Qigong

Qigong (Chi-Kung, pronounced Chee- Gung) 

To fully understand the meaning of Qigong, we need to break down the word into two parts.

Qi 氣 (or Chi) essentially means energy and Gong 功 (or Kung) means work. 

We could say that Qi means (and some schools do translate this as) breath, or subtle breath, (Qigong = Breathing Work) however, it means something far more. Energy in the body is more than just breath, we obtain energy from several sources, including nutrition, movement, and hereditary genes. So, breath does not quite cover what we are (or should be) working with.

Life force is a good translation of Qi, but again, does not quite cover it as inanimate objects have energy whether alive or not (mountains have Qi). We believe that the best translation is “universal energy” as it fully describes the energy that binds all things together “in the universe” or “cosmos”. This also fits nicely into the Buddhist and Taoist theology, 

Gong translates as work, effort or achievement; this is simple and does not need too much of an explanation. We can see the word Gong (or Kung) in other areas of well-known Chinese culture, such as “Kung Fu” or “Gong Fu” which literally means “hard work” or to “work hard”. This is commonly known as the Chinese Martial Arts, however, is not necessarily about the martial art itself but relates to anything that takes some work, skill, or labour to achieve. For example, cooking, school, or daily chores.

So, Qigong is the practice of cultivating universal energy through a combined practice of breath control, movement, visualisation, and a stylised way of living. The strength and purity of your Qi is dependent on all these factors, and we cannot just rely on one of these ingredients to give us a long and healthy life.

Once we start the practice of Qigong, we start to understand its meaning on a deeper level. Although, we do not need to worry too much about actual meaning of words, as it is the practice that is the most important part.

There are many styles and schools of Qigong and can be split into what we like to call the three M’s…Martial, Medicine and Meditation. These can be further divided into still and moving, internal and external and soft and hard. Most schools include both with a particular focus on one or the other.

Here at Zuanshi, we teach various different forms and styles including:-

Yi Jin Jing - Ba Duan Jin - Shi Er Duan Jin - Hun Yuan Zhang - Chan Yuan Gong - Tian Yu Di - Damo Qigong 

Some are based in Buddhist philosophy, others in Taoism. Some are seated, most are standing. All of them can be adapted to suit all abilities

If you would like to know more, please contact us