What
is Qigong?
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).
How do I say it?
Qi pronounce chee
Gong pronounce gung, as in lung
How old is Qigong?
The documented history of qigong goes back approximately
2,500 years. However Chinese archaeologists and historians
have found references to qigong-like techniques at least
five thousand years old.
What about Taiji Quan (Tai Chi)?
Taiji Quan is a style of qigong. It is graceful, relaxed,
slow, and fluid, like a slow- motion dance. Unlike some qigong
methods that exercise specific systems or parts of the body--
nervous system, endocrine system, heart, kidneys-- Taiji
Quan is a whole body, whole mind exercise. It treats health
systemically, restoring the body to its original "program",
uncorrupted by stress, pollution, and disease. The Qigong
Research & Practice Center offers training in all aspects
and levels of Taiji Quan.
Why study Qigong?
Qigong has four major areas of application:
- Healing Qigong
(Yi Gong). Healing Qigong (sometimes translated "Medical
Qigong") is the preventive and self-healing aspect
of Chinese medicine. We are all exposed to stress.
Qigong teaches us how to control our reactions to stress
so that life events do not cause such symptoms as high
blood pressure, frustration, or anxiety. Healthy people
practice qigong to become super-healthy. Healers use
qigong to prevent "healer burn-out" and to
maintain a positive presence.
- External Qi
Healing (Wai Qi Zhi Liao). Qigong includes a sophisticated
system of health assessment and non-contact treatment
called External Qi Healing (EQH). The healer learns
to tap into a well of healing energy in nature and
"funnel" it through his or her body. Unlike
some purely intuitive systems, EQH includes exercises
that increase sensitivity to energy fields and efficacy
of treatment. The more you practice External Qi Healing
exercises and meditations, the more effective your
healing treatment. External Qi Healing techniques may
be used as a stand alone form of wellness treatment
or may be combined with massage, acupuncture, Therapeutic
Touch, osteopathy, or any other form of body-work.
Because treatment is generally performed at a distance
from the body, EQH does not violate psychotherapists'
professional ethics (which do not allow touching the
patient) and is thus an ideal adjunct to body-centered
psychotherapy.
- Sports Qigong
(Wu Gong). In sports and martial arts, qigong is the
key to strength, stamina, coordination, speed, flexibility,
balance, and resistance to injury. Qigong exercises
can improve performance in any sport, improving the
golf drive, tackling ability in football, accuracy
in tennis, and stamina in swimming.
- Spiritual Qigong
(Fo Gong, Tao Gong). As a spiritual discipline, qigong
leads to self-awareness, tranquillity, and harmony
with nature. The spiritual aspect of qigong evolved
from Taoism and Buddhism.
Lesser Known Categories
Art Qigong. In
the arts, qigong leads to aesthetic sensitivity. Nature
uses our eyes to see herself. The qigong practitioner
feels such oneness with nature that he or she feels
as though the beautiful pine tree is expressing itself
through the brush or poem. Students of theater, mime,
and other expressive arts practice qigong to increase
confidence, physical and emotional control, and expressive
ability.
Business Qigong. In the
business world, qigong can lead to greater integrity, defined
by brilliant Law Professor Julian Gresser as, "...a sense
of connectedness, coherence, wholeness, and vitality. Integrity
is the capacity of every living thing to hold its own in the
face of entropy, disorder, and uncertainty, its link to the
living world, its ability to carry on its life, however humble."
(Piloting Through Choas, p. 8) Qigong practitioners are more
resistant to stress; make better decisions; encourage credibility,
confidence and team spirit; and are far more efficient. Most
importantly, qigong is the ideal therapy for "hurry sickness"--
the habitual sense of time urgency-- a major risk factor for
heart disease and accelerated aging.
Who can benefit?
Because qigong includes both dynamic and gentle techniques
that can be practiced from standing, seated, or supine
postures, it is suitable for young and old. Practices
can be tailored to individual needs making it an ideal
aid to recovery from illness or injury. Qigong is a form
of complementary medicine. It works well with other forms
of therapy and should never be used as a substitute for
necessary treatment by a physician.
Is Qigong scientific?
Both China and the U.S. have hosted conferences for academic
exchange of qigong research. Qigong has been shown to
improve posture and respiration, induce the relaxation
response, cause favorable changes in blood chemistry,
and improve self-awareness and concentration. Research
suggests that Qigong may be beneficial for Asthma, Arthritis,
Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia,
Headaches, Pain, and a wide variety of common ailments.
External Qi Healing is effective for the same range of
illnesses as acupuncture.
Read the longer article What is
Qigong?
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