Dan Tien? What is it?

[Nilo]

I don't like to rely on heresay or books, I learn from experience, I just don't feel the Dan Tien. I feel the energy centers, red/root, orange/sacral, yellow/solar plexus, green/heart, pink/collar bone, blue/throat, indigo/slightly above and between eyes, purple/crown.

 

So what is this Dan Tien?

Edited November 16, 2009 by Nilo

[effilang]

I don't like to rely on heresay or books, I learn from experience, I just don't feel the Dan Tien. I feel the energy centers, red/root, orange/sacral, yellow/solar plexus, green/heart, pink/collar bone, blue/throat, indigo/slightly above and between eyes, purple/crown.

 

So what is this Dan Tien?

 

http://www.thetaobums.com/Confusion-about-...ian-t12377.html

[gendao]

http://www.thetaobums.com/Confusion-about-...ian-t12377.html

From my vague theoretical understanding at this point:

 

丹 "dan" is a red-colored essence/elixir.

田 "tian" is field.

 

The "Neijing Tu" depicts this area as a farmer plowing a field. Which IMO, represents how the dan must be planted and cultivated like a seed with a lot of toiling effort.

 

So until you cultivate this dan, your field is essentially empty - with little or no accumulated dan. Which, I'm guessing is why most of us don't feel anything there (as opposed to chakras).

 

This is why a lot of Taoist masters say that you aren't born with a dantian - but it must be "created." Well, I think technically the dantian field is already there...but the dan itself must be "created." This is essentially the first major step in Taoist alchemy (Neidan).

Edited November 16, 2009 by vortex

[Creation]

Whether or not you have a "dan", you have a lower field or xia tien. I have heard of a few descriptions of this point.

 

1. It is the center of the body's energetic system. What is meant by center? Something like the central control point.

2. It is the point where all the body's channels intersect. This can't be literally true, so I think it means something like central control point above.

3. It is like an energetic lung: it is where the body's energetic breathing (embryonic breathing) takes place. [EDIT: note that all of the body breathes, but the lungs are sort of "powering" the process. The xia tien is then the point that "power's" the body's energetic breathing, even though all the energetic body is breathing as well.]

4. It is the body's center of gravity. Now, this is not in terms of energetic anatomy but physical. These point might be related, but I'm not sure they are literally the same, just close.

4. It is the point where the body grew from, in the sense that it is where the fetus connected to the mother. This is at the navel, and is related to 3. because of embryonic breathing, where the fetus breathes chi directly. But once again, the navel itself is not the dan tien, just close to it.

 

But you said you didn't want hearsay! OK, here's my experience. I often feel heat in the lower abdominal region when I meditate, but that is a general area. But one time, I woke up very early, meditated, and went back to sleep. I went in to a sleep paralysis where I couldn't move my body except my eyes and breath but my mind was completely awake. This had happened to me before, except this time I felt my energy body VERY strongly. Whenever I would inhale, energy would rush in from from all over my body toward a very exact location in my lower abdomen, and when it was full, it would start to rush out from this point towards my extremities, and I would exhale. I found that by synchronizing my physical breath with this tendency of energy to flow in and out of my xia tien (I say tendency because the flow would follow my physical breath, even if it didn't "want" to) the sensation became stronger and stronger.

 

So I would say that 1. and 3. above are the best way of looking at the xia tien.

Edited November 17, 2009 by Creation

[Aetherous]

If you want practical understanding, just keep putting your energy into approximately where the dan tien should be. Simple.

[steve]

If you want practical understanding, just keep putting your energy into approximately where the dan tien should be. Simple.

Exactly - try standing quietly with your arms relaxed.

Breath naturally and put your tongue behind the front teeth at the roof of your mouth.

When some saliva collects, swallow it, and slowly follow the sensation of that flowing down your esophagus, into your upper abdomen then into the lower abdomen. Guide that awareness to the dan tian area and keep your attention there for a few moments.

I feel my dan tian is centered ~3 inches below the navel and ~ 1.5 inches inside (it's a little different for everyone).

It is something that will gradually become more and more obvious with practice.

I agree that you need to practice and learn from experience rather than learn from heresay or books.

Try to find a teacher - that would make all the difference.

Edited November 17, 2009 by steve f