It is inevitable that the communion of sex engages all aspects of our energetic nature simultaneously. As they found, the relationship between our sexual behavior and our vital energy is very important for those who seek to cultivate their energy and promote health. In taoist energy theory, sex can serve to either enhance or deplete our vital energy, and sexual vitality is also considered a good indicator of overall health and immunity to disease. As I stated earlier, we are born with a limited reservoir of congenital chi or jing which cannot be replaced. In addition to the general wearing down of our reserves through life, there are two specific means through which we lose jing.
Women lose it through menstruation, and men through ejaculation.
These two experiences are analogous in terms of the felt impact on one's energy, although for men, ejaculation brings a more acute and instantaneous experience of loss, compared to the more drawn out experience of menstruation. The male orgasm involves an outward explosion and release of jing whereas the female orgasm is an inward explosion. When a man ejaculates he is releasing vital essence or energy which is carried out of his body by the ejaculatory fluids. In the taoist perspective, the sperm carry the man's jing or sexual essence. The temporary feeling of depletion that men have after ejaculation is thus a true representation of what has happened.