The day I discovered my Dantian

Even though I already wrote about where is Dantian. Now I want to tell the story of the day I found MY Dantian.

It happened some years ago. Back then, I lived in Frankfurt, Germany. I had no kids and worked as a business consultant. I worked a lot during the week, but I had found a teacher who offered Taijiquan classes for beginners on Sundays. And after a short time, I was hooked. I did more and more Taijiquan and Qi Gong. And I visited more workshops.

One Saturday afternoon, my teacher did a workshop focusing on Yang style long form. BUT it wasn’t just a normal workshop, it was a SILENT workshop. Which meant, we would deepen our knowledge of the form. But without words.

The rules where simple: no talking. Just gestures, looks, body explanations.

And it was so much fun! And intense. Because it was much more important to pay attention with all other senses, as the ears where of no use. It was calm and soothing.

There is one thing I like about Taijiquan and that was particularly present during that workshop: when you are really in it, there is no room for “everyday thoughts”. And that day, I had to fully concentrate to not “miss” something my teacher “body talked” about. That clear focus felt refreshing for the mind and it made the experience of the Taijiquan form even more intense.

And then at the end, it happened. As usual, our teacher said to collect our experiences, put the hands on the belly and gather Qi in the Dantian. And as I placed my hands on my belly, I felt something different.

The feeling was different from all the other times I put my hands on my Dantian. This time, there was a ball in my belly. Around the size of a Ping Pong ball. It was in my belly like a black shiny pearl. I was astonished first, but then I just enjoyed it.

I have to admit, that feeling vanished within the next days. Even though I went back to work 80hrs/week. But the memory stayed. That warmy, fuzzy, centered feeling.

Now, a couple of years later, I can still remember this black shiny pearl. However it has changed. I cannot really put my finger on it how exactly it feels now. It it not as black anymore and the size changes. But I love knowing that I discovered my Dantian on that day.

And I want to give a big thank you to my teacher Winni, who held the workshop and provided so much room for me and the other students to make these kinds of experiences. Unfortunately I moved and cannot see her, but I am looking forward to my next time at her school.

Obviously I would also like to know: do you have a similiar experience? Have you discovered your Dantian yet? How does it look and feel like? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Happy Qi!

Angelika