what-is-qigong

What is Qigong? An Introduction to Chinese Energy Healing

Even an experienced martial artist or yogi may find themselves asking the question, “What is qigong?”

Qigong is a traditional Chinese system of working with the natural energy in the human body. The practice aligns physical movement, breathing, and awareness to tap into the body’s bioelectric energy field.

Years later, I would learn directly from Wang Changjiang, leading master of the world’s oldest tai chi lineage

That natural pulse of life force energy is called qi 气 — “qigong” then, literally means, “energy work.”

When I started doing qigong, I was a high schooler studying Shaolin kung fu. I wanted to practice the traditional training method for Iron Palm kung fu, which involves striking the hands against progressively harder surfaces. My sifu recommended I practice Shaolin qigong to balance the hard and soft energies.

At the time, I had no idea what I was doing. I simply woke up early, stood next to my bed, and started working through the prescribed combination of breathing and movement. Looking back, it’s hard to believe I dedicated myself to the task with such consistency, when I honestly had no idea what I was doing, or why.

It wasn’t until later, after experiencing kung fu training in China (as well as daily life there, where people hold qi as a fundamental concept), that I was able to start feeling the sensation of the energy itself.

When you start to feel the presence and flow of qi in your body, you develop a completely new avenue of interaction with the fundamental forces that govern your life experience — things like your physical body, your emotional state, and the healthy flow of bioelectricity between your body’s cells.

Here’s an introduction to qigong, to get you started on a path of working with this ancient healing modality.

Table of Contents:

History of Qigong

It’s not easy to trace the origins of qigong.

The art has its roots in ancient Chinese shamanic tribal traditions. It predates a unified China and a codified system of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The origin of qigong is classically attributed to the Yellow Emperor, a mytho-historical figure who united ancient China and held deep understanding of esoteric arts. Indeed, many of the most impactful schools of qigong practice are linked to martial arts and religion.

Buddhist qigong came to a climax with the birth of Shaolin kung fu. The story goes that a monk named Bodhidharma journeyed from India to bring Buddhism to China. Making stops on his journey, his wild personality often got him driven out of town — this is the guy who, when asked by the emperor how much karmic merit he’d accrued as a ruler for developing Buddhist temples and libraries, famously responded “none.”

Finally he settled at Song Mountain, where he allegedly spent nine years in a cave meditating until he came up with the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, a set of qigong exercises that gave way to the Shaolin traditions of mind-body connection, and established the Shaolin Temple as the birthplace of Zen buddhism.

Today, the Shaolin monks are better known for their nail-biting feats of hard qigong (see above GIF).

Taoist monks, meanwhile, took a different approach, building out a complex system of qigong and spiritual practices that intertwined with Chinese alchemy and the search for eternal life.

What are the benefits of qigong?

The benefits of qigong practice are hard to quantify, but scientific testing has reported higher levels of energy and focus, as well as improved digestion and reduced anxiety.

Qigong takes the understanding that the whole body acts as a conductor for bioelectric energy; the healthy flow of this energy allows us to digest food, circulate oxygen, or kick a football. Deeper qigong practice, in contrast, aims to access higher levels of spiritual awareness.

So by practicing qigong, we’re expanding the body’s energetic functionality, cultivating health on a holistic level.

What’s the difference between qigong and tai chi, or reiki, or yoga?

If you asked a tai chi master whether or not he practiced qigong, he would laugh — tai chi is a form of qigong, after all.

Qigong is a broad term referring to any kind of intentional practice that affects the body’s energy currents. In traditional Chinese medicine, therapies like acupuncture and moxibustion are also considered ways to “move energy.”

Reiki is an energy healing art that originated in Japan, and practices like kundalini yoga also deal directly with this fundamental life force energy. Qigong refers to the tradition of energy work that originated in ancient China, but a foundation in different methods only serves to accelerate a practitioner’s development.

Qigong exercises for beginners

Shaolin Baduanjin

For beginners looking to try out qigong, it may be wise to look to the Shaolin monks. And when you do, you’ll probably find baduanjin.

When I trained Shaolin in high school, I had an instructional poster for the baduanjin movements on my wall. Years later, when I mentioned qigong to my teacher Master Yan An, an exemplary monk of the temple and an internationally-recognized badass in his own right, he told me the same thing: baduanjin.

“Shaolin Ba Duan Jin [Eight Pieces of Brocade] qigong is an excellent traditional Chinese health care method,” he said. “Its simple movements yield remarkable effects.”

“The ancients found these movements as soft and supple as a silk brocade tapestry, which is where the form gets its name from,” he explains. “The movements link together, alternating between loose and tight, dynamic and static, regulating your system of qi and softening the bones and muscles.”

Allow your breath and movement to be one as you follow along with this video of Master Yan An demonstrating baduanjin.

Taoist Qigong

I’d be remiss not to mention another major camp, Taoist qigong. Buddhist Shaolin and Taoist Wudang (Wu-Tang) did differ in ideology, but the reality was far from the violent rivalry depicted in Shaw Brothers flicks.

Taoism advocates a return to the natural way, and a connection to the fundamental flow of the universe, the Tao. As systematized qigong began to emerge from shamanic and tribal roots, the practice provided a natural vehicle for the pursuit of the Tao.

One of the foremost proponents of these Taoist practices in the world today is Mantak Chia. Get a taste of his approach in this old-school VHS tape:

 

Qigong hasn’t enjoyed the same surge of international popularity that yoga, reiki, and other systems have received. Maybe it’s because the Q is confusing? Maybe because it doesn’t give you a flat stomach, or because it looks too much like tai chi?

Speculation aside, qigong is a system of health and wellness cultivation that’s been in play for thousands of years, and doesn’t look ready to leave anytime soon. In China, thousands and thousands of individuals start each day with these gentle, energy-building movements, and the practice is catching on around the world.

The true nature of qigong’s impact is difficult to describe. Personally, my life has unfolded and blossomed in so many ways since I learned to feel my body’s energy field. I’ve learned new ways to work with my own body and mind, and new ways to tune in to the experiences of others.

I encourage you to do the same, and see the ways that this ancient system can benefit your modern life. Let us know what comes out of it!

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