A Truthful Moment in Qigong

in which Billy foolishly thinks for himself

His expectations were high, having been told the class was about to embark on some advanced techniques.

Billy had enjoyed discovering all this new knowledge about the universal life force that had eluded Western minds. Billy prided himself on his openmindedness while decrying what he felt was an obvious failing of scientists. How they had missed Qi and it’s uses via Qigong was baffling to him. After all, the entire corpus of Chinese medicine was based on the concepts of balancing life energy. And it must work or it would not have been passed down the generations.

It was an idea that was found throughout Eastern cultures from India to China. Sure, they had different names for it; Chi, Qi, Ki, Prana, etc. but these were merely names derived from the differing cultures and languages. They were obviously talking about the same thing and now Billy was to be taught the deeper methods of accessing Qi.

He had been in the Qigong class for several months. They’d learned the essentials of how Qi moves through pathways called meridians; what internal organs were affected by Yin and/or Yang imbalances; the time of day one’s Qi was active/passive in various parts of the system, etc. Billy found all this new knowledge intoxicating to his ever inquiring mind. He did not see that mind becoming a problem in the class this day. Yet it did.

“Stand about 6 to 8 feet from your partner.” the Master said, “and each of you stand in the Void posture.” Billy adopted the required position and waited. The lights had been dimmed, and the atmosphere between the participants was respectful.

“Person A will be directing Qi towards Person B.” Billy was one of Persons A. “Person B will keep your eyes closed and simply allow the body to move as you feel sensations or inclinations suggesting movement.” the Master spoke with quiet authority. “Person A, imagine you are sinking your Qi into the ground beneath your feet and extending it under the ground towards your partner. Then feel it connect with your partner’s feet and move up into their body.”

It took some effort to maintain focus on the feeling of Qi moving while also directing it toward his partner. But Billy was keen to experience this moment of connection so was diligent about doing this exactly as instructed. He was pretty sure he could feel the Qi exiting his feet and travel towards his friend.

“Once you’ve connected with your partner, begin to sway your upper body back and forth. Do this slowly so your partner has time to pick up the sensation.” Billy began to sway. “Now gently allow your arms to float outwards and move like feathers in the wind. Partners allow whatever sensations you feel to direct your movements.”

Billy started these movements slowly and kept his eyes on his partner. Within moments, he started to sway and his arms lifted similarly to Billy’s. He lifted his right arm higher than the left. His partner didn’t respond in kind right away, but after several moments, also raised his right arm. This was amazing! They were connected!

Billy undulated back and forth, raising and lowering his arms. His partner, while not exactly matching Billy’s movements, was clearly moving in similar ways. Billy, ever the inquiring student, decided to further the experiment beyond what they’d been instructed. He abruptly stopped. No movement, no moving Qi. He just stood there.

He expected his partner to also stop. Perhaps not immediately, but since there was no longer any Qi being sent to him by Billy, his body would no longer have any sensations of movement. Yet his partner kept moving.

In fact, his partner was thoroughly involved in the sensations he believed he was still getting from Billy. He moved with ever more enthusiasm and was clearly enjoying this connection. Yet it wasn’t there.

Billy looked over at the Master who had been watching the various pairs of students. When he looked over at Billy who was no longer moving, Billy gestured to his partner with an expression of, “What is going on?” The Master glared at Billy with a look of intense disapproval. He further looked around the room, hoping no one else noticed what Billy was doing. None had.

The Master quickly said, “Ok, now gently slow your movements to a stop. Stand quietly and feel your Qi settling back to its natural flow. Then bow to your partner and your teacher in gratitude for this experience.”

Everyone bowed as instructed. Billy was confused and frustrated. He had stopped moving while his partner kept moving. Billy knew that he was no longer connected to his partner. Something was not right. Further, the Master reacted like someone caught in a deception. Why?

At the end of the class, Billy quickly left. He did not want to encounter the Master since he did not know what to say.

It would be years before Billy met another teacher who explained what had happened and how Qigong really works.