Chi Exercise: Gathering Energy

The first step to accomplishing any exercises with chi is to ensure you have enough to start with. To this end, we will explore the basics of working with your chi. It is recommended to keep a glass of water and a warm blanket nearby for the first few attempts.

Before performing any Chi exercise, please remove all jewelry, especially rings and watches. The hands especially have a tendency to swell up to several sizes larger in some of these exercises, and jewelry can become too tight very quickly!

Some people experience shaking sensations in their core, arms, or legs, as well as mild headaches the first few times they attempt this exercise of gathering chi, as pathways open up and occasional blocks are cleared. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop the exercise where you are at, breathe all of your energies into your belly, and lay down with a warm blanket for a few minutes. When the shaking has released, gently sit up resume the exercise. If the shaking returns again, stop for the day and give yourself a day or two for your new energy pathways to settle before trying again.

Are you ready to begin building a strong foundation of Chi? 

The first step in our Gathering Chi exercise is to attain a 'Meditation Posture'.

Whether you are seated in a chair, on a meditation cushion, or on the ground, ensure that you are in a balanced seated position without reclining. Allow your back to be supported over your hips, directly over the 'sit bones'. Allow your shoulders and jaw to soften and your arms to rest comfortably on your lap. Your clothes should allow unrestricted breathing around the chest and lower belly. If not, adjust your clothing to suit.

Once we've found our balanced Meditation Posture, we are going to focus on our Breathing Rate.

As you inhale, you should see your belly expand forward, and as you exhale, you draw your belly button back to your spine. This is an 'energy calming' breath type. If you prefer reversing this process, feel free to do so with the awareness that this is an 'energy activating' breath type. Changing your natural breathing type is not a goal of Energy Architecture and Engineering. However, many other energy work systems will expand on this topic for those interested.

Now that we are seated with balanced posture and breathing, we will begin to focus on the energy body, often described as a gentle static sensation, or a mild electric current just under the skin. If you’re having trouble identifying this sensation, try focusing intensely on your right hand. Try to put all of your awareness into your hand. Then move your awareness up to your elbow. Those sensations that you can feel in your arm based on your level of focus is what you are looking for!

Now we begin to pay attention to our body as we breathe.

With the inhale, begin to notice where any heat or tingling sensations begin to build within your body.

Allow your awareness to swell into these areas, expanding with your breath.

As you exhale, soften and ease down into this area.

With each breath, you are increasing the movement and fluidity of these areas. When you feel ready, or after 15 breaths, on the final exhale, allow the energy to flow into the core of energy around and just below your stomach.

This is the basic function of moving and storing energy from within your body.

If you feel tired or shaky at this point, take a break and return when you are refreshed.

Now that you are back and ready to move forward, let's begin part 2!

We are now going to open your awareness of chi beyond the physical body. Return to your meditation posture and settle into your natural breathing rhythm.

As you inhale, begin to notice the sensations of chi that are just over the surface of your skin.

Try one or two inches out, and notice how it feels.

Try this out in nature, over rock or plants. D

o they feel different? The same? How far out can you sense with your chi?

Once you've finished exploring, remember to inhale all of this energy back into your physical body, and with that final exhale, settling all of that energy back into your stomach.

With the senses open to the movements of chi, let's work on Opening the energy centers in your Hands.

Holding a rock, crystal, or with your hand over a small plant (don't use people or animals for this exercise) focus on the center of your palm, and imagine a sensation like a pencil point gently pressed into it.

With this sensation, draw the chi from rock, crystal, or plant up your arm, through your shoulder, into your chest and down into your belly.

Allow the chi to move in whatever way is most natural for it, whether it is close to the skin or deep within the bones, following meridians, or 'teleporting' (you might notice over time that those numb areas wake up and you can begin to follow that energy along those causeways!).

It doesn't matter which hand you do this with, but once you've tried it with one hand, then try it with the other. You want all of your channels equally open on the right and left sides of the body.

Now, try it with your feet! Notice where that energy runs?

Don't forget to use that final exercise breath to condense all that energy back into your stomach.

Remember that we are only pulling chi from nature, weather systems, forests, bodies of water, plant life, or ambiently from the tops of crowds. We do not draw from people without their express conscious permission.

For anyone wishing to train in Advanced Chi methods, I recommend taking up a practice of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Aikido, or Acupuncture in order to receive qualified training from the amazing professionals in this field.