[Martial Arts] Internal Energy Surge

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Fecha: 2025-8-09 Sábado, 11:29 a.m.

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[Martial Arts] Internal Energy Surge
In the traditional systems of internal cultivation, martial arts, and health preservation, it refers to a state of heat and impact formed from the inside out when the body's energy reaches a certain level. This is not simply sweating from exercise, nor is it a temperature change brought about by the external environment, but rather a comprehensive state stimulated by internal energy that promotes blood circulation, opens pores, and nourishes the organs. The ancients referred to it as "energy full and surging" or "true energy surging," which can be understood in modern terms as the efficient coupling of internal energy and blood circulation, allowing the body to warm from the core in a very short time, breaking free from the constraints of environmental temperature differences.
I arrive at the seaside around five in the morning, with temperatures between six and nine degrees, and a breeze, wearing autumn clothing without feeling cold. Whether practicing horse stance or slowly practicing Tai Chi or Tai Chi sword, I almost feel my whole body heat up in three minutes, start to sweat in five minutes, and experience even sweating on my forehead, crown, back, waist, kidneys, and limbs simultaneously in ten minutes. This process does not require large movements, does not cause breathlessness, but feels more like the starting of an internal engine. The cold wind hits my cheeks, the sound of waves crashes against the shore, yet my body is surging with heat from the inside out. This heat is not a superficial burning but a warmth gradually spreading from the dantian, spine, and limbs throughout the body, fine, even, and sustainable.
The levels of internal energy surge can be roughly divided into four stages. The first stage is the initial movement phase, where the sensation of energy just begins to emerge, and warmth is limited to local areas, often felt in the dantian, palms, or soles, with little sweating that usually relies on higher temperatures and larger movements to occur. The second stage is the shaping phase, where the energy begins to connect, and warmth can appear in an environment around fifteen degrees, with an expanded sweating area, including the forehead, face, and chest, while the sensation of heat is maintained even with reduced movement amplitude. The third stage is the surging phase, where the whole body's energy and blood are abundant; in temperatures of ten degrees or even lower, the body heats up within three to five minutes, sweats evenly within five to ten minutes, and cold resistance is significantly enhanced, with the sensation of heat being largely independent of movement amplitude, achievable even in standing postures, and capable of either gathering or releasing heat. The fourth stage is the transformation phase, where energy can be controlled at will, maintaining internal thermal balance in zero-degree or high-temperature humid environments, with rapid switching between hot and cold, even being able to stay cool in heat and warm in cold, where the sensation of heat is no longer the only indicator but a manifestation of overall energy fullness and mental vitality.
My experience indicates that I have stabilized in the third stage, nearing the threshold of the fourth stage. Because at the seaside with temperatures between six and nine degrees, I can heat my whole body within three minutes, sweat evenly in five minutes, and maintain a stable heat sensation throughout my body without diminishing in ten minutes. After finishing, the heat can gradually recede within a few minutes without prolonged overheating or loss of warmth. During standing postures, my legs remain stable with slight trembling, my body center is steady, energy circulates throughout, and I can even keep my hands and feet warm in low temperatures, indicating that the efficiency of energy and blood circulation has far exceeded ordinary states.
This state is different from ordinary exercise-induced heat. Ordinary exercise relies on significant muscle contractions, where the muscles heat up first, and heat is conducted from the outside in, while internal energy surging heats from the inside out to the surface; ordinary exercise-induced heat rapidly decreases after stopping, while internal energy surging can maintain warmth for a period after finishing, with an even sensation of heat, avoiding local burning or large areas of coldness; ordinary exercise requires a high heart rate and breathing frequency, while internal energy surging can be achieved with steady breathing and a low heart rate.
I do not focus on the dantian as traditionally practiced; the sensation of heat does not linearly rise from the lower abdomen dantian through the spine to the crown, but occurs simultaneously throughout the body to the crown. The sweat on my forehead is fine, the sweat on my back is warm, the area around my waist and kidneys feels like it has a heating pad, and the extremities are no longer cold. The sea breeze does not interrupt this sensation of heat; rather, it allows one to feel the internal and external temperature difference more clearly. At this moment, the body feels like an engine, with internal combustion being steady and continuous.
The standard for verifying internal energy surging is not a one-time occurrence of heat but the ability to start stably, quickly, and evenly under low-temperature conditions, and to naturally recede after finishing. The movement amplitude does not need to be large, breathing does not need to be hurried, and the synchronization of intention and energy is sufficient. Higher stages of verification involve being able to adjust freely in extreme hot and cold conditions, unaffected by the environment.
From the initial movement phase to the transformation phase, what is needed is long-term, stable, and gradual practice, especially the combination of standing postures, slow practice, and breathing regulation. In the early stage, there is no need to pursue excessive sweating; the important thing is to feel the path of heat from the inside out; in the mid-stage, practice starting and maintaining in different temperatures; in the surging phase, learn to control the release and gathering of heat; and in the transformation phase, enter a realm of high integration between energy and intention.
I believe that internal energy surging is not only a stage of martial arts cultivation but also a peak of the body's self-regulation ability. It allows one to be unafraid of cold and heat, with smooth blood circulation and full spirit, and it enables one to truly realize that real strength is not external force but the internal self-generated, self-controlled, and self-sufficient life force.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=697152