Four thousand years ago Taoist monasteries were set up in various parts of China teaching Water method practices to develop spirituality, increase human potential and help a select few understand the root of the universe through the use of the I Ching (Book of Changes).

The Five Elements were also studied as a method of understanding how manifestation occurred in the natural world. The combination provided the ancient Taoist adepts a thorough understanding of the workings of the universe and allowed them to attune their daily practice in accordance with natural laws inherent in both the worldly and spiritual planes.

I Ching and Five Element practices were kept alive through generation after generation of masters devoting their lives to this work and passing on the body of knowledge in its totality to the present day.

What is unique about the Taoist work is that it always begins with the physical body and secular practices that do not insist on any specific belief system or set of religious values. First, you seek to make your body very strong, healthy and vibrant before moving on to deeper worker with the emotions and mind.

Over time, once you developed your capacity, you may move on to more subtle and even spiritual pursuits as related to psychic perceptions, karma and the very essence of your being. However, if you do not stabilize the deeper practices in your physical body, spiritual knots can be released that blow out or damage your physical body.

Fundamental to internal energy arts practices is the aim to flow with change and accept change in all aspects of life. Once you are able to handle change at the physical level, you can remain grounded while either your internal world or the external world changes.

The Water method emphasises moderation and avoidance of exceeding the 70% rule to achieve stability and a constant flow rather than spikes and peaks to meet desired goals. The practices are therefore extremely safe and designed to help you build skills as you go without any force or strain.

The ancient Chinese realised that each human being is unique and therefore one method alone could not possibly work for everybody. So, they developed various practices that break down into five basic modalities: standing; sitting; lying down; moving; or in relation to others (partner exercises).

Individuals would naturally gravitate or be directed towards a teacher or group using the methods that were intrinsically more suitable for them. In this way one would choose whether to live a monastic life, alone, in community, nomadically or settled. Some would choice to practise a number or all of the various solo or interactive practices. This provided a great deal of possibilities and allowed the individual to find the right mix for themselves.

Among the original Taoist practices were:

• Standing practices to make the body very strong.
• Sitting practices, the classic beginning method of meditation that were practised by most people.
• Lying down practices, a more advanced form of meditation only practised by some people.
• Moving practices, done by everyone. These methods are an excellent way to keep the body extremely healthy and can be an advanced form of meditation.
• Partner practices, which were typically advanced practices, especially meditation, and are done in relation to another person, such as sparring or sex. These were only practiced by some people as a method of increasing the amount of energy available to cut through to the core and find essence.
• Five Elements practices to realise and embody the energies of the Five Elements, which were done by virtually all Taoists in nature.
• I Ching practices to realise and embody the Eight Universal Energies for which all people practised as the core of Taoism.

Through these practices the Taoists worked with the entire human energetic system and have separated out the functions of the body, mind and chi into 16 neigong components (energetic development).

These 16 components are integrated into a unified whole through qigong, bagua, tai chi, yoga, meditation and 5 Element and I Ching practices, throughout which the richness, depth and purity has been preserved by Lineage Masters to the present day.