Qi and Ki in Martial Arts

From time to time, you may hear your martial arts instructor talk about qi 氣 (you may also have seen it spelled chi), or ki as it is pronounced in Japanese. What is qi? Why is it important to martial artists?

Qi is one of the Three Treasures of traditional Chinese thought and practice, the other two being Jing 精 and Shen 神 (martial arts traditions from other East Asian countries use the same concepts, and many other cultures around the world, from the ancient Indians to the Mayans, have similar ideas). Jing, Qi and Shen are the foundation of the human experience, roughly corresponding to the physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of existence.

Jing can be thought of as your genetic information, the attributes that you get from your mother and father. In your body, Jing resides in the lower dantien, below the navel. The techniques of fa jing 发精, meaning to "emit essence" are a way of accessing this incredible reserve power that every human being holds within them. Remember the apocryphal story of the mother who lifts the car to free her baby trapped underneath? That's the power of Jing. If you've ever had an experience that "took years off your life," but managed to live through it, you drew upon the power of Jing to survive. In fact, one of my tai ji teachers says that, if done correctly, the movement in Chen taijiquan known as "Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar" should take a few days off your lifespan (don't worry, it takes years of focused practice to attain this kind of power - you aren't in any danger of killing yourself with Chen taijiquan).

Qi is breath or energy and is responsible for all the processes in your body - your lungs filling, your heart pumping blood, your stomach and intestines digesting food. In your body, the qi center is at the center of your chest. Most martial arts work at the level of qi - when we practice continually, our qi moves quicker and smoother, leading to better reaction time, increased strength and more powerful kicks and punches.

Shen can go anywhere and do anything. It is not limited by your physical body. During meditation, you are training your Shen. The Shen center is located between your eyebrows, at the third eye.

As you can see, Jing works at a deeper level than Qi, while Shen works at a higher level. Qi is therefore the most accessible level of energy to work with. Qi is also the basis of the other two. If you have very little Qi, you may be forced to draw upon your Jing just to survive. You can see this in people who have lived through famine, or who are very sick for long periods of time, as with cancer. Conversely, if you have abundant smooth-flowing qi, you can actually store it up for later use, adding years to your life.

The best way to get more qi?

1. Make sure the qi you have flows smoothly - practice, practice, practice. I don't have to tell this audience that practice makes perfect. The more you practice your form, the better it is. The more exercise you do, the better your blood and qi flows, improving the function of just about everything in your body: heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidney, intestines, stomach, and so on. Trade a little muscular ache for your internal vitality!
   
2. Eat right. Eating right is so simple, but so hard. Why so simple? Everyone knows the common-sense approach to eating right: strictly limit or eliminate added sugar (including SODA, a huge one), stay away from processed foods (anything that comes in a can or a bag), eat mostly vegetables, fruit and grains, with high-quality meats and fish maybe once or twice a week. These variables change depending on your age, activity level, and so on. Why so hard? It's hard to BREAK HABITS, and eating a certain way is a habit that most people are unwilling to change.
   
3. Use some of the amazing plants that the earth has provided for us to improve our health. These are plants that are not necessarily part of your daily diet - ginseng, for instance, or goji berries. The native cultures of the world all have knowledge of their special local plants. Traditional Chinese Medicine has one of the most well-organized traditions of herbology, with written texts stretching back thousands of years. In future posts we'll explore how to use some of these herbs to increase your qi power.