A Little Qigong Anyone?

by Steve Stanley

What The Heck Is Qigong?

Qigong is the venerable Chinese art and science of becoming aware of this life’s energy, and learning how to manage it’s flow through a precise choreography of posture, movement, respiratory technique, and meditation.

Theory And Origin Of Qigong:

A living soul acquires qi from the food by eating, from the air by breathing, and from interacting with their surroundings. In the body, qi represents the unseen essential force that sustains a lifetime. A person becomes ill or dies when the amount or category of qi is unbalanced within the body. Qigong practice involves the manipulation and balance of the qi within the practitioner’s body, and it’s interaction with the practitioner’s surroundings. The method and ultimate goal for the practice is dependent on the practitioner.

Historically, the effect of qigong practice has always been subjective. It ranges from a feeling of calmness and peacefulness, to a sense of well being. All through history, remarkable claims have also been produced as a result of qigong practice. The journey towards self-enlightenment can incorporate descriptions of out of body experiences and miraculous powers.

Qigong is like an amazing river fed by four considerable tributaries: shamanism, spirituality, medicine, and martial arts:

1. Shamanism:

In venerable Chinese text, China was often siege by floods and widespread disease resulting from it. Legends say that the emperor cleared the land and diverted the water by dancing a bear dance, and invoking the mystical powers of the constellations. As the waters subsided, folks reasoned that movement and exercise can similarly give rise to the internal rivers to flow more smoothly, clearing the obstructions to health. Chinese Shamans used these exercises and meditations to commune with nature and natural forces and to increase their powers of healing and divination.

2. Spirituality (Taoism and Buddhism):

In Taoism, their intention is to acquire an empty, alert, boundless state of consciousness, with spirit and body in balance. Taoists and qigong practitioners were both looking for a harmony of yin and yang: inside and outside, earthly and spiritual, stillness and activity.
In Buddhism, emphasis is placed on tranquillity, awareness, and diligent practice. Several styles of qigong were developed by Buddhists who needed an exercising and healing system to complement their lengthy seated meditations.

3. Medicine:

Chinese medicine includes acupuncture, herbal remedies, massage, diet, and qigong. Qigong is the preventive and self-healing aspect of Chinese medicine, and was used in the past, as today, to advise patients how to improve their own health.

4. Martial Arts:

Qigong practice can improve performance in the martial arts or any other sport. Chinese martial artists designed, or helped to improve many qigong techniques as they looked for ways to increase speed, stamina, and power, improve balance, flexibility, and coordination, and condition the body against injury.

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