Thank you, Asia "Qi" (45 days until Green Bay)

Balance of body, breath, and being:  Alec.

 I can't say I ever heard of qi before living in Asia.  A very simplified way to explain qi (chi) is to call it energy life force.  I now understand myself as not only a human in form made of matter but also a being of energy coming from a source of energy called God or Source or Christ Consciousness.

Qi is an energy that one can detect.  I began to be aware of it when I took yoga from the elementary music teacher at KIS, Patricia.  She had us "place our attention on our energy" or "move our energy" or "unblock energy".  Later, my acupuncturist/physiologist/spiritual coach literally found aspects of old, blocked energy in my body and released them.  At times I would get temporarily ill because of it.  I was amazed to learn of the deep connection between my energetic body and my physical body and that stuck energy could actually make one ill.  Many of our chronic illnesses stem from these stuck energies that never were released properly: stuck qi. 

Then I met a qigong master and began feeling the movement of my own qi.  Qigong is an ancient practice very similar to tai chi (qi), except that tai chi has its beginnings in a martial art meant for warriors, whereas qigong is completely coming from a place of peace.  In qigong the practitioner moves qi through the body through the slow, synchronized movement of breath and body in order to balance the life energy force.  It is spiritual and physical and mental exercise all at the same time.  And the qi or life energy is meant to keep the body healthy as you circulate it through the organs and meridians, releasing those energies that don't serve you, such as fear and trepidation or anxiety.  It can be quite a healing thing to unblock stuck qi and rebalance.

My morning meditation group began practicing a form of qigong once a week.  You can see the video we use here. 

And then I learned about frequency and how this also influences the qi of the body.  When I was introduced to the gong, I got quite excited about how the sound of the gong can serve to release stuck energies as well in the body.  Here, the player takes a role beyond their human self to channel an energy that intuitively plays the gong in a way that benefits the client's body, mind, or spirit - again connecting to the qi.  And all the client needs to do is lay or sit still and allow the gong to do this. 

Ultimately, qi is what is everywhere in the universe.  We have it.  We are it.  We are of it.  It is that vital life force that connects us to ourselves, one another, all things, and All.  The expression of these ideas as qi does not preclude any belief I have in God, it only expands and deepens my understanding of God.  And for that, I am deeply grateful. 

While not overtly about qi, you can see the exquisite balance Adam achieves here.