The origins of Qi Gung
compressing the Qi , ready to fa jin
Many people have many theories and methods on the origins and theory of the practice and usage of Qi kung.
taijiboxing golden palm training technique
I was taught and believe that it is simply a mindful integration of” breath work” and” spiritual clarity”: This however is not as easy as it may sound, and requires effort, and practice and lots of patient persistence. One of the key factors which is required is a clear sense of ” Focus” “Intention “and” Attention” to the mind ,body, and spiritual aspect of ones self awareness.
This requires continuous effort and mindful practice this can only be attained through “passive detachment from ones Ego, and one self perception of our “emotional shackles” this is very difficult as most of us are not aware of this “clutter” that we call our personalities, opinions, ideas, or thoughts..although all of us are aware of and accept breathing as a natural extension of life. Qi and breathing are integrally connected but are not one and the same.
Generally most of us do not breath efficiently, or actively: unless under duress, or in competitive sports, or a fearful situation; Hence the development of ill health, dis-ease and of course finally death through expiration( out of all breath and qi ). some people believe “Breath is life” and it may be possible to achieve all your sustenance through the balance and control of your breathing ie, yogi masters, Qi gung Master, etc. after all if you look at the christian faith it states,
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Here are a few popular theories and interpretation form other sources. on it usage and application. enjoy!!!.
Stillness and motion natures osmosis
Qigong’s history developed from observation of chi to cultivation of chi for health purposes and enlightenment. It has influenced martial arts and is one of the foundation stones for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It continues to evolve and enhance the life of millions of practitioners every day.
Qigong is an ancient healing practice with its cultural roots in China. It is likened to certain practices from Indian yoga that can be found in pranayama,dhyana and asana.
Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming translates Qigong as the “kung fu of internal energy circulation” in his book Chi Kung Health and Martial Arts. Kung Fu is the study of excellence of any activity that requires time, energy and discipline.
How Old is Qigong?
Although Qigong is sure to have been practiced before texts documented its existence, history can only speculate for just how long Qigong has been practiced in China. Bill Douglas, author of The Idiot’s Guide to T’ai Chi and QiGong suggests Qigong is 2000 years old, whereas the website of Shen-Nong suggests that its 5000 years old.
Dr. Yang, one of the great Qigong scholars who have shared their learning and experience with the Western world in the past thirty years divides the history of Chinese Qigong into roughly four periods.
The First Period of Qigong
The first era documenting Qigong begins with the Yi Jing (Book of Changes) written sometime before 1122 B.C. Dr Yang in Qigong The Secret Of Youth writes that Qigong can be “traced back before the Shang dynasty (1766-1154 B.C.). However, documents that explain training practices are hard to come by.”
The first period also includes information recorded in the Nei Jing that during the reign of the Yellow Emperor (2690-2590 B.C.) pebbles were used to adjust chi circulation. Lao Tzu wrote about cultivating chi in the Tao Te Ching and later in 300 B.C., Chuang-Tzu wrote a famous sentence “the men of old breathed clear down to their heals.”
The Second Period of Qigong
The second period of Qigong heralds the merging of original Qigong methods with Buddhism and different meditation techniques. It could also be called “the religious qigong era.”
Dr. Ying writes in A Brief History of Qigong, “It was during the Eastern Han dynasty (c. 58 A.D.) that Buddhism was imported to China from India. […]The Buddhist temples taught many Qigong practices, especially the still meditation of Chan (Zen), which marked a new era of Chinese Qigong.”
Ying explains that while Buddhism kept the secrets of qigong training within the walls of their monasteries, there were other streams of qigong being taught and learned, including the meditation techniques of Dao Jiao, different schools of thought from Tibetan Buddhism, and the awareness that Qigong could be used for more than just health benefits, but to “escape from the cycle of reincarnation.”
It was during this period that the famous Daoist Jun Qian observed and incorporated the movements of animals to create the Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Sports), “which taught people how to increase their Qi circulation through specific movements.”
The Third Period of Qigong
The third period of Qigong is initiated by a famous Indian called Da Mo who is credited with kick starting a fusion of Qigong with martial arts, “martial qigong.”
It is also a effluent time for the growth of Qigong in literature, with Chao Yuan-Fang gathering together 260 ways of enhancing chi flow in the Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun (Thesis on the Origins and Symptoms of Various Diseases), Sun Si-Mao writing the Qian Jin Fang (Thousand Gold Prescriptions) and Wang Tao compiling the Wai Tai Mi Yao (The Extra Important Secret) wherein he discusses the use of breathing and herbal remedies for maintenance of health by enhanced chi circulation.
It was also during this third period that the famous brass man was designed and built by Dr. Wang Wei-Yi who also wrote and accompanying text entitled Tong Ren Yu Xue Zhen Jiu Tu (Illustration of the Brass Man Acupuncture and Moxibustion). Dr. Yang writes, “he explained the relationship of the 12 organs and the 12 Qi channels, clarified many of the points of confusion, and, for the first time, systematically organized acupuncture theory and principles.”
The Fourth Period of Qigong
The current era of Qigong began in 1911 when the Qing dynasty came to an end. This heralded a moment in history when China was forced to open its doors to the world and it resulted in Chinese Qigong becoming enriched with practices from all across the world.
Shamanism and Qigong
In many countries the Church condemned and irradiated many traditional beliefs about energy, whether it be of the spirit, or the body, or the after world. However, there has been a revival of traditional shamanic practitioners who have benefited from implementing the newly released information about Qigong.
At a time when China opened its doors to the West, the Church was losing its authority in many countries across the world. The combination of increased information with open minded seekers has resulted in hybrid creations such as a North American shamanic qigong healer for animals, or a native of the former Soviet Union who became a Tibetan Qi Dao Lineage holder living in North America.
Qigong has its roots in awareness. New forms, new hybrids, new ideas are being created from a combination of different systems from many back grounds. Qigong’s history is in the making.
For more information about Qigong, read Origins of Lohan Qigong.
Sources:
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming Qigong The Secret of Youth YMAA Publication Center, Boston, 2000
Chia, Mantak Chi Self-Massage Healing Tao Books1986 USA
Chia, Mantak Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality 1985 USA
Kaptchuk, Ted J. Chinese Medicine Rider, London, (1983) 1997, London
Douglas, Bill The Complete Idiot’s Guide to T’ai Chi and Qigong 2002, USA
Mechanism of Action According To Its Own Theory
What is Qi? It is the Life Force (bio-force, or matrix of primal energy) that underlies all existence, from subatomic particles to galaxies to empty space itself. Within humans it is the very substance of our aliveness that pulsates at varying rates within our vital organs and cells. Different qualities of qi define and regulate different biological functions, just as a stem cell differentiates into specialized functions.Qi is NOT mechanical energy, it is the intelligent mind substance that crystallizes into our thoughts, feelings, sensations, desires, and cells. It’s the motive force of DNA replication and immune system function. Qi is the functional level of the body’s innate intelligence.
Qigong shares the same philosophical foundation as Traditional Chinese Medicine (which is actually modern) with its theories of Qi and Blood, Yin/Yang, Meridians & Zang-Fu Organs, Five Elements, and the pathogenesis of disease. It also embodies the older Classical Chinese Medicine which focuses on the alchemical transformations between Shen (mind), Qi (energy), and Jing (body essence) and the shamanic concept of the Five Jing Shen (“vital organ souls”) that govern one’s health. Beyond the overlap of theory, the methods of Qigong differ from those of acupuncture, herbology, and massage.
When Qi becomes deficient or excessive, stagnant or blocked in different parts of the body, or unable to ward off pathogenic factors, a pattern of imbalance is set up that can lead to disease. Imbalances in Qi can occur as a result of improper diet, over strain, stress, lack of physical exercise, traumatic injury, toxins, environmental factors (wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness), or the seven emotions (anger, worry, sadness, grief, fear, fright, joy). When the bodyÕs natural equilibrium is overcome by any of these factors, disease can occur.
One type of qigong therapy employs “external qi emission”. The qigong healer may tap into either his personal or universal energy which is then focused and radiated into the patient’s body lying on a table or while sitting. This alters the energetic matrix of the patient’s meridians, and causes their physical body to be regenerated. The patient may feel a gentle warmth or tingling begin to flow in different parts of the body. Depending on the skill of the healer, it can be used with great success on anything from mild headache to broken bones to sexual dysfunction as well as chronic illnesses such as cancer and aids. Some healers can work at a distance, even hundreds of miles away.
The second type is for a patient to self-practice qigong. The patient is taught how to do qigong movements and meditations that will benefit their particular condition. Some are specifically designed for different illnesses, i.e. asthma, a special anti-cancer walk or for joint disease, and others are meant to balance the qi of summer, winter, or the heart or lung meridian, etc. All are easily performed even by the elderly or by people in a weak condition. The patient usually feels improvement immediately and a general sense of well-being.
The powerful Qi meditation methods known as “neigong” create “internal qi movements” using the mind to flow qi in the meridians. Most famous is the “microcosmic orbit”, which circulates qi up the spine and down the front of the body. Others might use sub-vocal sound frequencies focused on the vital organs (the “six healing sounds”), or by evoking positive feeling states (the “inner smile”). There is even a sexual qigong for redirecting sexual qi to alleviate impotence, PMS, and stimulate the production of hormonal per-cursors in the bone marrow.
The self-practice approach requires self-discipline on the part of the patient, but because the patient is taught how to take responsibility for their own healing it generally produces the most effective and lasting results. Once the patient learns to generate “qi” within themselves, the results are not limited to self-healing. You may continue to practice the qigong to achieve ever higher levels of wellness and spiritual awareness. Qigong is so simple yet powerful that many healers use qigong to repair themselves from “healer burnout”.
Biologic Mechanism of Action
The physiological effects of Qigong have been extensively scientifically studied in the past twenty years. The Computerized Qigong Database (Qigong Institute) has over 1300 studies. Qigong has been shown to decrease blood pressure, decrease oxygen consumption, increase respiratory efficiency, improve cardiovascular functioning, alter and integrate brain wave patterns, decrease stress hormone levels, and improve cellular and humoral immunity . These changes are characteristic of effects on central and autonomic nervous systems, hormones, and neurotransmitters. The overall relaxation response is believed to play a significant role in the mitigation of the devastating effects of stress, and the prevention and treatment of illness.There are seven aspects of emitted qi that have been quantified scientifically. Qi emission resulted in significant changes in infra sound, electromagnetic, static electricity, infrared radiation, gamma rays, particle and wave flows , organic ion flows, and light. Most dramatic were human infrasonic frequencies that leaped from 60 MHz to 400,000. MHz during qi emission.
In experiments on externally emitted qi from Qigong masters on various biological substrates and chemical compounds, emitted Qi was found to affect DNA synthesis and structure, protein synthesis, artificial cell membranes, chemical reactions, and polarized light beams. In similar experiments involving long-distance Qi emission and its effects on molecular structures, evidence was found to suggest the existence of such a phenomenon.
Research into emitted Qi is still in its infancy, but it is rapidly expanding our knowledge of human bio-magnetic energy. Study of emitted Qi on biological systems has the potential to unsettle the foundation of modern science and thinking. Qigong does not appear to behave entirely according to the laws of linear physics, but rather to the advanced concepts of quantum and chaos theories.
Demographics
Qigong exercises and meditations are practiced on a daily basis by an estimated 100 million people in China and in growing numbers throughout the world. The profile of those utilizing Qi healing outside of China is not well known. In the authors’ experience, the typical profile of a client seeking Qi healing is: woman, professional, higher education, between age of 30 and 50.
Qigong teachers and self-practitioners are now relatively easy to find in North America, especially in large cities with Asian communities. Contact national Qigong associations, Qigong (Chi Kung) or Tai Chi Schools, acupuncture schools, Chinese associations, herbal pharmacies, health food and martial arts stores, alternative health publications.
Forms of Therapy
internal (self-practice) and external (qi emission) qigong are the two broad divisions. Internal Qigong consists of meditation and movement exercises which are practiced by individuals to regulate their own Qi. External Qigong is performed by a trained Qigong practitioner to detect and correct imbalances in the circulation of Qi in another person.
Indications and Reasons for Referral
Most older children and adults can learn to practice simple Qigong to increase their sense of well being, decrease stress, improve health, prevent illness, and especially to treat chronic and difficult conditions. Qigong is a valuable adjunct to Western medicine in that it supports a pro-active, preventative approach to health.Qigong therapy alone is not appropriate for acute or emergency situations unless the Qigong therapist is highly skilled and experienced.
Common reasons for referring someone to Qigong instruction or therapy:
Suggested ReadingThe Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing. Kenneth S. Cohen. Ballantine Books, NY. 1997. Scholarly, yet readable book on Qigong. Great overview of the subject and introduces basic theories, meditations, and exercises.
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