Basic practice I
Inner Smile
The meditation of the Inner Smile is a main component of Taoist practice. There are more than three hundred muscles in our face. When we are angry or anxious, or brooding and worrying, these muscles tense up. This facial muscle tension causes tension throughout the body, our breathing becomes shallow and our nervous system is also very stressed.
When we smile, the tension in the muscles of the face and the whole body is instantly released. The breath becomes calm and even and we feel much better. Such a smile can spontaneously evoke a feeling of joy.
A consciously produced smile with the intention of giving ourselves affection and loving ourselves, this is where the meditation of the Inner Smile begins. Through practice we can consciously create a state of deep relaxation and inner harmony within ourselves. To do this, we direct the smiling energy from our eyes inwards, through the whole body, with the help of our attention. We smile into the glands, into the organs, into our brain and into our bones. In this way we come into deep, loving contact with our body in a benevolent way. Tensions are released, the immune system is strengthened, the positive emotions associated with the respective organ are increased; love and joy, for example, grow in our heart. The heart can lead the overflowing love into our entire body, into every single cell. When we smile inwardly like this, we bring fresh energy into our system and organs, it has a healing and rejuvenating effect.
The meditation of the inner smile is practised at the beginning of each meditation of the Universal Tao. It will be practised over time. With time of practice it becomes more and more an inner basic attitude: to meet ourselves and the world we live in with respect and love in every situation.
(Rainer Semlin / 2004)
The 6 healing sounds are an ancient Taoist chi kung exercise. They are still of great importance for our health and belong to the basic techniques of Universal Tao. For each organ, the Taoist masters found a sound that supports the healthy vibration of that organ. During the exercise, each of these sounds is accompanied by a certain sequence of movements so that the meridians associated with the organ are also activated.
According to the Taoist view, consciousness is not only located in the brain, but also in the organs. It is there that the life-giving chi is collected, refined and stored. Emotions also have their seat in the organs. Due to physical and psychological stress (environmental influences, bad posture, lack of exercise, overexertion, fear, loneliness, grief), energy blockages can arise in the body, causing the organs to overheat. This in turn leads to an increase in negative, emotional energies and thus to further overheating. Continuous overheating leads to shrinking and hardening of the organs, so that they can become ill and no longer fulfil their functions.
The 6 Healing Sounds contribute to the cooling and detoxification of the organs and help us to release negative emotions that are beginning to obstruct our energy flow. The excess heat is released through the mouth and the digestive system or evenly distributed throughout the body. The organs are cleansed and strengthened, the whole body is harmonised. The daily practice of the healing sounds helps to reduce the symptoms of indigestion, insomnia, bad breath, depression or stress.
With the help of the 6 Healing Sounds, negative emotions are transformed into positive life force: sadness into courage, fear into gentleness, aggression into generosity, hate into love, brooding into openness. As the organs are also connected to the muscles, the release of tension in the organs will also improve mobility.
Small Energy Circuit - Microcosmic Orbit
Those who wish to use chi for healing and growth must allow it to circulate through the body in a controlled and effective manner along specific pathways. In Small Energy Circuit meditation, the practitioner uses the power of the mind to activate the sacral and cranial pumps so that they pump chi through the body.
Opening the Small Circuit forms the basis for the system of UNIVERSAL HEALING TAO. Using special meditation and relaxation techniques, the meditator learns to stimulate, circulate, direct and preserve the energy on the two main channels. These two main meridians are the Servant Vessel, which runs at the front of the centre of the body, and the Governing Vessel, which runs from the tailbone up the spine to the head and from there via the "Third Eye" and the nose to the upper palate.
The practice of the Lesser Circulation plays an important role in removing mental and physical blockages. When the meridians are open, chi can circulate freely along the path of the Lesser Circulation; the body and mind are supplied with chi and energy blockages are removed.
To open the Lesser Circulation, you should meditate for a few minutes every morning after the Inner Smile exercise. At first you will not notice anything, but after a while you will feel the circulating energy as a warm current in some places.
All those who want to master the techniques of Universal HEALING TAO© well should dedicate themselves to practising the Small Circuit, for without this foundation it is difficult to progress to the higher levels of the Taoist disciplines, where chi and creative energy are transformed.
(Wolfgang Köppe 2004)