Unless your body’s given a continuous supply of energy to its tissues and organs, your body cannot exist. Your body then has the very important job of distributing energy to its various parts. The energy within your body is then balanced, and your health is maintained. There are two very apparent energy sources supplying your body.

1. The food you eat.

2. The air you breathe.

What happens when both food and air are polluted? 

If food and air are polluted, your energy supply is contaminated.  Your energy is going to deplete quicker over time. You’re going to feel weak and this paves the way for disease and aging to occur. 

This is why you need a third energy source – internal exercise. 

With internal exercise, your body is like a luxury car.  And your luxury car needs to be finely tuned so that it can run on energy at a maximum level.

With internal exercise, you are able to access your Center.  By opening the centers in your body, you receive energy from the universe. In a previous post, we talked about four energy centers – the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. 

There are other hidden centers.  According to Taoist and traditional Chinese wisdom, the seven glands in your body are considered and understood to be physical and energetic centers.  They are responsible for regulating the flow of energy within the various systems of your body. 

Let’s go through the seven glands, starting from the bottom, and work our way ascending to the top.

Sexual Glands

Let’s start with the sexual glands.  The sexual glands are considered to be the stove – the fire within your body. The fire produces an essence.

If you’re male, your sexual glands are your prostate and your testes.  If you’re female, your sexual glands are your ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. The sexual glands produce hormone secretions for sexual energy and response.  It supports reproduction. 

When you think about the sexual glands, think about your essence. The sexual glands feed the other glands in your body. Your sexual glands are associated with the fire element.

Adrenal Glands

These glands are right at your belly button level. The adrenal glands support your kidney function.  They support your bones, bone marrow, and spine. So if you have weak bones, then chances are there’s something not quite right about your adrenal glands.  

Your adrenal glands are associated with the water element.

Pancreas Gland

The pancreas gland is located right above your adrenal glands. This gland controls your digestive system. It regulates your blood sugar levels as well as your body temperature. When you have a weak pancreas, it contributes to diabetes.  It is also associated with thick and heavy blood, which leads to poor circulation and your heart works harder.

The pancreas enables digestion and the transformation of food into energy. In this manner, think of the pancreas as an element of transcendence.

Thymus Gland

The thymus gland is located right at your heart center.  It governs your heart and circulatory system. This is where good circulation is produced.

Thyroid Gland

The fifth gland is your thyroid gland.  It is located at the base of your neck and it’s associated with your respiratory system. Its main function is to maintain growth and metabolism in your body.

Pituitary Gland
The sixth gland is the pituitary gland, which governs your memory. It governs your wisdom and your intelligence.  It’s located at the base of your skull and controls your thinking activity. This is where your thoughts can have a powerful influence on your entire body.

Pineal Gland

This gland is considered the psychic spiritual center.  It’s associated with your intuition, your conscience. It is believed to be only found in vertebrate species like human beings. So it’s very special. It’s located just behind your third eye and in the center of your head. 

These are your seven glands and seven centers of your physical body. If one gland is deprived of energy, then it is weak and susceptible to disease. When one gland is weak, the other glands work harder to support the weaker gland.

How do you maintain a balanced flow of energy to overcome any weakness you may have?  How do you raise your energy levels with internal exercise?

Well, first understand the seven glands in order. Understand that if you fill the first six glands to capacity, then your seventh gland, your pineal gland is going to work at its maximum level, just like a finely tuned car we talked about earlier.

Internal exercises provide that continuous supply of energy and hormones to the body.  They prevent your body from weakening over time. 

Dragon exercise (Follow along with the video for this portion)

I’d like to introduce the dragon exercise for strength and vitality.

1. Settle down into your feet. Your feet are shoulder-width apart. Notice and observe your breathing.  Now let’s get into a posture found in Tai Chi. 
2. With each breath, specifically with each exhale, breathe into your lungs in your chest.

3. Then work your way down to your stomach in the upper abdomen.

4. With your next breath, go down into your belly button in the lower dantien region. 

5. Shift your weight into the right leg, and lift your left leg so that your thigh is running parallel to the floor.  One arm is raised with fingers pointing up. The other arm is right by your side with fingers pointing down.

6. Stand on one leg as you are able. Imagine you are a dragon and bring the dragon out.  Both your hands and your fingers become the claws of the dragon.

7. Feel your inner dragon in this Tai Chi posture.  Remain standing on one leg as long as you can. By adding the dragon element in your body, you feel like a dragon, become all-powerful and all-knowing.

8. Exercise your dragon, going up each center in your body. This internal exercise helps your glands become stronger. 

Now you know how to use the imagery of a dragon to create fire in your body. 

What if breathwork can help strengthen your immunity? 

What if internal exercise strengthens your glands, your endocrine system, and helps support your body through detoxification, similar to how detox is done through the foods you eat? 

Internal exercise detoxes the body, and is the key to your longevity. 

To learn more, check out The Art of Tai Chi Facebook channel, where I’ll be posting tips for you on future internal exercises you can use to support your body.