Practicing Qigong

Here are some thoughts in no particular order about practicing Qigong:

- the more you practice, the more benefits you'll experience

- the Qigong practice requires discipline and commitment

- the Qigong practice trains the mind to move the energy; this is a type of meditation, highly effective in improving brain function

- the Qigong practice is opening the internal energetic channels

- by opening the internal channels, the body benefits from the increased energetic balance and its healing effects 

- the exchange of energy is becoming more efficient: sending out the energy associated with bad feelings and illness, bringing in the energy associated with promoting health and mental balance

- there is an increase in stamina, flexibility and overall sense of confidence

Happy New Year!

Life is Always Smiling

Life is Always Smiling is the title of Prof Chen's autobiographical book recently published as an eBook on Amazon,  with  Teri Applegate (Editor), Ping Ping Li (Editor), Eric Orr (Editor)


It is her amazing journey written with humor, wisdom and self-reflection. For me, this reading was very inspiring. Starting with her childhood, the book portraits life in communist China and the hardships encountered and overcome.
Second part of the book is the remarkable story of her healing and changing her life with Qigong practice and study. It is an example of determination, persistence and inner power and the profound results in health and spiritual growth Qigong can offer.





Professor Chen Hui Xian is a Master Qigong living in California. She is teaching various forms of Qigong, including Chinese Essence Qigong, Awakening Light Gong, Soaring Crane Qigong, Turtle Longevity and Clapping Hands.

More information about professor Chen is at: Wisdom and Peace Wellness Center

Energy and Qigong

In "A Complete Guide to Chi-Gung", Daniel Reid describes the benefits of chi-gung:

(The spelling I normally use is "qigong"; but the text below includes quotes from Daniel Reid's book who is using the "chi-gung" spelling; so I'll respect that.)

"One of the most important benefits of chi-gung in terms of energy is emotional equilibrium. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views emotions as forms of errant energy moving uncontrolled through the system.
The "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" states:
"Anger causes energy to joy causes energy to slow down, grief causes energy to dissipate, fear causes energy to descend, fright causes energy to scatter, exhaustion causes energy to wither, worry causes energy to stagnate."
TCM diagnoses emotional imbalance in terms of organic disfunctions in the body, nutritional deficiencies, environmental factors, and the disruptive effects of external forces and energy fields on the human system.
By re-establishing and maintaining the energy balance, chi-gung has a benefic impact on the emotional equilibrium.
Another beneficial effect of chi-gung practice on energy is that it establishes harmonic resonance between the human energy system and the ambient energy pulse of the planet.

The physical relaxation, mental tranquility, emotional equilibrium permit the energy to flow freely through the entire human system. This serves as a general tune-up for all of the body's vital functions, balance energies, and draws supplemental energy sup cosmos, supplies into the system from nature and the cosmos, while clearing the channels of stagnant energy. Since energy is the foundation of both physical and mental health, chi-gung recharges and rebalances body as well as mind and harmonizes them both with the rejuvenating powers of cosmos and earth.

Types of Human Energy

An excellent book that I highly recommend is "A Complete Guide to Chi-Gung" by Daniel Reid. As you noticed, the spelling is different "chi-gung" vs. "qigong", but the meaning is the same.

In this book, Daniel Reid provides the following list: (I am quoting excerpts from the Types of Human Energy Chapter.)

- Yuan-chi (primordial energy). This is the prenatal energy with which every human being is born. This potential yuan-chi is limited, so the faster we use it up due to poor diet, frequent illness, chronic stress and 'fast living', the shorter our lifespan and weaker our immune response becomes. Yuan-chi is sometimes referred to as Water energy and an important foundation for sustaining health and attaining longevity. Its conservation and tonification are fundamental principles in qigong practice.
- Jen-chi (true energy). This is the postnatal energy derived from digestion, respiration, and the other bodily functions. Also known as Fire energy, it begins to supply the system with energy the moment the baby has its umbilical cord cut and draws its first breath of air. True energy is produced in the blood when the nutrient energies refined from food digestion meet in the blood stream with atmospheric energies extracted from air by the lungs. Qigong improves the body's capacity to produce True energy, thus helps conserve precious stores of yuan-chi by enhancing the body's supplies of jen-chi. True energy takes two forms: nourishing energy and guardian energy.
- Ying-chi (nourishing energy). Ying-chi is the fuel of metabolism and other vital functions of the organs and cells, and it travels within the blood vessels and the energy meridians, which distribute it to every organ, gland, tissue and cell of the body, providing the basic nourishment and energy that activates the entire system. Its potency depends upon the quality of food and water consumed, the purity of air one breathes, and the efficiency of the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems. Qigong gives a powerful boost to all of these functions, insuring adequate supplies of this energy to the whole system.
- Wei-chi (guardian energy). Guardian energy is distributed evenly throughout the surface of the body, in the subcutaneous tissue of the skin and around the exterior surface, where it forms a protective shell of energy that resists invasion by aberrant external energies from the environment, such as extremes of weather, radiation and negative energies from other people.
- Dzang and fu chi (solid and hollow organ energy). These are the energies associated with the 'solid' Yin organs (dzang) and the 'hollow' Yang organs (fu), each pair of which is governed by one of the Five Elemental Energies. The vital organ-energies of the solid and hollow organs respond to external sources of the Five Elemental energies drawn from nature through food, water, air, weather factors, colors and herbs, as well as internal factors such as emotions, thoughts, hormones and metabolic processes. Qigong practice insures the mutual balance which is a primary indicator of health.
- Jing-chi (essential energy). This is the potent type of energy derived from the purest, most potent forms of essence in the body. When this is happening, the jing-chi energy suffuses the entire body with a potent vitality that enhances immunity, promotes mental clarity, increases stamina and prolongs life.
- Ling-ch (spiritual energy). This is the subtlest and most highly refined of all energies in the human system. This type of highly refined energy enhances spiritual awareness, improves all cerebral functions, and constitutes the basic fuel for the highest level of spiritual work.



Daniel Reid is a bestselling author and a leading expert on eastern philosophy and medicine. He has written numerous books and magazine articles on various aspects of Asian self-health and self-healing practices, and has established an international reputation for the practical efficacy of his traditional approach to modern health problems. 
You can find more info at: http://www.danreid.org/

Enjoy!

Energy

We are all energy. The Universe is energy.

Qi is the vital energy, life force, essential for our lives.

In traditional Chinese philosophy, "yuan" is the Original energy, Integral energy. It is the energy the Universe is made of, the energy before "Big Bang". It is the root of all changes, an undifferentiated energy.

From the Integral energy, yin and yang developed and, together, form the energy (qi) of all matter. Us, human beings, are microcosms in which yin and yang interact. A body with balanced yin and yang, is a healthy, energetic body and we are happy, fulfilled beings. We have pre-natal qi, the qi we received from our parents, and post-natal the qi, which we get from food. The post-natal qi could be enhanced by practicing qigong, the science of working with qi.

Our qi is influenced by everything we do, including what we eat, what we drink, our surroundings, people we interact with, etc.
Our qi is also influenced by our thoughts, emotions and desires.

The Five Element Theory describes in details and elaborate scheme of associations that shows how qi is influenced.

Here are some highlights:
The Five Elements are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water.
Associated respective directions: East, South, Center, West, North.
Respective seasons: Spring, Summer, Long Summer, Autumn, Winter
Respective colors: Green, Red, Yellow, White, Black
Respective taste: Sour, Bitter, Sweet, Pungent, Salty,
Respective emotion: Anger, Happiness, Pensiveness, Sadness, Fear
Yin Organ: Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidneys

If you are interested in reading more, here are some resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jing_(Chinese_medicine)
Chinese Soaring Crane Qigong, Zhao, Jin-xian; translated by, Chen, Hui-xian
The Root of Chinese Qigong, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming