Special Exercises for Upgrading Energy Availability
by (Coach Fitch) Raphael
The most effective ingredient of any exercise, is motion. Our bodies are designed to move. It has been asserted that every movement a human being makes is interbound with the motions and rhythms of other things, like planets solar systems, stars, constellations, galaxies etc. In essence we never move alone, because our body’s small modicum of energy is connected to all other energies-in-motion, everywhere through space. Inexhaustible are the forces made available to us at all times!
Now this may read as something fanciful and yet this is easy to reconcile, with a simple thought-experiment. If one imagines a huge spiderweb and touches it with their imaginary finger, the entire web shakes. If this thought-experiment has done its work, a sense of the interplay of all things becomes more reasonable and this can be applied to exercises that upgrade health. So, we live in an ocean of motion. It is filled with moving energy of all kinds, degrees, grades and intensities. And our bodies are an outward sign of the presence of life-in-motion and this life can be put to use, just as the power of waterfalls is used to generate enough energy to run a small town. Now, there are at least two types of motion.
Some exercises involve motion and others don’t, yet nothing is really still, though they may appear so, on the surface. For example, Qi Gong is a very old method of sustaining radiant health, through motion, beathing and adopting certain static postures. Some postures that are taken up, appear to be static. For example, there is a posture in Qi Gong called Zhan Zhuang (standing like a tree).
This type of standing is called motion-in-stillness, whereby the outer body appears stationary yet on the inside the flow of energy through the internal organs is coherently increased. A solitary tree on the edge of town looks stationary from the outside but on the inside there exist a circulation system, that draws water from the roots to the leaves.[1] One can practice this type of standing and receive the benefits of improved circulation of the basic energy or Qi (Chi). Of course, there is a method for doing this properly. Now, what about stillness-in-motion?
In Taiji, you have stillness-in-motion, which is the complement of motion-in-stillness. In Taiji or Taijiquan, the patterns of motion are reflective of the spiral, which is how solar systems and galaxies revolve around a common center. The idea behind these movements is that when the motions of human beings imitate the motions of the universe, health can be increased, because the exerciser is moving in rhythm with the natural flow of things. Today, it is a useful thing to be in rhythm with the greater life that interpenetrates and surrounds everything.
Raphael with Master Daniel Lee (Bruce Lee’s Student) and friends
Here is an exercise that includes both motion and stillness. This can be a short-cut method for feeling Qi or the basic energy of life.
You can either stand or sit in a comfortable chair, with your arms naturally dangling at your sides. The first part is to be aware of your hands, especially, the palms of your hands. How do they feel to you? As energy follows thought, you may feel more energetic movement in your palms. This is an example of motion-in-stillness.
The second part is to very, very slowly and gently, extend the index fingers of both hands. Notice anything different? Even if you just notice the feeling of slowly extending your index fingers, that is something that will set the stage for something more to happen. As your fingers are connected with the rest of your body, through your connective tissue system, it may not take long before you feel the effects of extending your index fingers, encompassing your entire body.
This is a great method to generate more energy coherence through the simple act of pointing. Though this gesture may not appear consequential on the surface it is the basis for fundamental movement skills and even enhanced personal safety strategies. Now, let us do this again but this time, while your hands and arms are still relaxed along your sides, gently and ever so slowly, extend your index fingers and as soon as you feel something, hold the fingers there. See if you can feel a difference in the quality of energy in your palms. An increase in the amplitude of sensations may occur. Some people notice a tingling, others a sense of fullness, like a tire being filled with air. Whatever you notice that’s different, is useful. If you can sense something energetically different, then all you have to do to feel more is to play more with this simple yet profound motion. Not only does this gesture improve general circulation it can also enhance a sense of greater well-being.
In some specialized scientific communities, it is understood that all movements engender electrical impulses, whether it is the act of bending the arm, walking or running. The thing is that most people can’t track the flow of energy, because they are moving too fast to notice it. So, this gentle pointing exercise is done slowly, so anyone can track the flow of their own energy, without distraction.
In my Taijiquan classes, we incorporate these as well as motion-in-stillness and stillness-in-motion, to assist students in upgrading their own health and well-being to higher levels of energetic coherence.
Kevin Raphael Fitch, Coach Fitch, has earned gold medals in many international Taiji competitions. He is a former martial arts competition judge, from 2004-08. He has written for Inside Kung Fu and has conducted classes for corporations, senior centers, departments of recreation and law enforcement. He has been conducting classes at the Shane Center and is available for demonstrations, semi-private and group classes, For more information, please visit his website: www.taijilivingston.theastrologyconsultant.com
- [1] N. Michele Holbrook, Maciej A. Zwienieckia, “Transporting Water to the Tops of Trees,” Physics Today 61 (2008): 76–77; Vogel, Chapter Seven.