A caveat perhaps: my first book is called Do-In, tao yoga for health and energy for a reason. Health and energy are of course very good prospects and a good reason to do Do-In, in addition to the fact that it is of course a very pleasant and accessible form of exercise. But the original intention of Do-In extends even further. I will go into this in this article.
If you are not yet familiar with Do-In, here is a short introduction. Do-In can be translated as "promoting circulation by stretching and moving the limbs". This also includes meditative exercises and exercises that teach you to breathe properly. The aim of the movement form is to balance the meridians - channels that transport the life energy. This ensures that all organs and other tissues are well nourished, not only with the invisible life force energy but also with nutrients. Balance in the energy flow thus results in physical balance. This in itself can be a good reason to practice Do-In.
The energetic view of the body is that everything is one. To put it simply, balance in the body also ensures balance on a mental and emotional level. This is also a piece of cake in the western sports world, where the phrase "mens sana in corpore sano" or "a healthy mind in a healthy body" by the Roman poet Juvenalis is widely used. Do-In is therefore intended as a form of exercise to make or keep the body and mind as healthy as possible. Reason enough to do Do-In, but even more is possible.
Three tan-den If you delve into the teachings of Taoist arts of movement such as Do-In, sooner or later you will come across three vital energy centres: the tan-den (Japanese) or dantien (Chinese); we have lower (also known as hara-tan-den), middle and upper tan-den (I made an illustration of it, I put it below this article). The lower tan-den is mainly connected with our physical being and our essence jing, it is the reason why we always focus on the hara when practising Do-In. The middle tan-den is connected with the emotional being and ki and the upper with the spiritual being and our consciousness shen. All three tan-den and the so-called three treasures jing, ki and shen, are active in our lives, for example, we can enter into relationships, or have spiritual thoughts, but that does not mean that they are completely balanced or filled. That's where Do-In + related lifestyle comes in.
Filling the tan-den, how does that work? You can see the tan-den and the energy stored through it (vital life force essence, jing) as a kind of savings account. Every day you absorb life force energy, especially through your diet and breathing. If you are quite balanced, it takes less life force energy to nourish your body and there is some left at the end of the day. This ends up in the lower tan-den. If you have good days like this for about a year, you will notice that you will approach life differently. You experience more peace, firmness, and confidence. A Taoist will say: your lower tan-den is starting to get quite full. When the lower tan-den fills with life force energy, you will begin to feel that there is "enough" for you. You no longer feel the need to compare yourself. For example, it is no longer important how big the car is or the income (you can enter every material possession here) of your friends and whether you live in a large or small house. Since many people consciously or unconsciously compare a lot and feel that they are lacking, we can conclude that most people have quite empty lower tan-den. Fortunately, we can fill it by helping ourselves move toward balance. This is what Do-In was originally intended for. The oldest known and still very influential book on Eastern medicine, the Neijing Suwen, promotes Do-In in the first chapter as a health-promoting way to balance yourself with the universe and to practice the Tao. This gives a deep sense of peace and confidence.
Suppose the lower tan-den is filled, then what happens next? I'll go into this briefly. After all, for most readers, filling the lower tan-den is a big and beautiful first part of the journey to it. Like a bath overflowing, the life force energy will rise above the lower teeth. This then flows onto the middle tan-den. When this is finally filled, you will experience complete balance in how you enter into relationships. There is a warm connection, without you needing or demanding anything from others because you are whole. Should this middle tan-den become completely filled, the upper tan-den will fill. This is the level of enlightenment. However, I have never met anyone I could call enlightened. As far as I'm concerned, this doesn't have to be a goal. It's fantastic to master a system where you can help yourself feel good physically and mentally. And that you notice year after year that you stand firmer and with more confidence in life, that you have beautiful contacts with others and that you can consciously experience that gratitude. This is reachable. I recently asked around among my students and students who were at the end of the second and third years indicated that they certainly noticed how they developed in this direction. What a gift, right? What comes next is like icing on the cake.
