Universal Healing Tao
The Universal Healing Tao (UHT) is the system of Taoist practices developed by Grandmaster Mantak Chia to awaken and strengthen the body, mind and spirit, activating extraordinary healing on physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions. Mantak Chia, a true living master, teaches in his beautiful retreat centre, Tao Garden in Thailand, has authored over sixty books, and brings the healing light of the Tao to countless students every year on his world tour.
Universal Healing Tao has a global network of thousands of instructors trained in this system. You can find local instructors to connect with by using the online directory universaltaoinstructors.com
An overview of the practices are described below. All the teachings can be found at school.mantakchia.com – recorded and live workshops delivered by Master Chia. As a starting point for reading, look to his classics Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao (1983) or The Healing Light of the Tao (1993/2008).
Tao Energy Cultivation Basics
Inner Smile | Six Healing Sounds | Microcosmic Orbit | Sexual Alchemy
The healing potential of Inner Alchemy Qigong is first awakened by turning the awareness inwardly, truly calming down and loving our inner body, making the Inner Smile our foundational practice. Detox of the organs continues as we turn stress and toxic emotion into nutritious energy with the Six Healing Sounds, and we open our energy super-highway circuit to distribute healing chi, the Microcosmic Orbit. In one of the most profoundly beautiful discoveries, we harness the amazing healing power of arousal, orgasm and love combined in Sexual Alchemy, and learn to transform raw sexual energy into chi, or life force energy.
Internal Martial Arts
Iron Shirt | Tantien Chi Kung | Tai Chi | Tao Yin | Bone Marrow & Tendon Nei Kung | Stem Cell Chi Kung
Strengthening and releasing tension in the body's structure, the tendons, muscles and bones, is essential to allow chi to flow with more potency through the energetic meridians or pathways. We develop this structure with standing and rooting meditation in Iron Shirt Chi Kung, and moving meditation forms in Tai Chi Chi Kung. In a series of breathing, self-hitting, and moving exercises called Tantien Chi Kung, we generate, cultivate and store more chi in the abdomen known as the Tantien and create protection for the organs. Tao Yin, or "Chinese yoga" is a series of floor-based stretches focussed on relaxing and strengthening the psoas muscles.
Chi Nei Tsang
Organ Detox Massage | Chasing the Winds | Tok Sen | Karsei Nei Tsang | Life Pulse
This part involves massage techniques, much of which can be done on oneself, as well as developed through study and certification as a treatment for others.
Cosmic Healing
At the core of Cosmic Healing is a practice that Mantak Chia calls the "Buddha Palm", activating the healing potential of the hands to strengthen the ability to give chi to others. These practices build on the fundamental energy cultivation exercises to enhance energy flow through the acupuncture points and meridians.
Advanced Inner Alchemy
Fusion of the Five Elements I, II & III | Lesser Kan & Li | Greater Kan & Li | Greatest Kan & Li | Sealing of the Five Senses | Congress of Heaven and Earth | Reunion of Heaven and Man
A prerequisite to beginning these practices must be to develop effective application of the energy cultivation basics. Lesser Kan & Li onwards is normally taught in the dark room in Tao Garden Thailand, or can be replicated in your room for online practice.
1. Tao Energy Cultivation Basics
Inner Smile | Microcosmic Orbit | Six Healing Sounds | Healing Love Based on the 5 Elements of Classical Chinese Medicine, the first part teaches the basic exercises of Taoist energy work, including the “Inner Smile”, the “6 Healing Sounds” and the “Microcosmic Orbit”. The goal of these practices is to learn the inward Qi Gong View and begin the elimination of energetic imbalances in our body-soul-mind unity. We open the major energy channels to allow chi to circulate and heal the body, and the process of inner alchemy is introduced as we learn to recycle our emotional garbage into good virtue energy. The second part covers inner sexual alchemy, that is the work with Jing Chi, our sexual power – in both women and men. Jing chi is the sexual essence, it is formed in the sexual organs. In women, it is the energy of the ovaries given to the eggs, in men, the energy of the semen. Jing Chi is denser than chi, moves slower in the body, and nourishes the organs as it is transformed in this practice and moves through the body. The cultivation of Jing Chi is one of the few ways to replenish our stock – our Chi account, so to speak. Closely connected to the endocrine system, our genitalia can produce large amounts of sexual energy, an extremely fiery energy, powerful, alive – but not permanent. In order to store it, it has to be directed to the organs and not exclusively allowed to remain in the sexual organs or “wasted”; i.e. without circulating them; be discharged. The exercises and meditations from the Universal HEALING TAO System© show us how we can circulate, transform, and use the fiery energy of Jing Chi to recharge our body energy system.
2. Internal Martial Arts
Iron Shirt | Tan Tien Chi Kung | Tai Chi Chi Kung | Tao Yin Meditative and dynamic exercises should ensure the flow of Chi in the body and strengthen the self-healing powers. Tai Chi is originated from the martial arts and uses the same principles as Qi Gong, but the orientation is more outward. Roughly simplified, Tai Chi is an orderly sequence of Qi Gong exercises, but with a different orientation. Our body chemistry is stable only when our body is permeable. The 12 meridians and the 8 vessels used in the acupuncture transport and store our life force Chi. Tensions and blockages hinder the flow of Chi, causing less performance in our system. A variety of Qi Gong exercises and soft martial arts practices can harmonize or eliminate such disabilities. Most of the outer martial arts styles, such as Kung Fu, Tae-kwon-do, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai work mainly with physical strength and speed. The inner martial arts seem to convey the opposite, smooth flow, relaxation and meditation. The view seems to be more inward, focusing on the opening of the joints and the free flow of Chi in and around the body. At the beginning there is the building up of rooting and the development of our Iron Shirt prepares our physical body to absorb and store spiritual energies. Stretching and working with the dragon’s breath, reactivating our stem cells, stimulating our glands are trained with and through practices such as Tao Yin, Tan Tien Chi Kung, Iron Shirt Chi Kung and various Qi Gong and Tai Chi levels. With these Internal Martial Arts, we prepare ourselves for the advanced practices to explore our Inner Alchemy.
3. Chi Nei Tsang (organ massage)
Chi Nei Tsang has five levels: Organ Detoxing, Chasing the Winds, Tok Sen, Karsei Nei Tsang and Life Pulse. From Chinese health science we know that feelings and emotions do not arise in the brain, but according to archetypal patterns in the 5 major organs. People often develop energy blockages in their internal organs, which are caused by nodules and entanglements of the intestinal tract. Emotions such as fear, anger, excessive anxiety, depression and pondering can do great harm to our body. Energy losses can also result from overwork, stress, accidents, surgery, drugs and toxins, bad and contaminated food, and especially job insecurity. These disharmonious emotions and toxic energies seek to discharge and so deposit themselves on and around the organs in our body, that can process portions of this emotional garbage. However, there are usually enough blockages back to hinder the flow of energy in the body, which usually leads to disease at some point. Disharmonic emotions can cause such excessive heat in the organs that dysfunction can even lead to total failure. The Chi Nei Tsang© massage is an extremely effective way to release these energy blockages, also called winds, and flush out deposited toxins. The Chi Nei Tsang massage system, so to speak, allows access to those places where energetic patterns manifest in the physical body … where chi and matter touch. The exact connections have not yet been researched here, but the efficient effectiveness of the Chi Nei Tsang massage system astonishes and excites the participants again and again.
4. Cosmic Healing
Cosmic Healing Qi Gong is a hitherto largely unknown method to specifically absorb cosmic energy, to store it and to use it for health and long life – for yourself and others. By activating hands and acupuncture points, vitalizing forces flow in and through the entire body. This prevents the exhaustion of one’s own energy resources and supplies fresh energy. Cosmic Healing Qi Gong builds on basic exercises such as Inner Smile, Six Healing Sounds, Microcosmic Orbit and uses Skin and Bone Breath, Iron Shirt Practice and Tan Tien deepening exercises. At the core of the Cosmic Healing Qi Gong is a practice method that Master Mantak Chia calls the “Buddha Palm”. The goal of this practice is to strengthen the chi of the practitioner and to develop his ability to give chi to others. The exercises are based on the Shaolin ‘Finger Qi Gong’, from which the Kong Jing Qi Gong has been derived, about which there are hardly any publications and that is rarely taught. Other methods describe techniques with the hands and with different visualizations, including colored Chi. However, Master Mantak Chia himself warns against the inexperienced use of some of these techniques. Through the practitioner’s inner preparation with the basic exercises, and especially with the techniques of the Cosmic Healing Qi Gong, the practitioner’s mental and spiritual abilities are trained and developed. The Taoist health system is largely based on the elements and roots of classical and traditional Chinese medicine. Like all methods handed down in the Taoist tradition, the Cosmic Healing Qi Gong is not based on a belief system, but the values and emphases should be ‘experienced’ by everyone. Learn to protect yourself by transforming the painful emotions offered by our brothers and sisters into useful body energies. The old system of ‘sucking shamans’ is still used, but today we are no longer trained to protect ourselves from the burdensome, emotional external energies and mental attacks from outside. Grand Master Mantak Chia shows us how to build up simple protective fields and gives you the opportunity to balance your own body energy system – practical mental hygiene, so to speak. Grand Master Chia takes us with the invocation of the guardian spirits and shows how to handle the spirits.
5. Inner Alchemy Immortality
The UHT Inner Alchemy Immortality knows various levels: FUSION of the 5 Elements I – II – III, Lesser Kan & Li, Greater Kan & Li, Greatest Kan & Li, Sealing of the 5 Senses, Congress of Heaven and Earth, Reunion of Heaven an Man In the Inner Alchemy Immortality the mastery of the basic exercises like Inner Smile, Six Healing Sounds, Microcosmic Orbit and the knowledge of the 5 Element System according to classical Chinese medicine is required. Emotions such as fear, anger, excessive anxiety, depression and pondering can do great harm to our body-mind-soul unit. Energy losses can also result from overwork, stress, accidents, surgery, drugs and toxins, bad and contaminated food, and especially job insecurity. As we begin to practice the meditations of higher inner alchemy without successfully balancing and harmonizing our mind-body system, unpleasant phenomena may arise from the deeper parts of our soul. So in the first part of the Inner Alchemy Immortality, the 3 levels of the UHT FUSION of the 5 Elements need to be mastered. It is considered the “jewel” of Taoist meditation because of its great effectiveness in transforming disharmonious emotions. In the alchemical practices of FUSION, various Pakua (Ba Gua) and gathering points are used to extract, bind, and harmonize adherent, emotional energies from the organs. The collection of organ energy does not weaken the organs in any way. In fact, each time you practice the fusion, it is such that the energy of the essences gathered from the organs is fused, purified, and transformed into a life energy of enhanced quality. The first level of FUSION teaches you how to transform the disharmonious emotions of worry, grief, cruelty, anger, and fear into pure life energy. The second level of FUSION teaches you how to let the pure energy of the five organs circle as soon as they are free of disharmonious emotions. When the organs are cleansed, the positive feelings of kindness, gentleness, respect, balance, justice and compassion emerge as a natural expression of inner balance. The practitioner can monitor this state of equilibrium by observing the nature of spontaneously forming emotions. Our disharmonious emotions are transformed into radiant virtues in this alchemical process. The Eight Extraordinary Vessels of Classical Chinese Medicine used in these processes are favored in Taoist body alchemy, and the 12 Organ Meridians are used in acupuncture. In the third stage of FUSION, the practitioner completes the cleansing of the energy pathways in the body by activating the bridge and regulator channels. With the opening and activating of the Microcosmic Orbit (Du Mai and Ren Mai), the ascending central channel (Chong Mai), the belt channels and the yin and yang Bridge and Regulator Channels in the arms and legs, the body is now completely permeable to the circle of life energy. The unimpeded flow of energy forms the basis for perfect physical and mental health. In this stage, you build an extraordinary psychic protective field and learn techniques to solve energy blockages that prefer to attach to the spine, but also to other parts of the body. To continue studying your own body chemistry in the higher levels, the mastering of the 3 levels ‘FUSION of the 5 Elements’ is required, to your own mental safety. Grand-Master Chia teaches all the higher steps of UHT Inner Alchemy in Darkroom Retreats. At this, already very high level of Taoist energy work, the sexual energy Jing Chi (creative power) is transformed into life force. The key secret of these formulas is that the usual positions of fire and water are reversed mentally in the physical body to release sexual energy. The spread of sexual energy throughout the organism can be thought of as water vapor rising as soon as the water begins to boil above the fire. By interchanging the positions, the heat of the body fire gets under the cool of body water. Without this interchange, the fire simply blazes up and heats or burns the body from within. The water (the sexual fluids) tends to flow down and leave the body. When the water dries up, the body breathes its life. The process of evaporation can be extended over a long time. The moist warm steam produced carries tremendous energies and is extremely beneficial to health. The glands, as well as the nervous and lymphatic system are regenerated, the circulation of energy and body fluids intensified. These advanced high practices of Inner Alchemy are taught by Grand Master Mantak Chia in the Darkroom, following the tradition of Taoist masters, meditating in dark caves to keep the mind free from distractions. In the absence of light and distraction, deeper exploration of one’s inner alchemy can begin. Extraordinary experiences are to be expected on these highest levels of sinking into one’s own body chemistry.