Andrew Weil is a well-known and respected American physician and spokesperson for holistic health and integrative medicine. He says:. It is thought to pervade the universe, and to be subject to direction and control by trained human beings. Deep breathing exercises and visualization practices, known as Relaxation Response or PR, are often taught to patients with mental health issues, to calm and soothe their over-acting nervous system sensitized by trauma, stress or fearful thinking.
It is believed that these methods tend to trigger physiological — and perhaps energetic — mechanisms, that move the body into a state of deep rest. It is also well understood by healthcare professionals that attitude helps in healing. Exercises that develop your skills in learning how to use chi energy — specifically the supply and flow of chi — are also one of the foundational elements in martial arts training.
In Taoism too, chi is a primal substance that animates the universe, and is the force that sets the world and everything in it into motion. Martial arts gurus such as Lee, along with other screen legends like Jackie Chan and Jet Li were and are life-long students of martial arts practices that centred around learning how to use chi energy. They teach that stronger, more abundant chi, properly channeled, can result in more powerful techniques: more powerful strikes, increased ability to withstand blows, and greater overall stamina and resiliency.
Shaolin monks have been known to harness their chi with enough power and efficiency to throw a needle through glass :. Michael W. Long is a scientist, founder of several Life Science companies, who has been practicing martial arts for 20 years:. For example, when holding a contact-pad chest high and having someone kick it a common martial arts drill. Most people hold the pad with their feet in some form of a front stance — shoulder width apart, front leg bent, back leg straight — to absorb the force of the blow.
I stand with both feet together. Even with powerful kickers, I am rarely knocked back; never down. Is this Qi?
When it comes to the research on learning how to use chi energy, it is still in its infancy and there is a lot to be discovered before knowledge evolves to the point where it can explain, in empirical terms, why Chinese medicine works or where the amazing powers of Qigong masters — such as raising their body temperature to the point of producing steam, holding red hot metal objects with bare hands, and performing all other kinds of humanly inexplicable feats — comes from.
Still, there is no denying that millions of people have been successfully treated in China and all over the world by Chinese medicine based on chi, including Qigong, acupuncture and acupressure that directly deal with chi energy. Working through hypotheses involving qi — balance of yin and yang, flow through meridians, etc. To wit: does an acupuncturist actually manipulate qi? While both practices have similarities, they are actually very different.
Tai chi is a series of fluid movements that are constantly evolving and merge into each other, much like the way in which chi itself moves. The action of doing tai chi requires you to be constantly moving as your body moves from one posture to another. Yoga on the other hand, is all about stillness.
Yoga postures are held for prolonged periods of time, depending on the style that you practice, as you find your balance, inner peace and an awareness of your body. It is thought that as you hold each yoga pose, chi accumulates within you and creates a blockage. As you release from each posture, the blockage clears and your chi flows freely. This repeated sequence of exercises helps to prevent blockages from permanently hindering your chi. Breathing exercises Tai chi and yoga both share an awareness of your movement and purposeful breathing.
As you breathe in, you breathe in air, and also chi energy. The chi is circulated around your body as you continue to breathe in and out. Meditation Practice mindfulness and balance your mind with your body through the act of mediation. Regular meditation is a really effective habit to do in your daily life as it allows you to let go of negative thoughts and relax. Letting go of these negative energies allows your body to cultivate its chi instead.
Meditation is a great stress reliever which can in turn help to prevent your chi getting blocked and build up inside your body. Diet Like the air that we breathe, the food that we eat can also be a source of chi. Foods that are thought to help you fortify your chi are: brown rice, carrots, chicken, eggs, fish, ginseng, green beans, oats, lotus seed, potatoes, pumpkin, soybeans, tofu, turnips and yams.
Finally, try to avoid overeating or not eating enough as they will put strain on your chi and absorb your energy. Rest Practicing all of the above will help you to balance your chi, but the best way to improve your chi is to rest. Resting is essential to letting your body restore and heal itself.
Raise your hands and then drop them quickly to your side, shaking the energy out of your hands. Release the excess energy this way to keep from burning out.
Play with the size and shape. Slowly rotate them, first right hand on top and left on the bottom, and then bring your left hand to the top and your right hand to the bottom. Grow and shrink the ball as you rotate it. Pull your hands further apart as if it was a basketball or beach ball, and then get smaller, to tennis ball size.
Concentrate on feeling the chi as you catch it, and then release it as you throw it. Visualize the ball of energy sitting in the palm of your right hand, and then close your fist and around and through it. Feel the chi sinking into and surrounding your fist, which might bring on a warm or tingling sensation. Keep your hand tense to lock in the chi. How can you tell if you have enough qi?
Blakeway says someone with enough qi in his or her body is typically seen as outwardly healthy and energetic. People with balanced qi can quickly fight off a virus, for example, or bounce back after an injury. They typically have good endurance, digestion, and immunity, as well as a clear state of mind.
This could mean anything from difficulty digesting food, no appetite, and catching colds easily to allergies, anemia, and depression. A qi deficiency can also be emotional. For example, Sperber says, fright can scatter qi, and anger can stagnate qi. People with excess qi might appear irritable, stressed, or tense.
This is where acupuncture comes into play, as the goal of the needles is to move your stuck qi around. Sperber says that if you breathe well, eat well, and sleep well, your qi prognosis will likely be good.
And you have those friends that just really build you up and give you energy when you talk to them. Being tired is a hallmark sign of a qi deficiency. Getting sufficient restful sleep, meaning seven to nine hours per night , is one of the most important things you can do to balance your qi.
In addition, taking life more slowly can be a crucial part of balancing your qi. Try to avoid multitasking and remember to pause when necessary. One way to improve a qi deficiency is through purposeful breathing.
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