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Opening Joints & Connecting The Body
When pushing or pulling an object, we usually tighten muscles automatically. If you want to push something heavy, you compress, or ‘get ready’, or ‘gird your loins’, or ‘wind up’. In effect you tighten up, squeezing the body and limbs, and, temporarily compact yourself. If you want to pull something heavy, even though the act of pulling with your arms would theoretically pull the joints open,…
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Taoism and Chi
Chi is a primal substance that animates the universe in Taoism, a mysterious force introduced to us by ancient Chinese myths and legends that have also told us about the Tai Chi and about Tao. Chi is the force that sets the world and everything in it into motion. Chi is also the force that sustains all things once they are created.
The Idea of Chi
The Taoist concept of chi is not easily accepted by Westerners. It is not a concept that appears in our mainstream religions or philosophies. Neither do our medical and scientific traditions acknowledge chi or even have any place for it in their theories.
In China and the Orient, however, the Taoist concept of chi is very familiar, even commonplace. Everyone, from politicians to school children, understands it. The notion of chi and its applications are as much a part of Chinese life and outlook as are the ideas of muscle tone and physical fitness in Western life.
Easterners believe chi to be the life energy contained within matter. In experiments conducted in the 1960s, nuclear physicists in China came to accept the notion that chi is actually a low-frequency, highly concentrated form of infrared radiation.
In the last decade, experiments in China have been conducted on this special type of energy. Some researchers have come to believe, just as the legends tell us, that certain people may be able to learn to emit this form of energy from their bodies. Known as chi kung masters, these highly trained individuals often devote their lives to developing this subtle energy.
As the Taoist concept of chi crossed over into the West in recent years, a Western word was coined to describe it. Since chi has a number of properties that seem similar to those of electrical energy, it is sometimes called bio-energy.
This describes the living energy that is native to life rather than to the inanimate forces of nature such as water power or lightning. Knowledge related to bio-energy is called bio-information.
Chi: The Life Force
However one conceives the Taoist concept of chi, there is general agreement about what it does: Chi animates matter, infusing it with life. As a result, it is often described as the "life force." It not only permeates the empty spaces between material objects in Taoism, it is part of their composition.
In people and animals, for example, chi is responsible for the functioning of the organs, including the cardio-respiratory system. This life force circulates throughout the body with the blood so that it can provide its own particular form of nutrition to the myriad cells.
Every living organism has some way to assimilate chi. Human beings, animals, and plants alike ingest chi along with the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat.
Once inside, chi moves to various locations and begins to perform its many functions. The most common of these functions are generally related to the proper functioning and continued operation of the body or plant.
There are hints here and there in our culture that we in the Western world once did recognize the mysterious life force of Taoism called chi. Have you ever wondered, for example, why a mother kisses her child's wound to try and make it better? It's remarkable that after her kiss, the pain does often vanish.
Psychologists may tell you this phenomenon has nothing to do with the kiss itself. Its effectiveness, they say, is a result of the suggestion placed in the child's mind: The pain disappears as a result of a type of hypnosis induced by the mother.
But anyone who understands the Taoist concept of chi will say that the mother passed some of her life force into the child's damaged tissue. The life force not only repairs the wound, it also serves as an anesthetic.
Another example can be found in many of the devotional paintings created by our finest artists. In these works, you can often find a halo surrounding the heads of Christ, the Madonna, the disciples, visiting angels, cherubs, and many other members of the heavenly host.
Some believe this aura to be simply a fanciful symbol created by the artist for effect. Others, however, believe they can actually see these emanations radiating from holy people and others who have cultivated the chi to a high degree.
Some gifted artists, who were especially sensitive to color and light, may have taken their inspiration for the idea of halos directly from a particularly radiant person.
Experiencing Chi: An Experiment
Most people are understandably skeptical about this energy called chi until they actually experience it for themselves. After all, in the West we have been well trained to deny even the possibility of such phenomena. While some people will never be able to sense the chi, many others do -- some on their first encounter with it.
Try this experiment with a partner, such as your child, spouse, or friend, to see if you are able to feel the chi. Both of you should either sit or stand approximately two arms-length away from each other.
Ask your partner to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders and back muscles as completely as possible. Try to imagine an energy rising from the ground into your body.
When you think you can almost sense this imaginary force, ask your partner to extend an arm toward you until it is level with the floor. The palm of the hand should be facing downward.
Slowly raise your own arms and extend your fingers until they are within a few inches of your partner's outstretched hand. Using your mind, direct the imaginary energy -- what we call the chi. Move it further up through your body until it passes along your arms and out from your fingertips.
It's helpful to imagine a current of energy passing from your body into your partner's. Whether you think this is an imaginary force or not, some people feel the chi right away, even with their eyes closed.
More powerful demonstrations of the application the Taoist concept of chi can be found in Chinese medical centers, where acupuncture techniques are used on patients ready to undergo surgery. The acupuncture is used to stimulate the chi, which then induces anesthesia. Using these techniques, patients regularly undergo major operations without drugs.
The Influence of Chi
The Taoist concept of chi is a special substance with certain properties. As it has traditionally been understood in Taoism, it refers to a vital force, the animating force behind life itself, and has always been associated with both breath and air.
A more contemporary view sees chi as a substance much like light, with properties of both matter and energy. Some, such as chi kung masters, claim to be able to project chi from their bodies into others and to be able to see it.
In fact, the chi may be the healing substance responsible for the phenomenon known as the "laying on of hands." This is a healing tradition known in the West in which one or more people will place their hands on someone who is not well. Sometimes these people recover completely for reasons unknown to modern medicine.
Understanding the Taoist concept of chi requires us to recognize the extent of its influence both inside our bodies and in the world around us. The concept of chi, then, can be discussed in terms of how it appears in the universe and what it does.
In Taoism, both chi and Tao in their original forms are invisible and beyond the realm of normal human senses. Nevertheless, chi is found at the root of all movement, all change, and all things whether or not they are living.
The myth of Pan Ku shows how the One, in the form of an egg, gave birth to the two -- the forces of yin and yang -- and how Pan Ku was the third of the forces created.
Lao Tsu, in Verse 42 of the Tao Te Ching, tells us that the Tao was responsible not only for these initial three creations, but also for everything created subsequently:
Tao produced the One.
The One produced the two.
The two produced the three.
And the three produced the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry the yin and embrace the yang, and through the blending of the material force (ch'i) they achieve harmony.
The verse tells us that the permutations of the yin and the yang and their interactions with the material force known as the chi produced the rest of creation, known figuratively in Chinese myth, folklore, and philosophy as the ten thousand things.
The chi referred to in this verse is found throughout the universe, on the most remote stars, in the tiniest speck of dust, and on the deepest ocean floors, in fact, in each of the ten thousand things.
When this chi is identified in material bodies, it is given distinct names. In the human body alone, Chinese traditional physicians and chi kung practitioners have identified many forms of it, including prenatal chi, primary chi, pectoral chi, nutritional chi, and defensive chi.
In nature, too, there are terms for different types of chi. These help us to distinguish among its many forms. But ultimately, all derive from their common source, known as universal chi.
In this sense, then, chi, a material force, acts as the agent of Tao, an immaterial force. We know that Tao was formless because in Verse 25 Lao Tsu, the acknowledged authority in these matters, tells us:
There was something undifferentiated and yet complete,
Which existed before heaven and earth.
Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change.
It operates everywhere and is free from danger.
It may be considered the mother of the universe.
I do not know its name; I call it Tao.
Personal Chi
In Taoism, certain types of chi are naturally found within the human body. This natural chi is known as "personal," or "normal," chi. Personal chi is a general, umbrella term for the four primary forms of human chi.
There are many different names for these four types, but they are commonly known as prenatal chi, nutritional chi, defensive chi, and pectoral chi. The name of each personal chi reflects its function within the body. Each of the four person chi is described below.
Prenatal Chi: A Gift from our Parents
Prenatal chi, sometimes called primary chi, is transmitted directly to the child by the parents at the time of conception. This personal chi initially locates in and around the kidneys. As the organs of the body begin to function autonomously, the prenatal chi moves into the rest of the body.
The quality of prenatal chi in Taoism determines, in part, our general constitution -- whether we are strong and healthy or weak and sickly. As we progress through life, we draw upon this personal chi, first to develop and grow, and then just to survive. Since there is a finite amount, we gradually exhaust the supply, and our bodies begin to deteriorate.
After birth, prenatal chi must be nourished by the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Since chi is a primordial substance of the body even more basic than blood in Taoism, we must nourish it in order to nourish our bodies.
The quality of the food and water we consume and the air we breathe has a direct effect on the quality of our prenatal chi. Once inside our system, food, water, and air are immediately transformed into unique types of chi. Each of these have special functions.
Our health, then, is directly related not only to the caliber of the chi transmitted to us at the time of our birth, but also to the quality of our food and air supplies. This means that the strength of our prenatal chi does not entirely dictate our destiny. Even if our prenatal chi is weak, we can still improve our chances of living a long and healthy life.
Nutritional Chi
There are several types of "acquired chi," which enter the body after birth. One of these is known as nutritional chi, and as mentioned above, it is created from the food we ingest. Produced by the spleen and stomach, this personal chi circulates in the blood vessels. Nutritional chi is responsible for producing the blood itself and also for providing the body with nourishment.
When it is found in the human body, chi and blood have always been understood to have a close association. An old Chinese expression says that chi is the commander of blood, but blood is the mother of chi. This means that wherever chi is to be found, the blood will follow.
On the other hand, it is the blood that nourishes the chi. This is one of the core ideas in traditional Chinese medicine. By increasing the amount of chi in deficient areas, the blood, because of its natural affinity to chi, will follow.
This brings additional nutrients, moisture, and a fresh supply of oxygen to the damaged tissue. At the same time, the blood will nourish the existing chi. From this example, you can clearly see the give-and-take relationship, the yin and the yang at play, between the two substances.
Defensive Chi
Defensive chi also originates with the food we eat. Rather than flowing through the interior of the body as does the nutritional chi, its native habitat is close to the surface of the body, where it protects us against disease. This personal chi also is responsible for the operation of the pores, providing moisture to skin tissue and hair, and when necessary, helping to regulate body temperature.
Pectoral Chi
In Taoism, the air that we breathe is transformed into another type of chi known as natural air chi, or pectoral chi, after its location in the body. It enables the lungs to control respiratory functions and enables the heart to circulate the blood. This personal chi is also associated with the ability to move the limbs and trunk of the body and to circulate the chi in the body. People without stamina, and those who are unable to speak clearly or whose voices lack force, are said to be deficient in natural air chi.
Source:
https://people.howstuffworks.com/taoism-and-chi.htm
Qigong exercise to treat back and leg pain Chinese woodcut
Xiuzhen miyao, a gymnastic (daoyin/qigong) text of unknown origin, was rediscovered and published with a preface by Wang Zai in 1513 (8th year of the Zhengde reign period of the Ming dynasty). It records 49 exercises. This illustration depicts Wu long tan zhua (Black Dragon stretches out its claws), a technique used to treat pain in the legs and the small of the back. It is practised as follows: Sitting with legs outstretched, one extends both arms to the front, parallel with the legs. Moving [the arms] backwards and forwards, one circulates Qi (the breath).
The statues of Chi Kung / Ji Gong ( the beggar god ) and Sun Go Kong ( the monkey king ).
This is one of the last videos I shot before moving to Switzerland. I was originally going to wait to post it later, but it’s been a while since I’ve vlogged, and it’s a subject that’s really important to me.
Right now I’m working between morning meditation sessions with the traditional slow breathing, but I’ve also broken up the day with small Wim-Hof breathing exercises. I’ve only just gotten through my third day, but I am quite impressed with how long I can hold my breath on both an exhale and inhale.
So what kind of breathing exercises do you do in your martial arts training?
(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=For8Cf9OmbY)
“Have fake spirtualists and Kung Fu fighters highjacked Qi Gong”
“Oh, the problem is you can’t feel your Qi yet because you are resisting “!!, “I can feel my central channel” “feel the Qi coming in from the Universe, can you feel the tingling “, “ if your husband does not come to class he will get a bad illness and could die“
The above are a sample of the things said by unscupulous, misguided teachers of Qi Gong and sadly to say Tai Chi Chuan people also. Auto suggestion and manipulations that have come to my attention , i.e the last statement was described to me by a distraught lady who as being manipulated by a Chinese master and she emailed me from new Zealand to ask if there could be any truth to what her teacher was saying ! She subsequenty left the cult.
In the Internal Arts traditions and especially Qi Gong, there are often spurious links to spiritual practice and psychic.
For example there is much said about Tai Chi Chuan as being a spiritual practice. ( let us define here what a spiritual practice is. A spiritual practice brings to you an awareness of the suffering of others and a deep wish alleviate that suffering and to put others ahead of any selfish motive. This kind of practice focusses on the heart and mind of a person and involves, prayer, ( rhythmical affirmations to increase mental energy ), self reflection of the nature of the self and of phenomena ) and visualization.
This cannot be further from the actual practice of Tai Chi Chuan itself, whose focus is physical relaxation cojoined with specifically designed movement to smooth the nerves, increase blood flow and oxygen balance to develop the Qi ( Constitution ) strength of the practitioner and harness that for self defence / combat application.
One of my main teachers was Grandmaster Tian Ying Jia, who was very famous within the Yang Tai Chi Family lineage. I was his inner - door student. His father was the legednary Tai Chi Master Tian Zhou Lin. Tian Zhou Lin was the adopted son of Yang Chien Hou and therefore was trained in the Yang family system exclusively to take challenges ( fights ) Yang Chien Hou was the son of the FOUNDER of the family art.
I asked Grandmaster Tian in an interview directly if Tai Chi had any spiritual or even meditation in it. The answer was NO.. Tai Chi is movement he said.. Qi development and combat. He also said that he was not like his father who was a full time professional martial artist. He felt Tai Chi was supreme health practice and that people must train with a good heart and not develop anger or frustration, or as he put it disturbed Jin ( forces ). This actually alludes to people who have a negative egocentric, egotistical attitude. To be fair any genuine martial art practice will not breed angry people who bully others, it should develop ones character and an appreciation of other peoples potential. Division and ego filled striving to dominate and win are not attributes of a martial art. ( many would argue aganst that statement )
As an aside : there also appears to be a trend to use the term Qi Gong as a brand overspill of Taoist/ Buddhist Yoga. Also external Kung Fu systems now claim to teach Qi Gong. Be very careful when you see Kung Fu-Tai Chi in the ttile or Kung Fu-Qi Gong, This has been a ploy used by unscrupulous to get people in the door and has been slowly happening for at least 20 years, it now appears to be on the increase. Another is the Wing Chun-Qi Gong. This does mean that a teacher does not have a system, but I would handle with extreme caution and throughly get to the root of the lineage, if any they have . If your style of Kung Fu is worth its salt you would not need supplement it, or add a qi gong set to your practice.
The term Qi Gong/ Chi Kung was coined in 1956 at the height of Chariman Mao’s economic reign of incompetence and terror. As the term is a catch all term for anything including folk exercise one could be excused for thiking that ethereal arm wavng, dance like exercise and pretty lines of movement are inherently spiritual. This is not to say that there are not spiritually aware people practicing qi gong, it is just that getting a high from exercise is not an inherently spiritual endeavor.
Be very vigilant to the claims made of special powers, psychic and other skills that can be gained from qigong practice. If you ae looking for a spiritual tradition you will have to look outside Qi Gong and the marketting BS that surrounds it. A decent Qi Gong is however a great support for a spiritual practice - prayer or meditation.. Sadly in China, Qi Gong got a bad reputaiton in China because it was linked to a politically motivated psuedo spirtiual cult and many charlatans and tricksters to con the general pubic and fleece them of money to learn special powers. This is not a suprising result considering the inhuman treatment of people by the people during the Cultural revolution where relgious practice was supressed and tens of millions of people died. The Chinese population at large swapped one Emperor for another and are suspectible like all modern cutures mind manipulation. That a large proportion of the population would be drawn to a psuedo religious cult is maybe inevitable. I think at this time that exercise of a mindful nature unless proven by acadmeic research to be a living lineage ( to my knowledge there is not one genuine unbroken proven lineage going back 300 led alone 2500 years as is often claimed by Qi Gongers or Internal Martial Artists. What we have are re-constuctionists. There are some very effective and wonderful systems out there if you can find a real practitioner who is not weekend warrior or cult member. It is about time that people own up to what they know, how they know it and whom they learned from.. ( if you really practice Qi Gong you will attain instantly the abiity to percieve bullshit) .. . Love and transparancy C
