This energy is known by many names in various cultures. Commonly referred to as Chi, Qi, Ki and Prana, it's also known as the "Breath of God" and "The Holy Spirit". For simplicity's sake I'm going to use the Wade-Giles translation of the Chinese word "Chi".
Chi is simply a form of bio-electrical energy. Bio-electrical energy can be easily measured in the body by using an electrocardiogram, a modern medical instrument that measures electrical energy passing through the heart. It can also be measured using an electroencephalogram, which measures the electrical energy in the brain.
With a brief explanation of how to do it, most people can begin to easily feel and even see chi without any trouble. With slightly more training they can begin to move it around within their own body, and even through other people.
Concepts to remember
"Energy follows thought" - we'll revisit this concept repeatedly throughout this book. As we get into the exercises you'll find that your chi will go wherever you send it. In most of my meditation classes it usually takes people only a matter of minutes to begin to experience this and feel it for themselves.
"Energy doesn't flow through tight muscles" - Chi is just like any other form of electricity in that resistance can decrease its flow. The less resistance you have in your body, mind and spirit the more chi you can direct for your own use. With this in mind I'll be focusing on a variety of relaxation exercises as we go.
"Everything is about Awareness and Intention" - Awareness is the ability to sense and interact with your energy and the energies around you. Intention is how you move that energy and have it do what you need it to do.
"Making incremental changes" - I'll address this concept in much more detail in a later chapter. It's important to remember that this is a path that we take to change our lives. Rather than making a few huge, unsustainable changes (such as a New Year's Resolution), on this path we actually make many small changes that gradually add up to a new life.
In many ways these concepts are much more important than creating a lot of 'power'. Many people focus on building chi when what they really need is increases sensitivity to the chi they already have access to. Take your time with this and follow the exercises as they've been laid out and you'll find that you can get results almost instantly.