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15 Ways That Qi Can Change Your Life
“Whatever your question, Qi is the answer.”
Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? And, of course, there are always details and nuances in the answers to life’s questions. But at the heart of every answer is the basic energy that forms the Universe, known as Qi.
What is Qi?
Qi – which is pronounced “chee” with a hard ch as in church – is what the ancient Chinese philosophers called the energy that animates all life. Human beings have Qi, and so do plants and animals. The earth itself is thought to have Qi, and there is even a “Qi of Heaven.”
In the human body, the Qi is actually “manufactured” by the kidneys out of certain raw materials. The first element is something called “pre-natal Qi.” It’s the little spark of life that you get from each of your parents at conception. It eventually runs out and at that moment your body con no longer sustain life. But the other three raw elements can be continuously replenished. The second raw element is air, and in particular oxygen. (In modern Chinese medical textbooks, Qi is the word that gets translated for oxygen.) The third element is food, and the fourth element is your environment – the sounds, colors, smells and the presence of green, living plants. All of these elements are taken into the body and converted by the kidneys to make Qi energy. The fresher and purer the elements – clean air, natural organic food, vibrant surroundings – the healthier your Qi will be. Moreover, your kidneys won’t have to work so hard to make Qi for you. One of the most common maladies of modern life is “overworked kidneys” – a condition caused by the struggle to create healthy life energy out of polluted air and highly processed food.
How the Qi Moves
According to Chinese medicine, the Qi circulates throughout the body in the same way that the blood flows through the veins and arteries. The Qi travels along very specific channels called the jing luo – a word we translate as the acupuncture meridians. A Chinese doctor can determine exactly how well your Qi is flowing – and where it might be getting stuck!
To the Western mind, however, Qi is hard to quantify and measure. It’s more like electricity than blood. You can’t hold it, see it or put it in a jar – although you can definitely see and feel its effects. In Chinese language, the written character looks like a pot of rice with steam coming out of the top. The pictogram implies that Qi is a nourishing substance that travels through the body like a vapor.
We know that the blood is pumped through the body by the heart. So what moves the Qi? Well, there are two answers. First, the Qi moves as the body moves. When you become sedentary, the Qi slows down and becomes stagnant. Bad for health. But when you are active, the Qi comes alive and circulates throughout the body. Good for health! The second answer is “the mind.” By special practice, you can learn to consciously control your Qi’s circulation, and even deliberately send it wherever you want it to go in your body. You can even send your Qi outside your body into external objects – and even into other people. A famous Chinese saying goes, “I dao, Qi dao” – “where the mind goes, the Qi follows.”
What T’ai Chi Will Do For You
Long ago the ancient Qi masters posed the question: “How can you gain control of your Qi?” Through generations of experimentation, they developed the arts of Qigong and T’ai Chi Ch’uan. In a nutshell, these disciplines are a combination of specialized movement and mental training that enable you to develop awareness of your own inner life energy, circulate it in the most beneficial fashion, and guide it according to your will.
And it all begins with the ability to Touch Your Qi.
15 Ways That Qi Can Change Your Life
As I said before, no matter what your question, Qi is the answer. Once you learn to touch your Qi, you can use it to enhance every aspect of your life: physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically and Spiritually.
Here are 15 ways that Qi can change your life. As you read them, you may think I’m pulling your leg because they seem to some like outrageous claims. Yet each one of these benefits has been observed and documented. However – to reach some of these benefits you have to do more than just touch your Qi. You’ll have to pursue its mastery.
- Physical Health
Did you know that modern medical research indicates that Tai Chi can boost your immune system resistance to viral infection by 50%, lower high blood pressure, reduce anxiety and depression, treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, treat type 2 diabetes, and much, much more? Now these are all discoveries verified by Western medical research and university studies. But long before these studies were done, the ancient master of Qi developed traditional Chinese medicine.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, health is defined as the free and uninhibited circulation of Qi energy in the body. Disease, pain, obesity and aging are all seen as a disruption of that flow. Once you begin to master the circulation of your Qi, you also become master of your physical health.
- Qi can prevent and cure disease and illness.
- Qi stops chronic pain.
- Qi can enhance sports performance.
- Qi can help you lose weight.
- Qi can slow down the aging process.
- Emotional Well-being
- Qi can balance your emotions.
- Qi can cure depression.
- Mental Clarity
- Qi enhances creativity.
- Qi can focus your mind.
- Prosperity
These days everyone seems to be talking about The Secret, and the Law of Attraction. Wouldn’t you like to get the Law of Attraction on your side, and bring some prosperity into your life? Well, what The Secret never revealed is that the energy behind the Law of Attraction is Qi!
- Qi can make you irresistible.
- Qi can make you rich.
- Great Relationships
- Qi is the key to great partnerships, great romance… and great sex!
- Qi can heal your pets.
- Spirituality
In the ancient tradition of Qi mastery (known as Qigong), there were three categories of study: Medical Qigong, Martial Qigong and Spiritual Qigong. Here’s how they all work, especially the Spiritual category. Qi not only moves in the body, it circulates continuously throughout the body – and in particular in a loop around the spine. This loop is known as the Microcosmic Orbit, or Small Heavenly Cycle. Every time the Qi completes a circuit of the Small Heavenly Cycle, it is refined, purified and distilled. Think of how we make brandy. We start out with grape juice, which ferments into wine, and then is distilled to make brandy. But then the really good stuff is distilled even more to make cognac. Well over time the Qi is distilled into a higher and higher vibrational energy until it is beyond Qi altogether. At this point it has become a new energy called Shen – which we literally translate as “Spirit.” Spiritual consciousness becomes possible as your Qi becomes more like Shen.
- Qi can raise your Spiritual consciousness.
- Qi can bring you Peace – and bring peace to the planet.
Appendix
Are you the kind of person who likes facts, figures and documentation? Well, here is a short sampling of just some of the research that has been done on the effects of Qi. You can look any of these studies up on the internet – and if you still have questions… email me. Good reading!
Balance
Improved strength, mobility, balance, endurance (Tse & Bailey, 1992)
Significant improvement in balance maintained (Wolfson, et al.,1993 and 1996)
Significant improvement in balance among Parkinson Disease patients. (Hackneya & Earhart, 2008)
Other balance related studies (Judge, et al., 1993)
Benefits for Specific Medical Conditions
Cardiovascular
- Lowers resting blood pressure (Sun, 1994), (Sun, et al., 1996), (Young, 1999)
- Low to moderate intensity exercise (Zhou, 1984)
- Safe exercise for individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease (Schneider & Leung 1991)
- May delay decline of cardiorespiratory function in older adults (Lai, et al., 1995)
- May be prescribed as suitable aerobic exercise for older adults (Lai, et al., 1993)
- Most recommended aerobic exercise for coronary artery disease (Ng 1992)
- In relation to recovery from heart attack (Channer, et al., 1996)
- Other cardiovascular related studies (Gong, et al., 1981), (Lan, et al., 1996)
Elderly or Aging Populations
Immune Response (Blood T-Cells)
Mood States (Self Reports)
Reduced Falls
- Reduced falls by up to 47%, reduced fear of falling (Wolf, et al., 1993,and 1996, and 1997), (Henderson, 1998) , (Myers & Weiner, 1996), (Province, et al, 1995)
- Preventing Falls (Carbary, 1991), (Smith, 1998), (Kessenich, 1998)
Respiratory
- Increased efficiency in use of ventilatory volume (Brown, et al., 1989)
- Enhanced ventilary capacity without cardiovascular stress (Brown et al, 1995)
- Efficient use of ventilatory volume, efficient breathing patterns (Schneider & Leung, 1991)
- Medical Tribune News Service article discussing research led by Dr. Jin-Shin Lai of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei.
Stress Hormones (Salivary Cortisol Levels)
Weight Bearing Exercise
Other Benefits Referenced
The Nameless Wayfarer 