Yoga and the Nei Jing Tu

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 Yoga and the Nei Jing Tu

I would like to thank

Stephanie Hii,
for her re-creation of the Nei Jing Tu,

Joe Barnett,
for his editing of the many versions of this manuscript,

Murielle Burellier
Michelle Finch
Anat Geiger
Suzee Grilley
Dick Mendels
Ehud Neuhaus
Kathy Paez
Jo Phee
Sebastian Pucelle
Marcel van de Vis Heil,

for their help in the development of the techniques described in this essay.

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 Yoga and the Nei Jing Tu

Forward

This essay describes the chakras and their importance when trying to raise our
consciousness to the higher levels of spiritual reality that lie behind this physical
world. It outlines the use of breathing techniques and subtle muscular
contractions called bandhas and mudras. Breathing, bandhas, and mudras,
when used together, help a yogini, a practitioner of yoga, learn to control the life-
force in her body, which is called Prana.

All of the theories and techniques in this essay are derived from the yogic
traditions of India. But the nal chapter is an interpretation of an image from the
Chinese taoist tradition: The Nei Jing Tu. This image is on the front page of this
document. It was originally a painted scroll. It presents, in symbolic form, most
of the theories and techniques explored in this essay.

I have leaned heavily on three texts by my teacher, Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama:

Theories of the Chakras. Published 1981. ISBN 0-8356-0551-5

Toward a Superconsciousness. Published 1990. ISBN 0-89581-914-7

Awakening the Chakras and Emancipation. Published 2003. ISBN

4-87960-708-8

Dr. Motoyama’s texts are most readily available from the website of the
California Institute for Human Science: CIHS.edu

Paul Grilley

Ashland, Oregon

July 4, 2022

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 Yoga and the Nei Jing Tu

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Basic Theory page 5

Chapter 2: Meditation page 11

Chapter 3: Pranayama page 15

Chapter 4: Variations page 25

Chapter 5: The Nei Jing Tu page 33

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 Chapter 1: Basic Theory

Shiva-prana and Shakti-prana

ow down Sushumna

In yogic theory, the human body is formed and maintained by a life-force called
Prana, with a capital ‘P.’ Prana is best translated as ‘intelligent energy.’ Prana is
a blend of two mutually interacting powers: shiva-prana and shakti-prana.
Shiva-prana is the guiding intelligence. Shakti-prana is the animating power.

When a human egg is fertilized, Prana enters into it. Shakti-prana manifests
itself as the power to multiply the original egg cell into trillions of new cells.
Shiva-prana is the intelligence that guides the growth of these cells. Shiva-
prana determines which cells become muscles, and which cells become bones,
which cells become liver, and which cells become skin. Shiva-prana is the
guiding blue-print of the form the body will take. Shakti-prana is the power that
creates the biological tissues that bring this plan to life.

A reservoir of Prana is in the brain. And a river of this Prana is continually

owing from the brain, down the spinal cord. This river of Prana is called
‘Sushumna’ in Sanskrit. As infants, this Prana grew the body. As adults, this
Prana heals and maintains the body.

The reservoir of Prana in the top of the brain is considered a ‘chakra’ A chakra
is a center of consciousness and energy, a center of shiva-prana and shakti-
prana. As Prana ows down sushumna, it passes through six other chakras. In
each chakra, Prana’s two aspects of shiva-prana and shakti-prana ‘pull-apart,’
their separate functions become more distinct. In the chakras closer to the
brain, shiva-prana dominates. When we try to think, plan, or understand
something, we activate our upper chakras, especially the two in our brain.

The further down the spine Prana ows, the more, shakti-prana dominates.
The two lowest chakras are the source of instinctive, unconscious power and
desire. Because the origins of our instincts, impulses, re exes, and desires are
opaque to our consciousness, shakti-prana is said to be ‘sleeping’ in the rst
chakra, at the base of the spine.

It is important to remember that there is never a complete separation between

shiva-prana and shakti-prana. There is only a relative dominance of one over
the other. The goal of the yogini is to reunite them.

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 Chapter 1: Basic Theory

Seven Chakras

The ‘pulling apart’ of shiva-prana and shakti-prana occurs in the chakras. The
chakras are centers of consciousness and energy that convert the life-
force as it ows down sushumna. Dr. Motoyama taught that each of the
seven chakras has a root and a ower. The roots of the chakras are in
sushumna, within the spine. The owers of the chakras spread outward into the
torso.

The location of the chakras are listed below. They are traditionally numbered
from the coccyx to the top of the brain.

7th. Sahasrara, the seventh chakra. The ower of sahasrara is Brahman’s

Gate, a soft spot in a newborn baby’s skull that hardens a few months after
birth. The root of sahasrara is the top of the brain.

6th. Ajna, the sixth chakra. The ower of ajna is the Third Eye. The root of ajna
is the center of the brain.

5th. Vishuddhi, the fth chakra. The ower of vishuddhi is the throat. The root
of vishuddhi is near the seventh cervical vertebra.

4th. Anahata, the fourth chakra. The ower of anahata is the heart. The root of
anahata is near the fth thoracic vertebra.

3rd. Manipura, the third chakra. The ower of manipura is the upper abdomen.
The root of manipura is near the second lumbar vertebra.

2nd. Svadhisthana, the second chakra. The ower of svadhisthana is the

lower abdomen. The root of svadhisthana is near the second sacral vertebra.

1st. Muladhara, the rst chakra. The ower of muladhara is the oor of the
pelvis. The root of muladhara is within the coccyx.

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 Chapter 1: Basic Theory

Three Bodies

In yoga theory, the human being is a composite of three bodies: the causal, the
astral, and the physical.

The causal body consists of the ideas and beliefs that form our personality. It is
formed rst.

The astral body consists of the emotions and desires that motivated our birth in
this particular time and place. It is formed second.

The physical body is the vehicle through which we sense and react to our
physical world. It is formed last.

In yogic theory, the energy of all our uncompleted desires and the karmic
debts created by our sel sh actions are stored as seeds in our chakras. After
we die, we live for a time in the causal or astral worlds. Eventually the shakti-
prana of our un nished karma or our unsatis ed desires reawakens. This
activated shakti-prana draws our shiva-prana down into a fertilized human egg,
where they will grow a new body. This new body will be the vehicle through
which we will try to satisfy our awakening desires or ful ll our karmic debts.

This cycle repeats over and over until we have exhausted our desires and
resolved our karmic debts in the physical dimension. Then, there will be a
similar cycle of incarnations between the causal and astral worlds.

Purusha

All three bodies are created things. All created things perish. This means our
physical, astral, and causal bodies will all perish. But the true nature of a human
being is immortal: it is beyond the three bodies. This state of ‘unembodied’
existence is called ‘Purusha’ in Sanskrit. Its nature is said to be of three eternal
qualities: Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, ‘Sat-Chit-Ananda’ in Sanskrit.

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 Chapter 1: Basic Theory

Three Nectars

When a yogini tires of the perpetual pursuit of ‘worldly pleasures,’ she will begin
to yearn for ‘home.’ She will yearn to live again as Purusha, the state of
Existence-Consciousness-Bliss beyond the constrictions of the three bodies.

To do this, she must fuse her shiva-prana with her shakti-prana. Then, she
will be able to reverse the ow of both pranas and raise her consciousness
upwards into the spiritual realms from which she has descended. She will then
shake o the painful delusion of death and once again live as an ‘immortal.’

The energy formed by the fusion of shiva-prana and shakti-prana is called

‘Amrit,’ which means ‘Nectar.’ To become ‘immortal,’ a yogini must ‘drink
Nectar.’

The creation of Nectar does not create something new. It is the re-
uni cation of the shiva-prana and shakti-prana that had ‘pulled apart’ as the
yogini’s consciousness descended into her three bodies.

Nectar is fused and re ned in three stages, each one more subtle. The analogy
is similar to the three forms of water: solid, liquid, and vapor.

1st. When the shiva-prana and shakti-prana circulating through the spine fuse
together, they form the Vajra Nectar.

2nd. When the shiva-prana and shakti-prana of the Vajra Nectar are further
re ned, they fuse and become the Chitrini Nectar.

3rd. When the shiva-prana and shakti-prana of the Chitrini Nectar are further
re ned, they fuse to form the Brahma Nectar.

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 Chapter 1: Basic Theory

Four Layers of Sushumna

In the yogic tradition, sushumna, the central river of prana, has four layers.
These layers are nested inside each other like four Russian dolls. Each of these
layers is a ‘nadi.’ Nadi means ‘tube’ or ‘channel’ in Sanskrit.

The rst, outermost layer of sushumna is called ‘sushumna nadi.’ Sushumna

nadi stretches from the coccyx, the rst chakra, to the top of the head.

The second layer of sushumna is called ‘vajra nadi.’ Vajra nadi stretches from
the second sacral vertebra, the second chakra, to the top of the head.

The third layer of sushumna is called ‘chitrini nadi.’ Chitrini nadi stretches from
the second lumbar vertebra, the third chakra, to the top of the head.

The fourth layer, the innermost core of sushumna, is called ‘brahma nadi.’
Brahma nadi is inside chitrini nadi.

Three Granthis
Bridges between Layers

In the yogic tradition, there are ‘three granthis.’ Granthi means ‘knot’ in
Sanskrit.

These granthis are traditionally described as restrictions to the ow of prana

within sushumna. These granthis must be opened before a yogini will be able
experience and control her higher bodies. I believe they are restrictions
between the di erent layers of sushumna.

The Brahma Granthi is near the second sacral vertebra. It restricts the opening
to vajra nadi, the second layer of sushumna. It is opened by the Vajra Nectar.

The Vishnu Granthi is near the second lumbar vertebra. It restricts the opening
to chitrini nadi, the third layer of sushumna. It is opened by the Chitrini Nectar.

The Shiva Granthi is near to where the spinal cord exits at the base of the skull.
It restricts the opening to brahma nadi, the innermost layer of sushumna. It is
opened by the Brahma Nectar.

Note: It can be confusing that the opening to the second layer of sushumna is
restricted by the Brahma Granthi but the deepest layer of sushumna is called
Brahma nadi. But these are the names passed down to us.

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 Chapter 1: Basic Theory

Levels of Awareness

Modern theories of the brain tell us that if the optical center of the brain is
stimulated, we will see lights. If the auditory center of our brain is stimulated, we
will hear sounds. These correlations between physical stimulus and subjective
experience are a form of the shakti-prana/shiva-prana relationship.

Each time shakti-prana and shiva-prana fuse into a Nectar, this Nectar ows into
a deeper layer of sushumna. When this happens, the yogini will subjectively
experience new levels of awareness.

Physical Body. When a yogini rst begins her spiritual practices, she is
in uencing the shiva-prana and shakti-prana of the physical dimension. These
pranas circulate in the outermost layer of sushumna, sushumna nadi. The
circulation of these pranas creates a sense of physical well-being and mental
calm.

Lower Astral Body. When the Vajra Nectar ows into the vajra nadi, the
yogini will become aware of astral phenomena, and how these phenomena
in uence the physical world.

Higher Astral Body. When the Chitrini Nectar ows into the chitrini nadi, the
yogini’s understanding will extend beyond her personal karma and she will be
able to understand the karma of others, and the karma of groups of people such
as families, tribes, and nations.

Causal Body. When the Brahma Nectar ows into the brahma nadi, the
yogini’s understanding will extend beyond her personal karma and group karma.
It will expand to include the laws of creation.

Purusha. Circulating the Brahma Nectar within brahma nadi will eventually
dissolve all karmic attachment to the three bodies. The yogini’s sense of self,
residing in her heart, will realize it is Purusha, independent of all bodies.

Outlining levels of awareness is useful, but can be misleading. Spiritual

development is not a ‘plumbing problem.’ Each time a yogini opens a bridge
into the astral or causal dimension, she uncovers more subtle layers of karma,
not just her own karma, but the karmic laws that govern the creation of plants,
animals, people, nations, worlds, and, ultimately, the universe. To enter these
subtle dimensions, a yogini must confront her karmic debts, dissolve her sel sh
attachments, and grow in unconditional love. This is the inner struggle outlined
in all spiritual traditions. For more on this aspect of spiritual practice, read the
section ‘Seeds of Karma,’ page 14.

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 Chapter 2: Meditation

Pranayama and Meditation

Complementary Practices

The goal of a hatha yogini is to fuse her shiva-prana and shakti-prana into
Nectar. Then her consciousness will rise to the astral, causal, or Purusha level.
Pranayama and meditation are complementary approaches to this goal.

Pranayama emphasizes increasing the ow of shakti-prana into a chakra. The

ow of shakti-prana is innately calming and enjoyable. This will absorb the
attention of the yogini, which increases the ow of shiva-prana into that chakra.

Meditation emphasizes focusing the yogini’s attention onto one chakra, to the
exclusion of all else. This increases the ow of shiva-prana into that chakra.
This increase in shiva-prana will magnetically arouse a greater ow of shakti-
prana into that chakra.

The First Meditation

Following the Ox

The Ox represents the instinctive, uncontrolled movement of your diaphragm.

Another way to express this is to say ‘The Ox represents the instinctive,
uncontrolled rhythm of your breathing.’

‘Following the Ox’ is sitting quietly and passively observing the abdominal
pressure and distention created by the downward movement of your
diaphragm. Your lower abdomen distends slightly with each inhalation, and
returns to its resting, neutral position with each exhalation.

Technique
Sit calmly and passively observe how natural, uncontrolled breathing a ects the
pressure in your lower abdomen, the ower of your second chakra. Make no
attempt to alter your breath, just focus on the sensations created by each
inhalation and exhalation.

Phenomena
If the pranas become active, your lower abdomen will become ‘tense’ or ‘full’
without any e ort. Dr. Motoyama said this kind of lower abdominal tension is
the objective, outward sign of the depth of your meditation.

A similar but more signi cant phenomena is feeling prana rise up sushumna.
Yogic texts have detailed many di erent ways shakti-prana can move within
sushumna, such as crawling along your spine like ants, or hopping like a frog
from one chakra to the next, or undulating along your spine like a serpent. If you
experience prana spontaneously moving within sushumna, become absorbed
into it. Otherwise, stay absorbed into your lower abdomen.

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 Chapter 2: Meditation

The Second Meditation

Quiet Heart

When the breath becomes still, the mind becomes still. When the mind
becomes still, the heart becomes still. If the heart becomes still, the yogini will
be able to withdraw into her spine, where the noise of the senses cannot reach
her.

Technique
Sit calmly and passively observe how natural, uncontrolled breathing a ects the
prana of your heart chakra. Make no attempt to alter your breath. Focus on the
subtle increase of tension in your heart just before each inhalation, and the
relaxation of this tension with each exhalation.

After each exhalation there is an e ortless, breathless calm. The yogini seeks
to extend this peaceful, breathless state. This cannot be done by
suppressing the natural urge to breathe. It can only be done by transcending
the need to breathe, by relaxing her heart.

The Third Meditation

Shambhavi Mudra

Chakras radiate astral lights, which can be seen re ected in your Third Eye, the
ower of your sixth chakra. The Third Eye is imagined as a little behind and
above the upper end of the bridge of your nose.

Technique
Gently close your eyes. Now, open them just enough to focus your gaze on the
tip of your nose. For most people, this creates a gentle strain. Hold this gaze
for a few seconds.

Now, relax the muscles of your eyes. They will rebound upwards. Keep your
eye lids at least partially closed so that no external light is perceptible. Focus on
your Third Eye. This is ‘Shambhavi Mudra.’

Try to become absorbed into any shimmering lights that you see.

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 Chapter 2: Meditation

The Fourth Meditation

The Rebound

The Rebound is the period of time immediately following your pranayama

practices. ‘Becoming absorbed into the Rebound’ means focusing on the
phenomena that arise during this period.

One might expect these phenomena to be associated with the chakras involved
in the pranayama practice, but this is not always the case. What arises during
the Rebound is dependent on a yogini’s karma. The karmic seeds that are
already active in a yogini’s life might have more in uence on her Rebound
experience than her pranayama practice.

For example, if a yogini practices Turning the Lower Wheel, she might expect
the Rebound to be a feeling of heat or pressure in her lower abdomen, or a
movement of shakti-prana up her spine. But the Rebound phenomena might be
a strong feeling in her heart, or entrancing astral lights in her Third Eye. Or, she
might become absorbed into an immense feeling of peace that is not localized in
any one particular chakra.

Nada Meditation

One of the most auspicious phenomena that can arise during the Rebound
are sounds that come from within you. These sounds are called ‘Nada’ in
Sanskrit. The ow of prana within the chakras creates these sounds. Becoming
absorbed into nada has been considered a preeminent method of spiritual
practice for thousands of years. Entire scriptures, called ‘Upanishads,’ have
been written about it.

The nada of the rst chakra is said to be like a buzzing bee; the second chakra
is like a ute; the third is like a harp; the fourth is like a large bell; the fth is like
ocean waves; and the sixth and seventh are the harmonious combination of all
these sounds as OM. Of course, these descriptions are approximate.

Technique
Become absorbed into any form of nada that arises from within you. In the
beginning you might hear the nada in just one ear, but with time you will hear the
nada in both ears. The sound will seem centered in the back of your head, or ll
your head. Try to become absorbed into whatever nada sounds you hear. Try to
follow it to its source. If you are deeply absorbed, you might hear several
sounds at once. If this happens, focus on the dominant sound until the next
‘background’ sound comes forward.

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 Chapter 2: Meditation

Seeds of Karma

When we practice pranayama, we hope to awaken the chakras at an astral or

causal level. If we are successful, during the Rebound we will experience astral
and causal phenomena that will lead us to higher states of consciousness. But
the increased ow of prana also awakens the seeds of karma stored in the
chakras. These seeds manifest as physical restlessness, as desires, emotions,
memories, and thoughts. We must patiently and maturely deal with these karmic
seeds if we wish to raise our consciousness to the astral and causal dimensions.

Here are ve strategies for dealing with Seeds of Karma:

1. Dismiss them. The rst level of distracting concerns that arise during
meditation are our everyday preoccupations of work and family. Frequently,
these concerns are trivial and can be dismissed simply by saying to yourself,
‘I will deal with this later.’

2. Neutralize them. Thoughts and memories that are not trivial can sometimes
be neutralized by cultivating the opposite quality. For example, annoyance
or resentment can be neutralized by cultivating the opposite emotional
qualities of compassion and kindness.

3. Retrace them. If the thoughts and memories that arise are strongly
emotional or deeply meaningful, it is useful to hold them in your mind and
trace them back to their origin. When did it start? Why did you get
involved? What did you originally expect to gain from this relationship or
ambition? This practice is revealing of our own patterns of behavior. And it
can lead to the insights necessary to resolve this karma.

4. Observe them. Sometimes the best strategy for dealing with strongly
emotional or deeply meaningful thoughts and memories is to just observe
them, without judging them or trying to change them. Their energies will
slowly dissipate, and, in time, you will be able to dismiss, neutralize, or
retrace them.

5. Absorb them. Not every thought or memory that arises during meditation is
undesirable. Some of them are calming and strengthening. It would be
impossible to list all the bene cial thoughts and memories that might arise,
but they include calm insights into your own behavior, pleasant memories of
kindness, or an inner reconciliation with those who have passed beyond this
world. You should allow yourself to become absorbed into them and absorb
strength from them. They will eventually fade, and then you should lovingly
set them aside and resume your focus of meditation.

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 Chapter 3: Pranayama

Bandhas and Mudras

Bandhas and mudras are muscular contractions that help move shiva-prana
and shakti-prana. Bandha means ‘lock or contraction’ in Sanskrit. Mudra
means ‘gesture’ in Sanskrit. They are used in conjunction with pranayama
techniques. I will explain how they are used when describing the various
pranayama techniques.

1. Mulabandha. Contracting mulabandha means closing your anus and pulling

the oor of your pelvis upward. This creates tension around your coccyx, and
this tension helps raise shakti-prana.

2. Vajroli Mudra. Tensing vajroli mudra means making your lower abdomen
rm, as if you were going to ‘take a punch.’ This is a contraction of your oblique
muscles. This creates pressure against your sacrum, and this pressure helps
raise shakti-prana.

3. Uddiyana Bandha. Pulling uddiyana bandha means drawing the muscular

wall of your upper abdomen inward toward your spine. This creates pressure
against your lower thoracic spine. This pressure helps raise shakti-prana.

4. Shambhavi Mudra. Rolling your eyes upward and slightly inward is

shambhavi mudra. It helps focus your awareness into your Third Eye and draw
shakti-prana upward. It was described in the Shambhavi Mudra Meditation,
page 12.

5. Khechari Mudra. Holding your tongue against the roof of your mouth is
called ‘khechari mudra.’ Khechari mudra makes it easier to breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations. It is described in great detail in the next
two pages.


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 Chapter 3: Pranayama

Khechari Mudra

Holding your tongue against the roof of your mouth is called ‘khechari mudra.’
Khechari mudra makes it easier to breathe with long, smooth inhalations and
exhalations. And, it assists the movement of prana.

All of the pranayamas will be more comfortable and e ective if you use khechari
mudra when practicing them.

Your trachea is commonly called your ‘windpipe.’ The upper part of your
trachea is your larynx, your ‘voice box.’ The root of your tongue is anchored to
the cartilage that covers the opening to your larynx. When your tongue is
pressed against your hard or soft palate, you can easily modify the tensions in
your trachea and palate. These tensions create resistance to the ow of air, and
stimulate the movement of prana.

You can vary the focus of resistance from high in your palate to deep in your
chest, depending on your tongue position and tracheal tension. The two basic
variations of tongue position are the hard palate and the soft palate.

You brie y press your tongue up against your hard palate every time you say
words like ‘lunch’ or ‘crunch.’

You brie y draw your tongue back and press it against your soft palate every
time you say words like ‘hung’ or ‘lung.’

When you use khechari mudra to resist the ow of air, it creates a soft sound.
This sound is called ‘ujjayi.’ Ujjayi means ‘victory’ in Sanskrit. A yogini can vary
the ujjayi sound from soft to inaudible. Every change in tongue position and
trachael tension is re ected in changes of the ujjayi sound. The sound itself is
not important. What is important is nding the quality of resistance that most
e ciently moves your prana.

Note: Some hatha yoga texts describe a more aggressive form of khechari
mudra. They advise the yogini to use her ngers to push the tip of her tongue
so far backward that it slips up above the soft palate. If the pliability of your
frenulum and soft palate allow you to do this, then I encourage you to
experiment with it.

Some texts even recommend gradually cutting the frenulum under your tongue
to be able to do this. Both Paramahansa Yogananda and Dr. Motoyama thought
this was excessive and unnecessary.

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 Chapter 3: Pranayama

Variations of Khechari Mudra

Quiet Heart meditation, page 12, is the perfect time to explore the e ects of
khechari mudra variations.

In each of the following experiments, focus on how your tongue position and
pressure change the natural, unforced inhalations and exhalations.

1. Practice Quiet Heart meditation for two minutes, without khechari mudra.
Relax your tongue and jaw so there is no contact between your tongue and
palate.

1. Now, gently hold your tongue up against your hard palate for two minutes.

2. Now, press your tongue more rmly against your hard palate for two minutes.

3. Now, gently draw your tongue back so it presses against your soft palate for
two minutes.

4. Now, press your tongue upwards against your soft palate a little more rmly
for two minutes.

It is not necessary to repeat this experiment on a regular basis, but during the
rst few months of your practice you should try it a few times. This will help you
nd those variations of khechari mudra that are most e ective in each of the four
pranayama practices.

Note: A variation of khechari mudra that is most e ective for one form of
pranayama might not be most e ective when practicing a di erent form of
pranayama.

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 Chapter 3: Pranayama

Breathing Rhythms for Pranayama

The goal of a hatha yogini is to fuse her shiva-prana and shakti-prana to create
Nectar. The yogic name for this process is ‘pranayama.’

Prana means ‘energy’ in Sanskrit. Yama means ‘control.’ Pranayama means

‘the control of energy.’

Pranayama techniques are frequently referred to as ‘breathing exercises.’

This is because the rst step in learning to control the movement of prana is
learning to control the rhythm of inhalation, exhalation, and breath retention.

When practicing pranayama, maintaining a steady rhythm of inhalation-

retention-exhalation is important, but everyone’s e ective breathing rhythm is
unique. This is why I do not specify how many seconds a yogini should inhale,
or hold her breath, or exhale. But as a general guide, I suggest the following:

Inhale for about 4 seconds.

Hold your breath for about 8 seconds.

Exhale for about 4 seconds.

This 4-8-4 rhythm is just a suggestion. My colleagues report that rhythms as

diverse as 4-16-4 or 8-4-8 or 8-8-8 work well for them.

In the beginning, you might want to count, but it is not necessary. What is
important is to nd a comfortable, steady rhythm of breathing, a rhythm that you
can sustain for several minutes.

Note: A rhythm that is comfortable for one form of pranayama might not be
comfortable when practicing a di erent form of pranayama.

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 Chapter 3: Pranayama

Pushing the Plow

The Fundamental Breathing Technique

The Plow is your diaphragm. Pushing the Plow is deep, abdominal breathing,
sometimes called ‘breathing into your belly.’ It is the fundamentally important
breathing technique.

Your torso is divided by your diaphragm. Your heart and lungs are above your
diaphragm. Your abdominal organs are below your diaphragm.

When you inhale, the muscle bers of your diaphragm contract and pull the
center of your diaphragm downward. This downward movement stretches your
lungs and pulls air into them. This is an active inhalation.

The downward movement of your diaphragm also compresses your abdominal

organs, causing them to bulge outwards and distend your abdominal wall.

When you exhale, the muscle bers of your diaphragm relax, and your stretched
lungs elastically pull your diaphragm back upward to its resting position. This
pushes air out of your lungs. This is a passive exhalation.

The upward movement of your diaphragm also releases the compression on

your abdominal organs, and your distended abdominal wall returns to its resting,
neutral position.

Technique
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Begin with a long, slow inhalation. This is ‘Pushing the Plow.’ This creates
abdominal distention and an active inhalation.

2. Hold your breath for several seconds, but do not close your throat, your
glottis. As long as you maintain a gentle Push on the Plow, you will maintain
abdominal pressure and distention.

3. When you are ready, gradually relax your Push on the Plow, allowing your
distended abdomen to slowly return to its neutral, resting position. This creates
a passive exhalation.

Repeat this exercise fourteen times.

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 Chapter 3: Pranayama

Five-Step Breathing

Five Step Breathing is the breathing pattern used in several pranayama

techniques. It blends the muscular contractions of mulabandha with Pushing
the Plow.

Mulabandha

When you contract mulabandha, you pull the oor of your pelvis upward, which
pushes your abdominal organs upward. This pushes your diaphragm upward,
which forces a little air out of your lungs. This is an active exhalation.

When you relax mulabandha, the oor of your pelvis descends, which allows
your abdominal organs to descend. This allows your diaphragm to descend,
which pulls a little air into your lungs. This is a passive inhalation.

Breathing Pattern
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting mulabandha.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing mulabandha.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow. This will create abdominal distention.

4. Hold your breath, and maintain your Push on the Plow.

5. Passively exhale by relaxing your Push on the Plow.

Repeat this exercise fourteen times.

Note: When you are new to this practice, you might want to pause brie y
between each step. But once you are familiar with the muscular e orts that
create each step, you should blend them together into smooth inhalations and
smooth exhalations.


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Turning the Lower Wheel

This technique helps awaken the rst and second chakras, and open the
Brahma Granthi.

Breathing Pattern
The breathing pattern is the same as Five-Step Breathing, but vajroli mudra is
gradually tensed while you are holding your breath. Tensing vajroli mudra
means making your lower abdomen rm, as if you were going to ‘take a punch.’

Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting mulabandha.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing mulabandha.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow.

4. Hold your breath for as long as comfortable. Gradually tense vajroli mudra.

5. Relax vajroli mudra and passively exhale by slowly relaxing your Push on the
Plow.

Prana Movements
3. While actively inhaling, imagine shiva-prana descending into your second
chakra.

4. While holding your breath, imagine shakti-prana rising up from your coccyx
and fusing with the shiva-prana in your second chakra.

5. While exhaling, imagine this Nectar descending into your coccyx as your
gradually contract mulabandha.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Turning the Middle Wheel

This technique helps awaken the heart chakra, and open the Vishnu Granthi.

The most important part of this pranayama technique is focusing on the feeling
of expansion in the center of your chest. Try to make your inhalations and
exhalations as long and smooth as possible, but do not strain. You want to be
able to comfortably sustain your rhythm of inhaling and exhaling for several
minutes.

Breathing Pattern
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Inhale slowly. Focus on the feeling of expansion in the center of your chest.

2. Hold your breath for a comfortable length of time.

3. Slowly exhale.

Prana Movements
1. While inhaling, draw shiva-prana down through Brahman’s Gate and into your
heart chakra.

2. While holding your breath, imagine your shakti-prana ascending from your
coccyx and blending with shiva-prana in your heart chakra.

3. While exhaling, let the Nectar in your heart ow up and out through
Brahman’s Gate.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Turning the Great Wheel

Turning the Great Wheel is an excellent way to di use and circulate prana
through all of sushumna. This promotes a healthy and gradual awakening of all
of the chakras and all three granthis. This is why variations of this practice
are fundamental in many taoist and yogic traditions.

Uddiyana Bandha
Pulling uddiyana bandha means drawing the muscular wall of your upper
abdomen inward toward your spine. This creates pressure against your lower
thoracic vertebrae.

When you resist the Push of the Plow by pulling uddiyana bandha, there is a
subtle sensation of expanding or lifting the lower part of your ribcage, near your
kidneys. Some yoginis describe this subtle feeling as ‘breathing with my back,’
or ‘breathing with my kidneys.’

Breathing Pattern
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting mulabandha.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing mulabandha.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow. Resist the abdominal distention this
creates by gradually pulling uddiyana bandha inward.

4. Relax uddiyana bandha, but hold your breath for as long as comfortable.

5. Passively exhale by relaxing your Push on the Plow.

Prana Movements
3. During the active phase of inhalation, draw shakti-prana up sushumna to
Brahman’s Gate, on the top of your head.

4. While holding your breath, imagine shiva-prana and shakti-prana owing

down from Brahman’s Gate and into your Third Eye, where they fuse into Nectar.

5. While passively exhaling, guide the Nectar down the front of your torso to
your lower abdomen. While actively exhaling, guide the Nectar down to your
coccyx as you gradually contract mulabandha.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Beginning Routine

There are two challenges to incorporating these techniques into your practice.
The rst is learning the techniques. I hope the instructions given in this essay
are adequate.

The second challenge is determining which techniques to practice on any given

day. There are numerous ways to proceed. I suggest you go through the
following three-week cycle several times. When you are comfortable with the
techniques, and familiar with how they a ect you, you will be con dent in
determining your own daily schedule.

Week One
Follow the Ox Meditation p.11 Five minutes.

Turn the Lower Wheel p.21 Fourteen times.

Rebound Meditation p.13 Five or ten minutes.

Week Two
Quiet Heart Meditation p.12 Five minutes.

Turn the Middle Wheel p.22 Fourteen times.

Rebound Meditation p.13 Five or ten minutes.

Week Three
Shambhavi Mudra p.12 Five minutes.
Turn the Great Wheel p.23 Fourteen times.

Rebound Meditation p.13 Five or ten minutes.

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Variations of Pranayama Techniques

Di erent lineages in yoga and in taoism teach di erent variations of these

pranayama techniques. Why? One explanation is ‘Because ours is the right
one, and everyone else is wrong.’ Another explanation is ‘Every human being is
unique, and every human being must adapt and modify each technique for it to
be e ective.’

My teacher, Dr. Motoyama was almost casual when suggesting di erent

variations of techniques. He stressed that what is important is feeling your
prana move. He had the the habit of ending his seminars with the following bit
of advice: ‘Have the courage and self con dence to test these things for
yourselves.’

In this chapter I have outlined some variations of the three basic pranayama
techniques discussed earlier. I have included the original variations of each
technique, to make this chapter a more convenient reference.

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Turning the Lower Wheel

First Variation

This technique helps awaken the rst and second chakras, and open the
Brahma Granthi.

Breathing Pattern
The breathing pattern for Turning the Lower Wheel is the same as Five-Step
Breathing, but Water Boy is gradually tensed while you are holding your
breath.

Hold your tongue in khechari mudra, the Smiling Monk. This will help you
breathe with long, smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting Water Girl.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing Water Girl.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow.

4. Hold your breath for as long as comfortable. Gradually tense Water Boy.
This creates pressure in your sacrum.

5. Relax Water Boy and passively exhale by slowly relaxing your Push on the
Plow.

Prana Movements
While inhaling, imagine shiva-prana descending into your second chakra.

While holding your breath, imagine shakti-prana rising up from your coccyx and
fusing with the shiva-prana in your second chakra.

While exhaling, imagine this Nectar descending into your coccyx.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

Turning the Lower Wheel

Second Variation

This variation is minor. The breathing pattern and prana movements are the
same as the rst variation, but Water Boy is gradually tensed during
inhalation and this tension is maintained during breath retention.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.


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Turning the Lower Wheel

Third Variation

This variation involves two di erent forms of Water Boy: Pulling and Tensing.
Pulling Water Boy is using your transversus abdominus muscle to pull your
lower abdomen in towards your spine. Tensing Water Boy is using your oblique
muscles to make your lower abdomen rm.

Breathing Pattern
The breathing pattern for Turning the Lower Wheel is the same as Five-Step
Breathing, but you Pull Water Boy while Pushing the Plow and Tense Water
Boy while holding your breath.

Hold your tongue in khechari mudra, the Smiling Monk. This will help you
breathe with long, smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting Water Girl.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing Water Girl.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow. Simultaneously and gradually Pull

Water Boy. This creates pressure against your sacrum.

4. Hold your breath for as long as comfortable. Relax the Pull of Water Boy so
your lower abdomen distends and then gradually Tense Water Boy.

5. Relax Water Boy and passively exhale by slowly relaxing your Push on the
Plow.

Prana Movements
While Pulling Water Boy, imagine pulling shakti-prana up from your coccyx and
into your second chakra.

While holding your breath, imagine shiva-prana descending and mixing with
the shakti-prana in your second chakra.

While exhaling, imagine this Nectar descending into your coccyx.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Turning the Lower Wheel

Fourth Variation

In this variation the sequential contractions of Water Boy and Water Girl are
reversed. It is a useful preparation for Shambhavi Mudra Meditation because
the prana tends to rebound up towards your Third Eye when exhaling.

Breathing Pattern
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting Water Boy.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing Water Boy.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow.

4. Hold your breath for as long as comfortable. Gradually tense Water Girl.

5. Relax Water Girl and passively exhale by slowly relaxing your Push on the
Plow.

Prana Movements
While inhaling, imagine drawing shiva-prana in through the Moon and down
sushumna into your lower abdomen.

While holding your breath, imagine shakti-prana rising up from your coccyx and
fusing with the shiva-prana in your second chakra.

While exhaling, imagine this Nectar ascending up sushumna and out through the
Moon,

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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 Chapter 4: Variations

Turning the Middle Wheel

This technique helps awaken the heart chakra, and open the Vishnu Granthi.

The most important part of this pranayama technique is focusing on the feeling
of expansion in the center of your chest. Try to make your inhalations and
exhalations as long and smooth as possible, but do not strain. You want to be
able to comfortably sustain your rhythm of inhaling and exhaling for several
minutes.

Breathing Pattern
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Inhale slowly. Focus on the feeling of expansion in the center of your chest.

2. Hold your breath for a comfortable length of time.

3. Slowly exhale.

Prana Movements
1. While inhaling, draw shiva-prana down through Brahman’s Gate and into your
heart chakra.

2. While holding your breath, imagine your shakti-prana ascending from your
coccyx and blending with shiva-prana in your heart chakra.

3. While exhaling, let the Nectar in your heart ow up and out through
Brahman’s Gate.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Turning the Great Wheel

First Variation

Turning the Great Wheel circulates shakti-prana through all of sushumna. This
promotes a healthy and gradual awakening of all the chakras and granthis. This
is why variations of this practice are fundamental in many taoist and yogic
traditions.

Uddiyana Bandha
Pulling uddiyana bandha means drawing the muscular wall of your upper
abdomen inward toward your spine. This creates pressure against your lower
thoracic vertebrae.

When you resist the Push of the Plow by pulling uddiyana bandha, there is a
subtle sensation of expanding or lifting the lower part of your ribcage, near your
kidneys. Some yoginis describe this subtle feeling as ‘breathing with my back,’
or ‘breathing with my kidneys.’

Breathing Pattern
Hold your tongue in khechari mudra. This will help you breathe with long,
smooth inhalations and exhalations.

1. Actively exhale by contracting mulabandha.

2. Passively inhale by relaxing mulabandha.

3. Actively inhale by Pushing the Plow. Resist the abdominal distention this
creates by gradually pulling uddiyana bandha inward.

4. Relax uddiyana bandha, but hold your breath for as long as comfortable.

5. Passively exhale by relaxing your Push on the Plow.

Prana Movements
3. During the active phase of inhalation, draw shakti-prana up sushumna to
Brahman’s Gate, on the top of your head.

4. While holding your breath, imagine shiva-prana and shakti-prana owing

down from Brahman’s Gate and into your Third Eye, where they fuse into Nectar.

5. While passively exhaling, guide the Nectar down the front of your torso to
your lower abdomen. While actively exhaling, guide the Nectar down to
muladhara as you gradually contract mulabandha.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Turning the Great Wheel

Second Variation

The breathing pattern in this variation is the same as the rst, but shakti-prana
is drawn up through the owers of the chakras during inhalation, and then
down through the roots of the chakras during exhalation.

Prana Movements
3. During the active phase of inhalation, draw shakti-prana up the front of your
torso and into your Third Eye.

4. While holding your breath, imagine shiva-prana owing down from Brahman’s
Gate and fusing with the shakti-prana you are holding in your Third Eye.

5. While exhaling, guide this Nectar down your spine to your coccyx as you
gradually contract mulabandha.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

Turning the Great Wheel

Third Variation

Occasionally, when practicing pranayama intensively, a yogini will feel pressure

slowly accumulating in her head. This can be relieved by drawing her shakti-
prana out through Brahman’s Gate and holding it above her head.

The breathing pattern in this variation is the same as the rst, but the pranas are
circulated up and down sushumna, rather than up the back and down the front
of the torso.

Prana Movements
3. During the active phase of inhalation, draw shakti-prana up sushumna and
out through Brahman’s Gate, the fontanel on the top of your skull.

4. While holding your breath, imagine this shakti-prana fusing with light of the
Softly Glowing Pearl, which is su used through all space.

5. While exhaling, guide the Nectar back down through Brahman’s Gate and
down sushumna to your coccyx.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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Turning the Great Wheel

Fourth Variation

Sometimes, a yogini unconsciously strains when trying to draw shakti-prana all

the way up sushumna with the inhalation. This can create fatigue or an
unnecessary pressure in her head. In this variation shakti-prana is raised
during breath retention rather than inhalation.

Breathing Pattern
1. Slowly inhale by Pushing the Plow. Use khechari mudra to guide the ow of
air over your palate.

2. Hold your breath for as long as comfortable.

3. Slowly exhale by relaxing your Push on the Plow. Use khechari mudra to
guide the ow of air over your palate.

Prana Movements
1. While inhaling, draw shiva-prana in through your Third Eye and into the
center of your brain.

2. While holding your breath, imagine shakti-prana rising up from your coccyx
and fusing with the shiva-prana you are holding in the center of your brain.

3. While exhaling, imagine Nectar owing forward from the center of your brain
and out through your Third Eye.

Practice this pranayama fourteen times, then become absorbed into the
Rebound.

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The Nei Jing Tu:

A Taoist Representation of
Chakras, Bandhas, and Mudras

This nal chapter is an interpretation of the picture on the front page of this
essay. This picture is patterned after a famous taoist image called the Nei Jing
Tu.

I rst became aware of the Nei Jing Tu through a book by my teacher Dr. Hiroshi
Motoyama: ‘Awakening the Chakras and Emancipation,’ available from
www.CIHS.edu. On page 139 is a picture of the Nei Jing Tu, accompanied by a
brief interpretation of its images.

The only other source I have consulted is a study by David Teh-Yu Wang,
available from www.jstor.org/stable/20169078.

My interpretation of the Nei Jing Tu is not a continuation of Dr. Motoyama’s or

Wang’s studies. They are my naive interpretation of the images. Most of the
names I use for the images and techniques are my own. They are names of
convenience, not tradition.

It is possible the wonderful correlations between yogic ideas and the images of
the Nei Jing Tu exist only in my imagination. Perhaps I am seeing things that are
not there. If that is the case, then the following correlations are just a
coincidental, but beautiful ‘memory palace’ of the theory and techniques
presented in the rst part of this essay.

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Brief History of the Nei Jing Tu

The Nei Jing Tu is a symbolic landscape of the mystical energy system of the
human body. It is a guide for spiritual practitioners who hope to raise their
consciousness by transforming the energies circulating within their brain and
spine. In the Chinese taoist tradition, this transformation is considered an ‘Inner
Alchemy.’ In the Indian yogic tradition, it is called ‘Awakening the Chakras.’

The original Nei Jing Tu was a painted scroll hanging in a taoist temple in China.
A visiting taoist monk named Liu Chengyin was so impressed that he had a
wood block carved in its likeness. With this block he created ink prints that
were circulated. This was in the year 1886.

As of the year 2022, there are many versions of the Nei Jing Tu on the internet. I
personally own three variants. The basic layout is consistent, but the details
vary. Images that are lakes in one version are boulders in another and non-
existent in others. A human gure is bald and shirtless in one version, fully
dressed and wearing a hat in another. There are many discrepancies of this
kind.

We do not know which of these versions is closest to the original because the
original painted scroll has not been documented by anyone else, and the carved
block that had been used to make ink copies is lost. Even the monastery in
which the scroll was discovered cannot be identi ed.

Many modern versions of the Nei Jing Tu are printed in black and white to
imitate an old-fashioned ink print. Others are in full color. Any colored versions
of the Nei Jing Tu have been created by modern artisans who improvised their
choice of colors.

The bottom line is this: any interpretation of the Nei Jing Tu must rely on the
broad, general design. The ne details vary from one modern version to the
next.

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 Chapter 5: The Nei Jing Tu

The Meaning of ‘Nei Jing Tu’

The Chinese word ‘jing’ means ‘warp’ or ‘weave.’ The Chinese word ‘nei’
means ‘inner.’ The Chinese word ‘tu’ means ‘chart’ or ‘diagram.’ Modern
translations of the title ‘Nei Jing Tu’ include ‘Diagram of the Internal Texture of
Man,’ ‘Chart of Inner Passageways,’ ‘Diagram of Internal Pathways,’ and ‘Chart
of the Inner Warp.’

A fabric is woven of the ‘warp and the weft.’ The warp threads are stretched
taught on a loom and the weft threads are woven through them. Many di erent
lengths and colors of weft threads are used in a weaving, depending on the
pattern the weaver is trying to create. But the warp threads are the unchanging,
stable matrix.

This is the perfect analogy for the yogic and taoist theories of the human form.
The food a person consumes is transformed into bones, brains, muscles, and
other tissues. These tissues are the weft threads that make the human body
visible.

The weft threads are constantly being used up and replaced. It is the warp
threads that maintain the shape and functional integrity of the body. These warp
threads are the invisible energy channels that permeate every tissue and cell.
They are called ‘jing luo’ in Chinese, the ‘channels’ of acupuncture. They are
called ‘nadis’ in Sanskrit, which means ‘tubes’ or ‘channels.’

Yogic and taoist practitioners seek to expand their consciousness by

‘cultivating’ or ‘purifying’ the energies that circulate within their bodies. To be
e ective, some understanding of these energies, their circulation, and their
functions is necessary. The Nei Jing Tu is a symbolic representation of these
‘technical’ details.

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 Chapter 5: The Nei Jing Tu

Symbols of the Chakras

The Nei Jing Tu is an image of a mountain chain that resembles the human
skull, jaw, and vertebral column. Within the top half of the skull there is a
Lake of Nectar. This is a reservoir of Prana. A river ows out from this lake and
cascades downward, inside the vertebral mountains, and eventually ows out
through the coccyx into the sea. This river is sushumna.

Purusha is symbolized by the ‘Softly Glowing Pearl’ that oats above the
mountains of the skull. In some taoist traditions, the unmoving Pole Star is the
uncreated source of all created things. It is the true ‘home’ of Purusha. So it
would also be viable to interpret the Softly Glowing Pearl as the Pole Star.

7th. The Pyramid on the top of the head represents Brahman’s Gate. It is the
top opening of sushumna and is the ower of sahasrara, the seventh chakra.
The root of sahasrara is the Lake of Nectar, in the top half of the skull.

6th. Sitting Sage is seated on a grassy plateau that borders the Lake of Nectar.
Underneath the feet of the Sitting Sage is a sphere. It is the Moon, the Third
Eye, the pituitary gland, the ower of the sixth chakra. Under the Lake of Nectar
is another sphere. It is the Sun, the pineal gland, the root of the sixth chakra.

5th. Smiling Monk is in the ower of vishuddhi, the fth chakra. The ower of
vishuddhi is the throat. The root of vishuddhi is near the seventh cervical
vertebra.

4th. Herding Boy is in the ower of anahata, the fourth chakra. The ower of
anahata is the heart. The root of anahata is near the fth thoracic vertebra.

3rd. Weaving Girl is in the ower of manipura, the third chakra. The ower of
manipura is the upper abdomen. The root of manipura is near the second
lumbar vertebra.

2nd. Water Boy is in the ower of svadhisthana, the second chakra. The
ower of svadhisthana is the lower abdomen. The root of svadhisthana is near
the second sacral vertebra.

1st. Water Girl is in the ower of muladhara, the rst chakra. The ower of
muladhara is the oor of the pelvis. The root of muladhara is within the coccyx.

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Symbols of the Three Nectars

There is no direct symbolism for the four layers of sushumna, or for the three
bodies. But they could be inferred by the fact that there are symbols for the
three Nectars and the three granthis.

Vajra Nectar is symbolized by the circling Tai Ji symbols near the Plowing Man.

Chitrini Nectar is symbolized by the upward and downward curving Rainbows

in front of the skull.

Brahma Nectar is symbolized by the Celestial Light streaming out of the

Pyramid on the top of the skull.

Symbols of the Three Granthis

The three granthis are represented as Bridges with towers built upon them.

The Brahma Granthi, which guards the opening to the second layer of
sushumna, is symbolized by the Lower Bridge which spans the river of
sushumna near the base of the spine.

The Vishnu Granthi, which guards the opening to the third layer of sushumna,
is symbolized by the Middle Bridge which spans the river of sushumna
opposite the heart.

The Shiva Granthi, which guards the opening to the fourth layer of sushumna,
is symbolized by the Upper Bridge spans the river of sushumna near the Sun.

Water Girl is Mulabandha

Water Girl treads on a large wheel. Such wheels were used to raise water from
canals and pour it into irrigated elds. They are symbolic for reversing the
downward ow of shakti-prana.

Water Girl is the lowest human gure. She is the muscular oor of your pelvis.
When you contract Water Girl, you create tension around your coccyx,
symbolized by the First Cauldron of Fire.

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 Chapter 5: The Nei Jing Tu

Water Boy is Vajroli Mudra

Water Girl and Water Boy are closely related. They are facing each other as
they tread on large wheels that raise water from canals and pour it onto irrigated
elds. Turning these wheels is symbolic for reversing the downward ow of
shakti-prana.

Water Boy is the muscular wall of your lower abdomen, the ower of
svadhisthana, the second chakra. When you tense Water Boy, you create
pressure against your sacrum, symbolized by the Second Cauldron of Fire.

The Plowing Man is Pranayama

The Plow represents the abdominal pressure created by the downward

movement of the diaphragm.

Plowing Man represents the conscious control of the rhythm of inhalation,

exhalation, and breath retention.

The Ox represents the unconscious, uncontrolled rhythm of inhalation and

exhalation.

The Plow is being in uenced by the unconscious pull of the Ox and the
conscious push of the Plowing Man.

Pushing the Plow is deep, abdominal breathing, sometimes called ‘breathing

into your belly.’

Weaving Girl is Uddiyana Bandha

Weaving Girl is the muscular wall of your upper abdomen, the ower of
manipura, the third chakra.

Uddiyana means ‘ ying upward.’ Uddiyana bandha is performed by drawing

your upper abdomen inward toward your spine. This helps raise shakti-prana,
symbolized by the Ribbon of Silk owing inward from her spinning wheel and
then upward in front of the spine, disappearing into the throat.

Uddiyana bandha creates pressure against your lower thoracic spine,

symbolized by the Fire within Sushumna, just opposite Weaving Girl.

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 Chapter 5: The Nei Jing Tu

Herding Boy is Quiet Heart Meditation

Holding the Pole Star is the symbol for quieting the mind.

Walking the Spiral Path is the symbol for quieting the breath.

Herding Boy is in the center of the chest, the ower of the heart chakra. He is
staring at the Pole Star that he holds in his hands. We know this is the Pole
Star by the presence of the Great Bear (Big Dipper) constellation. The Pole Star
is the only star in the sky that does not appear to move. All the other stars seem
to circle around the Pole Star. The Pole Star is the home of Purusha. It is the
eternal, unchanging axis of the ever-changing world.

The Great Bear constellation of the heart chakra is drawn as a mirror image of
the actual constellation in the sky. I believe this is a deliberate symbol of how
the stillness of the Pole Star is re ected in the calm center of the heart. Taoism
is full of these macrocosmic/microcosmic correlations.

Herding Boy is Walking the Spiral Path and is encircled by a Ring of Breath
coming down through the Twelve Story Pagoda, the trachea. The Ring
expands and contracts with each breath. The Ring of Breath becomes smaller
and smaller as Herding Boy approaches the still point at the center of the spiral.

Smiling Monk is Khechari Mudra

Smiling Monk is the muscles of your tongue and trachea, the ower of
vishuddhi, the fth chakra.

When Nectar is formed, it ows upward into the brain. Some of it cannot be
readily absorbed into the Lake of Nectar, so it trickles back down into the body.
Yogis describe this as blissful. This trickle of newly formed Nectar is
represented by the narrow Waterfall of Nectar that ows down from the Lake
of Nectar and into the Pool of Nectar at the back of the throat.

A Foot Bridge spans the Pool of Nectar. It represents the tongue.

A Rainbow of shakti-prana curves upward from the tongue.

A Rainbow of shiva-prana curves downward from the mountains of the skull.

A Twelve Story Pagoda stands just behind and below the Pool of Nectar. It is
your trachea, your ‘windpipe.’

Smiling Monk stands on a shelf of rock that symbolizes the lower jaw. He
stands with his back to us, his head tilted so far backward that his face appears
upside down, symbolizing drawing the tongue up and back. Both arms are
thrust upward, symbolizing that he is lifting the Rainbows of shiva-prana and
shakti-prana upward.

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 Chapter 5: The Nei Jing Tu

Sitting Sage is Shambhavi Mudra

The Sitting Sage is seated on a grassy plateau that borders the Lake of Nectar.
He symbolizes all levels of spiritual insight. Underneath the feet of the Sitting
Sage is a sphere. It is the Moon, the Third Eye, the pituitary gland, the ower of
the sixth chakra.

Under the Lake of Nectar is another sphere. It is the Sun, the pineal gland, the
root of the sixth chakra. These pituitary and pineal glands sit on opposite ends
of the third ventricle, in the center of your brain.

Chakras radiate astral lights, which can be seen re ected in the Moon, your
Third Eye. In yogic tradition, focusing on the Third Eye is shambhavi mudra.

Symbols of Pranayama Techniques

The interpretation of the Nei Jing Tu as symbolic of chakras, bandhas, and

mudras is, in my opinion, very plausible. Interpreting its images as symbolic of
speci c pranayama techniques is trickier business. The artist certainly intended
there should be a practical implementation of the theoretical ideas, and taoists
practice pranayama techniques, which they call ‘Nei-Gong,’ but we can only
guess which variations of these techniques the artist intended. Listed below are
a few of my guesses.

The Tai Ji symbols of Vajra Nectar circulate within the lower abdomen, symbolic
of the prana movement of ‘Turning the Lower Wheel.’

The Ring of Breath coming down from the tracheas and surrounding the heart, if
consciously expanded and contracted, would be symbolic of ‘Turning the
Middle Wheel.’

The Rainbows of Chitrini Nectar arc toward each other, but do not touch.
Smiling Monk completes this arc by raising the tongue to the palate. The lifting
of his arms is symbolic of lifting shakti-prana up sushumna as is done when
‘Turning the Great Wheel.’

The Celestial Light of Brahma Nectar streams out through Brahman’s Gate. This
could be symbolic of the third variation of ‘Turning the Great Wheel,’ described
on page 31.

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