About Qigong

by Master Alex Lim

Qigong. What does it mean? Certainly not a new dish in your local Chinese restaurant!

The Chinese character for "Qi" (chi, the Japanese pronounce it 'Ki', as in 'Rei-ki') means energy, breath, air, life force, vital energy. The character "Gong" (or sometimes spelled 'Kung' like in 'Kung-Fu') means right effort, good deeds, merit, effect, achievement. So, "Qigong' means the right effort to produce energy, energy works, etc. Personally I prefer a loose translation that means 'the cultivation of vital energy/life force' since the word "cultivation" has a 'long term' connotation and suggests a continuous effort.

These Qigong exercises involve some gentle ("soft") movements, stronger movements that require more muscular activity ("hard") preferred by the martial artists, and the "static" meditative type of exercises, but all have one thing in common, that is that they be done with emphasis on the breath and mind focus.

Qigong is a series of exercises - some are considered "soft", "hard" and "static" that were put together by the Taoist sages and healers of ancient times and also developed further by the Buddhist monks, nuns and the martial art masters of ancient China (Qigong has been practised for over 5000 years). Some of these hermits, sages and monks probably even had some divine intervention because they were so pure, living in such harmony with nature, other creations and with the energy of the universe.

These exercises were "designed" to unblock and stimulate the acupuncture meridians or channels so that the Qi/Ki energy (and blood) can flow smoothly, unobstructed in the channels to supply the whole body. (In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that the blocked and stagnant energy can cause all sorts of diseases. This includes your mental and emotional energy). It also stimulates and restores your own body's self-regulating system.

The breathing method involves largely using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles which massages and stimulates the organs in the body (imagine yourself being given therapeutic, soothing massages every day!) while the mind focus increases your awareness of your own body and what is going on inside - where your energy and blood flow, where they're blocked or stagnant and increasing the sensitivity of your senses.

The static meditative side of Qigong will give you the same benefit as other meditation methods: relaxation, stilling the mind (like putting the leash on or taming the "wild", "naughty" monkey that is our mind, from jumping around and swinging from one tree to another, like the chaotic mind), neutralising stress and emotional imbalances, giving clarity of mind, inducing tranquillity, plus more, for Qigong practice enables you to harmonise with the universal energy and harness it, thus recharging our "battery".

Qigong's ultimate aim (like yoga's) is spiritual enlightenment, by mastering your own body, your mind and discovering and knowing our "true self". On the way to spiritual enlightenment, by practising Qigong regularly, you will achieve your optimum health. Optimum health is NOT simply the absence of diseases, but includes your ability to handle life's stresses, manage emotional ups and downs very well and make the right decisions with clarity of mind.

Unlike yoga, which is experiencing a revival of interest at the moment (thanks to the celebrities who are promoting it in their interviews, so everyone who wants to have their looks and physiques is enrolling in yoga classes in droves), Qigong is almost unknown in the West. It is only in its infancy but, judging from the results or benefits gained by practitioners and the ease of the exercises (as compared to yoga postures (asanas) and, say, Tai- Chi which has been practised only in the past 200 years. Qigong will have an explosion in popularity in the very near future.

Another aspect of Qigong that is rarely discussed is that you're putting the responsibility for your health maintenance and healing yourself back in your own hands by not relying on others.

Even lesser known in the West is the 'Emitted Qi' or energy healings that some Qigong experts/adepts are practising. This is similar to 'Rei-ki' which is also a form of Qigong coming from China to Japan and popularised in the West (just like Kung Fu from China to Japan evolving into Karate and evolving into Tae Kwon Do in Korea) and 'Pranic Healing', from the Indian system of breathing exercises called 'Prana-Yama' which is as ancient as Qigong. In this practice, the universal energy is passed on by the practitioner by way of emitting the 'Qi' through their hand to the patient to heal whatever the disease is.

Another aspect of Qigong that is rarely discussed is that you're putting the responsibility for your health maintenance and healing yourself back in your own hands by not relying on others.

In China alone, Qigong is practised by about 200,000,000 people in some form or another. Now in major hospitals in China, Qigong therapy is being prescribed together with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine to cure 'the incurables'.

Qigong practice will give you the suppleness of a child's body, the strength and energy of a circus strongman, and the mind and spirit of a "sage".

* CAUTION

Because Qigong is dealing with "life force" itself, just like 'pranayama', it is advisable to learn it from competent teachers who "walk the talk". One way to find these teachers is to ask around, and to observe these teachers, and see how "healthy" they are physically, mentally and spiritually!