Chi Meditation - Qi Gong, Tai Chi And Meditation

What Is Chi Meditation?

Chi meditation is an important concept in the Chinese culture whereby 'chi' means circulating life force or universal energy that comes from nature and is present in everything around us, including us. This energy is connecting the mind, body and soul and it usually takes a few different forms, including aura, light and electormagnetism.You might know chi by its other two other names: Ki or chakra energy.

It is usually used for healing or preventing ailments, for martial arts, in meditation and in practicing Reiki.

 Chi masters have long understood the power of the Chi energy and have learned to use it wisely in their lives as well as for enriching the lives of others.

When we talk about Chi meditation, we mean the synergy of the Chi energy and meditation in achieving balance and harmony of the mind, body and soul. It uses Chi Kung (also know as Qi Gong), Tai Chi and Chinese meditation in the perfect symbiosis.

Chi Kung, or Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese healing art that dates for over 5,000 years. It has been recently revitalized in China as a scient of its own.

Tai Chi is a slow moving meditation technique, which helps develop and move Chi energy throughout the entire body. I'm sure you have seen Tai Chi in action, at least in some of the old Karate Kid movies. The old teacher was using Tai Chi outdoors in a very slow motion every morning to strengthen the body and strengthen his Chi levels.

If you don't use techniques of contemplation in Chi meditation, then you will have a difficult time mastering the art. If you only sit down to meditate and don't allow the Chi energy to flow through your body freely, you will not gain all the benefits of this wonderful meditation technique.

Benefits of Chi Meditation

When you are practicing this slow motion meditation, you are inviting a lot of benefits in your life by the proper posture that helps gain perfect concentration and mind balance.

• It is a great stress reliever. It is easy to notice that people who practice Chi meditation are less prone to stress and have a serenity about them that is simply inspiring.

  They just seem to shrug the problems off as if they never were. To gain the benefits of leading a stress free life, you should practice it every day.

• By practicing Tai Chi, you will also gain flexibility, body control and awareness, as well as enhanced physical strength and vitality.
• Helps enhance your self-discipline as well as motivation and perseverance. This is where Chi is beneficial in a business environment as well.

  Many companies in China, as well as recently in the United States have started meditation programs using Tai Chi for their employees, including the executives. It helps keep the body and mind rejuvenatered and focused on the task at hand.

• Usually people at home, including the elderly can greatly benefit by practicing Chi meditation. It seems to help with decreasing the occurance of flu, headache and other diseases. In elderly it brings about extra life energy and helps keep younger for additional years.

Standing Meditation Exercise Using Qigong

You can start with Chi meditation in an easy way and you don't have to be an expert meditator to gain all the benefits from it.

There are many different techniques that are readily available to try, however below is one that you can do at your own pace as a complete newcommer to meditation.

The entire meditation takes only a few minutes to complete. Try to keep an everyday routine for gaining the most benefits out of it.

This is a stand-up breathing exercise, so you don't need to use a chair.

You can either meditate outdoors or near the windows, with the windows open.

Get In The Right Position

• Stand with your feet parallel to your body and aligned with the width of your shoulders. Your toes should point forwards and not slightly sideways.
• Bend your knees gently.

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• Let your arms be relaxed on the two sides of your body. The fingers should point downwards, be close to each other but not touch. There should be just a tiny space between each finger. The back should be straight however not stiff like in the army.
• Have your abdomen relaxed.
• Keep your head relaxed as if it's suspended from somewhere above you.
• Your eyes should be relaxed and looking in front. Do not focus on a particular object, rather let your eyes glide over everything, in a soft focus.
• Now bring your arms slightly up forwards (not sideways) to the level of your abdomen, or a bit lower. Imagine that you are holding in your hands a ball, so keep your fingers in that position.

  Some variations of this meditation call for the hands being brought either to above the chest, or just in front of your head, as if holding off something. Use whichever position is most comfortable to you and the one that is the least strenuous for you.

Start The Meditation

Once you are in the right position, start the meditation by breathing naturally and relaxed. When you inhale, feel how your abdomen is expanding, and when you exhale, feel all the air from the abdomen leaving.

If you want, you can exhale using a light mantra such as 'ahhh' either in your mind of spoken softly during exhaling. While exhaling imagine that all the tension leaves your body, from your shoulders, your neck, your face.

While you might expect that during the meditation you need to do something, there is actually nothing to do. The most effort takes the actual preparation, getting into position.

As a newcomer to the Chi meditation, start easy with practicing only 5 minutes every day. While this is an easy technique, it can still become strenuous even when you are doing nothing really.

After a week of regular practice, increase gradually to 10 minutes.

Eventually you will be able to hold this position up to half an hour and even an hour at a time. However the secret is to keep practicing every day.

Standing meditation is best when practiced in the morning, however you can adjust your time based on your personal schedule.