Chi (sometimes spelled qi, and pronounced “chee”), is the name used in China for the vital energy that flows through the body. Much of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on how to optimize the flow of chi through the body. Anyone can learn to feel the movement of chi, though it definitely takes longer than a week of self-study! The good news is that doing chi exercises, even imperfectly, will still get your chi moving in useful ways. This week’s exercise is designed to get your chi circulating both within your body and the space immediately around you. As you practice, visualize the energy moving. You might eventually start feeling the energy move. This is helpful, because if you can feel where your energy is stuck, you can target that area for additional movement.
Chi and Anxiety
Chi and anxiety relate in a several ways.
- If your chi isn’t moving through your body, you just feel crummy, and that stuck chi can be a somatic signal to the mind to feel anxious.
- When you feel anxious, you often draw your chi inward as a protective measure. This can feel better in the moment, but it cuts you off from the nourishing energy around you. It can even hamper chi circulation within your body, like a too-tight sock.
- In more advanced practice, chi can be used as a shield or filter, or to actually change the quality of the energy that reaches you. This ability to transform gives you more options than just avoidance or endurance – and that empowerment is a huge component to thriving in anxious times.
For now, we’ll start with some simple exercises to get your chi flowing. Enjoy!