The 3 Dantiens and the Chakra System - Conversations with Healer Darren Orr

Question - When you study the healing process from the Taoist perspective, you study the three major energy centers or three dantiens. When you study from an Indian perspective, you study examine the chakra system or even the microchakra system. Chakras seem to be the prevailing perspective that most people are familiar with. What is the difference between the daintiens and the chakras? Do they complement each other? Does one act as an overlay for the other? Is one method more precise for healing then the other?


Darren - The chakras come from the Ancient Indian science of life called Ayurveda. They are widely known in America because they have been in the consciousness since the first Yogis  from India brought Yoga to the US in the late 19th, early 20th century. Buddhists also use the chakra system because Buddha was an Indian prince. A commonly known modern day energetic practice with Buddhist connections is Reiki. But in both the Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts they do commonly refer to the sacred 3 centers within their understanding of the energetic matrix. They call them Granthi. They are 3 energetic or psychic knots that need to be untied, unwound and unbound before Awakening can occur. On a physical and spiritual plane, I'm almost positive there was cross cultural diffusion between the ancient Indian and Chinese models, which would explain why they have so many similarities.


The  Daoists are widely known to utilize the 3 treasures of Jing, Qi and Shen located within the 3 Dantiens. For those in the West familiar with the terms, it comes primarily from the growing influence of Medical QiGong and the internal martial arts.   Many are unaware of QiGong because it's relatively new. The word QiGong was coined in the 1960's, prior to that, for thousands of years in China it was referred to as Dao-yin or Do-In.

I think what needs to be understood is that there is an energetic matrix. It is designed to be intertwined, interconnected and interwoven like a spiders web. The different systems don't compete with one another they complement each other to achieve balance, homeostasis, and health. One system is not the end all and be all.  Not the chakras, dantiens, acupoints, marma points, Zang Fu organs, meridians, 8 extraordinary channels, Lao, Sinew, Divergent channels etc. It's not so much about their differences but rather how they harmoniously communicate and integrate that is most important because it allows your physicality to be and you to live.

The dantiens and chakras are individual systems within the energetic matrix. They work harmoniously with one another like the different physical systems of the body, such as the respiratory and circulatory systems. The physical matrix can't be understood or diagnosed by studying 1 cell, organ, system or brain synapse (even though our western medical model is set up that way and we like to try too). In my clinic as a Doctor of Medical QiGong, it must be taken into consideration how all the different energetic systems interrelate and integrate with one another and how that energetic matrix is influenced by that persons unique Mind and their different life experiences.

Both the 3 dantiens and 7 chakras emanate from the TaiJi Pole which is the deepest energetic structure within the body. Its actually a hologram that reflects the Divine within the center core of your body/mind. The dantiens  overlay, encompass and are slightly deeper than the chakras. To use a metaphor the chakras are like geysers that connect the external Earth to the internal, the dantiens are the deep internal reservoirs or aquifers and the Tai ji pole is the emanating source.

Both the 3 dantiens and 7 chakras  extend out from center core of the Tai Ji pole through the body and out into the Wei Qi, aura or energetic fields. Both systems can be palpated and used to asses what is going on with someone. Some break up the Wei qi or aura into 7 fields to treat, which I find personally too complex.

In my clinic simplicity is power.  I utilize the depth and breath of the Daoists understanding of the energetic matrix by taking into account everything. I utilize the chakras and dantiens as well as many other energetic systems, most importantly I intuitively use my Shen.
 
When treating and how I sense it is that just like the interior, the dantiens encompass the chakras within the external fields.  Assessment wise the dantiens are more important because they are the reservoirs of your life force energy. If any are depleted then the treatment will be less effective
and healing virtually impossible no matter what energetic system is used.

I'm a Reiki Master and have experienced many different forms of energy work. For years before I became a D.M.Q I worked on people just utilizing the chakras but I intuitively knew there was more to it than just that. My search led me to Inner-Strength and Formless Daoism, where I began my Doctoral training with Dr. Ted Cibik. Through Medical QiGong and a living, breathing Master,  I truly began to understand the energetic matrix, not from an intellectual level but from a visceral, experiential and intuitive level.  There is so much depth and breath to it that it boggles my mind and baffles me how someone can proclaim to be able to treat people energetically with an online course, 1 day class or even 2 week intensive.  It's simply impossible because it's a life long learning process of inner self cultivation. 

In order to fully understand what you are feeling you need to be a clear vessel and channel which requires a daily, dedicated, disciplined self cultivation practice over many years before you're even ready to begin treating people. If one doesn't self cultivate first they will attract those who reflect their issues and more seriously they'll  simply be transferring their deviated Qi to their client which is horrible for the client and harmful to the practitioner.    

Many energetic systems taught today only deal with one small portion of the energetic matrix ie only the chakras or dantiens or acupoints. They tend to emphasize the newest, greatest, best, new technique, energetic recipe or cookie cutter formula without being able to feel Qi and without an appreciation and understanding of the depth and profundity of what they are teaching and doing. At that point they have lost the lineage. All new systems of energy healing usually stem from 2 sources, Ayurveda and Classical Chinese Medicine.

 No 1 is reinventing the wheel when it comes to energy medicine. Its been around for well over 8,000 years.  We should give respect to all the teachers, healers, shamans and warriors of all cultures  who dedicated their lives and in many cases died so this knowledge, wisdom and information could survive. When people aggrandize themselves for profit as the creator or inventor of an energetic system that utilizes elements of Ayurveda or Classical Chinese Medicine or Indigenous Medicine they lose the lineage and all the power that comes with that. Medical QiGong and more specifically, Classical Chinese Medicine, is the foundation of most modern day energetic systems including modern day TCM and acupuncture.  Anything that claims to be newly discovered usually takes 1 aspect of Classical Chinese Medicine, Indigenous Medicine or Ayurveda and puts their name on it claiming they created this great energetic system. 

 Medical QiGong is the root and foundation of Classical Chinese Medicine. It is a complete healthcare system incorporating the prevention and treatment of disease, with a primary emphasis on educating and actively teaching the patient how to empower themselves by learning tools to release stress and promote health and healing. In contrast most modern day, recently "invented"  energetic practices are just modalities.  In many cases, even though well intentioned, the person treating often becomes a drug substitute for their pharmaceuticals.  If all one wants is the client to return back to them over and over without training them to not need them at some point then it's an ego trip and a huge disservice to the client or patient.  

If one really wants to heal, feel whole, decompress, de-stress and learn about how energy truly works than take a cue from a Daoist and study how the Earth loves all life unconditionally, mimic it...then use the harmony of Mother Nature as your preacher and teacher. 


 Thank you Darren!

Darren Orr is a Doctor of Classical Chinese Medicine in Medical QiGong Therapy with a specialization in Dao-yin. He is currently training in ShenGong to be a Formless Daoist Priest. He is a Medical QiGong Master, nationally certified massage, bodywork and somatic therapist, Reiki Master, sound healer, Dao yoga, Dao Yin and meditation teacher. Darren is an A-Z practitioner specializing in life-altering illness, palliative care for the terminally ill, bereavement services for family, cancer, PTSD, fibromyalgia, addiction, mental/emotional imbalances, chronic pain and stress management as well as preventative medicine. CEU courses, lectures, workshops, seminars, classes, qi parties, and corporate wellness programs also available. Serving the tri-state area in a triangle from Philadelphia to NYC to Atlantic City Nj. Long Distance therapy also available.

You can contact Darren at:  d.orr333@gmail.com 

You may also be interested in reading our interview with Darren about healing and the practice of Qigong.

Also his articles for our blog include:

Shedding Our Acquired Life Roles and Medical Qigong

Spiritual Warrior 
Manifesting Destiny 



Chakra Banner courtesy of Karen Casey-Smith
Karen's beautiful work in available in her shop on Etsy

Follow the daily updates of the Mind Body Spirit Marketplace on Facebook

also our pages on Pinterest -

Marketplace

Blog 

 

Qigong: An Interview with Joanne Kornoelje (part 2)

-- Yoga and qigong both deal with energetic movement and esoteric issues, but yet they are also quite different. Often people will study yoga for years but have never heard of its counterpart. Can you elaborate on that?--

Actually I think the root yoga and qigong are all about the same thing - keep the energy moving. I again do not have much experience with yoga - although I have been taking a kundalini class now for a couple years. The movements are different, but the intent is the same.

Yoga is more popular than I think qigong will ever be - at least in the foreseeable future. I think part of the issue is that yoga appears more familiar - at least in set-up, and as more people do it, a newcomer loses the trepidation of starting something "weird". To my eye it seems more similar to standard aerobic gym classes with a set of exercises not necessarily joined with a connecting theme. Much of the language going along with the class depends on the instructor - I'm not saying there is no connecting theme, just that the instructor may not be comfortable with talking about it in a certain setting. And it can be that the teacher doesn't know or is not interested in the more "invisible" or esoteric side of the work. That can be the case with qigong as well.

Qigong has only recently gained more momentum in the "fitness" world. T'ai chi was the art most instructors were offering, and that looks much easier than it is. It is a set of moves - a "form", like a karate "kata" that requires practice and understanding of body mechanics for what seem to the onlooker to be very simple moves. My thought is that many people started t'ai chi with interest and high hopes, and assumptions that something that slow had to be quick and easy to learn -- and found out it wasn't so, and dropped out. Instructors could also tend to be teaching in the Chinese style - that is, not explaining what was going on, just expecting the students to do what was told. We, in the US, do not enjoy that lack of information. By the way, this has changed dramatically as more and more senior U.S. instructors have captured students through video, as well as personal instruction. While qigong has come a long way in the media in the last 20 years, it certainly does not have the name recognition yoga does. I don't know why!

-- You mentioned that after you became involved with the Healing Tao that you understood the whole esoteric component connected to the practice. To me, studying that is just as important as the forums and exercises themselves. Can you talk a minute about the esoteric component to qigong?--

I certainly don't want to give the impression I know the "whole esoteric component" of anything! Part of the reason I enjoy t'ai chi and qigong is that it is a never-ending study. As you come to understand something, you realize it opens up a whole new avenue of exploration.

Qigong is rooted in Taoist philosophy. It shares many of the ideas that Buddhism made popular in the west, but differs in one major way. In the Taoist idea, we are here on this planet to BE here, not to try to find an escape. Being here is full of challenges, as we all know. Practicing t'ai chi shows you how to move to deflect the challenges, to relax into the present and stay rooted in yourself. T'ai chi mastery is seen when the energy of an individual is so powerful that just by being in a place, the "vibe" (as we would call it) shifts and productive work can be done.

Qigong is a method to help discover yourself. As your focus and movement slow down, and become deliberate and intentional, so too does your mind, and then ultimately, so too does your spirit. You begin to re-establish contact among these parts of yourself.

As a more specific example, the system in the Healing Tao asserts that each of your five primary Yin organs has a consciousness of its own, and has its own set of attributes, including color, emotion, sound, familiar animal, linkages to the physical body, and more. The meditations encourage You, your mind, to get in touch with your organs, understand them and nudge them to work more as a team than a set of 5 individuals going their own way.

Many people work only with the esoteric side - they get interested in the meditations and never move to the movement piece. I started with movement and got into the meditations. I am sure there are qigong and t'ai chi practitioners who do only movement. There is benefit everywhere - the more focus you bring the more benefit there is.

-- After studying qigong for a while I was inspired to create a series of paintings depicting the theme "Connecting Heaven and Earth". Can you explain about the connection and balance of heaven and earth chi?--

A big feature of the Chinese classics is the balance of Heaven and Earth. Heaven is seen as the male essence, creative, outward oriented. Earth is seen as the female essence, nurturing and inward oriented. In the yin-yang sign, Heaven is the light color, Earth is the dark color. Notice in the yin-yang that within Earth there is the circle of Heaven, and vice-versa. Each has consciousness and desires to move to wholeness. They need each other to reach that state, and the human is introduced as the means to connect them, sort of like a lightning rod that works both ways. In some specific qigong forms we've worked with, the intention is clear. One move is called "Bring Down Heaven Qi", and another is "Bring Up Earth Qi". Without the human to facilitate this, would it be possible? Who knows?

-- Finally, one of the last classes I took from you, you were working on a system of using yoga mudras (hand gestures) and combining them with the qigong healing sounds. It was an interesting process. Can you explain about that a little further? What are the healing sounds and how are they used?--

The healing sounds relate to the 5 organs I mentioned before. The sounds can be used to relieve stress on a certain organ system, sort of like humming to your child to calm it. The sounds are not difficult chants, simply syllables which can be used out loud for physical conditions, or in your thoughts for energetic issues.

There are many physical exercises as well that relate specifically to the organs. A friend of mine, Andrena Bonte, an acupuncturist, had developed a series of mudras which also related to the organs. I thought it would be interesting to put all this together in a series following the organs through their daily active cycle, using physical exercise, mudras, meditation and healing sounds to really get in touch with what's inside us. One of the big ideas (in my mind) in t'ai chi and qigong is that we work from the inside out. In other words, we work on the organs inside us, and the rest will take of itself. This in direct conflict with the normal western approach of getting rid of the flab, or developing muscles, or deliberately stressing the heart through approved cardio activity.

*Joanne Kornoelje is an Associate of the Healing Tao and has been practicing t'ai chi, qigong and meditation for over 20 years. She has taught for over 10 years with students ranging from 9 to 90.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you live it is what makes the difference.'

artwork: "Connecting Heaven and Earth: Through Time" by Diane Fergurson

Part 1 of Interview

Related posts:
From Jing to Qi to Shen:  An Interview with Healer Darren Orr