Energy Follows Mind

Qigong and Tai Chi both make use of the Qi energy that runs through the body. That qi energy is moved about through the acupuncture energy channels of the body, by use of the mind. “The mind intent leads the qi energy, and the blood follows” is an old training adage. It is the blood that is following the qi, that brings about the greatest health benefits. If using imagination, little to no blood flow, because the mind is not really moving the qi. In imagination, the mind pretends to move the qi. In using mind intent, catching the feeling of the qi is of primary importance. Once the feeling of the qi is found, the mind intent ( I Nian ) can easily move and guide the qi.

-Richard Leirer's Qi Gong Academy

This quote goes to the heart of the difference between imagination, or visualization, in meditative exercises versus intent and sentigendering. In both Tai chi and Qi Gong, the chi is most definitely not a figment of the imagination. It is subtle, and it may take months or years to discern and feel in oneself, but there is a categorical distinction between qi, which exists and can be felt, and imagined chi, which is merely a wisp of a momentary thought and has no existence outside of the thought that birthed it. This is the fundamental difference between what may be termed subtle apprehension as opposed to visualization, a difference that can mislead many meditators. It is analogous to the distinction between listening carefully for auditory input to guide and instruct one's response versus choosing to speak/act without attention or regard for what the situation calls for.

Once one has felt the chi moving in one's body, the next step in training is to learn to direct the movement. This is done through the mind's intent. One moves through stages of intermittent attention and direction, or losing the thread of the chi, to a more constant and fluid intention that consistently directs the flow of chi. Once proficiency develops in this stage, one can then progress to a no-mind state, where the bare attention and focus in the movement itself is enough to move the chi. At a certain stage, the movement pattern of the energy can become spontaneously executing of its own accord. There may be a stillness and inner beauty that suffuses such a movement presentation when the art is refined to this degree. One has the intuition that one is witnessing the exhibit of a pre-existing Platonic form in these cases; it seems as though the energy pattern demonstrated has always had an independent existence on another plane, and the movement simply illustrates for the human eye what was always there in the ether.

But for those of us in beginner status, the paramount teaching point of this post is that of subtle apprehension. If one does not perceive the subtle reality, one should not substitute idols of their own thought creation to build upon. Instead, wait - wait, and wait some more, always attending to that subtle realm in the movement practice. This patience and faithfulness will, if attended to diligently over time, pay off - the subtle will make itself undeniably apparent to you. Then, and only then are you sanctioned to begin to work with it.