[Qigong] Qi Spreads Through the Meridians

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: June 22, 2025, Sunday, 2:05 PM

········································

[Qigong] Qi Spreading Through Meridians
In traditional views, the movement of qi requires methods such as guiding, focusing intention, and unblocking to gradually enter the meridians and fill the entire body. However, this method presupposes that the body's meridians are originally blocked, and the pathways for qi are obstructed, needing postnatal practice to gradually clear them. In fact, this premise does not apply to everyone.
At birth, most people's meridians are naturally open, and the flow of qi and blood is unobstructed. However, as one grows, incorrect postures, imbalanced diets, suppressed emotions, and prolonged tension and rigidity gradually cause these originally open pathways to become blocked. Thus, replenishing qi, guiding qi, and forcing qi have become the main methods in many practice systems to repair those blocked channels. But the real key lies not in the strength of the guidance, but in whether the structure itself remains naturally open.
My situation is completely different. For the past thirty years, I have almost always maintained a supine sleeping position without a pillow, with my head, neck, back, and waist naturally flat. This posture precisely aligns with the principle of central axis balance known as "virtual neck lifting," allowing the body to self-adjust during deep relaxation at night, with the spine not excessively bending and not compressing the meridians. Over the years, my Ren and Du meridians have remained unobstructed, and many peripheral meridians have also maintained a naturally open state due to the absence of accumulated pressure. In contrast, those who have been curled up, lying on their sides, or hunched over for years have their meridians slowly twisted or compressed, and when they practice guidance, they often just go around in circles, finding it hard to break through.
More importantly, I have had a stable innate foundation since childhood. This is not so-called "extraordinary talent," but a natural state that has never been artificially depleted. The vital energy within is sufficient, and the movement of qi does not require external force to push it. Therefore, when I later formally entered systematic training, I did not need to force guidance, deliberately imagine the pathways of qi, or use intention to "force qi" through any point. My qi flows naturally like water, overflowing from the central channel, warm and balanced, gently spreading throughout the body. This is not pressure, not guidance, not forcing, but rather a naturally open structure, with pathways already opened and abundant internal qi, requiring only a gentle awareness for the qi to automatically flow throughout the body.
I remember the first time I experienced this state of qi flowing throughout my body was not during deliberate sitting meditation, but on a certain morning, simply standing in a posture, when my body suddenly felt gently illuminated. The warmth did not rise from a specific area but enveloped my entire body simultaneously, from the top of my head, front chest, back, limbs, to the dantian, as if wrapped in a uniform warm current. That warmth was not burning but deep and stable, like a hot spring emerging within, flowing yet not agitated, full yet not swollen. At that moment, my intention was simply to "be" quietly, without controlling or guiding, allowing the qi to naturally operate synchronously throughout the body, automatically completing a stable and complete cycle. In that moment, I understood that true "fullness of qi throughout the body" is not a breakthrough achieved through years of hard practice, but a natural state that arises from going with the flow and allowing things to unfold.
This state of qi spreading through the meridians is enduring, not fleeting. Whether I am practicing martial arts, sitting in meditation, or walking, even in a completely unconscious state, I can feel the qi operating steadily and evenly within my body. In winter by the seaside, in the cold wind of six or seven degrees, I practice martial arts in summer clothes, and throughout the process, my entire body sweats evenly, with the qi flowing like rhythmic waves, gently moving the qi and blood through every meridian. This is not a temporary illusion gained through warming up, but a real manifestation of the natural activation of qi.
Many people emphasize "breaking through barriers" in their practice, stressing "breaking through the small heavenly circuit" and "unblocking the Ren and Du." This sense of achievement often represents only a brief moment of being squeezed open from a blocked state, while I do not need to experience such intense impacts at all, because the flow of qi is stable and natural. The so-called "circulation of the heavenly circuit" has never been a goal at a certain stage for me, but rather a foundational state that always exists.
True qi spreading through the meridians is not cultivated through complex means, but rather through the combined effects of natural structure, stable posture, and long-term accumulation, allowing the qi to automatically return to its original flow pattern. When smoothness becomes the norm, practice no longer involves difficult breakthroughs, but rather a continuous balance.
I now completely refrain from deliberately pursuing so-called "feelings," from calculating the time or frequency of practice, and from intentionally arranging guiding routes. Whether sitting in meditation late at night or practicing martial arts in the morning, the qi flows like a stable river, evenly, slowly, and silently, bringing stable warmth and a deep sense of calm. This is a true "natural unfolding," neither hurried nor anxious, neither biased nor unbalanced, permeating all meridians, peaceful and at ease.
For those with blocked and suppressed bodies, such a state may seem like a distant myth; but for me, it is merely the inevitable result of correct structure, natural habits, and abundant vital energy. The movement of qi should not be complicated; it is instinctual, a true manifestation of the body's resonance with the natural world.

Source: http://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696464