Kaze Uta Budo Kai Forum Archive

As far as my experience goes, I've never heard much mentioned on the subject of "ki" in my training. It tends to be one of those nebulous words, difficult to define, difficult to understand, and with often contrasting opinions regarding it's meaning and use. I'd like to know what the readers of this particular forum have to say about the subject. What is it? How do you apply it? And can you define it without delving into paragraph after paragraph of meticulous and incomprehensible jargon that will only leave me more confused? 😄 (I'm a simple minded creature, you know...)

This has been my one of my questions and the reason for my independent studies,trips, discussions and readings for the past several months after my injury when I started practicing tai chi.Initially ki or chi I understood as some mystical energy that you can develop and discharge for healing or for delivering some form of blow. That was my rudimentary understanding. After the last few months I have learned that chi or ki is actually an expression of energy in your body as every cell in your body emits an electrical discharge with magnetic poles of plus and negative charges..This energy flow is documented in modern science and is being investigated in many parameters from the electrical impulses in the brain and PET scans that can help locate tumors, brain function and dysfunctions in medical and psychiatric conditions, to body energy conduits that flow through our bodies which now have been seen to express both health and disease.Modern science is making inroads into the last frontier which is the human mind and its ability to heal. Visualizations are used in cancer and chronic pain management as well as in sports enhancing performance training around the world.Remember we humans only know how to use less than 10 percent of our brain.So imagine if we can learn to unlock the vaults of brain power of even another 5% .....
The old cultures of the far east China and India as well as others have understood this energy flow and have called them different names and have been able to use their knowledge to heal disease and improve athletic performance as in old kung fu masters and Ueshiba of our aikido.This is where I am at today and I am sure I will learn more as I continue to read and plan on attending some form of chi development seminar in the next year.You can and I have experienced the ability to to focus your energy to your hands (silk reeling exercises of tai chi)which increases the circulation and heat coming out of your hands.This is a beginning and the next level is to be able to take that energy and let it be applied anywhere on your body that needs to heal.
In a nut shell these are my crumbs of understanding:
1 energy from molecular to cellular to organs to body
2 flow of energy in the body
3 disease is manifested in blockage of energy
4 the mind intent (visualization}can regulate and direct this energy
5 in sports performance it's called being in the zone where you don't think it just happens
6 in martial and sports its proper alignment of the body so no leaks of your chi..your power comes from the ground(this is another discussion and there is much to be said)
sorry for the long discourse but this is one of my unsettled passions of questions I have 💡

I did a very nice little piece on this topic

http://tomikiaikido.blogspot.com/2009/03/ki_12.html