About Qigong

'Qi' or 'Chi' means air, breath of life or vital energy of the body. Other names for Qi are Prana (India), Orgon (Wilhelm Reich), Num (Africa´s Kalahari desert), Pneuma (Greek), Nafas (Koran), or Ha (Huna). Qi is the subtle power that flows through all living things. The Qi level of a healthy person is high, clear and flows smoothly like a stream, without blockages. “Gong” or “Kung” means “skill of working with, or cultivating, self-discipline and achievement”. Qi Gong, Qi Gung or Qi Kung, is a 5,000 year old holistic Chinese self-healing and meditation system evolving practice that includes healing postures, breathing techniques and self-massage. Qi Gong is suitable for everyone, every age and all physical conditions. The Qi Gong practitioner learns to control the Qi flow and use his/her mind to guide the Qi to all parts of his/her body to achieve a complete energetic balance. In dynamic, exercising Qi Gong, the entire body moves from one posture to another. In passive, meditative Qi Gong, the body is still and Qi is controlled by concentration, visualization and breathing. top

The roots of Qi Gong

The roots of Qi Gong are very old and the principles can be found in native tribes' philosophies and practices around the world. The oldest signs of cultivating life energy as a key to healing and spiritual power come from the Australian aborigines, around sixty thousand years ago. They concentrated life energy on a zone located four inches below the navel. This same area is called the Dantien in Qi Gong and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Another example of ancient Qi Gong practices comes from Hawaii. The powerful Hawaiian healers were known as “Masters of the Breath”. They used movements like a dance and deep breathing exercises to accumulate Qi and project it through their hands to other persons. The most important roots and closest parallels for Qi Gong we know today come from India. There are actual remarkable parallelisms between Yoga and the Chinese Yin-Yang theory . Different sources show that Yoga is older than Qi Gong and Buddhist monks from India have influenced some Qi Gong styles. However, informations have probably traveled in both directions, Taoist's ancient tales and Indian yogis learned from each other and influenced their teachings until the present day. top

Qigong applications

Worldwide there are millions of people practicing Qigong today, mainly due to its number of applications to prevent disease and get better health. The most widely known application is Medical Qigong, as a complementary healing-system. It is suitable for all ages and for the majority of health conditions. It is a very effective and soft therapy, and it has been observed that practitioners recover from illness quicker, with fewer side effects than those observed when using allopathic therapies. However, the most important point is that practitioners learn specific skills that improve constantly their immune system with a very positive long-term effect. External Qi Healing is a second application of Qi Gong and means an ancient method of transmitting Qi without touching. In meditative or spiritual Qi Gong, a third application, the practitioners focus on developing a clear and tranquil state of mind. There are basically two categories of meditative Qi Gong, Buddhist Fo Jia Gong and Daoist Dao Jia Gong, reflecting Buddhist or Daoist philosophies. Finally, there are Martial Qigong (Wu Gong) applications and these refer to Wu Shu (Chinese Martial Arts). It includes exercises to improve martial art techniques, to strengthen the body in general, to improve coordination and flexibility, and to build up Qi. The most widely known martial art Qigong is Tai Chi. top

Qigong as an Alternative Medicine

Over 80 million people already practice Qigong worldwide daily to keep themselves fit, healthy, stress-free, and full of energy. In China there is a traditional understanding to use acupuncture, herbs and Qigong. It is successfully used in clinics to treat diseases ranging from hypertension to cancer. In the western world we are still far away from this natural approach, but meanwhile there is a clear evidence of numerous clinical and experimental research from all over the world. We are starting to understand Qi Gong as an alternative or complementary therapy within the modern allopathic medicine system. Qigong is much more than an exercise. Qigong as a combination of relaxation, healthy breathing, good posture and meditation, is not limited to heal, it is also an excellent prevention system and can influence many aspects of one´s life. We suffer for instance more than ever before from stress related diseases. Scientific research has proven that stress over a longer period causes a mix of typical civilisation illnesses like high blood pressure, headaches, digestive disorders, arthritis, cancer or respiratory disorders. Qigong can help us to deal very effective with stress and keep our body free from tension and energetically balanced. Qigong is unique in its approach as a modern and high efficient psychophysiological self-regulation training system. top

Side effects of Qigong

Even though it is possible to learn Qigong with books or videos, only an experienced instructor can lead the student to master a healthy Qigong workout. Qigong cannot really damage anyone's body, however there may be possible side effects. These can occur for example, if the student is not applying the proper exercising principles or if his impatience leads him to proceed too fast, or even if he practices too many different methods. All of the above can confuse the internal Qi, which can provoke side effects like dizziness, headaches, nausea, ringing in the ears, shortage of breath, distension at the Dan Tien area or at the chest. Qigong is thousands of years old, and it has proved to be a very effective health system, but only when its rules are considered and applied. Hard Qigong like Bodhidarma Luohan 18 Hands, for example, cultivates the three treasures: the Jing (essence), the Chi (vital energy), and the Shen (spirit). This Qigong system requires a longer training period to strengthen the ligaments and the body's inner structure. Going forward too fast can lead to joint problems, tiredness, headache, unbalanced feeling, or an aggressive or too euphoric state. When a student is practicing without adjusting the posture, breathing, or mental state, the effects of Qigong can be negative and should be corrected by a teacher. Finally, we recommend to observe all changes and not ignore pain, even if that means to stop a specific exercise for some days, weeks or even months. Kenneth Cohen is saying “Pain Means No Gain”. Qigong should be fun, should relax rather than tense up muscles, should clear the mind, rather than provoke headache. Side effects in Qi Gong can be avoided with an “observing mind” and maintaining basic “rules”. top