Qigong

           Qigong is a Chinese body & mind exercise with more than five thousand years of history. Qigong consists of two words—Qi and gong. In Chinese cultural perspective, all things in the universe, visible and invisible, are the manifestation of Qi. In other words, Qi is the source or the matter that make up the universe. Qi is formless and invisible. The appearance or disappearance of matter is caused by the transmutation (concentration or dispersal) of Qi. Qi exists in and permeates everything. In the word “Qigong”, Qi means life energy—an invisible and formless substance that powers the functions of human life. Gong means practice. The 2 words together mean “practicing Qi”.

 

Depending on the purpose of the practice, Qigong can be cataloged into five schools - Taoist Qigong, Buddhist Qigong, Confucius Qigong, Martial Art Qigong and Medical Qigong. Although there is some overlap, each school has its own unique characteristics and techniques. Generally speaking, the purpose for Taoist Qigong is attaining immortality, Buddhist Qigong is enlightenment, Confucius Qigong is cultivating virtue, Martial Arts Qigong is self-defense, and Medical Qigong is maintaining health.

 

 

The basic Qigong practice follows a fixed rhythmic routine. Depending on whether the routine is physical or mental, the body posture can be moving or stationary. Although the majority of Qigong methods regulate breathing, Qigong is not a breathing exercise as some people describe it. Most of the time, practitioners use breathing as a technique to help them to concentrate. The newer generation Medical Qigong techniques use natural breathing. All schools of Qigong have two things in common: relaxation (both physical and mental) and concentration.

 

How does Qigong work?

Medical Qigong, for instance, involves the concepts of concentration and dispersion of Qi. Practicing Medical Qigong strengthens this natural process. If this process functions normally, then the human body is operating at its optimum potential. The reason we have illness is that this process has been disrupted. For example, when qi is concentrated too much and is not being dispersed in a normal way, too much qi accumulates in an area, creating a tumor. If we can disperse the qi, then the tumor will disappear.

Practicing qigong is the process of training the body to open to the universe to disperse abnormal qi, followed by relaxing and allowing body functions to return to normal. Imagine if someone yells fire in a crowded theater, and everyone rushes around in a panic, trampling each other in their effort to get out. Disaster ensues. However, if a few people get up and get fire extinguishers, while the rest line up to evacuate the building in an orderly fashion, then the process becomes efficient, with no disaster. Relaxing the body allows physiological and biochemical functions to regain their healthy balance. This is the goal of qigong practice.

Once we train the body to relax, the body can maintain health
even in the stress of daily life.

As Qigong becomes popular, misconceptions are abundant. The 2 most common misconceptions are: Qigong takes years to learn and Qigong is superstition. In the last few years, many “masters” claim to have obtain true transmission from a divine source and are here to save the world. Many of them eventually fade away. In order to demonstrate that Qigong neither required years to learn nor is superstition, some Qigong Masters established training and recovery centers. In early 1950s, Liu Gui Zhen, founder of Nei Yang Gong, established the first Qigong center in Beidaihe, China. He used his medical Qigong techniques to treat and prevent heart disease mostly for retired government officials. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Guo Lin expanded the Qigong healing into treatment of cancers. She combined special breathing techniques with natural and Taiji walking and achieved amazing results. It was the first “People Qigong” taught to the general public. In early 1980s, Pang Ming, a Qigong grandmaster and physician trained in both Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine, founded Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Clinic & Training Center in Qinghuangdao, China. Before it was closed due to political reasons, the Center treated patients with more than 180 diseases with an overall effective rate of more than 95%. It was one of the world’s most successful and largest alternative “medicineless” hospitals. The Medical Qigong method used at the Center is now taught in the U.S. as Chi-Lel Qigong.

Like any kind of healthcare modality, Qigong is not a panacea. It requires effort and persistence. But it is a very useful tool for anyone who is interested in maintaining good health.

Chi-Lel Qigong

Chi-Lel Qigong was developed by Dr. Pang and is based on the 5,000-year-old concept of Qigong as well as modern medical knowledge. Chi-Lel consists of four parts:

1. Strong Belief (affirmation): A belief that all ailments, including one’s own, can be healed. Modern medicine is just a part of the total health system. A disease deemed incurable by modern medicine does not necessarily mean no cure exists in another traditional medical system. The human body is constantly healing. Healing is innate and automatic for the body. Healing comes from within. We have to regain trust in our innate ability to heal.

2. Relaxation: In today’s busy and complex world, we build up stress without even knowing it. Chi-Lel not only emphasizes relaxing the physical body but also relaxing the mind. Letting go not only the stress, but also what holds us back. You can carry the world, but can you put it down? More important, will you put it down?

3. Group dynamic: Before a group of students begins Chi-Lel practice, the teacher verbally synchronizes the thinking of the group to enhance the healing effects. It is like a group of people each with a candle gathering together in a room to read. The teacher lights up each candle, so everyone can read better in the brightness of the collective light.

4. Practice: Students learn easy-to-follow Chi-Lel movements and practice them over and over again.

Traditionally, qigong masters test the loyalty of the students for years before they teach them the secrets of the art. Those days are gone. Once the secrets are revealed, learning is less difficult, and the consistency of practicing everyday becomes the challenge.

Chi-Lel supports no special diets and emphasizes movements to collect and exchange qi. The movements help students integrate the natural healing processes within nature and themselves. The student is left with a sense that health is not the absence of disease but “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.”

One of the greatest powers we have is to take charge of our lives, our feelings,
our reality, and our health on all levels ... physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

For more information on Chi-Lel Qigong, please visit www.chilel.com.