Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dives deep into the body and spirit, beyond isolated symptoms or individual diseases. One of the most basic goals of TCM is achieving chi tong, with the circulation of chi flowing through the body without blockages.

But chi becomes blocked for many people, for many reasons. These blockages allow pain and disease to develop. So unblocking your chi is a necessary part of healing. But how do you unblock your chi?

This question holds many answers. To begin to restore your chi, first learn the basics of chi, how to feel your chi, signs your chi is blocked, and how herbs, movement, and healers can unblock your chi and unlock improved well-being.

What Is Chi?

Chi, or qi, is the energy that animates the body and enlivens the soul. This life force concept and its centrality to healing resonates in many ancient cultures, known as prana in India, ki in Japan, pneuma in Greece, and mana in Hawaii. In TCM, chi is essential to health.

An energy current that provides circulation, nutrients, and minerals, chi courses through the body along meridian lines, invisible energy pathways that connect to each other and to every part of your body.

They link the surface of your skin with the interior of your flesh, join the upper portion of your body with the lower, connect all of your being into an intercommunicating whole.

Twelve major meridians run along each side of the body, with each meridian corresponding to an internal organ. Each organ has its own physiological and invisible energy functions, dependent on the other organ systems as well as on the greater meridian network.

For pain-free, optimal health, chi must circulate throughout the entire body without disruption. If the flow of chi is blocked, though, pain and illness results. Removing those blockages can increase your health and vitality.

How to Sense Your Chi

Some people can readily feel their chi, while others struggle for the sensation. Eventually, everyone has the potential to connect with their chi.

But you are more likely to be able to sense your chi if you quiet your mind to a place beyond words and regularly practice some form of qigong.

Symptoms of a Chi Blockage

Chi can stagnate, or become blocked, for many reasons, including stress or anxiety. This stagnation slows the blood flow, manifesting as a variety of different health issues.

The symptoms of chi blockages vary by location of the blockage, but can include:

•     Depression
•     Mood swings
•     Inappropriate anger
•     Pain or discomfort in the abdomen
•     Lack of appetite
•     Fatigue and lethargy

Blockage of the kidney organ system, or kidney deficiency, might result in:

•     Memory problems
•     Hair loss
•     Knee pain
•     Back pain
•     Unexplained body aches
•     Trouble sleeping

When there is stagnation in the flow of chi in the liver, you might experience:

•     Rib pain
•     Upper abdomen fullness
•     Irritability
•     Finger or toenail problems
•     Bitter taste
•     Muscular pain

These symptoms of blocked chi are not exhaustive. Since chi is the vital energy for the entire body, blockages can have far-reaching effects.

How To Unblock and Move Your Chi

Energy imbalances or blocked flow of energy can create pain or accentuate pain, as well as prevent your body from healing itself.

To improve your sense of well-being, then, you need to restore the free flow of chi. TCM includes several different methods for unblocking chi.

Acupuncture as a Treatment to Qi Stagnation

Acupuncture is one method used in correcting the flow of chi. When chi is blocked along a meridian, neither chi nor blood are able to move smoothly.

The affected area is unable to get enough nutrition, and the body begins to feel pain. To strengthen or move chi, fine needles are inserted just below the skin along the affected meridian lines and areas of blockage.

Clinical studies support acupuncture as an effective modality for the treatment of most kinds of pain conditions, including migraines, back or neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, pain from injuries, cancer pain, and more.

Herbs That Help Chi Blockages

Food sustains, nourishes, and fuels the body. Chi deficiency can result from a lack of nutrients, so you should limit eating processed foods that can prevent absorption of nutrients in the gut.

Stews and broth can benefit your diet, as can certain herbs.

For example, if you are suffering from a spleen deficiency, then the following herbs might help:

•     Red ginseng
•     Astragalus
•     Jujube dates
•     Licorice
•     Chinese yam
•     Pseudostellaria root

To effectively treat liver chi stagnation, for example, not only does the liver meridian need unblocking but other supportive energy systems must be nourished, depending on the specific energy needs of the person.

Herbs are rarely taken alone; instead they are part of a formula targeting a particular chi stagnation in addition to the supportive systems. The following commonly are used as part an herbal formula to treat chi blockages related to the liver:

•     Chai hu, or bupleurum
•     Yu jin, or turmeric tuber
•     Finger citron fruit, or Buddha’s Hand
•     Xiang fu, or cyperus rhizome

Professional Treatment: Energy Healers Can Move Your Chi

Healers trained in one or more of the energy movement arts can move your chi. In some instances, these professionals can teach you how to move your own chi.

Practitioners of qigong, acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, healing massage, reiki, and tai chi work to strengthen your chi as well as unblock its movement.

One practice in particular has, for thousands of years, helped people open the flow of energy in the meridians, enhance practitioners’ ability to feel the underlying chi, and deepen communication with the life force. Qigong uses slow, purposeful techniques that gently integrate posture, movement, self-massage, breath, and focused intent.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of qigong styles, traditions, and forms have been practiced around the world through the centuries. Despite its ancient origins, qigong remains relevant today across the globe. Find a class near you to learn movements that can help move your chi.

By using a personalized combination of food, herbal formulas, qigong practice, acupuncture treatment, or acupressure, you can stimulate the flow of chi energy in your meridians, restoring balance and health.