“Qi“

With the term “Qi”, we refer to a variety of phenomena that are key to the Internal Practices and that are present both in Qigong and Taichi. In my opinion, the best way to see at this word is to use the same approach ancient Chinese used, thus pretending that we already agreed on and are fully aware of the meaning of this word, while the reality being that ancient Chinese people, as we do today, recurred to the use of this word were things started to be perceived as puzzling, at the middle of what we experience as real and what we, through practice, start to realize may be real (the very linguistic rooth and original meaning of “realize”). 

The term “Qi” in Chinese Medicine.

A good example of this approach is how the term “Qi”, that we tranlsate as “Energy”, is used in the Classical Chinese Medicine, where energy, alongside blood, is a key component of our body and flows through an intricated system of channels that can be operated upon by a therapist, for example via acupuncture. 

The term “Qi” in Internal Arts.

The term “Qi” in Internal Arts can have different meanings. One example of this is the action of “Qi Chen Dan Tian”, which means the “Qi” sinks in the “Dantian” field, which is believed to exist in the lower abdomen. In this context the term “Qi” refers more directly, as in some way it does in therapy as well, to the realm of Mind and Spirit, since if the Mind is not clear and the Spirit is not in Peace, the “Qi” would not settle, nor sink.