What is Qigong?

Qigong literally means “energy mastery” or “energy manipulation”.
It is the ancient science and art of working with the subtle energy of the earth, the sky and oneself.
Qigong incorporates simple but powerful postures or movements, along with breathing and the focus of mental intention to achieve greater health, vitality, awareness, concentration, balance, tranquillity, stillness of mind and subtle awareness.
Along with Acupuncture, Herbs, Dietetics and Asian Body Therapy, Qigong is considered one of the five strands of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with a history dating back some 5,000 years.
There are three varieties, or schools, of Qigong, which overlap to varying degrees.

• Martial Qigong (Nei Gong) – Focuses on the structure and alignment of bones, tendons and ligaments.
• Medical Qigong – Focuses on health and longevity.
• Spiritual Qigong (Shen Gong) – Focuses on mental concentration, refinement of essence and cultivation of virtue.

It’s important to remember that these categories are just a mental construct to help us understand the multifaceted nature of the practice.
In reality, a complete practice includes a fusion and integration of each of the three schools of Qigong into a unified whole.
In another way, you could think of Martial Qigong as the foundation, Medical Qigong as the house, and Spiritual Qigong as the conscious presence that dwells in the house.
All three are absolutely important and interdependent.

Internal Qigong Practice

A regular Qigong practice can be used as preventative health care, aiding relaxation, rejuvenation, restoration, stress reduction, emotional health, mental clarity and well-being.
It can also be used to develop subtle healing skills, energetic insights and mental focus.

Components of a Successful Internal Qigong Practice

A person who practices sincerely, is regular in their practice and has the guidance of a qualified Qigong practitioner/teacher reaps benefits, especially over time, that are profound.
Sincerity simply means approaching the practice with an open mind and heart, allowing the energetic changes to occur and follow their natural course.
Regularity of practice is also important, as each practice session is initiating, creating and nurturing new energetic patterns in the physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual body.
Regular practice ensures that these new patterns take root and have a chance to unfold, while old, outdated patterns are gradually eliminated.
Even 10 minutes a day of sincere practice can have powerful results over time, in the same way that a small step taken each day accumulates into a long journey over a year.

Variety of exercises

Qigong exercises are generally divided into two categories: dynamic and static.
These exercises use the mind and breath in different ways depending on the physical postures and movements.

The former includes real physical movements, while the latter only requires posture.

The postures in Qigong practice include lying down, sitting, standing, walking, and a combination of dynamic and static exercises is normal.

Qigong can increase resistance to disease and help develop a strong constitution.

Through self-control and concentration, Qigong can protect the body from disease, prolong life and harness natural energy for rejuvenation.

The effects of Qigong

According to modern scientific research into Qigong, it has been shown to provide a regulatory function for the nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, circulatory system and internal secretion system.

Qigong promotes the balance of yin (negative) and yang (positive) to maintain the stability of the body and mind.

As mentioned earlier, the practice includes static exercises that emphasize rest and dynamic exercises that emphasize movement, both of which require the attention of the mind.

Note that “rest in movement” and “movement in rest” are a reflection of Yin (feminine, cold, night, earth) and Yang (masculine, hot, day, sky).

Yin arises from rest and Yang arises from movement, so rest develops Yin and movement produces Yang.

Static and dynamic are two sides of the same coin that is always moving and transforming according to the law of Yin and Yang, since Yang in excess produces Yin and Yin in excess produces Yang.

Learn more about Yin and Yang, here.

How does it work?

Entering rest (yin) in Qigong can define the mind in a special way, the mind and body become more relaxed, and this is the ideal state for practice, as it has the therapeutic effect of strengthening the organism and triggering regeneration processes.

Qigong thus depends largely on the depth of rest.

Rest here means a stable state of stillness without distractions and with the mind concentrated on one point.
Usually the Dantian (navel area).

This is a special functional state in which the practitioner is neither fully conscious nor asleep, and when their mind focuses on a point in the body, it induces excitement in the corresponding area of the cerebral cortex.
The deeper the rest, and the greater the state of active relaxation, the more the excitation is intensified at the point of focus.

This is called the Qigong state of mind, where the practitioner can actively regulate the internal organs and feel the energy flowing through their body, thus clearing stagnant energy in the form of physical and emotional blockages.

What will you feel?

In general, when practicing Qigong for a certain period of time, some common effects occur, such as:

1. A feeling of general relief, tingling in the limbs and the appearance of a little sweat.
2. The contraction and relaxation of the stomach and intestinal muscles increases, which helps regulate the digestive system.
3. A reduction in mental and physical fatigue with an improvement in sleep quality and appetite.
4. A tickling sensation on the skin, a sign of improved blood circulation.
5. The muscles contract and the joints crackle; this is a sign that the body’s energy is invigorated.
6. A feeling of tranquility, comfort and vigor

Experienced Qigong practitioners can develop an awareness of the existence of their channels by internal vision and perceive the circulation of Qi along their channels, and emit energy (waiqi).

Feeling the energy of the body allows you to connect with the energy of thoughts and emotions and, for those who also wish to explore a path of meditation, can lead to an understanding of the energy of the spirit.

Qigong is practiced by people of all spiritual and religious persuasions.