Comparisons between traditional Reiki techniques and Qi Gong techniques
Li Ying is the Principal Teacher of the Tian Yi Sydney School of Qi Gong. She teaches the practice of Qi Gong as well as traditional Daoist Qi Gong Healing.
The International House of Reiki interviewed Li Ying to find out the connection between the original Usui Reiki Ryoho techniques and Daoist Qi Gong.
International House of Reiki: How do the chakras link into the Qi Gong method?
Li Ying: We generally use 3 not 7 chakras like the Indian system does. We have the upper, the middle and the lower tandien.
The crown chakra and the third eye are linked together and connect us with the energy in the upper tandien. This is the area of mind energy.
The throat and heart are linked together as the middle tandien. We donít have the specific solar plexus chakra because we feel it is connected with the throat and the stomach as the middle tandien. This tandien is linked to emotions and includes the organs of the stomach, liver and spleen.
Original energy comes from the area we call the lower tandien. This tandien includes the sacral and the root chakra and the kidneys. The kidney is generally connected with the lower tantien and original energy. This is very important for men, they say that if a man does not have good kidney energy then his children will not have strong energy. The kidney is very connected to sexual energy and the source of life. This is the energy which you are born with. Fear, which is often linked to kidneys comes after youíre born. You actually have a sort of split energy in the kidney ñ one is original source energy linked to the lower tandien and the other is fear linked to the middle tantien. So, one sort of kidney energy comes from your father and your fatherís father. The other is when you have shock or strong fear . Therefore you can see that the kidney can be easily damaged and this means that men must always clear their kidney energy.
IHOR: Can you tell us more about the meridians in Qi Gong?
LY: Meridians or energy channels do not exist as such. Meridians, we believe are energy – the same as Reiki is energy. Thousands of years ago the masters were more intuitive and Chinese medicine, herbs and acupuncture all originated from the understanding of meridians.
In the very beginning people who practiced acupuncture used first only their hands and then stones to push the energy points and relatively recently they began to use needles – needles are very modern in acupuncture. We believe that when you’re dead the meridians simply disappear. There are physical meridian points (these are the acupuncture points) in the body but between these points there is nothing just energy.
Acupuncture works more on the surface, very good for clearing physically and pain relief. Physically it can clear things but it doesnít go very deep with emotions. In China if you have an emotional problem you go to a healer.
Tai Chi is about balancing and you often feel good after it where Qi Gong is more about clearing and afterwards you often have release eg. legs shaking.
IHOR: Li Ying, here are a number of exercises which are practised in traditional Japanese Reiki. What is the Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint of these techniques?
Hatsurei-ho (Method for generating greater amounts of Reiki which facilitates spiritual growth)
LY: This exercise is similar to the microcosmic circle. When you use this posture and bring the energy down in this way you go into this circle. People often get very dizzy and very hot with this circle. It’s very strong and powerful and can be too strong for some. In the microcosmic you can feel as if you are in a big energy space.
Nentatsu-ho (Method of sending a wish, or to discontinue a thought)
LY: In China we do this to work on head energy. It is a clearing for the mind. You send energy to the mind to clear it and then your body will relax and work through whatever it is that it needs to clear. We donít connect this to emotions more to the head.
To communicate with the person and to help a person relax we start with the head.
Hanshin Koketsu-ho (Half body blood cleansing)
LY: We don’t have blood clearing just energy clearing. We shake the energy on the back or put energy into it. At the tailbone we have points for women, especially for menopause. With this exercise it seems you are sending energy into the acupuncture points when you sweep out, and after that you are clearing the meridians as you sweep down along the spine.
Tanden Chiryo-ho (Method of de-poisoning the body)
LY: This a connection between the lower and upper Tantien. This is a connection between your original energy and mind and allows people to think clearer. We have the same thing with the hand coming back to the lower tantien as you come back to build the energy and focus on who they really are in their original energy. This helps with careers, directions, creativity. The hands go on top of each other.
Jakikiri Joka-ho (Purifying negative energy by cutting)
LY: We don’t have that particular technique but the Chinese have many ways to clear objects. With Qi Gong you send the energy to clear by connecting with the heart because you love it.
You can put energy into water and then put the objects into the water (Daoist). You can write down the person’s thing that needs to clear and you burn it and get rid of the ashes.
Bronwen and Frans Stiene are the co-founders of the International House of Reiki and co-authors of The Reiki Sourcebook, The Japanese Art of Reiki, Your Reiki Treatment, The A-Z of Reiki Pocketbook and the Reiki Techniques Card Deck. Bronwen and Frans teach in the USA, Europe and Australia. Visit the Courses page to find a course near you.