In this article we are going to carry on exploring the basic principles of Nei Gong practice.
Song
The next principle in practice is Song. Song is profoundly significant within the internal arts, embodying principles that extend beyond just physical relaxation, encompassing mental, emotional and energetic transformation. The character 松 is associated with the image of a person removing a hairpin, a symbolic act in ancient Chinese culture. The hairstyles of the governmental officials denoted their rank. They would pull out their hairpins as a gesture of stepping down from society’s obligations, relinquishing their status, and disengaging from the constraints of hierarchy. Song conveys the idea of letting go of rigidity, tension, and the constructs of an identity imposed by external forces. This concept aligns with the broader notion of surrendering attachments to transcend the physical and emotional stresses that shape the self. In this way, Song is a way of returning to an unburdened state of simplicity and naturalness.
The character 松 is also a homonym for the pine tree. The pine represents longevity and resilience, embodying qualities of flexibility and strength. The tree’s boughs bend under the weight of snow only to spring back when the weight is removed. This serves as a clear metaphor for the state of Song, supple and responsive rather than stiff or fragile.
Song involves opening up our structure, ‘pulling out the hairpin’, releasing, sinking, and entering within. We then connect pathways through the whole internal form, penetrating through deeper and deeper layers of the body, right into the bones and then into a state of emptiness.
Song goes beyond the passive notion of relaxation. It is an active and intentional process of loosening and releasing. Unlike the limpness associated with relaxation, Song denotes a state of ‘engaged stillness’. This dynamic quality allows us to align our bodies and release unnecessary tension while maintaining structural integrity and balance. Our postural alignments allow unimpeded movement through the body, ensuring that it functions harmoniously. The interdependence between the body and mind means that releasing tension can dissolve emotional fixations, creating a calm, centred state, like the clouds parting on a sunny day. Song encapsulates the essence of letting go, physically, mentally and spiritually. It represents an active state of release that fosters resilience, flexibility and alignment with the primal patterns of life. Within the internal arts, Song is both a practice and a state of being, guiding practitioners towards balance, clarity and harmony within themselves and the cosmos.
Working with Song
The following is a simple exercise that you can use to deepen the degree of Song in your body.
To begin with stand in the Wu Ji posture that you learnt about in the last post. Take time to establish the principles in your body.
Once the principles are established, we bring your awareness to your sacrum. With your attention allow the area to widen and sink. Don’t actively move your structure, rather feel the sinking sensation move through your structure, through your legs and into your feet.
Be aware of the feeling of pressure increasing under your feet.
You can focus on and ‘Song' any area of your body in the same way. Focus your attention, soften and open the area with your awareness. Allow the sense of sinking the area through your body and into the ground, feeling the sensation of pressure under your feet increase.
As you work on your ability to Song you will start to move through different layers of tissue in your body. The more you Song, the more space is opened up inside your body and mind. In these spaces you become aware of more and more areas that you can release. Each area that you let go of opens up into a more expansive space, which itself contains more holdings.
Breath
“The breathing of the wise person comes from their heels, while most people breathe only from their throats.”
― Zhuangzi
The breath lies at the heart of our practice: From the expansion and contraction of the ‘one breath’ of the whole universe; to the impact of the breath on the settling of the mind; and the integration of the myofascial structures of breathing. There are many different breathing techniques in internal practices. For instance, chest breathing, abdominal breathing, reverse abdominal breathing and diaphragm breathing. In the beginning of our practice we should allow a deepening of our breath. We allow the breath to be rooted low in our abdomen and to become regular, long and deep.
The mind and the breath are intimately connected, they mirror each other. Working with the breath impacts on the stability of the mind and vice versa. At the heart of Taoist thought is the idea of ‘not doing’, ‘not controlling’ or WuWei. This concept is central to the mechanism of breathing in these arts. Any forcing of the breath by pushing open areas of the body can lead to stagnation and tension in the structure and mind. Any thinking about breathing immediately affects how you are breathing. We need to develop a non-interfering attention and allow the breath to change naturally. At first we may need to guide our breathing patterns and actively breathe into a specific area of our body. We settle our awareness and simply observe the breathing process. Over time the settling of the mind will allow more sinking and rooting of the breath. This will stabilise both mind and breathing low down in the abdomen. The releasing and sinking of the mind and breath allows the integration of the natural movements of the structural breathing mechanisms. The intercostals, diaphragm, lower back and pelvic floor start to integrate with the myofascial connections that we have already built through practice. This will deepen and further integrate our internal connections and amplify the expression of our connected structure. As our practice develops we move closer to the experience of allowing the ‘one breath,’ the basic primal movement of the universe ‘to breathe us’.
Rhythm in life, and our training, is very important. The rhythm of our breathing is a constant. It is something that really cannot be consciously changed or interfered with for too long. Natural rhythms need to be allowed in all areas of our life, in the movement of the body, in our daily patterns of rest and activity. The ‘method’ of breathing in internal arts is a lesson in ‘not doing.’ We pay attention to, and Song the mind and breath. We allow the natural breath to emerge. This true breath is a major gateway into a different realm. This gateway is found in many different cultures and traditions as a fundamental step in internal practice. The harmony of mind and breath acts as a catalyst for Nei Dan (Internal Alchemy). Until the mind and breath are stabilised we cannot truly release our spirit. The spirit and breath depend upon each other. When the spirit and breath are harmonised, the fundamental patterns of movement can be directly experienced and directed. It is ultimately the spirit that opens the gates and guides our breath and Qi into the deepest layers of our being.
The Root
The practice of opening, song and allowing the breath and mind to sink, allows us to find and develop our Root. If you draw a horizontal line around the waist going through the umbilicus (navel), this is considered to be the location of the surface of the ground in our body. It is here where the outward expression of our movement arises. Our pelvis is the physical location of our Root in our body. It is where we anchor our breath and mind. This is the place that we move out of and return to. In fact we never really leave, we move deeper, and with that movement downwards we rise higher. Like all plants, our roots need to be sent down first, before we are able to grow and expand outwards and upwards. Building our Root allows the Heart to ‘rest and let go.’ The Root does not necessarily equate to a sense of heaviness. The expression of the Root can be experienced as an immediate compensation to any incoming forces be they physical, emotional and mental. It also allows a greater ability to maintain our awareness of our position in space relative to our centre. Song is key to establishing and deepening the Root.
Ding
The more Song and Root we develop, the more Ding (定) will arise. Ding refers to a state of deep, focused concentration or meditation. It's often translated as to "settle”, "stabilise”, or "concentrate". It involves building our ability to focus on a single point or object, both internally and externally, to achieve a state of stillness, clarity and stability both mentally and physically. During practice, the hours of repetition of physical movements help to develop this settled state. From this settled state we can start to develop our listening or Ting.
Ting
Ting (聽), in internal arts practice, refers to a form of listening that is deeply attentive and fully present. It goes beyond merely hearing and involves engaging the ears, eyes, heart and mind to truly connect with what you are listening to. Rather than being passive, Ting is an active and intentional process. We set aside personal distractions and internal noise in order to be fully focused on the thing that you are listening to. We are working on the whole self being fully present in the moment. When we engage with ourselves in this way, we cultivate ever-deeper experiences of ourselves and strengthen our internal connections. We are becoming aware of the internal experience of ourselves, of all the connections and harmonies. Areas of our body that are ‘switched off’ or disconnected from the rest of the system reduce our ability to feel or know ourselves, and also our ability to understand our place in the wider world. Our listening is anchored within ourselves. We listen to our internal world as it relates to what is going on externally.
In the internal martial arts, Ting also involves listening to the movements and intentions of another person. We develop the ability to sense shifts in the person’s body, mind and spirit. We pay attention not just to what is said, but to how it is said, the tone, the body language and the unspoken emotions that accompany the words. This level of engagement creates space for deeper understanding and emotional connection, allowing us to ultimately respond with greater compassion and presence.
Song, Ding and Ting are interdependent qualities that support each others development. As one deepens all the other qualities grow and deepen in response.