Integrating Qigong into your Daily Practice (Part 1)
Preserve and nourish your Qi and foster better results QiGong (氣功) is sometimes referred to as one of the main therapies of Chinese Medicine along with acupuncture, herbal medicine and TuiNa massage. It is a holistic system of self-healing, exercise and meditation, an ancient and evolving practice that includes posture, alignment, movement, stillness, relaxation, breathing and self-massage. Through different methods, Qi is accumulated, stored and moved throughout the body. Qi (氣) is the Chinese word for ‘vapour’, ‘air’, ‘breath’, ‘vital energy’, or simply ‘energy’. It is many things, but it is more an image or concept than a word. According to Chinese Medicine, Qi is the animating power that flows through all living things, and a basic requisite for life. Although health includes an abundance of Qi, it also implies that this Qi flows smoothly like a stream and does not become blocked or stagnant. The amount of Qi and its unimpeded movement are both essential. Gong (功) means ‘work’ or ‘cultivation’ or even ‘benefits/skills acquired through practice’. Thus, QiGong (氣功) means ‘working with the life energy, learning how to control the flow and distribution of Qi to improve health and harmony of mind and body’.[i] With this definition in mind, we can see how QiGong can be deeply related to the healing process which we work with and witness in our everyday practice. QiGong can be practiced almost anywhere without any specific equipment. If trying to incorporate it in daily clinical practice, it can be performed before seeing patients – to get ready and to tune our body into ‘therapist mode’; in between patients – to re-balance and bring back our centre; or even after a long day in the clinic to loosen up the body, get rid of tension and regulate our breathing. These can be great opportunities, but my ultimate goal with this series of articles, is that you don’t abandon your centre at all during clinical practice, and hopefully you will be doing QiGong during treatments as well. QiGong theory is simple and yet profound. Among many different concepts, one of the most important ones is the ‘Three Internal Harmonies’. These three harmonies or ‘unities’ are: Harmony between Heart-Mind (Xin) and Intention (Yi)Harmony between Intention (Yi) and QiHarmony between Qi and Force (Jin Li) The first two are the ones that we are more interested in exploring: the relationship between Heart-Mind (Xin), Intention (Yi) and Qi. These are not sequential, but actually a unification – thus acting as one thing instantly and without hesitation or thinking getting involved. The word Yi is usually translated as intent or volition. During QiGong practice we use intention and not force; we relax and release. In QiGong we say that ‘when Yi arrives, Qi arrives’. Thus the more our mind is focused and concentrated on the practice the more Qi we can develop and control. On the other hand, the more we develop our practice, the easier it becomes to focus and strengthen our intention (Yi). Essentially, QiGong does not work without awareness, focus and relaxation. Throughout the history of Chinese Medicine, the importance of the intention and concentration have been highlighted in many different texts and by different doctors and scholars as well. The great Suiand Tang Dynasty doctor Sun Simiao (孙思邈) expressed that: ‘Medicine is intention. Those who are proficient at using intention are good doctors.’ If we go back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) and specifically to the Huang Di Neijing classic, the most important ancient text in Chinese Medicine, we can find the important connection between mind, concentration, intention and the specific act of needling. The Huang Di Neijing Ling Shu (Chapter 8) has one of the most remarkable lines: ‘Every needling’s method first must be rooted in the spirit (Shen).’ This line is also the opening line of Huang Fu Mi’s (皇甫謐) Systematic Classic on Acupuncture and Moxibustion (针灸甲乙经 – Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing). There are many passages in the Huang Di Neijing that stress the importance of focusing one’s mind when needling. Indeed, Huang Di Neijing Su Wen (Chapter 25) contains a sentence that is quite similar to the one cited above. Paul Unschuld (2011) has translated it as: ‘For all piercing to be reliable, one must first regulate the spirit.’[i] It is interesting to notice that there is a commentary by the famous scholar Wang Bing regarding this sentence, where he clarifies: ‘One must concentrate one’s mind and be calm without motion. This is the central point of piercing.’ As we can see, the role of the practitioner/healer’s mind, intention and focus is paramount, and has been acknowledged throughout the history of Chinese Medicine. It is a basic requirement in order to achieve best results. It is also essential to observe that, without awareness and relaxation, there can be no QiGong but probably only external movement. Thus I would love to spark this idea in your mind and make you reflect about the role of awareness, relaxation and focus in the healing process. Regarding QiGong itself, there are countless different styles, schools and methods but, in my opinion, they are mostly based in standing meditation and the ‘Sinking of the Qi’ concept. Standing meditation or Zhan Zhuang (站桩, literally ‘standing [like a] post’) is an ancient form of meditation and ‘life cultivation’ (養生 – Yangsheng). All QiGong and internal arts training begin with this important position, which involves simply standing still. It is an opportunity to pay attention to the tensions in our body, mind and nervous system. Through awareness, it becomes a moment of powerful and deep releasing and relaxation. Above Illustration: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward. Unlock your knees and, as if you were to sit in a bar stool, drop your tailbone but avoid forcefully tucking your pelvis.Let your hands hang loosely by your sides and drop your shoulders. Do not collapse your chest; instead keep chest opened, and relax chest and shoulders’ muscles.Imagine that, like a puppet, your whole body is hanging, suspended from