One way to categorize the exercises of Qigong is to distinguish them according to whether they are “hard” or “soft”. These terms can also be used interchangeably with “external” or “internal”. Both are effective in developing and maintaining the proper flow of qi in the body of an individual, however some believe that both should be performed to achieve the best results.

Hard or External Qigong

Practitioners of hard Qigong receive strong punishment to their body that are endured to develop their qi. Exercises may include smashing bricks on a part of the practitioner’s body, or securing hooks into the flesh and weighing them down with weights. Hard Qigong is not for the faint of heart, and is routinely practiced by some martial artists of Chinese and Japanese styles and Buddhist monks (most notably of the Shaolin Temple). Performing such exercises is to strengthen the body and achieve muscular definition. It is essentially a training of mind over matter. Qi is developed from the external force of a blow, which is typically hard on the body. It is believed to have been profoundly influenced by Buddhism.

Soft or Internal Qigong

Soft Qigong defines exercises that are gentle, and are believed to have been heavily influenced by Taoism. Practitioners do not receive blows or perform exercises that induce pain to the body. Soft Qigong involves exercises that are performed to achieve results from purely internal facilitation through gentle and circular movements. Tai Chi Chuan and Pa Kua Chang are examples of a martial art from China that utilizes soft Qigong exercises.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 15th, 2006 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Chinese Martial Arts, Oriental Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.