Familiar with ChiQuong?

Highlights Only
Hey Cindy - I've been doing Qigong for years as part of my tai chi practice. You'll find the spelling varies because it is based on a Chinese word that means 'energy work'; translations into english are numerous but the pronunciation is 'chee-gong'. The Chi or Qi is the word the Chinese martial artists use for 'life force' or 'energy' and the gong or gung is 'work' - it is a simple concept that gets confused with lots of hype and shamanistic qualities here in the west. This practice is the basis for many martial arts as it is seen as a source of energy, relaxation, and strength. If you think about it simply, avoiding any mystical ramifications: we are all aware of the energy in our bodies so learning to work with it makes practical sense. SO basically, in qigong you practice working with that energy rather than letting it work you as it often does in BCFS/BFS/PNHE. It really does help - especially if you do the standard ROM tai chi warm-up exercises first. It is dificult to do cold - especially for us as the muscle tension in our bodies is a bit above normal. I definitely have worse symptoms when I stop practicing (when the pain gets bad I tend to drop physical stuff which, ironically, makes me feel even worse. LOL I can't move because I hurt, but because I don't move, I hurt more). The practice is built on internal energy, is meditative, and a good teacher will accent proper alignment of the body (structurally), & will use some imagery to help their students. It's not about the movements that are taught but about what happens inside to cause the movements. It is truly a practice of working from the inside out so watching someone practice is rather boring but doing it yourself is interesting. There is always a focus on the 'dantien' (a Chinese term meaning the center of energy or the physical center of the body depending on who you talk to). LOL Pilates move over! Not a new or esoteric concept to most of us but an old one for the martial arts. For us here at the Forum though, it is best to be careful about the long, standing meditation which is part of the practice. This is the part I can no longer do with the PNHE - at least not for long. Hopefully, some day I'll be able to do this again. There are good teachers in the west but you have to be careful of the commercialized groups ("I did this cool weekend course and now I'm going to teach") as these often inspire well-intentioned, zealous, but totally unprepared 'teachers'. It - like most valuable things in life - is not something that you can learn in a workshop but is the result of a long practice, discipline, and finding someone that can help you discover the basics and where to go next when you reach a plateau. I'm not sure many here are interested in this kind of stuff so if you need help with looking for a teacher in your area just PM me and I'll see if I can lend a hand.
 
I do it everyday at least once. I like to do it after a short walk at lunch (I don't care if people think I am weird). The best time is at night during a full moon. I have found it the best treatment for me after all I have been through (like most of us). It takes time to really get the full measure of the movment. I also us qi-gong with the open focus technique that is used in Dr Femi's book, The Open Focus Brain. The slow movement with breathing and feeling the energy calms the muscles and nerves better than any meds that I have taken (and I am a doctor). I learned my qi-gong from some dvd's since I live in the country.Good luck.Chip
 
If you don't have anyone to learn from where you are, I can send you mine so you don't have to buy anything. Mine were part of a Mediation series. Matt Clarkson from England....don't buy them when I have them. Just PM your address to me and I will send them (in the future, you may have something I may want to try and you can return the fav. I use the motions and the breathing and combine that with open focus (that is just getting you to think about everything as space). Open focus I learned from the book Open Focus Brain by Les Femi. There is a CD included with the book too.Chip
 

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