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Qi power – secrets of internal energy for health and stability

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Qi power vitality Qi power, the product of cultivating internal energy, is the stuff of martial arts fantasy films. Flying onto and across rooftops, walking up walls and performing endless miraculous feats are as normal as a stroll down the road. It could be fun, couldn’t it? As wildly imaginative as such stories may be, tales of fiction are often inspired by something that has its basis in reality. Qi power is one such example, or rather catalogue of examples, of the extraordinary having its roots in truth. Sadly, it is extremely unlikely that we will fly through the air without props of some kind. However, we can learn to harness this amazing energy to better our health.

Qi power for health – it’s free!

Qi is vital energy. It pervades the universe, our bodies and the environment. Qi power is what comes from optimising the flow of qi. Just as diffused light can be focused, and water can be channelled or allowed to dissipate, it is possible to cultivate this marvellous energy for our own health. Wonderfully, it costs nothing, just a little time. There are three key things to its cultivation: posture, breath and, most importantly, mental focus. There are many qigong practices – sets of exercises (or stances) with co-ordinated breathing to develop qi power – but we may not be able or willing to commit to those. Even so, we can do something that is quite simple and very effective.

Qi power mountain

Standing like a mountain

With just a little practice, this simple exercise can build up a feeling of both inner and outer strength. Qi or vital energy becomes more stable and stronger in the lower part of the body. It connects us mentally and energetically to the Earth and our surroundings, calming the mind and pacifying the nervous system. This is the amazing effect of qi power.

The posture
  1. Stand with the feet shoulder width apart or even a couple of inches wider. Adjust the feet so that the toes point straight ahead of you and the feet are parallel to each other. Relax the knees so they are not “locked” straight. The weight should be evenly balanced.
  2. Straighten the back and then relax the shoulders so that they drop. Tuck the chin in a little so that the neck is straight and feel as though you are suspended by a thread from the top of the head. Turn the hands so that the palms face backwards and are slightly out from the side of the body. Bring them forwards an inch or two.
The technique
  1. Now for the inner position. Place the tip of the tongue just behind the front teeth. Relax the abdomen. The gaze should be horizontal, as if you were looking out to a distant horizon.
  2. Breathe so that as you inhale the diaphragm comes down and pushes the abdomen out slightly and when you exhale the abdomen relaxes inwards a little.
  3. Allow the energy in the body to settle, rooting you to the Earth. Let the mind empty.
  4. Sometimes feel the feet or the hands, but always come back to the lower abdomen as it moves with the breath.
  5. Feel as though you are very tall, very strong, and unshakeable. Remain standing in this way for 2, 3 or even 4 minutes.

You can find more on this in The Great Little Book of Happiness, available in paperback and ebook.

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Stop the world? You can’t, but you can stop yourself

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Stop thinking “Stop the world, I want to get off!” Most of us probably feel like that from time to time. The world does indeed seem mad, so it’s perfectly understandable to want to escape. But what we see isn’t so much “out there”. It’s what the mind makes of all the information we take in. The pictures we have are inside, the result of a meandering mind that conjures up all sorts of images and conclusions. In the process, it takes our vitality with it. So perhaps it’s not the world that needs to stop – we do.

Stop thinking – or stop over-thinking?

Stop thinking? It’s not a bad idea but the mind is in an almost perpetual state of motion. It is not used to being in a state of “not doing”. It will engage itself in almost anything, so long as it doesn’t have to stop and become aware of itself. Perhaps we are afraid of stopping because if there is nothing to think about and nothing to focus on, what is left? Most of us have a fear of the unknown and of having nothing to cling onto, so we busy ourselves in the practice of chronic avoidance. That needs to change.

Don’t keep spinning the wheel because it’s not going anywhere

The mind is like a wheel that is always spinning. If we want the mind to slow down, we have to stop feeding it rubbish. When the mind is whirling from one thing to another, it seems impossible to do anything about it. But we can learn to pause – and we must if we want to reconnect with our true state of being. Stopping is more than a matter of preserving health. A pause gives us time to breathe and to appreciate everything we have. When we appreciate and feel grateful for life, we value and respect ourselves and others. The world then seems a better place, and maybe we don’t need to jump off after all.

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Rest or be busy? 5 essential tips for restoring balance

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Rest or be busyRest almost seems a bit of a luxury at times, even though we know deep down that it is the natural partner to activity. In spite of that, we are not very good at it. Somehow, perhaps stemming from the work ethic, it is common to attach a certain amount of guilt to resting. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing,” is so common, isn’t it? Oddly, we probably encourage others to rest but for us, well – we’re far too busy.

There is a choice – rest and live fully, or age faster

A really strong draw to getting the balance right is the thought that we are probably ageing faster than we need to. Life is often said to be a journey. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather enjoy the trip than end up at the terminus having missed the scenery. Unless we take time to do that, the body will tire needlessly and wear out more quickly. Of course we must meet our responsibilities, but we have a responsibility to ourselves, too. It is only the ego that thinks it is indispensable, after all.

Five essential things

  1. Stop. If you tell someone that you are really busy, you probably aren’t. More likely, your mind is very cluttered and disorganised. Asserting we are busy is a classic method of avoidance – avoidance of being who we really are. Try stopping for a few moments and see if the world falls apart. It won’t.
  2. Breathe more deeply and more slowly. When the mind is erratic, so is our breathing. If we slow our breathing down, the mind tends to follow. The emotions settle and so does our energy. Even if we are still moving around, we can begin to learn the power of rest.
  3. Do you make lists? Lists can be helpful and many people swear by them because writing things down often helps to clear the mind. Here’s a suggestion, though. If you have a list of seven or more items, make a second list which has just one item. It might sound daft but working through a list often means racing through it without enjoying any of the things we planned to do. So take one item only from the first list and turn your first list over. Work on that one task only and then stop and breathe. Activity and rest, that’s the plan.
  4. Walk and move slowly, taking time to feel the Earth beneath your feet and the space around you. There’s plenty of advice about taking vigorous and high-intensity exercise but precious little about the benefits of moving slowly. Don’t do it all the time, of course, otherwise you will miss your train or get fired from your job. However, a few moments of slow movement can do wonders. It’s another form of rest for the mind whilst working the muscles more deeply. (If you’re really interested in this, learn some tai chi.)
  5. Meditate for a few minutes every day. Meditation can give us a very deep experience of rest and just ten minutes can refresh mind and body, leaving us clearer and more relaxed. If you don’t know how, follow this link for an easy method. (It’s free.)

Rest in the woods

For much more on the importance of stopping and how to achieve a clear mind, take a look at my book The Art of Not Doing, available in print and as an ebook.

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Digestion: does it hold the most important secret to vibrant health and wellbeing?

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Digestion vitalityDigestion is enormously important to our sense of wellbeing. It is not simply a way of processing food and liquid. The manner of that processing has a direct bearing on our vitality, which also affects the clarity of our mind. Our emotional strength and balance, too, depend to a great extent on our digestive power.

Digestion and fire

The power of the digestion is sometimes said to rely on “digestive fire”, a prosaic but very apt description of the ability of the body to metabolise food. If our food is fully digested, we could almost say that we have a “clean burn fire”; but if there is only partial digestion, residues are left behind and these residues form toxins that stay in the body.

Too much fuel and confused messages

The analogy of a fire is a very good one. If there is a strong fire, more fuel can be added and it will burn easily, so producing heat. That means greater energy and vitality. But if we put on a lot of fuel when the fire is low, it will just smoulder. Instead of heat, it will produce a deal of smoke, soot and tar, probably leaving unburnt fuel, too. Similarly, in eating the wrong food – or at the wrong times – when the digestion is at a low ebb, we choke up our system. Why would we do that? Habit is one possible cause, eating for comfort is another. For whatever reason, confused messages reach the brain giving false sensations of hunger or appetite. We can help change this by acknowledging the natural cycles that govern digestion.

Rhythm or blues?

The normal daily cycle of the body largely reflects the diurnal rhythm of our environment. Our digestive fire is naturally strongest around midday when the sun is at its highest. Midnight feasts are not a good idea, then. Heavy breakfasts and big evening meals can also play havoc. On the other hand, by following more natural rhythms, our digestion will grow stronger and we will produce less of the toxins that can result from poor digestion. The result is better health.

This is an excerpt from Tips for Daily Living from my first book, The Great Little Book of Happiness

Mind, Health & Vitality: Promoting Vibrant Health Through the Power of Meditation and Qigong is a workshop in Staffordshire on Monday 11th June 2018. More details and how to book.

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Healing is for everybody – you have the gift, so why not use it?

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Healing harmonyHealing is something we can all do for ourselves. In fact, we are doing it all the time. Whenever we feel the need to rest or sleep and let the body do that, we co-operate with the natural healing processes of the body. The mind, too, needs healing and sleep is one of the essential factors in that.

Most healing is not a case of doing something magical but of taking a step back and letting Nature perform its magic. In reality, nobody heals. The art is in providing the conditions that support this very natural process.

Healing is repairing – so work with it, not against it

The human body is remarkable. When in tune, it is like a symphony – complex but beautiful. But we abuse it through wrong food and drink, or too much or too little of it. Unable to relax naturally, we play or work on computers and other screens until late in the evening or the small hours. Exposed to noise, fumes and radiation, what happens? Hey – the body bounces back! For a while, that is. Running repairs are something the body does very well. Then the day comes and something has to give. We begin to feel out of sorts or fall sick. The symphony has become punk. Yet all we need to do is really listen to the body. There is an inner harmony that the body wants to play with and to dance to. Go with it. That’s healing.

A quick technique for enlivening health and increasing your vitality

This is a simple thing to do. It’s quite delightful, only takes moments to do and feels completely natural. Do it at least once a day if you can. You may want to do it more often.

Massage the hands gently, including the fingers and the wrists. Start with the palm on one hand and work outwards. Don’t press too hard – light to moderate pressure is enough. This enlivens the energy in the body as it stimulates both nerve endings and pressure points that are reflected in the body. After half a minute or so, work on the other hand. Then sit with the hands open, palms up, and imagine absorbing energy from the cosmos.

That’s it. A few seconds of loving attention is all it takes to trigger the healing mechanisms in the body. It’s good for the mind, too, as we consciously re-establish our connection with the universe, which is our home.

For free healing meditation, go here. No sign-up required.

More on self-healing methods in The Great Little Book of Happiness

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