Health Yoga and Qigong

Chi is the life force within you.  It is important to fully understand what chi is and how it can lead to illness when it is lacking. Being able to maintain a steady balance of chi will help to ensure that you remain healthy, happy and in control. What is Chi (Qi)? The meaning of the word "chi" is associated with "breath" and "air" and, of course, these are two things that are vital to living. Air is an energy, as is chi. Chi will wax and wane throughout the body as a person's health status changes. Chi (Qi) within the body is like power in a rechargeable battery. Occasionally it needs to be replenished. The chi of the universe is inexhaustible, yet the body needs fresh chi to maintain its vitality. You take in food, water, and air and convert them to energy within your body. During sleep, while your veins are relaxed and open and your brain is calm, you are able to take in a fresh supply of chi. If you are stressed or nervous, you become rigid and...

Often we look for happiness outside of ourselves – through material things or by wishing that our lives were different in some way.  Daoist philosophy   teaches us that the path of happiness lies within , and certainly one of the defining traits of Daoists Masters is the way they exude a state of happiness, a sense of light-heartedness and fun. Much of  Traditional Chinese Medicine theory is derived from Daoist philosophy and tells us that  happiness depends on cultivating the chi (energy) of the Heart whose corresponding element is Fire , and this balance of Fire energy in the Heart will increase our sense of inner joy and happiness. Thus when the Heart chi is deficient or in excess and Fire is out of balance we may find ourselves experiencing unhappiness and feel agitated and off-center.  Furthermore there is an aspect of the Heart that is the wellspring of all our happiness.    The ancient Chinese text the  Nei Jing , `The Yellow Emperor...