What is Qi (氣)?

Plants, Water, Fog & Bridge all 'Flowing' together.

Qi (氣-pronounced ‘chee’) is most commonly known as ‘vital energy’ or ‘life-force’.  The traditional Chinese character 氣 is translated as steam (气) rising from rice (米) as it cooks. This illustrates how we get Qi (life force) from transforming nutrient-rich foods into useful energy.  Qi is the fundamental substance that constitutes everything in the universe.  Qi is vibrant and dynamic, it is both the input and the output of every living thing.   The principles are easy, the better the input, the better the output.

Qi is the essential substance for all of our life activities.  In health, Qi is abundant, free-flowing, resilient and consistent energy to do work.   It likes to be in a constant state of unobstructed movement.  If we are ‘Qi deficient’, we have low energy and our organs are not functioning optimally.  If we have ‘Qi Stagnation’, it is stuck in one place and not flowing well, like a traffic jam (including the anger & irritation!)  This is also not optimal functioning.

Qi is created by a few main things:  our genetics (congenital Qi, also known as ‘Jing’ or ‘Essence’),  how we feed & nurture ourselves through diet & exercise (acquired ‘nutritive’ Qi), and breathing fresh clean air (inhaled Qi).  So, the better our genetic structure is, combined with exercise and high quality food & air, the better chance we have to stay healthy and strong with ease.

So how do we get ‘good’ Qi?

Good Tomato Qi

As with anything in life, we have to start where we are, be honest about where that is, and stay focused on the goal of where we want to be.  If you are old enough to read this, your genetic structure is well established, and can only be improved as a result of addressing the other 2 branches.  Lucky for you, this is easy!  We’ll start with diet.  Not ‘going on a diet’, but the main principles that you live by when it comes to food.  The more you consciously incorporate fresh, unprocessed foods into your diet, the more ‘Qi’ you will get out of your food, and the better you will feel.  This is often referred to as eating ‘nutrient dense’ food.  One way to look at your food is to look at how much abundant life-force it has, such as the beauty of a vine-ripened, local, organic tomato vs. the mealy, pink, prematurely-picked tomatoes you tend to find in the store.  No contest, right?  The same goes with meat, fish, poultry, and eggs.  Buying ‘free-range’ or ‘pastured’ products not only provides you with more accessible nutrients, it supports people who are incorporating more responsible farming methods.  The same rules stand with fish & seafood, buy local, not farm-raised…it is full of chemicals.  This improves your ‘community Qi’ also known as ‘Karma’, and contributes to a higher quality of life for a bigger part of the community as a whole.  In Charleston, sustainable meats & dairy including grass-fed beef, free-range chicken & eggs, organic pork, handmade goat cheese and raw milk are all available at the farmer’s markets, in addition to beautiful produce and local honey.  You can also inquire with each farmer about how to get these products in the off-season.  A simple rule to remember when shopping with Qi in mind:

“If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.” Michael Pollan

Exercising regularly also promotes good Qi.

Tai Qi

This can be as simple as going for a 30 minute walk 3-5 times per week, also yoga, jogging, tennis, dancing and martial arts.  Ancient Chinese practices such as Qi Gong and Tai Qi were created to directly build and increase the smooth flow of Qi. These are both forms of meditation, the former being more static and the latter more active. In China, many people practice Tai Qi in the parks on a regular basis, though the older generations prefer disco!  Conversely, too much exercise actually damages the Qi.  When we continuously push harder and harder to perform, it drains energy from our kidneys, which depletes the will and speeds up the rate of our aging process.

As for breathing fresh clean air, start by discontinuing any bad habits like smoking cigarettes, cigars, or marijuana.  All of these things leave a sticky residue on the lung tissue, making it impossible to take in clean, pure air.  The lungs are so powerful in terms of how we build Qi and energy, they oxygenate the blood that flows through every cell of every muscle of our body.   The cleaner that air is, the more nutrient dense our blood will be, resulting in more effective Qi flow and better energy overall.  Additional things to consider are spending more time outside rather than in a climate-controlled environment, taking a brisk walk while taking full, deep breaths,  and practicing breathing exercises such as Pranayama–offered at most Yoga studios.

I had an 82 year old patient ride his bike to my office the other day.  When I asked him what he did for fun, he said, ‘For my 80th birthday I went skydiving with my daughter and last weekend I went white-water rafting’.  Not only is this an example of someone with ‘good Qi’, it is a great reminder of how important it is for us to nurture our Qi, eat good food, take more walks and support people who do good work.  This will lead us to live longer, stronger, healthier & happier lives (and hopefully go whitewater rafting well into our 80′s!)