@KW and BBQ... Chi is real. It is a electromagnetic force in the body. Ever have accupuncture or accupressure? Have you ever had a EKG or ECG? Have you ever played with a OHM meter or a VOLT meter and get a reading? Guess what those are some example of the presence of Chi. You guys are breathing right or are you brain dead? Guess what if your not brain dead your alive and chi is present. Those electrical impulses in the brain is a form of Chi. Breathing and oxygen levels is another form of Chi. There is no scientific basis that denies it either. You just don't understand eastern philosophies or medicine. It is just a different term for several things that science already proven. Such as EMF in the human body. The human body also emits a very low level of radiation and that is proven science and that again is another form of CHI. You two keep showing your lack of knowledge more and more. The human body is capable of many things that are hard to explain and we know little abt that science is finally understanding.
Chi is real, unlike the unknowledgeable keyboard warrior, as usual, claims.
Chi is moved around the body through mental imagery. When you feel the tingling in your hands, it is the blood moving the electromagnetic field caused by the oxygen electrons becoming charged by the qigong/chikung exercise.
The "feeling" is manifested throughout the body in different ways.
In the hands you will feel the tingling.
In the body, EMF causes pressure and moves any gas accumulated between the Fascial tissue, which cause you to release those gases in the form of burping and flatulence.
In the feet it manifests as a burning called "fire in the feet".
Understand that the qigong exercises are designed to generate and collect energy from your internal organs and this energy is what is used to heal and also to disperse as "jing" - "essence".
The question is how do you feel chi in the body. You start by feeling the body. Most people do not feel their bodies unless it is in pain or you are tensing muscles. You begin by learning intricate movements that require a fine, focused awareness to accomplish. This connects your mind with your body. In Tai-chi-Chuan we do this with chi-gung (qi-gong), forms and push hands.
You then combine breathing with these movements. You learn to breathe into each part of the lungs so the breathing helps, and even initiates the movements of muscles and joints.
You then learn to let go of any excess tensions of the muscles so that your movements come from the least effort possible. This makes the body "light" so you are able to feel subtle things within the body. Next, you learn to feel the tendency of the body itself to initiate movement rather than movement being initiated from the thinking mind. You practice your chi-gung, forms and push hands specifically to enhance this ability of the body to "know" what to do - its innate skill. You gradually yield your thinking mind to this "body-mind", so they are working in a balanced way.
At this time you may feel the mechanisms of that "body-mind" just as you are now aware of the mechanisms of your thinking mind. While the thinking mind functions in terms of thoughts, the body-mind functions in terms of its relationships among the parts of the body even down to the cellular level. As you sense this more intricately you can feel the energy of communication that allows each part of the body to coordinate its activities with all the others. This energy is called "chi".
So it is a question of regaining the sense that allows you to feel chi and the above description shows you how we attempt to regain this sense in the training of Tai-chi-Chuan.
Some believe in Chi others don't.
I see it simply as energy. And as is understood, our body has all sorts of energy flowing through it.
So the more in tune you are with how you feel, how your body is acting/reacting and such the better martial artist you'll be.
As for hands vs rest of your body, to me that shows a total lack of understanding. Try and lay calm in a quiet room. Relax and breathe easy. Close your eyes, and as you find a good place start to feel your body. Listen to your heart, listen to the breathing. Feel how the breaths come in and out, Then do more of that to learn how the energy moves in your body.
In time you can do this with muscle tension, and such. Where this really comes in handy is in building speed, control and power. I say this as to be fast you have to be totally relaxed. To control your strikes you need to know when to be relaxed and when to be totally tense. And likewise for power you need to know how to do both but with many parts of your body.
As for those who say Chi is fake. yes the mystical stuff is, but if you don't believe you have energy flowing in your body, what are the electrical signals from your brain to muscles? What is the flow of breath, and what is blood flow?
It's not like that. In very simple terms:
Are you alive and breathing? You got chi and it's in your whole body not just your hands. If you are stiff, cold and not breathing you are dead. Your chi left you. There are no 'funny sensations' to feel. If you keep looking for them you start imagining things. Like the tingling in your hands which is cause by your circulation and that is not chi.
You people who are saying that chi is real, how do you know it's real?
Obviously you can't feel it. You can't prove it in any way. You can't manifest it, do anything with it.
It's all in your head as "mental imagery".
KW is right, there is no such thing as "chi". It's all made up. Do you guys also believe that the tooth fairy is real?
