Pi Gu Chi Kung

Book excerpt: A step-by-step guide to the Taoist fasting practice of Pi Gu • Explains how you do not stop eating with this fasting practice and details the simple pi gu diet • Illustrates the chewing and chi kung practices to accompany pi gu, for natural chi energy production • Reveals how Pi Gu Chi Kung activates the body’s natural healing abilities, accelerates the elimination of toxins, reduces appetite and cravings, and enables you to draw energies from the Earth and Universe Pi gu is an ancient Taoist method of fasting for spiritual and healing purposes. Unlike traditional fasting, you do not need to stop eating when practicing pi gu. Used by ancient Taoist masters during their months or years of solitary retreat in pursuit of enlightenment, the practice centers on a simple diet of fruits, teas, nuts, and eggs paired with special chewing techniques and chi kung exercises. During the pi gu state, the need for food decreases yet the body’s energy levels actually increase. The body gathers chi not from food but from chi kung and the “golden elixir” produced by the pi gu chewing practices. The chi produced through pi gu charges your internal organs, activating the body’s natural healing abilities and enabling you to draw energies from the Earth and Universe. In the pi gu state the body automatically balances itself, the mind is more relaxed, and sleep improves. The pause in normal eating makes the body’s cells more sensitive, accelerating the elimination of toxins. The stomach reduces in size, flattening the belly, eliminating cravings, decreasing appetite, and naturally producing weight loss. The body’s meridians stay open, making it easier to attune to meditation, chi kung, and energies from the cosmos. Providing a step-by-step guide to Pi Gu Chi Kung, Master Mantak Chia and coauthor Christine Harkness-Giles explain the pi gu diet, provide immortality tea recipes, detail the pi gu chewing exercises, and illustrate the corresponding chi kung energy exercises. They also explain the use of pi gu during darkness retreats to enhance spiritual awareness and increase mental powers and wisdom.