Are ‘Chi’ and ‘The Force’ the same?
In this passage, Daniela is discussing the nourishing and life-sustaining nature of the practices she teaches, particularly Qigong, and how they offer a holistic path to healing, alignment, and self-awareness. Here's a detailed summary of what she explains:
First, here are our upcoming Qigong courses and workshops - you are invited to join us - we start soon!
The Essence of These Practices:
Daniela introduces Qigong as a practice that nurtures the three key centers of human experience:
Head center – where the practice nourishes the clarity and wisdom of the mind.
Heart center – where it brings participants into a deep state of loving compassion.
Core or body center – which aligns love and wisdom into action, giving people the courage and clarity to live with purpose and power.
These practices are a gift to the self, supporting the integration of wisdom, love, and power within each person.
The Energy of Qigong:
Daniela speaks to the balanced energy Qigong offers. It embodies both a feminine grace (fluidity, softness) and a masculine structure (strength, power, balance). The movements in Qigong allow practitioners to soften their gaze, go inward, and feel the harmony of these energies within themselves. Through this balance, participants can experience an internal alignment that integrates strength with flow, structure with compassion.
Connection to Nature and Embodied Experience:
Daniela emphasizes how Qigong connects people with nature and their true, essential selves. Each movement in Qigong symbolizes communion with different elements of nature. The practice invites participants to go beyond their personality or roles in life, allowing them to feel a direct, embodied experience of their vastness and their connection to the natural world. In this way, Qigong helps people transcend the everyday self and touch on the deeper essence of their being.
Spiritual Connection and the Force:
Drawing a parallel between Qigong and spirituality, Daniela recalls her early experiences of learning about the Force (as in Star Wars) and the connection to the divine in church. She explains that the energy, or "Force," described in Star Wars is similar to what is called chi (life energy) in Qigong, and what some may call God, divinity, or source energy. Through Qigong, people can feel this energy, which flows through and animates everything. Daniela critiques the idea of trying to think one's way to divinity, saying that Qigong allows people to feel the direct experience of connection to the transcendent, rather than intellectualizing it.
Experiencing the Transcendent:
Qigong provides a path to experiencing the embodiment of the transcendent—a concept shared by His Holiness, who said the purpose of life is to feel that transcendent energy in the body. Daniela explains that Qigong has the power to open this experience for people, sometimes for the first time, by allowing them to feel divine energy, rather than merely think about it.
Approach with Joy and Lightness:
Finally, Daniela encourages approaching these practices with joy, spontaneity, and light-heartedness. While there is space for reverence, she advises against taking the practice too seriously. Instead, she invites participants to embrace laughter, tears, and sounds as part of the body's natural healing mechanisms. The practice should feel freeing, where spontaneous expressions of release—whether through tears, yawning, or even joyful sounds—are welcomed and celebrated.
In summary, Daniela presents Qigong as a profound, balanced practice that nourishes the mind, heart, and body, connects people to their essential nature, and provides a direct, felt experience of the divine. It encourages both grace and power, merging spiritual insight with physical movement, all while embracing joy and spontaneity.