Practice to make the body balanced

From Qi Magazine - Issue 90

By Michael Tse

Sometimes we can look at the sky and wonder why it is different every single day? It is like that because it is blancing itself. We are also changing, but the change is to balance with nature, our bodies are part of nature and so they need to be in harmony with it. We cannot tell the sky what weather we want because the weather changes so that the earth can stay balanced. It is all about balance and this is the same reason we get hot, cold, sick, feel good and even feel emotional. This is also the principle of Qigong. We need to practise to make the body balanced. Moving the body in a Qigong way allows it to work things out by itself.

Quiet your Senses with Meditation

Qi Magazine - Issue 85 (December 2007)

Michael Tse

Meditation is very important for good health. No one can be really healthy if they cannot shut down their minds and be calm and relaxed. Many problems and illnesses begin with stress and tension. If you watch the behaviour of someone who is stressed and under tension, you will see that they are always active and cannot sit or stand still.

Even when people have some personal leisure time they listen to music and are doing things all the time. They are like a machine that is always being used and never turned off. Obviously it will eventually break down, so how can someone like that not become ill? Nowadays people do not understand that calmness and relaxation are important. Most people think that in their spare time they can listen to music, read the newspaper, do the crossword or Sudoku puzzle or watch TV and that these things will help them to relax and recharge their energy after a hard day’s work. This is wrong.

Three thousand years ago in China and India people already discovered the secret and method for longevity. It is all based on the senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. All these senses use a lot of energy, so if we want to live longer we must learn how to shut them down. The method to do this is meditation.

Eye Sense

Whenever we use our eyes, either for watching TV, reading a book or playing agame, we are using energy. The longer we do it the more tired we will become and the older we will look. If you look at highly academic people like university professors, they spend a lot of time researching and reading from books or are working on the computer. They use so much energy and in the end they look tired and older. However, their hard work is for a purpose and brings them success, so for them, it is worth it. Nowadays, though, people will spend hours and hours on the internet for fun or looking up useless information and the energy they use is just wasted.

Hearing Sense

Our hearing also uses energy, although it is not as must as your eyesight. Over-using our hearing can damage the kidneys as in Chinese medicine the kidneys are related to the ears. Today people listen to loud music all the time, so you can imagine how damaged their hearing gets.When they are older they will definitely need a hearing aid and I feel sad for them. Also it means that these people need excitement, something to stimulate them. Without this excitement they find life boring. This is also sad. We should not be partying all the time as this will damage our heart by making it beat too fast. If this is the case, then we cannot be healthy because we cannot sit down and be calm. Then we will continually lose our Qi all the time.

Aside from this, when they are older, people will have to talk loudly to them. Then they will complain that their hearing is weak all because they have damaged it with overuse when they were younger.

Smell Sense

The sense of smell also has a big effect on the body. Many people like to smell nice fragrant scents. However, we can also over–use oursense of smell . If we surround ourselves all the time with pleasant, strong smells, then some of us can lose our sense of smell so that we cannot smell the scent of a simple flower. This is because we have over-stimulated our senses and this makes us feel under stress and hyper-active. Then our sense of smell becomes weak. If we can calm down and relax, then the sense of smell can come back. Our sense of smell is very important. Everything around us has a different smell:- our homes, our offices and even the country we live in has a different smell. A good smell means that the energy in that area is good. If the smell is bad then obviously the energy is bad. This can cause the people who live or work there to be healthy or unhealthy depending on whether it is good or bad energy. It also affects their luck.

Today many people talk about Feng Shui, but most of the time they only talk about or know very low-level knowledge.They only talk about external decoration but how many really understand the internal things and the energy of Feng Shui? Smell plays a big part, so we should not overuse our sense ofsmell. The more perfume we use the more our sense of smell will decline.

Taste Sense

We use our tongue to taste food. People love tasty food and many people enjoy sweets and candy. However, this is not good for the body. What we eat plays a big part in our health. In Chinese medicine we also relate to our internal organs and sour relates to the liver, bitter relates to the heart, sweet relates to the spleen, spicy relates to the lungs and salty relates to the kidneys.

Other tastes are a mixture of these five. If we only like food with one of these tastes or hate certain other tastes, then this can cause an imbalance. For example, sweet tastes are good for the spleen, but the spleen is also related to the stomach and and so if we take a lot of sweet then it will affect the stomach and if we take just a little, then it can be good for the stomach. Anything we overdo can cause a problem. Anything too strong will have an effect and weaken something else. So we should not just concentrate on certain tastes but try and take all kinds but not in excess. Sometimes we do not like bitter tastes but we should still take some.

Most people who live longer lives eat very simply and do not eat unusual food or very highly nutritious food. This minimises the amount they need to use their taste buds and so it does not exhaust the internal organs.

Touch Sense

The sense of touch is also very important. Many people like the feel of fine fabrics, like silks and linens. Also people like the feel of wood in good furniture like beds and tables. This sense excites the mind so that it cannot be calm. This contact stimulates the nerves and sometimes these can be overused, especially if we over-indulge ourselves. This too means we will lose Qi.

To save our Qi we should keep our sense of touch or feeling calm and then our Qi can settle back to the Dantian. We should not let our Qi run around our body too vigorously. In order to save Qi we must let it settle and calm down, as if nothing has happened to the body. Although everything in the body is still functioning, the heart is still beating and we are still breathing, we should slow things as much as possible.

Four Postures of Meditation

Remember, meditation is not about moving the Qi. Physical movement helps us to circulate the Qi, to use our Qi in the right way and get rid of negative Qi. During meditation we should shut down the five senses so we can settle and collect more Qi. This increases our longevity.

For practising meditation there are four postures: One is standing and we call this Zhan Zhuang, the second way is sitting in a chair, the third is sitting in lotusposition, which, in Chinese, we call Pan Xi. The fourth method is lying down, which we call ErGong. Standing, sitting and lying are all different physically but all have the same principle which is to settle the Qi and store it in the Dantian.

Zhan Zhuang

When we do Zhan Zhuang there are different levels:- high position, middle position and a low position. Lower is more difficult and higher is easier.When we stand in a lower stance we call this Ma Bo Zhan, which means horse stance standing position. This demands a lot of leg strength and so it is not easy to do for long. However, nomatter which position we choose to stand in, we need to keep the body in a line. The top of the head at the Bai Hui pointshould be vertically in line with the Yongquan points on thesoles of the feet.  

In the high and middle positions the Huiyin point between the legs also lines up with the Baihui point. This we can see if we check our posture from the side. About the hands,we can hold these in various positions and use different gestures, such as at the Middle Dantian or the Lower Dantian.These areas connect with the areas of the Qi. Different gestures involve the palms and the Laogong Points or the shape of the fingers and this directs the Qi to go a different way at first.However, if we stay for long enough, then the feeling is thesame for all of them. The will be Qi is strong and runs all overthe body following the proper channels.

In the low position we should try and keep the thighsparallel to the ground. In this position the Huiyin point will notline up with the Baihui and Yongquan. This low stance willdevelop the lower legs more, particularly the calves. The feetshould be shoulder width apart, the eyes should be open, but not focused. We should keep the mouth closed naturally andbreathe in and out through the nose.

Generally, when we practise the low stance we will notstay for too long and when we are tired we should stand upand change to a mid or high position. When we feel strongagain we can go back down again. So we can repeat low, highand middle stance for quite a long time. Generally, peoplecan stand one to two minutes in the low posture and somemore senior students five to seven minutes. The low stancewill not make you heavy and stiff but actually the opposite, asit makes you feel lighter. In Chinese we say, “Light Gong (XingGong) training is based on heavy training.” This standing exercise can also help a lot of leg and knee problems.

The height of the middle position can vary, but the Baihui, Huiyin and Yongquan points must line up vertically together. The feet can be wider than the shoulders. The eyes and breathing are the same as in the low position. The eyes must be open because in this exercise there is a lot of Qi that needs to be released out through them. We do not focus so it means we are not using our eyes to see. Again, the hand positions and gestures can vary, for example, Laogong points facing each other or facing the ground, etc. It has the same meaning as the low stance.

Sitting Meditation

When meditating sitting on a chair, we should not lean back against the back of the chair like we do when watching TV. We should sit forward towards the edge of the chair and inthis way we minimise how much contact we have with thechair. There are many ways and gestures we can use for thehands. You might just place your hands on your thighs so that the Laogong points touch the Liangqiu points or form a hand gesture which is also fine. The feet should rest on the floor and the knees and toes should line up vertically, but the feet must be flat on the floor.

Lying Meditation

The last way of meditation is lying down. The most common way is to lie on your back and rest your hands on your Dantian, this means that the Laogong points cover the Dantian. The head should be raised up a little using a pillowso that the head is higher the feet. This allows the Qi toflow down to the Dantian and to the feet. The downside of this position is that it is easy to fall asleep, so generally I donot do much lying meditation. Another way is to lie on yourside and put one hand close to your head and the other hand on your thigh. This creates a Taiji symbol with the body.

All these four ways to do meditation are the same inthat they allow us to calm down, shut down our senses andstore our Qi. However, standing positions develop the bones and lotus position concentrates the Qi in the upper body more which is why the legs feel numb because the circulation ha sbeen blocked somewhat. In the end, no matter which one we do, we need to be patient and relax the body. The longer we can meditate the better we will get and the more we will enjoy its benefits in the future.

Qigong for Digestive Problems

Qi Magazine - Issue 85 (December 2007)

Today, many people have digestion problems because they do not get enough exercise, eat improperly or have too much stress. Some have all of these factors and so it is understandable that they will have illness.

Our bodies are meant to be maintained and looked after but often we neglect to do so until we have an illness which tells us something is starting to go wrong. We know we need to service our cars regularly, changing the oil and topping up brake fluid and water or coolant. Every so often we need to have something more serious done like replacing old brake pads or a worn tire as we know that otherwise it could be very dangerous and cause us to have a serious accident. Most of us though, do not give the same regard to our health until it is too late. When the big problem comes, the time for worry is already gone. We can only try to limit the effects of the problem and start to build up our Qi and immune system through Qigong exercise and meditation.

The first thing we should work for is the bones and so doing some standing meditations like Zhan Zhuang or Horse Stance is ideal. In the beginning you may only be able to stand a minute but can slowly build up to 5, 10 and 15 minutes or longer. You should feel good when you are standing although at first you may find the mind wandering and that you are impatient to be still for so long. If you can conquer this impatience, then you can start to develop yourself. The longer you stand (within reason), the more Qi you will gather which will "wash" the internal organs and make you stronger.

Sometimes it is the most simple exercises, like Wuji stance, that will give us the most benefit. However, in the end, it is all up to us as we are the ones who have to work for our own Qi and healing.

With kind regards,

Michael Tse

The Benefits of Group Qigong Practice

By Michael Tse (Founder of Qi Magazine)

If you have ever been to my seminars or classes, you would have noticed that we all gather together at the end in a large circle to do meditation together. People will often comment afterwards that the energy was very strong, stronger than when they meditate at home on their own.

Of course, when people gather and work together towards the same goal, there is a sense of harmony that will develop. There will also develop a strong sense of community. This is very important when studying because there are times when you will come to a plateau and it may seem you are not making progress. It is easy at these times to get discouraged and maybe even want to give up. However, if you have made friends with those in your class and also find that others have gone through the same problem, then it is easier to overcome it because of their support.

In relation to meditation, when we are doing together as a group, you have a different mind set. You do not really have the luxury of thinking about stopping your meditation to go do the dishes or call a friend. So your mind is more concentrated. Even if you feel uncomfortable, bored or agitated, you hang in there because to not do so would draw attention to yourself. It is easier just to stay and eventually, you may even find your boredom and agitation just slips away without you noticing. So practising in a group can help you push yourself a little harder and achieve more than you thought you could.

When you practise meditation one on one with someone, it is more personal because you are opening yourself to them both consciously and unconsciously. However, practising alone is good and also necessary. If you always rely on a group for lifting and developing your energy, then your level of development will be limited.

In regard to there being a special Qigong form for practising as a group, itis not necessary. Any form or set ofexercises can be done as group, either with a teacher leading or everyonepractising their own things in the sameroom. The feeling and results will bedifferent in each case, both for the teacherand the student.

Not everyone can be in a situationthat they have a teacher and class topractise. They have the harder roadbecause they arewalking that road alone.If you go to a movie, I think most people would prefer to go with a friend than on their own as it is good to be able to share the experience with someone. That does not mean that if you do go to a movie on your own that you cannot enjoy it. Maybe you will even find it better as you do not have to worry whether or not your friend likes it or what row you should sit in. You can please yourself.

When you practise on your own, you can go to the place you like best and do the forms you want, in the order you want and you can meditate for as long as ou wish. Unlike in a class which is more structured. If you can have both situations, that is good, but it is more structured. It is most important to develop to the best of your ability in whatever field you happened to have been planted.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Tse

Dachengquan Martial Essence of Wang Xiangzhai

Dachengquan Martial Essence of Wang Xiangzhai

By Michael Tse

Qi Magazine | Issue 53 | February 2001

There is a saying in Chinese martial arts that “All heroes have the same ideas.” On doing some research into different master and founders of styles this seems to hold very true. But although the ideas might be the same, the way in which they make them into reality can be different.

Chinese martial arts are fascinating. They contain many unusual movements that you will not find anywhere else in the world. Even Hollywood movies today, like Mission Impossible, The Matrix, Charlie’s Angels, etc. have all been influenced by Chinese martial arts and movement. They have flying kicks, tumbling and other acrobatics and in these you can see the shadow of Chinese martial arts. Some people will say there is also a Japanese and Korean martial arts influence as well, but do not forget, these originally came from Chinese martial arts as well, although they eventually developed into their own styles. Of course, there will be other people who will say the movies also have Brazilian, Thai and Philippine styles in them as well. This shows that film makers will take all different styles and movements to create an action movie and its fight scenes. However, the deeper influence still comes from the Chinese martial arts. If the movies kept to their old ways to movie fighting, only punching and perhaps boxing, I do not think the audience would like it.

If you ask yourself who has had the most influence on martial arts movies, your answer will most likely be Bruce Lee. His popularity is still growing today and I do not think it will ever stop. Since his death, his skills and philosophy have attracted the newer generation and the older generation still love him, maybe even more than before. What made Bruce Lee’s fighting style different to the traditional martial arts was the fact he said that in martial arts you should be able to freely express yourself. You should be like water, when water is poured into a cup, it becomes the cup and when it is in a teapot, it become the teapot. From this you can see his fighting style Jeet Kune Do is about freedom and freedom of expression. You are not controlled and do not need to follow a traditional style, thus, his fighting style could be any style and anything. This is what made him so powerful. However, how can you be free and not follow any system, without learning anything first? In some way, beginners need to learn something first, and that something is fixed. Otherwise, if you had some one who had learned some martial arts and someone who had not learned anything, there would be no difference between them. If these same people were to fight and as long as one person defeats the other, then that sounds okay. But if you think about how injured they will be and that the longer it takes to win the more tired they will be, then finally you will see that you need to learn from someone who has more experience of fighting.  

So therefore, even Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do still has a way to teach you how to fight. Of course, at the end, when you have learned enough, then you can freely express yourself. When you fight, you will have your own style. So everyone who studies Jeet Kune Do will be different to each other because even the teachers will have there own style and way to interpret Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. But if fighting is really about “free fighting”, then should we then say that the thousands of years of martial arts development in China has been a waste of time? In the 1920’s there was a famous martial arts master who had very similar thinking to Bruce Lee. He combined all his martial arts studies into one style. In particular, he was very good at Xingyiquan, which is a very powerful and popular martial art style in China People always talk about, Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua together as internal martial arts, although, personally I do not like to separate martial arts styles into internal and external styles as all Chinese martial arts have internal and external training. Only the training is different. As long as they develop Qi, then it is internal training. This famous master’s name was Wang Xiangzhai. Wang Xangzhai started his martial art’s training when he was fourteen under the guidance of the famous Xingyi master, Quo Yunshen, who had a very high level of skill and was very a traditional teacher. Wang Xiangzhai inherited his teacher’s skill, and when his teacher died, he travelled all over China meeting masters of different martial arts styles. On one of his journeys, he met a Buddhist monk from Shaolin Temple named Xing Lin who had a very high level of Shaolin Martial Arts skill. They compared their skills with each other, shared their knowledge and had friendly discussions about the differences between their martial arts skill. They became each other’s teacher and also good friend. Even Xing Lin’s teacher, Ben Kong Shang Ren, who was already ninety years old, liked Wang very much. He also passed some of his skill on to Wang. Wang Xiangzhai stayed at Shaolin Temple for a while and absorbed more martial arts knowledge. Afterwards Wang continued to travel to different areas, provinces, cities and villages to meet famous martial arts masters. In Zhejiang he met a famous mast er named, Fang Shizhuang, who was very famous for his skill at “Five Hands Technique” which contained some very good fighting techniques. In Xian he met Master Liu Peixian who was very famous for his unpredictable kicking technique. In Fujian he met a famous Wudang martial art’s master, Xie Tie Fu. Xie Tai Fu had a very long beard and people called him “Big Beard Xie”. He was famous for his Crane Fist which was well respected in Southern China. Both Wang and Big Beard Xie compared their styles and learned together, not only bare hand techniques, but also weapons, especially the sword. In the end they had a great respect for each other’s styles, skill and knowledge. Wang Xiangzhai he also met one of Dong Hai Chuan’s (the creator of Bagau Palm) students, Cheng Jianhwa. They studied together and Wang realised that hand techniques in Bagua were very smooth, and could twist in all directions and angles and co-ordinated with the fast and turning footwork. All this meant you could really take your opponent by surprise. In Beijing Wang visited the famous Yang Style Taiji master Yang Shouhou. Meeting all kinds of different masters and learning about different styles gave Wang a lot of knowledge and also made him understand his own style, Xingyiquan, more. 

“Xing” means shape and refers to external movements, “Yi” means mind and refers to the internal mind. “Quan” means fist. The whole name means “External Shape and Internal Mind” martial art. However, when Wang went back to Beijing, he realised that many people only concentrated on the external shapes and missed the internal mind. Originally Xingyiquan was called Xinyiquan. “Xin” means heart, and so the name meant “Heart and Mind Fist”. This meant the heart and mind were more important than the external shapes. Master Wang had seen any different martial arts styles in China and found that most people only concentrated on the external shapes and forms and missed the internal spirit. When they were confronted with another high level martial artist they were lost, because they only concentrated on the external shapes and did not spent too much time on them in order to develop the internal Jing, Qi and Shen. Jing, Qi, Shen is the martial arts meaning of internal spirit. So he began to change his Xingyiquan and called it Yiquan. This went back to the internal spirit, and he said that studying martial arts was for developing true spirit and the mind and not external shapes. Master Wang found that the most important thing in all martial arts skill was true spirit and mind or internal spirit. At the end he even gave up the external shapes and had no forms, only concentrating on Zhang Zhuang - standing positions and Tui Shou – pushing hands (Although this is not exactly the same method as Taijiquan’s pushing hands, it is similar , but the method of training is not the same although the meaning is the same.) This new art he called “Dachengquan” which means, “Great Success Fist ”. It also means the essence of martial art Zhang Zhuang develops internal power, the mind, Qi, spirit, relaxation and breathing. Tui Shou develops fighting techniques, by learning how to read different people’s energy when you come into contact with it, and how to use your own energy in all different kind of techniques. Master Wang combined all his knowledge of Xingyiquan, Taijiquan, Baguazhang together with principles of Confucianism, Buddhism, Qigong training and philosophy to create Dachengquan. He used Xingyiquan’s strong foundation, Taijiquan’s sticking and contacting skills, Baguazhang’s fast and twisting body movements and foot work, plus his own knowledge. The principle of Dachengquan, Master Wang said is that “There is no method for martial art. Even with a method there is still nothing. If we do not accept any method, then we can have all kinds of methods.” In this case method means styles, skills and techniques. He also said, “Something comes from nothing and steadiness is the mother of movement.” Dachengquan concentrates on developing the mind and spirit. Practising Zhan Zhuang will develop the mind, calmness, relaxation and a strong foundation. When the spiritual energy is high and you need to defend yourself, you will be able to move naturally, powerfully and instinctively. Just like an animal living in the natural world fights instinctively and powerfully. Everything comes from natural instinct, just like a baby needs milk from its mother and bees need honey. Sometimes even a very weak person, if they have a sudden mad fit, can be very powerful and it can take many people to hold them down. This is spiritual instinct, but this power needs to be developed through stillness and a calm mind. This is what meditation develops and so when you need power it will come naturally. 

Today Dachengquan is becoming more popular. Although Master Wang Xiangzhai has passed away, his skill is still developing and so Dachengquan is becoming better and more effective. Sadly another famous Dachengquan master passed away on March the 6th this year. He was Master Wang Xuanjie who promoted and taught Dachengquan all his life and has students all over the world. Though another master has gone, I believe that if a skill is good it will live forever. 

Michael Tse on Qi

Many people think that Qi is something special and want to do all kinds of things with it: play, redirect or use it for healing. However, everyone has Qi. If they did not, they would not be alive. When we take one word from a whole sentence, we lose the meaning and purpose of the word. The same for the concept of Qi. If we only consider the idea of Qi and not its purpose in our body, then we miss the point.

Qi literally means air. It also means energy. Human beings need both air (oxygen and other elements in the air, plus the radiation from nature - like trees, mountains and water) and energy to survive. Qi is constantly flowing throughout and around our body along with our blood. When blood and Qi are balanced, then a state of harmony exists and we have good health. However, if we injure ourselves, there is a blockage which keeps the Qi from flowing. When this happens, it is like stagnant water. The toxins cannot release naturally from our body and will pile up in this area.

When we practise Qigong, we use relaxation, breathing and movement and meditation to release negative Qi from our body and gather fresh Qi. The movements direct the Qi, so we do not need to think about where the Qi will go.When you start your car in the morning, do you think about how the petrol will flow through the engine? Of course not. You know that by pressing on the accelerator that you will move forward. So you think about the end result, not the method of what has produced that result. Otherwise, in order to drive a car, we would not only need a license,we would also need a degree in mechanical engineering. So in Qigong, we do not need to think about or direct the the Qi with our minds. It will happen naturally.

Actually, the more you try to direct Qi, the more problems you will get. If you are not healthy, this already shows that you do not understand Qi, so how can you think of wanting to move it to different areas of your body. In thinking like this, you miss the point of Qigong. The best is to find a good instructor who is healthy and who is qualified to teach Qigong. Then practise the movements you are taught. Forget about directing or visualising Qi and let your body and mind relax. Eventually, as you become healthier, your Qi will become stronger. Of course, you will feel it in different parts of your body and at your Dantien, but this is natural and not unusual or special. It is just the beginning of a Qigong journey.

Qigong is not a Religion

Qi Magazine (Issue 40 - 1998)
By Michael Tse, Editor

Recently, one method of Qigong has become quite popular. It is taught free of charge and like many things that are free, easily attracts a lot of people. However, this Qigong is more concerned with your soul and your spirit and if you want your soul to progress beyond that of a normal human being, you have to follow many rules, you have to be true to certain things and cannot do other things. You are not allowed to have any negative thoughts. With this method there are so many restrictions, and personally I find that it is more of a religion rather than Qigong. Qigong is for health. Qi means vital energy and gong means work. So when you do Qigong you are working for your energy. It is that simple and very grounded. When Qigong gets confused with religion, it can be very dangerous.

Three years for small success, ten years to become a living immortal!

Qi Magazine - Issue 36 (1998)

By Michael Tse

How do you find a good teacher? A lot of this is to do with fate.When you open a magazine all the advertisements say how good this teacher is, or how that one is a grandmaster who can open up the secrets of a skill to you. Often they will tell you how many days or weeks it will take for you to become a Qigong master, how they will open your Sky-eye (Third-eye), and how they will teach you to transmit Qi to heal people. They all look like adverts on TV, and some even say,“Money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied!” These advertisements do not promote any teachers. They only promote commercialism.

A good way to find a teacher is to go and see the person. Then you need to ask yourself how you feel about him/her. You have to look at how they behave and the condition of their health. Whether you want to study Qigong, or the martial art of taijiquan, a good teacher will behave well and look very healthy. They should be able to answer your questions so you can understand. If they can do this, then their knowledge is clear, and so their skill should also be good. If this is the case you can probably study with them.

You should also look at the senior students, people who have been studying for over three years. See how they behave, because if you eventually study with this teacher you will most likely become very similar. Recently, a student studied with me for about one year and then left. Probably she felt she wanted to learn more things more quickly and so she went to another Qigong master.

Then suddenly, after another year had gone, she appeared in my class and asked me how to prevent someone whose energy was very strong from effecting her. I told her that no one could affect you if you do not want to be affected. She replied, “He is very strong and I cannot get rid of him.” So I told her that going to another place might help. However, when I saw her later she looked tired and worried, and all her Qi had gone. At first, I knew she was too eager to develop her Qi. When she had been studying for only three months, she came to me and said she wanted to teach Qigong. I told her she was not ready. Then, when she had almost finished the form, she left. It seems to me that she just wanted to develop Qi and not the skill. Afterwards she ended up with another teacher, someone who she thought would teach her the power of Qi. She decided to study this skill and finally ended up disturbed.

Studying Qigong should be done step by step. When the time is right, everything will happen. There is a saying, “Three years for small success, ten years to become a living immortal!” It just takes time. Anything that happens quickly can easily result in side effects. You need to be patient. Just practice everyday, there’s no hurry.

Qigong Breathing by Michael Tse (1994)

Qi Magazine (Issue 11 - 1994)

By Michael Tse

Everybody knows how to breathe. But how many people really understand the breathing practice within Qigong? This is very important because without the correct breathing techniques we cannot develop our Qi.

Breathe in, Breathe out - inhale, exhale. We all do this every second, none of us can stop, otherwise we will die. During the breathing process the air comes in through the nose, passes down to the lungs and then the oxygen goes on to all the different parts of the body. This maintains the body and particularly the functions of the organs: heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, live and especially the brain. We know breathing is very important. How could we do it better so that we can get more energy - Qi?

The first step we should take is to find the best air we can. Technique is important, but the air is more important. It does not matter if you have the best breathing techniques if the air you are taking in is polluted. You will still become ill - the air will harm you! So find a place with plenty of fresh air, when you are indoors, open the windows. Fresh air is where our energy comes from. Many people like to concentrate on technique, if they miss fresh air, it is as if they have a beautiful car with a good engine but no petrol. 

The Chinese say: "In a purified place people will be in high spirits." Thus those who live or are born in a place with good energy will be healthy and intelligent, they may become great people in the future. On the other hand, a great person must live in a place with good energy. Therefore, Chinese people are very concerned about the environment they live in and even buried in. They all know about Fung Shui (Geomancy) - the energy of the environment. 

Just being in a place with good environmental influences can give you a lot of energy, even if you do not know any Qigong breathing techniques, you will benefit greatly and tend to relax. We are all very sensitive to our surroundings. It can affect our health and our emotions. For example, in a noisy place you cannot concentrate, cannot think - so you will not get any new ideas. In a quiet place you can relax and open your mind. Here you can solve many problems, because it is a good place. 

So, now we have the petrol, we need to learn how to drive... In the beginning you should relax your body. Allow all the joints, muscles and face to relax and the mind to become calm. Now your body's functions will become normal. There is no tension and no distractions. Then slightly concentrate on your Dantien, your center just below your navel, because this is where your energy is stored. 

Different people describe the location of the Dantien in different ways. Some say at the Qihai point (an acupuncture point on the Ren Channel), some say one and a half inches or even three inches below the navel. Actually, the Dantien is an area, not a point. So we do not need to be so strict about its exact location. 'Dan' means 'essence of energy' or 'crystal'. 'Tien' means 'field'. A field is not a point, it is an area. Thus the Dantien is an area. When the Dantien is open it can store a lot of energy. This makes you healthy, strong and lets you live a long life. The more active you are, the more energy you will use and this reduces your life. Take for example a dog. Dogs breathe very quickly, using the mouth more than the nose. they are very active and fast - very yang. Thus they only live for about fiifteen years, twenty at the most. A turtle for example, does not breathe with its nose alone. It uses its internal body, its abdomen. Each breath takes about two minutes. It moves slowly and quietly - very yin. So on average they live for two hundred years! People are the same. If you go running, circuit training, weight training, then these exercises can make you big, but they do not give you energy. Quiet, slow, gentle - these ways can help you store energy. 

When you breathe you should not just use your chest,  your lungs - you should use your abdomen.  They abdomen is deeper than the chest. When you breathe the breathing is deeper, longer, more internal. This way the Qi goes directly to your Dantien and strongly affects the internal organs, particularly the kidneys, lungs and heart. In fact, you breathe with the Dantien.

The Breathing Methods

The first breathing method you should use is 'natural breathing'. Forget everything (including your abdomen and the way it moves as you breathe). Just relax and concentrate on your Dantien. Slowly you will find your breathing getting deeper and deeper. 

Then you can move on to other breathing techniques. One is 'normal breathing'. Unlike natural breathing, normal breathing places more emphasis on the Dantien. As you breathe in your abdomen expands, so your Dantien expands. As you breathe out you contract your abdomen, so your Dantien moves in. this emphasizing stimulates the Dantien, making it warm. 

After practicing 'normal breathing' for a time we can move on to a slightly higher level technique - 'reverse breathing'. This also works with the abdomen, but as you breathe in you pull in your abdomen and as you breathe out you expand your abdomen. This is more difficult than normal breathing it is also stronger - it is like turning up the fire to make the room warm. 

Finally, having practiced for long enough you will find that relaxation is the most important thing. When you breathe you must relax your whole body. Start with natural breathing then move on to normal and reverse breathing. These breathing methods are good for the Dantien. They make it more sensitive and able to collect more Qi. However, because they are stronger you cannot use them all the time. Just use them to stimulate your Dantien, then let go and breathe naturally, otherwise you will become too yang - too hot, like you burn the toast. This will cause the heart to beta quickly and build up the pressure in your  veins. You will not be able to sleep and you will suffer from stress.

The correct way to use either normal or reverse breathing is to count twenty-four breaths (inhale and exhale being counted as one) and then go back to natural breathing. This allows your Qi to come back to the Dantien. You will find all your channels are clear and you feel comfortable and warm. Just let your Qi flow naturally. In fact, if you are relaxed enough, your breathing will spontaneously change to normal and reverse breathing naturally - it is no longer fixed. At that moment you are at one with nature, your body will be so relaxed that you will forget it completely, you will not even notice your breathing. Let everything go and your body will eventually become part of the universe - reach the state of Tao.

What is Qi? (Qi Magazine 1993)

"I do not believe in Qi!", "It's impossible!", "I don't believe you can move a person without touching them!", "It's all psychological!" When I heard some people say those things, I thought to myself "Great! Keep saying that, don't change until you die!" What I was surprised about was those who said it practiced Taiji!

Nowadays, many scientists and doctors go to study acupuncture, Qigong, Homeopathy, Fung Shui, I Ching etc. They all want to find out 'What is Qi?' They want to find out how the eastern culture and skill can 'save' the world. Through their studies, they have already found that Qi covers many things: infrared radiation (heat), static electricity, magnetic fields, gamma rays and other tiny particle streams. They still need to do more research.

Within the Chinese Culture, Qi is the 'spirit.' The Chinese character for Qi is made up of two 'words': one is 'rice', the other is 'steam'. When we cook rice using water and fire we see steam, so the first time we 'saw' Qi was from observing steam. Therefore Qi has no shape, it is not fixed, it is something you might see, something you might smell and something you might feel.

For example, air we call 'empty Qi', the weather we call 'Heavenly Qi', someone who is very proud we say he has 'Spiritual Qi', and even when we go to a restaurant and the food is very good we say 'very good Wok Qi.' 

Whilst practicing Qigong, Qi flows along all the channels and acupuncture points, to balance the body. It is the same as the universe. All the stars and planets have their own orbit to keep the universal order. More closer to home, if all the traffic flows smoothly on the motor ways then the entire system will run smoothly. When your Qi is strong you can transmit it out to help others who are sick. This is what Qigong masters have done for many years to help the sick rid themselves of disease.

If the Chinese didn't believe in Qi, our culture would not have endured it's 5000 year old history intact. Today it is the same culture using the same medical principals. Qi is not something to 'believe in', but do you have the enlightenment to understand it?

-Michael Tse 

Editor of Qi Magazine

Qi Magazine Archives

In the coming weeks, we will be featuring material from deep within the Qi Magazine archives. Qi Magazine was a newsstand periodical launched in the mid-1990s to cover the world of qigong and inform the English-speaking world of the spectrum of practice and thought being offered by various master practitioners in the West. Each issue of Qi Magazine is built around a number of short feature articles that provide insight from the wisdom of one of the more notable qigong masters, introduce an element of basic practice, or discuss the value of a form of Chinese medicine. Many of these are illustrated with detailed diagrams of the body or of the movements being discussed. There is a large letters-to-the-editor column in which readers are invited into a lively dialog with the editorial staff. The magazine grew from a small black and white booklet to a proper magazine that was distributed all over the world. Sadly Qi Magazine has now ceased production, but not after 18 years and 90 issues all packed with rare and unique articles covering all aspects of Chinese Qigong, martial arts, culture and philosophy. 

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Qi Magazine First Issue (1991)

Dear Qigong Supporters,

Firstly, I wish to thank all of you for supporting Qigong and chinese health exercises, over the past three years since my arrival in England. I have decided to publish this new magazine devoted to Qigong and related Chinese arts because I want more people to understand and to get benefit from Qigong, by improving their health and develop to their full potential. A lot of people who practice Qigong have questions, but are unable to find the answers. Sometimes they are mislead by books written by people who do not fully understand Qigong, consequently some practitioners consider quitting! On the other hand there is not much literature or information on Qigong, and this magazine aims to change that by revealing the secrets of Qi internal development and health.

Why do some people live longer?

Why do some people get ill very easily?

Why do many people get old at only 40 or 50?

If we can understand our Qi we can all live much longer lives. I believe that the 90's is the decade for health. We should try to understand our health potential and search for long life. I want everyone to have more information and contact with each other, and I hope that his magazine will attract other Qigong or Taiji masters, who have similar aims of promoting awareness and development in these arts. I sincerely hope that Qi Magazine attracts a worldwide readership and results a greater understand and discussion of Qigong.

Qi Magazine will be distributed in Great Britain, United States, Sweden and Canada, and translated into German for readers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I hope that it will become known as an unbiased magazine and raises the awareness of the general public and the knowledge and skills of Qigong practitioners everywhere.

Yours Truly,

Michael Tse