What is this energy we talk so much about in Shiatsu, Qigong, or acupuncture? This is a very simple question, yet one that continues to unsettle and divide Westerners. Asians, however, have no conceptual difficulty accepting the idea of energy that underlies all things and all beings. The problem does not lie in some innate inability on our part to grasp this idea, this word, this reality, but rather in our mental constructs and the theoretical frameworks through which we view the world. Yet we already have everything we need to discover and recognize Ki. In our beautiful French language, we readily use the word “energy” in everyday life to say that we feel good. Conversely, as soon as we flag, we no longer have “the zing, the spark, or the drive.” In other words, we can say we’re “going full steam ahead,” “full of energy,” or “full of life” to express that we feel full of energy—in short, we “feel ready to go.” Conversely, when we feel weak, we might say “as limp as a rag,” “run on empty,” or “drag our feet like an old slipper.” But if we have all these expressions (and many others) in our vocabulary, what are we referring to? The energy we instinctively feel, of course! It is no coincidence if our ancestors made frequent references to this energy that flows through the body—whether we feel good or depressed. Living more simply, more in touch with nature while relying less on the mind to understand the world, they expressed what they felt with complete simplicity. Yet, as soon as we bring up the concept of energy in therapy, the use of this word is contested, criticized and even mocked by many people on the pretext that this concept isn’t scientific. Energy, not scientific? Yet it is scientists who speak of it best, as we will see a little further on. Why this bias in our conception of the world? Why such an inability to understand what Qi, Ki, or Prana is?

Barriers to Accepting the Principle of Energy

The Westerners who came to colonize Asia initially had little interest in the culture of the conquered countries. Southeast Asia was taken over by the Dutch, English, and French to extract raw materials for manufacturing (such as rubber, for example) and for the glory of their respective empires. China was subsequently literally carved up into small pieces after the so-called Opium Wars (1839–42 and 1856–60) by numerous Western powers (those already mentioned, plus the Russians, Americans, Germans, and later the Japanese). As for Japan, Admiral Matthew Perry’s Black Squadron (1874) forced the country to open up to the outside world, whether it liked it or not. This conquering and contemptuous approach toward Asia is our first point of contention with Asia. Western culture was at its peak, with others inevitably seen as nothing more than “monkeys” or “savages.” Today, our contempt for Asian concepts such as Ki is one of the historical consequences of our military conquests. The second problem lies in our conception of energy as a force that moves and shakes things up. This is why being “full of energy” or “hyper-energized” brings to mind the idea that energy stirs things up and multiplies strength. Yet it is possible to be full of energy while remaining very calm at the same time; it is not a contradiction in terms. Simply look at a martial arts master. He will not react to provocations, will not move, but whoever attacks him will quickly—and painfully—discover the difference between the surface appearance and the reality of his depth. The third problem is the Star Wars saga, as well as all the science fiction films we’ve been inundated with. Our minds are saturated with images of all kinds, and it seems perfectly normal to us that energy should emerge in the form of flashes or more or less colored light. But most forms of energy we know of emit no light, nor any flashes. It’s a shame, but that’s just how it is. Our image-driven culture, our need to see with our own eyes to believe, inevitably feels frustrated by this. There are, of course, other barriers that prevent us from sensing energy, for that is indeed what it is: sensing. Ki is not approached with the eyes or the nose, but through sensation. It is a sense that we rarely develop satisfactorily in our Western society. Yet we know that blind people are able to guess a color just by touching it. So, how is this possible if not through the ability to sense the warmth of those same colors—that is, through the energy each color intrinsically emits?

What do we actually know about energy?

Western science has allowed us to understand energy phenomena by classifying them into categories. The advantage of science is that it cannot be refuted… at least until a new scientist can demonstrate otherwise and advance science. But for now, what does science tell us? That there are several forms of energy:

1. Thermal energy: this is the oldest form we know of; from ancient volcanoes to the use of fire, thermal energy has been known to humans since prehistoric times.
2. Kinetic energy: this is the energy released by movement. All movement consumes energy, but it also creates it.
3. Chemical energy: any process involving the breaking down or creation of molecules generates significant energy. We’ve all played at being little chemists at least once in school to learn this.
4. Vibrational energy: every wave is a form of energy, which we use to heat food in a microwave, send messages and images over long distances, and even make phone calls, use Wi-Fi, listen to the radio, or watch television—today, everything is transmitted via waves. The sun, which sends us its heat, does nothing more than emit a wave and an atom (at the same time: the famous photon).
5. Magnetic energy: magnetism is a phenomenon that was studied very early on by Western science, as far back as ancient Greece. Magnets are the best-known form (Plato was the discoverer of magnetism), but the solar or terrestrial magnetic field (think of a compass) are no less significant. Functional MRI is merely the most recent application of this energy. Not to mention the friction between magnets that generates electricity.
6. Potential energy: like all forms of energy, it is also expressed (like almost all other forms of energy) in a unit of measurement called “joules.” It is found in weightlessness, in electric potential, in elastic potential, etc.
7. Atomic energy: it comes from atoms, and we know what happens when we split them thanks to the infamous “atomic bomb.”

There are other forms of energy that are not seriously studied by the hard sciences, because they are unable to measure them: the energy of emotions, of the mind, and that of faith. Who can deny that faith moves mountains and that love is a force that sometimes carries us to the ends of the earth to find our beloved?

The Human Body: A Real Battery

According to a principle well known to the Chinese, the macrocosm and the microcosm are found within one another. It is therefore entirely logical that we find all these forms of energy within the human body.

1. The body is warm, averaging 37°C. We therefore possess thermal energy.
2. The body moves—that’s the whole point of the musculoskeletal system. We therefore generate kinetic energy.
3. Every time we digest food, we transform it into molecules. The same applies when we produce hormones through our endocrine glands, which means we are also highly efficient at generating chemical energy within our bodies.
4. At a level below molecules, we are, naturally, made up of atoms. These atoms spin at high speeds and release energy that we can easily describe as “atomic.” The “miracle” is that they hold together without breaking apart.
5. Magnetic energy is present within us. It is precisely what holds our atoms together and also allows the flow of electrical impulses. The impulses of the nervous system are nothing other than our internal electricity. Speaking of electricity, I once asked the Renardières research center at RTE-France (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité) if it was possible to measure the electricity in the human body. The answer was yes, around 0.4 mA.
6. The movement of atoms releases energy, as we’ve seen, and this movement propagates in the form of waves. Wave energy is something we also possess and to which we are highly sensitive. Just think of music (sound waves) that can literally make you move from head to toe. More dramatically, we are also very sensitive to high-intensity waves. You only need to stand near a cell phone tower to feel its harmful effects.
7. Potential energy often poses a problem for students. But as soon as you sleep, you accumulate energy to potentially restart the next day. When you meditate, you stop moving and also recharge your batteries by clearing your mind (which consumes a lot of energy).
8. Add to this what the Chinese call Shen, or spiritual energy. The more this energy is developed, the more powerful it becomes. Since Shen is linked to the Heart, we can also speak of the emotion associated with it, namely joy (and love for us Westerners).
9. All other emotions are also sources of energy. Look at what an angry person or a desperate mother trying to save her child is capable of, and you’ll understand the energetic power of emotions.

In the Asian mindset, the moment we attempt to describe Qi/Ki, we are mistaken and stray from the true nature of energy. Much like Laozi, who warned us that “to describe the Tao is already no longer the Tao.” Is Qi/Ki indescribable? In part, yes. But let us take heart. There is a way for us to understand what energy is according to Asians: what we have divided into categories to discuss different forms of energy represents, for them, a whole, an indivisible unity. Energy forms a whole, and all its descriptions (according to science) are in fact one and the same thing. This unique view of energy does not mean it is unscientific. It simply comes down to choosing which lens we want to view things through: Western scientific lenses or Asian unifying lenses. This is reassuring and finally allows us to let go of the illusion of this conflict, which is not a conflict at all. Let us not forget that the greatest scientist of the 20th century[i]clearly demonstrated that energy is equal to matter (albeit multiplied by the square of its speed). That is what Ki is. At least in part.

Ki, universal energy

If you liked the explanation above, it’s because your Western mind found logic and food for thought in it. On the other hand, I’m not sure this explanation would satisfy the ancient Chinese when they thought of Qi. Qi represents, above all, universal energy, which certainly flows through the body, but also everywhere else. The entire universe, and by extension nature, is nothing but the expression of this universal energy, and every movement, every transformation, every birth and death, are manifestations of this energy. Wind is energy, just like water, fire, earth, and so on. This is, in fact, why the Taoist sages declared that the five natural forces on our planet were not elements (a mistranslation) but five movements that permeate nature and, consequently, our human nature. This is how we must understand Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal—the famous Wu Xing. These primordial forces are not foreign to us, since the Greeks, Celts, and Indians of India also possess equivalent systems[ii]. However, while Qi is everywhere, this does not mean that its organization is chaotic, much less anarchic. Its evolution and movements are detailed in the ancient books of Chinese wisdom. There is a hierarchy that assigns the primary role to Heaven, which sends its energy to Earth; Earth receives it, transforms it, and then matures it before sending the energy back to Heaven in turn. This is the (simplified) explanation of Yin/Yang. And just as there is an order in nature, within the human body, this same energy does not circulate haphazardly either. It travels through vertical channels (meridians, extraordinary vessels, etc.)[iii] situated between Heaven and Earth. This is where the technical training in the use of Qi begins. The most wonderful thing about this whole story of Qi is that this energy connects us to nature, to living beings, to matter, and to the entire universe. This statement—which may seem far-fetched to skeptics—is, however, known to astrophysicists, who know that it is the same waves, the same photons, that cross the entire Universe. This connection to the greater whole (macrocosm) is further established through the observation of the infinitely small (microcosm). Atoms, just like the solar system, are after all nothing more than spheres of varying sizes orbiting a large ball, creating powerful waves. As we can see, the microcosm and the macrocosm merge and continuously exchange information. The sun has numerous effects on our biology, and we know that human behavior changes depending on light levels. But this is also true of serum albumin levels (which decrease in the presence of sunspots) or the number of lymphocytes (which increases during solar flares). This relationship between the infinitely small and the infinitely large shows us that Qi/Ki permeates everything and influences everything it touches. Understanding this allows us not to fight against the nature that surrounds us, but to live in relationship with it and—hopefully—in harmony. It follows from this principle that respecting nature means working for our health, and this is something that all biologists who study biotopes (the environment) or the microbiota (gut flora) know perfectly well. When we follow nature’s rhythms and interconnections, everything finds its balance and harmony. Qi/Ki is therefore this energy that is both multifaceted and singular, connecting us all and reminding us that we are beings part of the great river of life.

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Notes

• [i] Albert Einstein, of course!
• [ii] “Plato, in the Timaeus, already spoke of the five ‘natural polyhedra’ (octahedron, icosahedron, cube, tetrahedron, dodecahedron), which he linked to the ‘5 universal elements,’ (Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Space), while the Chinese also had in their cosmogony the ‘5 elements of the Earth’ (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth), just as the Celts had their own (Steel, Waters, Oak, Fire, and Earth). Sanskrit texts, for their part, emphasized the “5 spiritual currents” of Prana distribution, the vital energy (Udana – solid; Apana – Fire; Samana – Water; Prana – Life; Vyana – Air).” in “Le diamant chauve – plus” by Jacques Pialoux, Cornelius Celsus Foundation Publisher – updated 2002.
• [iii] With the exception of the Marvelous Belt Vessel, the only one that is horizontal.

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