Taoism for Beginners - Part 3 - The Importance of the Bai Hui

I know I told everyone that it doesn’t matter how you do it what matters is that you practice. In this series Daoism for Dummies I am helping you raise a conscious about Daoist and Tai Chi philosophy.  What I am sharing with you here is part of the Traditional Basics course and you can find more Tai Chi philosophy in the Gold membership. This article is going to talk about Tai Chi philosophy, so lets begin…

The importance of the  Bai Hui Point on the top of your head

You can find the Bai Hui on the crown of your head. In acupuncture, it is called the Du Mai 20 and it is considered the point where the yang energy joins together.

The Bai Hui connects us to the Universe

In many esoteric traditions this point is considered the Gate to Heaven. Like I always say in class this is where we communicate with the universe. This is the point we can open ourselves up to receive universal energy and strengthens our intuition.

When you focus on lifting your Bai Hui you move your head forward slightly. As a result, your chin tucks inwards. This elongates and straightens your neck so that energy can rise upwards and join the Bai Hui.

Whether we want to admit it or not, we are becoming a sitting culture. As a result our spines are curving pathologically. This results in stiffness in the lower back but can also cause chronic pain and other health related problems. We all suffer from this chronic sitting.

How do I improve my  balance?

When you raise up your crown and decompress the vertebrae in your spine you will improve your posture and straighten your balance. This is the key to what so many of my students are searching for, to improve their balance.

Focusing on your Bai Hui increases mental clarity and focus.

It is said that Tai Chi improves mental capacity. In Tai chi philosophy, it is said that where you focus your intention chi flows and blood follows. Just like when you focus on your hands they begin to tingle. When you focus on your Bai Hui you increase your alertness and even your creativity.

This acupuncture point, the Du Mai 20 is known to calm your spirit, help with sleep issues, anxiety and boost your energy. You can even massage this point yourself. You put your fingers on the tips of your ears and have them meet in the middle of the top of your head. Feel for a soft indent and massage in small circles with your finger. You can add this to your bedtime ritual to help you sleep.

Bai Hui Standing meditation exercise

• Stand straight with your feet hip width apart, your arms to your sides and relax. Tuck your chin and move your head so you raise the Bai Hui point and focus your intention on this point for one minute. (count to 60 slowly)
• Now slouch and curve your spine while sticking out your neck for one minute or as long as you can hold it.
• Now go back to the first position for another minute and feel the difference.
• Now at the same time hold in your stomach slightly which will straighten your posture and put your spine in alignment.

To really feel the difference in the correct/incorrect Bai Hui posture you can try this exercise holding it for three minutes each.

Knowing the incorrect posture will help you find the correct posture to maintain

Now that you have felt the incorrect posture you can become more aware of when you are slouching in your chair or even standing. This has become the new resting posture for many of us so when you feel it, then suck in your stomach slightly, tuck your chin and raise up your Bai Hui.

Like everything, at first this will require effort but once you have trained your body it will happen more naturally and you will spend more time with a straight spine and less time slouching which will prevent many chronic body issues.

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