Thymus Gland

The thymus gland controls the immune system and is related to longevity. (Fig. 5.1) Normally the thymus gland atrophies after child­hood. In the higher levels of Taoist practice, the thymus gland can be regrown. This helps maintain health and vitality and supports greater spirituality. Thumbing the thymus gland can help increase the activity and release more hormones.

1. Bring energy to your hands by the usual procedure, contract­ing the front of the anus and bring the Chi toward the thymus.
2. Make a fist, inhale and thump down the middle of the upper chest from the collar bone to the nipples six to nine times. Do not talk while you are doing this or you might harm yourself.

Heart

Slap at heart lungs and liver areas

Lightly slapping an organ stimulates the release of toxins, which allows the organ to rebuild and repair itself. In doing these exer­cises, be aware that the slapping or tapping should be adjusted by you so as not to use excessive force which may be harmful.

1. Do the energy to hands procedure, contracting the left side of the anus and bringing Chi toward the heart.
2. Slap your heart lightly with your palm six to nine times. (Fig. 5.2) Don’t speak.

Lungs

1. Bring energy to your hands, contracting the right side of the anus and bringing Chi to the lungs.
2. Using your palm, slap up and down your right lung, hitting only as hard as is comfortable. (Fig. 5.2) Do not talk. Contract the left side of your anus and slap your left lung. This can help to clean out the mucous and to clean out the lungs.

Liver

1. Bring energy to the hands, contracting the right side of the anus and bringing Chi to the liver.
2. Using your palm, slap below the rib cage on the right side. (Fig. 5.2) Don’t speak. This can help to detoxify the liver.

Stomach, Spleen, Pancreas

Bring energy to your hands, contracting the middle of the anus.

Contract the anus at the left side, and slap at the spleen, pancreas and stomach. Place one palm on top of the other and rub below the rib cage, from center to left, then left to center.(Fig. 5.3 and 5.4)

Rub back & forth over the liver stomach & spleen

Large and Small Intestines

Bring energy to the hands, contracting the entire anus.

Small intestine: With palms together, rub a small circle around your navel, first clockwise, then counterclockwise.

The small intestine is one of the longest tubes in the digestive system. A careless diet, too much hot food or dairy products, or too little fibrous food will create mucous that will stick to the walls of the intestine, block the absorption of nutrients and slow down digestion. Once mucous accumulates, it is like a snow ball that will get bigger and bigger, eventually becoming a lump which slows down the traffic of the digestive system.

Large intestine:

Place one palm on top of the other and rub your abdomen in a large circle. Start on the lower right side and rub up and around in a clockwise direction. (Fig. 5.5 and 5.6) This will move the energy in the intestine and relieve constipation. For diarrhea, rub counterclockwise. If you have normal elimination, rub in both directions. These exercises increase the absorption and dissolve the accumulations that stick to the large intestine’s wall.

Kidneys

The kidneys act as helping to filter out waste material from the blood. If there is too much waste in the system, the kidneys cannot filter it all. The waste will tend to collect in the ducts and tubules of the kidneys, impairing their health. By hitting the kidneys’ area, we shake out the harmful sediment and help prevent kidney malfunc­tion.

1. Bring energy to the hands, contracting the left and right sides of the anus.
2. Locate the kidneys just above the lowest, or floating, rib in the back on either side of the spine. Make a fist and hit the kidneys with the back of the fist between the wrist and knuckles. (Fig. 5.7) Alternate hands and hit only as hard as is comfortable. This will help to shake loose the sediment, crystals, and uric acid that get caught in the kidneys. This will also strengthen the kidneys and relieve back pain.
3. Rub your hands together to warm them. Then rub your palms up and down over the kidneys until they feel warm.

Sacrum

In the Taoist system the sacrum is regarded as extremely im­portant. It is a pump which helps to bring spinal fluid and energy (Chi) to the brain. It is also the junction where the sexual organs, rectum, and legs meet. Sciatic pain, which shoots down the legs, originates in the sacrum; therefore, strengthening it will release this intense pain.

1. Bring energy to the hands, contracting the back of the anus to the sacrum.
2. Make a fist and use your knuckles alternately to hit both sides of the sacrum. First hit in the area of the eight sacral holes, and then the hiatus, the depression at the bottom of the sacrum. (Fig. 5.8)