So What is Qigong?
Although the origins of Qigong has its roots lost in ancient
Chinese Shamanistic and Daoist culture the word Qigong can be traced to the
Tang dynasty (618-907AD),
and comes from the words Qi meaning
“breath”, “air”, “energy” and gong
meaning “work” or “practice”. Traditionally the practice was past from Master
to Student in unbroken lineages, but China’s turbulent 1940’s and 50’s the
Chinese government banned all Qigong practice, before reinstating the practice
in the 1980’s after the cultural revolution. Different Qigong styles were
integrated into a coherent system. The style of Qigong we practice in the west
today has grown out of the Post Mao Zedong era when a number of “Masters” came
down from the mountain to seek fame and fortune as China opened its doors to
the Western world.
In his book “Tao,
the Subtle Universal Law and the Integral Way of Life” Hua-Ching NI writes:
“Vital
energy or chi (qi), as the ancient developed ones1 in the integral way referred to it,
is formless, elusive, and without tangible qualities, yet it is the subtle
breath of life which permeates and vivifies the entire universe……..”
Everything that exists in the
universe is a manifestation or projection of that energy, in grosser or finer
states, everything in the universe (including man) has a time to be born, grow,
ripen, mature, and finally a time to fall. The heart beats because of Qi energy
and it is said that if our Qi becomes stagnant we become ill, if our Qi
stops…..
The concept of Qigong and the cultivation of a universal life
force or energy, “Qi” has been practiced since the dawning of man, but the
maintenance of Qi for good health was first postulated in the Chinese Classic,
the “Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine”, and is considered to
be a reflection of medical accomplishment dating from the Warring States Period
(475-221BC)
and earlier.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, (TCM), Chinese pharmacology
(herbalism), acupuncture, massage and Qigong, has proven effective for a range
of conditions, and is used extensively by tens of millions of people daily
around the world for preventative medicine and self-healing, (however TCM has
not received widespread acceptance by Western medical practitioners). Good
health results from a well balanced and free flowing Qi energy, which is encouraged
by regular Qigong practice and meditation to relieve tension in the body. When
our body relaxes, our mind relaxes as well, and the division between the mind
and body dissolves enabling us to create a higher state of consciousness. This
expanded awareness leads to greater mental clarity and a healthier physical and
emotional state.
Chinese
Philosophy suggests there are three basic types of Qi (also known as the three
treasures), Heaven Qi - (Tian Qi), the Qi of the Universe, and the
largest most powerful form of Qi, Earth Qi - (Di Qi), the Qi that is
contained within our planet and Human Qi - (Ren Qi). Human Qi regulates our growth, vitality,
spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance.
The Sages understood, that everything
from the smallest particle to the movement of galaxies through space and time,
(including man), is a product of Qi energy in its grosser or finer states.
However just as a fish is unaware that it lives in water, so man is unaware
that he lives in a vast, inexhaustible sea of energy that supports life and is
the subtle essence of all creation. They reasoned that if everything comes from
the same subtle origin then everything shares the same true nature, a universal
nature of harmony and balance, they called it the Tao.
The Sages reasoned the Tao contained
within it all that does not exist, the un-manifest, the
“nothingness”, that existed before heaven and earth was born, as well as all
that does exist, the manifest, that which is perceptible, that
which occurred after heaven and earth were born. This polarization of manifest
and un-manifest the Sages called Yin and Yang. The polar aspects
of Yin and Yang describe the inter-relationships of everything. We will explore
Yin and Yang later, but first let us continue in the realm of Qi……
Today science informs us that air we
breathe is made up of 78% Nitrogen, 20% oxygen and 2% of a mixture of gasses of
which approximately 0.03% is Carbon dioxide. Every cell in our body requires
oxygen in order to generate energy through aerobic respiration, (see the Krebs cycle) in which a molecule
of Glucose (C6H12O6), combines with six molecules of
Oxygen (6O2) to produce six molecules of Carbon dioxide (6CO2), and six molecules of water (6H2O), plus energy this can be seen in
the equation:
C6H12O6
+ 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O Energy.
Conversely, plants
produce the oxygen and glucose that we need to survive through the process of
photosynthesis this can be shown in the equation:
6H2O + 6CO2 + Light
= C6H12O6 + 6O2
So we live in a
symbiotic relationship with all plant life and our surroundings, they give us
food and the oxygen we need to survive. Is it not better to respect and cherish
plants that give us oxygen rather than cut off our supply?
Whilst I am not
suggesting the ancient ones knew the chemical processes that are so important
to our survival, they were aware of the natural order of things and the
importance of harmony and balance. Today our lives are filled 24/7, we have
grown accustomed to living in our own stressed filled bubble at the expense of
our own health. Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation helps to regain control over our
lives and to find balance in our life style. Today living in a mountain top
retreat in isolated seclusion is not an option, but we can use the methods of
the ancient ones to find stillness, peace and tranquility in our lives.
Leon Edwards
© The Stillness Project
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1The Sage:
The Sage lived in close touch and
co-operation with nature and though often solitary or hermit was not
necessarily so. Often, like the Hindu forest dwellers’, he had served state, or
humanity, in some capacity before retiring to the wild places to live a life of
contemplation. His life was not world renouncing, but looking at life and
rejecting the artificial and sophisticated in favour of that which is real and
of primary importance.
Cooper
J (1990) Taoism The Way of the Mystic
Crucible page 69
Ni Hua-Ching (1998) Tao - The subtle
universal law and the integral way of life (seventh printing), USA, Seven Star Communications.
