The Essence of Qi: Demystifying Energy Flow in Our Lives
Throughout my life growing up in the NYC metropolitan area, the word Qi (sounds like chee) was not part of everyday nomenclature.
Have you ever heard of Qi?
From what I’ve seen, most people think it’s hocus pocus, whoo whoo nonsense.
And, I get it. For a lot of people, if they can’t see it - it’s not real.
But to understand energy flow, especially from a Qi Gong, Nei Gong, Ba Gua or Taiji perspective, we need to take a quick look at Qi and its meaning(s).
Historically, Chinese people saw the existence of Qi and believed it to be the basic substance by which all movements and mutations of all phenomena in the universe arise. (1)
In essence, Qi permeates all aspects of life, both visible and invisible.
Now, there’s a lot of literature written on Qi, but the way I like to explain it to new qigong and ba gua practitioners looking for better energy flow throughout their daily lives, is to think of Qi as internal physiological activity inside the body.
This is a simple way to think about it.
In early Chinese texts, Qi is used to refer to various phenomena such as:
Air
Mist and Fog
Moving Clouds
Aromas
Vapors
Smoke
Breathing - Inhalation and Exhalation (2)
In Eastern philosophy and Traditional Chinese medicine, there’s ultimately one qi, but it’s broken down within the body and assigned to different structures, organs, activities, actions and functions.
There’s Liver qi, Lung qi, Upright qi, Orginingal qi, defense qi, warming qi, nutritive qi, etc.
So when you go for acupuncture or herbalist or work privately with a qigong teacher, they generally ask you a bunch of questions about what’s going on.
You may go for neck or back pain relief, but you’ll find them asking about old injuries, digestion, sleep, emotions, energy, etc. ultimately trying to get a sense of what’s going on with the harmonious flow of qi within your body and where it’s being disrupted and imbalanced.
From the eastern perspective, you’re having a blockage of Qi in the area of pain/discomfort, i.e. your neck or back, but the goal is to help you re-balance the Qi within your whole body.
Another way to think about this is, Qi flows through the body kinda like water flows through a hose.
If the hose gets kinked, that’s where we feel pain. But that buildup of water behind the kink can cause other problems, both upstream and downstream, from the obstructed flow.
For example, when I was struggling with chronic wrist pain working as an electrician in NYC in my early 20’s, I had some stagnant qi (energy) in my wrist that was causing me pain.
And 2 surgeries, PT on my wrist, cortisone injections and 8 years of pain didn’t fix the problem.
Why?
It turned out that my upper back, neck, shoulder, lungs, diaphragm and digestive organs all had kinks that were causing a disruption which popped up as wrist pain.
That’s why the wrist surgeries didn’t work.
Movement practices like Qigong and Ba Gua helped me uncover where things were stuck, misaligned and obstructed. It was in places no one else could find. I had to learn how to open them up to get the energy flowing freely again.
And it was done safely and in a way that felt akin to going for massage or chiropractic adjustment.
Once you experience that, you can't unlearn it.
This is incredibly helpful because we’re always getting things kinked up from both physical causes like an injury or bad posture but also from emotional issues and diet as well.
It’s incredibly efficient because It works for all kinds of issues like orthopedic pain, but also headaches, anxiety, general stiffness, digestive disorders, libido issues, and much more.
Your acupuncturist, massage therapist and pt can do a lot in finding some of the obstructions, but when you hit a plateau or things aren't getting better, Qigong and the internal arts help you work from the inside out as they work from outside in.
At the end of the day, there’s a lot going on with Qi! It is energy, but it’s more than that too.
Understanding energy (qi) flow within your own body is your birthright and is essential in functioning well throughout the course of your life.
Pain, tension, stress and disease all point to blockage in energy flow. When you learn how to open up the energetic pathways within your body to restore flow, you feel more relaxed and energized at the same time. Pain fades away, and strength, balance and alignment take it’s place until there’s another kink in the hose that needs to be unkinked.
If you're seeking energy flow practices that have stood the test of time, or if you're grappling with unresolved health issues affecting your daily comfort, I highly recommend exploring qigong, ba gua, or tai chi with an experienced teacher.
References:
(1)The Foundations of Chinese Medicine - Giovanni Maciocia
(2) 21 Things About Chinese Medicine That Every Internal Martial Artist Should Know - Tom Bisio