I’ve just been called a drug dealer and I’m too tickled to not mention it.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After\n a nice mellow class, with plenty of Qi moving (in this case finishing \nwith the Celestial Tiger), it is not uncommon to feel…well, high. \nHence the comment mentioned above. This is something I felt on many \noccasions, including once after a long and deep practice focused on \nmoving energy. I felt giddy, happy and energized, and the feeling lasted\n for hours. I was high as a kite on Qi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\n is one of the reasons that, despite what Western science might say, I \ndo believe Qi exists. This is not a runners high, which is caused by \ndeep oxygenation, since there is very little difference in movement \nbetween a run-of-the-mill Tai Chi session and one which is focused on Qi\n circulation. What IS different is the mental focus and, of course, Qi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So\n what might cause this “high”? Well, Western medicine might talk of a \nsurplus of oxygen, of the release of various hormones, etc.. None of \nthat jives with the experience of the “Qi high”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One\n possible answer, on the more Western end of the spectrum, is that Qi is\n what we feel when the body communicates with itself at a very high \nefficiency; when the mind-map of the body in the brain matches the body,\n with no emotions, habits, distractions or physical impediments \ninterfering with the communication. The mind-body unit becomes highly \ncoherent, and the various components of the system are integrated with \neach other, with an accompanied lowering of the inhibiting functions of \nthe brain (since they are unnecessary in an integrated system). And \nthat, my friends, is what drugs – especially psychedelics – do. They \nallow for greater integration of brain regions by lowering the \ninhibitions between them. That integration gives rise to the “high”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another\n answer, one which requires a leap of faith, is to take the Taoist \nnotion of Qi at face value, and accept the more esoteric implication of \nits existence. Because Qi is not just an energy flowing through the \nbody, but through the Universe itself. It has different qualities as it \nexpresses the nature of its container, while connecting everything \nthrough its universal quality, shared by all of creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\n we do some Qigong exercises, we move our Qi around the body. Done \ncorrectly, we also exchange our Qi with the surrounding environment. In \nTaoist terms, we connect to Heavenly and Earthly Qi. And the Heavens and\n the Earth are much, much more potent than we are. By tapping into their\n nature, we supercharge ourselves, replacing old, turbid Qi with pure, \npotent Qi from the Great Battery in The Sky, as well as the Deep Well of\n the Earth.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\n that is pretty mind-blowing. There are lots of Taoist inner practices \nthat connect to various constellations of stars, reaching further than \njust the Heavenly energy of our solar system. They connect us to the \nUniverse itself, and not in a vague metaphorical way. There is a \ncalendar of propitious times to meditate and do Qi cultivation based on \nstar positions. It is an explicit acknowledgement that we are sitting on\n a great round spaceship moving through a living Universe, and that we \ncan tap into the forces that animate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You pick the answer that gets you a better high.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’ve just been called a drug dealer and I’m too tickled to not mention it. After a nice mellow class, with plenty of Qi moving (in this case finishing with the Celestial Tiger), it is not uncommon to feel…well, high. Hence the comment mentioned above. This is something I felt on many occasions, including once […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[65,18,72,30,41],"class_list":["post-878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tai-chi","tag-meditation","tag-qi","tag-tai-chi","tag-taiji","tag-taijiquan"],"yoast_head":"\n