# The Chi/Ki thread.



## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

This thread looks like it will become my training journal for standing nei-gung. 
Why not?

Have tried to stand in alignment as often as possible, 
asides from the shaking who has now spread to making my left arm jerk some,
I do notice a slight buildup in pressure whenever I try to stand perfectly still.
Since my objective is to just stand still the shaking is kinda annoying.

However the more I stand the more tangible my chi/energy becomes to me.
I can now feel a surge up and down my arms.
When I do chi-gung movement excercises it is almost like sparks fly from my fingertips.
I remember being at this level before when I practiced chi-gung back in 2003 so my guess
is that the alignment standing has brought me back to my old level of power fast.

My shoulder is still kinda blocked and tight and my sciatica nerve feel kinda tight and unpleasant.
However I don't notice it anymore in day to day living only under and after practice.
I'm starting to notice a very sharp thightness in my left knee and foot too.

It is easy to loose alignment and I constantly have to monitor myself.
I also find that I become restless and I've had outburst of anger. 
I' not sure if the anger is linked to this, but the book imply that emotions might rear their ugly head.

After standing for a while I feel like I've been exhausting myself physically.
I have to sit down and rest, not from any normal fatigue, but some dense feeling of doing to much.

Oh well we will just have to see what happens after a while.


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

When I do standing now the shaking has subsided somewhat.
I've been trying to explain what I'm going trough both from a western and eastern scope.

From an eastern scope:
Me being alingned allows energy decending from heaven to enter into the top of my head.
It then works it's way trough my meridians and slowly works on any blockages.
When blocked energy are released it makes my muscles shake.

That was the easy one. Almost straight from the manual.

From a western scope:
So I'm standing perfectly aligned.
I'm relaxing into whatever tension excists in my body.
What happens?
The alignment should take pressure of the sciatic nerve,
I could imagine relaxing the surrounding tissue at the same time might relieve some pressure also.
Would it be a stretch to say that as the tension subsides the nerve would start to fire of signals?
Almost spontaneously.
The relaxing of the surrounding tissue would also ease bloodflow, making the bodys repair effort more efficient.
I've noticed itching and other sensations in uncomfortable areas. I attribute this to improved bloodflow.

Besides from that 've done som mild breathwork.
My fingers start tingling. 
Is it from the bloodflow or is it more?
My hands get VERY red. So they definitly gets a lot of bloodflow.


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## Liontiger (Jun 2, 2009)

I recently picked up tai chi as a casual way to exercise. Lessons are way too expensive for me, so I bought a DVD that demonstrates a simplified version of the Yang style 24 form. It's been going well so far, but very slow. I've only managed to memorize from the Opening to Strumming the Lute, and even then I forget what I'm doing sometimes. It certainly takes a lot of patience to learn the moves, let alone focus on form, technique, and the spiritual side of things. But every time I do it, I can feel improvement. It's also a nice, quick way to energize my body and relax my mind.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

Just throwing this out there.

If anyone is interested in just what chi/qi/ki is, there is a sure-fire way to figure it out.

1.) Sit there and generally get a feel to what your body is up to.

2.) Go to a mild-intensity yoga or qigong class.

3.) Repeat 1.)

4.) Note the difference. 

Chi is psycho-physical awareness and it is oddly enough quantifiable. When you do nothing, there is little; when you do yoga, there is a lot. By personal experience this is pretty obvious, but it can also be measured scientifically. 

CIHS Subtle Energy Research Laboratory


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## Adrift (Apr 5, 2011)

I don't know if this is chi energy, but when I place my hand near a houseplant, I feel a tingling sensation around the neck area; this happens pretty much every time.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

Adrift said:


> I don't know if this is chi energy, but when I place my hand near a houseplant, I feel a tingling sensation around the neck area; this happens pretty much every time.


Try doing a blind experiment (falsification FTW). Have a friend blindfold you and place different things near your hands. If your neck area tingles when you're near a wrench or the like, you've falsified your suspicion. 

That being said, different plants allegedly have different types of chi that resonate differently for different people. Some say that this is why the Buddha chose a certain tree to sit by when he attained awakening. Not eating or sleeping seems pretty easy when you've got a tree pumping you chi. Oh, excuse me, prāṇa.


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## Adrift (Apr 5, 2011)

EmotionallyTonedGeometry said:


> That being said, different plants allegedly have different types of chi that resonate differently for different people.


It's a poinsettia plant. I'll try other species and see if I get the same sensation. I have tried getting the same feeling by placing my hand near other objects, but that didn't work.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

Adrift said:


> It's a poinsettia plant. I'll try other species and see if I get the same sensation. I have tried getting the same feeling by placing my hand near other objects, but that didn't work.


You gotta go blind. In order for chi to present itself as a legitimate aspect of reality, we need to turn our experiences into our own little laboratory. The only difference is that the results are not objective, which means that we need to be all the more honest and thorough with our methods.


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