Andrew - The Tao Blog

Having previously felt like he wasn’t of his own body, Andrew found that Taoism was the gateway to embodied presence. He now teaches a variety of Tao practices and is a published author on the philosophical tradition. He has studied Taoism with numerous teachers, including 12 Healing Tao Senior Instructors on three different continents. He holds black belts in three martial arts and is a student of multiple healing modalities, including Chi Nei Tsang, Reiki, Acupressure, Cosmic Healing Chi Kung, and Medical Chi Kung. Andrew guides us into the world of Taoism and how nourishment can come in the form of kindness in the community.

What is Taoism and what is its fundamental focus?

More than just a philosophy, Taoist practices are rooted in disciplines for physical health and longevity. These practices, continually developed over thousands of years, can restore the energy of youth, grow emotional virtues, and begin to awaken deep spiritual potential. In modern parlance, Taoist practices can be seen as a spiritual technology that can help the practitioner learn the pattern of the universe.

Taoist teachings assist people in their lives, while maintaining spiritual growth as the process and the outcome. Taoism helps explain truths of nature directly and encourage one to rely on their direct experiences. Because of this, students of the Tao don’t need to be skeptical or search endlessly for some external truth as defined by others.

Taoists practices that help one learn as described above: the inner smile, tai chi chi kung, Tao yin, fusion of the five elements, and iron shirt chi kung, to name a few.

‘to begin exploring Taoism is to explore your own body and energy.’ ~ ANDREW

@SAIKI.WELLNESS

How can Taoism benefit you?

It is the author’s hope and experience that the practices of the Tao can lead one to feelings of connectedness with other beings and with nature. If I see other people as similar to myself, all animals as dear as my own pet, and Heaven and Earth as life-giving parents, then how could I continue to support systems that poison the planet, kill animals by the millions, and hold people in invisible prison from birth to death?


How has it changed your life?

I used to feel like my energy was not in my body. It was as if I was floating somewhere outside my body, not present, and not actively participating in my own life. After learning Taoist practices, I felt as though I became more embodied, and thus more in touch with the wants and needs of my body. Once we are conscious participants in life, I feel we make better choices. It’s much hard to make decisions that hurt ourselves and others when we do it consciously.


What are the different Yin and Yang arts?

A great yang practice is the six healing sounds. There are sounds or sound frequencies that resonate with each organ. The six healing sounds are breathing exercises and body postures that serve as techniques for releasing trapped heat or cold, and stuck emotional patterns. These also move energy to allow stagnant fluids to disperse from their stuck place in the cells and tissues of the organs. The six healing sounds can be practiced standing, sitting, lying down before bed, or in the morning upon waking. They can be practiced while stressed out in traffic, at the dinner table while eating too much, or at the office desk when experiencing emotions after a call or email.

A great yin practice is called Taoist Yoga or Tao Yin. The Essence of Tao Yin, Practices for Rejuvenation, is Full Body Breathing. This is the first and perhaps the simplest practice in the 45- movement set of Tao Yin exercises. However, this simplicity should not fool one as to the depth inherent in this 'preparatory' practice. As is the case in life and the Tao, simple is enough. The entire essence of Tao Yin, and possibly the entire Healing Tao system, can be experienced during the practice of Full Body Breathing.

The practice begins by lying on our backs, with hands on the abdomen, sexual palace, or hips, (depending on our arm length) and breathing deep down into the lower centers of our body. As we flood awareness into these areas, we are activating the reproductive glands and inviting the muscles, tendons and ligaments to soften and relax. Additionally, we exhale our emotions and mental activity at this level, and allow them to sink down into the earth. We follow this with an inhalation of the earth's loving, healing energy back into our hips, navel, and sexual center. We may slowly move our hands up from the lower centers, one at a time, to our upper centers; in the order of: perineum, sexual center, navel, solar plexus, heart, throat center, third eye, and crown. Our awareness follows our hands and initiates a process of rejuvenation that spreads throughout our body. The Taoists say that "the health of the spine is the health of the body." Full Body Breathing brings awareness to each vertebra as we intentionally move from the perineum to the crown of our head.


What is the best way to begin exploring Taoism?

The best way to begin exploring Taoism is to explore your own body and energy. By having a relationship with our organs, we know what makes them happy, sad, function well, and what stifles the many unconscious processes they do on our behalf every minute. Further, according to the Taoist view of the body, each organ is associated with an element, a color, virtues, and aspects of nature (not to mention planets, times of day, phases of the moon, stars and constellations, tastes, smells, gemstones, etc. etc.) Strengthening these aspects inside of us strengthens our connection to these aspects of the natural world outside of us.


What is your favourite ritual?

The Microcosmic Orbit Meditation

Like the pattern of nature, Taoists seek to have balance throughout the system. The microcosmic orbit promotes balance within the body by mixing the hot and cold, or yang and yin energies. The orbit is comprised of two of the main energy meridians of the body.
These are also called vessels, channels, or even ‘great rivers’ of energy. The governor vessel travels up the spine, from the perineum to the roof of the mouth. The conception vessel travels up the front, centerline of the body, to the tongue.

When the tongue is placed at the roof of the mouth, behind the front teeth, the two channels are connected, forming a loop or orbit. This typically causes the energy to flow up the spine and down the front of the body, although sometimes it is experienced coming up the front of the body and down the back. To conclude this meditation, it is recommended to bring the energy back to the navel and massage in a circular fashion.


Do you practice any other forms of self care?

I take Taoist herbs, lift weights, do CrossFit, study Brazilian jiu-jitsu, travel, and try to be kind to people in my community. I’m married to a beautiful woman named Deven and I have a dog named Sugar that I walk twice a day. My parents and I talk regularly and I am involved in my nephews’ lives. Finally, I learn a lot through podcasts and audiobooks. All of these things nourish me.


How can we follow you and your work?

I am active in social media (Instagram, FB, Twitter) under The Tao Blog. I’m on LinkedIn and YouTube as Andrew McCart. Please follow, comment, write, and ask questions.

I’ve written two books and have a video series on Taoism. All can be found at TheTaoBlog.com