SHOULD THE CHI FLOW BE STILL OR VIGOROUS?
Chi flow that is fairly still
Question
In the last Saint Valentines Course, I had really vigorous Chi Flows. Through the years, I have seen that they keep growing and being even more vigorous. In order to get the best benefits and development, is it better to let them being vigorous whenever I feel it or to keep some of them still?
Santiago
Answer
A short answer is that you can either let the chi flows to be vigorous or you can keep some of them still.
Generally, to get the best benefits it is best to follow wu-wei, i.e. let the chi flows be whatever ways they naturally flow. But in special situations, it would be better to get them still. If you are not sure which to choose, then follow wu-wei.
A longer answer is as follows.
Whether your chi flows are vigorous, still or anywhere in between depends on a few factors, like the type of exercise you do, the needs of your body for good health, and your thoughts.
Presuming other factors being equal, if you perform Abdominal Breathing, for example, you chi flow will be still or gentle, and if you perform Fish Flip, your chi flow will be vigorous.
If you have much blockage all over your body or if you have deep emotional blockage, your chi flow will be vigorous. If you have little or no blockage, your chi flow movement will be gentle though the chi flow inside your body may be powerful.
Your thoughts, when you are in a chi kung state of mind, can influence your chi flow. If you think of your chi flow to be vigorous, it will be vigorous. If you think of your chi flow to be gentle, it will be gentle.
With this background knowledge you can manage your chi flow to attain the best development. If you know you have some deep emotional blockage to be cleared, you should let your chi flow to be vigorous. If you have little blockage and want to build internal force or increase your mental clarity, you should let your chi flow movement to be still.
If you are not sure, you should follow wu-wei, i.e. let the chi flow be vigorous if it is vigorous, and let the bodily movement of the chi flow be still if it is still. This is because chi will always flow in a way for your best benefits.
You will enhance the result by choosing the appropriate exercise and skill to generate the type of chi flow you want, and have the right mind-set. For example, if you want to clear deep emotional or karmic blockage, you would choose exercises like Bone Marrow Cleansing at the organ level, have a strong and vigorous chi flow, and a gentle thought that you are cleansing deep emotional or karmic blockage.
If you wish to develop mental clarity, you would choose exercise and skill like Carrying the Moon and Cosmic Shower, have a gentle chi flow (though the chi flowing inside you may be powerful), and gently realize that your mind is clear like crystal.
Chi flow that is very vigorous
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread Stages of Cleansing, Building and Nourishing: 10 Questions to the Grandmaster in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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