Be Water, My Friend
“I said empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup it becomes the cup you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle you put it into a teapot it becomes the teapot Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
— Bruce Lee
Become any shape, carve out a canyon from mountains, nourish an entire civilization, carry explorers, float adventurers, sink all fears, receive all dreams.
Water is the Utmost Yin. Water is Adapting and Adjusting, Dissolving and Changing. Water corresponds with our Emotions and Feelings. Water Generates Wood, which means Growth. Water Controls Fire, which is our Mind. Water is Mysterious, Hidden. It represents the Womb, Renewal, and Rejuvenation.
How do we work with Water Energy? How do we “Be Water” ? You can try wearing blue or black. You can try going to the beach or the aquarium. But most of all, just don’t think about it. We are directly connected to Water, we wouldn’t be alive without it. To connect with Water, we simply need to Be. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Water Element is connected to our Kidney Qi, which means our Essence (Jing). Our Essence controls our Mind (Shen), which is Fire. The Spirit of Kidney Qi is Zhi, our Will. Have you lost your will? Relax. Receive. Be Water.
To connect with the Water in the way ancient Daoist practitioners did, try the following Medical Qi Gong Breathing Exercise :
“Begin by sitting in a chair with the back straight, inhale and lean forward rounding the back and clasping your knees. Exhale to the sound of a wave, just like you hear a wave at the beach. It should be a long, gentle exhale. While exhaling you can just make the wave sound or include repeating the word fear, to release any fear that may exist. When the breath has been fully exhaled, slowly inhale as you move back to the starting position. Sit with your hands at your knees or cover your kidneys with your hands and place your attention or “yi” in the kidneys. Breathe into the kidneys and exhale into the kidneys, keep your yi fixed in the kidneys and say the word gentleness. If you prefer you can visualize the color blue in and around the kidneys.
The kidney (water) healing sound releases the unfavorable emotions of fear and clears heat and excess coldness in the kidney organ and channels, allowing the nature virtue of gentleness to be expressed. The rest stage of breathing into the organ reinforces the kidneys. Additionally, harmonizing the kidneys and zhi offers the opportunity to exert your will to achieve the things most important to you.”
