What Is Qi (Chi)? The Vibratory
Nature of Reality
By Elizabeth Reninger, About.com
About.com Guide.
Central to Taoist world-view and practice
is qi (chi). Qi is life-force—that which animates the forms of
the world. It is the vibratory nature of phenomena—the flow and
tremoring that is happening continuously at molecular, atomic and sub-atomic
levels. In Japan it is called “ki,” and in India, “prana”
or “shakti.” The ancient Egyptians referred to it as “ka,”
and the ancient Greeks as “pneuma.” For Native Americans
it is the “Great Spirit” and for Christians, the “Holy
Spirit.” In Africa it’s known as “ashe” and
in Hawaii as “ha” or “mana.”
In China, the understanding of qi is inherent in the
very language. For instance: The literal translation of the Chinese
character meaning “health” is “original qi.”
The literal translation of the character for “vitality”
is “high quality qi.” The literal translation of the character
meaning “friendly” is “peaceful qi."
Many Different Kinds of Qi
Practitioners of Chinese Medicine and qigong have identified many different
kinds of qi. Within the human body there is the qi that we’re
born with, called Yuan qi, or ancestral qi. The qi that we absorb during
our lives from food, water, air and qigong practice is called Hou tain
qi or post-natal qi. The qi that flows at the surface of the body, as
a protective sheathe, is called Wei qi or protective qi. Each internal
organ also has its own qi/life-force, e.g. Spleen-qi, Lung-qi, Kidney-qi.
According to Taoist cosmology, the two most fundamental forms of qi
are Yin-qi and Yang-qi—the primordial feminine and masculine energies.
Many qigong practices utilize Heaven qi and Earth qi, as well as the
qi that emanates specifically from trees, flowers, lakes and mountains.
Balanced & Free-Flowing Qi = Health
The fundamental insight of qigong and Chinese Medicine (acupuncture
and herbal medicine) is that balanced and free-flowing qi results in
health; while stagnant or imbalanced qi leads to disease. This is true
not only at the level of the human body, but also in terms of natural
landscapes—mountains, rivers, forests—and man-made structures—houses,
office-buildings, and parks. In the same way that an acupuncturist diagnoses
energetic imbalances, and works to re-establish free-flowing qi in the
human body; so does the practitioner of Feng Shui perceive energetic
imbalances in natural or man-made landscapes, and then apply various
techniques to remedy those imbalances. In both cases, the goal is to
establish a more open flow of energy in the particular (internal or
external) environment. We can understand Taoist ceremony, also, as being
a form of qigong or Feng Shui, since specific actions and arrangements
of ritual objects are used to invoke the flow of sacred energy. Like
a powerful acupuncture treatment, the successful ritual opens a portal
between the human realm and the realms of the spirits, Deities and Immortals.
Feeling the Qi
The capacity to perceive the flow of
qi directly—to actually see or feel it—is something that
can be cultivated through training in qigong or acupuncture. Like any
skill, some people are better at it than others: for some it seems to
come “naturally,” for others it’s more of a challenge.
Even if it’s not consciously cultivated or acknowledged, most
of us can tell the difference between someone who has “great energy”
and someone from whom we feel a “bad vibe.” And most of
us are able to notice, when we enter a room, whether the atmosphere
seems relaxed and uplifted, or tense and heavy. To the extent that we
notice such things, we are tuning into the level of qi.
We might be in the habit of perceiving our world in
terms of solid shapes and forms. What Taoism teaches is that we can
train ourselves to perceive in other ways; and a good place to start
is with our own human body. Though we may now experience our body as
being rather solid, at a molecular level it is comprised mostly of water—a
very fluid substance! And at an atomic level it is 99.99% space—a
vast (and infinitely intelligent) emptiness.
As we practice qigong and Inner Alchemy, we cultivate
the capacity to perceive at all of these different levels—to feel
ourselves and our world as fluid, and as spacious; as well as being
filled with apparently-solid forms. As we become more adept in this
way, we become aware, directly, of the vibratory nature of all-that-is.
Not only do we experience our bodies as being comprised of patterns
and flows of qi, but also come to understand that “emotions”
and “thoughts” are also forms of energy. These insights
give rise then to the potential for newly-powerful and deliciously-creative
action within this tremoring world.
Recommended reading:
•Orr, Katherine. Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit:
Shing-ling-mei Wudang Qigong. Kaneohe, HI: DragonGate Publishing, 2005.
•Odier, Daniel. Yoga Spandakarika. Rochester:
Inner Traditions, 2005.
•Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics. Boston:
Shambhala Publications, 1999.
