As taught by Master Mantak
Chia,
Universal Tao Center, Thailand
www.universal-tao.org
In the Taoist tradition, positive and negative emotions are associated
with the internal organs. One of the keys to good health is to become
aware of the emotional energies that reside in the organs, and to transform
the negative emotional energies into positive virtues. Taoists believe
that we are all born with the virtues of love, gentleness, kindness,
respect, honesty, fairness, justice, and righteousness.
Figure 1. The positive virtues.
Unfortunately, as we mature and encounter more stress in our daily lives,
negative emotions such as fear, anger, cruelty, impatience, worry, sadness,
and grief often predominate. The negative emotions have deleterious
effects on the internal organs and glands, draining our life-force and
undermining our health.
Figure 2. The negative emotions are the body's garbage.
In the Tao "emotional intelligence" is a process of recognizing
emotions by their effects on the body, and employing exercises that
transform the negative emotions into positive life force, or Chi. Two
important exercises are the "Inner Smile" and the "Six
Healing Sounds" techniques, as taught by Master Mantak Chia.
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Figure 3.
The negative emotions affect the body's organ systems.
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Taoists learned the relationships
between emotional energies and organ systems over many centuries of
study and meditation. They developed methods to transform negative to
positive emotions from their practical and intuitive understanding of
the human body. Many of the Taoist insights are supported by observations
and evidence from modern psychology and medicine. The "Inner Smile"
and "Six Healing Sounds" exercises focus on five organs or
organ systems: the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, the liver/gall bladder,
and the stomach/spleen.
Table 1. The five major organ systems and their associated emotions
and properties.
· The heart is associated with
the negative emotions of arrogance and hate and the positive virtues
of kindness and love. Recent scientific research shows that feelings
of love and appreciation strongly influence the heart's rhythm and its
relationship to the body's physiological systems (see www.heartmath.org).
· The lungs are associated with
the negative emotions of sadness and depression, and the positive virtues
of courage and righteousness. Emotional depression is often recognized
by a physical depression and collapse of the chest and lungs.
· The kidneys are associated with
the negative emotion of fear and the positive emotions of gentleness
and kindness. Fear is closely related to the activity of the adrenal
glands that lie on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands secret adrenalin
and noradrenalin when stimulated by the body's fight-or-flight response.
· The liver is associated with
the negative emotion of anger and the positive emotions of generosity
and forgiveness. Physiologically, the liver is important for storing
and rapidly releasing glucose into the blood. The energy of anger requires
the rapid availability of metabolic energy stores in the body.
· The stomach/spleen are associated
with the negative emotions of worry and anxiety and the positive emotions
of fairness and openness. Most people will be familiar with the "butterflies"
and "knots" in the stomach related to worry, apparently related
to a network of network of neurons and neurotransmitters in the sheaths
of tissue lining the digestive system, known as the enteric nervous
system (Gershon, 1998).
The Inner Smile and Six Healing Sound
exercises direct our attentions to the body's organs and associated
qualities. We successively visualize each organ, cleansing the organ
and transforming negative emotional energies into positive virtues.
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Figure 4.
The Inner Smile
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In the Taoist tradition,
each person assumes responsibility for the emotions that arise within,
regardless of the external events that trigger the emotions. Taoist
exercises take us into our bodies and transform emotions by transforming
the associated physiological systems. The Inner Smile and Six Healing
Sounds exercises help balance and integrate our sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous systems, promoting health, resilience, and vitality.
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Figure 5.
The Proper sitting posture.
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Inner Smile Practice
Front Line
1. Sit comfortably near the edge of your chair with your feel flat on
the floor. Keep your back straight, but not stiff. Stay relaxed, and
clasp your palms together in your lap. Press your tongue against the
upper palate of your mouth.
2. Close your eyes and become aware of the soles of your feet. Feel
their connection to the Earth.
3. Create a source of smiling
energy up to three feet in front of you. This can be an image of your
own smiling face, or of someone or something you love and respect, or
any memory of a time in which you felt deeply at peace, perhaps feeling
sunshine, being by the ocean, or walking in a forest.
4. Become aware of the midpoint between your eyebrows through which
you will draw this abundant smiling energy in front of and around you.
Let your forehead relax; as the smiling energy accumulates at the mid-eyebrow,
it will eventually overflow into your body.
5. Allow the smiling energy to flow down from the mid-eyebrow through
your face, relaxing the cheeks, nose, mouth, and all the facial muscles.
Let it flow down through your neck. You can roll your head slowly and
gently from side to side as you do this.
6. Let the smiling energy continue to flow down to your thymus gland,
which is located behind the upper part of your sternum, and picture
it glowing with vibrant health. Feel the thymus gland become warm as
it begins to vibrate and expand like a blossoming flower.
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Figure 6.
The Front Line Organs
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7. Let the warm, smiling
energy spread from the thymus gland into the heart. Draw more smiling
energy through the mid-eyebrow, and let it flow like a waterfall down
into the heart. When you smile inwardly to the heart, it will generate
the virtues of joy and happiness. Spend as much time here as you need
to feel the heart relax and expand with loving energy. Try to remember
your best experience of love and fill your heart with that same feeling
again. Love your heart. The heart is associated with the negative emotional
energies of hastiness, arrogance, and cruelty. When you smile into the
heart, these energies will dissipate, creating the space for the virtuous
energies of love and joy to expand.
8. Let the joy and happiness generated
in the heart expand outward to your lungs. Feel the lungs open as the
happy, smiling energy flows into them. The lungs may appear to be pink
and spongy, or they may feel abundantly full. If there is anything you
see or feel in the lungs that is unpleasant to you, get rid of it. You
can clear the lungs of energetic, emotional, and physical pollution
by smiling into them. Feel the air flow from the tip of the nose down
into the lungs, following it all the way out to the tiny air sacs where
oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide. Thank your lungs for breathing
and helping sustain your life.
You should feel your entire chest
cavity filling with smiling, loving energy. The lungs are associated
with the negative emotional energies of sadness and depression and the
virtuous energies of courage and righteousness. When you smile into
the lungs, you will dissolve any sadness or negative feelings, creating
space for courage and righteousness to expand.
Note: Remember you
can go back to the source of smiling energy in front of you-your vision
or memory of a happy moment-to get more energy any time during the meditation,
If you feel your attention wandering, or it you feel the effect of the
Inner Smile becoming weak or diluted, just gather more smiling energy
from the source. The Chinese say," If you want water, you should
go to the well. "
9. Next you will direct the smiling energy to the liver, the largest
internal organ, located just below the right lung. Feel the liver become
immersed in smiling, loving, joyous energy. The liver is associated
with the sense of sight, as it controls the energy of the eyes. Use
your inner vision to see the liver and determine its condition. Its
surface should be smooth and glossy, and it should feel relaxed and
uncongested. You can use your eyes to smooth out any part of its surface
or to relax any area that seems tense. Feel gratitude for the liver's
work in detoxifying the body, helping to store blood, and producing
bile.
The liver is associated with the emotion of anger and the virtue of
kindness. When you smile to the liver, you will dissolve any anger and
allow the kindness energy more space to expand. The Chinese suggest
this also helps strengthen your decision-making power.
10. Let the smiling energy flow from the liver across the abdomen into
the pancreas, located directly beneath the left lung. Thank the pancreas
for making digestive enzymes, producing insulin, and regulating blood
sugar. As you smile into the pancreas, see that it is healthy and functioning
smoothly.
11. Continuing around to the left, smile into the spleen, which is just
next to the left kidney. Don't worry if you don't know exactly where
it is. If you smile in that direction, you will gradually get in touch
with it. If you need to, return to the source of smiling energy in front
of you, and let the smiling energy flow in through the mid-eyebrow and
down to the area of the spleen.
12. As smiling, loving energy builds up in the spleen, let it flow into
the kidneys. Smile down to the kidneys and feel them expand with radiant
energy. You can use your inner vision to inspect the kidneys to be sure
their surface is smooth and glossy and that they are filtering properly
without any congestion. The kidneys are associated with the emotion
of fear. As you smile into them, fear melts away, and the virtue of
gentleness can grow. Keep smiling into the kidneys, and let the smiling
energy build up until they are full.
13. Next, send the smiling energy down into the urinary bladder, urethra,
genitals, and perineum.
Women:
The collection point for female sexua| energy is located about three
inches below the navel, midway between the ovaries. Smile the accumulated
energies into the ovaries, uterus, and vagina. Thank the ovaries for
making hormones and giving you sexua| energy. Bring the combined sexual,
smiling, and virtue energies up to the navel, and visualize the energies
spiraling into that point.
Men: The collection point for male sexua| energy
is located one-and-a-half inches above the base of the penis in the
area of the prostate gland and seminal vesicles. Smile, and visualize
the accumulated energies spiraling down into the prostate gland and
testicles. Thank them for making hormones and giving you sexua| energy.
Bring the combined sexual, smiling, and virtue energies up to the navel,
and spiral them into that point.
14. Return the attention to the source of smiling energy in front of
you. Be aware of the mid-eyebrow point, and allow more smiling energy
to flow in through it like a waterfall pouring down into the organs.
Once again immerse the thymus, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, spleen,
kidneys, urinary bladder (Fig. 3.43), and sex organs in smiling energy.
At this point you should be feeling calm and peaceful.
Middle Line
1. Become aware once more
of the smiling energy in your eyes. Let it flow down to your mouth.
Become aware of your tongue, and make some saliva by working your mouth
and swishing your tongue around. Put the tip of your tongue to the roof
of the mouth, tighten the neck muscles, and swallow the saliva hard
and quickly, making a gulping sound as you do. With your Inner Smile,
follow the saliva down the esophagus to the stomach, located at the
bottom and below the left side of the rib cage. Thank it for its important
work in liquefying and digesting your food. Feel it grow calm and comfortable.
Sometimes we abuse our stomachs with improper food. Make a promise to
your stomach that you will give it good food to digest.
2. Smile into the small
intestine in the middle of the abdomen. It is about seven meters long
in an adult. Thank it for absorbing food nutrients to keep you vital
and healthy.
3. Smile into the large intestine:
the ascending colon, starting at the right side of the hipbone and passing
upward to the undersurface of the right lobe of the liver; the transverse
colon, which passes downward from the right liver region across the
abdomen to the left beneath the lower end of the spleen; the descending
colon, which passes downward through the left side of the lumbar region;
and the sigmoid colon, which normally lies within the pelvis, the rectum
and the anus. The large intestine is about 1.5 meters long. Thank it
for eliminating wastes and for making you feel clean, fresh and open.
Smile to it and feel it be warm, nice, clean, comfortable and calm.
4. Return to your eyes. Quickly
smile down the Middle Line, checking for tension. Smile into the tension
until it melts away.
Back Line
1. Bring your attention
back to your eyes again.
2. Smile inward with both eyes;
collect the power of the smile in the third eye (mid-eyebrow). With
your inner eyesight direct your smile about three to four inches inside
into the pituitary gland, and feel the gland blossom. Smile into the
thalamus, from where the truth and power of the smile will generate.
Smile into the pineal gland and feel this tiny gland gradually swell
and grow like a bulb. Move your smile's eyesight, like a bright, shining
light, up to the left side of the brain. Move the inner smiling eyesight
back and forth in the left brain and across to the right brain and cerebellum.
This will balance the left and right brain and strengthen the nerves.
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Figure 8.
The brain organs
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3. Move the inner smiling
eyesight down to the midbrain. Feel it expand and soften and go down
to the pons and medulla oblongata and to the spinal cord, starting from
the cervical vertebrae at the base of the skull. Move the inner smiling
eyesight, bringing this loving energy down inside each vertebra and
the disc below it. Count out each vertebra and disc as you smile down
them: seven cervical (neck) vertebrae, twelve thoracic (chest), five
lumbar (lower back), the triangular bone called the sacrum, and the
coccyx (tail bone). Feel the spinal cord and the back becoming loose
and comfortable. Feel the discs softening. Feel your spine expanding
and elongating, making you taller.
4. Return to your eyes
and quickly smile down the entire Back Line. Your whole body should
feel relaxed, The Back Line exercise increases the flow of the spinal
fluid and sedates the nervous system. Smiling into a disc keeps it from
hardening and becoming deformed so it cannot properly absorb the force
and weight of the body. Back pain can be prevented or relieved by smiling
into the spine.
The Entire Length of
the Body
Start at the eyes again.
Direct your Inner Smile's eyesight. Quickly smile down the Front Line.
Follow the smiling down the Middle Line and then the Back Line. When
you are more experienced, smile down all three lines simultaneously,
being aware of the organs and the spine. Now, feel the energy descend
down the entire length of your body, like a waterfall-a waterfall of
smiles, joy and love. Feel your whole body being loved and appreciated.
How marvelous it is!
Collecting the Smiling
Energy at the Navel
It's very important to
end by storing the smiling energy in the navel. Most ill effects of
meditation are caused by excess energy in the head or heart. The navel
area can safely handle the increased energy generated by the Inner Smile.
To collect the smile's
energy, concentrate in your navel area, which is about one and a half
inches inside your body. Then mentally move that energy in an outward
spiral around your navel 36 times; don't go above the diaphragm or below
the pubic bone. Women, start the spiral counterclockwise. Men, start
the spiral clockwise. Next, reverse the direction of the spiral and
bring it back into the navel, circling it 24 times. Use your finger
as a guide the first few times. The energy is now safely stored in your
navel, available to you whenever you need it and for whatever part of
your body needs it. You have now completed the Inner Smile.
Six Healing Sounds Practice
Lung Exercise: First
Healing Sound
1. Become aware of your
lungs. Take a deep breath and, letting your eyes follow, raise the arms
up in front of you. When the hands are at eye level, begin to rotate
the palms and bring them up above the head. Keep the elbows rounded.
You should feel a stretch that extends from the heels of the palms,
along the forearms, over the elbows, along the upper arms and into the
shoulders. The lungs and chest will feel open and breathing will be
easier. Draw the corners of the mouth back, exhale, making the sound
"Ssssssss", sub-vocally, slowly and evenly in one breath.
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Figure 11.
The Lung Sound Position.
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2. As you exhale, empty
all feelings of sadness, sorrow and grief from your lungs.
3. When you have exhaled completely
(without straining), rotate the palms down, close the eyes, and breathe
in to the lungs to strengthen them. If you are color oriented, imagine
a pure white light and quality of righteousness entering into your lungs.
Float the arms down by gently lowering the shoulders. Slowly lower them
to your lap so that they rest there, palms up.
4. Close the eyes, breathe normally,
smile down to the lungs, be aware of the lungs, and imagine that you
are still making the sound. Pay attention to any sensations you may
feel. Try to feel the exchange of cool, fresh energy replacing hot,
dark waste energy.
5. Repeat the sequence 3 to 6
times. For colds, flu, mucous, toothaches, smoking, asthma, emphysema,
or depression, or for detoxifying the lungs, you can repeat the sound
9, 12, 18, 24, or 36 times.
6. The Lung Sound can help eliminate
nervousness when in front of a crowd. D the Lung Sound sub-vocally without
the hand movements several times when you feel nervous. This will help
you to calm down. The Heart Sound and the Inner Smile will help also
if the Lung Sound is not enough to calm you down.
Kidney Exercise:
Second Healing Sound
1. Become aware of the
kidneys. Place the legs together, ankles and knees touching. Take a
deep breath as you bend forward, and clasp one hand in the other; hook
the hands around the knees and pull back on the arms. With the arms
straight, feel the pull at the back where the kidneys are; look up,
and tilt the head back without straining.
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Figure 12.
The Kidney Sound Position
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2. Round the lips and silently
make the sound one makes in blowing out a candle. At the same time,
press the middle abdomen, between the sternum and navel, toward the
spine. Imagine any feelings of fear being squeezed out from the membrane
around the kidneys.
3. When you have exhaled completely,
sit up and slowly breathe in to the kidneys, imagining a bright blue
energy as the quality of gentleness enters the kidneys. Separate the
legs to a hip's width and rest the hands, palms up, on the thighs.
4. Close the eyes and breathe
normally. Smile to the kidneys, as you imagine that you are still making
the sound. Pay attention to sensations. Be aware of the exchange of
energy around the kidneys, and hands, head and legs.
5. Repeat 3 to 6 times. For back
pain, fatigue, dizziness, ringing in the ears, or detoxifying the kidneys,
repeat 9 to 36 times.
Liver Exercise:
Third Healing Sound
1. Become aware of the
liver, and feel the connection between the eyes and the liver. Place
your arms at your sides, palms out. Take a deep breath as you slowly
swing the arms up and over the head. Follow with the eyes.
2. Exhale with the sound,
"Shhhhhhh", sub-vocally. Envision and feel that a sac
encloses the liver and is compressing and expelling the excess heat
and feelings of anger.
3. When you have exhaled completely,
unlock the fingers, and pressing out with the heels of the palms, breathe
into the liver slowly; imagine a bright green color quality of kindness
entering the liver. Gently bring the arms back to the side by lowering
the shoulders. Place your hands on your lap, palms up, and rest.
4. Close the eyes, breathe normally,
smile down to the liver and imagine you're still making the sound. Be
aware of sensations. Sense the energy exchange.
5. Do this 3 to 6 times. For anger,
red and watery eyes, or a sour or bitter taste, and for detoxifying
the liver, repeat 9 to 36 times. A Taoist axiom about controlling anger
says: If you've done the Liver Sound 30 times and you are still angry
at someone, you have the right to slap that person.
Heart Exercise:
Fourth Healing Sound
1. Become aware of the
heart and feel the tongue connected with the heart. Take a deep breath
and assume the same position as for the Liver Sound, but lean slightly
to the right.
2. Open the mouth somewhat,
round the lips and exhale on the sound "Hawwwwwww", sub-vocally,
as you picture the pericardium releasing heat, and the feelings of impatience,
arrogance and hastiness.
3. For the rest cycle, repeat
the procedure for the Liver Sound, but focus attention on your heart
and imagine a bright red color and the qualities of joy, honor, sincerity
and creativity entering the heart.
4. Repeat 3 to 6 times. For a
sore throat, cold sores, swollen gums or tongue, heart disease, heart
pains, jumpiness, moodiness, and for detoxifying the heart, repeat 9
to 36 times.
Spleen Exercise:
Fifth Healing Sound
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Figure 15.
The Spleen Sound Position
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1. Become aware of the
spleen; feel the mouth and the spleen connect. Take a deep breath as
you place your hands with the index fingers resting at the bottom and
slightly to the left of the sternum. Press in with the fingers as you
push out with the middle back..
2. Exhale with the sound "Whoooooo",
made sub-vocally and felt in the vocal chords. Expel the excess heat,
wetness and dampness, and the emotions of worry, sympathy and pity.
3. Breathe into the spleen, pancreas,
and stomach, or imagine a bright yellow light, and the qualities of
fairness, compassion, centering, and music making entering them.
4. Lower the hands slowly to your
lap, palms up. Close the eyes, breathe normally and imagine you are
still making the sound. Be aware of sensations and the exchange of energy.
5. Repeat 3 to 6 times. Repeat
9 to 36 times for indigestion, nausea and diarrhea, and for detoxifying
the spleen. This sound, done in conjunction with the others, is more
effective and healthier than using antacids. It is the only sound that
can be done immediately after eating.
Triple Warmer Exercise
: Sixth Healing Sound
The Triple Warmer refers
to the three energy centers of the body. The upper level, which consists
of the brain, heart, and lungs, is hot. The middle section consisting
of the liver, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, and spleen, is warm. The lower
level containing the large and small intestines, the bladder, and the
sexual organs, is cool. The Triple Warmer Sound balances the temperature
of the three levels by bringing hot energy down to the lower center
and cold energy up to the upper center, through the digestive tract.
This induces a deep, relaxing sleep. A number of students have been
able to break a long-standing dependence on sleeping pills by practicing
this sound. It's also very effective for relieving stress.
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Figure 16.
The Triple Warmer Sound position.
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1. Lie down on your back.
Elevate the knees with a pillow if you feel any pain in the small of
the back or lumbar area.
2. Close the eyes and take a deep
breath, expanding the stomach and chest without strain.
3. Exhale with the sound "Heeeeeee", made sub-vocally, as
you picture and feel a large roller pressing out your breath, beginning
at the top of the chest and ending at the lower abdomen. Imagine the
chest and abdomen are as flat as a sheet of paper, and feel light, bright,
and empty. Rest by breathing normally.
4. Repeat 3 to 6 times, or more, if you are still wide awake. The Triple
Warmer Sound also can be used to relax, without falling asleep, by lying
on your side or sitting in a chair.
References:
Chia, Mantak, 1986. Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality: The
Inner Smile, Six Healing Sounds, Huntington, NY: Healing Tao Books.
Chia, Mantak, and Maneewan Chia,
1993, Awaken Healing Light of the Tao, Huntington, NY: Healing Tao Books.
Gershon, Michael D. 1998. The
Second Brain: The Scientific Basis of Gut Instinct and a Groundbreaking
New Understanding: of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine.
HarperCollins.
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