internal chi exercises

Can anyone tell me what makes me sweat a lot while doing internal exercises. The sweat just pours off my head while doing internal chi work.

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I have to rephrase this:

When it's hot sweat (YOU feel hot), excess heat, doesn't matter. It is cleaning something.

When it's cold sweat, better be careful about it and take a LOT of a break afterwards, letting yourself alone. It is a sign for yourself being caring for a kind of inner problem, with strong emotions taking away the power. Although this is necessary to get healthy again, you need power, and you should provide the time and break to refuel yourself. Lying on the bed just doing nothing is good for this .

Good question, I dont know the "why" of it...at least ...I cant say for sure, but I know that I used to sweat my butt off by the time I was finished with tai chi. Felt good though...makes you feel like you are doing things right

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If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.
-Zen proverb

From the pine tree
Learn of the pine tree.
And from the bamboo
of the bamboo
-Basho

The Human body carries bound up with it a number of Qi systems. The organ/ meridian system, fields for Jing Qi and Shen that exist outside of the physical body etc. One of these systems is the Wei Qi field which (at least as far as we are concerned here) lies under the skin in the Exterior and is first-line protection against invasion of pathogenic factors.

When the Qi starts flowing, the Wei Qi also opens up and starts to move. This "releases" the exterior. Combine this with a general "firing up" of the organ system where all of the organs are allowed to release tensions and blockages and the flow of Qi can proceed as naturally required. Particularly of note here are Spleen, Lung and Bladder - all of which have major roles in fluid metabolisim. Fluids are a natural part of our metabolisim - some of which are required (for example keeping the Lungs moist to aid oxygen absorption), some of which are waste product which needs to be excreted. Sweat belongs to the later of these two - when heavily exerting oneself it is the waste from metabolising glucose etc that is eliinated directly, and used for the positive purpose of cooling one down. When doing Qigong, one is supplying energy to these same muscles, and they now have the opportunity to cleanse themselves from toxins. This creates waste products which, as the Exterior is open, may be directly released.

This is one explanation.

The other is to do with the subjective sensation (and actually not so subjective - it can be measured) of heat generated when practicing Qigong. Partl this is Qi - read energy - moving, partly this is the warming action of Kidney fire. being hot, one then sweats to cool down.

I feel both explanations play a part.

To re-iterate Nik's post, when the atmosphere around you is warm, dry and still, you do not have to worry about the swaeating. If the area is cold, damp, or windy, then you run the danger of one or more of these pathogens invading into the exterior and causing disease. Partly this might be explained by sweat over cooling the body (physical explanation), the other part is, having opened up the Wei Qi, it is no longer so able to defend against this invasion.

This is my current understanding -I still feel I've some way to go with it though. Let me know if you have any ideas or comments

RT