Three Treasures (San Bao): Essence, Energy, Spirit.

By Jim Roselando, Jr. 

The body is the temple of life. Energy is the force of life.  Spirit is the governor of life.  If one of them goes off balance, all three are damaged. When the spirit takes command, the body naturally follows it, and this arrangement benefits all Three Treasures. Tzu Classic (First Century BC)

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In the Taoist view, the Three Treasures upon which life depends are essence (jing), energy (qi) and spirit (shen). Essence refers to the physical body of blood and flesh, including all its basic material constituents, particularly the essential fluids such as hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters.  Energy is the primal life force which suffuses every cell and tissue of the living body and activates its vital functions. Spirit encompasses all aspects of the mind, both human and primordial, including AWARENESS and cognition, thought and feeling, will and intent. Together the Three Treasures (san bao), also known as the Three Marvels (san chee), function as a single unit!  

The alchemy process of Qigong reverses the constant, debilitating depletion of essence, energy, and spirit caused by ordinary life in the material world and transforms it into a process of accretion that preserves the Three Treasures and PROLONGS LIFE!

Some notes from Master Wang XiangZhai:

Although there are many methods of cultivating health, they can be divided into two groups – moving and static exercises. Generally moving exercises are strengthening body and bones and static exercises mostly serve training the zhen qi (true qi) inside body, creating abundance of three treasures (shen, qi, jing). Zhan zhuang is a method of training spirit and body at the same time!

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Some details from Coach Jim Roselando:

Open/Close: Your body must be in motion at all times. The movement is not noticeable to the outside eye as this is happening ever so slowly with the breathing. As you breathe in the body will delicately OPEN. As you breathe out the body will delicately CLOSE. 

Rise/Sink: In the Yoga arts there is a concept of Mulbund.  The forced pinch of the lower area to close off the bodies pathway. In natural Qigong arts we call this area Hoi Yin with the difference being that the Hoi Yin is not forced closed. As you breathe in the Hoi Yin will SINK and when you breath out the Hoi Yin will RISE.