July 2023 | Impulse — Oceana Mariani

NOTE: This was originally published as part of my newsletter in July 2023. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive the next Om Letter direct to your inbox once a month.

One of my teachers is the highly regarded yoga and Qi Gong teacher Mimi Kuo-Deemer. In one of her annual teacher trainings, which I’ve been fortunate enough to attend as both a participant and as an assistant, she sets the challenging task of describing Qi Gong in a way that would sound appealing to your most sceptical, non-nonsense uncle. For many yoga teachers this is a relatable task as most will count at least one such relative amongst their family members.

As it turns out it is near impossible to describe conscious, mindful movement practices such as Qi Gong or Yoga without using the word ‘energy.’ Of course, that’s exactly the sort of terminology that would make said sceptical uncle run a mile, but what if, instead of running away, we confronted the topic head on. What do we mean when we talk about ‘energy’ in relation to yoga?

These days the Sanskrit word *prana* is often translated as energy or life force and is sometimes used quite liberally in yoga classes. In its earliest appearances however, it simply referred to the inhalation, while *apana* referred to the exhalation. Over time the meaning of these two words gradually seems to have shifted towards encompassing all ‘energy that moves upwards’ and ‘the energy that moves downwards’ respectively.

Somehow the idea of *prana* has always struck me as a little lacklustre as, frankly, anything from a pebble to a gazelle or a human holds energy to some degree and it didn’t seem as though yoga necessarily had anything to do with it. Luckily, whenever there’s a subject that the ancient yogis weren’t particularly interested in elaborating on, the masters of an adjacent discipline such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM for short) lend a helping hand.

In TCM the idea of the ‘Three Treasures’ (known as sanbao) separates prana into three distinct forms: vital essence (jing), subtle breath (qi) and spirit (shen). Mimi often describes this idea by stating that any object (even a pebble) contains jing - think of this as ‘potential energy.’ Qi on the other hand, is a more refined version of jing and can only be found in objects that are able to breathe in some form. The energy generated by the breath can be further refined to produce shen, which can be stored within the body (this is similar to the Ayurvedic idea of ojas). Shen is generated within the conscious choices we make that support our wellbeing and cultivate true presence - this includes all mindfulness practices, yoga, qi gong, tai chi, walking in nature, tending the garden and so much more.

Relating this back to my personal practice, I tend to think of qi as being akin to the electricity-like impulses that coarse through our bodies to direct the sort of information that instructs one muscle to contract while another lengthens; the stuff that allows us to function. But even when I pause in stillness, I can still feel the connections between different parts of myself and my mind is able to travel along these pathways - an ability that I’ve cultivated over many years of movement and meditation practice - and these more subtle threads form a web that is held together by shen.

If the ‘energetics’ of yoga have always seemed a little intangible to you, I hope you’ve found something here that you can relate to in one way or another. For those of you less averse to these ideas I hope you’ve gained some new insights and clarity.

As you may have noticed, I’ve been teasing you with a few images of my home island that I hope to share with some of you on retreat this coming Spring - please scroll down for further details. I’ll also be guiding one last workshop in London this Autumn and of course, we will continue to come together to move, explore and expand in class.

With love,

OM x