Qigong Healing for a Better Health

There are millions of people worldwide practicing Qigong healing today.  This is mainly because of the number of applications that prevent diseases and help achieve better health. The most widely known application is the Medical Qigong Healing which is a complementary healing-system. It is suitable for all ages and for the majority of health conditions.

Qigong healing is a very effective and soft therapy.  It has been observed that people practicing Qigong recover from illness quicker and with fewer side effects than those observed when using allopathic therapies. However, the most important point is that practitioners learn specific skills that improve constantly their immune system with a very positive long-term effect.

Different Types of Qigong Healing

External Qigong Healing is the second application of Qi Gong which is an ancient method of transmitting Qi without touching. In meditative or spiritual Qi Gong, the third application, practitioners focus on developing a clear and tranquil state of mind. There are basically two categories of meditative Qi Gong, Buddhist Fo Jia Gong and Daoist Dao Jia Gong, reflecting Buddhist or Daoist philosophies.

Finally, there is the Martial Qigong (Wu Gong) application which refers to the Wu Shu (Chinese Martial Arts). It includes exercises that improve martial art techniques which strengthen the body in general, improve coordination and flexibility, and to build up Qi. The most widely known martial art Qigong is Tai Chi.

Try Qigong Healing today and enjoy better health and well-being.

Understanding Qigong Healing

To understand Qigong Healing, it is important to know what Qigong means.

“Qi” or “Chi” means air, breath of life or vital energy of the body. Other names for Qi are Prana (India), Orgon (Wilhelm Reich), Num (Africa´s Kalahari desert), Pneuma (Greek), Nafas (Koran), or Ha (Huna). Qi is the subtle power that flows through all living things. The Qi level of a healthy person is high, clear and flows smoothly like a stream and without blockages. “Gong” or “Kung” means “the skill of working with, or cultivating, self-discipline and achievement”.

Qigong Healing, Qi Gung or Qi Kung, is a 5,000 year old holistic Chinese self-healing and meditation system evolving practice that includes healing postures, breathing techniques and self-massage. This is suitable for every one of every age and with all types of physical conditions. The Qigong practitioner learns to control the Qi flow and uses his/her mind to guide the Qi to all parts of his/her body to achieve a complete energetic balance. In dynamic, exercising Qigong, the entire body moves from one posture to another. With passive, meditative Qigong, the body is still and the Qi is controlled by the concentration, visualization and breathing.

The Roots of Qigong Healing

What are the roots of Qigong Healing?

Qigong Healing has very old principles that can be found in native tribes’ philosophies and practices around the world. The oldest signs of cultivating life energy as a key to healing and spiritual power came from the Australian aborigines around sixty thousand years ago. They concentrate the life energy on a zone located four inches below the navel. This same area is called “Dantien” in Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Some Qigong Healing Practices 

Another example of ancient Qigong Healing practices came from Hawaii. The powerful Hawaiian healers were known as “Masters of the Breath”. They use movements like dance and deep breathing exercises to accumulate Qi and project it through their hands to other persons.

The most important roots and the closest parallels for Qigong Healing we know today originated from India. There are actual remarkable parallelisms between Yoga and the Chinese Yin-Yang theory.

Different sources show that Yoga is older than Qigong. Buddhist monks from India have influenced some Qigong styles. However, information have probably traveled in both directions with Taoist’s ancient tales and Indian yogis learning from each other that influenced their teachings until the present day.

This is how Qigong originated. In fact, many people are presently embracing Qigong Healing as an effective means to achieve a better well-being.  

I have learned an important lesson about awareness.

Last weekend, I participated in a Chen-style Tai chi Chuan weekend seminar followed by a private session with Chen Yingjun who is Grandmaster Chen Xiao Wang’s son. These names may not mean much to you, but they stand for the highest and purest skills that can be found in the Tai Chi world.

After training for over two years, completely isolated from any teacher or group, I was really looking forward to meeting Yingjun. Almost ten years ago, I learned from his father Chen Xiao Wang in Germany. Certainly, it was amazing to have this continuous learning with such incredible teachers. Yingjun started Tai Chi at 8 and had trained since then under his famous father. I guess it was not easy being compared to a living legend, but Yingjun seems to handle it in a very relaxed way.

Awareness from my Conversation with Yingjun

During a lunch break, I got to talk to Yingjun about training and focus.  Yingjun told me that he had been fully dedicated to Tai Chi training for the last few years. “Now, I am almost ready to teach”, he said. I was amazed. Let’s get this right — Yingjun skills were already world-class. His movements and power were so far developed that it was hard to imagine that there was any improvement possible. However, this is what I thought. “I still have to improve a lot; there is so much more to learn.” said Yingjun, as if reading my mind.

While looking at his smiling face, I sat there thinking. Here I was sitting beside a young, extraordinary man who represented the exact opposite of our fast and superficial world. In his world, there is neither space for pretending to know something nor for people with a big mouth. You can either do it or not— you can’t fake Tai chi. “I needed to work on my foundation, strength and perfect my skills before I start teaching”, Yingjun continued. ‘Tai Chi is like real life. Without a good foundation, your skills stay weak regardless of whatever you do. Focus on one skill at a time and train hard until you achieve it. Then your skills will skyrocket.” he said.

This single conversation alone was worth the whole weekend. Awareness crept into my thoughts. I realized that I needed to go back to the basics and concentrate on one project at a time. Running several projects together can dilute your progress and can be very energy-draining. This single aspect is perhaps the most important skill we all need to master for the next few years. We must learn not to get distracted with all the opportunities and overwhelming energies that appear every day.

Awareness: Not only for me, but for you too!

We need to learn to focus on a single activity — at least for some time each day. When was the last time you took the time to dedicate yourself to one single activity without any distraction? If you can’t answer this question, then it is time for you to go back to basics. Start with a hobby that you loved to do – an activity that you spent hours and hours on when you still had the time. This is where awareness will come in.

It was during this weekend that this awareness caused me to discover again my need to go back in time and reactivate an activity that I loved to do. This is the Standing Meditation which I stopped doing two years ago — only because I thought that it was a kind of waste of time.

Awareness on What To Do

I will stand again for thirty minutes every day without wasted time. Do you know why? The reason is because the thirty minutes of Standing Meditation will increase my focus, grounding, energy flow and awareness. And with this advanced state of awareness, I will be able to make up far more than thirty minutes a day.

What is your grounding activity waiting to be reactivated? Tap into your awareness now.

Even though there are, at the moment, a reasonable number of people practicing Tai Chi or Taijiquan worldwide, there is still a mystery about it. Tai Chi is relatively unknown compared to Karate or Kung Fu. Some people are wondering whether it is a special form of Yoga, Kung Fu or even a dance. Others associate Tai Chi with the image of a large group of elderly people in a park moving slowly in unison, performing a series of “dance like” movements.

What is Taijiquan?

T’ai Chi Ch’uan or Taijiquan is a soft style (internal) martial art but is also called “art of moving meditation”.  It is characterized by relaxed and soft movements. Taijiquan theory and practice is formulated in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. The slow, repetitive work involved in that process gently increases and opens the internal circulation (breath, body heat, blood, and peristalsis).

T’ai chi, Taiji, t’ai chi Ch’uan and Taijiquan are different spellings for the same discipline and the words mean literally “Supreme Ultimate fist”, or “The way of supreme harmony”. Tai chi is the shortened name of Taijiquan wherein both names are generally related to health, relaxation and spiritual development. Taijiquan is used for Tai chi as an internal Martial Art. We use normally the shortened name but refer to all aspects of Tai chi, health and Martial Arts.

The term “Tai Chi” refers to the ancient Chinese cosmological concept of the interaction between the polar opposites of Yin and Yang. Yin is represented by night, cold, negative, soft, earth, intellectual, feminine, while Yang is represented by day, warm, positive, hard, sky, physical, masculine. “Quan” literally means, “fist” and denotes an unarmed combat method. Taijiquan as an internal martial art is based on the principle of subduing the hard with the soft by adapting and sticking to the opponent’s movements.

The origins of Taijiquan

The origins of Taijiquan have been traced back to the seventeenth century. The royal guard and experienced warrior Chen Wangting created the Chen style Taijiquan in Chenjiagou Village in Wenxian Country. Chen Wangting studied Daoyin (leading and guiding energy) and Tu-na (expelling and drawing energy) and has been influenced by Taoism theories on consciousness guiding movement. He was the first who combined the different concepts of Daoyin, Tuna and Taoism with Martial Arts and created a unique synthesis as a base of all Tai Chi styles.

Originally, the Chen Style Tai Chi was only taught to members of the Chen clan until a young outsider named Yang Lu Chan was accepted as a student in the early nineteenth century. After mastering the Art, Yang Lu Chan was the first who taught Taijiquan outside the Chen family. He modified the original Chen Style and created the Yang Style, which is the most popular form practiced in the world today. Other styles derived from the Yang Style are the Wu and Sun style.

Taijiquan for Young and Old Alike

In today’s quick and stress-filled environment, Taijiquan offers an extraordinary way to quiet the mind and relax the body for all ages and levels of physical fitness. Most of the Tai Chi styles are performed slowly and gently, with deep natural breathing for health benefits. The Yang style Taijiquan allows a unique combination of mental and physical activity which brings harmony to the mind, body and spirit. We recommend the Yang Style for older people or for mediation and relaxation purposes.

The Chen style Taijiquan in particular incorporates in its forms (movements) fast and explosive fajing (emitting energy) elements as self-defense applications practice. The variety of movements and rhythms in Chen Taijiquan make this style an excellent choice for people who are bored by the repetitive nature of many other exercise systems and are looking for a powerful and effective internal martial art. 

Come and learn which Taijiquan is best for you.

Currently most of the Tai Chi schools worldwide focus on Tai Chi’s health benefits alone. Sadly, they are not incorporating the fighting and self-defense aspects anymore.

Tai Chi as a Self-Defense

The traditional Tai chi, especially the Chen Style, belongs to the most powerful and effective self-defense systems. The outstanding advantage of Taijiquan is the use of natural and spiral movement, strength and reactions. It is a highly effective combat strategy — “moving a thousand pounds with a force of four ounces”.  This allows the “weaker” fighter to control a much stronger and heavier opponent.

However, it is fair to say that effective self-defense ability requires a solid Tai Chi foundation.

External Qi Healing is a second application of Qi Gong and means an ancient method of transmitting Qi without touching. In meditative or spiritual Qi Gong, a third application, the practitioners focus on developing a clear and tranquil state of mind. There are basically two categories of meditative Qi Gong, Buddhist Fo Jia Gong and Daoist Dao Jia Gong, reflecting Buddhist or Daoist philosophies. Finally, there are Martial Qigong (Wu Gong) applications and these refer to Wu Shu (Chinese Martial Arts). It includes exercises to improve martial art techniques, to strengthen the body in general, to improve coordination and flexibility, and to build up Qi. The most widely known martial art Qigong is Tai Chi.

Chen Style Taijiquan is a very powerful effective internal martial art due to the use of spiral movements and the principle of the soft overcoming the hard. The great emphasis of the soft overcoming the hard is placed upon borrowing the opponents’ incoming force and using it to disturb his/her inner stability.

Tai Chi belongs to the schools of the “internal” or “soft” martial arts. The training is focused in cultivating a relaxed, flexible and sensitive body with a calm and focused intent, but also in building up inner physical and energetical strength. Tai Chi allows absorbing and neutralizing incoming force with natural and spiral movements, joining with the opponent by sticking to his center, and issuing force at the appropriate time and angle with the power of the entire body. This includes the ability to “stick, adhere, continue and follow” as a vital application, mostly grappling oriented.

The techniques also include pushing, pulling, wrapping, bumping, sweeping, locking, knocking down and throwing and several striking and kicking techniques. Bare Hand forms’ training is designed to develop the ability to control oneself; Partner Training (push hands) trains the practitioner to apply the techniques to someone else in the most efficient manner.