More Information About Qigong
Qigong is an aspect of Chinese medicine that allows the practitioner to heal their body through breathing and movements or posture, by controlling and cultivating their qi (chi). The release of stress, the prevention of illness and disease, and physical fitness are results from performing these exercises. However, it is not simply an exercise of the body; exercises of Qigong must be performed with the body and mind to achieve successful control over qi in one’s body. As a result, it is actually a form of meditation that has been practiced for thousands of years in China and other parts of the world. In fact, archaeological evidence has shown that it was practiced over 5000 years ago, even though the actual term, Qigong, was given to this practice only in 1948.
Categories of Qigong
There are several thousand exercises that qualify as the meditative techniques of Qigong. All can be split into categories; however practitioners determine these categories according to different qualities. Some popular ones include whether they are from a religious (Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian) medical or martial art background and those Qigong exercises that are “internal†and “external.†Other practitioners believe that Qigong exercises should be categorized according to whether they are performed standing up, sitting, lying down, or moving around. As a result, it is up to the practitioner to determine how to categorize the many various types of Qigong exercises.
The links below will take you to more information regarding Qigong.
Religious, Philosophical and Other Categories of Qigong
More will be added in the future.