氣功 Qigong (Chi Kung, Ch’i Kung)
Qi or Chi (pronounced chee) means vital energy. This is the energy of all living things and the cosmos.
Thousands of years ago ancient Chinese masters had discovered through meditation and intuition what would take Albert Einstein to theorize and modern science to prove in modern times. Namely that everything, including all matter and even ourselves, is nothing but interwoven fields of energy.
Qigong or Chi Kung (pronounced chee-gong) means vital energy work or life energy cultivation.
It is a form of meditative exercise used to train the mind, body and spirit. Chi Kung uses a variety of methods in order to cultivate, regulate and flow the Qi.
The Key & The Lock 鍵
“One day long ago, a highly accomplished martial artist had reached the limits of his training. He desired to break through his current limits to reach new heights. So, he set off on a quest. He journeyed far and wide in search of a martial arts master who could teach him deeper secrets to unlock. After searching for over a year in vain, he finally came upon a very old master who he hoped had such secrets to reveal.”
Major Types of Qigong Exercises
There are three major types of Qigong exercises.
- Moving Meditation such as Ba Duan Jin and Tai Chi
- Standing Meditation such Wu Chi and Zhan Zhuang
- Sitting Meditation such as Nei Dan Small Circulation
The videos below show the practice of some beginner Qigong exercises including Ba Duan Jin and Tai Chi as well as an intermediate set of Zhan Zhuang exercises.
Stay tuned for more content as I flesh this Qigong section out!
Medical Studies of Qigong for Health Improvement
- A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Chi Kung and Tai Chi
- Acute Physiological and Psychological Effects of Qigong Exercise in Older Practitioners
- EEG Brain Activity in Dynamic Health Chi Kung Training: Same Effects for Mental Practice and Physical Training?
- Qigong and Tai-Chi for Mood Regulation
- Levels of Fatigue and Distress in Senior Prostate Cancer Survivors Enrolled in a 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial of Chi Kung
- Effects of Health Chi Kung Exercises on Relieving Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
- Randomized Controlled Trial of Chi Kung/Tai Chi Easy on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors
- A randomized controlled trial of Chi Kung for fibromyalgia
- Many more Qigong medical studies…
Baduanjin videos are based on exercises described in the book – The Way of Energy
Tai Chi Meditative Movements are based on those described in – Chi Discovering Your Life Energy
