Lesson One
Su Sang Hwa Ha (Water above Fire below)
The Three Basic Phases of Ki Gong
1) Accumulating/Storing the Ki
2) Circulating the Ki
3) Transmitting the Ki
Storing the Ki/Breathing Ho Hup Bop
Proper breathing is an integral part of martial arts training, incorrect breathing is unhealthy. Consider that the first thing that is disturbed when a person is upset is usually the breathing. Proper breathing helps us stay calm, helps us keep our endurance and coupled with proper mental training we can even control pain with breathing. Just like fanning a flame makes a flame greater because of the increase of oxygen, so to we gain additional strength with proper breathing.
In the Ki gong philosophy it is believed by breathing gently to your maximum capacity, the oxygen and Ki separate in the lungs and the Ki travels to the energy center of the body called the ‘Dan Jun’, then as we exhale we expel waste gas Co2. The most important part of the breathing process concerning Ki gong is the point between the inhale and the exhale.
Basic Dan Jun breathing (Il Ban Ho Hup Bup) involves gently ballooning out the abdomen and imagine it filling with air. This pulls on the diaphragm and allows the lower tips of the lungs to fill with air, thereby filling the lungs with more air. By pressing our breathing in a downward motion first like the way a vessel is filled, the optimum amount of oxygen and Ki enters the body. Later you will learn to hold the point between the inhale and exhale locking the breath so optimum amounts of Ki are sent to the Dan Jun.
Circulating and transmitting Ki.
Ki circulates through our bodies whether we are aware of it or not. Circulating our Ki through our will/awareness ‘Eui’ /意for our health and for self defense is a vital part of martial arts training. The first phase deals with gathering and storing the second phase with circulating the Ki through the body through the use of concentration exercises and the Ki Gong exercises, and lastly through Ki Hap (energy unification) to transmit our energy through out martial arts techniques.
Soo Ki and Hwa Ki – Water and Fire energies
‘Soo Ki’ (Water energy) and ‘Hwa Ki’ (Fire energy) are the two basic ways human energy (sun ki) manifests itself inside the body. Soo Ki (water) represents the ‘Um’ passive or negative force, and Hwa Ki (fire) represents the ‘Yang’ active or positive force. For example if the bodies energy becomes to ‘Yang’ that indicates that the bodies energy has a build up of Hwa Ki (fire energy) or a blockage of Soo Ki (water energy). That means blood pressure may rise, the heart might begin to work harder, the blood may become acidic. Anger is an emotion often associated with excessive Yang or fire. On the other hand if the bodies energy becomes to ‘Um’ or has a build up of Soo Ki (water energy) or a lack of Hwa Ki, sadness, melancholy or depression may set in. The blood pressure could drop, a lack of energy and a lethargic feeling may manifest. The ideal situation is to be aware of the balance (Pyong) of your energy and keep it balanced through good environment, exercise and diet. When it is unbalanced by external or internal influences, correct it. Correcting your energies balance can happen in three ways; a) naturally by itself b) with Ki Gong concentration etc. c) medically by yourself or with the assistance of a doctor via acupressure, acupuncture, medicinal balms, herbs, ointments, diet etc.
In training we have an expression:
水上火下 Soo Sang Hwa Ha (Gang)
Water Up Fire Down
Basically this relates to keeping the upper body relaxed like water and be active like fire in the hips. If the upper body is tense (fire related) and the lower body weak (stance related) your technique will be ineffective. This is also symbolic of the character for Ki, the fire must be below the water in order for it to cook or create steam energy. If the fire is above then no energy is produced. Similarly, if we keep the hips active and the rest of the body relaxed then we will have ‘Bal Gyeong’ 發勁 or maximum power emission. In Ki Gong training the water energy rises up the spine to the head and the fire energy moves from the chest down completing a circuit. Just like in nature the suns fire energy shines down and the water or the earth rises up to form clouds creating a cycle. We will discuss this circuit in detail later on but for now we will practice first a basic application of Su Sang Hwa Ha.
The practical application of a sophisticated art
Attention, bowing and the ‘choon be’ (ready stance) are the first three things we learn in our art. Choon be (ready stance) is the first half of the choon be/paro philosophy. Choon be is not a physical posture but a state of mental readiness. ‘Paro’ is returning to the beginning but still maintaining that state of mental readiness. It is a mistake to think that standing in front of someone with your fists in front of your abdomen is a practical and effective ready stance for combat. The goal of choon be is to breathe in energy, relax the shoulders and center yourself in your hips and get ready for action. This can be done in any physical posture, the most common form is the one first taught. It is vital that one understand the goal is to get into a mental and physical state of centeredness and be ready for action. Where choon bee teaches us to motivate our energy Pa ro on the other hand teaches us to calm our energy.
By practicing this way we can catch tension as it begins and use the energy in a positive way. A simple example of this is if someone is rude to you. It is natural for ones physical energy to rise when angered, the face changes, the shoulders tense etc. When we sense that through our choon be training we can reverse it and use that energy in a more productive way using the paro. When you get angry you give control to the other person, when centered you maintain control.
Soo Sang Hwa Ha exercise #1
Try this, right now let your arms hang at your sides, take a deep breath, relax your shoulders and as you exhale allow the tension to be released with each exhale, feel the heaviness in your hands. Do this for a few breaths and you will begin to feel a tingling in your hands from the increased blood flow. You will visually see a difference in color (darker and splotchy) from this. Without realizing it your tension was slowing your blow flow to your hands. Too much tension can give you headaches, high blood pressure and many other negative health issues.
This simple and practical application of centering with the choon bee philosophy can be applied while waiting in line at the store, sitting in traffic, anywhere.
Remember it’s not a magic word, spell, pill, diet, video or machine that will improve the quality of our lives it is the practice and application of simple truths such a this that will.
Ki gong in the west
For the most part Ki has yet to be accepted and definitively proven to the medical establishment in the west. Many of the concepts have a physiological explanation. The martial arts Ki hap for example can be dismissed as simply focusing and psyching oneself up, and throughout history there have been many practioners using tricks to dupe the unknowing with supernatural powers and abilities, which hasn’t helped. While many think Kigong is simply a simplistic way of explaining natural concepts, a belief system or Asian voodo, Kigong has endured throughout the ages and helped masses of people. Whether you use Ki terminology or physiological terms, if it works for you isn’t that what is important? Also there has been a tremendous amount of success with veterinary acupuncture. Why this is important is animals don’t have sophisticated belief systems like humans. They just respond to what works. Acupuncture is based on Ki gong theory. It’s whole purpose is to remove, relived blockages or to stimulate weaknesses to restore Ki balance. Acupuncture has been proven effective many times and this helps validate Ki gong theory.
