Our Blog Has Moved

It might seem as though we’ve been quiet for a while but behind the scenes things have been frantic (well, as frantic as they can be when you’re a mild mannered chi kung practitioner).

We received a lot of interest from our blogs and were asked on a number of occasions if we could provide any course material on chi kung.

So we’re going to do just that!

We’ve rebuilt our website at www.chi-master.org and from now on all blogs will be posted there. Don’t worry, you can get an rss feed from our front page!

We’ll also be launching an online distance course starting on Monday 11th August.

In the meantime, please visit our site, we have a free ebook available for download, plus a couple of videos for you to watch.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the course when it launches, please drop us an email at info@chi-master.org

Signing out of WordPress!
Chi Master Apprentice

 

Things That Can Deplete Chi

For optimum health it is vital that we have good levels of Chi energy in order that the workings of all of our internal organs, bodily functions and our mind are balanced and working correctly.

Although Eastern and Western cultures have different ways of expressing themselves, it ultimately boils down to the same thing. Lack of good sleep will deplete Chi, as will a poor diet and lack of a fitness regime. Stressful situations can also deplete Chi.

Where in the West we would say that we are ‘run down’ and therefore open to illness, in the East it would be said that we are lacking in Chi and so are vulnerable.

Of course, we all know that prevention is better than cure and leading a healthy lifestyle will better safeguard us against illness (we do not need expensive surveys to tell us this!!)

One of the wonderful benefits of practising Chi Kung exercises is that they help to restore our natural internal balance without putting unneccesary strains on the body and even give us energy reserves that we can draw upon when needed. Once balance is restored, we also find it much easier to face and guard against the stresses and strains of everyday life.

 

Chi Around The World

As I began searching for explanations as to what Chi is, I discovered something unexpected.

Many different cultures around the world actually have their own versions of Chi and Chi Kung. Most well known are in Japan, where this life energy is known as ‘Ki’ and in India, where it is called ‘Prana’. However, looking further afield there are many variations on this same belief.

In both African and Northern American traditions it is well known that there are ancient customs of using meditation, herbs and the power of ‘healing hands’. In each country, these natural healers come under many names - in Malaysia it is Bomoh, in Latin America it is Curandero, in Africa it is Sangoma or Nganga, in Native American tribes it is Shamen.

Although in the West a lot of this tradition has been lost in favour of modern medical science, we still have prayer and talk about ‘Holy Spirit’ which reflects the use of meditation and talk of ‘Life Essence’ found in these other cultures. And in many American churches, religion and faith healing are joined.

These beliefs permeate our entire race and each has the same end goal - to restore balance and harmony for good health.

Of course, with Chi Master training, we learn health maintenance from day one but can also venture into other areas of training, such as the use of Chi Kung for increased strength, power and stamina when used in martial arts.

Please check our website for the first of our free resources, a video clip of an exercise called ‘The Six Healing Sounds’. I’ll talk a little about the benefits of this exercise in a future blog.

 

Organic Robots

As mentioned in my previous blog, I’m no scientist. But my limited amount of research has lead me to believe that Chi is actually ‘electromagnetic energy’.

Humans operate on electrical energy. Our bodies are capable of transforming outside stimulii into electrical impulses that travel across the body via our network of neurons. Each of our internal organs has it’s own frequency that can be measured using scientific instruments.

It has been established within the scientific community that a healthy human body functions at 62-68Hz. It has also been found that if the frequency drops below this level, a person becomes ill. If it drops considerably below this level, a person will develop a severe illness.

We can top up our energy levels using various means, such as electrical energy provided by food consumption, or light energy from sunlight, further along the electromagnetic spectrum. It is also shown that relaxation, meditation and certain essential oils can restore our frequency to it’s correct level.

The fascinating thing about Chi Kung is that this information has been known for over 4000 years. The very name ‘Chi Kung’ means ‘energy mastery’. It incorporates food therapy, relaxation techniques, massage stimulation and much more.

It is hardly surprising given the above information that Chi Kung practitioners rarely need to visit the doctor and seem to have immunity to common ailments.

Of course, I am just looking at health Chi Kung here but will write more about other forms of Chi Kung (including martial) soon.

 

What Chi Is

In my last blog I explained the difficulty I had in initially understanding the concept of Chi. It is easy to be sceptical of something that you don’t understand and I have seen much sceptisism directed towards Chi Masters.

I’ve never been one for blind faith and readily accepting unqualified information. My father taught me to question everything and then to question the answers that I was given, which I have continued to do throughout my entire life (much to the chagrin of some of my teachers!)

So when I first encountered the concept of Chi, I needed scientific evidence of this phenomenon. Unfortunately not a lot of scientific research had taken place at that time (although we have much more scientific evidence now - more about this in later blogs).

I researched and pieced together all of the information that I could find in order to draw my own conclusions on what Chi is. And finally I came up with an answer that satisfied me.

I am now certain that Chi is ‘Electromagnetic Energy’.

Electrical energy is everywhere - just look up the process of photosynthesis! I’m no physicist so can only explain in layman terms, but we know that humans have an electrical frequency that can be measured and that can vary from one individual to another. Nerve impulses are electrical bursts of energy and the more densely packed our nerves are, the greater the magnetic field surrounding them.

I personally feel that in order to fully benefit from something, you need to know it’s full workings and so I will go into more detail on this in future blogs. In the meantime, please feel free to visit our new myspace page where we have started to post free tuition videos of Chi Kung exercises.

 

What is Chi

Having not encountered the concept of Chi until my 20s, it initially took me a while to get my head around the idea. I was looking at it very much from a Western perspective and it sounded mystical and impossible to me.

In Eastern teachings, Chi is a form of energy, like light energy or heat energy. It exists everywhere, even inside us and we can draw more of it into our bodies and learn to control it and use it for our benefit.

Yes I know, sounds a lot like ‘the force’ right?! (It’s been known for a long time that George took many of his ideas from Eastern philosophy and I think the popularity of those movies has drawn some of us towards Eastern teachings without us initially realising it!)

Although I had Chi explained to me on many occasions by my patient Master, I still found it hard to grasp the concept of something like this being reality and it’s only when I began to quantify it in Western terms that my brain relented.

Of course, now I have experienced it for myself, Chi is simply ‘Chi’. But for those who have not encountered it before I shall go into more detail in my next blog.

 

Welcome…

… to our brand new Chi Master blog!

I have been a student of Master Leon Chiu for a number of years and one thing that has struck me is how much Eastern countries care so strongly about health maintenance.

In the West I feel that we tend more towards hedonistic lifestyles that result in poor health and then look to the NHS to repair us - no wonder they are struggling to cope!

One thing that amazed me on a visit to Hong Kong is how many elderly there are walking the streets and how you can see them taking part in outdoor Tai Chi classes daily.

The wonderful thing about Chi Kung exercises is that anyone can do them - any gender or age group. They can be very gentle exercises or, since they have their roots in Martial Arts, can also be used entirely as a Martial training system.

Personally I prefer a cross between the two, since I’m looking after my inner health but also toning my flabby bits at the same time!

More about these exercises soon.