Taoist Yoga
TAOIST (Yin and Yang) YOGA
Tao (pronounced DOW) is a philosophical concept indigenous to China. Tao translates to: the way, the path, the Absolute. Tao refers to the mysterious source of existence, the flow of life in nature. There are many schools of Taoism. They involve a variety of disciplines such as philosophy, mysticism, yoga, Tantra, herbal medicine, health practices, Alchemy, quest for immortality, shamanism, ceremony and folk religion. Being in harmony with the rhythm and flow of nature is the essence of Taoist attitude.
Taoist Yoga is a form of Chi Kung, a manifold Chinese health system comprised of numerous techniques for cultivating and directing vital energy known as chi or prana. The style of Taoist Yoga taught by Master Zink was originally developed by Taoist priests in northern China and used for maintaining physical vigor and mental clarity. It encompasses flexibility training, movement exercises, visualizations and breathing meditations which are designed to increase suppleness and stamina, cultivate vital life force, release tension, calm the mind, and enhance self-awareness.
Taoist yoga draws upon the doctrine of the five elements and the principle of yin and yang used in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Yin and yang are the polarities of a whole, the complimentary opposites of dark and light, cold and hot, soft and hard, female and male that allow all things to come into being. They are the two sides of a coin. One cannot exist without the other. Yin and yang are contraction and expansion, the crest and peak of a wave. Yin and yang are the pulse of the universe, the vibration of energy that is inherent in all life.
In Taoist yoga the yin and yang properties of the five energies are developed and harmonized. Specific postures are used to invoke the spiritual attributes of various creatures, both real and mythical, and to activate the transformational properties of the alchemical elements, thus enlivening and harmonizing these energies within the body and animating the primal spirit that resides within us all. Integrating the power and healing aspects of these principles will help to balance emotions and put one into accord with the true nature of our being. By returning to the source, the state of unitive consciousness, we realize our interconnection with the infinite creativity that informs all life. Through this process of renewal and awakening we can generate positive change and personal effectiveness in our lives.
Master Zink continues to evolve his art of Taoist Yoga by adding postures, variations, and insights. Through many years of study, practice, and teaching he has further developed this ancient tradition into his own distinctive and dynamic style.
YIN YOGA
Yin Yoga is a partial derivative of Paulie Zink’s Taoist Yoga. Paul Grilley studied Taoist Yoga with Master Zink for about a year in the late 1980’s. Grilley taught the basics he learned about Taoist Yoga to Sarah Powers. Sarah began teaching what she learned from Grilley and changed the name to Yin Yoga. Grilley also incorporates his own and the philosophy and theory he learned from his studies with Dr. Motoyama into his teachings.
YOGA ALCHEMY
In its simplest terms Alchemy is the method or power of transforming one thing into another. Over the centuries the practice of Alchemy spread throughout many cultures. Although its exact origins are uncertain, the fundamental sources are thought to be Egyptian, Chinese, and Persian. There are two principle divisions in the schools of Alchemy: internal and external.
The outer, external discipline was a proto-science of chemistry. It had philosophical and magical associations and attempted to transmute base metals into gold. Another objective, one of Chinese origin, was the refinement of various substances into a “golden elixir” that could convey health and longevity, even immortality.
Outer Alchemy is a metaphor for inner Alchemy and its processes. The internal school is concerned with the dimensions of spirit, consciousness, and subtle energies, and with the effects of their vitalization on one’s being.
The practice of Taoist Yoga emphasizes cultivating the five transforming energies that are imbued in the body and consciousness. These five energies are alchemical elements. They are contained within the universal life force and express distinct qualities and actions. Although these elements are described in terms of their physical properties, it is in the context of their energetic alchemical nature, not necessarily their literal reality, that they are understood. The five energies are interconnected, existing in a dynamic relationship with each other. No single element can exist independently form the rest. Each element has specific individual characteristics and participates in a cyclic process of transformation from one to the next. The five elements are:
EARTH METAL WATER WOOD FIRE
The five elements transmute from one to another via the dynamics of birthing and yielding.
The Birthing Process:
EARTH We are born of the earth. The earth element is the ground of our being. It is a constant of calm, the stillness of gravity, the lowest point. Earth gives birth to metal since metal is extracted from the earth.
METAL The metal element is hard and rigid. It is a contracting energy. As metal melts it expands and becomes liquid and therefore it gives birth to water.
WATER The water element is fluid and flowing. Water seeks a common level. It is very soft, yet very powerful. As water is absorbed into a tree it gives birth to wood.
WOOD The wood element is a springy and expanding energy, embodied in a tree it grows and bends with suppleness. The material of a tree can be burned and converted to heat so it gives birth to fire.
FIRE The fire element moves upwardly and outwardly since heat always rises and flames are constantly in motion and changing shape. When fire consumes wood, the ash returns to the earth. Thus, fire gives birth to the earth element and the cycle is repeated.
The Yielding Process:
Earth yields to wood energy because plants draw nutrients from the soil. Wood yields to metal energy when it is cut by a saw or ax. Metal yields to fire by being melted. Fire yields to water when it is extinguished. Water yields to earth by permeating the ground.
The mind, body and spirit are endowed with the five elements. Through the practice of Taoist Yoga the qualities of these energetic states can be enhanced and harmonized, resulting in improved health, greater vitality, an expanded awareness, and a heightened freedom of movement and comfort with one’s body.
TAOIST YOGA AND HATHA YOGA
Taoist yoga is a Chinese form of yoga that uses postures based on the five transforming energies or elements. Everything around us is made of these energies. Our health depends upon being in a natural state of balance with these elemental energies. The Chinese Taoist philosophy sees the entire universe as a living organism and our body’s organism as a microcosm of the universe. Everything is interconnected and interdependent.
One difference between Taoist yoga and Hatha yoga is in the emphasis on the flow of energy. In Hatha yoga the focus is on moving energy (or prana) along the spine and through the energy centers of the chakras. In Taoist yoga energy is channeled up and down the spine and through the chakras and then through the limbs and out the hands and feet, extending the life force beyond the body. This is called “moving energy in the five directions.
A Monkey Kung Fu Posture. California, 1978
