Qigong and its benefits for health and wellbeing

What is Qigong?

Qigong is a holistic system of self-healing exercise and meditation, an ancient practice from China that includes healing posture, movement, self-massage, breathing techniques, and meditation. It is the art and science of refining and cultivating internal energy. Qigong has many facets, develops skills that can have broad applications, and can influence different aspects of one’s life.

It has been popularly referred to as Chinese Yoga and is oftentimes referred to as Meditative Movement or Meditation in Motion. Qigong and its methods formed the early root of Chinese medicine and are considered an integral part of modern Chinese medicine still to this day, along with acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal medicine.

Today, millions of people practice Qigong around the world to successfully treat a myriad of diseases, improve general health, support longevity, and promote health, immune function, relief from emotional and physical stress, and spiritual development.

Effects and benefits of Qigong

In qigong practice, slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing combined with movement and mindfulness strengthens the immune and lymphatic systems by facilitating the efficient and balanced movement of body fluids (blood, synovia, and lymph).

Other benefits of qigong practice include optimizing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, increasing the efficiency of cellular metabolism, altering neurochemistry towards healing, managing pain and mood, reducing heart rate and blood pressure, and facilitating relaxation and mental focus. It is excellent for stress reduction, prevention of illness, dealing with chronic illness, healthy and active aging, and longevity.

The meaning of Qi and Gong

Qi (pronounced "chee") is the Chinese word for life energy. According to Chinese medicine, qi is the animating power that flows through all living things and everything in existence. It is also the life energy one senses in nature with its diverse animals, plants, mountains, oceans, and rivers, which are alive with qi. Human beings are part of nature and share qi with the rest of the earth. Good health implies that the qi in our bodies is clear and flowing smoothly, not blocked, or stagnant.

Qi is an invisible, subtle force. We know it exists the same way we know sunlight and wind exist. We cannot capture these forces, yet we can experience them. Science does not need to prove its existence for us to believe in them. Nevertheless, research increasingly is proving that qi is real and equivalent to electromagnetic force. In the East, qi has been studied not just as a physical phenomenon but also as a spiritual one.

Gong means work or benefits acquired through perseverance and practice. Thus, qigong means working with the life energy, learning how to self-regulate and control the flow and distribution of qi to improve the health and harmony of mind and body.

External and Internal aspects of Qigong

Qigong is experienced both externally and internally, meaning it includes active elements through dynamically moving and exercising the body (this is the yang aspect) and passive, tranquil, and meditative elements, where the body is still, yet the breath is moving, and the mind is alert and focusing on the qi and its distribution throughout the body (this is the yin aspect).

These internal movements, or flows, are called Neigong and make qigong a superior health and wellness practice that differentiates from almost every other form of exercise in the West that oftentimes emphasizes prolonged cardiovascular movements, i.e. running and biking, or focuses on muscular strength training, i.e. weightlifting.

Nevertheless, external and internal aspects of qigong are not rigid. Stillness and action are relative, not absolute principles. It is important to find a balance of yin and yang, not just in qigong, but in everyday life. In movement, seek stillness and rest. At rest, be mindful and attentive.

Qigong is suitable for anyone

Anyone can practice qigong, regardless of gender, age, good or poor health, or creed. There are techniques suitable for every age and physical condition. Qigong includes standing, seated, and supine methods. With only slight adjustments in technique, it is possible to practice most standing exercises from a seated or lying down position, which makes qigong a perfect exercise system even for the disabled, thus can be meaningfully implemented in physiotherapy and other medical and health professions.

It is also inexpensive since it requires no additional exercise equipment. If practiced correctly, qigong has no side effects. It empowers us to be self-reliant and improve our health and wellbeing. Furthermore, it helps us to deal intelligently with stress, to keep the body relaxed and supple and the internal energy strong and healthy, and to develop skills to regulate the balance and movement of healing energy in the mind and body.

Applications of Qigong

• Medical Qigong (Yi Jia Gong): Chinese medicine includes acupuncture, herbology, massage, and qigong. Many doctors of Chinese medicine prescribe qigong for their patients in addition to other therapies and to regain, maintain, or improve their health.

• External Qi Healing (Wai Qi Zhi Liao) is an ancient Chinese method of healing touch and a branch of medical qigong. When the qigong student can control internal qi flow, he or she can attempt to heal others by assessing the health of the patient’s qi and transmitting healing qi.

• In Meditative Qigong or Spiritual Qigong (Jing Gong) the student’s focus is on developing a clear, tranquil state of mind, with deeper self-awareness and harmony with nature. The highest goal, though, has been called many things by all spiritual and religious traditions through time, such as “enlightenment”, “meeting with the Father in Heaven”, “reaching Nirvana”, or “ultimate understanding”. Spiritual qigong practitioners feel that one should begin with the energy of the body, then progress through emotions and thoughts to spiritual power, before going for the ultimate.

• Martial Qigong (Wu Gong) refers to Chinese martial arts (wu shu) and emphasizes dynamic exercises more than meditation. The practice strengthens, stretches, and conditions the body and speeds recovery from sports-related injuries.

Health Qigong

Health Qigong is a unique exercise system created and developed by China's best qigong masters, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) professors, medical professionals, and sports experts, supported by the National Sports Council and Chinese Health Qigong Association, to conduct in-depth scientific research and assessment on the benefits of qigong practice.

Health Qigong exercises build on the characteristics and essence of the oldest qigong forms in China that have thousands of years of history, like the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Change Classic), or Ba Duan Jin (8 Brocades), to name a few. All these qigong forms aim at combating health problems and medical conditions associated with our modern living and lifestyle (diseases of civilization).

In recent years Health Qigong has spread far. Nowadays, this unique exercise system is carried out by enthusiasts in China and by practitioners from all over the world.

Qigong as a complementary tool to the Western health system

Qigong works well with other healing modalities, complementing them. This fact is recognized in the modern Chinese health-care system, which regularly utilizes techniques of Western medicine. A Chinese practitioner of Western medicine might prescribe surgery, medication, and qigong for certain diseases.

Some experts believe that complementary medical techniques originating from Chinese medicine, like qigong, will be widely practiced in both primary care and specialized fields of medicine in the future.

Unfortunately, the West is not there yet, has doubts, and still assumes that complementary medicine is unscientific and unlikely to affect treatment outcome, even though qigong has a strong body of clinical and experimental evidence behind it.

Reasons why you should try and practice Qigong

• Qigong is relaxing, calms the mind, and brings your awareness to the present moment.

• It stimulates energy flow through the body (internal energy development). The qi utilized through qigong practice allows the body to circulate universal energy that corresponds to your meridians (paths through which the previously mentioned life energy flows) and various other energy points, which have the capacity for natural healing.

• Qi circulation improves your blood flow (for a more efficient supply of oxygen and nutrients to all cells and tissues), lymphatic flow (thus it improves immune function), and synovial fluid distribution (resulting in a better lubrication of our joints).

• Qigong reduces blood pressure and slows down the heart rate.

• It improves digestion.

• It strengthens the immune system.

• Qigong reduces emotional stress (worry, fear, anxiety, anger, etc.)

• It leads to enhanced clarity and focus of the mind.

• Qigong improves sleep quality.

• It is both interesting and fun to learn and practice.

Try it out for yourself. It may leave you surprised, as you will probably experience the positive effects of qigong right away!

References

1. The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing (Kenneth S. Cohen)

2. Qigong, The Secret of Youth: Da Mo's Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Classics (Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming)

3. Opening the Energy Gates of your Body: Chi Gung for Lifelong Health (Bruce. K. Frantzis)

4. The Healing Promise of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong and Tai Chi (Dr. Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.)

5. Ba Duan Jin: Eight-section Qigong Exercises (Chinese Health Qigong Association)

6. Yi Jin Jing: Tendon-Muscle Strengthening Qigong Exercises (Chinese Health Qigong Association)