What is Qigong? :: National Qigong Association Qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention. The word Qigong (Chi Kung) is made up of two Chinese words. Qi is pronounced chee and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe. The second word, Gong, pronounced gung, means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Qigong is an integration of physical postures, breathing techniques, and focused intentions. Qigong practices can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. Like any other system of health care, Qigong is not a panacea, but it is certainly a highly effective health care practice. Qigong creates an awareness of and influences dimensions of our being that are not part of traditional exercise programs. The gentle, rhythmic movements of Qigong reduce stress, build stamina, increase vitality, and enhance the immune system. What is Qigong?
Chi and the Martial Arts by Rich Robson Almost everybody has heard that martial arts practice is good for improving one's health. Indeed, in most ads promoting a martial arts studio, health is given as the reason right after self-defense for studying the martial arts. Most of us believe this claim without thought. All that fast moving gives the martial artist an excellent aerobic workout, the stretching makes the practitioner flexible, and the various muscle-building exercises promotes lean, healthy body tissue. While all of that is true, there is an area of health benefits, more powerful than those mentioned above, that is virtually unknown by the non-martial artist and, unfortunately, too often little understood by martial art instructors themselves! While the study of chi has been part of Oriental culture for thousands of years, it was unknown in the West until only a few years ago when Nixon opened the doors to China in the 1970s. The chi that actually makes a person "alive" is called pre-birth chi.
Baduanjin qigong The Baduanjin qigong(八段錦) is one of the most common forms of Chinese qigong used as exercise.[1] Variously translated as Eight Pieces of Brocade, Eight-Section Brocade, Eight Silken Movements and others, the name of the form generally refers to how the eight individual movements of the form characterize and impart a silken quality (like that of a piece of brocade) to the body and its energy. The Baduanjin is primarily designated as a form of medical qigong, meant to improve health.[2] This is in contrast to religious or martial forms of qigong. However, this categorization does not preclude the form's use by martial artists as a supplementary exercise, and this practice is frequent.[2] History[edit] This exercise is mentioned in several encyclopedias originating from the Song Dynasty. Nineteenth century sources attribute the style to semi-legendary Chinese folk hero General Yue Fei,[4] and describe it as being created as a form of exercise for his soldiers. The sections[edit]
Yijin Jing The Yijin Jing (simplified Chinese: 易筋经; traditional Chinese: 易筋經; pinyin: Yìjīnjīng; Wade–Giles: I Chin Ching; literally: "Muscle/Tendon Change Classic") is a Qigong manual containing a series of exercises, coordinated with specific breathing and mental concentration, said to enhance physical health dramatically when practiced consistently. In Chinese yi means change, jin means "tendons and sinews", while jing means "methods". This is a relatively intense form of exercise that aims at strengthening the muscles and tendons, so promoting strength and flexibility, speed and stamina, balance and coordination of the body.[1] In the modern day there are many translations and distinct sets of exercises all said to be derived from the original (the provenance of which is the subject of some debate). These exercises are notable for being a key element of the physical conditioning used in Shaolin training. Origins[edit] Modern Scholarly Research[edit] Yijin Jing – The Forms[edit] Quietness Slowness
The Ying Qi Cycle By William Morris, DAOM, PhD, LAc Editor's note: This article is from an upcoming book, Neoclassical Pulse Diagnosis. It is the result of clinical application of classical passages. "When one is joyous, then the qi is in harmony and the mind is unimpeded. The nutritive qi and the protective qi pass freely," states Qi Bo in The Yellow Emperor's Classic. This article examines a method of diagnosing and treating the flow of the nutritive qi that is commonly used in Europe and America. Ying Qi Ying qi is translated as "construction qi" by Wiseman2 and "camp qi" by Unschuld.1 The definitions of nutrient qi and protective qi find root in military metaphors and could be likened to the U.S. The circulation of ying qi takes place throughout the day, remaining approximately two hours in each vessel. The two fire radicals in the upper portion of the character ying suggest not only a campfire, but also the fire of the sun, with the line below suggesting a rooftop. Figure 1: The Nan Jing pulse system.
Yijin Jing Yì Jīn Jīng acts The Yijin Jing (simplified Chinese: 易筋经; traditional Chinese: 易筋經; pinyin: Yìjīnjīng; Wade–Giles: I Chin Ching; literally "Muscle/Tendon Change Classic") is a Qigong manual containing a series of exercises, coordinated with specific breathing and mental concentration, said to enhance physical health dramatically when practiced consistently. In Chinese yi means change, jin means "tendons and sinews", while jing means "methods". This is a relatively intense form of exercise that aims at strengthening the muscles and tendons, so promoting strength and flexibility, speed and stamina, balance and coordination of the body.[1] In the modern day there are many translations and distinct sets of exercises all said to be derived from the original (the provenance of which is the subject of some debate). These exercises are notable for being a key element of the physical conditioning used in Shaolin training. Origins[edit] Modern Scholarly Research[edit] Yijin Jing – The Forms[edit]
Baduanjin qigong The Baduanjin qigong(八段錦) is one of the most common forms of Chinese qigong used as exercise.[1] Variously translated as Eight Pieces of Brocade, Eight-Section Brocade, Eight Silken Movements or Eight Silk Weaving, the name of the form generally refers to how the eight individual movements of the form characterize and impart a silken quality (like that of a piece of brocade) to the body and its energy. The Baduanjin is primarily designated as a form of medical qigong, meant to improve health.[2] This is in contrast to religious or martial forms of qigong. However, this categorization does not preclude the form's use by martial artists as a supplementary exercise, and this practice is frequent.[2] History[edit] This exercise is mentioned in several encyclopedias originating from the Song Dynasty. Nineteenth century sources attribute the style to semi-legendary Chinese folk hero General Yue Fei,[4] and describe it as being created as a form of exercise for his soldiers. The sections[edit]
What Is Qi (Chi)? What Is Qi (Chi)? Central to Taoist world-view and practice is qi (chi). Qi is life-force -- that which animates the forms of the world. It is the vibratory nature of phenomena -- the flow and tremoring that is happening continuously at molecular, atomic and sub-atomic levels. In Japan it is called “ki,” and in India, “prana” or “shakti.” In China, the understanding of qi is inherent in the very language. Many Different Kinds of Qi Practitioners of Chinese Medicine and qigong have identified many different kinds of qi. Balanced & Free-Flowing Qi = Health The fundamental insight of qigong and Chinese Medicine (acupuncture and herbal medicine) is that balanced and free-flowing qi results in health; while stagnant or imbalanced qi leads to disease. Feeling the Qi The capacity to perceive the flow of qi directly -- to actually see or feel it -- is something that can be cultivated through training in qigong or acupuncture. Recommended reading: Orr, Katherine. Of Related Interest:
Iron Palm Canvas bag filled with gravel, used in Iron Palm training. Iron Palm or Iron Hand (Chinese: 铁掌功) is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. These conditioning techniques are typically meant to condition the hands to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to his or her hands.[1][2] Overview[edit] Iron Palm is a broad term covering many different conditioning methods. Some Iron Palm systems are considered internal and others are purely external in training methods. Iron Palm is not a martial arts style unto itself, but a type of conditioning featured in many schools of Chinese martial arts. General Principles[edit] Iron Palm training often involves three primary components:[3] Direct and Indirect methods[edit] Schools of Iron Palm training are often divided into "direct" or "indirect." Uses[edit] The Chinese Martial Arts can utilize a wide variety of open and closed hand strikes. See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]
The Five rules of Yijin Jing are:QuietnessLike lake... Qi Etymology[edit] The etymological explanation for the form of the qi logogram (or chi) in the traditional form 氣 is "steam (气) rising from rice (米) as it cooks". The earliest way of writing qi consisted of three wavy lines, used to represent one's breath seen on a cold day. A later version, 气, identical to the present-day simplified character, is a stylized version of those same three lines. Definition[edit] References to concepts analogous to the qi taken to be the life-process or flow of energy that sustains living beings are found in many belief systems, especially in Asia. Within the framework of Chinese thought, no notion may attain such a degree of abstraction from empirical data as to correspond perfectly to one of our modern universal concepts. The ancient Chinese described it as "life force". Although the concept of qi has been important within many Chinese philosophies, over the centuries the descriptions of qi have varied and have sometimes been in conflict. Pronunciation[edit]
Liu Zi Jue The Six Healing Sounds or Liu Zi Jue (六字訣) is one of the common forms of Chinese qigong, and involves the coordination of movement and breathing patterns with specific sounds. History[edit] The Term Liu Zi Jue first appears in a book called On Caring for the Health of the Mind and Prolonging the Life Span written by Tao Hongjing of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 - 589). A leading figure of the Maoshan School of Taoism, Tao was renowned for his profound knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine. "One has only one way for inhalation but six for exhalation" he writes in the book. Zou Pu'an of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) was a major contributor in terms of theory and practice to the transmission of the exercise through his book The Supreme Knack for Health Preservation - Six-Character Approach to Breathing Exercises. No body movements accompanied the Liu Zi Jue exercises until the Ming Dynasty (1386 - 1644) when Hu Wenhuan and Gao Lian wrote books on the subject. See also[edit]
Things to keep in mind before practising Yi jin Jing