The Silly Magic of Asian Martial Arts versus Reality

 

Thoughts on Dantian

 

Ultimately, the human body is derived from a worm-like animal, far back in evolutionary history, and as such we are physically based upon a cylindrical shape.  The best place to control a cylinder is from the middle area of the cylinder … and that is where the discussion about "moving from the dantian" starts, because our anatomy still reflects its cylindrical origins.

 

The cylindrical worm first evolved a notochord, which later became a vertebral column and gradually limbs were added.  But the basic cylindrical worm-body was still the original pattern and the connective tissues and muscles were additions in support of the original basic cylinder.

 

When we control our arms and legs with our skeleton and muscles, tendons, etc., we tend to neglect the supplements to our strength that can be derived from the involuntary-muscle systems and the fascia to which they're attached.  In the qi-paradigm the supplements of the involuntary-muscle systems and the subconscious mind with controls them are included in the equations of movement:  those involuntary-muscle systems and fascia are still most easily controlled by the center of the worm-body.

 

Adding the pulls of the involuntary-muscle systems and fascia to the movement equation requires that the central pulling area, the dantian area, be trained and developed to pull these connecting tissues in coordination with the voluntary muscle system.

 

A person has to engage the involuntary-muscle/fascia systems into their movement, so movement has to be re-patterned and conditioned/strengthened to allow for the dantian-centered control of movement, rather than the upper torso movement of arms, shoulders, and so on. 

 

A further refinement of the dantian-centered movement is to engage forces from the solidity of the ground and the down-pull of gravity:  it's helpful to coordinate both dantian-centered movement and those two forces of gravity at the same time, so that less time is spent re-patterning the body's movement from the basic normal movement we learn as children.

 

It doesn’t take too many months before a person begins to feel the addition of a superficial layering of tissues, almost like a leotard-like "suit", beginning to coordinate with the voluntary strengths of the body.  This "suit" of strength-additive tissues can most easily be felt during an inhaled breath in which the lower abdomen is also pulled slightly inward, the perineum is pulled slightly upward, and the mouth is closed with the tip of the tongue resting on the upper palate behind the front teeth.  At full inhale, a person can generally feel the tissues pulling slightly, all the way out to the fingertips, across the chest, and so on. 

The more months and years someone practices, the more they can condition and feel this layering of tissues that responds to breath and pressure.  With practice, control increases to the point that small maneuvers like closing the hand can be done with the supplementation of the tissues pulled from the dantian.

 

With all of the body's activity and movements being supplemented by tissue pulls from the abdomen, the abdominal area near and below the dantian becomes strong and articulate; the tissues of the back, around the quadratus-lumborum/kidney area and lower spine area also become strengthened.

 

Within Chinese martial arts and qigongs there are several related perspectives about this whole-body connection of tissues (like a "suit").  One of the Shaolin perspectives is that the breath-controlled tissues originate from the anus area and differentiate with tissues going to the front of the body/torso, to the sides, and to the back of the body.  Some other perspectives treat the general tissues/suit as a covering that responds to the directions of force that propagated along the various muscle-tendon (sinew) channels.  Regardless, the idea is that these breath-related, contractable pathways of the 'suit', which is the functional part of the qi-system, can be controlled in ways that supplement our normal strength.

 

Here's an example of an illustration (from Mantak Chia in Iron Shirt Chi Kung I) referencing the anus' role is the qi tissues:

 

Probably the oldest known qigong with which to strengthen the overall body suit/breath-tissues is a qigong in which a small weight (gradually increasing, over time) is hung from the genital area of a male or female.  First an inhaled breath (while pulling in the abdomen and lifting the perineum) is used to contract the body-wide tissues (the "internal strength", some will say) and the contraction is deliberately/willfully held to offset the pull of the small weight.  Normal breathing resumes while holding that contraction of the breath-tissues.  Gradually stressing the tissues over a long period of practice times will increase the "internal strength" of the breath-tissues/qi.   Remember that the general focus of these tissues is in and around the dantian area.

 

 

Adding Etheric Qi to the Functional Qi in the traditional Qi Paradigm

 

The qi hypothesis was formulated thousands of years ago and built upon over the centuries.  In order to explain the mechanisms of oxygen, food energy, hereditary strength, and so on, the idea of an invisible etheric aspect of qi was postulated.   The addition of an invisible aspect of qi contributing to the body's strength worked well with the idea that the earth's gravity effects (the "Qi of the Earth) came invisibly in through the bottom of the feet and contributed the earth's qi to Man's strength.   

 

The invisible qi from the "Heavens" came in from the surrounding environment along with an inhale of air, pulling the functional qi tissues (discussed earlier) inward toward the dantian or anus, etc., as it is lifted with an inhaled reverse breath.

 

In the above sense, the putative invisible aspects of qi from Heaven and Earth accompany the workings of the functional qi tissues and the invisible qi of the dantian and channels that are controlled by the dantian area.

 

Bearing all of that in mind, below are some comments from Chen Xiaowang about how the dantian works.  His answers to a westerner's questions comport with the qi-paradigm, so it is an interesting read.

 

Q: How do you use the dantian in applying force?
CXW: The dantian is the energy center of the body and requires coordination of the entire body. The force generated originates from the dantian and coordinates with the rest of the body, gaining force.

Q: What are the mechanics of applying dantian force?
CXW: Spiral force coordinated through the movement of the body. When the dantian turns, the body turns and pushes the hands. The dantian area is like the center of a circle.

Q: How are the back and legs coordinated with the dantian?
CXW: When the dantian begins moving, you connect the muscles of the legs and back to follow the dantian. Every part moves together, all connected. The hand does not move by itself, the dantian pushes the hand. It’s a three dimensional movement, using the whole body. The dantian, hip, knee, leg all coordinate, initiating in the spiraling through the body.

Q: Does the dantian have force?
CXW: A small amount. The small force pushes the rest of the body (muscle and bone).

Q: What is the connection between qi and the dantian?
CXW: Qi by itself is weak, soft. The dantian “communicates” to the muscle and bone. The dantian is the storage of all the qi. The jingluo directs the qi through the body. When qi is generated, it is communicated (wired like a bomb) through the body. It is very important to understand the relationship of dantian to qi, qi and muscle, and muscle and bone. The main communication is between the dantian and muscle — this is the essence of Chen Taijiquan.

Q: There is a lot of emphasis on the dantian rotation in the Chen Style, correct?
CXW: Yes, in terms of connection to the whole body and the dantian leading the movement. Also, when empty, the qi goes from the dantian out to the hand it is yang. When it returns to the dantian, it is yin.