Meditation Techniques

The other great religion of the east, Taoism and martial arts meditation, also have a long history of meditative practice. Its two most important elements are Jing (stillness) and ding (concentration or focus). The goal of Taoist meditation is essentially to circulate and control energy, or chi, within the physical and subtle body. The latter is an integral concept in the Chinese system of medicine.

Many of these Taoist ideas are incorporated into martial arts training. Any martial arts expert will explain that the real power of his or her practice is in the ability to focus the mind. In particular, the ‘internal martial arts’, Qi Gong, a type of standing meditation, and Tai Chi, which integrates flowing movement with ‘one-pointed mind’, are highly developed, complex systems of meditation and fitness.