Now that we know the
four words: unification, separation, inward, and outward, we can discuss how to
view and balance them in everyday life. According to natural cycles as dictated
by our environment, mirrored by the movement of our life energy, there are
three considerations to make each day (also, see how these same three
considerations are used for improving fertility on the Hunyuan Fertility blog
by Dr Yaron Seidman):
- Increase separation in the morning
- Increase unification in the evening
- Cultivate the heart to preserve energy throughout the day
What does this mean
for us? Just as the warmth and light of the sun on our skin in the morning can
stir our senses awake on the exterior, the light and warmth of our recharged
heart stirs us to wakefulness on the inside. When our energy is sufficiently recharged
and our heart stirs us to wakefulness, this induces a separation state to
initiate the outward movement to activate the physical body. Because our heart
and body are naturally opening outward toward separation and movement, this is
the best time to engage in separation type activities, meaning morning is the
optimal time to exercise, go for a walk, or stretch. Not only do we have the
most energy to support exercise at this time, but morning movement helps the
body and mind conform to the natural opening process that is already underway.
In the evening, we
feel a decrease in the outward movement of life as a result of the expenditure
of the day, and we begin to feel tired. As we transition into this phase of the
day, it is a good idea to lessen the separation activity and focus on quiet,
inward activities such as meditation, gentle qi gong, tai chi or yoga that
induce calmness. Diming the lights and reducing the levels of noise from the
television, computer and other electronic sources, will help support inward
motion toward the unification state further as bright light and loud sounds can
induce separation. Many of our patients report that changing habits to those
that conform with natural cycles improves sleep, reduces their feelings of
stress, and contributes to better sense of overall wellbeing.
As we continue to
advance our awareness of unification and separation, we can begin to see the
many ways in which this balance is pulled off center throughout the day.
Emotions, stress, pain, fatigue, and so on, these are all indications that we
are not in harmony with natural cycles and we are consuming more energy than we
should. Learning to notice these indicators is the first step in cultivating
the heart toward developing a more calm and peaceful, or centered, life
overall. In Hunyuan medicine, we call the development of this awareness xinfa and it is this method that we use to
cultivate the heart. The overall goal of xinfa
is to cultivate a good and proper heart, meaning we naturally take good and
proper actions and have good and proper feelings for ourselves and others
automatically. When we reach this goal, we use only the energy we need for a
balanced life, nothing more, nothing less; but to get there takes cultivation.
The first step in embarking on this cultivation is to generate awareness for
emotions, feelings and actions, first simply noticing them when they arise and
letting it go. Dwelling on our emotions or actions consumes energy, therefore
our first step is simply to generate awareness and practice letting go. Part 3
of this series will go deeper into xinfa practices, including how to make a
ledger to sort emotions and actions, until then we begin to generate awareness
and practice letting go…For those ready to embark on more now, the Hunyuan
Research Institute has developed heart cultivation tools, which can be found on
the Hunyuan xinfa website, so feel free to give them a try and let us know how
you like them and how they have helped in your daily life!
