Shaolin Nei Gong – Year Three
The Third Year
After completing the second year, your body is in the process of becoming more interconnected on a cellular level. This is what is meant by building and purifying your Jing. After two years, most of your cells and connective tissues are renewed, not only as tissue, but as tissue systems with upgraded capacity, interconnectedness, and density of tissue resources.
As well, your Liver’s Jing/Essence is expression as Jin, or as elastic/contractile tissues, fibers, and even microfilaments or micro meridians (Sūn Luò) – which are understood to be net-like minute collaterals. These microfilaments may be thought of as the ‘finest matter’ expression of your Jin with respect to Yi Jin Jing practice, and with respect to the physical aspect of your Meridian System.
A scientific perspective, although theoretical, is that a high level of Yi Jin Jing practice, over at least two years, increases two microfilament cellular receptor and connective structures called Integrins and Cadherins. Cadherins help connect cells together on their external surfaces while Integrins connect your cell membranes to your intracellular matrix of organelles. Integrins support cellular communication through biomechanical and biochemical means, and have a unique capacity that allows Mitochondria to travel along the Integrins from inside of your cells outward to the surface, where they can share information through Biophotons or Light.
From a TCM perspective, Integrins and Cadherins would be called (Còu Lǐ), which includes all of the spaces, pores, and interstices between your skin, muscles, and organs where Qì and fluids (Jīn Yè) circulate. This includes the sponge like mediastinum and interstitium membranes that full the function of the Triple Heater (San Jiao) organ.
Using the physical potential of maximizing Integrins inside and outside of trillions of your cells, and the subsequent supporting tissues would be an example of your Kidney Yin and Jing being ‘full to filling and almost overflowing.’ As well, having all of your meridians, tissues, and organs interconnected through highly refined fluid/gel increases Qi flow and storage profoundly.
Also, given their capacity for Cellular Communication, Integrins are also a profound resource, or a limiting factor in the conduction and flow of Qi. If you have healthy Jing and Jin, your Qi will feel bright, adaptive, and always available.
You do not need a scientific or biomechanical understanding for a successful practice. However, understanding the details can be helpful for modern practitioners to imagine and explore these practices with confidence.
Your Mind and Body Meet in Sensation
“The most important experiences in Life are felt.”
For thousands of years, the only ‘science’ was sensation and meaning…
It is through your felt sense experience, or through your innate sense apparatus, that all aspects of foundational Nei Gong practices are cultivated. Your sensations, feelings, emotions, states, and the sentimental aspects of your individual story, are the guideposts to how all of us navigate our lives and Spiritual journeys.
An aspect of fascia that is not commonly talked about is its ability to feel. As described above, your fascia has more sense nerves than your skin. This is one reason an embodied practice has such profound influence and benefit in people’s lives. It is also true that many of your sentiments, past traumas, present intuitions, emotions, and meditative qualities of coherence and stillness are felt through your Somatic Embodied Awareness.
On the Yi Jin Jing journey, like in most spiritual traditions, the ultimate destination is the reunion of your Heart with your Spirit, and your Spirit with Dao, or God, or some unknowable Quantum aspect of reality.
Your Jing, your Precursor Gel (Ye), Embodied Cultivation (Qi), and Yi Nian (coherence of attention) or Spirit, are now ready to transform regularly cultivated Jing and Jin into Spiritually refined, illuminated, or radiant expression of Mind/Body harmony.
Said another way, your Gel Body becomes a Light Body.
That can sound a bit woowooo…
Indigenous traditions, including early Daoist practices and Traditional Chinese medicine, see the world in a contextual or non-literal way. For example, in TCM your Heart relates to the Element/Phase of Fire. Fire (Huo 火) can be a life saver in its warmth, or life-threatening as an out-of-control wildfire. Fire consumes fuel (or Jing) as fast or as slow as you experience or try to manifest more Fire. This is why focusing on increasing and refining Water/Jing is the first alchemic process.
Those are symbolic associations that help us understand the World and our experience during practice.
Another way to relate to your Heart and the dangerous context of Fire, is to shift the definition of Fire to Light. There is Natural Light, Bio-Luminescent Light, Bio-Photonic Light, Piezoelectric Light, Spiritual Light, and even Alchemic Light. Most of those forms of Light can be measured and are understood to be natural aspects of cellular function and even Collagen’s unique ways of storing and releasing energy.
Spiritual Light, and even Alchemic Light are experiences we aspire to maintain as they come and go. These experiences are the transformation, not something that we can put in a bottle.
The context, the old story, and the understanding is simple. Build and Refine Jing.
Transformation is a never-ending process and possibility, so guide it well.
None of this is about ‘magic’. Spiritual Radiance is recognizable in the Awakened.
That is just the beginning!
Guidance for the Third Year
In the third year, the most important aspect is designing a long-term practice that supports your Yi Jin Jing journey. An experienced teacher is absolutely necessary to help you balance your needs, age, long term goals, and preferred outcomes.
In year one, you began training the body to train the mind. In year two, you cultivated an External Elixir, a coherent Shen/Spirit, and the Kidney Qi to secure and guard your Jing capacity. In year three, you can cultivate Heart to reconnect with Dao
- 12 Gestures of Wei Tuo - (Eight Pass – Tian Shan - Melting Body into Stillness)
- Tan Fu's External Vigor - (Jing/Gel Body and Light Body Conversion and Inversion)
- Daoist Heavy Hands - (Metal to Air, Water and Soil, True Soil)
- Five Animal Frolics - Old and New
- Yang Sheng Fa– 10 Week Cleansing, Rejuvenation, and Longevity course
- The Willow Dance (Becoming your Meridians)
- The Way of Spiritual Luminosity - Shen Ming Zhi Dao (Spiritual Teaching and Practices)
- Microcosmic Orbit – Xiao Zhou Tian and The Waterwheel
- Stone Locks- Phase Three – Tabata Style
- Gymitations Three – Staggered Negatives
- Silk Reeling and Circle Walking Qi Gong
- Chen Tuan and Sleeping Qi Gong
- Lu Dong Bin and the Sleeping Dragon Method
After completing three years, practitioners typically maintain a shorter and less demanding daily practice until reaching ten years of consistent work. The Inner Cultivation process gradually turns inward, into the Animist Reunion called True Soil.