We are all born with a certain amount of vital energy that we receive from our parents. We can think of this as currency which can be spent or saved, but many of our precious resources are gone before realizing that we need to save something for our continued health, vitality, and spiritual pursuits. For women, energy is lost mainly through menstruation; for men, ejaculation. (In the Taoist view, women actually gain energy with sexual activity!) Other major drains on energy are negative emotions, impure water, food, air and lack of healthy sleep.

Resulting illness often clues us in to knowledge of our energy body and may have the blessing of leading us on a healing path. The good news is that there are ways to preserve and even increase vital energy to reverse ill effects!

Mulabandha, or the Root Lock and Ashwini Mudra are key Yoga practices to build up and retain energy. A primary Mulabandha technique is to contract and release your pubococcygeus (PC) muscles (1). From a squatting position; exhale then tighten the PCs.  Relax the base of your body right before the inhalation. Ashwini Mudra involves isolating, contracting and releasing the muscles around the anal sphincter - this is important as these muscles are associated with organ energy.

In the Taoist view, principal (generative, creative) energy, or Jing, mixed with the air we breathe and the food we eat is transformed into Chi or life force as it interacts with our organs. We can increase Jing, and therefore Chi by using the techniques outlined in the Taoist writings of Mantak and Maneewan Chia. Their books Healing Love through the Tao:  Cultivating Female Sexual Energy and the companion volume Cultivating Male Sexual Energy contain comprehensive detail on conserving and building vital energy. Some practices would be considered part of “left-handed” Tantra in the yogic view, and until recently these details were considered guarded secrets for spiritual aspirants.

Perhaps the most important practice before building up Jing, or sexual energy, is to prepare a pathway in which to circulate the energy. Building up this powerful force without having a way to circulate it can lead to imbalance in both sexes and energy loss, instead of gain in men. The Inner Smile along with the Microcosmic Orbit practice is recommended to circulate and distribute Chi and are recommended for anyone working with energy. Both practices are detailed in the Chia’s books listed above and once mastered, there are great exercises to increase Jing, Chi and eventually Shen, or spiritual energy, safely!

I will share a simple practice that is safe for any level of practioner (2).

1. Sit towards the edge of a chair, planting your feet on the ground and gently pressing the tip of your tongue against the soft palate.
2. Physically locate the areas we are trying to vitalize; for women, the ovaries are the container of life force energy while in men, it is the testicles. Bring your attention to these areas by applying light pressure or simply use your thoughts to connect with your body.
3. Inhale deeply through the nose, gathering chi/air/energy from without. Exhale also through the nostrils, imagining that the chi spirals into your ovaries/testicles. Engage your entire body in expanding to collect energy and contracting to store it. Repeat for several breaths until you feel a warm or tingling feeling as the outside Chi mixes with your Jing.
4. Visualize moving this combined energy down to the perineum – I imagine it sliding through a silvery, clear straw.
5. Once you have gathered energy at the perineum, lightly pumping your PC muscles to send it to your anal sphincter and then up your spine using Ashwini Mudra, continuing to your crown. (Some may naturally feel the energy moving up the front of the body; follow your inclinations if the back doesn’t feel right). 
6. Once the energy is at the crown, imagine that it showers over the crown to the front of the body (or down the back if you started in the front).
7. Repeat steps 1-6 up to 9 times, trying to achieve a smooth motion. When ready to end practice, bring the energy down to the area just below the naval. Allow it to settle there in a spiral motion, storing it for future use.

I have found that some faith is required when a practice involves visualization – trust that others have gone before you and that your body will eventually feel the connections you have made with your mind.

(1)     The PC muscle is located in the area between the anus and the clitoris in women and the anus and scrotum in men. The complete technique, anatomy, and psychology of Mulabandha are described in detail in the book: Moola Bandha:  The Master Key by Swami Buddhananda along with Kundalini Yoga exercises using Mulabandha with breath retention.

(2)     Contraindications are those suffering from high intracranial pressure, high blood pressure, vertigo, heart ailments or amenorrhoea.