In order to have a long healthy and happy life, both your physical body and your mind must be healthy. Our body is a living electromagnetic field. This field is affected by our thoughts, feelings, activities, the quality of the air we breath, the food we eat, the life style and the natural energy that surround us as well as unnatural energy around us such as the radiation of devices as cellphones, Tvs, and others. Since Chi is a source of life, if you understand how Chi functions and know to regulate it correctly, you should be able to live a long and healthy life.
Qi is often translated as life force energy. It is that vital force that makes life exciting, fun, creative, and joyful. Instinctively we know that the more energy we have, the better we feel. Chi energy is the immaterial substance that propagates life and animates our bodies with movement. It is in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the emotions we feel. Chi is not just in our bodies, but permeates all of nature: Mountains arising, forests growing, rivers flowing, and all life proliferating are expressions of this life-force energy.
Qi gong is a traditional practice to cultivate and balance Chi, "the life force". With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, Qi gong amplifies the internal energy of practitioners, enabling them to become full of vitality, healthy, emotionally balanced, and spiritually connected. This creates inner balance and harmony that leads to longevity and a deep sense of purpose in life. Qi gong is based on the premise that the human body is an energy system. As long as it has energy or Chi, it is alive; when energy is gone, it is dead. Qi gong practitioners learns how to tap into their own inner resources and become self-sufficient and skilled at working with their own internal energy.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has enjoyed so much success for 2500 years due to its effectiveness and the basic tenets of TCM is that "the body's vital energy (Ch'i or Qi) circulates through channels, called meridians, that have branches connected to bodily organs and functions." In United States, Wilhelm Reich, a protege of Dr. Sigmund Freud, realized that the lack of Qi flow in the body is the cause of many mental illnesses. He made fascinating discoveries about how Chi energy fortify cells and organs without knowing the Chinese medicine. He called this energy Orgone and created machines to measure it and accumulated it, in this way he could determine the importance of the Chi to have a healthy state of body and mind. He observed in weak cells a pale blue color while the healthy cells enjoyed an intense blue color light around them. Is how he could know the importance of the constant flow of this energy through the body. He dedicated his life to the study of Chi energy in a laboratory, since a scientific approach Dr. Reich had earned an international reputation as a scientist of integrity. Once, after he had demonstrated orgone energy to Albert Einstein, the famous physicist exclaimed that "this would be a bombshell to physics".
However, Chinese Medicine thousands of years before Wilhelm Reich develops Breathing Techniques, Postures & Special Movements to harmonize Chi flow in people to make them healthy, happier, and stronger. These Techniques are called Qi gong, and it leads to a long life with a strong defined purpose. Qi gong practitioners understand their bodies as the meeting-place between Heaven and Earth, drawing Heaven Qi down from above, and Earth Qi up from below. They drawing the Chi from nature into the body also.
Discovering the Qi
One way to discover Qi is simply to become aware of the sensations of flowing energy within our body. This flowing energy might have a quality of warmth, or of coolness. It might feel more like tingling, or a sense of heaviness or fullness, or perhaps will have an electric or magnetic quality to it. The way to begin to notice these sensations is to bring your attention, your conscious awareness, into your body. One simple practice to facilitate this is to rub the palms of your hands together until they feel warm, then separate them just slightly, at the level of your belly, and create small movements— in circles, or separating and then bringing them close together again—as you pay attention to the sensations in your fingers and palms. What do you feel? Try the practice with your eyes open, and then with them closed—simply noticing any and all sensations in your fingers, palms or wrists. also.
Most of us are in the habit of thinking of our body as being a more-or-less solid “thing.” Yet at a molecular level, our body is primarily water—a very fluid substance. And at an atomic and sub-atomic level, our body is 99.99% space! Blood is flowing continuously through our veins and arteries, as our heart pumps continuously. Air is moving in and out of our body, in a continuous way, as we breathe. And cellular respiration, with its various biochemical processes, is happening continuously. The point is that our concept of our bodies as being “solid” is really no more than an idea which, upon closer examination, proves to be an entirely deluded one. An important step on the way to discovering Qi is letting go of this false notion of solidity, and replacing it with one that is more in alignment with reality. The truth is that our human bodies are in continuous motion, within their own boundaries, as well as in continual exchange with the “external” world, through the air we breathe, the food and water that we ingest.
Once we begin to conceive of our bodies as being in continuous motion, it becomes much easier to “feel the Chi” the vibratory quality of the body. Once you’re able to perceive Qi sensations in your fingers, or between the palms of your hands, you might start noticing patterns of flowing energy. You may begin to notice that Qi can be felt several inches or even several feet outside of the body, as though the physical form were held within something like an energy cocoon.
Once we’ve discovered Chi, we can begin to explore the second stage of cultivation: gathering Qi. Our goal in this stage is to maintain a steady stream into our body-mind system. Qi is our body’s energetic nourishment, in a similar way to how oil is nourishment for a lamp, or gasoline is nourishment for a car. And, like oil in a lamp or gas in our car, it’s best to maintain a certain level of Qi within our body, rather than letting it run all the way to empty, before filling it again. How do we do this?
In a healthy state, our bodies quite naturally gather Qi from a variety of sources. As Roger Jahnke OMD writes: “The human life force system automatically gathers Chi through air, food, earth magnetism and the celestial influences of stars, planets and boundless space.” The many sources of Qi are then transformed into many different kinds of energy within the human body.
How can we support our body's natural capacity to gather Qi?
Things that are supportive of our body’s natural Qi-gathering include: drinking plenty of fresh clean water; eating vital foods; supplementing our diet, as needed, with herbs; getting plenty of rest and relaxation; exercising our imagination & creativity; spending time in nature; and practicing Qigong or meditation. Electromagnetic pollution(electrosmog) contaminantes Chi energy, because of this, is very helpful a Chi generator to purify the energy of a place with electric devices, as an office or music studio.
Things that tend to inhibit our body’s natural capacity to gather Qi include: excessive tension/stress; physical injury; emotional trauma; working long hours, without balancing this with relaxation and play; the consumption of “toxic” media (television, movies, internet etc.) or “toxic” conversations or relationships. Food and drinks play a fundamental role, living foods such as raw fruits and vegetables contain enormous amounts of Chi. Water accumulates this energy from the environment with the passage of time. So the water could be charged with enough clean energy absorbed on nature or with enough polluted Chi absorbed from the place where this liquid was stored. Electrosmog contaminates water, so it is helpful a Water Optimizer to clean the Chi in water before drink it. This device is also useful for charging food with Qi and flooding the kitchen with abundant life force.
A simple practice for exercising our capacity to direct the Chi is to place our conscious attention in a certain part of our body – say one of our hands, or one of our feet, or our lower Dantain – and gently maintain our focus, our light awareness there, for five or ten minutes, noticing what happens, at a feeling level, as we do this. Everyone’s experience will, of course, be unique, but don’t be surprised if you notice a change in temperature, or a sensation of tingling or fullness or spaciousness, in that part of your body. Attention is the way how life force could be consciously directed.
The three Dantians
According to ancient Daoist energetic anatomy and physiology, humans have three important energy centers that store and emit energy similar to the same way a battery store and emits energy. These three centers are called the Three Dantians. The Three Dantians are strategically positioned along with the Taiji Pole in order to facilitate maximum energy transference. The ancient Taoists describe them as the palaces of the gods in the body. The maintenance of freely circulating Qi through these areas was said to ensure that the Gods would maintain a residence in the body and enable the person to have a long and healthy life. In the Kabbalist tradition during the meditation with the names of God, energy is also circulated in 3 quite similar centers but with another understanding. In each meditation, the energy of the cosmos is rotated in the brain, heart, and liver. The brain is perceived as an electrical organ, the heart as an electromagnetic organ (more magnetic than electric), and the liver as a gravitational organ, it is there where energy from the cosmos enters to this material reality. The Kabbalistic meditation is the art of accessing superior worlds, by way of the meditation. This allows access to a level of perception of truth far beyond human logic.
The lower Dantian
The Lower Dantian is the Dantian most familiar to martial artists and meditators, as it is the first place on which they are trained to focus their concentration. It is regarded as the center of physical strength and the source of stamina. It is located in the lower abdomen, in the center of the triangle formed by drawing a line between the navel, Mingmen (lower back), and perineum. This configuration allows the Lower Dantian to gather the energy from the Earth. The Lower Dantian is the major storage area for the various types of Kidney energies (i.e.Chi of the ovaries and testicles). The Kidney energies, in turn, are closely linked with the prenatal energies and provide the foundation for all other types of energy (like Jing, Chi (Qi), Yin, and Yang) in the body.
The Lower Dantian is connected to the first level of Wei Qi. This level of Protective Chi circulates outside the body, extending roughly two inches beyond the body's tissues. As the Lower Dantian fills with Chi, the Wei Qi field naturally becomes thicker.
Of the Three Dantians, the Lower Dantian is the closest to the Earth and is the most Yin; it is therefore the natural center for gathering and storing Earth Chi (natural Orgone energy) within the body. In Medical Chi Kung, once students have learned to conserve and circulate their own Qi, they can increase it by connecting to the unlimited reservoirs of Chi energy existing within the natural environment. Being the densest and easiest to feel, Earth energy is the first form of external Chi with which the Chi Kung practitioner connects. This energetic connection with the Earth is important for two main reasons, described as follows:
1 - Chi Kung practitioners need the Yin grounding power of Earth Chi to counterbalance the more active Yang energy cultivated during Chi Kung exercises. Without grounding in Earth Chi, many Chi Kung practitioners develop Qi deviations in the form of excess heat.
2 - Each person's supply of Qi is limited. When Chi Kung doctors extend their Chi to heal others, they deplete their personal store of Chi unless they are able to simultaneously replenish their supply from outside sources. Even people who do not practice Medical Chi Kung naturally draw Earth Qi into their Lower Dantians as an unconscious action of survival and environmental adjustment. By practicing Chi Kung and directing conscious intent, the amount of Earth Chi drawn into the body can be vastly increased.
The middle Dantian
The Heart is the primary organ related to the Middle Dantian. The secondary organ of the Middle Dantian is the Lungs. In Medical Chi Kung, the thymus gland is also important role there. The Middle Dantian collects Chi and represents the body's reservoir for mental and emotional vibrations and energy. The energy of Man that is transformed in the Middle Dantian has a fluid quality, like water. Chi is also inseparable from the mind and spirit. According to the teachings of ancient Tibetan Chi Kung masters, the channels are (metaphorically speaking) the roads, the Chi is the horse, and the mind is the rider. Through the process of refining the Qi, the mind and spirit are refined and purified. The Middle Dantian is the main focal point for the refinement of Chi into spirit. In ancient China, the Middle Dantian was considered the primary location for women to focus on during meditation (the men were to focus on their Lower Dantian).
The ancient Daoists believed that it was harmful for a woman to focus on her Lower Dantian for extended periods of time, especially during menses. In The Treatise of Spiritual Alchemy for Women, the Lower Dantian was considered to be an area for the woman to focus on only in the beginning stages of her practice. After completing the fusion of the Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Orbit meditations, a woman would then focus her attention on the Middle Dantian, located at center of her sternum. As the collected energy in her Middle Dantian overflows, it moves into her breasts, causing her nipples to become erect, and opening "one hundred energy channels within her body."
The middle Dantian and science
According to research conducted by Dr. Paul Pearsall, the history and impressions of the Heart (Middle Dantian) are recorded and stored in every cell of the human body as a sort of informational template of the soul. The Heart can literally perceive and react to the external world on its own. According to bioscientific measurements, the Heart has five thousand times more electromagnetic power than the brain. It is considered to be the body's primary generator and transmitter of life-force energy, constantly sending out patterns of energetically" encoded" information that regulates the organs, tissues and cells. It beats approximately one hundred thousand times a day and forty million times a year. It propels more than two gallons of Blood per minute and transports about one hundred gallons of Blood per hour throughout the vascular system.
Recent discoveries from research conducted in the new field of neurocardiology (the study of the heart as a neurological, endocrine and immune organ) include the following:
Neurotransmitters found in the brain have also been identified within the heart.
Through hormones, neurotransmitters and "quantum energies" (Chi), the heart exerts as much control over the brain as the brain exerts over the heart.
The heart requires constant environmental updates from the brain in order to organize the body's bioenergetic fields.
The heart produces a neurohormone that communicates with the brain and immune system, influencing the thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal, and pituitary glands.
How to train the middle Dantian?
In Medical Chi Kung training, students are encouraged to focus their mind and breath on the Middle Dantian to regulate the Heart. Techniques are used for treating deficient conditions by drawing Chi into the Heart and Middle Dantian area, and then regulating the body's energetic fields. For treating excess conditions, the students are instructed to lead and purge the Excess Chi from the Heart and Middle Dantian area and release it outward through the body's extremities. The purpose of this training is to release the toxic Excess Qi gathered in the patient's Heart areas.
The upper Dantian
In Chinese medical physiology, the Brain controls memory, concentration, sight, hearing, touch, and smell. These senses stay in close communication with the Heart and Shen. The Upper Dantian is also considered the house of spiritual (intuitive) communication, awareness, and feelings. In Chinese, the term Jing-Shen means mind or consciousness. Jing-Shen may also mean vigor, vitality, or drive. In China, doctors of both Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine use the term Jing-Shen Bing to refer to all types of mental illness. The term Shen is nearly always used with the understanding of the close relationship between the mind and spirit, even in the modern medical context. The Jing and Chi (Qi) form the material foundation for the Shen.
The Jing itself is considered the basis for, and ruler of Marrow, which is defined in Chinese medicine as a substance derived from the Kidneys which nourishes the Brain and spinal cord and also forms the Bone Marrow. The Brain is one of the Six Extraordinary Organs and is called the "Sea of Marrow," as it is considered to be a form of Marrow.
The Six Extraordinary Organs are hollow Yang organs that store Yin Jing. Deficiency of Jing may lead to poor concentration, poor memory, dizziness, and absentmindedness. In some styles of Chi Kung, the Jing is intentionally conserved and its energy is drawn upwards from the Lower Dantian through the spine to nourish the Brain. Such nourishment benefits the mind and enhances spiritual consciousness.
The Upper Dantian is also the place where the individual connects with the Yang Chi (Qi) of Heaven. Chi Kung practitioners consciously absorb Heavenly Chi from the celestial bodies: the sun, moon, planets, and stars. The Upper Dantian is located in the center of the Brain, in an area that encompasses the pineal, pituitary, thalamus, and hypothalamus glands. Light, electricity, and magnetism are three forms of energy that the Brain is naturally conditioned to automatically recognize, receive, and respond to. Additionally, the Brain also interacts with and generates the energy of light, electricity, and magnetism. These particular forms of energy stimulate the pineal, pituitary, thalamus, and hypothalamus glands, influencing the individual's mental and emotional state. The Upper Dantian, in particular the Brain, may contain more cellular connections than there are stars in the Milky Way constellation. The Brain never truly falls completely asleep, and it is sustained by different levels of subconscious awareness. Energetically, the Brain is constantly active. It is in a state of perpetual readiness, designed to react, defend, or attack when it senses danger. The center of the Upper Dantian is located in the pineal gland .
The energetic functions of the three Dantians
The primary functions of the Three Dantians is to gather, store, and transform life-force energy. The anatomical location of each Dantian corresponds to a physiological center for heat, light, magnetic and electrical vibration. The intensity and charge of this vibration is dependent on the individual's mental intention, posture, and respiration.
Chi moves into the body's Dantians through the body's Taiji Pole(the energy spine that connects the lower chakras to the Crown). The energy is then absorbed into the body's major organs and surrounding tissues as it flows through the Dantians and into the body's internal and external channels and collaterals. Energy is also absorbed from the external environment through the channels, tissues, and organs, flowing into the Three Dantians and ultimately into the Taiji Pole. Each Dantian acts like a reservoir, collecting energy and redistributing it into all of the internal organs. This energy projects through the surface of the body into the Wei Qi field. The same energy is also projected throughout the physical body, flowing through the energy channels, the nervous system, and the endocrine glands, and then saturating the Blood to nourish the whole body.
Mental and emotional awareness of a specific tissue area can be heightened by increasing the flow of energy to that location. When energy fills the tissues, a cellular reaction causes the tissues to either store or release emotions, depending on the body's excess or deficient Chi. If, by focused intention, Chi is increased in the Lower Dantian, the result is a heightened feeling of power and stability. If by focused intention, Chi is increased in the Middle Dantian, the result is a heightened feeling of emotional awareness. If by focused intention, Qi is increased in the Upper Dantian, heightened spiritual awareness and sense of connection to the divine occurs. The health of the individual and the strength of his or her energetic fields depend on the amount of energy present in the Three Dantians.
For more information on Professor Jerry Alan Johnson Medical Chi Kung books please go International Institute of Medical Chi Kung they are the best information resource available.
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