[flow.alignment]

Originally Posted by water drop

the more chi the better ?

In general, yes, because there isn't really a downside to gathering more.

If you want it for health, there are 2 aspects - clearing blockages by circulating it and increasing the amount you have.

In the beginning, some say it's more important to circulate the chi you have to clear blockages since building the amount you have before circulating it can be a more unpleasant experience (but also possibly clear the blockages faster).

But lets say your blockages are gone and you're experiencing abundant energy and radiant health. At that point, gathering more might not have a practical use besides replenishing the chi you lose from day to day activities.

Those who use it for martial arts or emitting it to treat other people's medical issues will need more and it's more important for them to maintain their levels.

is there a limit to how much chi you can get ?

I'm not aware of a practical limit.

There are people who practice gathering exercises for 3 hours or more a day for years without issue.

The dantian and your channels aren't a set size that can only hold so much. As you gather more, they expand to accommodate it. Your experience of energy at the dantian gets stronger and grows larger in size and greater amounts flow through your energy channels.

why in some qigong excercise in a class i went to the instructor told to breath in chi from the surroundings to hands than release the chi on the out breath -- if you want to get as much chi as possible ?

That's a good question for the instructor who was teaching the exercise.

The qigong exercises I'm aware of, usually you visualize gathering chi and (if chi is expelled) sending out "bad" chi.

what are some good ways to get chi except tai chi and qigong exercises ?

IMO, the best way is through qigong because it specializes in it (so is more efficient) and it is more likely to handle it in a safe way.

For example, people can unintentionally gather chi through long term practice of seated meditation, but because they aren't aware of it, they don't store it at the dantian.

A result is they still have blockages and may have chi building up in places that don't hold a lot of energy (like their heads, which may be why they experience a pressure in their heads while meditating).

If they practiced qigong, they are more likely to have worked on clearing their blockages and gathering their chi at the dantian near the end of their practice session.

Not all qigong exercises specialize in building the amount of chi you have. Exercises that focus on circulating chi can slowly gather more, but other exercises are better at gathering. For example, standing qigong (zhan zhuang) or meditating while focusing on the dantian with proper breathing (abdomen expands when inhaling and contracts when exhaling).