What is Qigong?  What is Tai Chi?

***A concise reading for beginners who may be thinking of joining a class, (a more thorough reading is available below).

Let’s start with a brief history.There are many forms of Tai Chi and many spellings. Qigong (also spelled Chi Kung) is known as "the mother of Tai Chi," and it was developed before the arising of any martial arts applications. Its meaning translates as “working intensely with energy.”  When Qigong, the gentle internal art of energy, mixed with martial arts, a stronger and more external art, it became Tai Chi. Tai Chi translates as “the great ultimate.” There were many families that have passed down their Tai Chi art with both the oral and written tradition. The Qigong and Tai Chi histories are fascinating to study.  If you have an interest in the Nam Hoa history or cosmology, you may wish to visit our home website to learn of the Nam Hoa tradition and more about our practice.  It is available at www.namhoa-internal-arts.com   But for now, let’s learn more about what it is.

The Chinese believe that "to strain is not to gain." They also believe that one must have a strong mind/body connection to feel "inside the body" and recognize when energy is "out of balance." The belief is that when your energy flows through your body the way it should, you are in a state of good health.  The practice of Qigon and Tai Chi are practices of feeling and moving energy in your body.

Qigong and Tai Chi are exercise programs as well as meditation practices.  You will move every muscle, joint, bone, and organ of the body but in a slow and methodical way. The exercises will help you maintain your flexibility and move forward in regaining lost flexibility. Research suggests improved balance is one of the many benefits of this practice. This is a very gentle program and therefore is perfect for rehabilitation. You should always consult your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program.  Many people practice the art to sustain good health, improve poor health, and to promote future longevity.  

The practice always includes the use of breath in certain ways. Breathing techniques will enhance your practice.  Breathing fully and having control of your breath can make a positive difference in your daily life.

This is also a practice of "moving meditation" and will allow one to develop a method for improved focus and concentration but also to build the feeling of peace and harmony. For all of you who suffer from worry or perfectionism, from “Type A” personality and stress illnesses, this is the practice for you!  Research on the benefits of meditation is widely available.

How is the Internal Art of Qigong and Tai Chi Taught to Students?

We recommend the ancient way of learning which is with the guidance of an instructor, teacher or Tai Chi Master. Your instructor will provide you with the “energy workout,” a series of movements divided into four sections that allow for immediate benefits: breathing, joints, energy, and meditation.  Following that, your instructor will teach you movements of a “form” that flows one movement into the next and creates an environment for energy, exercise, breath and meditation to thrive.

Most students start with the Longevity Tree form. Others may be starting with the Yang form. The movements taught at the beginning level are part of a Qigong form called "The Longevity Tree," a 36-step moving meditation form that combines meditation, exercises and breathing techniques to create a mind/body/spirit connection. This form and the Energy Workout are a great place to start studying the internal arts. It will give you a foundation in meditation and movement that will allow you to develop a deeper practice if you so choose. Options are available for continued study; students take their own path of interest.

Benefits

• Improve your overall health now and promote longevity
• People who learn and practice Qigong and Tai chi report wonderful results in pain management, stress reduction, increased energy, flexibility, balance, better sleeping and much more
• To read more about research on the subject, see the research section on our home website- www.namhoa-internal-arts.com

What is Qigong/Tai Chi Part II

(a longer read with more information, written by Teacher Jude)

One of my favorite books on our recommended reading list is by Ken Cohen, a wonderful Chi Kung Master and China scholar who is well known and respected internationally.  Printed in 1997, and titled “The Way of Qigong: the art and science of Chinese energy healing,” this book is a comprehensive volume written for beginners and advanced students alike.  But more than the writings, I trust this book because I have had the privilege of practicing with Ken Cohen and some of his instructors and students.  I trust the information in this book, because I trust the man.  That statement begs the question then, how do you know who to trust when reading the vast information about the ancient Chinese internal arts?  I can’t answer that for you, I can only provide you within this article the transmission of some information that I trust.

It is important to note that it would take a lifetime to fully read and attempt to understand all the ancient and modern texts on these subjects. And, that all the study of the subject will not result in the benefits that are available via the practice of Qigong and Tai Chi.  The internal arts are not something you learn, but something you practice, and often times, may remember, from a childhood time; a connected time, a time when your movement was free, the mind and body were more instinctual, and everything seemed so much more alive. Compare the baby that cries when she is hungry, or sleeps in the middle of clanging noise, because she is tired, to the time now when our senses are often so forcused on the external information we receive, rather than the internal we feel and know. What is Qigong then? It is a practice of energy and connection with yourself. But for now, just take a small bite, don’t try for the whole buffet… read a little about it, come to an introduction class….experience the practice for yourself. Discover how to “let your chi be free.”  

We can learn more about Qigong and Tai Chi by understanding a little more of the history of the subject.  Let’s start with the “mother of Tai Chi- Qigong. Here is a section from Cohen’s book in Chapter Two- Roots and Branches.

The term “qigong” is actually quite recent.  It was first mentioned in a text¹ attributed to Daoist master Xu Sun (died A.D 374), but probably dating from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).  The word “qigong” was not used in its present specialized sense- “the art of qi cultivation”- until the twentieth century.  According to Daoist Scholar and author, Catherine Despeux, the word qigong appears in the titles of two works published in 1915 and 1929, where it “designates the force issued by working with the qi and the martial applications [of this force].  The therapeutic [medical] use of the term dates only from 1936: a certain Dong Hao published in Hangzhou a work entitled Special Therapy for Tuberculosis: Qigong.” ² Since that time, “qigong” has been widely used in this medical sense, representing all Chinese self-healing exercise and meditation disciplines from ancient times to the present. Cohen 12

Aside from giving you a brief history lesson, we also read Cohen’s idea of the meaning of Qigong as “Chinese self-healing exercise and meditation disciplines.” To better under these “exercises” and “meditations” we should understand the concept of Qi (pronounced “chee” and often spelled as chi). Qi is known from writings in the ancient cultures as “life energy,” sometimes referred to as “vital force,” and described plainly in a modern sense as “electromagnetic force.” The word “Gong” means “work” or sometimes “to work with intensity.” So Qigong can be thought of as working with life energy.  The Chinese believe that when your Qi is flowing as it should, you are well, when it is not, you are not. 

Most Qigong Teachers understand there are two categories of Qigong: active (sometimes called dynamic) known as dong gong and passive (sometimes called tranquil) known as jing gong.   The most popular seems to be the active Qigong as passive requires stillness (not something we westerns are used to or often practice). Cohen puts it this way:

The entire body moves from one posture to another, as though performing a dance, or a posture is held while the arms move through various positions…It is yang, active, active, yet it conceals the yin, passive.  Externally there is movement, but internally, the mind is quiet, peaceful, and at rest….To put it simply, dynamic qigong is exercise, tranquil qigong is meditation. Yet these categories are not rigid. Stillness and action are relative, not absolute, principles.  It is important to find a balance of yin and yang, not just in qigong, but in everyday life.  In movement, seek stillness and rest.  In rest, be mindful and attentive. Cohen 4

Here is the dictionary (source: http://nci.nih.gov/dictionary ) attempt at understanding the difference between the two:

Chi Kung (chee-gong)
A form of traditional Chinese mind/body exercise and meditation that uses slow and precise body movements with controlled breathing and mental focusing to improve balance, flexibility, muscle strength, and overall health. 

Tai Chi (ty chee)
A form of traditional Chinese mind/body exercise and meditation that uses slow sets of body movements and controlled breathing. Tai chi is done to improve balance, flexibility, muscle strength, and overall health.

We are discussing a subject that has been discussed for centuries, and there are many forms of Tai Chi and many spellings. Qigong is known as "the mother of Tai Chi," and it is thought to have been developed before the arising of any martial arts applications. When Chi Kung, the gentle internal art of energy, mixed with the more external martial arts (at that time based on the movement of animals), it became Tai Chi. So one of the differences between the two is that Tai Chi can include martial art applications of the gentle movements (but most instructors do not teach those applications in beginner classes).

A concept that both practices believe in is to "strain is not to gain." They also believe that one must have a strong mind/body connection to feel "inside the body" and recognize when energy is "out of balance." The practice of this "moving meditation" will enhance the mind/body connection and allow one to have more of a connection with the internal body. Chi Kung and Tai Chi are exercises as well as meditations. You will move every muscle, joint, bone, and organ of the body but in a slow and methodical way. Breathing techniques will enhance your practice. The exercises will help you maintain your flexibility, move forward in gaining any lost flexibility and promote longevity. These practices are very gentle and therefore are appropriate for physical rehabilitation. You should always consult your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program. If your healthcare provider doesn't know about Tai Chi or Chi Kung, ask him/her to find out (perhaps even share this website with him or her).

This moving meditation will help you to develop focus and concentration but also to build the feeling of peace and harmony. Rather than the idea of just “don’t worry” or “take a walk or a bath,” or “sit and think of something beautiful” or chanting, this practice is an actual method of stress reduction, of knowing how to quiet the mind, of knowing how to release both mental and physical tension.  The connection of mind, body and breath, and the continued practice of the movements in this context is a path for internal peace.

 

What are the Benefits?

Qigong and Tai Chi are both a preventive and healing exercise practice.  It is appropriate for both good mental and physical health. To have even one moving meditation form for your use as you age will be a gift to your mind, body and spirit. The practice is excellent for almost anyone! Both men and women enjoy the practice. People of all body types are able to practice. 

People who learn and practice report wonderful results in pain management, reduced stress, increased energy, improved physical flexibility and balance, lower blood pressure, faster and deeper sleeping, and overall improved health.  A sense of calmness in the face of the many challenges our lives can bring is often a reported benefit of the ancient practice. There is much medical research available on the positive effects of these internal arts.  If you have a particular health concern you could use the internet research capability to search your concern and Tai Chi. This should lead you to current research on the subject.  But the best research is the one you conduct yourself, as you become an internal arts practitioner.

Where to Start

Be guided by the Nam Hoa instructor in your area.  You may be starting with the Qigong form- Longevity Tree, a 36-step moving meditation form that combines meditation, exercises and breathing techniques to create a mind/body/spirit connection. Deep breathing will enhance your exercise. This form is a great place to start studying the art of internal energy, as it teaches a foundation in connecting to your energy, a place to start learning , and leaning about movement. Students are on their own path and many options are available for continued study.

The Nam Hoa Qigong/Tai Chi program is a comprehensive one. It allows the student to pace themselves according to their interest and time available. All levels of students are welcome. If all you want to do is practice and have one form, you will find a program to suit you. Some students choose to repeat the form so as to concentrate less on the mechanics of the movements and more on the "flow" of energy. Some students choose to go on and learn another form or some of our supplementary practices.

Advanced classes are available in most areas.  You may want to start with a discussion with your instructor. There are other options in the program to continue your practice as well. Chi workshops; sunrise and sunset practices, meditation workshops, and Master's Retreat in the summer and the fall are wonderful ways to bring the ancient arts into your modern world.

I leave you with this quote, as it suggests the benefits of exploring the ancient internal arts-

This world-weariness, now is celebrated by a growing sense—among scholars, scientists, physicians, and many others who share a far-reaching view of the world—that much of the unknown we keenly search for is already known to us, entrenched in the forgotten and misunderstood traditions of the distant past. Along other traditional studies and practices, the Chinese cultural studies and practices play one of the indispensable roles in reviving the ancient spiritual and healing traditions and practices of the world cultures.  http://www.literati-tradition.com/approaches.html

 

Book Citations

Cohen, Ken, The Way of Qigong. The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing, Ballentine Books, NY, 1997. Pages  12-29.

General Information

Teacher Jude’s writing on this subject comes from her study and practice with Chi Kung/Tai Chi Master Jim Scott-Behrends, and her independent study in the subject since 1992.