Basic Kunlun Posture
commentary
Starting in August of 2007 there was quite a buzz at TheTaoBums discussion site as we discovered the book / method / teacher / seminars presented through KunlunBliss.com. In this essay, I assume that you already know the basic method, "Level One of Kunlun Nei Gung", as described in the book, Pillars of Bliss (or which-ever new version of the book that they have out now), and so I'll only talk about the method - not describe it directly.
The Pillars of Bliss book is small, slightly larger than a pamphlet. As for scholarly consistency, it's mixed. However, I highly recommend it, especially for the few pages that contain the kunlun posture that will take you about 10 seconds to learn. The kunlun posture is a gem that we've been looking for for a long time, and could easily save you decades of injurious frustration. It's a simple, still posture (seated comfortably on a chair), that's effective and accessible.
DISCLAIMER: Similar to this entire website, this page is not an "official" explanation of what the basic Kunlun posture does, nor "official" advice of any kind, only my personal observation.
What the Posture Does
My experience is that the hand position prompts energy to move up and down the front of the torso. The hand position taps the vitality of the hara and sort of ping-pongs it up ~ down ren (the front channel of the orbit) which results in a kan & li type blending (vitality repeatedly crosses the middle and lower centers / nerve plexuses). All this with no mental "direction" (interference)! As a result, vitality harmonizes and, as it does, 'unsticks' from the hara and goes down around up interior and about (including the Kidney channel, activated by the foot position). While this can/might lead to advanced development, it starts with basic healing, in areas that are most accessible. The quality of the resulting energy blend (the "elixir" of this method) tends to be cool, rich, unaroused and therefore very healing, nourishing.
Some people sway, twist, shake and so forth when they hold the posture for extended periods. My feeling is that at least some part of that is the elixir moving through the connective tissue layers, and releasing various channel blockages. Remember that movement prompted at the level of connective tissue layers shows up as curved body movements. You can see this in Sonnon's intu-flow, or in any Taoist internal martial arts system.
Of course, while the above makes some basic points, it is over-simplified: A great deal of variety occurs, and each session is different. Also, part of the beauty of this method is that the posture mostly takes care of itself: you don't need an intellectual map of it in order to benefit.
Here's a TaoBums discussion thread called Observations on Kunlun Nei Gung practice where others talk about their experience.
Ties up Loose Ends
The basic kunlun posture ties up a lot of loose ends that the Taoist cyber-community has seen over the years with the microcosmic orbit practice, and several other key topics.
remedies neglected front channel
activates front channel (ren) of the orbit in both directions
includes the legs and arms
first harmonizes vitality at its source, which
then results in
spontaneous circulation
avoids contrived mental manipulation of energy flow
If you reference the microcosmic orbit intro page, you'll see that the above is a virtual check-list of problematic orbit issues that I've noted before, in the years prior to learning about the kunlun method. My experience is that the kunlun method actually produces a basic harmony of energy.
Tips not in the book
Pace yourself. This method often produces rapid results and it's possible
to push to excess. Respect the pace at which your body can harmoniously
integrate the energies.
The position instructs "heels up". With that, be attentive to
maintain a feeling of relaxation in the calves and feet. Don't clench. You might occasionally make
the movement, feeling, of gently spreading your toes then relaxing - so that the
soles of your feet feel open.
Complementary Practices
The
feet-to-the-ground connection is an important part of the posture, but it's a subtle
energetic connection that's dependent on the feet being mostly physically
relaxed already. If you have physical tension in your feet (and many
people do), you might experiment with foot massage.
Some
sort of exercise for the connective tissue, whether it's Sonnon's
intu-flow, simple joint rotations, or a more traditional Taoist sinew
changing art.
While
the kunlun results can be deep and balanced when channels are open, for
beginners it might be experienced as a bit "front heavy" and perhaps
over-stimulate the nerve plexuses. A spine
exercise of your choice can draw the energy back, reduce over-sensation, stabilize. This is, of course, one of
the reasons why beginners especially should pace themselves for gradual
healing. Back to basics: "balance and harmony" are key-words,
not "speed and drama".
Once
you've done the basic kunlun posture for some period of time, the red
phoenix practice (brain alchemy) is further into Max's system and complements basic kunlun
beautifully. (Though lots of people are plenty happy with just the basic
kunlun posture, and there are warnings about starting "red phoenix"
too early.)
NOTES
Orbit Front Channel (Ren) Direction
Most qi gong systems train the orbit as up the back and down the front. However, look in any Chinese medical text and you'll see that ren (the front channel) is depicted as going up the front! This has been discussed in the online community before (but the conversations were lost in a computer crash). Some people in the Chinese medical community say that the orbit goes in both directions (my guess is that it does so within different layers, simultaneously, with natural fluctuations). To address this direction dilemma, some people have experimented with occasionally running the orbit loop in reverse - and there has been some mixed success with that - but it's still contrived: it doesn't just allow the body's energies to flow in whatever direction/s, in a body-determined tempo. The basic kunlun posture, in my opinion, neatly solves the "front channel direction" issue.
Hara
"Hara" is a Japanese word which literally means "belly", but which is rich in meaning and function within Japanese medicine. The belly area, hara, is known to be loaded with stored vitality and is a central area for physical health. The basic kunlun posture taps into (also harmonizes, and can restore) the vitality of the hara, which is at least part of the reason why the posture produces such quick and powerful results.
(As an aside: Some people say that "hara" is equivalent to "dan tien" and my opinion is that this is incorrect, and that this mistaken notion ignores the rich and nuanced understanding of "hara" within Japanese medicine.)
