This page is specifically for those who want clarification on the use of terms I use throughout this blog. If you don’t feel the desire for this clarification please move on to the next thing that you find calls to you on this blog.

Overview for this Page:

You will find throughout this blog words or phrases that actually come from the tradition of Tantric Yoga. I choose to use these terms from time to time to illustrate or highlight a similar concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

More than a decade of research as well as additional formal education and clinical practice allows me to feel qualified to share with you concepts of health from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine and when appropriate (as I will hopefully demonstrate below) I use terms from Tantric Yoga to simplify difficult to describe concepts in TCM.

While I am currently undertaking an education in Tantric Yoga that will (if finished) lead to a teaching certificate from the Tantrika Institute, I claim no deep level of understanding of this tradition and refer you others such as Christopher “Hareesh” Wallis (who’s blog can be found here) who is qualified to educate you in this amazing tradition.

Why/When I Use Terms From Tantric Yoga (or Other Fields):
  1. The organization of the psyche in TCM is complex and uses terms most people will be unfamiliar with. Terms from Tantric Yoga and other fields simplify these terms. For example:
    1. There is a well documented understanding of the “psyche” in Traditional Chinese Medicine that breaks down as such…
      1. The “Shen” (which can be translated as Spirit) refers to the complex of all 5 of the mental and emotional aspects of being a conscious being, these are the Hun, Po, Yi, Zhi, and Shen (same word different meaning.)
      2. Now these are difficult to grasp for the average western reader as we have many unfamiliar terms. I instead use terms either from Tantric Yoga or another related field because of the ease of which they can be understood. For example:
        1. The “Hun” in TCM refers to the subconscious, uncontrolled movement of thoughts and feelings. This is much easier to understand if I use the term Thinking/Emotional Brain instead of “Hun”
        2. The “Hun” is unregulated and incapable of monitoring or healing itself. Instead it relies on the power of the “Shen” or “Mind” of the heart which is defined as “the place where consciousness resides and insight and wisdom are found.” This is much easier to understand when I say “Awareness of an emotion has the potential to bring the emotion into harmony with the rest of the body.”
  2. There are some functions of the mind/body in Traditional Chinese Medicine that to my knowledge do not have a word that describes the function itself. For example:
    1. The Shen (translated here as Mind) is in charge of coordinating and integrating the various parts of our mental and emotional life. It is through this ability that the Shen is able to regulate and integrate the thoughts and emotions of the Hun as it is what recognizes, feels, and assesses them. When the Mind integrates with the emotions of the Hun it brings about balance in the energetic body.
    2. Instead of using this complex and overwhelming paragraph I instead use the term “Digesting” your emotions from the Tantric philosophy. Digesting your emotions requires conscious awareness of them which holds space for the story and emotion to be heard and felt. (Integration of the Shen and Hun).
Final Notes:

If you have any question about the rationale behind the choice of words used or would like a deeper understanding of the concepts I discuss throughout this blog from a purely TCM perspective please feel free to email me.

Once again please let me reiterate that I am not a specialist in Tantric Yoga, Neurophysiology, or brain development (outside of specific training in the practice of brain integration therapy). My clinical experience, research, and education are in Traditional Chinese Medicine, corrective exercises for movement impairments, brain integration, and bodywork.

Also please note that Traditional Chinese Medicine is looking primarily at dis-ease of the physical or mental/emotional body from a clinical perspective. The goals of TCM and that of Tantric Yoga are very different and while they do overlap in areas please realize that they are distinct and seperate paths that lead to very different destinations.

This difference can be highlighted by remembering that TCM is a clinical health discipline that fits into the realm of healthcare while Tantric Yoga is a spiritual path or life philosophy that fits into the realm of spirituality.

Finally, please note that while I use various terms such as those discussed on this page to illustrate a common theme, I am not saying that the words are synonyms. For example in TCM the “hun” is said to live on after death and the “shen” dies with the body which (to my limited knowledge) is actually reversed in the philosophy of Tantric Yoga.

Please note that while I do practice Tantric Yoga and have found it to be profoundly healing in my own life, there are many facets of the practice that I do not use or discuss in clinical practice.

It is used here and in private one on one sessions as a more poetic framework I can use to illustrate difficult concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine to my clients with much greater ease. Please do not take any of my comments on this spiritual tradition as fact, I am a student in this area and a specialist in TCM.

In short while there is a spiritual aspect to the tantric philosophy it is not talked about or included with any of my professional work. If you are interested in learning more about the philosophy itself I can speak no higher praise than to direct you to Christopher “Hareesh” Wallis at the Tantrik University who has a free class available for anyone interested.

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