Some thoughts about the life force

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Life force is an intangible force that guides life in the Universe. It is known as chi/qi in China and Japan (ki) and prana in Vedanta; however, other ancient cultures, like Greece (pneuma), Polynesian (mana) and even in the Old Testament Hebrew Kabbalah (ruah), also discussed the existence of a life sustaining force of living beings and vital energy.

Western society still ignores its existence because its approach to this issue is conceptual, scientific, empirical. Maybe one day Science will prove the fact that chi is a real and tangible but so far all the studies done on this subject are inconclusive.

When I first started getting involved with energetic practices 7 years ago, I didn't have a clue about the idea of "chi", I just kept on practicing my Taoist exercises religiously, day after day. Then one day, persistence payed off: I actually felt strange sensations all over my body, structural and internal changes and deep release of emotional changes and an spiritual awakening that most human are totally unaware of. Soon I started reading various books on the matter and decided to join a local Tai Chi Chuan group I read about its enormous health benefits. Today I no longer practice Tai Chi Chuan, for various reasons, but it's cousin Baguazhang, which I found even more energetically profound than Tai Chi Chuan.

So, what is the best way to understand and prove the existence of this mysterious force? There are several methods:

1. Meditation
2. Chi Kung (Qigong)
3. Various internal martial art practices: Tai Chi Chuen, Baguazhang, Hsing I Chuan, etc.

These will enable you to detach from the influence of those factors that interfere with "feeling the chi." Please don't get me wrong, the life force is always there, otherwise there would be no life on this planet, as chi permeates all living organisms. It is actually being carried in the air by negative ions (tiny, and highy active molecular fragments that carry a negative electrical charge equivalent to that of one elctron). On the other hand, air pollution carries substances such as dust, smoke and various toxic chemicals in the form of large polymolecular ions that carry a positive charge, this will neutralize the effects of the vital negative ions and in turn reduce air quality. In other words, living in big cities is detrimental for your health and be a cause of lowered lifespan.

If you happen to live in a big city, go to your local park early morning and you will notice the invigorating effects of the air in that area due to the absorbing effect of positive ions by the trees. There are other methods of natural ionization such as places where the water flows freely and naturally (waterfalls), where there is a continuous flow of wind over wide open spaces and areas of high altitude (mountains).

The second most important for life-sustaining "chi" is food. You are what you eat, if your diet is deficient don't expect any miracles. You must breathe good air and eat quality food (well I forgot to mention that drinking purified water if you drink from the public water supply is also very important) if you want to live a healthy aging long life. Of course, there are other influencing factors that determine the individual's lifespan but there are beyond the scope of this article.

In future posts, I will discuss some basic energetic exercises (Chi Kung) which will develop and strengthen your life force as well as providing health benefits that external exercises can't simply match. Forget about the idea that running, swimming and going to the gym will help you keep the body of a young person in your 40s, 50, 60s and beyond. But careful, no one can cheat physical death; sooner or later we will all die for birth requires death to exist. I don't want to become too philosophical in my post as my Blog is focused on the practical aspects of Eastern wisdom, namely Taoist and Buddhist. Back to that point, Chi Kung practices won't help you to become a physical immortal but will rise the quality of your life in many aspects: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. External exercises are very limiting in the benefits they provide once the individual reaches a certain age.

Stay tuned for the next post as I will talk about the basic Chi Kung exercise, Zhan Zhuang, which is proven to be very simple and effective yet energetically demanding.