Anyone working with the 3 tan tiens?

[Anonymous]

Is anyone on the forum working with the lower, middle, and upper tan tiens in their Bagua practice?

[Anonymous]

Hi James,
I’ve been using a book (250 pages) by Tom Bisio
(Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong; The Meridian Opening Palms of Ba Gua Zhang).
He includes a section with energy postures (most are similar to those in Bruce’s Course books). Bisio describes how postures relate to specific meridians and channels.

I’m assuming that the lower, middle and upper tan tiens are centered in the lower, middle and upper Jiaos, (triple burners) respectively.
(They’re not exactly the same.) Bruce, as well, in his book “Opening the Energy Gates” groups together the 3 tan tiens and 3 burners in Chapter 11 to teach the Three Swings.

Bisio’s “Spear Upholding Palm” is similar to Bruce’s “Fanning Out from the Spine” (Module 4, page 47, Posture 10):
Bisio classifies this as generally supporting the “Triple Heater System,” in addition to opening SI, B, HT & K meridians specifically.

Bisio’s “Yin Yang Fish Palm” is similar to Bruce’s “Spreading Front and Back” Posture 12. Bisio says this supports the Lower Burner, as well as the Dai Mai, Bao Mai, Ren Mai, Du Mai & Chong Mai.

“Ball Rolling Palm” is similar to Posture 9: “Lion Holding Ball.” This opens, stimulates & strengthens the “Triple Heater Meridian.”
(Daoyin Yin Bagua separates posture “Lion Holds the Ball” into that and “Lion Opens Mouth.” “Holds” moves Qi to the extremities, “Opens” moves blood to the extremities.

I’m reminded that acupuncture did not historically recognize the “Triple Burners,” the concept is more recent.

I don’t know if any of this is what you’re interested in.

I just had to think about it.

Bob
Post Falls, Idaho

[Anonymous]

Yes, for several years – but without overt guidance I am moving slowly and feeling my way forward while testing and establishing a functional foundation that works for me. It seems to me that this work is at the core of the whole methodology. Also that there are 2 other tan tiens (at least that is how I conceive of them, although perhaps they could be considered more as end-points, about 2 -3 feet above the head and below the feet) that are as integral as the 3 you mention, but that I’ve not ever heard anything detailed said about in this tradition. Fun stuff.

I’d be interested in your observations.
Peter

[Anonymous]

The three burners are a bit different location wise than where the dantians are the middle and upper dantians are both in the upper burner and the lower dantian is in the lower burner

[Anonymous]

I’ve followed one guiding principle ever since I met and began studying with Bruce: I don’t mix energetic systems. I’ve studied pieces of other martial art systems over the years (nothing in depth), but I’ve never practiced any of the energy work from any other system. Bruce advised against it. I think he wrote a more complete explanation in the Energy Gates book.

That said, I’ve been trying to learn all of the 16 part neigung. 14 and 15 are about the lower, middle, and upper tan tiens. We’ve all been taught a fair amount about the lower tan tien but little about either the middle or the upper tan tiens. I’ve attended two seminars where Bruce started teaching about the 30 gates in the upper tan tien. In both cases he stopped and moved onto other topics. I’m hoping he taught the senior students some of this material at this year’s Gods seminar.

I recently began opening the upper tan tien in a very particular way. It happened spontaneously and I believe it opens what Bruce calls the psychic energy. No, you don’t start bending spoons or talking to dead people. I simply think it opens a deeper level of relaxation. I use the upper tan tien to teach the lower tan tien how to access this layer and then I use the lower and upper together to start opening the middle tan tien. Bruce has described this as the progression in the past, but never given details on how to actually do it.

This may sound complicated but it isn’t. This is exactly how you learn something in one part of the body and teach all parts to do the same thing. For example, I used the same technique with lengthening, opening the joints, etc..

On the BMP Wind Palm DVDs Bruce mentions one specific way to open the three tan tiens: by putting pressure on the bubbling well point. Basically this shoots energy up the central channel (I prefer centerline or centerline channel). At this point Bruce mentions the relationship of the bubbling well to bai hui and he also says that the upper tan tien is really the whole brain. So, this is consistent with my approach to opening the upper tan tien.

As far as the foot is concerned, I also use the heel to control the downward flow and the middle point for balancing both. I generally emphasize the bubbling well point to perform an upward movement of energy and use both the bubbling well and heal simultaneously to create double palm change energy movement. The latter technique was mentioned on the Double Palm change DVDs.

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