What is Qigong (Chi Kung) ?
The powerful ancient healing art “Qigong”.
In order to understand the theory of Qigong best, we first look at the term itself. “Qi” has been described in the previous post. “Gong” is often used instead of “Gongfu”. If you want to make it very simple Qigong translates to “energy work”, but looking at the word “Gong” you will find a deeper meaning to it. Gongfu relates to any training or study of a specific skill which requires time and energy. A good example of Gongfu (eg. Kung Fu) is the commonly known martial art which requires a tremendous amount of training and effort, consistently over a long period of time.
The word “Qi” itself also has many different uses and translations in the Chinese language but to keep it simple we will only focus on the inner energy of human beings. Qi is the energy circulating in the human body and Qigong is the study and training of it. There are some fields of expertise which Qigong includes for example acupuncture, martial arts, massage etc.The Qigong theory which we concern ourselves with can be put in simple words. When you do your exercises you focus your attention on your limbs to build up the Qi in your arms and legs. Once the Qi potential builds up to a high enough level, the Qi will flow through its channels and clear away any obstructions as well as nourish the organs. That is the main reason why physically active people are generally healthier than a person that sits around all day.
To give you a better overview of the Qigong practice I want to describe two methods of training, the external and internal elixir Qigong. (Wai Dan & Nei Dan)
By “external” we usually refer to the surface of the body and the limbs, whereas “internal” refers to the torso (centre of body) including all our internal organs. During Wai Dan Qigong practice we exercise to build up Qi in our limbs and skin which will eventually flow through the Qi channels into the centre of our body. On its way it clears any obstructions and blockages and then nourishes our internal organs in the centre. This also happens naturally, for example a person with a physical job which involves a lot of movement is generally healthier than a person who sits in the office all day. This is because a more physically active person is naturally moving Qi through the body, raising it and enhancing its circulation. During Nei Dan practice we build up Qi in the centre of our body and then lead it out to the limbs. This is accomplished by building up Qi in the lower Dan Tian through different breathing techniques and still meditation.
There are many different (Wai Dan) Qigong sets available. For example Da Mo's
Muscle/Tendon Changing Classics (Yijin Jing).
The true strength of the body is expressed through the tendons, rather than the muscles. Tendons don't just require much less maintenance and caloric fuel than building muscles, they also hold up their strength long term. In Da Mo's set you have specific postures in which you repeatedly (mentally) tense up and relax the muscles in your limbs, such as the wrist while holding both arms up in front of the chest. This builds up a stronger concentration of Qi in the area being exercised. When you finish the exercise and relax, you can feel the accumulated Qi flow to the organs. The practice of strengthening the tendons allows the joints to open, grow stronger and store more energy. These exercises are great not only to strengthen the muscles/tendons and nourish the entire body but also to become more sensitive to the sensation of Qi. The Daojia Yijin Jing is my absolute favorite Qigong practice. It has offered already great benefits. You can read more about it here.
Other sets, in addition to tensing and relaxing the muscles, also move the arms and legs in specific ways so that the muscles around certain organs are stretched and stimulated. These exercises don't just build up Qi in the limbs, but also increase the Qi circulation around and in the organs more directly. Some exercises are designed to stretch tendons all along the major tendon lines of the body. A typical Qigong set which uses these kinds of moving exercises are the Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) and 5 Animal Qigong (Wu Qin Xi). These two Qigong training methods will give you a healthy body, improve your martial arts performance and even cure some illness. Practicing standing Qigong like Zhan Zhuang (Standing Pole Meditation) helps you to gain an understanding of what it means to truly relax and to find movement in stillness. You are cultivating energy and the awareness of your Qi will gradually improve. With practice, your Qi will accumulate and increase slowly like a trickle of water in a bucket. Once you have developed the feeling for your Qi it becomes easier to sense your own progress. Eventually you will be able to manipulate your energy and move it around within your body. My goal is to guide you through some of these practices and give you the tools you need to begin your own Qigong journey.
The uses of Qigong are really vast.
The benefits are not only a good state of health, increased body awareness and coordination as well as postural corrections but also mental stability, a calm and clear mind, the ridding of anxiety and depressions as well as bad habits. Qigong exercises reset some of your body's functions by reconnecting to a natural abdominal breath as well as balancing the two opposing powers within you (yin and yang), which ultimately leads to health and harmony. Most martial artists (including myself) eventually start practicing on their pursuit of heightening their physical and mental abilities. I believe Qigong to be an essential corner stone for all internal martial arts and see how it can open up the possibilities for further achievements like condensed breathing and transformation of internal energy into power.
Feel free to leave any comments, questions, feedback or share your own experiences!
Until next week,
Marco
At Water Dragon Arts we offer various courses that deal extensively with Qigong and Taijiquan. You can take part in our online lessons via Zoom or a selection of multi-day courses.
