Introduction to Chi Kung

I have consolidated my first blog posts about chi kung. I hope this will make it easier for people coming to my blog for the first time.

Introduction

What is chi kung?

Chi kung is an ancient and integral part of Chinese scientific and healing culture. Chi means energy or life force and kung means theory and practice or science. So loosely translated chi kung can mean the science of energy or the theory and practice of energy cultivation.

Many western people have a hard time understanding chi kung because there is no western equivalent. Sense yoga has been a part of western culture for a far longer time it might be helpful in the beginning of your understanding to see chi kung as similar to Chinese yoga. It has been called many names by its practitioners before chi kung. But chi kung is now the widely accepted term used for the study and practice of energy cultivation. India and China have a long history with each other and yoga and chi kung practitioners have influenced each other for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Like yoga, chi kung recognizes a human being as a radiating field of energy that is an integral part of larger and smaller fields of energy. These interrelated fields exist within an all-encompassing field of energy. Mystics call this field many things from God to the Void. Scientist in the west might call it the unified field. The Chinese call the energy field of the earth, Earth energy and the rest of creation Heaven energy. They say all existence is comprised of Heaven and Earth and exists within the Void.

Western medicine sees and understands a human as a physical/psychological/social being. While western scientist can understand man as energy and part of greater fields of energy, western medicine does not. This is slowly and erratically changing. Touch for health and Reiki and chi kung are showing up more and more in individual western medical practitioner treatments. But for all practical purposes there is no integrated energy medicine in the west like there is in Asia.

What benefits are there to understanding and practicing chi kung? Well let’s think about that. If we are in fact, energy beings and our energy field does manifest as a body/mind than it makes sense that the stronger the energy field the stronger and healthier the body/mind. By the same logic the weaker the field of a human being the weaker the body/mind manifestation nest pas? So if you want to maximize your health and strength, than learning how to cultivate your energy field is very important. It is particularly important if you are sick or hurt in any way. Chronic fatigue and in indeed, any autoimmune problems are clear examples of problems that desperately need chi knug treatments and practices.

Part 2

Before I share the first chi kung exercise it is important to understand a couple of fundamental differences that separate Chinese and the western medicine. I am going to be a bit repetitious but as they say “Education is repetition." Western medicine understands and relates to a human being as a physical/psychological/social organism. Chinese medicine understands and relates to a human being as a radiating field of energy that exists in and as a series of interrelated fields of energy all of which exists in an all-encompassing field of energy. A human being has a physical/psychological/social manifestation but the key in Chinese medicine is the energy field not the manifestations of the field. If the energy field is strong and balanced health will manifest. If it is not, illness is inevitable.

A western medical professional will treat a person physically and or psychologically. They might use herbs, and or pharmaceuticals, and recommend exercises of one type or another. The west has a plethora of psychological treatments available. But there is no commonly agreed upon energy therapy in mainline western medicine. That is changing but very slowly and erratically. Touch for Health which is energy work, is being done now by many nurses and in some hospitals. But that is the exception not the rule.

The ideal Chinese medicine practitioner will do much the same as a western practitioner only using Chinese equivalents. Chinese medicine does not, however, use or prescribe pharmaceuticals. In china there are hospital and doctors who combine Chinese and western medicine but the two mostly kept distinctly separate. A client in china can chose one or the other. The two types of medicine are to different to be combined at this point in time. Another very big difference is that a Chinese practitioner who is knowledgeable and cares enough to take the time will also use chi (energy work) and recommend various types of chi kung exercises, external and internal forms. External chi kung can be compared to yoga and the client is taught a series of body movements and breathing styles. Internal or quiet form is done by the client being taught how to move their awareness through the body in set practitioner for set periods of time depending on the intent of the client. Both forms have the client pay attention to breathing diaphragmatic and correct posture. I will say more about this later.

Chinese medicine in the best sense of the word helps a client understands who and what they are in context of the great energy field we exist within. And to understand how being out of balance with any part of that field of energy will produce illness of one type or another. The Chinese going back well past a thousand years recognized that a person’s social relationships are a prime determined when it comes to health. If a man or woman's social relationships are not harmonious illness will sooner or later manifest. Therefore in Chinese medicine, helping a patient to learn how to understand and navigate the often treacherous social seas is vital. So theoretically Chinese medicine should encourage a client to examine carefully all their significant social relationships. Unfortunately this aspect of Chinese medicine is hardly ever practiced in china or anywhere else by Chinese medical practitioners that I know of. Chinese society has historically worked against the idea of psychology considering it an invasion of privacy. That is why you will not find the same plethora of psychological methods as you have in the west. This is changing but very slowly. When the west has a fully integrated energy component and China has a solid series of psychological methodology available both societies will benefit

For the most part Chinese doctors in the west take a pulse diagnosis ask a few questions occasionally palpate and then either prescribe herbal medicine and or acupuncture. Hardly any of them mention the reality of energy and things like chi kung. As my dear late father use to say when speaking of the difference between the ideal and the reality; “there is many a slip between the cup and the lip." I urge a return to acting on the ideal.

Another very real and important difference between western and Chinese medicine is the way they describe the manifestations of health and sickness. Western medicine uses words and concepts that are very precise in their meanings. Chinese medicine on the other hand uses words and concepts that are poetic and suggestive and not at all declarative. The Chinese speak of tendencies rather than precise realities. This different way of speaking drives a lot of western doctors crazy. (I am speaking poetically of course.

A Chinese medical practitioner will use words like "liver rising or he has rebellious chi or she has wind heat." For a lot of western people it feels like Alice in Wonderland. They have an impossible time understanding most Chinese doctors at first and many turn away as a result. Never mind that we can rarely understand or believe in western doctors and more of us are turning away from them as well. What a predicament we find ourselves in. We may really need medical help but oh how difficult and rare it is to find it. So, if we cannot find others to treat us and our family and friends, than I say we become our own student/teachers and healers.

Several years ago when my grandma was going through a heart surgery procedure my mother was with her in her hospital room and told me this story. The Indian western trained doctor came in and was telling my grandma a bunch of stuff he felt she needed to hear. She kept nodding her head and agreeing with him. As soon as he left the room my grandma turned to my mother and said; " He is full of shit." She survived the surgery but died a few months later. I tell this story to illustrate a reality that to many people in western hospitals experience when it comes to communications between doctors and patient at very critical moments. I wonder what would have happened if the two of them had really tried to understand each other?

What is true of the relationship between a western doctor and patient as far as communication is concerned, is also common among people who go to Chinese medical doctors and practitioners. And often the results are the same. We must learn to communicate effectively with each other. The practitioner and the client are equally responsible. The need is to great to blame or ignore. We must take responsibility for becoming much better at communicating with each other, too much depends on it. Indeed our health, as was stated above, is directly affected by our relationships. And study after study indicates that good communication skills are keys to good relationships.

Part 3

I think it would be helpful to say a few more words about why Chinese medicine uses poetic and suggestive words and concepts as opposed to precise words and definitions like western medicine. When a human being is seen as a dynamic field of energy existing within greater fields of energy that over laps and interact constantly in innumerable ways how do you explain that dynamic in words and concepts. It is to complex and our knowledge to inadequate to think or pretend that we can understand it enough to be able to predict its movements or manifestations precisely. Therefore the Chinese use poetic terms and talk of "tendency and patterns". I think this is a very honest and humble way of confronting the vastness and complexity of creation and our very limited experience and knowledge about ourselves as energy and ourselves in relationship to the greater fields we exists within.

Even seeing ourselves as just material/psychological beings medically I believe we could benefit by introducing more poetic words and concepts into our medical vocabulary and paradigms. A human being is a complex and dynamic creature and what effects one person one way will often affect another person very differently. Thus the saying: "One man's medicine is another man’s poison." There are so many variables and dynamics involved in each individual’s life that precise meanings are in fact often counterproductive when trying to understand or explain that individual human being. I say beware of cookie cutter concepts or solutions. One size fits all kind of things is especially dangerous when exploring medical problems. I think it is more helpful to say that nothing is true for everyone all the time and as Freud said; "Everything has multiple causes and effects," That last quote is a paraphrase.

The Chinese say that it is impossible to be a healthy human being in an unhealthy society. And if you want to be balanced and healthy than you are called to the task of helping your society becomes balanced and healthy. I can understand from that concept why only certain aspects of Chinese medicine are allowed within China historically including modern times. Chinese medicine is revolutionary medicine.

If you start trying to understand a society and the people relationships within it you find that ignorance, inequity, corruption, exploitation and stupidity are rampant. Than you see how that plays out in your own life and family. What are you to do? See why I consider Chinese in its purest form revolutionary medicine?

One of the many reasons I admire Chinese medicine is because of its understanding that in order treat a person effectively you have to understand that person and their relationships to the energy fields and societies they exist within. Even more importantly the client themselves must be encouraged to start to take responsibility for understanding and changing their own life and relationships. So the real Chinese medicine practitioner must be an educator and a coach.

It could be that a client’s suffering comes from eating or drinking things that are toxic to them. Or it might be that they do not understand that they are breathing in a way that is causing there headaches or other painful conditions.  That is they are inhaling in a way that has their Diaphragm go up and exhaling pushing their diaphragm down. By making sure their diaphragm goes down on the inhale and up on exhale many medical problems would ease up or go away on their own.. The Chinese medical practioner helps the client understand their situation and suggest ways to change it. The client experiences what happens when they change their diet or breathe differently. A patient who commits to self-exploration using the Chinese medical paradigm would know more what to do or not do to ensure a better quality of life. This is preferable to taking medicine to mask a symptom. Ignorance is far from bliss.

The danger of practicing real Chinese medicine is when it challenges your assumptions of who you think you are. It can also be very stressful and even dangerous when family and social relationships are examined. The reason for that being that many families and governments can be very difficult to deal with when they are being examined or challenged. Also let us face it; most people do not want to do what it takes to really know themselves. Never mind Socrates, and look what happened to him. (smile) It is far easier to go for treatment and take herbs or pharmaceuticals than to examine and change your life n'est pas?

Part 4

There are two major types of chi kung practice. They have many names but I will call them Moving Form and Quiet Form. Moving form chi kung deals with the physical movement of the body in set patterns, Quiet form deals with moving awareness through the body in set patterns. These forms are also called external and internal chi kung for obvious reasons. Both forms utilize breathing techniques and pay close attention to correct posture and muscle tension. The forms can be and often are combined by advanced practitioners. For beginners it is helpful to practice one or the other form until a degree of competency is achieved. I teach quiet form chi kung.

Part 5

 I wrote in an earlier entry that the Chinese understand a human being as a radiating field of energy contained in a larger unified field of energy comprising all things known and unknown to humanity. The Chinese call this field the Heaven and Earth. In order to understand chi kung you need to understand what a human being looks like from a Chinese perspective. I will attempt to explain that now. Bear with me and extend your patience and kindness during my explanation. Thankfully there are enough books and websites were you can find better and more detailed explanations. I urge you who are interested to do that.

The Chinese call the five senses the five liars. This means that the senses conceal much more than they reveal about the nature of existence. The senses seem to indicate that a human being is a solid and independent creature with clearly defined boundaries internally and externally. Nothing could be further from the truth. Thus we can see why they are referred to as the name the five liars.

Western scientists and especially the physicists are beginning to help bridge the gap between Chinese and western understanding of life and creation. If you asked a physicist or a classical Chinese scholar to describe a human being there would be many similarities in there descriptors. Both would describe a human being as a vibrating field of energy totally connected and interdependent with all creation. Unfortunately western medicine has yet to acknowledge and act on the reality of what the physicists understand. When western medicine does finally understand and integrate the concept and reality of humans as energy beings the manifestations of that understanding will be both incredible and wonderful.

So now I will give my interpretation of a human being from a chi kung perspective. First, I would like you to imagine the Earth as a radiating sphere of energy. Earths energy is constantly flowing in all directions out into the universe. Now imagine space filled with innumerable radiating Fields of energies constantly flowing in all directions and interacting with each other. Now imagine that universal ocean of energy constantly interacting with the energy of the earth. You can now see that Earth energy effects or changes the Universe and is in turn affected or changed by universal energy.

Now where are we in all of this? We exist as a field of vibrating expanding energy where earth vibrations meet vibrations from the Universe. We are neither purely of the Earth nor purely of the Universe. We are both and we are at the same time uniquely ourselves. We are in the same relationship with the heaven and Earth as we are with our parents and grandparents back through the generations. We are inseparable from them and yet we are uniquely ourselves. Thus the Chinese say that a human being is a child of Heaven and Earth.

It is no exaggeration to say, we are more than a combination of our parents genes or organic earth and Universal star dust. We are the living vibrating energy of the earth and stars and all creation. We are a beautiful part of the dance of creation. In fact we are the dance and the dancer we are our little self and at the same time we are literally the ONE. It doesn’t get better than that. (smile)

So when we do not let our senses mislead us we can begin to see and feel how incredible we are and how inseparable we are from all creation. How you relate to a physical body with clearly defined borders is very different than how you relate to a field of energy. If you want to strengthen a weakened physical body most western doctors know what to do. But how do you strengthen a weakened energy field? Most western doctors would not have a clue. That is where Chinese medicine shines. Pun intended.

Part 6

How do you balance and strengthen your energy body? The mystical Sufi poet, Jahladin Rumi, has a line in a poem that says: "There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." Well there are hundreds of ways to strengthen the energy body as well. The most beautiful way is the way of love. The more you love the more balanced and stronger your energy body becomes. There is a Sufi saying I love, "God treats you like you treat your lover." I have found this to be true. It is also true that God gives more attention to those who give God attention. I am not talking about religious attention. I mean the attention a lover gives to the beloved.

Mantak Chia, a Taoist chi kung teacher and author, writes about the relationship between a chi kung student and the Universe in his book Tan Tien Chi Kung. "By transcending the separation between oneself and the universe and honoring one's intrinsic unity with it, the universe becomes one's own body.

The Chi of the Universe can only be absorbed to the extent that we open our hearts to the universe and extend our consciousness and Chi to it as a token of our love. Only then will it respond. We will only receive the love energy of the universe to the extent that we acknowledge and honor our love relationship to it.

This first of all implies that we acknowledge that the universe is alive and that we are it's children. Unless we awaken to this and bring it into our lives, it will be difficult to realize that we are part of it. We will tend to see ourselves as the center of the universe and to relate to the universe and the earth as objects to be conquered and manipulated. However, with increased sensitivity to our interconnectedness with the universe and the earth, a sense of responsibility, love and compassion for the universe and the world will grow.

This experience of interconnectedness, rooted in the cultivation of love and compassion, is summarized in the ancient saying, "Embrace the universe as the mother her newborn child." Through the practice of chi kung, we become grounded and connected and begin to feel at ease and relaxed in our body, this sense of unity is cultivated and reinforced."

You can cultivate and develop your energy body without a conscious relationship with God i.e. the Universe. Practice chi kung exercises long enough and you will grow stronger and more powerful. But in the end you will be like a wealthy man who has no family or friends with whom to share his life in all its manifestations. Western medical studies have found that people in good relationships tend to be healthier and live longer than those who do not have good relationships. For me the three most important relationships are between a human being and God, a man and a woman (or between a gay or lesbian couple) and between parents and children. If these relationships are vigorous and loving the people in them will benefit themselves and each other in innumerable ways. If they are toxic the people in them will sooner or later manifest sickness and imbalance in other areas of their lives.

When a new student comes to me and asks me to help them learn chi kung or recover their health I always tell them the same thing. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I can usually help. The bad news is that you must do most of the work." I tell them they need to open themselves to becoming students not only of chi kung but of themselves. In order to learn and recover balance and strength they need to re-examine themselves and the Universe in new and challenging ways.

As Einstein said, "you can't change the situation with the same mindset that created it." The truth will set you free but first it will often piss you off and cause you pain and suffering. Let's face reality, who wants to examine themselves and their relationships on a fundamental level. And who wants to really commit to doing the work to act on what they find? See what I mean? Do you still want to learn and practice chi kung? Do you still want to recover your health?

Part 6

What is a human being? It keeps coming back to that. What are we? Let us go back to how Chinese medicine sees a human being and how it compares to how a physicist might describe a human being. As I said earlier, both would be comfortable with the idea of a human being as a field of energy or a force field. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a field as having many different meanings. The one we are interested in is under the number " (7) physics - A region of space characterized by a physical property such as a gravitational or electromagnetic force or fluid pressure, having a determinable value at every point in the region."

Under field of force or force field we have, " Field of Force- A region of space throughout which the force produced by an agent or several agents, such as an electric charge, is operative. Also called force field." So we are a force field. Cool. Here I was thinking I was just flesh and bones that thinks and feels. (smile)

Now I see that I am a vibrating multi-colored force field. Some of the vibrations within my field slows down and produce matter or that which I can see or feel.

What would it be like if we could see and experience ourselves not just as our eyes see us. What if we could see and experience ourselves as a force field of vibrating multi-colored energy? What if we could see and experience our relationship with our environment the same way?

We can do that with a committed and disciplined study and practice of chi kung. We can get glimpses of ourselves and our environment as energy fields if we open ourselves to the possibility and do what it takes. That is why I study and practice chi kung. That is why I hope you do as well. Once you experience yourself and all life as a radiating field of energy, even just for a very brief moment, your life changes forever. You are no longer confined to the small sometimes suffocating realm of the senses. You are not just a small powerless person in a huge, uncaring, crazy, social world. You are a radiating child of the Heaven and Earth. All of creation is your family and home. You realize that we are never alone or unloved and that the Universe is as open to you as you are to it.

Now that we can understand ourselves as a force field we are almost ready to chi kung. First let’s examine our force field relative to what we need to know to practice simple aspects of chi kung. Within our force field there are many flows of energy. These flows can be compared to the rivers and streams of the earth. The most powerful flows are called meridians and Extraordinary Vessels or Extraordinary Channels. There are twelve major meridians and Eight Extraordinary channels. We will explore the meridians and vessels later. Right now it is just important to know they exist. For more information on the locations of meridians and channels follow this link.http://www.yinyanghouse.com/acupuncturepoints/locations_theory_and_clinical_applications This web site should be on everyone’s link list. It is the site I go to more often than any I have in my healing link section. You can find ways to treat any problem you may encounter physically if you know how to use it correctly. You will learn how on this blog if you like. It is up to you. If you want it , here it is.

Besides energy flows there are also a number of smaller force fields. Yoga recognizes eight and calls them chakras. The Chinese relate to three and call them dan tiens. When a meridian or channel is weakened the lower dan tien provides energy to balance and strengthen it. That is one of many good reasons for doing what it takes to keep the lower dan tien strong. Chi kung exercises keeps all your dan tiens strong.

I am now going to take you on a brief tour of your body from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. First, smile. Imagine that your heart is smiling. Imagine your lower abdomen is smiling. Second, make sure you are breathing so your belly goes out on the in breath and in on the out breath. Third, make sure you are sitting in a comfortable position. Place your feet flat on the ground. Feel your feet and the ground they rest on. Feel your legs and adjust them to be as comfortable as possible. Make sure your hips and abdomen are adjusted and comfortable. Take your time and make sure your back is relatively straight and comfortable. Adjust and relax your chest and let your inhale flow all the way to your lower abdomen. Exhale and relax. Adjust and relax your neck and shoulders and arms and hands. Adjust and relax your head so you are comfortable.

Imagine a line gong from the tip of one ear to the tip of the other ear. Now imagine another line going from the center of the tip of your nose to the line joining your ears. Where the two lines meet is one of the most powerful points in your energy field. It is called bai hui or "the meeting place of a hundred points". It is important to understand that when I use the word point I am not speaking of a western point on a line. Rather I am referring to a dynamic area in a flow of energy i.e. a meridian, within our energy field. The points or areas are in, not on, the meridians. The Chinese have discover well over three hundred places on the twelve meridians that when stimulated produce effects that benefit or harm the field. Bai hui is one of the most powerful places on the body. Love your bai hui. Place a big smile in your bai hui whenever you can. Our whole energy field responds positively when we smile. Any place in the body we visualize a smile is helped by the smile. Try it.

Remember I wrote that a human being is blending of energies of the Heaven and Earth. The bai hui is the most important place that Heaven energy enters the human field. The bai hui g.v. 20 is found on the Governing Vessel or Channel it is referred to as g.v. 20. (link to location of bai hui and GVhttp://www.yinyanghouse.com/acupuncturepoints/governingvessel_meridian_graphic)  Treating bai hui can produce many wonderful effects in your field. Just being aware of bai hui and visualizing a smile in the area is powerful medicine. Love bai hui. I sometimes imagine and feel the love of the universe pouring into me through my smiling bai hui. The wonderful thing is that it is true.

Move your awareness from bai hui right through the center line of the interior your body to your perineum. The perineum is the area between your sex organ and your anus. There is a dynamic point in the middle of the perineum called hui yin or "meeting place of yin". I will refer to the line of force that runs between bai hui and hui yin as the center cannel. This center channel is a powerful flow and you will work with it often during chi kung practice. Move your awareness from bai hui through the central core of your body to hui yin and then from hui yin back to bai hui. The more you do this the better for the health of your body. Visualize a smile at both points. Imagine you are sending a smile from bai hui to hui yin and from hui yin to bai hui. Imagine the points are friends and love communicating with each other.

Back to bai hui. Flow your awareness down from bai hui to the middle of your head just behind your eyeballs. This dynamic area is called the upper dan tien. Imagine the area as a radiating energy field of golden white light. Place a smile within the golden white field of light. I will say more about the dan tiens at a later date. It is just important for now that you know where they are and to visualize smiles in them whenever you can. The benefits are wonderful when the dan tiens smile.

From upper dan tien move gently down through the center of your body to

the middle of your chest cavity. Here you will find a smiling pink white energy field called the middle dan tien. Smile with the smiling middle dan tien.

From the middle dan tien drift down to the smiling lower dan tien located in your lower abdomen in the space between your kidneys and your navel. The lower dan tien is a very powerful red field of energy. Make sure it is always smiling and you will be rewarded many times over for your efforts.

Japanese practitioners of Chinese medicine pay more attention to the lower dan tien in their treatments and explorations than do the Chinese. The Japanese call the lower dan tien the hara. Kiiko Matsumoto wrote an excellent book called “The Hara" that I highly recommend to anyone wishing to know more about the lower dan tien. She has also written a number of good books on the eight extraordinary channels. Because of the Japanese contributions to my understanding of the lower dan tien I will sometimes use the name hara when referring to that field of energy. The more time and effort you spend with the lower dan tien the more amazed you will be at what it is to be human. But that is for another time. Give your hara a big smile and lets go on.

All the major meridians and channels flow through the dan tien. Let me introduce you to the Governing Channel. It starts here in the dan tien and flows down to the perineum hui yin and up your back parallel to the spine over the top of the head to the inside of the roof of the mouth just behind where the two front teeth meet. The bai hui point is on the Governing Channel.

There is another very special and powerful place or point on the governing channel called ming men or "gate of life". Ming Men is located parallel to your navel in the Governing Channel. Visualize a beautiful happy smile in the ming men. More about the ming men later.

From ming men move on up past bai hui (is bai hui smiling?)to the end of the governing Channel on the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth. Touch the tip of your tong to the end of the Governing Channel. Another powerful channel or flow of energy starts where the tip of the tongue touches the end of the Governing Channel. This energy flow is called the Conception Channel. This channel splits into two branches. One branch flows out from the end of the Governing Channel to the groove on your face between your lips and your nose. It flows just under the skin and around the lips and down the mid-line of the chest to just above the pelvic bone where it then enters the lower dan tien. The second branch of the Conception Channel flows down through the tongue and come out at the base of your throat where it connects with the first branch.

So here we are back at the dan tien. From dan tien move down through both legs to the bottom of your feet. Remember bai hui. It is the place where heaven energy enters the body. Earth energy enters your body through two point or places on two energy flows or meridians called the kidney meridians. The kidney meridian starts at the sole of your feet. According to the acupuncture text book “Fundamentals of Chinese Acupuncture" The kidney meridian begins " in the depression appearing on the sole when the foot is in planter flexion, about one third of the distance from the base of the toes to the heel." These points are called Kidney one or yong quan meaning “gushing spring". You can almost see or feel earth energy gushing up and into your energy field. I love feeling that. Visualize big happy smiles in both gushing springs. Become very familiar with gushing springs and you will become more grounded and have better health. That is true of all the points and channels you have discovered within yourself.

One of my favorite quotes from the Bible is, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." If you study and practice chi kung with a good heart and a disciplined mind a new life will open up to you. You will be blessed in more ways than you can now imagine. I know that from my own experience and the experience of many fellow students and practitioner. Come on it the water is wonderful.