Alchimia Femminile, Brani dall’opera di Liu Yiming 劉一明 (1734-1821)

This essay features translations from the works of Daoist patriarch Liu Yiming 劉一明 (1734-1821) on the specific topic of female alchemy, or nüdan , the process of Daoist self-cultivation for women. This process differs from male self-cultivation in many important ways. It starts by focusing on the breasts, not the abdomen, where male cultivation begins. It continues by transforming Blood ( xue血), understood to be the most important element of female physiology. Refining blood into an essential source of energy is at the root of female self-cultivation which, aided by internal visualizations, breast massage, and guided breathing, aims at creating a pure Yang body, able to transcend this world.