Feel the Qi

Our hands are a source of healing energy. They are a powerful energy source for the body. You can use your hands or finger tips to tap on acupuncture points or whole meridians to raise the vibration and levels of qi. Points along your eyebrows and on your cheek bones or the top of your head can provide stimulation for the senses, open the orifices and “pull up” your qi. You can look up the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT for example) that uses many of these points.

You can also use your fingers to locate, press and hold acupuncture points. This is called acupressure. The points are named after the meridian on which they are located followed by a number. These points have tons of good actions on the body. You can look these up. Some that I like include:

Du20, Du24,

Gallbladder(Gb)20, Gb21,

Kidney(Ki)27,

Ren12,

Small Intestine(Si)3,

Triple-Warmer(Tw)5, Tw6,

Pericardium(Pc)6,

Stomach(St)36,

Gallbladder(Gb)34,

Spleen(Sp)6,

Kidney(Ki)3

and Liver(Lv)3.

In addition to the Hands, there are three other main energy centres of the body (at the base of the skull to the third eye, in the centre of the chest and just below the navel and into the lower back). When doing Qigong, I like to start by swinging my arms from front to back while hitting the area below my navel and then my lower back, repeatedly. This wakes up the core energy centre. Where qi fails to flow, there is disfunction and pain. Getting qi to flow properly is the essence of wellness. Two causes of improper flow are inadequate qi and blockages. The qigong movements open any blockages and get the qi flowing. My favourite set of movements is called the Eight Brocade because it is comprehensive and easy to remember. There are many examples of this on the internet if you look at YouTube.

Because the energy another person emits, communicates with our energy, with practice you can detect these signals from the field to guide you. If you are well grounded, focused and compassionate, you can read these messages. The laying on of hands is an old concept that invoked the higher powers to spontaneously heal someone when the hands were placed on the body. Many people use similar techniques today using Reiki or Therapeutic Touch® . For example if you feel a cold area, you would direct, through intention and visualization, a warming light to balance that area. After sweeping, evaluating and balancing the entire field, with hands 6 to 12 inches away from the body, this healing practice can facilitate increased relaxation, calm and well-being.

Using your voice and chanting is another effective way to raise qi. In qigong there are sounds for every organ system. You can, however, just make whatever sounds you want and feel the humming vibration move to different areas. One good routine is to visualize an energy ball over the three energy centres. At the same time of the visualization of each centre, vocalize sounds for each area (Weng for head, Ar for heart area and Hong for the lower abdomen). Place your hands with fingers touching and palms facing toward the body in front of each energy centre while doing the chanting and visualization. It is important for the palms to face the body, not away from the body to direct the energy from your heart to your hands inward. Being grateful activates the heart, so finish each centre by repeating thank you.