The Essence of Qigong

Curious about Qigong? You’re not alone. This ancient practice might look simple, but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. In this article, we’re diving into the basics of Qigong in everyday language. No jargon, just a straightforward guide to help you understand what it’s all about. From where it comes from to why people do it, we’re breaking it down so you can get a handle on the art of Qigong without getting lost in the details. Let’s get started!

The term “Qigong” breaks down to two key elements: “Qi” for energy and “Gong” for practice over time. Essentially, Qigong translates to the art of mastering energy.

Qi

In Qigong, understanding Qi is at the core. For practitioners, we can simplify it by looking at where it comes from and its type.

1. Source of Qi:

• Essence Qi: This is our life’s foundational energy, the vitality we’re born with.
• Body’s Energy: It’s the body’s internal electricity, driving its functions.
• External Energy: Comes from what we eat and the world around us, supplementing our internal vitality.

2. Types of Qi:

• Yin and Yang: The classic balance of opposing forces. Yin is nurturing, Yang is dynamic. In Qigong, finding harmony between these energies is crucial.

Essence Qi

Essence Qi is the energy we’re born with, a limited well that, if not managed properly, can run dry. Imagine it as a reservoir gradually used up over time, with our body constantly losing this energy. Mastery of Qi means safeguarding this life energy, using it wisely for a fulfilling life. Complete mastery aims to prevent this constant loss, ultimately extending our life’s journey.

Body’s Energy

At the core of Qigong lies an understanding of our body’s energy — each cell acting like a mini power plant, converting fuel into energy. These cells, though, work hard and wear down in the process, needing repair or replacement. Qigong’s goal is simple: supply enough energy to cells, so they don’t overwork, ultimately extending their lifespan.

Zooming out to the body level, think of this energy as small streams traversing our body. The aim of Qigong is to transform these streams into mighty rivers, constructing dams for absolute control over how and where this energy flows.

Here’s where it gets fascinating: there’s a theory suggesting thoughts can convert into electricity, influencing the importance or polarity of certain points in our body. According to this idea, Qi tends to flow towards points with higher polarity. This implies that, with focused thoughts, we can guide the energy’s flow — essentially saying, “where the mind goes, the Qi follows.”

In simple terms, Qigong teaches us to nourish our cells, turning energy streams into powerful rivers, and gaining control over the flow by directing our thoughts.

External energy

In its simplest form, external energy corresponds to the food we consume. The goal is to seek the highest quality or purest energy with minimal waste and negative impact. However, external energy is not confined to food alone; it extends to the natural energies present in the world — sun, moon, and air. Certain locations possess higher natural energy, leading to the construction of monasteries aimed at enhancing Qigong cultivation.

External energy also encompasses the energy emanating from other people, giving rise to various dual cultivation practices, be they with a partner, sexually oriented, or involving more evil methods. The pivotal aspect for a Qigong practitioner is that, to construct those vast rivers of energy within the body and fill up reservoirs, relying solely on personal cultivation would demand several lifetimes without the supply of external energy.

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang is a different way of looking at where the energy is coming from and what kind of effect it has on our body.

Yin is connected to qualities like darkness, coldness, and stillness — a realm of calm, inner strength, often associated with meditation. On the other hand, Yang embodies characteristics such as light, warmth, and movement — an active, outward energy, often tied to physical exercise.

Yin takes charge in winter, creating a quiet and still atmosphere. As summer arrives, Yang steps up, bringing warmth and a flurry of activity.

For perfect balance, Yin and Yang must cooperate. If one becomes too strong, issues can arise. Too much Yang might lead to anxiety, while an excess of Yin can result in lethargy.

Qigong mastery here means using the right energy for the right purpose.

Gong

In this section we will look at the different goals of Qigong, different ways of practice and a little bit of history.

Qigong has its roots in Chinese Daoism, greatly influencing the directions it has taken. There are four main categories that have evolved over the past few thousand years.

Focus on health

Given that many Daoists were physicians, they recognized the diverse health advantages inherent in their practices. Over the course of a few centuries, coupled with human experimentation on inmates, these practices became integrated into society. They now stand as the predominant approach to addressing illnesses and diseases in China’s contemporary healthcare system, and they have also gained significant popularity in the West.

Focus on martial arts

The understanding that Qi can both enhance the body and be influenced by physical movements led to the creation of martial arts like Kung Fu or Tai Chi. The physiological transformations resulting from Qigong practices, including methods like the Iron Shirt designed to boost strength, resilience, and durability, translated into substantial advantages in battles and wars. This factor significantly contributed to the emergence of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Focus on enlightenment

Daoism was significantly influenced by Buddhism; some even describe it as a Chinese manifestation of Buddhism. In this context, the primary objective of Qigong practice is to attain enlightenment. Once you master the Qi within your body, effectively circulate it, open your meridians, and fill your reservoirs, you can begin channeling this energy into your brain, ultimately unlocking your “Third eye.” By enhancing your brain functions, restoring neural connections, and utilizing a higher capacity of your brain power, along with the aid of your third eye, you can connect to more than just the four dimensions humans typically experience. The focus of this practice is on cultivating your soul to a level where it can freely leave your body and access a completely different realm. This represents the ultimate Qigong, which is the most time-consuming and challenging to achieve.

Focus on longevity

There are two points to longevity. Firstly, you need to live long enough to reach enlightenment; some of the Qigong masters in history took more than a hundred years to reach this stage. On the other hand, some people don’t have such noble goals as enlightenment and simply want to lead a happy, healthy, and long life. The goal here is to simply preserve your essence Qi and be able to direct Qi to heal your body.

There are different ways to approach Qigong, with the most common being simply exercise. However, the core of Qigong is energy management, and without it, exercise is just exercise; we might as well do Pilates.

Depending on where we want to start, we can have three approaches: External, Internal, or Combined (Naidan, Neidan, Waidan), often referred to as internal or external alchemy.

Internal alchemy

Starting with Internal alchemy is the more difficult path, with the main focus on still meditation and cultivating your mind. It involves a gradual process of learning to sense the energy within you and initiating its circulation along different paths in your body.

The initial few months are typically dedicated to learning various breathing techniques, whether they be Buddhist or Daoist, but recalibrating your body takes considerable time. The emphasis is on sensing your organs, opening your meridians, and achieving both small and grand circulation.

External alchemy

If you don’t have a strong will and a quiet place to meditate, external alchemy is the easier approach to Qigong practice. In essence, we are trying to induce our bodies to achieve the same results as Internal alchemy. For instance, by moving my hand in front of me and looking at my palm, I am essentially redirecting my focus to my palm, resulting in Qi flowing into it. This way, by performing the right movements, we circulate Qi in our body similarly to meditation. However, it is much simpler to concentrate on a set of exercises than to sit down, close your eyes, and guide your energy without falling asleep.

Weidan

In Qigong, it’s crucial to find a balance between Internal and External practices. Just focusing on one or the other won’t give you the right results.

A healthy body leads to a healthy mind, and a healthy mind leads to a healthy body.

On one side, we have our soul, mind (emotional and wisdom), and our will; on the other side, we have our physical body. Qi is in between; it acts as a medium and a bridge. It helps convey your spirit’s intent to your body and feeds back the experiences of your body to your spirit in order for it to grow. Weidan combines and balances all of these aspects and is the key to successful Qigong practice.

We discussed the “why,” the "how", so now it’s time to delve into the “what.” But before that, let’s tell a story.

In the 5th century CE, Bodhidharma journeyed to China to teach Buddhism to the emperor. Upon leaving the court, he chose to retire to the Shaolin temple. There, he observed the monks in poor physical condition due to their exclusive focus on meditation, hindering their path to enlightenment and leading to premature deaths. Bodhidharma secluded himself in meditation for a decade. Upon reemerging, he declared that he had attained enlightenment and was ready to leave this world. Before departing, he bestowed two works upon the monks: Yi Jin Jing (Muscle Tendon Change Classic) and Xisuan Jing (Marrow Brain Washing Classic). Yi Jin Jing consisted of physical exercises and breathing techniques to strengthen the body, enhance coordination, and cultivate inner calm. In contrast, Xisuan Jing concentrated on deep meditation, purifying the bone marrow for a longer life, and directing Qi into the brain for Buddhahood. While Yi Jin Jing became widely known, Xisuan Jing remained a closely guarded secret until surfacing to the public a few decades ago.

Back to the “what.” I recommend starting, and no surprise here, with Ba duan jin. The reason is simple — there are plenty of videos and articles describing it in depth. The exercises are straightforward and focused, don’t require a significant time commitment, and can be done at any time during the day. Ba duan jin promotes physical and mental health, enhances focus, aids in learning breathing techniques, and each movement in the sequence targets a specific organ, making it easy to feel the flow of energy. Both an External and an Internal version exist, and it’s beneficial to combine them by practicing one in the morning and the other in the evening.

I also recommend reading the books by Dr. Yang. Despite some repetition, they remain among the best resources available. They cover many internal techniques not easily found elsewhere unless you can read Chinese :)

Wrapping it up, I hope this article helps you if you’re just starting with Qigong and feeling a bit confused or unsure of where to begin. Everyone’s journey into mastering Qi is different, so I hope these tips provide some clarity and point you in the right direction. Enjoy your Qigong practice!