According to the
Chinese view, the nutrition provided by air through breathing is even more
vital to health and life extension than that provided by food and water. In
Chinese medicine, breathing is regarded as a science, where no specific term
even exists in the Western World to denote breath control. Nor do Western
physicians understand how atmospheric energy serves as a vital ‘nutrient’ for
human health. However, this is changing as Western science uncovers more and
more evidence that verifies the Chinese notions about air, breath and energy
and their roles in health and longevity.
The essential element in air that carries the vital charge of chi is not oxygen but the negative ion – a tiny, highly active molecular fragment that carries an electrical charge equivalent to that of 1 electron. Pollutants are borne in the air by large, sluggish ions that carry a positive charge. In polluted air, positive ions slow down trap and neutralize the active negative ions, thereby robbing the air of vitality. Breathing such air is equivalent to eating junk food full of ‘empty calories’. In nature, air is naturally ionized by the action of short-wave electromagnetic radiation from the sun, which bombards air molecules and imparts vital energy to the fragments. The movement and evaporation of large bodies of water also ionize the air above them. A third method of natural ionization is the unobstructed flow of wind over wide open spaces. The most potent atmospheric chi is thus found at high altitudes, where solar and cosmic radiation are strongest, winds are constant, and water takes the form of rushing streams and open lakes. That is why we feel so refreshed after a day in the mountains, even after a strenuous hike.
It is the polarity of
Yin and Yang that makes chi move. In Western science, this polarity is called
‘potential gradient’, i.e. the potential difference in voltage between 2
points. In clean open air, potential gradient rises several hundred volts per
meter, but in polluted air and closed spaces it is virtually zero. Potential
gradient thus determines the ‘strength’ of an electric field, and the strength
of the field determines how active the negative ions are and how strongly they
flow. The potential gradient is therefore higher in such places as mountains, beaches and other open spaces, where negative ions flow freely from the positive Yang pole of the atmosphere to the negative Yin pole of the earth. All living organisms in-between serve as conductors for this energy. The electric current caused by the presence of an electric field passes through all the cells, the organs, and the whole of the nervous system, and stimulates the metabolism as well as all other physiological functions of living organisms. If the field is too weak, tiredness and lack of vitality occurs. This is the main cause of exhaustion felt when spending extended time in cars, planes and trains.
Even if you are exposed
to a strong natural electric field, you will not experience the benefits if you
wear rubber shoes or synthetic fibers. The best is to walk barefoot, in lightly
clothed in cotton across an open field or lawn while the morning dew is still
present, breathing deeply and rhythmically as you walk. Since our bodies serve
as conductors for the atmospheric chi constantly raining down from above, we
must also discharge excess energy through our feet to the earth. Dew-laden
grass acts as a powerful magnetic pole when you walk on it barefoot, drawing
energy down through the body from the sky. That is why it is best to practice
chi-gung outdoors, barefoot and clothed in natural fabrics.
Chi gung
Chi gung, which means
both ‘breathing exercise’ and ‘energy control’, has been a formal branch of
Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. Like all Chinese heath regimens,
breathing is based on the balance of Yin and Yang. Just as correct diet
enhances the body’s store of nutritional essence, so correct breathing enhances
the body’s supply of vital energy.
