Definition of Qi

Qi is the energy or natural force that fills the universe.
In Chinese tradition, there are three great powers in the universe: heaven, earth and man.
Heaven (or the universe) has the qi of heaven, the most important of the three, which is made up of the forces that celestial bodies exert on the earth, such as sunlight, moonlight, the moon’s gravity and the energy of the stars.
In ancient times, the Chinese believed that the qi of the sky governed the weather, the climate and the

natural disasters.
Even today, the Chinese refer to the weather as “sky qi”.
Each energy field strives to remain in balance, so whenever the qi of the sky loses its balance, it seeks to rebalance itself.
So the wind must blow, the rain must fall, and even tornadoes or hurricanes become necessary for the qi of the sky to reach a new energy balance.

Below the sky, there is the qi of the earth.
This is influenced and controlled by the qi of the sky.
For example, too much rain will cause a river to flood or change its path.
Without rain,
the plants will die.
The Chinese believe that the qi of the earth is made up of lines and patterns of
energy, as well as the earth’s magnetic field and the heat hidden underground.
These energies must also be in balance, otherwise disasters such as earthquakes will occur.
When the earth’s qi is balanced and in harmony, plants will grow and
the animals will thrive.

Finally, within the qi of the earth, each person, animal and plant has its own qi field, which is always seeking balance.
When any individual living being loses its
balance, get sick, die and decompose.
All natural things, including humanity
and human qi, grows within and is influenced by the natural cycles of heaven and earth.

Throughout the history of qigong, people have been more interested in human qi and its relationship with the qi of heaven and the qi of earth.
In Chinese tradition, qi can also be defined as any type of energy capable of demonstrating power and strength.
This energy can be electricity, magnetism, heat or light.

The word qi has a much broader and more general definition than most people think.
It doesn’t just refer to the energy circulating in the human body.

Human QiNow that you understand the general definition of qi, let’s see how qi is defined among qigong practitioners today. As mentioned earlier, among the three powers, earth, heaven and man, the one that has received the most attention over the ages is human qi because it affects our health and longevity. When people mention qi, or prana or vital energy, it usually means the energy that circulates in our bodies.According to Chinese medicine, each of our internal organs needs to receive

a specific amount of qi to function properly.
If an organ receives an improper amount of qi, usually too much – in other words, too much yang or too much fire – it will start to malfunction and, over time, physical damage will occur.

Thus, the goal of doctors or qigong practitioners should be to achieve a state of “no fire”, which eventually became the word qi.The qi that circulates in our bodies is mainly produced by inhaling air (oxygen) and consuming food (rice). If we think carefully about what we know from science today, we cansee that there is really only one type of energy in this universe, and that is electromagnetic energy (electromagnetic waves).

This means that light and heat (infrared waves) are also defined as electromagnetic energy.
This makes it very clear that the qi circulating in our bodies is actually ”
bioelectricity“, and that our body is a “live electromagnetic field“.

This field is affected by our thoughts, feelings, activities, the food we eat, the quality of the air we breathe, our lifestyle, the natural energy that surrounds us and the unnatural energy that modern science inflicts on us.

Appendix

For there to be electrical circulation, there must be an electromotive force.
In general, there are five possible causes for the generation of bioelectricity in the human circuit:

1 – Natural energy Our body is made of electrically conductive material, and our electromagnetic field is always affected by the sun, the moon, the clouds, the earth’s magnetic field and the other energies around it.
The main influences are the sun’s radiation, the moon’s gravity and the earth’s magnetic field, which significantly affect the circulation of Qi and are responsible for the pattern of Qi circulation since our embryonic formation.
We are now also greatly affected by the energy generated by modern technology, such as the electromagnetic waves generated by radio, TV, microwaves, mobile phones, computers and many other things.

2 – Food and Air To maintain life, we ingest the essence of food and air

through the mouth and nose.
These essences are then converted into Qi through a biochemical reaction in the chest and digestive system (called the Triple Heater in Chinese medicine).
When the Qi is converted into essence, an electromagnetic force is generated which causes the Qi to circulate throughout the body.
Consequently, an important part of Qigong is dedicated to getting the right kinds of food and fresh air.

3 – Thoughts The human mind is the most important and efficient source for generating magnetic fields of bioelectricity.
Whenever we move to do something, we first generate an idea (Yi).
This idea generates bioelectricity and leads the Qi to energize the appropriate muscles to carry out the desired movement.
The more we concentrate, the stronger the energy we can generate and the stronger the flow of Qi we can conduct.
Naturally, the stronger the flow of Qi we bring to the muscles, the more they will be energized.
For this reason, the mind is considered the most important factor in Qigong training.

4 – Exercise Exercise converts the food essence (fat) stored in the body into Qi.
Many Qigong styles that have been created use movement for this purpose.
In addition, when we exercise, we also use the mind to control the physical body, and this increases the circulation of Qi.

5 – Converting prenatal essence into Qi The hormones produced by our endocrine glands are called “prenatal essence” in Chinese medicine.
They can be converted into Qi to stimulate the functioning of our physical body, thus increasing our vitality.
Balancing the production of hormones when you are young and increasing their production when you get older are important issues in Qigong.