Chi: The Life Force Of The Eastern World

Most have already seen a martial arts specialist hit a hard stone with his bare hands and then break it in two. His hands are not damaged, but the stone was smashed successfully! It seems like a miracle; completely impossible and beyond our imagination! The answer lies in chi, a Taoist concept from centuries past.

However, it’s not just the martial arts specialists who work with chi . Because traditional Chinese doctors also use it. Chi is defined as a life force that we can concentrate, release and let flow as needed. It corresponds roughly to what we in the West call “energy”.

Chi, this life-giving force, rules everything according to the Eastern world. The aim of various oriental practices is to encourage the free flow of chi or to refocus it with a specific purpose. These practices include:

• Tai chi
• acupuncture
• Reiki

The principles of the eastern life force

It is believed that people in the east started talking about chi about 4,000 years ago. Since then, many have believed that this life force circulates in rivers through the body. Chinese medicine calls these rivers “meridians”.

The people of the Orient believe that chi is made to flow through breathing and mediation. They assume that through correct breathing we are synchronized with the rhythm of the cosmos. On the other hand, meditation is supposed to help the life force break more easily through the stillness and stagnation and then flow through the body and mind.

In the course of time, movements were also included in order to balance and harmonize the chi. These are very specific movements that are known today as Tai Chi or Chi-Kung.

The different types of chi

For the people of the East, this life energy is distributed in different areas of the body, including the most remote areas. The life force is supposed to concentrate mainly on the kidneys and from there enables health and life. In addition, they also believe that it is present outside of the body.

There are different types of this life energy:

• Zhong Qi. This is the type of energy that comes from breathing and is thought to be the fuel the whole body needs to function. Oxygen is its engine and influences the function of muscles, organs, hearing and the voice.

• Chi of the sense of taste. This energy is said to come from the earth and all processes that take place to absorb nutrients. This chi is inextricably linked with the blood. The taste of any food defines which organ it benefits from:
  • spicy / lung
  • sour / liver
  • sweet / spleen
  • bitter / heart
  • salty / kidney
• Wei Chi. This should come from the chi of the food and protect against infections, as well as supply the skin and hair with fluid. However, there is no evidence to support this.

The function of chi

For the people of the Orient, the health of the mind is inseparable from the health of the body. As a result, an imbalance in one of the two has an immediate impact on the other.

This life force flows to keep a person alive and healthy. In addition, it restores balance and prevents the body and mind from being weakened or deteriorated.

The first sign that life energy is not circulating properly is excessive production of fluids: urine or sweat. From the perspective of traditional Chinese healing practice, illness is viewed as a sign that the life force is not flowing as it should.

The way to get back into balance should be achieved through the following techniques:

• meditation
• breathing
• Pressure on certain parts of the body (from acupuncture or massage)
• Practicing tai chi

The flow of life force also depends on the spiritual dimension. From an emotional point of view, people first seek  a state of calm. Calming the mind is a way to restore energy balance. People strive for a healthy body so that there is no obstacle for their minds to be free and develop.

There are practices that allow people to focus the chi on a specific area of ​​the body. In martial arts, they mostly do this in the hands, arms, and legs. This is how the Eastern naturopaths explain that a seemingly weak person is able to break a stone or make jumps that go almost against the laws of gravity.