Yao bu buru shi bu

Medicine is not as good as food

Shibu buru qi bu

Food is not as good as qi

Qi = life force

Qi = breath

Qi = energy flow

Through simple repeated movements inspired by the natural world, Qi Gong offers relief from distraction and stress.

Qigong is two characters denoting a singular concept and therefore written as one “word.” Individually, the characters are:

氣 Qì: Breath, spirit, or the vital energy that animates life.

功 Gōng:  Achievement or skill that is earned with effort.

Therefore, Qigong is usually translated as the achieved skill of cultivating and maintaining “vital energy,” or “Qi.”

Enhance qi - Better your qi - Cultivate qi - Strengthen qi - Circulate qi

Difference is natural - Opposites live in harmony - Change is natural - Balance is within us all

Qigong is from ordinary people, for everyone. These people traditionally did not have money to go to a doctor. Nor did they have the time to go to a doctor. Living primarily in rural farming villages, professional health care was harder to come by. Most people were occupied fully with their work and family lives. So what could they do, if they became ill or unwell? They found out that slow repeated movements help the body to generate energy and allow it to flow.

12 major energy channels. 6 start in the hands, 6 in the feet.

Starts in the lower dan tian (belly button)

Then goes up to the chest (heart) area

From there it flows out to the hands

From the hands back up to the head

From the head down to the feet

Then back to the navel

And round and round it goes

So why do we need to move the hands openly and slowly for a long period of time like this to heal?

Holding this posture, and moving slowly like this trains the body to collect energy from the environment in the hands and / or feet and direct it to all areas of the internal system. Continuing the flow and moving slow and gentle also is essential to bring the mental focus back into the physical body. This harmonizes and activates all our energies inside. There is a serenity and peacefulness that arises naturally from practicing these movements, which allows us to access more of our subconscious and inherent blueprints for life in the body. The body remembers how to be, and how to remain healthy. Our cells rebuild and regenerate again and again. This takes time. So when we take a break from all the scattered thinking, and fast moving tasks of life, the natural system and intelligence of our being has a chance to catch up, and to reset.

So when we develop this energy flow on a regular basis, and even achieve a constant state of this energy flow, what happens? Our body will create a success habit, a health habit, and we need that.

Paraphrased from Master Chunyi Lin

Qigong movements are very simple, everyone can do it. Even if there are significant blockages or ailments that keep you from moving in this way, we can go inside even deeper, and master qigong in the mind. The yang of our thinking awareness balances the yin of our quiet and still bodies. So there is always a style, an approach, for each person to use. You don't have to be an expert. If you are alive, every part of you wants to keep it that way. And there are millions of years of adaptation that have your back, supporting this will to live. Qigong is a way to remember, and to tap into that natural state of aliveness in the body, in the whole being.

Qigong is incredibly diverse in both application and appearance. 

The common definition of Qigong as “slow, gentle, meditative movements” is reductive and only highlights a subset, or style of practice. This ethnocentric perspective is a result of romanticized views of the “mystical healing arts.” 

In reality, there are thousands of ways to practice Qigong. Some of these styles involve very quick, and even aggressive, movements that look anything but gentle. 

Any attempt to include every style, school, or interpretation of Qigong would be lengthy and problematic. There’s an easier way to discuss the variations: group them based on their desired practice outcomes.

All Qigong practices can be classified within three basic categories:

• Martial Qigong

• Medical / Health Qigong

• Spiritual Qigong

Anyone with a desire to learn and improve their health can learn Qigong!

How & Why To Learn Qigong

While everyone has their own personal reasoning for practicing Qigong there are certainly some commonly recognized benefits:

• Stress & anxiety reduction

• Improved physical health & agility

• Healing from illness and/or injury

• Brighter outlook & calm state of mind

• Connection & deeper understanding of life

Taking a Qigong course with a well qualified professional instructor is the best way to get started!