What is Chi energy ? (Life force energy)

Chi: The Life Force

However one conceives the Taoist concept of chi, there is general agreement about what it does: Chi animates matter, infusing it with life. As a result, it is often described as the "life force." It not only permeates the empty spaces between material objects in Taoism, it is part of their composition.
In people and animals, for example, chi is responsible for the functioning of the organs, including the cardio-­respiratory system. This life force circulates throughout the body with the blood so that it can provide its own particular form of nutrition to the myriad cells.
Every living organism has some way to assimilate chi. Human beings, animals, and plants alike ingest chi along with the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat.
Once inside, chi moves to various locations and begins to perform its many functions. The most common of these functions are generally related to the proper functioning and continued operation of the body or plant.

Experiencing Chi: An Experiment

Most people are understandably skeptical about this energy called chi until they actually experience it for themselves. After all, in the West we have been well trained to deny even the possibility of such phenomena. While some people will never be able to sense the chi, many others do -- some on their first encounter with it.
Try this experiment with a partner, such as your child, spouse, or friend, to see if you are able to feel the chi. Both of you should either sit or stand approximately two arms-length away from each other.
Ask your partner to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders and back muscles as completely as possible. Try to imagine an energy rising from the ground into your body.
When you think you can almost sense this imaginary force, ask your partner to extend an arm toward you until it is level with the floor. The palm of the hand should be facing downward.
Slowly raise your own arms and extend your fingers until they are within a few inches of your partner's outstretched hand. Using your mind, direct the imaginary energy -- what we call the chi. Move it further up through your body until it passes along your arms and out from your fingertips.
It's helpful to imagine a current of energy passing from your body into your partner's. Whether you think this is an imaginary force or not, some people feel the chi right away, even with their eyes closed.