Building Qi in the Body

Balance of Body and Heart (Emotional Mind) (Shen Xin Ping Heng). In Chinese qigong, a human has two bodies: the physical body and the qi (energy) body. When these two bodies are harmonized and united with each other, you will be healthy, and the spirit can be raised. To reach this goal, you must first regulate your mind. That means you should learn how to use your wisdom mind (yi) to govern your emotional mind (xin). Only then can your mind be calm and remain emotionally neutral. Under these conditions, your judgment can be accurate. When you use this clear mind to balance your physical and qi body’s conditions, they can work together and coordinate with each other harmoniously.

Unification of Internal and External (Nei Wai He Yi). When you use a clear and wise mind to make good judgments, your physical body (external), mind (internal), and qi (internal) will all work together as one unit. However, even this does not mean that they can harmonize with one another. Only when they are harmonized can mutual coordination be achieved and the spirit of life be heightened. When you reach this stage, it is called “nei wai xie he,” which means “mutual harmonization of internal and external.”

To reach this level, you must first learn how to regulate your mind and bring it into the internal feeling of your body. If your mind cannot be restrained internally, you will not be able to feel any physical problem or qi imbalance in your body. This kind of practice is called “nei shi fan ting,” which means “to see internally and to listen inwardly.” Because it will take a great deal of patience and time to train this, it is also called “nei shi gongfu,” which means “gongfu of internal vision.”

If we apply the above concepts to our qigong healing for back pain, we must first educate our mind to understand the structure of our physical body, especially in the lower back area. From this understanding, we can comprehend the problem and know the situation clearly. Moreover, our mind must also be able to feel the qi imbalance in our body. Once your mind knows both the physical body (yang) and the qi body (yin) clearly, then you can adopt the treatments wisely to solve any problem.

To make the healing most effective, you should do more than just learn the techniques. More important is that through your mind’s coordination, you make your physical body and qi body harmonize with each other smoothly. When this happens, the healing process will be fast and effective.

To harmonize the external with the internal, you must first learn how to regulate your body and perform the movements smoothly. When it is necessary to be relaxed, you are relaxed, and when it is necessary to be tensed, there is adequate tension. If you can do this, then you can adjust the depth of healing according to your inner feeling and understanding.

In addition, you must also learn how to use your mind to govern your breathing and coordinate with your external physical movements. Once you have reached a high level of coordination and harmonization of your mind, physical body, breathing, and qi body, you will have accomplished 90 percent of healing.

Mutual Dependence of Heart (Mind) and Breathing (Xin Xi Xiang Yi). To reach the final harmonization of the physical body and the qi body, your mind must always pay attention to your breathing. Breathing is the strategy. When the strategy is correct, the action can be effective, and the result can be fruitful. If your mind and breathing are coordinating with each other smoothly, the qi can be led effectively, naturally, and smoothly.

Use the Yi (Wisdom Mind) to Lead the Qi (Yi Yi Yin Qi). Once you have good coordination of your physical body and qi body, then you learn how to use your mind to lead the qi. Naturally, the first step is learning how to keep your mind at the lower dan tian (bioelectric battery) located at your physical center. When your mind can stay in this center anytime you want, then physically you have a balance of the top and bottom, left and right, and front and rear. Not only that, the distribution of qi will also be balanced. When you are in this centered state, you are relaxed and mentally neutral. This practice is called “yi shou dan tian,” which means “(wisdom) mind is kept at dan tian.” This is the process of learning how to preserve the qi and store it in the human battery without wasting it. Theoretically speaking, the more you learn how to conserve your qi, the longer your vital force can last.

The next step is learning how to use the mind to lead the qi to the physically damaged place for repair. It is believed in Chinese medicine that if we provide the right condition for the cells to multiply, any physical damage in our body can be repaired. The first requirement is to provide plenty of qi. Without this qi, the repair will be slow or nonexistent.

The trick to using the mind to lead the qi is in the spirit (shen). It is known in Chinese qigong society that when the spirit is high, the qi can be led efficiently. Spirit is like the morale of a soldier. When morale is high, the soldier’s fighting capability and potential is high. That is why it is said, “yi shen yu qi,” which means, “use the shen to govern the qi.” It is also said, “Your yi is on the spirit of vitality, not on your qi. (If) your yi in on your qi, (circulation of qi) will be stagnant.”

The way of building up your spirit is to first establish your positive attitude. That means confidence and a strong will. Without these two factors, you will not be able to conquer sickness.