Qigong

Qigong is the Mandarin Chinese term used to describe various Chinese systems of physical and mental training for health, martial arts and self-enlightenment.

Qigong or Chi kung (an equivalent term derived from Wade-Giles Romanization) is an English Romanization of two Chinese characters: Qì () and Gōng (). The dictionary definition for the word “qi” usually involved the meaning of “breathing”, “air”, “gas” and “vapor” but it can also be used in the context of describing the relationship between matter, energy and spirit. The dictionary definition for the word “Gong” (功) is that of achievement or results. The two words are combined to describe systems and methods of “energy cultivation” and the manipulation of intrinsic energy within living organisms.

There are many forms of qigong originating from different segments within Chinese society. The traditional Chinese Medical community uses qigong for preventive and curative functions. The Chinese martial arts community considered qigong training an important component in enhancing martial abilities. The religious community, including both Taoist and Buddhist traditions, uses qigong as part of their meditative practice. Through the forces of migration, tourism and globalization, the practice and the promise of qigong has spread from the Chinese community to the world.

The practices of Qigong are differentiated by four types of training: dynamic, static, meditative and activities requiring external aids. Dynamic training involves special movement and applies to exercise such as Tai ji quan. Static training requires the practitioner to hold the body in a particular posture. Meditative training involves visualization or focus on specific ideas, sounds, images, concepts or breathing patterns. There are also training methods that involve an external agent such as the ingestion of herbs, massages, physical manipulation or interactions with other living organisms. with positive effects on various ailments. Some researchers are skeptical of some of the claims for qigong and label the subject matter a pseudoscience. In addition, the origin and nature of qigong practice has led to misconceptions and misuses. The abuse of qigong practice had led to the formation of cults and potential psychiatric problems. Verifiable archeological evidence suggests the first forms of qigong can be linked to shamanic meditative practice and gymnastic exercises. Archaeological evidence such as the Mawangdui Silk Texts (168 BC) shows a series of Tao Yin (導引) exercises that bears physical resemblance to some of the health exercises being practiced today. Shamanic rituals and ideas eventually evolved and formalized into Taoist beliefs and eventually incorporated into the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In the Taoist tradition, the writings of Laozi (~ 400 BC) and Zhuangzi (~300 BC) both describe meditative training and physical exercises to increase longevity and as means of accessing higher realms of existence.

Buddhism, originating from India and the Hindu culture, has a rich history of meditation and special exercises such as Yoga to help the practitioner achieve enlightenment. When Buddhism was transmitted to China, some of those practices were assimilated and eventually modified by the indigenous culture. The resulting transformation was the start of the Chinese Buddhist qigong tradition. Chinese Buddhist practice reaches a climax with the emergence of Chán (禪) Buddhism in the 7th century AD. Meditative practice was emphasized and a series of qigong exercises known as the Yijin Jing ("Muscle/Tendon Change Classic") was attributed to Bodhidharma. The Chinese martial arts community eventually identify this Yijing Jing as one of the secret training methods in Shaolin martial arts.

Chinese scholars acknowledged Confucius (551-479 BCE) and Mencius (385-302 BCE) as the founders of the Scholar qigong tradition. In their writings, they alluded to the concepts of qi training as methods of moral training.

Chinese martial arts influenced by all the different elements within Chinese society adapted and modified qigong theory with the goal of improving their fighting abilities. Shaolin martial arts is named after the famous Buddhist Shaolin temple.

The exchange of ideas between those different segments within Chinese society created rich, complex and sometimes contradictory theory and methods of training. The difficulty in determining the correct training method, the traditional “Master-student” method of transmission and the belief that qigong represents a special and valuable knowledge limited the research and development of qigong to small but elite elements within Chinese society. Specialized text were available but were secretive and cryptic and therefore limited to a selective few. For the general population, qigong practice was a component of Traditional Chinese medicine. This medical system was developed based on experience, along with religious, demononological and magical practices.

The nature and values of Chinese society changed radically with the arrival and dissemination of Western ideas, technology and culture starting from the 16th century. In the declining period of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), the entire Chinese philosophy and culture was re-examined. Chinese medicine, as part of the Chinese tradition, was re-evaluated in response to the effectiveness of Western medicine. The conflict between the Eastern and Western approaches reached a crisis point at the beginning of the Republican period. Larger segments within Chinese society begin to openly challenge traditional Chinese philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism and advocated the wholesale adoption of Western principles. In response, many nationalists counter by pointing out the limitation of Western society and the success of Chinese ideas such as TCM and qigong. The result was a great deal of publications and writings promoting Chinese cultural practice such as qigong and introduce those ideas to the general population. These conflicting worldviews will shape the development of qigong.

During the turmoil of the fall of the Qing Dynasty and through to the Republican Period (1912–1949), Chinese society was fighting for its own survival and there was very little thought on the development of qigong.

Concerted efforts to re-establish Chinese culture under a new ideology begin after the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1945. The new ruling government under the leadership of Mao Zedong rejected all ties to traditional Chinese philosophies such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Instead, the Chinese government promoted a socialist view. Through a series of government directed programs that lasted for nearly three decades (1949–1976), the entire fabric of Chinese society was torn apart and reorganized. It is in this environment that the current attitude to qigong in the Mainland was born.

Mao Zedong himself recognized the conflicting aims between the rejection of feudalistic ideas of the past and the benefits derived from those ideas. Traditional Chinese medicine was a clear example of this conflict. His solution can be summarized by his famous phrase “Chinese medicine is a great treasure house! We must make efforts to uncover it and raise its standards!” which legitimized the practice of Traditional Chinese medicine and created an impetus to develop a scientific base for traditional Chinese medicine.

In the early 1950s, Liu Guizhen (劉貴珍) (1920–1983), a doctor by training, used his family’s method of body cultivation to successfully cure himself of various aliments. He then promoted his method to his patients and eventually published a book, Qi Gong liaofa shiyan (氣功療法實驗) to promote his successes. His efforts to re-define qigong without a religious or philosophical context proved to be acceptable to the ruling government. The popularity and success of Liu’s book and the government’s strong support for Traditional Chinese medicine resulted in the formation of Qigong department within Universities and hospitals that practiced Traditional Chinese medicine. As a result, the first institutional support for qigong was established across China but this practice remained under tight control and had limited access to the general public. The increasingly exaggerated claims of qigong practice prompted some elements within the Chinese government to warn of the dangers of this paranormal craze and the prevalence of pseudo scientific beliefs. Leading public figures Qian Xuesen (钱学森) , eminent scientist and founder of Chinese Rocketry and Zhang Zhenhuan (张震寰) a former general, rushed to defend qigong practice. They champion the view of qigong as being a new science of the mind. A compromise on the support of qigong activities was eventually reached by various fractions within the Chinese government. Qigong activity was to be regulated with the establishment of the China Qigong Scientific Research Association was formed under the leadership of Zhang Zhenhuan and overt criticism of the paranormal research was to be muted. By the end of the 1980s, the qigong practices could be found within all segments of Chinese society.

By the end of the 1990s, the explosive growth in the number of qigong practitioners had led to the revival of the old traditions that accompanied qigong development. Qigong organizations such as the Falun Gong re-introduced moral and religious elements associated with their training methods. Such practices eventually led to a direct conflict with the central authorities. By 1999, there was a systematic crackdown on qigong organizations that were perceived to be challenging the State’s control over Chinese society. Since the crackdown, qigong research and practice are officially supported only in the context of health functions and as a field of study within traditional Chinese medicine.

Migration, travel and exploration were the first reasons for the spread of qigong practice beyond the Chinese community. Occidental societies first encounter qigong concepts through exposure to traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese philosophy or the Chinese martial arts.

It was not until the opening of China with the visit of President Nixon in 1972 and the subsequent exchanges between China and the West that Western society became aware of the promise of qigong practice. The ideas of qigong was quickly embraced by alternative health care practitioners The idea of qi as a form of living energy also found a receptive audience within the New Age movement. When the Chinese qigong community started to report cases of paranormal activity, Western researchers in the field were also excited by those findings. Chinese findings were reviewed and some qigong practitioners was invited to the West to demonstrate those results. In the documentary, Moyers provided an in-depth look at healing alternatives to Western medicine and introduced the audience to the success of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and qigong. As a result, qigong practice spread to the general public.

Today, millions of people around the world practice qigong and believe in the potential benefits of qigong in varying degrees. Similar to its historical origin, those interested in qigong come from diverse backgrounds and practise it for different reasons.

Theory

The central idea in qigong practice is the control and manipulation of qi, a form of energy. Similar representations of this qi concept can be found in other cultures for example, Prana in Vedantic philosophy, mana in Hawaiian culture, Lüng in Tibetan Buddhism and Vital energy in Western thoughts. Some elements of this idea can be understood in the term energy when used by writers and practitioners of various esoteric forms of spirituality and alternative medicine. Some elements of the qi concept can be found in popular culture. For example, The Force in Star Wars movies have many qi like qualities.

The concept of qi as a form of pervasive energy is a fundamental pillar of Chinese Philosophy. This energy is considered to exist in all things including the air, water, food, and sunlight. In the body, qi represents the unseen vital force that sustains life. Qigong practice involves the manipulation and balance of the qi within the practitioner’s body and its interaction with the practitioner’s surroundings. The method and ultimate objective for the practice is dependent on the practitioner.

Traditionally, qigong training has been thought of as being esoteric and secretive. Over the centuries, the exchange of ideas between various elements within Chinese society has created a unified over view of qigong practice even though each segments maintain their own detail interpretations and methods.

A person is considered to have been born with original amounts of qi. A person acquires qi from the food by eating, from the air by breathing and from interacting with their environment. A person becomes ill or dies when the amount or type of qi is unbalanced within the body. The practice of qigong is to regulate and control the qi within the body. and the Taoist . For some individuals, qigong training is seen as providing a curative function after extensive training. For martial artists, qigong training is credited as the bases for developing extraordinary powers such as the ability to withstand blows and the ability to break hard objects.

In the early 1980s, the Chinese scientific community attempted to verify the principals of qi through external measurements. Initially, they reported great success suggesting that qi can be measured as a form of electrical magnetic radiation. Other reports indicates that qi can induce external effects such as changing the properties of a liquid, clairvoyance, and telekinesis. and para psychological research communities.

However, those reports were severely criticized by the conventional scientific community both within China The main criticism from the conventional scientific establishment on qigong research is the lack of application of the principles of the scientific method notably the absence of scientific rigor, the small sample sizes, the uncontrolled testing environment and lack of reproducibility. In addition to those criticisms, the public acceptance of paranormal properties arising from qigong practice contributed to social unrest.

As a result of those controversies, the emphasis on qigong research within Mainland Chinas has changed from externally verifying the existence of qi to focus on effects on health and as a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine without any reference to other aspects of traditional qigong practice.

In contrast, Western society has accepted the spiritual elements of qigong practice and pay homage to its rich past. The Buddhist, Taoist, TCM or Martial Arts origins are recognized and used as justification for its effectiveness.

Similar to the subject of efficacy of Traditional Chinese medicine, the chasm between the Eastern tradition of qi and the Western scientific viewpoints are not insurmountable if the analysis is limited to the effect on qigong practice on biological processes without demanding a material interpretation of qi. There is convincing argument to view as the concept of qi as a metaphor for certain biological processes. The effectiveness of qigong can also be explained in terms of concepts more familiar to Western medicine such as stress management, biofeedback and neurology.

Practice

Qigong is not just a set of breathing exercises as it encompasses a large variety of both physical and mental training methods designed to help the body and the mind based on Chinese philosophy. The implementation details vary between teachers, schools and the objective of the practitioner. A qigong system consists of one or more of the following types of training; dynamic, static, meditative and activities requiring external aids. Each type of training originated from different elements within Chinese society and emphasizes different aspects of qigong theory.

Dynamic qigong

Dynamic qigong can be easily recognized as a series of carefully-choreographed movements or gestures that are designed to promote and manipulate the flow of qi within the practitioner’s body. Tai Chi Ch’uan, a Chinese martial art, is one well-known representation of dynamic qigong. Other examples include Five animal frolics or White Crane Qigong, Wild Goose (Dayan) Qigong where the practitioner performs movements to mimic motions of animals. To an external observer, the series of movements are similar to calisthenics or other types of athletic endeavor. To the qigong practitioner, the practice requires a unity of mind, body and spirit with the aim of promoting and controlling the flow of qi.

Static qigong

Static qigong is performed by holding a certain posture, position or stance for a period of time. In some cases, static qigong bears some similarities to the practice of Yoga and its continuation in the Buddhist tradition. Yiquan, a Chinese martial art derived from xingyiquan, is a strong proponent of stance training. Eight pieces of brocade (Baduanjin qigong), a well known set of health exercises, is also based on a series of postures. To the external observer, the practitioner appears to be fixed in space. To the qigong practitioner, the physical and mental effort required to keep the posture results in the appropriate manipulation of qi.

Meditative qigong

Most qigong training will involve some form of meditation. Meditation is a popular method of mind body training and can be found in many different cultures. The details of qigong practice will differ depending on the origins of the meditation tradition. In Confucius scholar tradition, the meditation is focused on humanity and virtue with the aim of self-enlightenment. In one of the Buddhist methods, the aim is perhaps to still the mind, either through a focus outward such as a place, inwards such as the breath, a mantra, a koan, emptiness or the idea of the eternal as represented by a Buddha. In Daoist and TCM tradition, meditative qigong seeks to lead qi through the proper meridian pathways with the aim of completing a smooth continuous flow of qi through the practitioner.

Qigong with external agents

Many systems of qigong training include the use of external agents. In Medical and Daoist methods, specialized food and drinks are prescribed to aid in the manipulation of qi. In martial arts qigong, the use of massage and various other forms of body conditioning are used to promote qi flow. In some qigong systems, a qigong master can emit qi or manipulate the flow of qi within the practitioner as a form of treatment or to guide the flow of qi

Applications

People practice qigong for many different purposes and those objectives determine the choice of qigong system. Although the benefits of qigong are numerous, the main reasons that people practice qigong are for their health, as a means of self cultivation and as part of their Chinese martial arts training.

Health

Although not proven conclusively from a Western Medical stand point, qigong is an accepted treatment option in the fields of complementary and alternative medicine. Qigong treatment is also used extensively in China as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been included in the curriculum of Chinese universities. Qigong practice serves both a preventive and curative function. It is considered to be effective in improving the effects of many chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, allergy, asthma, arthritis, degenerative disk disease, cancer, depression, anxiety and addiction. Qigong works by improving the practitioners’ immunity response, increasing a person’s self-healing and self-recovery capabilities and enhancing one’s self-regeneration potential.

The major uses of qigong therapy are: General health maintenance Physical rehabilitation Cancer Treatment Arthritis Back pains

In 2003, the Chinese Health Qigong Association, a member of the All-China Sports Federation, officially recognized four Health Qigong exercises: Yì Jīn Jīng (tendon-changing classic), Wu Qin Xi (frolics of five animals 五禽戲), Liu Zi Jue (the art of expiration in producing six different sounds), Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade, eight excellent movements), Each of these exercises represents a standard for general health qigong practice.

Self-cultivation

Self-cultivation has many meanings and goals depending on the context. In terms of tradition Chinese philosophy, self cultivation methods can be classified as

Confucius. The method represents a way for the practitioner to become a Junzi (c 君子 , pinyin : Jūnzǐ) through awareness of one’s morality. Taoist. The method represents a means to achieve longevity and spiritual enlightenment. Buddhist. The method is understood to be spiritual paths that eventually lead to Buddhahood.

Martial arts

The practice of qigong is an important component in Chinese martial arts. Extraordinary feats of martial arts prowess such as the ability to withstand heavy strikes (Iron Shirt, 鐵衫) and the ability to break hard objects (Iron Palm, 铁掌) are abilities attributed directly to qigong training.

Criticisms and controversies

Skeptics

There is little controversy in the benefit of qigong when the definition of qigong is limited to a series of physical movements and a set of relaxation exercises. Conflict arises between Western views and qigong systems when the claims of qigong practice exceed the capabilities and understanding of traditional science and at an extreme make claims that border on the supernatural. Skeptics contend that most of the benefits derived from Alternative medicine are, at best, derived from a placebo effect. The main arguments from the view of skeptics against the correlation between qigong practices and health-related results are: The existence of qi, or any form of vitalism, has not been independently verified in a experimental setting to the satisfaction of the general scientific community. Such a concept is not recognized in traditional biological sciences. Demonstrations in martial arts such as breaking hard objects with strikes can be fully-explained using physics, without reference to the concept of qi. Reported claims of supernatural abilities appear to be tricks more suited to magic shows than to any genuine scientific discipline.

Explanations that involve the supernatural or that require a spiritual element are beyond the scope of the scientific method.

Personal benefits for some qigong masters might have provided them with an incentive to exaggerate their claims Within the qigong community, this condition is known as Zouhuo rumo () or "qigong deviation" () and is characterized by the perception of the practitioner that there is an uncontrolled flow of qi in the body. Other complaints include localized pains, headache, insomnia and uncontrolled spontaneous movements. the diagnosis of “Qigong Deviation Syndrome” is based upon the following criteria : # The subject being demonstrably-normal before doing qigong exercises # Psychological and physiological reactions appearing during or after qigong exercises (suggestion and autosuggestion may play an important role in these reactions) # Complaints of abnormal sensations during or after qigong exercises # Diagnostic criteria do not meet other mental disorders such as schizophrenia, affective disorder and neuroses.

In the west, there was no equivalent experience until the adoption of qigong practices by the public. When the western medical community encountered abnormal conditions presenting in patients practicing qigong, they used the term Qi-gong psychotic reaction and classified the disorder as a culture-bound syndrome in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association. It is described as: "A term describing an acute, time-limited episode characterized by disassociative, paranoid or other psychotic or non-psychotic symptoms that may occur after participation in the Chinese folk health-enhancing practice of qigong. Especially vulnerable are individuals who become overly involved in the practice."

The DSM-IV classification has been criticized by other Western psychiatrists on the grounds that "It is not clear how the architects of the DSM-IV can logically defend labeling a syndrome as aberrant in the context of a diagnostic system while simultaneously placing that syndrome outside of conventional Western nosologic categories that serve as basis for determining whether a syndrome is or is not aberrant and therefore a disorder." In most cases in China, the psychiatrists do not use the psychosis terminology however, preferring "qigong deviation".

Within the qigong community, Qigong Deviation is believed to be caused by a type of reactive psychosis or the precipitation of an underlying mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder. The Chinese medical literature includes a wider variety of symptoms associated with qigong deviation; the non-psychotic symptoms correspond to conversion disorder and histrionic personality disorder in Western classifications.

Kundalini syndrome is another set of physical and psychological disorder attributed to meditation.

See also

Asahi Health

Cybersectarianism

Empty Force

Hua Tuo

Internal alchemy

Jing (TCM)

Kinesiotherapy

Mind-body problem

Mindfulness

Neigong

Silk reeling

Tao Yin

Taoist Sexual Practices

World Tai Chi and Qigong Day

Zhong Gong

Falun Gong

References

Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:Chinese martial arts Category:Chinese words and phrases Category:Meditation Category:Traditional Chinese medicine Category:Qigong Category:Taoist philosophy Category:Biofield therapies