What is "Qi"?

by Barbara Goldschmidt, LMT ('86)

Placing the thin, silvery filament of an acupuncture needle into a patient's skin is an art that requires years of study. Sheila Mason, a licensed acupuncturist then working at the Acupuncture Clinic of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, was well prepared for practice. She found, however, that patients need education too, as they begin to open to new concepts of health and the human body. 

One day after an ear acupuncture treatment for detoxification, a patient remarked, "Wow, I feel great. What's in those needles?" Mason explained to the patient, "There's nothing in them. The change comes from within you. It's your Qi." The patient was amazed by the dramatic shift in the way he felt and wanted to know more. 

Layers of Meaning

Though tens of millions of people in China perform exercises every day to move their Qi, in this country it still seems mysterious. The common translation for Qi, as "energy" or "life force", does not necessarily tell someone how it applies to his or her own body. Furthermore, we are told, it is invisible. Skeptics doubt it exists. However, one way to study Qi is to observe its effects. 

The Quality of Movement Reflects the Quality of Life

Acupuncturists use their powers of observation and palpation to sense where Qi is blocked, deficient or excessive. They look at the tongue, feel pulses at the wrist, ask questions about bodily functions, and observe a patient's complexion and demeanor in their attempt to assess Qi. 

Because Qi animates the muscles, movement reveals the way Qi is flowing. If the person walks slowly, Qi may be stagnant or deficient. Certainly when we get exhausted from overwork, we experience for ourselves the temporary loss of Qi needed for everyday functioning. Excessive or fast movements are seen as an agitation, often referred to as heat. Our culture, with its high regard for fast-paced living, fosters a tendency to create heat in the body. 

The five pillars of Chinese medicine-acupuncture, herbs, massage, dietary therapy and exercise-consider the free flow of Qi to be a foundation of health. One of the most tangible examples of Qi blockage is pain. The classics say, "when Qi and blood are moving there is no pain; when Qi and blood are not moving there is pain." Pain is a challenge that has not changed over the centuries, and it is what often motivates someone to seek out treatment.

Jeffrey Yuen, Dean for Academic Affairs of the Acupuncture Program, often begins a discussion of Qi by drawing the Chinese character. Part of the character is the symbol for steaming rice. The elements of fire, air, steam, and the alchemy of cooking are all implied within the word. Qi, he explains, encompasses the process by which all change and transformation takes place. The ability to change and transform lies within each patient, and it is up to the well-trained acupuncturist to enhance that capacity.

Trying to Pin Qi Down

Researchers both here and in China recognize the challenges that exist in trying to quantify the existence and effects of the invisible entity that is Qi. A recent panel of American, Canadian and European health care professionals addressed the struggle to arrive at operational definitions of Qi and other terms used in acupuncture. In a joint resolution they agreed that Western research methodology and the questions it is designed to address have developed largely from looking at pathology. They recognize a need for creating new research paradigms for questions about wellness and subtle energy. The committee concluded that the quest would be worthwhile because it is these issues that most likely will change modern medicine and public health.

Though the effects of working with Qi have been clinically documented in China for thousands of years, scientists there have begun their own research into how their medicine works. Herbal studies, with their tangible matter and active ingredients, have yielded much information. Qi, on the other hand, continues to be elusive. 

Even someone as familiar with Qi as Jeffrey Yuen does not try to reduce what happens in acupuncture into a simple formula. "I am as perplexed by the wonders of Oriental medicine as I am amazed," he admits, "and continue to discover what seem to be infinite possibilities." 

Personal Experience is Fundamental

The first principle of Chinese medicine is to prevent disease. Prevention cannot be left up to a doctor, but depends on the daily practices of an individual. Taoist healing methods for cultivating health, collectively called Qi Gong, were created as ways to facilitate the inner flow of Qi. Gong means exercise, so the Qi Gong can be translated as "internal energy exercise." 

Thea Harlans, a licensed massage therapist specializing in Chinese medicine, starts her Qi Gong practice with a simple standing posture. "If you want to learn about Qi you can't do it by reading a book, because it has be experienced through the kinesthetic sense of the body. To understand Qi, you have to practice," says Harlans. "I warm up with stance training. It's simple. I put my legs shoulder width apart, let my body sink towards the ground, then allow the breath to come in to the lower abdomen." The Chinese refer to the abdomen as the lower dan tien, a reservoir of Qi. "Eventually I'll feel the Qi as a kind of warmth, traveling up the legs into the abdomen," she says. 

It is a daily practice. "You can start with two minutes a day and gradually increase it," Harlans suggests. "You get a big bang for your buck that way, because that little bit of time gradually adds up to big changes. And then the Qi leads you to the next step, showing you the way to continue your practice." 

Unlike calisthenics or aerobics, Qi Gong 's focus is not on muscular strength or blood flow, but on bringing the mind actively into the body. With daily practice, it can become a way to prevent illness. Awareness is part of the path of acupuncture treatment, asking patients to look at the places that hurt, or where their resistance occurs.

Martial artists practice moving their Qi to the muscles to help them in defense as needed. Catherine Parker, a licensed acupuncturist in Nyack, New York, had a patient so well-trained in martial arts that her Qi automatically pushed the acupuncture needle out. "That patient had to mentally come to a place where she was able to let me penetrate her defensive level before we could start," Parker recalled. "I used to take it for granted that a patient was giving me permission because they came to see me, but this patient taught me that it's not necessarily true. As an acupuncturist, all I can do is invite a patient to move in a different way. Nothing will happen if he or she doesn't want to participate. The movement toward healing has to come from within the person, though we can work together to get it started." For that patient, once the decision was consciously made to allow the needles to penetrate, they went in and stayed in. A lasting lesson that the journey for patient as well as practitioner is guided by the Qi they share.

Barbara Goldschmidt is a licensed massage therapist with a focus in Tuina. The calligraphy for the word "Qi" was created by Thea Harlans, L.M.T. Both are graduates of the Swedish Institute Massage Therapy Program and have completed Jeffrey C. Yuen's courses in Tuina, essential oil use and Chinese herbs.

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