Three Gates and the Importance of Seated Practice
The importance of passing through the Three Gates is not simply about moving some invisible energy through the body. In internal alchemy, the Three Gates are considered barriers that restrict the natural flow within us. To pass through them is to gradually reopen what has become closed and reconnect the body into a single unified whole.
In daily life, people often experience separation between mind and body. The mind understands, but the body cannot follow. Or the body acts, while the mind remains scattered and restless. As the Three Gates begin to open, the body and brain no longer function as separate systems. They begin to move as one integrated life.
Awareness reaches the extremities of the body, while sensations from the body naturally return to the mind. This reflects the principle often expressed in Taichi:
“Where intention arrives, Qi arrives; where Qi arrives, power arrives.”
This does not describe the brain issuing commands to the body. Rather, it describes a state in which the whole being functions together as a unified organism.
The foundation for this process is seated practice — Zuo Dao.
Zuo Dao is not merely sitting quietly. Through sitting, one gradually releases unnecessary tension and mental noise, restoring the subtle awareness of the inner body. Attention, which is usually directed outward toward the world, returns inward.
Trying to force energy to move often causes the body to become more closed. But through quiet sitting, regulating the breath, and observing inwardly, the closed gates may eventually begin to open naturally.
Gates are not broken open by force.
They open through stillness.
When that happens, the brain and body no longer feel separate. The entire being begins to move as a single Taiji.