THINGS THAT ARE QI
Jan 14, 2021
One of my experiences over the years has been to hear from people who have attended workshops by some Chinese teacher and they say something like "He adjusted my posture and I felt a warm flow go through me" or "I felt my qi when he moved my arms slightly". I dunno. I've had my posture adjusted by some of the same experts and I've felt a better ability to hold a position using the body-wide network of tissues and to be able to propagate jin just a little better. The warm glow in my belly I seem to have missed. So let's talk about what is "qi" and what are legitimate feelings.
The general thrust of the "qi" of the body has to do with the tissues and body-responses that are controlled more by the subconscious mind than by the voluntary/conscious mind. For instance, goose-bumps on the arm are part of the general "qi" systems … yet some people have learned how to trick their subconscious into raising goosebumps or hairs on the arm via the potential rapport between conscious mind and subconscious mind.
I can inhale with a reverse breath and "pull inward" those tissues connected to respiration which reach to the fingers and toes, particularly if I have stretched my posture outward, first. Those tissues, which are half voluntary and half involuntary are rightfully "qi" or "breath" tissues. So, I can "feel my qi", in that sense.
I have learned how to form forces in various directions with my whole body. Using that skill, for example, I can demonstrably "ground" an incoming moderate force from various directions, without having to move my body; I mentally "will" those force paths into existence because I mentally found the visual mechanism which allows me trigger the subconscious into action. I can actually feel the micro-changes within my body when I mentally imagine and trigger the "qi" of my body to arrange those force paths. And incidentally, I should mention that the ability to arrange force paths within the body is not something new, it's part of the normal balance mechanisms we use all the time, subconsciously. So, again, I can "feel my qi", in that sense.
I can stand upright, relaxed and arms by my side, and inhale, imagining that I am actually pulling air in through the top of my head into a spherical area in my stomach, and then I exhale slowly, imagining that I am pushing air down through my legs and out my feet into the ground. Try it a few times until you're comfortable with it and notice your sensations. Now, of course we cannot breathe air in through the tops of our heads and out through our legs, but we can trigger reactions in our involuntary-muscle systems by imagining just that process. The subconscious will try and adjust the body to real and imagined situations and the feelings we have from the actions of those guide further responses: that is the basis of biofeedback training, if you think about it. The feelings we garner from the imagined air going down through our legs (or hands/arms, if you want to add those) are feelings we can attribute to our "qi", in the traditional sense.
Another, perhaps better, example of the subconscious mind triggering a physical reaction is to close out mouths and inhale about halfway through our nose and then stop the air coming in through our nose and try to pull some further air in through the skin on our faces. Try it a few time and notice the feeling of your face's skin trying to pull inward. You can feel the minute movement of your "qi". If you try to do the same action with your mouth hanging open, you'll find that it's hard to connect the "qi" on your face: and that's why so many breathing techniques require your mouth to be closed and the tip of your tongue touching the upper palate behind the front teeth.
Most people can stand quietly with their hands/palms comfortably in front of them, about 3-5 inches apart, and begin to feel a sort of magnetic feeling between the hands. This magnetic feeling is also referred to as part of the "qi" because it is a function of the subconscious mind, our body's electromagnetic and infra-red fields, and the highly innervated tissues of the hands. Since this is another subconscious-related sensation, it is considered part of our "qi".
Always remember that not only does the subconscious control the many involuntary-muscle systems of the body, but it also is very open to suggestion and imagination. Hence, we can learn to control many hitherto inaccessible functions of our body … but we are also surprisingly open to the "suggestions" from the world around us and the "suggestions" of imagination, hypnotists, and so on. You may "feel some qi" because someone you trust suggested it. 😉
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