There is a lot of discussion about ki, as though it is some kind of mysterious force. But actually, everyone has experienced ki in their life. And we can all learn to increase our ki power.

Ki can be thought of as positive thinking, belief in yourself, faith, confidence, or a state of mind/body unification. You have used ki quite naturally many times in your life, at those moments when something totally captured your interest and imagination. It may have been while you were playing a sport, working late into the morning on a project that was important to you, playing with your child, or simply spending time with someone you love.

In each case, you were totally focused and completely yourself. You were achieving a wonderful effect, but seemed to have a limitless supply of energy. These experiences often define our lives, yet their occurrence often seems to be out of our control. Through the study of Ki principles (One-Point, Relaxation, Positive Thinking, and Correct Posture) and the practice of Ki Exercises, though, you can spend more and more of your life operating at this powerful, higher state.

So that's what Ki exercises can do for you. But that doesn't mean you should bare down and do your ki exercises so that, one day, years and years from now, you can appreciate the benefits of ki development, and all the world will stare in awe as you walk effortlessly through life, achieving whatever you like, while inspiring love and admiration in all beings that you encounter (although that wouldn't be so bad). Ki exercises are about feeling good right now. Do them this morning, and they will have an effect - albeit small at first - all day long. Do them for a year, and you will be a different person. Do them for your lifetime, and perhaps people will look at you and say, "Wow, that ki is some kind of mystical force." Then you can tell them, "You got that right."

Here is how we think you can use this Ki Exercise section best.

• Go through the exercises in order. Don't try to do them all today. Take two or three at a time.
• Look at the pictures, read the text, and try to duplicate what you see.
• Read the tips, but don't try to apply them all at once. Maybe pick one that seems particularly applicable, and work on that one.
• Download the videos. These are small, short videos (most are under 200K) that are intended to give you the rhythm of the exercises. They are very important! Start downloading as you begin to read about a ki exercise, and it will probably be ready to view when you are finished. (If you've got a fairly current browser and the most recent Quicktime plug-in, the videos will download automatically.)
• Loop the videos. These exercises are repetitive. If you loop each video (so it plays to the end and then starts again at the beginning) it will give you a real good impression of how the exercise should look.
• Save the videos. This will save you download time in the future, and give you a Ki Exercise Mini-Video library. In Netscape Navigator, just hold the mouse down over the video, and select "Save".
• Do your Ki Exercises often. I do them every morning and find they truly effect the nature of my entire day - I notice this especially on the very few days that I don't do them.
• Remember to relax and use the minimum effort needed to do each exercise properly. Power doesn't come from muscle. It comes from a relaxed body and a calm mind.
• Enjoy these exercises. Discover what positive feelings they have to give you. That is the best reason to keep practicing them.
• Now that you've read all these tips, forget them.