Flat Stomach Improved Vitality, Introduction

 

五臟六腑，各安其位，各司其職

The five viscera and six internal organs, each in its place, each in its function.

喜怒哀樂之未發，謂之中

When happiness, anger, sorrow and joy have not appeared, this is called equilibrium1.

A great part of improving and keeping vitality comes from the organs/emotions duo. Simply put, organs produce vitality when we exercise but lose some when faced with emotions. Hence, internal arts do not consider that post-training and post strong emotion/stress fatigue are the same. One is healthy (building vitality) and more external (moving the body) while the other is harmful (losing vitality at a high pace) and more internal (the organs are ‘moving’, not the body).

Often, as a reflection of our modern consumer societies, we produce a lot to consume a lot, stressing intensively the body. The old practices were all about restraint, hence trying to reduce, if not totally eliminate2, one’s emotional state. The stress was more on how to save more, not on how to produce more, the latter which the big stomach of some internalists actually embodies.

They are many ways to work on one’s emotions, many writings being nowadays available to anyone curious on the subject. The coming posts, even if internal breathing will be mentioned because it is an indivisible part of any work on one’s emotions, aim to describe a much more external approach, putting emphasis on how to control one’s emotional state through a proper posture leading to a flattened stomach.

First, because it all comes from and returns to it in internal practices, it is important to describe the underlying method. Then, it also seems necessary to mention again a few concepts already described in this blog and which will help to further understand how the issue is dealt with in internal arts. Finally, avenues of research of internal alignments, breathing directions ... to achieve what is sometimes referred as ‘opening the skies, shutting the earth’ will be given.

As a barrel is important in vinification and other spirits making, our body structure does influence greatly our vitality. Hence, being able to drastically improve it in any position and at any time has actually a great impact.

1. Book of Rites, Zhongyong. Another translation could replace equilibrium by ‘being centred’, another side of the flat stomach training.

2. The classic example being people retiring from the world, living in caves and spending their time meditating.