Qi gong

Mysterious and wondrous, Qigong is an outstanding legacy of Chinese culture as well as an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. As a form of traditional breathing exercise, Qigong has been practiced by the Chinese for thousand of years. Literally, qi means air or breath, in fact, it refers to the body's physiology functions. Qingong experts call it the internal qi or datian qi which generate life. In ancient Chinese cosmology, qi is closely tied in with spirit as distinguished from physical substance. The Taoist philosophy regards man's qi as part of the universal qi or man's, life force. Gong refers to Kungfu. Therefore, Qigong is a kind of self-training method by which the practitioner use the initiative to train the body and mind, providing a holistic training for self-reliance, self-adjustment, body building, prophylaxis, curing disease and strengthening the constitution, resisting premature aging and prolonging life.

 

The 'qi' in 'qigong' means breath or gas in Chinese, and, by extension, 'life force', 'energy' or even 'cosmic breath'. 'Gong' means work applied to a discipline or the resultant level of skill, so 'qigong' is thus 'breath work' or 'energy work'. The term was coined in the twentieth-century and its currency, Ownby suggests, speaks of a cultural desire to separate 'cultivation' from 'superstition', to secularize and preserve valuable aspects of traditional Chinese practices.

 

Attitudes toward the scientific basis for qigong vary markedly. Most Western medical practitioners and many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the Chinese government, view qigong as a set of breathing and movement exercises, with possible benefits to health through stress reduction and exercise. Others see qigong in more metaphysical terms, claiming that cosmic qi can be drawn into the body and circulated through channels (aka meridians).

 

Qigong (or ch'i kung) refers to a wide variety of traditional a??cultivationa?? practices that involve movement and/or regulated breathing designed to be therapeutic. Qigong is practiced for health maintenance purposes, as a therapeutic intervention, as a medical profession, a spiritual path and/or component of Chinese martial arts.

 

The history of Qigong can be dated back to Zhou Dynasty about 3,000 years ago. Qigong exercise were already recorded in the Jinwen text, incriptions on ancient bronze sacrifical objects. The oldest book recording Qigong is Master Lu's Spring and Autumn A nnals written in 230 B.C.

 

In prophylaxis and treating diseases, Qigong exerts effects on the body through its required movements, postures, regulation of respiration and control of thought, building up constitution and strengthening bodily resistance. It has been proved to be effective in treating some chronic diseases, especially hypertension, coronary heart disease, ulcers, neurasthenia and bronchitis. Qigong can reduce severity of disease and promote earlier recovery without any special equipment. So it is highly desirable to employ Qigong clinically.

 

There are numerous kinds of Qigong exercises, each with its own features and effects, differing according to posture, method, form, style and purpose. At present there are nearly four hundred kinds of Qigong in China . Generally, it can be divided into Quiescent Qigong, Dynamic Qigong and Emitting Qigong.

 

There are four main postures in Qigong exercises, namely, lying, sitting, standing and walking. Although there are various ways to practice Qigong, the following three are essential. For example, regulating the mind, regulating the body and regulating the breath. Regulating the mind into a state of tranquility, or calming the mind, is the most fundamental skill in Qigong practice. This method was also called heart-regulation in ancient China. Calm the mind and avoid worrying about worldly cares, and then Essential Qi will be able to travel smoothly along the channels and the body will not be invaded by diseases. In modern medical terms, this method can induce the activity of the cerebral cortex which control the brain and the rest of the body, relieves the cerebral cortex of pathological tension or excitation caused by certain illness, thus helping it to regain its power to regulate the function of the body. Regulation of the body is also an important skill in Qigong practice. According to scientific experiments, the oxygen consumption and metabolic rate during Qigong practice are even lower than during a sound sleep, which is beneficial for reducing consumption of vital energy, allowing it to reaccumulate. In this way, Qigong exercise helps cure some chronic disease and strengthen health. Regulating the breath, with the help of slow and smooth movements of the body, promotes circulation in the portal veins as well as in the systemic and pulmonary circulatory systems. The net result of this exercise is an increase in the vital capacity of the lung, improved functioning of the heart and stimulation of metabolism, thus creating favorable conditions for recovery of the heath.

 

It is generally believed that through regulating the body, regulating the mind, and regulating the breath, Qigong can increase vitality and promote longevity.

 

Even though there is such a variety of Qigong, each with its own fentures and requirments, the general principles for them are the same, which including combination of relaxation, inward peace, natural movements, flow of Qi, integration of movements, quiescence, flexibility in the upper body ans stability in the lower body, a moderate amount of exercise, and exercising in an oederly way.