What Is Internal Energy? René Navarro on Qi, Taoist Cultivation & the Internal Arts

What does it actually mean to become an internal practitioner? In this episode of Integral Being, Mark Wiley sits down with René Navarro, a lifelong practitioner of Taoist internal cultivation, traditional Chinese medicine, meditation, and the internal martial arts. Rather than treating these as separate disciplines, Navarro reveals how they form a single path of embodied transformation. The conversation explores what qi really is, how internal energy is cultivated through consistent practice, and why genuine internal development gradually changes not only the body, but also awareness, perception, and the way we participate in life. Topics include: • What is qi? • Can internal energy actually be experienced? • Breath, awareness, and energetic development • The five "triangle bones" and internal organization • Meridians and the energetic body • The Microcosmic Orbit and Taoist cultivation • Internal alchemy as a lifelong process • Why authentic internal arts are about transformation, not performance Whether you come from martial arts, meditation, Chinese medicine, or simply an interest in embodied human development, this conversation offers practical insights into one of the world's oldest living traditions of internal cultivation. Learn more about Inner Life: https://innerlifewithmarkwiley.com Subscribe for more conversations exploring embodiment, consciousness, and human transformation.