Healing. Seeds. Hope: general #401

My focus in practicing and teaching Wing Chun (詠春拳 Yongchun Quan), the Shaolin tendon method (少林易筋經 Shaolin Yijin Jing), the Yin Yang and Five Elements methods (陰陽五行功 Yinyang Wuxing Gong) as well as the Daoyin method (導引功 Daoyin Gong) clearly is on the internal aspects of all of these practices.
Such an internal approach to movement traditions based on Daoist philosophy cannot only enrich a movement practice, but it can also support paths for much deeper transformation processes. With the text photo pieces here on this blog I want to offer additional inspiration and more creative ways to reflect on Daoist philosophy.
Healing. Seeds. Hope: general #401
Every act. Interconnectedness: general #399
Confluences intersections: general #398
Moving: general #396
Collective transformations: general #395
Water tranquility empathy: general #394
No rigid stops. Tranquility: general #393
Slowdowns: general #392
Transitions: general #391
Layers: general #390
Invitations: general #389
Cultures: general #388
Time: general #387
Shifting: general #386
Longing: general #385
Beyond here: general #384
One branch: general #383
Complementarity: general #382
(self-)care: general #381
P. S.: See also my blog post on the deeper meaning of the Yangsheng practices – „Yangsheng – nourishing life 養生“: https://tao-moves.com/2020/12/05/yangsheng-nourishing-life-%e9%a4%8a%e7%94%9f/
Fabric: general #380
Anchors: general #379
Unfolding: general #378
Fabric: general #377
A playing field: general #376
Listening: general #375
Synchronicity: general #374
Modesty: general #373
Letting go: general #372
Dissolving: general #371
Integration of the “I”: general #370
水善利萬物 – 沒有專制 – No „master“-„mind“: general #369
自然無為: There is no „master“-„mind“ behind it.
Disintegrating autocracy and hubris: general #368
Deep inside: general #367
Up and down – perspectives: general #364
Looking left and right: general #363
The meaning of the opening hand is so much deeper – 攤手 Tan Sau: general #362
Connecting the hollow spaces: general #361
A translation as points is not helpful for your daily practice. These so-called points are not points. The Chinese character 穴 xue refers to a cave, a cavity, the character 位 wei means position. We are therefore rather dealing with the positions of more prominent (energetic) spaces. They are energetic junctures. We foster their pulsating for healthy constellations within larger constellations in the web of life. The way we visualize (patterns and structures) has consequences for our practices.
Freedom of the we: general #358
Follow your path: general #357
The importance of small steps: general #356
Focus on flows and interaction: general #355
We the environment: general #354
Working with 無 emptiness
In the external movement traditions, you work with muscle buildup. In the internal movement traditions following the philosophy of the Daodejing, you work with all of the empty spaces within your body, connecting them with everything around and within yourself.
moreWithin: general #353
Inspiration from within – the natural environment: general #352
iWe schools: general #351
One, again: general #350
One: general #349
On the other side of the valley: general #347
Crossing and supporting paths: general #346
Daoist movement practices deal with muscle strength and muscle training indirectly. The one-sided focus on one part leads to imbalances that then in turn call for adjustments. The focus is on connecting with the encompassing forces. This way, much wider forces are flowing through the individual. One’s own practice is also about linking past, present, and future.
No center and no central control
When you look at the way the 道德經 Daodejing approaches the concept of 天地人 “the universe, the earth, human beings” as I discuss it in my last blog post, it is obvious that in a world consisting of endless networks a focus on a center and central control creates unnecessary imbalances, risks, and problems. For a movement practice based on the philosophy of the 道德經 Daodejing, this means that instead you have a diversified practice with a wide range of inputs that are guiding the processes. An energy hub like the 下丹田 lower Dantian for instance, is therefore just one energy hub among many, many others. When you initiate a movement, the focus is on connecting, not on where the movement starts. There also is no centralized process.
moreThe universe, the earth, human beings
Most of the time 天地人 is simply literally translated as heaven, earth, man. The way I perceive Daoist philosophy, I now personally prefer to translate the concept as the universe, the earth, human beings. In the context of the philosophy of the Daodejing, 天 tian, heaven refers to the world of the stars, the universe, the larger unit that 地 di, the “earth” is just a part of. In this concept we human beings are not at the center of the universe. We are simply looking at the earth and the universe from, and “for” our human perspective. Human beings like other beings and things are part of life on earth. The earth is just one other piece of this immense world you can easily observe when looking at a starry night sky. This, and of course many other concepts, link the thought of the Daodejing to indigenous world views. I also mention this in one of my prior blog posts and recommend the reading of or listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants for a better understanding of the thought of the Daodejing in this respect.
moreHard and soft: general #340
Another path forward: general #339
Opening up: general #338
Downside up: general #336
Points of reference: general # 333
A path forward: general #332
It’s there: general #331
Surfacing: general #330
My teacher the water: general #329
Columns of moving water and light: general #328
The universe earth humans: general #327
Shepherding: general #326