When people ask me what Qigong is, I generally give them a very simple answer: “Qi means life force energy and Gong means the flow of or practice of; so Qigong means the practice of flowing life force energy. Though this simple definition is accurate it fails to fully capture the essence and mystery of Qigong. To fully understand Qigong one must experience it.
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”
- Albert Einstein
Embracing the illusive, the unknown and the unseen “qi” is an essential part of the practice of qigong. In my experience, words inevitably fall short of fully describing what qi is how qigong works. Nonetheless, there is great value in hearing how qigong masters define qi…
“It is our qi that holds us together, animates us and makes us who we really are. It is our true self, the source of consciousness, awareness and life. Without it nothing lives. When our invisible life force signal, qi, is in orderly action, life thrives and well-being abounds.”
“Qi is energy in any and all of its guises and forms. It is the electricity that lights up a room or emblazons the sky. It is the electromagnetism that envelops Earth. It is the crisp vitality you feel after a good night’s sleep on the first day of your vacation. It regulates the unconscious activity of internal and external organs that you never notice until the activity is somehow impeded. It is manifested in the love you feel for the kind and caring, the hatred you feel for the wicked and cruel. Desire, floating, pity, envy, joy...all are expressions of qi.”
“Qi can be most simply understood as your physical breath that exists when you are born and disappears when you die. This breath links the different energies of life and it can be defined as the basic energy of all living things on this planet.”
“Qi is the life energy one senses in nature. When we appreciate the beauty of animals, fish, birds, flowers, trees, mountains, the deep ocean and floating clouds, we are sensing their qi and feeling an intuitive unity with them.”
“Before the advent of quantum physics, the Chinese had formulated that all things are composed of energy particles that are constantly spiralling in space, connecting and influencing each other throughout the Universe. They called this dynamic life force energy, “qi”. ”
“The word qi is a word that seems to transcend definition going beyond words into the realm of experience. Qi is defined as the basis of life. According to Chinese culture, all living things require qi; in Western terms, qi is defined as vital energy. Qi theory is a cosmic theory that states that because human beings and all living things on our planet were produced from the qi in the universe, so each part of the human body is related to the movements in the universe. The Taoist symbol of yin and yang vividly depicts the movement of all things in the universe, from the energy within our own bodies to the expanses of the solar system. Similar theories permeate cultures worldwide.”
ALL IS ONE…
In the unfoldment of my path as a student and teacher of qigong, I am continually (and passionately) drawn to uncovering commonalities between the tradition of qigong and other longstanding religious and traditions. For me, the greatest proof of the existence of qi is when I am able to find the same essence in other teachings around the world. I am so passionate about this pursuit, that I searched for and found several quotes from various religious and spiritual sources that have virtually the same meaning as text found in qigong references!
I hope you find this as fascinating and comforting as I do!
Excerpts from Religious and Spiritual/Mindfulness based Texts
Excerpts from Qigong, Tai Chi and Taoist Texts
“God is Energy, Life Itself, Formlessness, Consciousness, Ground of Being, Truth, Love.”
- Friar Richard Rohr
“Qi means ‘the formless fire of life’. Qi creates life; it is life but it has no substance, and anything you measure is not it.”
- Kenneth Cohen, “The Way of Qigong”
“The divine flow either flows both in and out, or it is not flowing at all. We are conduits.”
- Friar Richard Rohr
“Qi is the universal energy that makes up and flows through everything in the universe. When qi flows, life continues and health is obtained.”
- Qigong Master Chuny Lin
“An integrative approach to the quality of our experience is based on the realization that when we impact the causal aspect of our experience, we simultaneously change the condition of the whole.”
- Michael Brown, “The Presence Process”
“Cultivation of qi refers to an integration of the whole.”
- Yanling Lee Johnson, “A Woman’s Qigong Guide”
“A true spiritual teacher does not have anything to teach in the conventional sense of the word, does not have anything to give or add to you, such as new information, beliefs, or rules of conduct. The only function of such a teacher is to help you remove that which separates you from the truth of who you already are and what you already know in the depth of your being. …”
- Eckhart Tolle
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need.”
- Lao Tzu
“ When we leave the womb, we are primarily emotional beings. All we are able to do is emote. Our world appears as energy in motion. As we grow the mental realm unfolds as we discover how to name our emotions and deliberately use them to achieve a particular outcome. Once this happens our experiences no longer appear as energy in motion. What was once flowing energy is now transformed into solid, dense and stationary matter.“
- Michael Brown, “The Presence Process”
“One of the biggest factors leading towards Chi imbalance is the use of our Mind. When Chi, the life energy signal, converts into a mental signal, it is gradually depleted and weakened. The day you learn to think about how to respond to an outside action, your mind activities begin to burn up your life energy. Instead of responding to your feeling of life energy (like you did when you were a baby), you respond only to your mind and ignore your feeling of Chi.”
- Master Waysun Liao
”If the breathing is at all unsettled, life is not your own.”
- Ming dynasty work Anthology on the Cultivation of Realization by unknown author, translated by Thomas Cleary in Taoist Meditation
”Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.”
- Thích Nhất Hạnh, Buddhist Monk
Wise Women,
This collection of definitions is intended to open a pathway for your mind to understand the many nuances of the word “Qi”. Now, I’m going to ask you to set aside all mental concepts and to enter into a felt sense of qi. Let go of any obstacles imposed on to you by the voice in your head and simply trust that you are an embodiment of vital life force energy. As you deepen into your breath and the sensation of qi throughout and around your body, you will immediately see that words, though helpful, are unnecessary and inadequate in describing what you feel and experience.
I invite you to expand your awareness of qi in every moment of your life. Look around, sense, breathe, notice…qi is everywhere and everything!
Kuan Yin, Goddess of Compassion and Mercy
Prayer of the Lotus Nectar
Beloved Kuan Yin, help me realize the connection to myself and to Life that I need to be able to live my highest vibrational life, where I am well, replenished, joyful and connected to the endless flow of divine energy and life force in our Universe. Please bring me clear guidance about how to best cultivate chi now, how to be open to receive the Nectar of the Lotus, the life force and love of the Divine Mother, for my highest good, so be it. Om Mani Padme Hum.
“Om Mani Padme Hum”
This is a powerful heart opening mantra.
It means ’the opening of the jewel in the lotus,’ or ‘may the heart awaken with divine compassion and may I know myself to be an awakened being of light’.