These philosophical forces come under many names. qi, chi, pneuma, mana, prana and the soul are notions of 'life-force' or spirit - an attempt at explaining human consciousness employed by almost every civilisation that has ever existed. These notions also concern themselves with energetic notions of life force (for a good example of this, see The Force in Star Wars); physical manifestations of the soul's energy.

For the most part, I think this is all a load of utter crap.

I've seen 'chi masters' brought down to Earth when they learn their no-touch KOs are complete bollocks, and I think this is a perfect example of why we're going about ideas of spirit incorrectly.

People have developed these pseudo-philosophical notions over time to explain what we now know are a series of infinitely complex, electrical occurrences in the brain - this is a scientific view of the soul. It doesn't matter whether you agree with this or not - what's importance is how we 'exercise' personal energy, without all the bullshit.

Right. This is a BJJ Blog. Time to relate my waffling to BJJ.

Why do we learn better when we relax? Why do we perform better when we abandon our ego? 

Ignoring reasons like the avoidance of bench-pressing opponents, for arguments sake: It's because you're entirely focused on the game.

Simple. What do these notions of the focusing of chi and whatnot all have in common? They're all about focus. It's like texting and driving - you can't do both well when you do them simultaneously (also, please don't). 

Narrow-mindedness is easy when you drop your ego and inhibitions. Hell, if you're loving what you do enough, they should just melt away. This makes thinking quickly, instinctively, and with clarity almost impossible not to do.

Peace out.

- George