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What is qigong (chikung)?
Qigong refers to exercises that help to cultivate qi (internal energy). Scientific research is still being conducted and shows that qi is a combination of different energy (including electromagnetic). You can read more by clicking here: "Psychophysiological Reactions associted with Qigong Therapy" by Xu S.H. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8088187&dopt=Abstract Qigong exercises can be classified into various categories -Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, Medical and Martial. One well-known example of qigong that is based on Buddhist philosophy is xianggong (fragrant qigong) while martial hard qigong (yinggong) is used to increase power for breaking objects or making the body almost impervious to blows. Meanwhile, it is quite common to see people practising waidangong (waitankung) in the parks - it is a simple series of exercises that combines movement with breathing. Whatever your goals, seek a competent teacher (see below)! Note: Some breathing exercises (also and meditation) advocate significant use of mental visualisations / imagery are not recommended for young children or people with psychological ailments (e.g., hallucination). People who have experienced traumatic events are also not recommended to try such exercises. Beginners are encouraged to learn breathing exercises that rely on physical movements to circulate the energy, rather than relying on lots of visualisations. In this respect, taijiquan (taichichuan) and simple qigong such as waidangong, yijinjing, baduanjin and eighteen luohan hands (http://www.luohan.com) are very safe. It is probably easier to learn waidangong or eighteen luohand hands than taijiquan because taijiquan has lots of different movements, steps, etc. At a later stage, you can try to use more visualisations, for example in taijiquan, although it is perfectly fine to just practise the physical movements for health. The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version IV) makes mention of qigong psychotic reaction. Also click here to read more: http://www.hkjpsych.com/Culture_bound.pdf |
