Cultivating Ki: A Taekwondo Guide to Energy Healing and Holistic Wellness By Grandmaster Gregory Glover

Cultivating Ki: A Taekwondo Guide to Energy Healing and Holistic Wellness

By Grandmaster Gregory Glover

In the study of Traditional Taekwondo, we quickly learn that martial arts mastery extends far beyond the physical execution of a spinning hook kick or a powerful breaking technique. True martial arts training balances the physical body (Mom / 몸), the mind (Shin / 신), and the vital life force energy known in Korean as Ki (기 / 氣).

When we bow into the Dojang (도장), we begin a process of unifying these elements. In the modern world, many people seek this exact same mind-body-spirit connection through alternative energy healing systems. You may have browsed books on Pranic healing, Tantra, or Reiki. While these terms sound exotic, they share deep philosophical roots with the energy cultivation we practice in traditional Korean martial arts.

Let’s explore these three systems through the lens of a Taekwondo practitioner, using our traditional terminology to understand how energy impacts our health and performance.

The Three Pillars of Foreign Energy Systems

To understand energy healing, we must realize that while the languages differ, the underlying pursuit of balancing life energy remains constant.

Healing System	Tapped Energy Source	Cultural Origin	Taekwondo Conceptual Parallel
Pranic Healing	Prana (Life Energy)	Ancient Hindu / Indian	Ki (기) – Cultivating vital life force
Tantric Healing	Expansion / Spiritual Union	Hindu / Tibetan	Eum-Yang (음양) – Balance of polar energies
Reiki	Universal Energy (Higher Intelligence)	Japanese	Cheon-Ji (천지) – Connecting Heaven and Earth energy

1. Pranic Healing: The Armor of the Aura

In Pranic healing, practitioners work with Prana (life energy) and the Aura, a non-physical body of energy that envelopes our physical frame. In Taekwondo, we recognize this external projection of energy. When a master enters a room, you can feel their Ki-Gyeong (기경 / aura or energetic presence) before they even speak.

Pranic healing monitors the thickness and colors of this aura to diagnose health, linking six specific colors to core personalities. In our art, this mirrors the journey through the Gup (급 / belt ranks), where colors symbolize a student’s spiritual and physical evolution:

• 🟢 Green: The ambitious achiever (Parallel to the growth of a green belt).
• 🔵 Blue: The spiritual peacemaker (The sky toward which the plant grows).
• ⚪ White: The unconventional chameleon (The pure, unblemished beginner).
• 🔴 Red: The activist (The danger and control of a senior color belt).
• 🟠 Orange: The creative communicator.
• 🟣 Violet: The psychic/intuitive sensor.

2. Tantric Healing: The Harmony of Polarities

While popularly misunderstood in western culture, true Tantra comes from the word “tan,” meaning to expand or spread. It views spiritual and physical union as a method to flush negative impurities out of the mind and body.

In Taekwondo, this is the pure expression of Eum-Yang (음양 / Yin and Yang). We recognize that illnesses and physical blockages occur when the passive, cool energy (Eum) and the active, fiery energy (Yang) are out of alignment. Harmony between opposing forces cleanses the system.

3. Reiki: Tapping the Universal Source

Reiki originated in Japan in the early 1900s, standing for universal energy guided by higher intelligence. In Korean martial arts philosophy, this corresponds to Cheon-Ji-In (천지인)—the harmony of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Reiki students learn to act as a conduit for universal energy, just as a martial artist channels earth energy through their stance and heaven energy through their breath.

Why Martial Artists and the Public Turn to Energy Healing

As martial artists, we strive for Jeong-Shin-Tong-Il (정신통일 / mental concentration and unity of spirit). It is no surprise that more people are bypassing modern medicine’s limitations to seek holistic alternatives.

1. Reconnecting the Isolated Body

Modern medicine is highly specific, often treating a patient like a mere host for a disease. Energy healing, much like traditional Taekwondo, views the individual holistically. We do not just train the leg to kick; we train the mind to direct the Ki to the foot. Energy healing makes the practitioner feel whole, addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects simultaneously.

2. Natural, Safe, and Non-Obtrusive

Repeated surgeries and chemical interventions cause profound physical and emotional trauma (Oesang / 외상). Energy healing offers a natural, safe alternative that works with the body’s innate healing intelligence—what we call Ja-Hyeol (자혈), the natural self-restoration of blood and energy flow.

3. Stress Relief Through Meditation

Central to all energy healing is meditation. In our Dojang, we practice Dan-Jeon-Hohup (단전호흡 / abdominal breathing) and Muksang (묵상 / silent meditation) at the beginning and end of every class. This lowers stress, centers the mind, and clears out the toxic daily anxieties that manifest as physical tension.

The Ultimate Goal: Nae-Gong (내공)

Whether you utilize Pranic, Tantric, Reiki, or the rigorous path of Taekwondo, the ultimate objective is the development of Nae-Gong—internal power and wellness. Modern medicine has its place in acute trauma, but the restoration of lifelong health belongs to the cultivation of your vital energy.

Keep your body moving, your mind still, and your Ki flowing freely. Charyeot! Kyeong-nye! (Attention! Bow!)

Respectfully yours in Taekwondo,

KwanJangNim Gregory V. Glover

Executive Committee Chairman/USNTA

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