2012年8月2日 星期四

From the Bible to Tai Chi (4) ‘Song’(鬆): The Key to Activate and Cultivate Your Energy of Qi

 “Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt to love one another…”
Romans 13:8
How to activate your energy of Qi within?

The key is ‘Song’[1].

‘Song’ does not have exact English equivalent.  Most writers in English on Tai Chi translate the term literally—to relax, loosen.  But this is only partly correct.

Qi is stored in our cells.  When you tighten up your muscles to generate your strength, Qi is locked and blocked inside.  You cannot feel it.  If you want to perceive Qi, you have to set it free first.

So, you should get rid of tension in your body, postures and movements by using force of Li as little as possible.  This is why your Tai Chi coach keeps reminding you to relax.

However, getting rid of negative element does not guarantee the positive factor arises. De-tension alone does not guarantee the release of Qi energy. 

Relaxation can be in either positive sense or negative sense.

Relaxation in negative sense is passive in nature.  Imagine that you are exhausted after office, sink yourself onto a sofa.  You are relaxed, but slack, sleepy and passive.  This is another way to lock up Qi energy like that of the state when you tighten up your muscles.

Positive relaxation is what you need.  Physically, you loosen your body, muscles, joints and remain tensionless.  Meanwhile, you raise your spirit and keep wakeful, mindful and being present.  Then, you can experience a sense of expansion in your consciousness.  That means Qi is free and radiating from within.  If I touch you at this moment, I can perceive this sense of expansion too.  This is what ‘Song’ means.  Only under this state, Qi is ready to receive the command from your spirit.  Your spirit can direct stream of Qi to flow forward, backward, to ascend, descend, expand or fall in.  The higher level of ‘Song’ you can achieve, the stronger and quicker the stream of Qi can flow under your spirit’s command.  The ultimate objective of Kung Fu practice is to achieve optimal level of Song.

The benchmark of the learning outcome of ‘Song’ is that you succeed to release your Qi energy.

‘Song’ is also the key touchstone that differentiates between the genuine and the fake Kung Fu of Qi.  If someone shows his Kung Fu with stiff muscles and full of tensions, you will be 100% certain that this is not Kung Fu of Qi.

As your Kung Fu progress, you will grow deeper understanding of Song.

For Christians, there is no limit in developing virtue of love.  “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another,…”

For Kung Fu practitioners, there is no limit in developing Song.  There is always a higher level out there.

“Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”  [2]

Qi can flow, crash too, more powerful than water, only when you can ‘Song’.


[1] In Chinese, the part of speech of a word is context dependent. ‘Song’ can be a verb or an adjective.
[2] See Bruce Lee’s interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl3Y8T_HBHs

沒有留言: