The Art of Qigong
Words by Katherine C. Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine April 2011 Issue
Qigong (pronounced as “the gung”) is a traditional form of healing that makes use of yogic breathing techniques, deep meditation, and slow gentle movements to help cultivate and balance the life energy called qi or chi. This age-old Chinese art promises tranquility, good health, improved posture, and vitality to its practitioners.
The calm and deliberate movements involved in this art allow chi to flow freely and create space and serenity in a fast-paced world that revolves around technology. In several research trials done by the American Council on Exercise, results show that Qigong decreases the risks of strokes, increases the bone density, lowers the blood pressure, and helps improve the success of cancer therapy.
Different Styles of Qigong:
Several statistics suggest that there are about 100,000 Qigong styles in its homeland that date back to ancient China. Qigong styles are constantly evolving as its practitioners continuously seek for more ways to harness and utilize chi. Here are some of the most effective Qigong styles today:
• Walking Qigong (Guolin Qigong)
Also known as the “Anti-Cancer Qigong,” this style has healed thousands of cancer patients in China, as well as others with serious illnesses back to good health with detailed reports to back up its claim. As long as a patient can stand on his feet and walk a few steps, he can do personalized exercises to conquer the disease.
• Sleep Qigong (Shui Gong)
It releases huge potentials in innate hidden abilities like the sixth sense, intuition, and dreams during the unconscious state. Sleep Qigong is said to help turn a practitioner psychic. It helps improves the state of your relationships, mood, sexual performance, and even your business.
• Sight Improving Qigong (Taiji Bagua Chikung)
Using their palms, practitioners project the external chi energy to their eyes to remove energy blockages in the area. Apart from restoring good eyesight, this style claims to cure most eye conditions like glaucoma, detached retina, internal eye bleeding and even partial blindness.
• Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong (Zifa Wuqinxi Donggong)
Practitioners focus their minds on one acupuncture point in the body and then experience spontaneous deliberate movements like Shiatsu-like massages and Reiku-like movements while imitating one of the five animals—crane, tiger, bear, deer, and monkey. Some lie on the ground, laugh, shake, jump, recite mantras, and do Kung Fu-like movements to pull out the negative energy from the body and promote healing.
• Fragrant Qigong (Xiang Gong)
This widespread Qigong style is popular for the fact that a session only takes approximately fifteen minutes. It makes use of fifteen simple arm movements that you can do almost anywhere. One will experience signs of chi rebalancing like itchiness, hot and cold sensations, yawning, and even smelling non-existent fragrances.
Published in Total Fitness Magazine April 2011 Issue
Fitness is getting back to the basics. The 5,000-year-old Chinese art of Qigong or Ch’i Kung recently made its debut into mainstream fitness.
Qigong (pronounced as “the gung”) is a traditional form of healing that makes use of yogic breathing techniques, deep meditation, and slow gentle movements to help cultivate and balance the life energy called qi or chi. This age-old Chinese art promises tranquility, good health, improved posture, and vitality to its practitioners.
The calm and deliberate movements involved in this art allow chi to flow freely and create space and serenity in a fast-paced world that revolves around technology. In several research trials done by the American Council on Exercise, results show that Qigong decreases the risks of strokes, increases the bone density, lowers the blood pressure, and helps improve the success of cancer therapy.
Different Styles of Qigong:
Several statistics suggest that there are about 100,000 Qigong styles in its homeland that date back to ancient China. Qigong styles are constantly evolving as its practitioners continuously seek for more ways to harness and utilize chi. Here are some of the most effective Qigong styles today:
• Walking Qigong (Guolin Qigong)
Also known as the “Anti-Cancer Qigong,” this style has healed thousands of cancer patients in China, as well as others with serious illnesses back to good health with detailed reports to back up its claim. As long as a patient can stand on his feet and walk a few steps, he can do personalized exercises to conquer the disease.
• Sleep Qigong (Shui Gong)
It releases huge potentials in innate hidden abilities like the sixth sense, intuition, and dreams during the unconscious state. Sleep Qigong is said to help turn a practitioner psychic. It helps improves the state of your relationships, mood, sexual performance, and even your business.
• Sight Improving Qigong (Taiji Bagua Chikung)
Using their palms, practitioners project the external chi energy to their eyes to remove energy blockages in the area. Apart from restoring good eyesight, this style claims to cure most eye conditions like glaucoma, detached retina, internal eye bleeding and even partial blindness.
• Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong (Zifa Wuqinxi Donggong)
Practitioners focus their minds on one acupuncture point in the body and then experience spontaneous deliberate movements like Shiatsu-like massages and Reiku-like movements while imitating one of the five animals—crane, tiger, bear, deer, and monkey. Some lie on the ground, laugh, shake, jump, recite mantras, and do Kung Fu-like movements to pull out the negative energy from the body and promote healing.
• Fragrant Qigong (Xiang Gong)
This widespread Qigong style is popular for the fact that a session only takes approximately fifteen minutes. It makes use of fifteen simple arm movements that you can do almost anywhere. One will experience signs of chi rebalancing like itchiness, hot and cold sensations, yawning, and even smelling non-existent fragrances.
