Qi
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Seasonal Notes
ORIENTAL EXERCISE
Dedicated to maintaining
health and vitality through movement
What is Qi (chi)?
Qi (also written as chi), and as known
as Ki in Japan and Prana within yogic traditions) is the subtle
electrical energy of the body, but is not limited to the body.
Qi is outside of us as well, and is at the root of all processes
in the natural world, from the tiniest atom to the greatest star.
In the human body, the qi flows through what is considered to be a collection of channels - mapped out thousands of years ago by the brilliant physicians of ancient China. Some of these channels are large, and flow through the major organs of the body, from which they derive their names. So, for example, we have the Liver channel, which originates in the toes and then flows up the body through the liver organ itself, finishing in the chest. There is a Bladder Channel, running along the back, and a Lung channel that flows from the chest through the arm to the thumb. There are also numerous minor channels and many more even-smaller, capillary-like ones, all of which help to circulate the qi around the body. The collective name for all the channel pathways is the Jingluo - and through this medium all the cells, bones, muscles and sinews are fed and nourished by life-giving energy every moment of ever day.
The movements of exercise systems such as qi gong, yoga or tai ji are thought to enhance and to expedite the journey of qi through the Jingluo. You don't have to know about any of this to reap the benefits of the exercises, but sometimes you may actually feel the energy flowing along the limbs or around the body as you progress through the movements - and if you do, great! That is the qi moving strongly, nourishing all the organs and systems of the body along its way. It is simply a further confirmation, if any were need, of the efficacy of these wonderful system of exercise.
Qi in the body also has key areas where it is concentrated and stored. Tai ji and related disciplines such as qi gong and yoga teach us that these are located in places such as the lower abdomen, the chest and the small of the back between the kidneys. In tai ji we endeavour to be mindful of these places, and in particular the one called the Tan Tien (also written as Dan Dien) which is situated just beneath the navel. You will find that most, if not all of the movements in oriental exercise are directed from this place.
Yin and Yang
Qi moves in two distinct ways, reflecting a positive and a negative characteristic. These are the celebrated Yin and Yang of oriental philosophy. Yin and Yang are often considered to be opposites. For instance:
Yin = Cold. Dark. Winter.
Intuitive.
Yang = Hot. Light.
Summer. Dynamic.
In fact, they are mutually supportive and
interchangable, a relationship reflected very well in the famous
tai ji tu symbol:
which tells us that Summer
can change into Winter, day into night - Yang into Yin - as part
of the natural process of nature. Yin and Yang are at work within
the human body, also, and provide the practitioner of oriental
medicine with a invaluable source for diagnosis. Yang, for instance,
is associated with heat, so fever and inflamation. Yin is associated
with cold in all its forms - so cold limbs, shivering and so
on.
The
Five Elements
Within all of nature there exists five
special phases of energy, called elements. These, in oriental
philosophy, are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each of these
feeds off the other, and each is also able to interact with all
the others in a complex 'dance.' The elements relate to many
diverse areas of nature, as the following table should make clear..
Fire = Summer. Red. South. Heat. Laughing voice. Heart.
Earth = Late Summer. Yellow. Centre. Damp. Singing voice. Spleen.
Metal = Autumn. White. West. Dryness. Weeping voice. Lungs
Water = Winter. Blue/Black. North. Cold. Groaning voice. Kidneys.
Wood = Spring. Green. East. Wind. Shouting voice. Liver.
The five elements are of great value when
arriving at a diagnosis of the causes of an individual's illness.
For example, somebody with a voice which groans and who has problems
with feelings of cold in Winter, may well have an imbalance of
the Water element. This could consequently be the cause of lower
back pain (the location of the kidneys).
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Notes Yoga
The qi flows along great energy channels throughout the body. The colour coding here refers to the different channels and the organs through which they flow. Red here, for example, indicates the Fire element that flows along the arms from the Heart.
A simple diagram showing those acupuncture points ranged along the Lung channel of the arm, beginning in the chest close to the anotomical location of the lungs and finishing in the thumb. A therapist can therefore effect the state of the lungs and respiration by stimulating points on the thumb or wrist.
In nature, and within the human body, qi is thought to exist as several diverse phases, or elements. Each element relates to certain physical organs, and to the seasons, emotions, flavours and colours.