital energy to be able to stay alive.)

THE MOST IMPORTANT ENERGY CHANNELS

IN TAOISM

Main Channels

The most important is the energy channel that is known as the micro-cosmic orbit and that circulates as follows:

Starting from the perineum (which is the point of the body that is between the anus and the sexual organs), the energy rises through the entire spinal column, until it reaches the head where the energy surrounds the skull and then descends through the spine. face, through the throat, chest, belly and finally back to reach the perineum.

It is also important to know that there are three areas of the body that serve as reservoirs where energy is stored for later use when required. There are other reservoirs, but the three main ones are:

1) The head (the high Dan Tien)

2) The lungs (the middle Dan Tien) and

3) The lower belly (the lower Dan Tien)

Other main channels are those of the legs where the energy circulates as follows:

From the perineum, the energy travels down the back of the legs, then through the soles of the feet and back up the front of the legs, until it reaches the perineum again.

And the channels of the arms, where the energy circulates from the lower Dan Tien (which is connected to the perineum by a vertical channel that passes through the center of the body), the energy rises to the navel and then in the form of an arc passes through the breasts to reach the shoulders, then down the outside of the arms to the tips of the fingers, then back through the palms of the hands, down the inside of the arms to the armpits, and back again. descend in an arc to the lower Dan Tien.

Secondary Channels

They are essentially the meridians that are known in acupuncture.

And in fact, contrary to what people usually imagine, acupuncture does not stimulate the nerves, but precisely those energy channels, so that the energy circulates better and the condition disappears.

This implies that if the patient himself is the one who is generating this energetic discomfort due to his way of being and acting, then the recovery will only be temporary, since the person will continue to generate the same energetic distortions that produced it. And that is the main reason why acupuncture works very well for some and in other cases it does not work.

IN HINDUISM

Ayurveda teaching indicates that this great energy channel that is found in the middle of the body that rises from the perineum to the head and where the main chakras are connected, is actually composed of three large nadis which are called:

Pingala – Sushumna – Ida

Ida nadi is located on the left side and is said to be associated with the moon, that is, with the feminine aspect of Creation (which is the yin energies). While

Pingala nadi is located on the right side and is associated with the sun, that is, with the masculine aspect of Creation (which is the yang energies). Y

Shushumna nadi is in the middle and is the balance of the other two channels.

At the beginning Kundalini is asleep and coiled in the muladhara (the chakra that is located in the perineum area) and as the person develops, Kundalini rises in an undulating manner through these channels until finally reaching the head.

SITUATION IN WHICH THE ENERGY CHANNELS ARE

In most humans, the energy channels are very dirty and largely obstructed by all the traumas, disorders, imbalances, vices and negativities that humans carry and generate.

And that's also why energy circulates through them at a minimal level, just enough to keep the body running.

Interestingly, the most practical way to clean the energy channels is by circulating the energy more intensely through them.

To give an analogy: imagine that a hose has been sitting in a garden for a long time and with only a small stream of water coming out of it.

The hose inside has become dirty with dirt and leaves that have gotten into it with the wind, and also by bugs that have gotten in, such as spiders that have woven their webs inside and the little flow of water has created a layer of mud.

All of that creates clogging, but if you turn the faucet on more, then the stream of water is going to push all that debris out, cleaning out the hose channel.

And in the same way, something similar happens when you circulate the energy with greater intensity through the nadis. And you can even free yourself from the lightest karma by this method, since Carlos de León says about it:

« The energy channels are very clogged because they are full of "karmic matter" that we could briefly define as the negative energy that we have been generating and absorbing in this and in other lives. Thus, cleaning our nadis greatly helps to cleanse our karma. And in this way we allow more Shakti (divine energy) to circulate powerfully in us, cleansing our body and making it fit to consciously integrate into cosmic reality. »

(Awakening to the Mystery of Energy, p86)

METHODS TO OPEN ENERGY CHANNELS

Taught by Mantak Chia

To begin opening the microcosmic orbit, the Taoist master says:

« The easiest way is to sit down in the morning for a few minutes to meditate. Let your energy automatically complete the flow of energy by letting your mind accompany it on its journey. Start by concentrating on the eyes and follow it mentally, noticing how the energy goes down the front, passing through the tongue, throat, chest, navel and belly, until it reaches the perineum, and then goes up through the sacrum and neck. spine to head.

At first it may seem like nothing is happening, but over time, you will start to feel hot at some points along the way. The key is to relax and pay attention to the flow of energy.

Mastery of the micro-cosmic current also prepares the student to use other more advanced techniques that are

Sexual Kung Fu, Iron Shirt Chi Kung and methods for accumulating vital energy in the body's organs. »

(“Healing Love through the Tao”, chapter 4, section F, excerpts)

Note: these more advanced techniques that Mantak Chia mentions, he published in different books.

Personal experience

I relax better when I'm lying in bed, so I preferred to do a more advanced exercise. Which consists of lying on the right side, with a pillow so that the head is aligned with the spine, the left leg bent and the right hand under the ear, but opening the thumb to let the air pass into the ear and thus allow the balance with the pressure of the left ear.

I relax and breathe about five to ten times focusing my attention on the perineum, and through intention, with each new inhalation, I visualize absorbing the energy and with each exhalation, concentrating that energy on the perineum.

And it is that they must know that there are four ways to direct energy, which are through:

- the will

- the breathing

– display and

– moving the body.

And all of them are used in this exercise.

Then, when I feel that I have already formed a small ball of energy in the perineum, I insert the coccyx and inhale, visualizing that in this way I absorb it and introduce that ball of energy into my spine (and putting the intention into it again) .

Then, with each new inspiration I go up more and more, and for this I help myself with my body stretching my back and my shoulders upwards. When I need to exhale, with visualization and intent I hold the ball where it landed. And so on until it reaches the brain.

Then, to lower it, I do the reverse process: with each exhalation, I push it down. And so I make several laps of that ball of energy through my micro-cosmic orbit, to finally deposit it in the lower Dan Tien.

Avoid doing this exercise lying on your back because when more energy is already being handled, energy pressure is generated in the chest (because in that position, the chest is higher than the belly). And it should not be done lying on the left side either because it produces tension in the heart.

And that's what I need, because with more practice, they can also circulate the sexual energy through the micro-cosmic orbit.

As far as I was concerned, it was relatively easy for me to get the sexual energy up to the brain. Where it did cost me a lot of work, was to descend it later to the lower Dan Tien. So out of laziness, at first I got into the habit of just uploading it, but I don't advise it because I got tremendous headaches. So I took pains to work the part where there was a blockage and that was at the level of the throat. And when I finally uncovered that place, the rest was easy.

Methods taught by Carlos de León

In his Seven Lotuses Chi-Kung course, the opening of the channels is done mainly in the first two lessons. And I highly recommend that if you can, you better practice those two sequences that he gave, since they are much more complete. But since there are few instructors who know and teach the Chi-Kung of the Seven Lotuses, I will give you below a simplified sequence, elaborated from what I have studied.

Practice the following sequence preferably before sunset and best in the morning.

Avoid doing this if you are tired or emotionally upset.

While you are doing the exercises, your nadis open, and it is therefore very important that there are no drafts during this time, because the wind can take away your energy. And also don't let anyone walk behind you, because people can (even unintentionally) suck your Chi and dirty the energy in your kidneys, which can make you weak and sick.

So take off your shoes, wear comfortable clothes, remove any metals in your body, get relaxed and smile (and if you want to put on incense and proper music for it, that's fine) and start doing the exercises I mention in the chapter:

The Chakras Of The Hands 

Only this time, after finishing doing the “hugging the tree” position. Keep your legs and feet in the same position, but bring your arms down to make two large half circles outward with your palms facing outward.

Once they have their arms up, they lower them again to position their hands on the Lower Dan Tien, overlapping one palm on the other.

When they make the circles they inhale deeply to absorb the energy from the outside, and when they have their hands together, they exhale to send that energy to the Dan Tien.

It is repeated three times and the palms are positioned below the navel.

This exercise is called "embracing the universe" and serves to feed you with clean energy, which in the following exercises will be distributed throughout the body.

Then they continue with the exercises to open the chakras of the hands and the chakras of the feet. They then return to the “tree hugging” position.

And then they are going to do the following exercise:

"Nourishing energy to Heaven and Earth"

They put their feet together, close their eyes, and drop their arms to their sides. They then turn their hands palms forward and touch their little fingers.

Then they are going to inhale through the nose, while they raise their arms forming two big half circles and at the same time contract the perineum (this is done by contracting the anus and the genitals) and also the abdomen.

They raise their hands to the top, until their thumbs touch, then they do the reverse movement, but this time exhaling the air through the mouth and expanding the belly and perineum.

They repeat the exercise seven to ten times, and when they have more experience, they visualize a full moon on the left palm and a sun on the right palm.

This exercise serves to bring the energy of the Earth to the perineum, to then go up the back and send it to Heaven. And conversely then take the energy from Heaven to lower it through the front part of the body to the perineum and send it to Earth. Doing with this that the circulation is increased by the micro-cosmic orbit, and personally, I feel a tingling in the palms when exhaling.

Then they do the following exercise:

"The Five Great Breaths"

You return your legs and feet to the "hugging the tree" position, while your arms let them gently hang at your sides.

They are then going to take five deep breaths absorbing and concentrating the energy in the perineum.

Then they are going to do another five deep breaths, but in the following way:

On the first breath visualize that as you inhale, the energy moves up the spine to the head, and then as you exhale, the energy moves down the front of the body to the perineum.

On the second breath visualize that as you inhale, the energy rises from the perineum to the navel and then to the shoulders, and then as you exhale, the energy descends down the outside of the arms to the fingers.

On the third breath visualize that as you inhale, the energy rises through the palms of your hands and the insides of your arms to the shoulders, and then as you exhale, the energy descends to the navel and then to the perineum.

On the fourth breath they visualize that when inhaling, the energy rises through the center of the body to the solar plexus (which is located in the upper part of the abdomen: between the navel and the diaphragm), and then when exhaling, the energy goes down again from the solar plexus to the perineum and from there down the back of the legs to the feet.

On the fifth breath visualize that as you inhale, the energy goes up in front of your legs, to reach the perineum and then the navel, and as you exhale it goes back down to the perineum.

All of this is done with long, deep breaths and putting the intent into the visualizations. And this exercise serves to open the main energy channels and thus prepare the nadis for the progressive awakening of Kundalini.

final massage

To finish, they will give themselves a massage to distribute the Chi throughout the body. And this is very important to do so that Chi will not remain stagnant and some part of the body will become ill.

Then, they rub their hands for about twenty seconds and can take the opportunity to put the palms of their hands on the parts where they have ailments.

Then with their fingers they begin to massage his entire head. They start with the scalp, then the ears (also inside and at the back), the forehead, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the nape of the neck, the neck (massaging each of its vertebrae) and the shoulders .

Then with the right hand, position it on the belly, inhale (this time gently) going up through the navel to the left shoulder, exhale going down the outside of the arm, breathe in again going up the inside of the arm to the armpit and then they raise it to the shoulder, to lower it back to the belly while gently exhaling.

They repeat three times with the left arm and then three times with the right arm.

Circles are then given with the right hand on the chest and belly in a clockwise direction.

Then, with both hands, they massage the upper and lower back, the buttocks, the back of the legs going down to the feet, and then massage the front of the legs going up towards the perineum. A light massage also on the genitals. All this making small circles.

And then finish with a gentle exhalation, running your hands up the backs of your legs to release them when they reach your feet, this in order to let the dirty Chi out there.

They shake the whole body slightly and it is advisable to stay seated for a moment, resting and observing the body. And if you did it correctly, you will feel more and more how the vital energy manifests itself more and more in your body.

Every time you are going to do any of these exercises, it is very important that you stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth, because the tongue is a kind of switch. So when the tongue touches the palate, the circuit is closed and the microcosmic orbit is activated.

In fact, Mantak Chia explains that nature makes the baby, when they are in their mother's womb, and even in the first weeks of birth, naturally keep the tongue touching the palate, thereby causing the energy to circulate better.

SUPPLEMENTARY EXERCISE

Nadisodhana

In pranayama (which is one of the central practices of yoga) a breathing technique is taught that serves to balance the energy channels, as well as to balance the cerebral hemispheres and also helps to purify the Ida and Pingala nadis.

Then, they close the left nostril (with the ring finger and little finger) and inhale through the right nostril.

They then plug the right nostril (with the thumb) and exhale through the left nostril.

They inhale again through the left nostril, and then close the left nostril (with the ring finger and little finger) and exhale through the right nostril.

And so they repeat the breath for a few minutes until they feel that the energy is balanced.

Their vision is placed at the tip of the nose or eight finger widths from the tip of the nose.

Carlos de León points out that if they do this exercise at night, then they have to start by covering the right nostril and inhaling through the right nostril.

It makes me laugh the comment I read on Wikipedia about it, where a person says:

"Possibly in ancient times it was unknown that in the nasal cavity the air mixes, and it is the same if the air enters through the left or right nostril."

Because it shows your ignorance in the hidden aspects of energy management. And it is that although it is true that the air mixes inside the body, you should also ask yourself:

So why did nature build two nostrils?

And the answer is because one of them is connected to the Ida nadi and the other is connected to the Pingala nadi.

The ancient sages had a much deeper understanding of the energetic nature of man than people realize. And the energy in the body is managed with small details that seem bland. Thus, for example, in a Shaolin exercise, an entire energy meridian of the body is activated, simply by slightly bending a finger...!!!

Note: If you want to incorporate the Nadisodhana into the sequence I've given you, it's best to do it right before the final massage.