Conduit or Container?Francesco Garripolli8 Summer 2011
To see yourself as a Container is to live in a world <strong>of</strong> limits andscarcity. To see yourself as a Conduit is to live in a world <strong>of</strong> abundance.believe that the underlying concepts and beliefI systems that we hold about life affect everythingfrom the way a technique works to the actual physicsinvolved in any action. <strong>The</strong> things we do in life do notstand alone. <strong>The</strong>re are no fixed rules that allow somethingto simple “happen” in an independent way. Howand what we feel, think, and believe about somethingtotally affects the outcome.That said, I see that many people hold a certain beliefthat can curtail their development and self-healing asit relates to Qigong. This belief system revolves aroundhow we “see” ourselves…Whether it was taught to youby a teacher or whether you simply found yourself acceptingit, you hold the belief that “you” (energeticallyand physically) are either a “Container” or a “Conduit.”This may sound funny, but answer the followingfour questions and please just answer with the firstresponse that come to your mind:1) When I practice Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki orother energy art, I feel…a. I am gathering energy and storing it.b. I am channeling energy and being recycled by it.2) When I breathe during my personal practice…a. I fill up with air and hold it.b. I fill up with air and let it go simultaneously.3) When my body feels sick or uncomfortable…a. I feel my Qi is low.b. I feel my Qi flow is blocked.4) When I am feeling tired or exhausted…a. I feel I have run out <strong>of</strong> Qi.b. I feel my Qi is stagnant.Ok, not how you answered either “a” or “b” (youneed to commit to one <strong>of</strong> the other, whichever feels thestrongest pull).If you answered with even one “a” you are livingwith a belief system that you are in the Containercategory.If you only answered with one “a” then we may bedealing only with semantics.If you answered with two or three “a” answered,then we need to play with these concepts for a bit.If you answered with all “b” answers then you are afull-fledged Qi Conduit so please pass “Go” and collectyour 200 dan tians…Now granted, we can get into some philosophicaldiscussion here and split hairs over the details and words,but I have a simple goal here in sharing this exercise. Myhope is to get you to rethink the way you see your body/mind/spirit.To see yourself as a Container is to live in a world <strong>of</strong>limits and scarcity. You will always be concerned withmaking sure you are “full” and you will begin to worrywhen you are less than full. A Container can only holdso much. You will always “want” more. <strong>The</strong> Containercompares itself in capacity to other Containers, always externallyreferencing, looking outside to be satisfied. Thisis the way <strong>of</strong> the ego, driven by fear. You will be happywhen you are full and sad when you are empty. This isthe roller coaster world <strong>of</strong> the ego/fear/belief system forthe Container category <strong>of</strong> Qigong practitioners.To see yourself as a Conduit is to live in a world <strong>of</strong>abundance. You will embrace the infinite nature <strong>of</strong> ourUniverse and sense your immersion in boundless Qi. AConduit can channel the whole <strong>of</strong> the Universe whileholding onto nothing. Every breath you take will passthrough you and you will receive exactly what yourequire. Your inhales are as fulfilling as your exhales,knowing that each release is a cleansing and an <strong>of</strong>fering tothe world. <strong>The</strong> Conduit is focused on living self-reflectionand inner flow…infinite connection to every atom in theUniverse and you see everything as a reflection <strong>of</strong> self,as the infinitude <strong>of</strong> existence, our Dreaming, constantlypasses through us. <strong>The</strong> Conduit doesn’t need to store Qi…the Conduit knows she is Qi and immersed in an infinitefield <strong>of</strong> Qi. Access is implicit in the Way <strong>of</strong> the Conduit.I suggest you revisit these four questions above nowthat you’ve read this…see if any <strong>of</strong> your “a” answers havechanged…and if they haven’t maybe this has inspiredyou to question a little deeper and embrace the Way <strong>of</strong>the Conduit. Peace…Francesco Garri Garripoli is the author <strong>of</strong> Qigong – Essence<strong>of</strong> the Healing Dance and Tao <strong>of</strong> the Ride. He teachesworldwide and through a series <strong>of</strong> Qigong instructionalDVDs with Daisy Lee. <strong>The</strong> director and producer <strong>of</strong> the PBSdocumentary, Qigong – Ancient Healing for the 21st Century,Francesco works to support families and youth through hisnon-pr<strong>of</strong>it www.KahunaValley.org. His newest venture, www.WujiTech.com, <strong>of</strong>fers powerful online s<strong>of</strong>tware solutionsfor coaching, mentoring, health tracking, consulting, andpersonal development. For more on his and Daisy’s workwith Qigong, visit www.WujiProductions.com.<strong>The</strong> <strong>Empty</strong> <strong>Vessel</strong> 9
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