QiGong in TCM
Author: Dr. Lee
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Time: 2010/11/20 16:52:49
QiGong is an ancient Chinese art that is used to strengthen health, prevent and treat diseases, and prolong life.
By practicing QiGong, people develop the ability to build, assimilate and store Qi, which is vital energy, within the body. While everyone is born with a certain constitution and ability to fight off disease and handle stress, the regular practice of QiGong is believed to help build strength.
The five different branches of QiGong include Taoist, Confucian, Buddhist, Medical and Martial. Within each branch, there are many different sects and schools.
Medical QiGong involves different types of healing. The most popular and widely practiced is the self-controlled therapy which includes exercises taught by a qualified teacher. By practicing specific movements or forms that are directed at specific problems, it is believed that medical QiGong can help prevent or heal disease. Many patients credit QiGong with prolonging their lives or enabling them to overcome a specific illness. QiGong is not practiced as a healing medicine separate from the traditional Western cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. It is practiced in conjunction with these treatments and does not appear to have negative side effects.
QiGong calls upon the body's ability to increase and store energy that can be used to facilitate healing, increase stamina and provide more exuberance in life. QiGong uses the same eight meridians and 12 channels as well as hundreds of other points that are used in acupuncture. QiGong is always practiced in an upright position, allowing the energy to flow into the body from the outside. Qi is believed to be stored in the center of the body - just below the navel. Many of the exercises are oriented toward bringing Qi into this area for storage.
There are five major areas that function as windows or doors into the body through which energy can flow in or be pulled out. One window is at the top of the head - it faces the heavens and can receive energy from above. Another window is at the bottom of the body where it always faces the earth. The third window is at the navel passing through to the back. It is considered the “Gate of Life" and can receive energy from many directions because the body is always moving. The fourth is in the center of the palms, where it receives energy through constant motion and turning. The fifth window is located on the soles of the feet.
QiGong exercises provide a means to help people counteract the effects of stress, rushing and anger. The breathing exercises can help people calm down and restore their energy. They can help dissipate the sluggish feeling that many people have in the morning when they do not want to get out of bed. Staying in bed will drain the Qi, while getting up and moving, especially with QiGong, helps a person to feel better. To be effective, QiGong should be practiced on a consistent basis. Regularly practiced, Qi Gong has been found to increase a person's energy and lead to a greater sense of well being and calmness as well as feeling more vital.
