Taoist Yoga

Taoist Yoga is the title of a 1999 book about Tao yin, generally have no relation to Hatha Yoga. In regards to
meditation techniques in Taoism.
the similarity of Hatha Yoga and Taoist Yoga we may
look to the fundamental teaching of the 'Three RegulaTraditionally and historically speaking, Daoyin practices
are stretching exercises, and static postures, usually com- tions in traditional Taoist Yoga Doctrine. These are the
'Regulation of Posture', 'Regulation of Breath', and 'Regbined with breath-work. Many Daoyin practices involve
very specic breathing (huxi
) patterns. The earli- ulation of Heart/Mind'. It can be viewed that Hatha Yoga
also shares the practice of these Three Regulations, and
est forms of Daoyin were developed during the Early
Han dynasty (206 BCE-8 CE), in the context of health herein lie their similarity.
and longevity as well as therapeutic movements. Daoyin Taoist Yoga has at its core a unique and special process
practice was also referred to as Yangsheng
in ancient of Breath Training:
times, which literally means nourishing life.
The Taoist Yoga Breath Training will generally go
Some of the earliest sources on Daoyin include the through Three Stages of Development that are termed:
Daoyin tu
(Exercise Chart) and Yinshu
(Stretch- 1. Natural Breathing - After Heaven Quality - 2. Reing Book).
versed Breathing - Before Heaven Quality - 3. Fetal
Dating to around 168 BCE, the Daoyin tu was discov- Breathing - Before, Before Heaven Quality ered in the burial materials of Mawangdui
(near Each Taoist Yoga stage of breathing can have generally 9
Changsha; Hunan). It consists of forty-four color illus- methods that are put into application and training such as:
trations of human gures performing therapeutic Yogic inhale from nose/exhale from nose, inhale from nose, exPostures, with accompanying captions. The exercises in- hale from mouth, inhale from mouth/exhale from mouth,
volve standing in specic postures that aim to cure corre- breathing through energetic points, breathing through ensponding illnesses.
ergetic channels, subtle rened breathing, and so on...
Modern Taoist Yoga comes from the tradition of Tao Yin
(Dao Yin), of Han Dynasty China, whose earliest transcripts date back to about 180 BC. The Tao or way, as
it is often translated, is the underlying component of reality. It is the innite rhythm of our cosmos that every
aspect of our life adheres to. It is the vibration of the
electrons in atoms, the rotation of the earth and its revolution around the sun, the changing of the seasons and
the rhythmic breath and heartbeat that keeps us alive and
animated. The Tao comprises two opposite but interdependent aspects called Yin and yang. Yang is the sun,
the fervent, aggressive, powerful aspect of the universe.
Yin is the shade, the nurturing, maternal and gentle aspect
of the universe. The underlying governing agent of Tao
is Qi or the Underlying Vital Energy of all Life and the
Universe. The idea of Qi, which is inherently Chinese, is
similar to the Yogic term Prana which is from India. It is
nice to see how two very dierent cultures can share an
idea that is so pivotal to each of their traditional spiritual
practices and ways of understanding reality.

Both Hatha Yoga and Taoist Yoga have dierent exercises, philosophies and breathing techniques, but the underlying foundation practice is very similar in regards to
the shared practice of 'The Three Regulations.
One unique quality of Taoist Yoga is the stress we nd on
developing and nurturing the Vital Energy. The benet of
this training and nurturing of the Vital Energy results in a
long history of practitioners gaining amazing self healing,
self rejuvenation of the body, and longevity.
The way for a person to realize his or her own personal
truth must be taught in an individual way. Focus must be
placed on teaching how a person can come to understand
truth and beauty through pure and simple means. There
is no harm in leading all people to the secrets that have
been unfairly protected through dogma over the past centuries. The nature of the Tao is to change, move and be
spontaneous. Therefore no one teaching can hold the secrets to the Tao. It will be dierent for each person at
dierent times in his or her life.

Tao Yin is the cultivation and understanding of Tao

through soft, gentle, healing and nourishing exercises.
The early Taoists developed many practices geared toward keeping themselves healthy and prolonging their life
so they could spend more time practicing, studying and
meditating to understand the deepest aspects of Tao.
The postures and exercises of Taoist Yoga are unique and
1

EXTERNAL LINKS

Guiding principles and methods

of practice

The Do-in Way: Gentle Exercises to Liberate the

Body,mind, And Spirit by Michio Kushi ISBN 07570-0268-4

What does it mean to understand the Tao? An understanding of the Tao is not a cognitive concept that one
can hope to write down or give a dissertation on. It is
pure and simply a state of being or awareness. Most of
us have experienced those times when everything in our
immediate life seems to ow eortlessly. In that time
our mind is not clouded or preoccupied, our body moves
smoothly and without pain, our emotions are true and we
feel at home in our body. The point of our practice is to
nourish this aspect of our being so we can access it at any
point.

Chinese Healing Arts: Internal Kung-Fu by William

R. Berk ISBN 0-86568-083-3

We know we are in touch with the Tao when we are comfortable with everything that is happening presently in
our life. This often occurs even in the midst of chaos
and turmoil. It is an ultimate acceptance of the truth of
life where it doesnt matter whether we live or die in the
next moment, so long as the present moment is sweet and
authentic. We become both aware of and accepting of
any injuries, diseases or perceived imperfections that exist within us. We are able to exhale any negative emotion
surrounding our pain whether physical or mental so we
can focus on what it is we truly want to do, say or be in
this moment. It is possible through a regular practice to
create this within our being. A few principles and exercises can help us along. It is important to note that although instruction through reading is a great way to learn
about things, there is no substitute for a competent and
compassionate teacher to help us along. It is important
to explore what options are available to you either in your
community or a place you would like to visit and study at.

The Taoist Art of K'ai Men (formerly Taoist Yoga)

by Chee Soo ISBN 0-9545244-1-1

Summary

Taoist Yoga is a general term used by some practitioners

of Taoism to categorize a multitude of traditional postured based exercises that are practised to maintain health
and well being. The name Yoga is used to make an analogy so, that people can paint an image of what the practice of Taoist Yoga might be like.

References
The Heart of Yoga by Desikachar
Daoist Body Cultivation by Livia Kohn

Further reading
Exercises Illustrated: Ancient Way to Keep Fit by
Zong Wu ISBN 0-679-41789-3

The Complete System of Self-Healing: Internal Exercises by Dr. Stephen T. Chang ISBN 0-94219606-6
Taoist Yoga: Alchemy & Immortality by Charles
Luk (Lu K'uan Yu) ISBN 0-87728-067-3
The secrets of Chinese Meditation - Charles Luk
(Lu K'uan Yu) ISBN 0-87728-066-5

5 External links
Entry on Daoyin from the Center for Daoist Studies
Entry on Taoist Yoga from the Center for Daoist
Studies

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