Qi gong – pronounced "chee goong" – is a meditation exercise for cultivating the "three treasures" of chi (vital energy), jing (essence) and shen (spirit). Using the mind, the breath and bodily movement, it activates the flow of intrinsic life energy along the meridians; strengthens the internal organs; exercises the bones, joints and muscles; promotes relaxation and stress management; and expands self-awareness on all levels.
Qi gong, also sometimes spelled chi kung, provides the essence and base for a healthy, happy and harmonious life. Tai chi is one form of qi gong that has gained popularity in the United States.
Qi (meaning energy) gong (meaning work) is a Chinese health method of exercise that combines slow graceful movements with mental concentration and breathing to increase a person's vital energy. It is part of traditional Chinese medicine, which states that sickness arises when the flow of one's vital energy is blocked. The practice of qi gong frees the energy, regulates the person, and strengthens his/her health, preventing diseases.
Sometimes called the Chinese Fountain of Youth, these exercises are an inexhaustible source of peace and health, and an excellent way to keep in shape, manage the tension and stress of daily life, and prolong vitality.
Scientific research has demonstrated that qi gong is a very complete system of exercise that benefits all the organs and systems of the body in the following ways:
Cardiovascular system: by decreasing heartbeat and increasing the blood supply and cardiac volume (thus improving the ventricular function), increasing blood circulation to the body extremities and brain. and regulating blood pressure.
Respiratory system: by regulating breathing, and increasing pulmonary and alveolar ventilation.
Digestive system: by improving the stomach and intestinal functions; regulating and strengthening peristalsis; accelerating bowel movements and eliminating gas; and toning the liver and pancreas.
Nervous system: by protecting the cerebral cortex through an inhibitory mechanism; and by regulating the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Endocrine system: by regulating and improving the endocrine functions of the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands, ovaries, testicles and pancreas.
Immune system: by correcting and improving the function of the thymus; increasing the number and efficiency of T-lymphocytes; and increasing the immunoglobulins and histiocytes (cells that protect the body against infection) and their activity.
Locomotive system: by strengthening bones, thus preventing osteoporosis; and by increasing the elasticity of muscles and tendons.
Metabolic system: by regulating the metabolism of lipids (cholesterol triglyerides) and sugars.
Qi gong is a soft type of exercise that has been cleverly designed to harmonize perfectly the positive (yang) and negative (yin) forces in the body, balance the mind, control the life energy (chi), and take you entirely into a state of deep calm, of moving meditation.
In qi gong, the movements must be executed slowly, without hurry, fully living in the present time. It has been described as "a natural method where the body through its activity is the source of its own health."
It is important that the breathing be done slowly, calmly and naturally, using the diaphragm muscle. You need to breathe in through the nose, and to breathe out first through the mouth and then through the nose.
As you do the execises, the body is relaxed, loose from the head to the feet, as if made of rubber. The shoulders and elbows are dropped down, and the abdomen is always relaxed. You keep your back straight.
It is essential to avoid the distractions and worries of everyday life. You should approach your qi gong practice as an opportunity to slow down the restlessness and detachment of your body and mind.
The exercises are directed by the mind. You focus your attention on the movement of the body as a whole – and especially on the hands, the spine and the dan tien, an energy center of the body situated four fingers below the navel.
The practice of qi gong will help you find the physical and mental balance that you are seeking through the combination of breathing, relaxation and inward gaze.
Editor's note: Dr. May Trieu, a St. Thomas resident, is a medical doctor, an acupuncturist and a master of qi gong, which has been practiced in China for at least 4,000 years and is practiced by some 90 million people in that country today. Interested in teaching the discipline in the community, Dr. Trieu recently gave a free introductory class in Frenchtown and plans to offer others, at times to be announced. She may be reached by telephone at 774-1420.
