What is Qigong?
Qi translates as ‘energy’ or ‘breath’. It is what the Japanese call Ki (like in AiKiDo) and Hindus call Prana. Qi Gong means “working with the qi.” It is the ancient Chinese practice of becoming aware of this life energy and learning how to control its flow.
By focusing on your Qi,
You can become as soft as a Baby.
Dao De Jing (chap 10).
Qi Gong uses a series of postures, and movements linked with deep breathing as a meditative technique. The student learns to be aware of the inner workings of their own body and learns to restore a healthy balanced feeling of being. Even half-hour an hour each day will bring to you the dividends of better health, increased vitality, and peaceful alertness.
In an ancient story, a great flood covered much of China and its stagnant waters produced widespread disease. The legendary shaman-emperor Yu cleared the land and diverted the waters into rivers by dancing a bear dance and invoking the mystical power of the Big Dipper Constellation. As the waters subsided, people reasoned that movement and exercise can similarly cause the internal rivers to flow more smoothly, clearing the meridians of obstructions to health.
For Taoists Qi Gong is the ideal way to realise their goal of ‘wuji’, an empty, alert, boundless state of consciousness. The harmony of Yin and Yang: inside and outside, earthly and spiritual, stillness and activity. Spirit and body cultivated in balance.
Qi Gong is a preventive and self-healing aspect of Chinese medicine and is still used today, to teach patients how to improve their own health. A major early text on Qi Gong, the ‘Dao-yin Tu’ (168 B.C.) contains illustrations of forty-four Qi Gong postures prescribed by ancient Chinese doctors to cure specific ailments.
One of the founding father of Chinese medicine, Hua Tuo (second century A.D.) was also one of the great early Qi Gong masters. His “Five Animal Frolics” imitate the movements of the Crane, Bear, Monkey, Deer, and Tiger and are still practiced today. Hua Tuo said that: “just as a door hinge will not rust if it is used, so the body will attain health by gently moving and exercising all of the limbs”.
Qigong is practiced by more than 80 million Chinese people and probably by tens of thousands in the United States and Europe. Its practice will improve performance in the martial arts or any sport. It will bring you health, harmony and balance. Qi Gong techniques are suitable for male or female, young or old, fit or disabled.
Though there are many styles of Qi Gong all are based on similar principles: relaxed, rooted posture; straight, supple spine; diaphragmatic respiration (breathing into the abdomen, expanding on inhalation, retracting on exhalation); fluid movements without excess effort; and tranquil awareness.
Qigong (also spelled Ch’i Kung) is a powerful system of healing and energy medicine from China. It is the art and science of using breathing techniques, gentle movement, and meditation to cleanse, strengthen, and circulate the life energy (qi).
Qigong practice leads to better health and vitality and a tranquil state of mind. In the past, qigong was also called nei gong (inner work) and dao yin (guiding energy). The word Qigong (Chi Kung) is made up of two Chinese words. Qi is pronounced ‘chee’ and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe.
The second word, Gong, pronounced ‘gung’, means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qigong (Chi Kung) means cultivating energy, it is a system practiced for health maintenance, healing and increasing vitality.
Qigong practices can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. For example Tai Chi Quan would be considered a martial application of qigong principles. While the Chinese government recognise a number of techniques that have specific medical applications such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin 八段錦), a qigong form that is widely practiced throughout the world. Additionally qigong can form the basis of more spiritual practices often referred to as nei gong or inner cultivation. This last form of practice can involve meditation and the development of mindfulness as a goal.
Typically a qigong practice involves rhythmic breathing coordinated with slow stylised repetition of fluid movement, a calm mindful state, and visualisation of guiding qi through the body. There are literally thousands of different forms and techniques associated with this ancient practice. The roots of qigong go back more than 4,000 years and archeological evidence suggests that the first forms of qigong can be linked to ancient shamanic meditative practice and gymnastic exercises.
For example, a nearly 7000 year old Neolithic vessel depicts a priest-shaman (wu xi 巫覡) in the essential posture of meditative practice and gymnastic exercise of early qigong. Shamanic rituals and ideas eventually evolved and formalised into Taoist beliefs and were incorporated into the field of traditional Chinese medicine. Qigong draws upon traditional Chinese classics such as the I Ching as well as occult arts; the philosophical traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, with Yoga influences coming from the introduction of Buddhism into China. Its three main pillars though are traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), martial arts and Daoist philosophy. Though nowadays qigong also includes more modern influences such as contemporary concepts of health, science, meditation, and exercise.
A good place to start if you want to learn more about qigong is to join a local class and learn some simple exercises. Many of the forms are very simple and can be easily learnt by anyone no matter their age, health, fitness or level of experience. A quick search of the internet will find practitioners close to where you live so why not give it a try.
