My Answer about Water and Fire Question

A lovely reader ask: The Doist teaches the principle Water Up Fire Down. Inhale wate up Exhale fire down. Im reading your book Womb of Light and you speak of Water DOWN Fire UP. I am so confused. Which is it? Can it be both just intermingled?(Womb of Light)

Answer: Let us go a little deeper on your Water/Fire question, but keep it practical so it actually helps you when you sit down to practice.
What “Water” and “Fire” are really pointing to
Most confusion comes from people using the same two words to point at different things. Depending on the system, “water” can mean any of the following:
Water as a direction:
Downward settling, sinking, rooting, quieting.
Water as a substance:
Fluids/kidneys/reproductive essence—the “cool reserve.”
Water as a quality:
Stillness, humility, receptivity, depth.
Likewise “fire” can mean:
Fire as a direction:
Upward rising, opening, illuminating.
Fire as a substance:
Heart warmth, metabolic heat, nervous activation.
Fire as a quality:
Clarity, awareness, radiance.
When someone says “Water Up / Fire Down,” they are often prescribing a correction. When I say “Water Down / Fire Up,” I’m describing the stable, healthy arrangement the correction is trying to restore.
Think of it like this:
Correction language (for a common modern problem):
“Bring the heat down. Bring the cool up.”
Natural order language (what you’re training toward long-term):
“Let the body become cool and heavy below; let the spirit become clear and bright above.”
Those can sound like opposites, but they’re not. They’re two ways of describing a single intelligent process.
Why many people need “Fire Down” first
Modern life puts too much “fire” in the wrong place:
too much thinking, stimulation, screens, stress, ambition, and emotional friction. The heat collects in the head and chest. That shows up as:
Racing thoughts
Pressure behind the eyes or forehead
Tight jaw/throat/chest
Anxiety, irritability, insomnia
Meditation that feels dry or restless
So a method that says “exhale fire down” is basically saying:
Stop cooking your brain. Pour that heat back into the earth of the body.
That’s sensible.
But here’s the trap: people then try to force the opposite on inhale—“inhale water up”—by yanking sensation upward with effort and imagination. That often creates more heat, more tension, and more head pressure. The person thinks they are “moving water,” but they’re mostly moving strain.
So the principle is fine. The forcing is the problem.
How my wording in Womb of Light fits
When I say “Water Down,” I’m aiming for an unmistakable end-state:
The mind sinks into the body.
The breath becomes quiet.
The lower belly feels real—warm, heavy, present.
The chest relaxes.
The face softens.
The whole system becomes less dramatic.
That is water returning to its proper basin.
When the lower basin is stable, something else happens naturally:
the upper body becomes clearer. Not hotter. Clearer.
“Fire” becomes light instead of agitation.
That’s “Fire Up” in the clean sense:
the rising of clarity once excess heat is no longer trapped in the head.
So yes—both teachings can be compatible if you understand what layer they’re speaking from.
A simple way to practice without getting lost
If you want one method that stays safe and works across lineages, do this:
Posture: sit comfortable. No heroics.
Inhale: feel the breath widen low—lower ribs, belly, pelvic bowl.
Exhale: let the weight drop. Feel the exhale sink into the feet and floor.
Mental cue (gentle, not theatrical):
“Down… down… down…” on exhale.
On inhale, don’t “pull water up.” Just allow the inhale to arrive quietly.
That’s it.
If you must use “water/fire” language, keep it this simple:
Exhale: fire descends (heat and agitation release downward).
Inhale: water gathers (cool, heavy presence collects in the lower belly).
Notice I didn’t say “water up.” Because gathering does not require upward pulling.
If you’re tempted to chase sensations, stop and return to the practical test:
The test of correct practice
After practice, you should feel:
more grounded,
more emotionally even,
more simple,
more able to sleep,
more kind in your nervous system.
If instead you feel:
head pressure,
buzzing,
spaciness,
heart flutter,
irritability,
or “electric” intensity—
you’re pushing too much, or sending fire up the wrong way.
The rule is boring, but it’s the rule:
If it makes you less human afterward, it’s not cultivation. It’s stimulation.
Now, two quick requests (only if you’re comfortable)