Qi Through Awareness

Qi Through Awareness

It would be more correct to say that an awareness of Qi is the Qi.  See other post with mention of Attention to create (in)tension and Attention to release tension.  Attention is what is done, Awareness is what is felt.

Qi is both the nourishing energy and the transport of that energy throughout the body.  The respiratory/circulatory system is the most simple example as oxygen is absorbed in the lungs, transported in the blood through the circulatory system and then absorbed at the cellular level to create ATP energy to feed the cells.  The removal of waste (carbon dioxide) is the complimentary yin (expiration) to the yang (inspiration) of the respiratory/circulatory systems.

An Awareness practice:  The vertical shake has been referenced previously in the posts.  There are a number of references in Movement/Awareness practices of versions of Vertical Shake that I won’t go into here,  See Ido Portal on the Vertical Shake for an overview.  This practice uses the vertical shake to create vibration at the critical points to fully release any blockage. 

Beginning with the feet, or specifically in taiji lingo, the bubbling well points, near the center of the foot or ball of the foot, use a light bounce to activate the area.  This light bounce will be used throughout this process; first to bring awareness to the area and then to reduce the bounce to a virtual vibration.

Off locking the knee as part of the bounce can raise the vibration up the legs.  Feel the shaking of the thighs as  the connective tissue hangs loosely from the supporting structure of the bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments..   Relax the waist with a slight hip girdle drop as part of the light bounce and again feel this as a vibration, at the sacrum, of the lower body from the waist down through the feet at the bubbling well points.

Release the chest at the sternum as the light bounce moves up the body to include the torso.  The shoulder girdle will respond to this bounce as the girdle hangs off of the spine.  Picture a bamboo pole suspended across your shoulders like a yoke with weights hanging from each end.  Accentuate this bounce to shake the hands, wrist and forearms at the elbow.  Picture a raggedy Ann doll being shaken with arms hanging loose.  Again feel the shaking of the connective tissue.  Remember the tensegral nature of the bodies structural components and the adage that when one thing moves, everything moves.

Finally bring your Attention to the crown of the head.  Imagine the top of your head expanding upward through an inverted cone, coming to a pinnacle that the head and entire torso hangs from.  The connective tissue containing the skull, the myofascial tissue of the face and jaw drop away from the crown of the head.

Alexander Technique describes the intoning of the Whispered (or silent) Ah as it releases tension in the throat and neck.  Touching the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth feel the vibration from the silent Ah resonating outward, upward and downward to the tips of all extremities.  If you don’t feel the vibration throughout your body, visualize what it might feel like until you do feel it.

An awareness (attention of, in and on) of this state of released fascial tension following a session of vertical shake, may be as close to the awareness of Qi flowing through our body, as one will ever feel.  It is a state of awareness from which taiji can be experienced that truly embodies the intent of the 10 Principles. 

It is also the state one seeks when practicing taiji as a stillness practice (Wuji), a movement practice (Forms, either single or sequential) and a push hands practice (the receptive nature of the body in release is what makes listening energy possible)