Qi appears in traditional Chinese culture. It is pronounced “chee” and is a really important principle that is a part of any thing that is living. We would normally translate qi as being life force, energy flow or life force, although the word actually means breath, gas or air. Qi is a main underlying principle found in many martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine.
We can find many concepts that are similar to qi in various cultures from around the world:
- Prana – Hindu Religion
- Liing – Tibetan Buddhism
- Vital Energy – Western Philosophy
- Pneuma – Ancient Greece
- Mana – Hawaiian Culture
Many of the elements associated with qi can be seen as energy. Various elements became public knowledge and interesting for people from all around the world as they were included as The Force in the Star Wars trilogy and other movies.
Leaving movies aside, Qi is creation energy and will always flow through anything that is currently alive. You can find it in nature, rivers, your body and much more. As qi stops flowing, life basically ends.
Facts To Remember About Qi
It is highlighted that there are 12 main pathways or channels for Qi to flow in the human body. They can be compared to a circulatory system but are only meant to be analyzed when referring to energy flow.
As Qi is flowing normally, the human body is balanced. People are feeling healthy, alive and energized. As Qi flow is disrupted, balance disappears. A disruption leads towards the appearance of a disease, according to traditional Chinese doctors.
In order to properly understand Qi flow inside the human body, we should make a comparison with flowing rivers. As the flow of a river ends up obstructed, there is sediment that appears, like leaves, dirt and twigs. If the debris is not cleared, it keeps growing and flow problems get worse. That is the same thing that happens with Qi flow. As energy no longer flows smoothly, waste and toxins accumulate. We end up with energy blocks that can create physical blockages like tumors or lumps.
We should also think about the situation in which we do not have enough water in a river. Then, it cannot flow and banks will become dry. When we have a Qi deficiency, the spleen and kidney meridians will be impacted, thus leading to improper nutrients and blood flow in our limbs. Muscle atrophy or limb weakness is common in these cases.
We can say that in order to have optimal health, according to traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Qi has to smoothly flow all throughout the human body.
Is Your Qi Blocked?
Based on what is written above, it is quite obvious that you need to understand if your current Qi flow is affected negatively or not. When talking about traditional Chinese medicine (commonly referred to as TCM), the constitution of the patient will be determined through questions and observations. The TCM practitioner will look at the tongue’s coating, shape, size and color, will look for pulse characteristics and observe other things like face color, smell and body shape.
The personal questions that are asked may feel a little embarrassing for the patient. It is important to go over that because it is definitely important to get the answers. As an example, the TCM practitioner may ask about stool color or question related to being constipated. There are always reasons for the questions so the patient has to answer properly.
As you already figured out, we can say that it is not possible for a person that does not have the necessary knowledge to figure out if Qi is blocked. We can understand this as being a huge problem. An alternative to what was mentioned above is Chinese Reflexology. This allows the practitioner to quickly figure out if there is a Qi blockage and even where it appears.
All the major energy pathways in the human body will end or start at the feet. We can say that the foot is basically a body microcosm. There are reflexology points that are present on the foot and that correspond to various body areas and organs. Areas on the foot that are sensitive usually indicate a Qi disharmony in the area that corresponds. Massaging the points can help in starting to balance Qi flow and clear toxins inside the body.
Boosting Energy Flow And Qi
Qi is not something that you regularly feel so most people have problems in believing it actually exist. That is completely normal since we are regularly taught to basically trust only what we see. This only leads towards a lot of misconception associated with Qi and anything that is alternative in nature.
Boosting Qi and energy flow is all about feeling the energy that is inside the body. That takes some practice but you can start with a really simple series of exercises that can aid you to actually feel Qi:
- Place your feet at a shoulder width position, the knees bent slightly and then the pelvis a little rolled forward. It is similar to the Ready pose that you see in Tai Chi. You can Google that.
- Hold the hands right in front of the abdomen, a little under the belly button. The palms have to be faced one towards the other, with hands wrists and arms relaxed and loose. Keep hands curved gently and fingers spread apart from each other, just as you would hold a ball inside the hand.
- Imagine holding a ball of energy, white, inside your arms. Think about a giant orb of bright lights. Imagine that the ball of light feels warm. Relax and breathe. The arms will start to feel warm. Your fingers will be tingly.
- As you feel this sensation, start to move the hands slowly. Imagine how the ball compresses as you bring palms together and expands when you bring them out.
- Slowly move the hands apart and never go too far as you want to maintain that warmth that you feel.
That feeling that you get is basically your Qi, your live energy. This is an exercise that allows you to feel something, in the event that you need it. Of course, practicing an internal martial art like Tai Chi would expose you to even more proof that Qi actually exists.
Qi And Chinese Reflexology
In order to simply increase life force and get Qi flowing, Chinese reflexology is something that you have to consider. Most TCM practitioners recommend it because of how much it can help you to improve everything Qi related. When the points that were mentioned above are massaged, you gain some advantages and benefits you have to consider:
- You find out if there are some disharmonies that exist inside the body based on what points feel sensitive as they are touched or massaged.
- Energy disharmonies are cleared through the feet massage when sensitive points are properly touched.
- Overall well-being and health will be improved as energy level healing will begin.
In order to see the benefits associated, before going to a professional, you can start massaging your feet alone. Just grab one foot and then press the sole with the use of the thumb. If you cannot reach the food, you need to seriously consider stretching and increasing your activity level as it is necessary for your health. Good stretching allows you to massage feet easily. Consider the butterfly stretch as it is one of the best you could do.
A Closer Look At Qi Gong
Qi Gong is a Chinese healing method, sometimes seen as an internal martial art. Gong means skill and we already covered what Qi means. We can define Qi Gong as being a skill of attracting the vital energy. At the same time, it is the act of moving Qi energy all throughout the human body in order to restore proper balance.
Qi Gong is the most well-known practice of a healing method associated with the use of Qi. There are various forms that exist and that basically allow practitioners to transmit energy inside the body with the use of meridians, individual tapping and palms. The Qi Gong master is also capable of transmitting energy into solutions or inanimate objects. Mild movements, breathing exercises and meditation are also necessary.
Will Qi Gong Have The Promised Effects?
When thinking about improving Qi flow, this is definitely a question that often appears. There are many websites out there that will promise you that through the practice of the healing process you will be healed, reducing stress, pain and an improved immune system appears.
You will be happy to learn the fact that there were many different studies that were conducted and that prove the fact that Qi Gong can effectively improve body circulation, relax muscles that are spastic, improve low blood pressure and even open the arteries that are tightened.
Even if you are sceptic about whether or not Qi Gong can help you to get better Qi energy flow inside the body, the simple fact that you get an improved blood flow basically guarantees that the entire healing process will be aided. As a simple example, when there is a circulatory system that is obstructed, medication may not reach the area where it would bring in benefits. An improved blood flow can easily lead towards having better effects of drugs.
Qi Gong helps relaxing the spastic muscles. This aids in reducing pain. Once again, this is basically connected with the improved blood flow. Stress is known to appear when muscles are tensed so even this can be seen as a huge advantage.
The benefits that are associated with Qi Gong are basically similar to benefits you would gain when going through training in other internal based martial arts. However, this does not actually mean that all diseases will be cured. Unfortunately, there are some internet sites out there that bring in claims that are completely incorrect. As an example, if you see that any Qi related medicine or practice is said to help you cure cancer, you should be careful and not trust anything that is said. The same rule applies when referring to other conditions like type II diabetes. It is important to remember this as there are some sites that will tell you that such claims are real.
Conclusions – What Should You Remember About Qi?
Qi is not that easy to understand. According to TCM practitioners, it takes a whole lot of time to properly understand how energy flows, how to control it and what alternative medicine actually works. You have to be patient and go through a lot of information about various different things of interest. Unfortunately, most of the websites that you find on the internet are not actually accurate and there are so many misconceptions that are associated with Qi.
The best thing that you can do is buy a book that is written by a high authority in the industry or actually talk to someone that knows a lot about Qi and how it can impact the quality of your life. Never start a practice that would modify body energy flow without being 100% sure that there is a professional that supervises everything. Even with Tai Chi or Qi Gong we see the masters telling people to practice daily for a lot of time until real results are seen.
As with every single alternative approach to health out there, it is really important that you never replace medication that is offered by a doctor. Remember that Qi healing is basically all about healing the human body in time by making everything function properly. You cannot heal a broken leg by energy practices. That is quite obvious. There are so many individuals out there that practically believe everything that they read, especially in the event that they suffer from something. With this in mind, always make sure that you properly practice everything and that you talk to the doctor in the event that there is a medical problem you have to deal with.