Centering Self-Possession through Taoist Energy Practices
Sharisse Kanet, Worcester State University
In an abstract and depersonalized medical establishment, we often outsource our bodily awareness and suppress our emotional responses in favor of “rational” ones. We trust what the machines tell us, what the test results say, and what the medical professionals suggest. If objective truths about the physical body were the whole story, that would make sense. But several Eastern traditions hold that there is no separation between body, mind, and spirit. As such, there is no objective truth at all, never mind a purely physical objective truth.
Modern medicine fragments the self through its reliance on external authority. Taoist energy practices, by contrast, offer an embodied epistemology—one that restores agency through knowledge and skills which allow us to reclaim ownership and agency of our complete selves, not just our bodies. We become familiar with the relationships between our emotions, our thoughts, and our bodies, learning to see them all as manifestations of the same source. Taoist rituals, including music, chanting, chi gong, and Tai Chi, are often practiced collectively for both individual and communal healing. The techniques are intended to bring the various aspects of ourselves into alignment and to bring our attention to places where we, and the world, may be out of balance. Regaining this embodied, self-possessed awareness can offer a much-needed corrective to dependence on data and institutional policy. Reintegrating embodied awareness into modern healthcare frameworks can help patients to regain control precisely in those situations where they feel most powerless.
Modern medicine fragments the self through its reliance on external authority. Taoist energy practices, by contrast, offer an embodied epistemology—one that restores agency through knowledge and skills which allow us to reclaim ownership and agency of our complete selves, not just our bodies. We become familiar with the relationships between our emotions, our thoughts, and our bodies, learning to see them all as manifestations of the same source. Taoist rituals, including music, chanting, chi gong, and Tai Chi, are often practiced collectively for both individual and communal healing. The techniques are intended to bring the various aspects of ourselves into alignment and to bring our attention to places where we, and the world, may be out of balance. Regaining this embodied, self-possessed awareness can offer a much-needed corrective to dependence on data and institutional policy. Reintegrating embodied awareness into modern healthcare frameworks can help patients to regain control precisely in those situations where they feel most powerless.