Emission Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health, Part 8
From the Journal of the American Medical Association Abstract, the Leitzmann study:

“Prospective study using follow-up data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (February 1, 1992, through January 31, 2000) of 29,342 US men aged 46 to 81 years, who provided information on history of ejaculation frequency on a self-administered questionnaire in 1992 and responded to follow-up questionnaires every 2 years to 2000. Ejaculation frequency was assessed by asking participants to report the average number of ejaculations they had per month during the ages of 20 to 29 years, 40 to 49 years, and during the past year (1991).

However, high ejaculation frequency was related to decreased risk of total prostate cancer. The multivariate relative risks for men reporting 21 or more ejaculations per month compared with men reporting 4 to 7 ejaculations per month at ages 20 to 29 years were 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-1.10); ages 40 to 49 years, 0.68 (95% CI, 0.53-0.86); previous year, 0.49 (95% CI, 0.27-0.88); and averaged across a lifetime, 0.67 (95% CI, 0.51-0.89).” *

Leitzmann says that until this study, conducted as a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University, sexual activity had been hypothesized to be associated with prostate cancer due to elevated levels of testosterone. Testosterone increases the growth rate of prostate cancer cells as well as male libido. It was thought that sexually active men had a higher incidence of prostate cancer as they had higher levels of testosterone.

What this means is that, although sexual activity can result in a net increase in testosterone levels, ejaculation may protect the prostate through a variety of biological mechanisms e.g., cleansing, relaxing, and revitalizing the gland and the man:

– Frequent ejaculation may rid the prostate of concentrated chemical carcinogens.

– Reducing anxiety. The stress release inherent in sexual discharge may slow or prevent pathogenesis. Yes, learning to relax deeply will help prevent dis-ease.

– Revitalize proper circulation within the gland. It is postulated that regular ejaculation will prevent the development of microcrystals (intraluminal prostatic crystalloids) that can result in congestion and blockages within the prostate.

Commenting on this hypothesis,  Martin Resnick, MD, chairman of the department of urology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, says it’s reasonable to believe that a “use it or lose it” principle may apply to overall prostate health. **

Next: Emission Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 9: Is it really all good?

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Coaching for Mental, Spiritual, & Physical Health

.

Taoism, Kundalini Yoga, and Tantra

Q. Athalsteinn writes: How do you resolve the conflicting practices and problem of circulating Prana in Kundalini Yoga while also being a practitioner of Taoist arts where Chi is circulated through the microcosmic orbit instead of stored in the head chakras?

A. Thank you for your excellent question. Yoga and Taoist practices share many similar techniques and paradigms while also having both subtle and dramatic differences. Each is a master system for human evolution abundant with complex subtleties that have developed over millennia. To try to concisely compare these practices is difficult because of the immense diversity and history of both the Hindu and Taoist theology, sociology, and methodology.

There have been many academics, e.g. Joseph Campbell, who have written a tonnage on the subject, though ultimately an analysis of that which is beyond the rational is fraught with difficulty, if not doomed to failure. However, I will endeavor to succinctly contrast these two cosmologies below.

By “Energy Yoga” I mean those yogic systems that deal with the mastery of life force, consciousness, and subtle energies, e.g. Kundalini Yoga, Tantra Yoga, etc. The “Taoism” I refer to is not just the philosophical precepts (I Ching, Tao Te Ching, etc.) but the concrete and pragmatic applications, e.g. Qigong, Nei Kung, T’ai Chi, Tantric Chi Kung, etc.

Comparison of Intention and Technique of Energy Yoga and Taoist practices

Intention
Energy Yoga: Return to Godhead.

...Kundalini & Tantra Intention & Technique: Ascension

Energy Yoga seeks Mystical union with God and this agenda informs yoga technology and practice. All religions have this desire in some form, more or less. Health and longevity are seen as necessary for a long enough life to accrue the needed mastery of technique and wisdom to apply it in an ethical and karmically beneficial manner.

Taoism: Creation of harmony, empowerment, longevity / immortality
Taoism is more concerned with achieving inner and outer harmony, personal power, optimization of health, and achieving longevity or immortality; though there are esoteric sects that have a Buddhist or other religious and / or spiritual nature. Study of Qigong, T’ai Chi, the I Ching, and Tao Te Ching are spiritual pathways to attaining health, harmony, and spiritual power.

Attainment of great mystical power (siddhis) is a phenomenon shared by both Yoga and Taoism, and those practitioners without true Masters are inevitably lured by this detour on the path of pure intent.

Spiritual Technique
Energy Yoga: Ascension
Energy Yoga’s desire to achieve Divine Unity is expressed in orthodox schools through techniques that increase consciousness and raise life force through the body in various ways. In it’s most zealous forms, ascetic yogis seek to “park” the body so that the consciousness of the aspirant may leave its confines to seek unity with God. More unorthodox schools (left hand path), e.g., Tantra Yoga, may raise, lower, and circulate energies ( ci, Qi, Ki, Prana, Kundalini) for numerous rationales, one of which is the axiom that “The Kingdom of Heaven is within.” i.e., The Divine meets the human within the temple of the body. (See the discussion of Red and White Tantra)

Taoism: Circulation

Taoist Tantric Intention & Technique: Circulation....

What is considered a “left hand” path in Yoga is more orthodox in Taoist practice. Much practice is invested in a multitude of techniques for generating and circulating life force (Chi, Qi, Ki), personal power, healing the body, creating personal and social balance (harmony). Mystical experiences that are not centered in the body are less interesting to many Taoists.

The Middle Path
Surveys show that 80% of Americans feel that religion plays an important part in their lives. Yet we remain a highly materialistic, competitive, violent culture. Certainly our approach to institutional religion is highly dogmatic and sometimes extraordinarily judgmental. America is not alone in this. Throughout history, cultures have been shaped, and wars instigated, by religious zealots. Is this spiritual hubris a cause or consequence of personal and social arrogance and rigteousness, or is it both?

Tantric Taoist Tree: Heaven & Earth, Yin & Yang.

Of course, both Chinese culture and that of the Indian subcontinent have aspects of this also. Due to caste doctrine, Brahmins could only practice Tantra in secret. The great wisdom of the Tao was often utilized for pugilism (there are actually T’ai Chi and Qi Gong competitions!) It is just that it is more difficult to see and extract oneself from the psychosocial-religious ideology that one was born into and imprinted by.

Ideally, a middle approach includes a balance of earthly and spiritual intents restorative to mind, body, and spirit. A congruence of strength and compassion, expression and tolerance, freedom and temperance, ascension and embodiment, physical pleasure and transcendental bliss. Tantric Qigong is such a method. Its Taoist and Yogic elements promote health, harmony, empowerment, composure, personal freedom and, if one desires, a foundation for spiritual evolution, ethos and enlightenment.

10 Minutes to A Healthier You!(sm) is a highly efficient system of Tantric Qigong adjusted to the lifestyle and mindset of contemporary Westerners. © 2002 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Instruction and Coaching

Meditation CDs & Tantric Aromatherapy Attractant

More Tantra Articles

Ejaculation Control: Lady Su, The Plain Girl
In both Tantra and Taoist lore it is often the woman who is regarded as more knowledgeable about sexual matters. Courtesans and Tantric Initiatresses had the time to study these arts in depth, while the men were off doing various manly things, such as making war. The Yellow Emperor had three Tantric Initiatresses who instructed him in the bedroom arts, ejaculation control, and the relationship of sex to mental and physical well being. Perhaps the most famous of these was Su-Nu, sometimes known as Lady Su or The Plain Girl.

Lady Su and the Yellow Emperor

In “The Classic of the Elemental Lady,” Su-Nu is instructing the depressed and impotent Yellow Emperor. She counsels,

“The debility of men is caused by faulty habits in the joining of Yin and Yang. Women prevail over men, as water prevails over fire. They that know the Tao are like a good cook who can blend the five flavors into a tasty soup. They that know the Tao of Yin and Yang can blend the five pleasures. They that know not, may die an untimely death. You must first harmonize the life force and then the Jade Stalk will arise. If the Jade Stalk does not move, it will die”

The unification of Yin and Yang occurs both within and without. It is every person’s duty to balance these energies within as evidenced by the large number of Taoist exercises developed for this, including dietary regimens. However, like the practitioners of Tantra,  Daoists recognized that a healthy sex life was equally important, something which has only recently been addressed in Western medicine.

“The Emperor should make love with nine chosen consorts every night…Each of the nine consorts should be satisfied fully, so that the planets are pleased. Retaining his semen by proficiency in the Art of Love, The emperor concentrates powers within.”
– Lady Su

So gentlemen, if you are going to be able to do your kingly duty, even if only with one consort, one would be well advised to begin at least with some consideration and observance of the Taoist guidelines for ejaculation control and the conservation of energy.

Lady Su’s Guide to Ejaculation Frequency

Age… Frequency if Healthy… Frequency if not Healthy

20….. 2x a day………………….. 1x a day

30….. 1x a day………………….. 1x in 2 days

40….. 1x in 3 days…………….. 1x in 4 days

50….. 1x in 5 days…………….. 1x in 10 days

60….. 1x in 10 days…………… 1x in 20 days

70….. 1x in 30 days…………… none

You can see there is quite a spectrum here in her recommendations, from twice a day to none at all, depending on age and overall strength and health. © 2008 Keith E. Hall, All rights reserved.

Part 4: Ejaculation Control: Peng Zu

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Instruction & Coaching

.

Erotica of the highest quality, appealing to both your intellect and to your sensual nature

Here is a very nice woman owned resource for toys, DVDs, and more, they know what pleases a woman! Mentioned in the New York Times and Forbes Magazine. These girls must be doing something right:

The Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti or Huangdi) is a semi-mythical figure of China’s Golden Age circa 2697 B.C. During his reign, writing, agriculture, animal husbandry, the compass, calendar, and silk were said to have been discovered.

Huang Ti reportedly had intercourse with, or kept a harem of, 1200 women during his lifetime, rivaling even the most venerable Sifu, Charlie Sheen. He is said to have commissioned a team of doctors to study sex, herbology, and health, resulting in the classic text known as “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”, also known as “The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Jing” or “Huangdi Neijing.”

Most modern scholars believe the Huangdi Neijing to have been compiled from the original ancient sources between the Zhou and Han dynasties, some 2,000 years later than the reign of the Emperor (circa 300 B.C.) This book, whose form is a conversation between Huang Di and his various advisors including the physician Minister Chi Po (Qibo), is considered the “bible” of Chinese Medicine. Even today, it is still used as a primer in many schools of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Indeed even the famous Lao Tze acknowledged the Yellow Emperor as the foremost progenitor and practitioner of the Tao. In addition to Tantric Taoist sexual practices, this classic contains information on diet, herbs, meridians, and 12 different forms of massage.

“…The yin-yang arts at their highest can cure minor illnesses; at the next level, they can be used to avoid depletion. If a man knows the Tao, then the more he makes love, the better becomes his health.”
–Ko Hung

Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine

Huang Ti was a big fan of seminal retention (ejaculation control) although it was said that he did father 25 children, so it would appear that he was not absolutely dogmatic about this. He was credited with discovering the secret of blending the male and female essences during intercourse, and the technique of transmuting the Yin and Yang essences into an elixir of pure life force and spirit (there is a similar practice in Tantra.) According to legend, the Yellow Emperor’s sexual practices resulted in him becoming immortal after living to over 100 years of age.

Here is what he is said to have experienced through retaining his male essence (denying ejaculation):

“After the first time I stopped it, I gained strength.
After the second time my eyesight sharpened and my hearing became more clear.
After the third time, I felt no sickness.
After the fourth time, I felt my inner organs improve.
After the fifth time my circulation became smooth.
After the sixth time, my waist grew strong.
After the seventh time, my hips and legs became strong.
After the eighth time, my whole body glowed.
After the ninth time, I felt I could live long.
After the tenth time, I feel as if I am in Heaven.”

Whether the Yellow Emperor was an actual historic person, or if his existence was mainly a literary tool to focus a student’s attention on the relationship of the Tao to health and longevity, is really not very important. What matters is that a large collection of sexual, health, and natural wisdom was compiled and codified so physicians and other serious students of the Tao could access it. © 2008 Keith E. Hall All rights reserved.

Part 3: Lady Su, The Plain Girl

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Ancient Taoist Secrets Revealed

.

Indie image-maker Rickard Kern captures the essence of erotica

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health

Wilma asks:
Q: During the winter season, the Taoists recommend less ejaculation for both men and women.
Why exactly do they recommend that?

A: I some times get questions from men about this issue, but rarely from women, so let me take a moment to set down some of the history and rationale about this.

There is quite a bit of controversy within Tantric and Taoist and Western medical circles about the relationship of ejaculation to physical and spiritual well being. The Tantriks seem more concerned with the effects in regard to spiritual progress, while the Taoists seem more focused on health and longevity. The Taoists in particular have codified this precisely, to an almost dogmatic level.

Both Tantriks and Taoists feel that the psychic and somatic essence of man is concentrated in the semen, thus ejaculation could lead to a decrease in mental and physical strength. Western medicine has not really looked very closely at this precept, other than in relation to prostate health. The Tantriks are highly interested in harnessing the sexual essence to activate Kundalini so it can rise to the higher spiritual centers to promote spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

According to the Taoist physician Sun Si-Miao (Sun Ssu-mo), circa A.D. 600, “A man may attain health and longevity if he practices an ejaculation frequency of twice monthly or 24 times in a year. If at the same time he pays careful attention to proper diet and exercise he will have a long and healthy life.” Thus, if a man can manage the energy of ejaculation, he would be able to enjoy sex while becoming very youthful. This may be, in part, because men’s sexual energy is linked strongly to the Kidney Essence. A woman’s energy is linked more to the blood. Therefore, an untrained man’s ejaculation decreases the vitality of the Kidney essence more strongly, though there is some loss for a woman as well. There is a school of thought that implies that since untrained men project their energy so strongly through ejaculation, there is a net benefit to his female partner if she can absorb his energy. Even a trained tantrika or Taoist can “donate” this energy to a woman if he chooses; though much is to be said for mutual cultivation and conservation.

“Do not expel your semen needlessly. Do not expel your semen forcefully, as if dashing something down from the heights. You’ll upset the five main bodily organs, injure the life-energy channels and give rise to every kind of ailment as a consequence.”
– Ishimpo

Sun Si-Miao’s Guidelines
Age… Recommendation

30… Give up masturbation and study the Tao of Yin and Yang

40… Ejaculation control becomes mandatory and should be mastered

50… 1 emission every 20 days

60… 0 emissions, but frequent intercourse.
Exceptionally hearty men may emit 1x every 30 days

70… If very healthy, once in every 100 sexual couplings.

Dr. Sun thought that for most men, celibacy and abstaining from emission of semen was just as harmful as profligate ejaculation, a philosophy now being validated by modern Western medical science. His thought was that abstention disrupts one’s harmony of essence, energy, and spirit. He also says that abstinence will lead to erotic dreams and uncontrolled, unconscious nocturnal emissions. These he declared to be a hundred times more harmful than an ejaculation during normal intercourse.

Sun Si-Miao also recommended certain Taoist breathing and massage techniques to build power and longevity. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Ejaculation Control part 2: The Yellow Emperor

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

.

Nudes by internationally renown photographer Petter Hegre