Heavenly Gate

[Seven]

I have heard at high levels the upper dantien opens and closes, Is this in sync with breath?

[Dvivid]

Hi,

Im not sure what you are referring to. The Bai Hui in the top/center of your head is one of the major gates in the body. It is paired with the Hui Yin, in the perenium area. You can open this gate and circulate through it, in coordination with your breath, even during beginner and intermediate practice.

The brain is the upper dan tian. Below your brain, in the center between the two lobes, are the pituitary and pineal glands. This part of the brain is in the center of your head, and the goal during basic Qigong breathing is to draw your energy inward to this area, to calm the mind and not excite any brain cells.

(You 'hold' this area in your brain gently, but always 'lead' Qi to the lower dan tian simultaneously, where it can be safely accumulated. Your mind needs to be in two places at once.)

Above these two glands, between the lobes of the brain is a rift or chamber, which is called the 'spiritual valley'. Through concentrating on this area, we can resonate or vibrate our brainwaves into a focused point, and eventually open the third eye, which is in your forehead. This should not be attempted until the later stages of practice, and even then only when the goal is enlightenment.

This energetic aspect of enlightenment training should only be attempted after many years of the psychological practices of meditation, during which you gradually recondition your mind to a very refined state. Read some Buddhist teaching for this type of 'opening' the head. I recommend reading Da Mo, since he is part of our YMAA heritage. There is a Da Mo thread in this Qigong forum.

So, in general, "opening the upper dan tian" can be practiced if you mean inhaling and exhaling in and out through your Bai Hui. If you do so, inhale Qi all the way down to the lower center. It isn't recommended to accumulate Qi in your head until WAY later in practice, if ever. You'll just give yourself a headache or get hyper-stimulated. It is even potentially dangerous.

Always lead Qi to the lower dan tian, where you may accumulate a lot of it with no danger.

Enjoy your practice.