An essay on IMA, part 3: Chigong
Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 4:48 am
An essay on IMA, part 3: Chigong
As an introduction a brief discourse on Chigong.
The cultivation of energy goes back to the beginning of human history,
the early sun worshippers and pantheists were well aware of the invisible energies around them. Later shamans used a range of energy techniques including visualization, energy projection and altered states of consciousness for healing both physically and psychologically, for divination and maintaining a world view that contained earth spirits and other entities.
Chigong , broadly defined in Chinese as ‘Energy work’ originated as shamanic or folk healing techniques, Taoist techniques such as the Five Animal Play date back to the Han Dynasty [206 BCE to 220 CE]. Chigong in China was generally classified as Medical, Martial or Spiritual. Medical and Martial parallel each other, similar techniques being used for healing and martial purposes. Spiritual Chigong added Buddhist and Taoist meditation and ritual, the purpose being to achieve enlightenment through connecting with the universal energy field, these practices are often indistinguishable from religious ones.
In the following the term ‘Energy Work’ will be used in lieu of Chigong. The Body Energy Field, sometimes called the biofield, is largely composed of very low level electromagnetic fields, together with other emissions such as infra red, ultra violet & etc. The magnetic field is primarily result of blood flow, where small amounts of paramagnetic materials in the blood are circulated around the body. The electric field is created by the interplay of fluids in the cellular structure of the cells. The body fields interact with external magnetic and electric fields such as artificial fields from electric equipment, the earth’s magnetic field and electrically charged particles from space. In classical Energy Work the body is considered to have three approximately spherical energy fields [Tan Tiens], located in the abdominal, chest and skull cavities, contained within the respective membranes. The lower energy field is mostly concerned with converting and distributing energy from nutrition, the middle energy field with intake and distribution of oxygen for body processes through blood circulation, while the upper energy field interacts with the nervous system to control the above processes and others such as the immune system.
In using body energy and possibly energy ‘borrowed’ from our surrounding fields and focusing our intention it appears that we can create a projected electromagnetic field which can modify another body field. A tentative theory, suggests that various layers of fascia, muscle and membrane each create separate fields which are shaped and amplified by contracting and releasing the layers, the wave being modulated by lower frequencies, conveyed through the bones and projected to the outside. The frequency of physical vibration can be varied using the nervous system to ‘tune’ into the frequency. With regard to the recipient of the travelling wave there is a body of research that suggests that the organs and bones resonate at specific frequencies and illness is created by imbalances in energy and frequency. This idea has been used to accelerate healing by attaching electrodes to various parts of the body and injecting low intensity current at a predetermined frequency into the body. Note that these are hypotheses based very often on subjective experience and more research would have to be done to confirm them. The energy in the projected wave is very small and as such is associated with healing rather than martial use.
The martial aspect comes from creating a shock wave by synchronized movement of groups of internal muscles. This wave is conveyed to the hand through muscles, isometrically contracted to provide a clear path to the extremity. The hand or fist shape and the shape of the receiving surface will determine the shape of the entering wave, the ‘intent’ will determine where the wave is focused, and the internal muscles will determine the direction of the wave. As was outlined in previous essays the cultivation of the ‘microcosmic orbit’ can lead to an overriding of the parasympathetic nervous system creating a ‘mind intent’ focus for the wave.
As an introduction a brief discourse on Chigong.
The cultivation of energy goes back to the beginning of human history,
the early sun worshippers and pantheists were well aware of the invisible energies around them. Later shamans used a range of energy techniques including visualization, energy projection and altered states of consciousness for healing both physically and psychologically, for divination and maintaining a world view that contained earth spirits and other entities.
Chigong , broadly defined in Chinese as ‘Energy work’ originated as shamanic or folk healing techniques, Taoist techniques such as the Five Animal Play date back to the Han Dynasty [206 BCE to 220 CE]. Chigong in China was generally classified as Medical, Martial or Spiritual. Medical and Martial parallel each other, similar techniques being used for healing and martial purposes. Spiritual Chigong added Buddhist and Taoist meditation and ritual, the purpose being to achieve enlightenment through connecting with the universal energy field, these practices are often indistinguishable from religious ones.
In the following the term ‘Energy Work’ will be used in lieu of Chigong. The Body Energy Field, sometimes called the biofield, is largely composed of very low level electromagnetic fields, together with other emissions such as infra red, ultra violet & etc. The magnetic field is primarily result of blood flow, where small amounts of paramagnetic materials in the blood are circulated around the body. The electric field is created by the interplay of fluids in the cellular structure of the cells. The body fields interact with external magnetic and electric fields such as artificial fields from electric equipment, the earth’s magnetic field and electrically charged particles from space. In classical Energy Work the body is considered to have three approximately spherical energy fields [Tan Tiens], located in the abdominal, chest and skull cavities, contained within the respective membranes. The lower energy field is mostly concerned with converting and distributing energy from nutrition, the middle energy field with intake and distribution of oxygen for body processes through blood circulation, while the upper energy field interacts with the nervous system to control the above processes and others such as the immune system.
In using body energy and possibly energy ‘borrowed’ from our surrounding fields and focusing our intention it appears that we can create a projected electromagnetic field which can modify another body field. A tentative theory, suggests that various layers of fascia, muscle and membrane each create separate fields which are shaped and amplified by contracting and releasing the layers, the wave being modulated by lower frequencies, conveyed through the bones and projected to the outside. The frequency of physical vibration can be varied using the nervous system to ‘tune’ into the frequency. With regard to the recipient of the travelling wave there is a body of research that suggests that the organs and bones resonate at specific frequencies and illness is created by imbalances in energy and frequency. This idea has been used to accelerate healing by attaching electrodes to various parts of the body and injecting low intensity current at a predetermined frequency into the body. Note that these are hypotheses based very often on subjective experience and more research would have to be done to confirm them. The energy in the projected wave is very small and as such is associated with healing rather than martial use.
The martial aspect comes from creating a shock wave by synchronized movement of groups of internal muscles. This wave is conveyed to the hand through muscles, isometrically contracted to provide a clear path to the extremity. The hand or fist shape and the shape of the receiving surface will determine the shape of the entering wave, the ‘intent’ will determine where the wave is focused, and the internal muscles will determine the direction of the wave. As was outlined in previous essays the cultivation of the ‘microcosmic orbit’ can lead to an overriding of the parasympathetic nervous system creating a ‘mind intent’ focus for the wave.