Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Developing your chi through breathing exercises
• Method 2 of 3: Develop your chi by moving
• Method 3 of 3: Focus on the energy and mental level of chi

The Chinese word "chi" or chi can be described as life force or energy and has several parallels in other cultures: eg "prana" in India or "qi" in Japan. Developing your chi can be a way to heal your body - both physical and mental - and it can act as a path to reaching your full potential. In order to bring your life force to full bloom, you will need to do breathing exercises and physical exercises, and then stimulate the development of your chi on an energetic and spiritual level.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Developing your chi through breathing exercises

1. Sit relaxed. To work on your breathing properly, this should be your main focus - and not, say, how cramped your legs feel, or whether you want to hang a painting on the wall you're staring at. Choose a chair or a cushion on the floor - whatever you find most comfortable is the best choice.
   • Sit in a chair with your knees shoulder-width apart, your back straight and your feet flat on the floor.
   • If you are sitting on the floor, choose to sit cross-legged or kneel.
2. Take a deep breath in and out. Pay attention to your breathing. Make sure to use your diaphragm and not just your chest. Breathing through your diaphragm (lower in your body, close to your stomach) allows you to breathe in and out more air. It is essential for your chi to develop to circulate a lot of air through your body. Continue to do this exercise over the course of several days and weeks until it becomes a habit. Then you try to apply this style of breathing wherever you are to help get that energy flow going.
3. Try to keep your mind empty. It is difficult to keep your mind neutral and away from involuntary thoughts. But in those 5-10 minutes of doing breathing exercises, try to just focus on that. Breathing in and out is like yin and yang - opposites but connected.
4. Breathe in a square. This does not mean the physical form, but breathing in four steps, an exercise for after learning to master the standard diaphragm breathing. Sit in a relaxed way to start. Breathing in four steps is as follows:
   • Inhale
   • Hold your breath for 5 seconds
   • Exhale
   • Hold your breath for 5 seconds

Method 2 of 3: Develop your chi by moving

1. Do Tai Chi. Tai Chi is an art specially designed to help balance your chi. While there are many moves that are part of Tai Chi, you can do with a few basic exercises to see how they work together. Breathing is central to Tai Chi, and hopefully in the previous step you already got a good feeling about the cooperation of the breathing and chi. Tai Chi itself is essentially a slow and fluid series of movements designed to ground you and get in touch with your breath and chi. Within Tai Chi there are several schools that each have a slightly different way of doing the movements or steps. If you are interested, Tai Chi courses are often offered in yoga studios and community centers. Also check out a local gym - they may know more about class options.
2. Develop your attitude. The Wuji or horse pose is the basis of Tai Chi. It may look like you are just standing upright, but it is a great way to get in touch with your energy flows. Just by standing in the horse position and the correct breathing, you can develop your chi.
   • Your feet should be parallel, shoulder-width apart.
   • Make sure your weight is centered between your feet.
   • Move your torso so that you are standing as if you were sitting upright in a chair.
   • Bend your knees.
   • Make your back feel like it's floating up.
   • Relax your shoulders.
   • Gently touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue.
   • Breathe naturally.
3. Exercise your arms. This is an exercise that is not part of Tai Chi, but it can help you get more in touch with your body. It can also help you develop chi throughout your body as you move, and watch your breath.
   • Place your right hand palm out, parallel and in front of your face.
   • Place your left hand palm inward, parallel to and in front of your stomach.
   • Now move your arms slowly in circles.
   • Your arms will rotate around each other and both palms will be at a different angle depending on the position of the circle they are in. They go from full in and out at the top and bottom of the circle, to a flat position when they hang parallel in front of your chest.
   • Breath.
4. Find the form of energy training that works best for you. Tai Chi isn't the only form of exercise that can help you develop chi. If you find it too slow and meditative, you may be more interested in kung fu, also developed for developing your chi, or yoga from the Indian tradition, also aimed at fully realizing your life force.

Method 3 of 3: Focus on the energy and mental level of chi

1. Explore chi kung (qigong). Beyond the physical level - the breathing and movements that help you get in touch with your chi - truly evolving your chi will require you to move it to the mental and spiritual level. Chi kung is a diverse group of practices from different civilizations to lift your mind to a higher state of consciousness and unleash the true power of your life force.
2. Focus on your energy. This will help you move to the next chi level. While doing your preferred breathing and physical exercises, focus on areas of your body where the energy is not flowing. These are energy blocks and each will require attention and persistence to recover and allow the energy to flow through as it should. Some people are able to get their energy flowing through breathing and exercise, but many of us need help and guidance in working with body energy. An easy way to find out how your body energy is functioning is with the diagnostic test below, which can help you identify the elements that are present in your body and those that are missing and need to be replenished. If you would like to enlist the help of a recognized qigong specialist, who should be able to help you continue to work on your energy, please refer to the site below.
3. Work on the connection between body, soul and spirit. This is a shift to the highest chi level. This will include all the work you have done so far - breath, movement, energy flows - and will add a spiritual element to it. This will lead you to a state of mindfulness or focused awareness. Similar to Zen Buddhism, the spiritual aspect of developing your chi can prove to be a lifelong pursuit. We may be able to reach the state we are looking for one day, or we may not get close to it at all. In order to actually realize this spiritual connection along with the aspects of physical and energy, you must be fully grounded in the present moment and be fully aware - it is not like transitioning to another level of consciousness. For most people, meditation is the best way to reach this highest degree of chi.