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About Ch’i Kung (Qigong) Since antiquity, the Chinese have developed and practiced meditative movements to calm the mind and relax the body. These healthful and energy-producing exercises, called Ch’i Kung (also Chi Kung or Qigong), are easy to learn and can be done by adults of any age or in any physical condition. The word Kung means skill acquired from leisurely, continued practice. Ch’i is much harder to explain. The word ch’i (pronounced chee) cannot be translated into English for lack of any similar concept. However, ch’i (also Qi) is the basis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Acupuncture is a method of using needles to free the flow of ch’i. One partial explantion for ch’i is the following: The cells of our bodily tissues and areunable to locomote from their position relative to neighboring cells, to which they are connected. However, the cells do have the ability to change their shape. This ability is seen in one-celled life-forms and is the way such life-forms absorb nutrients and oxygen from their surroundings and eliminate wastes. This micro movement of our cells can be experienced as a tingling or squirming feeing under the skin. The basic idea is that tensions in the musculature inhibit the movement of cells. Once these tensions are released, the cells have room to move. Combining a sufficient release of muscular tension with gentle movement (such as occurs in T’ai Chi or Ch’i Kung) allows groups of cells to move in unison, sending waves of movement through the body. This flow of ch’i not only greatly aids in cellular nutrition and removal of waste products but also transmits information for balancing the functions of glands and organs. When ch’i is disrupted, health problems can result, and conversely, healing is accelerated when ch’i flows optimally. By learning to relax all unnecessary tension and doing certain movements discovered thousands of years ago, we can encourage our ch’i to flow and actually experience it as doing so. Ch’i Kung has been described as “acupuncture without the needles.” More Articles on and Information About T’ai Chi |