What is Chi Kung (Qigong)?
Chi Kung exercises can often look like, and can be wrongly taught like, slowed down
aerobics. Chi Kung is more than the movement of the body…….much more. It is the movement
of the Chi through focus, relaxation
and intent. It is an art that is almost impossible to appreciate without being exposed
to proper tuition and the development of the ability to listen to the Chi.
Chi Kung is the art or science of using, working with and cultivating Chi "life
energy" to enrich ones life by controlling and strengthening the flow of Chi
throughout the body. This is an art that is steeped in Chinese history, legend and
myth with fantastic claims as to its values. Before discussing Chi Kung in any depth
it is important to view Chinese cosmology and how theories and beliefs developed
through the millennia compare with those now held by the great scientific minds
of the West.
"The Tao begets the one, The one begets the two, The two beget the three and
the three beget the ten thousand things. All things are backed by the shade, Faced
by the light And harmonised by the immaterial breath."
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching.
The source of all things is the Tao, which can be interpreted as God or Godhead.
From this, the quotation from Lao Tzu may be interpreted as: - In the beginning
there was God and when God became self-aware, this act of self-awareness created
matter. Matter was then sub divided into two qualities, matter and energy (Yin and
Yang). These two qualities are held together in balance by energy (Chii). The combination
of matter and energy created what we perceive as the universe. The second quotation
explains that all nature is either Yin or Yang and that it is Chi, "the immaterial
breath" that balances the two.
Chi Kung exercises can be sub-divided into Passive Chi Kung and Active Chi Kung, and these
can be further sub-divided into Medical, Martial and Spiritual Chi Kung.
- Active Chi Kung is when there is body movement along with the movement of Chi
- Shibashi exercises, Embroidered Brocade, etc.
- Passive Chi Kung is when there is no body movement and the focus is purely
on moving the Chi - Standing as a Tree, Standing as a Column.
- Medical (health) Chi Kung promotes the smooth, free-flow of the Chi in the meridians.
When there is a deficiency or stagnation of the Chi, this leads to illness. Chi Kung
balances and harmonises the Chi, bringing health and vitality.
- Martial Chi Kung packs Chi into the facia and organs. This is to strengthen
the body so that it can withstand heavy blows, etc. The most famous of these sets
of qigong are Iron Shirt and Golden Bell.
- Spiritual Chi Kung is used to alter states of awareness, giving access to higher
levels of being.
With Yoga, one of the goals is to find stillness within. The Taoist sages said that
this stillness, the stillness within stillness, is not the true stillness - only
when there is stillness within movement is it the true stillness. In Chi Kung you
can find this stillness within movement, but you will also find movement within
stillness.
Our universe is in constant flux, the change is ceaseless with the myriad qualities
of Chi swirling, altering and manifesting in different forms and energetic fields.
This flux is reflected in each of us, the continual changes in the quality of our
Chi affects us physically, emotionally and spiritually. These changes start with
the Chi before being manifest as physical or emotional dis-ease. Therefore by practising
Chi Kung we can ward off disease before it can be come established. Chi Kung is now
being positively promoted for people who are recovering from major illnesses and
surgery heart bypass etc. However, it is not being used to anywhere near its full
potential as a method of treating chronic illness, or for its potential to treat
illness at a sub-clinical level.
The cornerstone of Chinese medicine is built on the concept that the universe is
made of Chi and that all living things have a particular quality of this Chi. Chi is
life, without Chi life does not exist. During the Healing Chi Kung course you are taught
to listen to the Chi, and by using these listening skills you are able to identify
the changes in the Chi occurring during the treatment. This instantaneous feed-back
brings accuracy and confidence, and in the knowledge that all illnesses have an
energetic pattern you can treat any dis-ease that may be presented to you.
As a therapy, Healing Chi Kung
can be used either on its own or to augment any other therapy. In China it is used
in the treatment of cancer as part of a regime that may use allopathic medicine,
surgery, or Traditional Chinese medicine (herbalism and acupuncture). Although Chi Kung
is the Chinese name for this type of therapy, as a method of healing it is known
to exist in many different cultures. Even with the new scientific technology available
to us today, the validity of these ancient arts has not been diminished and current
research is only now rediscovering the wisdom of our forbears.
Theoretically, Chi Kung follows the same rules as Acupuncture, Shiatsu, etc. in that it uses the concept of Yin and Yang,
uses the meridian system and the exceptional vessels, and incorporates the Five Element Theory. The goal is to reduce excess and feed
deficiency, reducing Yang conditions and increasing Yin conditions. In acupuncture
this balancing is brought about by the techniques of stimulation and reduction that
involve the way in which the needles are turned, or inserted and retracted. In Shiatsu
these conditions are known as Kyo/Jitsu and the techniques are called tonification
and sedation. These techniques are utilised to facilitate the raising or lowering
of the condition (Yin or Yang), to either cool or heat the Chi in order to achieve
a particular result; healing the patient, or to act as prevention against illness.
By practising Chi Kung, the therapist/practitioner can increase their Chi capacity,
and their ability to direct the Chi, so that the energy can be used during treatment.
The therapist is also able to prescribe specific Chi Kung exercises to be used by
the client in the healing process. For the healer to heal, he/she must first be
healthy and have strong Chi. By the daily practice of Chi Kung, the therapist/practitioner
remains in good health (the immune system is boosted and the endocrine system is
more active). This health is not confined to the mere physical; it is health/balance
of body, mind and spirit - Chi, Jing and Shen. The Chi affecting the physical, the
Jing increasing and maintaining vigour, and the Shen affecting the consciousness,
providing clarity of thought.
The practice of Chi Kung is mainly used to treat chronic aliments although it can
also be used to treat acute conditions like aches and pains. However, as in most
of the oriental healing arts, the Chi Kung therapist is like the gardener who is constantly
tending his plot, weeding and making sure that the ground is nurtured - rather than
the repair-man who only calls when there is already something wrong.
See: -
Pro-Holistic provides Shiatsu,
Healing Chi Kung therapy, on-site massage, Stress Mangement courses, and Stress Mangement workshops. We also provide tuition in Chi Kung,
Tai Chi, Neijia,
and self defence.