The forte of Qigong is two fold:
Whether these blockages are physical, emotional, mental or spiritual in origin makes little difference to the effectiveness of Qi Gong.
[QUOTE=Sal Canzonieri;1026180]The forte of Qigong is two fold:
Whether these blockages are physical, emotional, mental or spiritual in origin makes little difference to the effectiveness of Qi Gong.
it’s a nice metaphor, but I think that what behooves us in this day and age is to move beyond metaphorical descriptors and talk about what is going on anatomically and physiologically; and I believe that the current state of knowledge is more than adequate to describe what occurs; thus, what would be of interest is to ask how, specifically, does qigong practice change the system - for example, how does it effect the autonomic nervous system (which, IMPO, is the first thing impacted, which is why we see almost immediate changes in things like blood pressure decrease); how does it effect lymphatic flow? how does it change chronic systemic inflammation? how does it effect mood regulation? how does it impact longer rhythmic pattern generators (e.g. - circadians)? how does it effect local and regional muscle tone balance? how does it effect connective tissue tension and over time reorganize how fibroblasts lay down CT along different lines of tension? how does it effect emotional habitus, and deal with repressed emotions due to psychological trauma?
all these aspects can be well described, and as such, it helps bring qigong practice into a contemporary framwork without devaluing the non-linear / gestalt-like effects that it has as compared to more standard aerobics, which focus on a quantitavtive rather than a combination of quantitative and qualitative aspects of movement; for example, in qigong, I believe that fundamentally one learns how to move “in” the CT system: one learns how to “hear” the tension in the CT system, and then allows the CT system to spontaneously reorganize (some people call this phennomennon “unwinding”) - this impacts restrictive breathing patterns, repressed emotions, improves lymphatic / vascular return, etc. in ways that most other practices don’t (something come close, such as Feldenkreis, in this regard)
also, one needs must differentiate between different types: there are very “yin” type practices that will have one sort of effect, and other much more rigorous practices that are closer to hatha and even ashtanga yoga that wil have impact in a different way
finally, there are the “classical” taoist internal visualization-like practices, which impact the physiology in a different manner
so, in general, yes, qigong is a potentially powerful practice, but one must be careful not to get too caught up in vague terminology, and also not to be too impressed with the way in which the body, given the chance, will spontaneously self-correct - this is not magic, it’s not extaordinary, it’s not esoteric; but it can be a powerful experience especially the first time it happens to someone, and the problem is that many qigong instructors take advantage of that experience and trump it up to some special aspect of qigong which in fact is not the case…
finally, talking about yin / yang harmony - I mentioned the autonomic nervous system: the ANS has two primary sub-divisions: sympathetic (fight / flight) and parasympathetic (rest / digest); the SNS is “yang”, the PNS is “yin”; most people walk around in overstimulated SNS function, meaning that they are not only in a constant immune response, but that they have worn out the ability of that immune response to actually ward off external influences, and so get sick a lot, or are chronically inflammed with no resolution; qigong will restore that balance by first getting you into more PNS state, and once that has happened, then you can do more of the vigorous stuff which will build your SNS responsive capacity - so that is one way to ground the more vague metaphorical yin / yang concept, while still retaining the richness of the practice itself!
i like getting my energy out of my work. 
taai gihk yahn
Very great and valid statements!
Well, can we continue a presentation of material.
All this information (or the presentation of this information) helps my clients to understand how Qigong makes a practical and specific difference to their healing, not just metaphysical.
I don’t have the education, time, experience of most you guys on here. I can share my thoughts after starting yoga, tai chi, chi gong classes. As simple as I can put it. makes me fill better after classes than it did before class. That is reason enough for me.
I love it the longer I do it…it gets better and better.
Its a tool that allows me to discover and understand how my body works internally. Where I am stuck and stiff and 10 times out of 10 not relaxed and working from my dan tien… a diagnostic self test so to speak.
This then allows me to apply it through my kung fu and tai chi as well as shiatsu. I see it as an integral part of training.
increased rate of training/injury recovery
decreased sleep time
I’ve had some training but found it to be fantastic on several levels…first and foremost, the breath, I found it invigorating…been an athletic most of my life and never controlled my breathing and focussed on it as much as with Chi Kung. 2nd it was a great counterbalance to my CLF…slow methodical, more relaxing, intense on a different level. Would love to do more of it…
[QUOTE=bawang;1028273]increased rate of training/injury recovery
decreased sleep time[/QUOTE]
It actually puts me to sleep. I do most of mine right before bed, when I have trouble going to sleep. I am usually asleep within a few minutes.
I’m going to approach this from a martial perspective -
As an additional tool in my training arsenal I feel as though Qigong (particularly standing Qigong or Zhan Zhuang) helps to improve many aspects of my fighting skills: balance, focus, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and will power are the most notable examples.
I not a religious person, but I am spiritual (is that statement a cliche yet?:D) and I feel the act of going inside myself during Qigong meditation as well as the development and manipulation of Qi really adds a spiritual dimension to my training that help elevate my practice to something other that learning how to beat the crap out of people (not that I have any sort of distaste for learning how to beat the crap out of people:p).
Train Hard,
Josh Skinner
[QUOTE=donjitsu2;1028633]… I feel the act of going inside myself during Qigong meditation as well as the development and manipulation of Qi really adds a spiritual dimension to my training …[/QUOTE]
“Going inside.” That says it nicely. Qigong is not something that was overlooked outside of China. Aspects of it show up in exercise and health promotion systems, dance, gymnastics, singing, yoga, calligraphy,…you name it. We do not have to view it as anything other than human engineering. It is part of the user’s manual that we didn’t get when we were born.
It is proprioception. It is willing your mind to pay attention to “trivial” sensations. It is breathing, moving. We should hope to get better at what we practice.
Most of us aren’t taught this by parents or school teachers. We don’t value it enough to generally encourage it. It is a special interest. I think it is sad that we do not have a President’s Council on Physical Wellness that can direct funding for serious research into psychophysiological benefits of being self-aware. Instead, here in the U.S. we pretend that learning competetive games is the same as physical education.
How do you know you have attained what you train?
For example, how do you know you have cultivate your Zhen Qi to a point it is responding to the training?
In addition to many of the above statements, I’ve found qigong to be great during a hard class or test. A few seconds and I’m energized and focused enough to do what I’m called to do.
Qigong manages my chronic pain and allergies
If I don’t do qigong daily, I’ll suffer for it.
The awesome thing about qigong is, that it happens to give you energy rather than using some like other excercises. It strengthens you internally and externally. You’ll feel highly energized after doing qigong and not wasted like after doing pushups.
[QUOTE=Hendrik;1031705]How do you know you have attained what you train?
For example, how do you know you have cultivate your Zhen Qi to a point it is responding to the training?[/QUOTE]
probably when one is able to stay on topic of a thread and not attempt to “teach” when it’s not asked for;
[QUOTE=jdhowland;1029510]“Going inside.” That says it nicely. Qigong is not something that was overlooked outside of China. Aspects of it show up in exercise and health promotion systems, dance, gymnastics, singing, yoga, calligraphy,…you name it. We do not have to view it as anything other than human engineering. It is part of the user’s manual that we didn’t get when we were born.
It is proprioception. It is willing your mind to pay attention to “trivial” sensations. It is breathing, moving. We should hope to get better at what we practice.
Most of us aren’t taught this by parents or school teachers. We don’t value it enough to generally encourage it. It is a special interest. I think it is sad that we do not have a President’s Council on Physical Wellness that can direct funding for serious research into psychophysiological benefits of being self-aware. Instead, here in the U.S. we pretend that learning competetive games is the same as physical education.[/QUOTE]
well said, sir; well said, indeed;
I don’t know about you guys, but when I practice gongs I get “high”.
As in, clarity is very strong.
Also, body feels great, mind feels great, emotions feel balanced, solutions to problems come easier.
qigong practice is one of the great enjoyments I have with Kung Fu practice.