Qigong describes energy cultivation practices from China often associated with a movement practice.
The subject is vast and in this article I hope to give you an insight into Qigong if you’re considering signing up for your first class or if curiosity has brought you here to find out more.
The word is made up of two terms: ‘qi’ pronounced ‘chee’ which means energy and ‘gong’ which means work but which can also be translated as cultivation. So simply put, qigong is energy cultivation. We often associate it with a movement practice or a set of dynamic and static postures, and qigong has medical, martial and spiritual applications. It can be practised through movement but also through meditation and visualisation; through reflection and contemplation; and through living in alignment with nature and diet. Qigong is ‘working with life energy, learning how to control the flow and distribution of qi to improve the health and harmony of mind and body.’ Kenneth Cohen.
The term came into use in the late nineteenth century to differentiate from spiritual and superstitious practices although many forms of movement meditation have been practised in China for hundreds of years and would now be understood as qigong. The roots of qigong lie in Taoism, a philosophy closely aligned to observing the patterns within nature. The ancient Chinese - farming people observed the cycles of nature: planting and harvesting; life and death all of which informed their philosophy.
““What is rooted is easy to nourish
What is recent is easy to correct
What is brittle is easy to break
What is small is easy to scatter.
Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.””
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF QIGONG?
Qigong harnesses the power of the mind and intention and simple movements to bring greater balance and harmony to the body and its systems. It dissolves knots or tension and thereby supports the lymphatic and immune system. Physically, the movement practices can strengthen the body, regulate the nervous system and improve bone density. The effects aren’t just physical. Qigong can help with insomnia and reduce stress and anxiety to balance the emotions.
WHAT to expect in a class?
You’re not going to like this response if you have come expecting anything definitive. There are literally thousands of forms of Qigong. Some put the number at 7,000; some at more. Multiply this number by the thousands of teachers there are and you will begin to get a sense of how different Qigong classes are likely to be.
I can give you some insight into what you can expect from my classes. I like to offer a space that is both playful and contemplative. In my classes I draw my inspiration from nature, from myth and philosophy but also from some of our profound thinkers. I offer a contemplation on the season or elements to begin but most of all I invite participants to sense and settle into their own bodies, to allow their minds to settle and to feel what is most resonant. This is a non-verbal process, so my attempt to encapsulate it may feel clumsy at best.
Participants are led through gentle loosening exercises and guided through a number of qigong forms. Classes include meditation and visualisation. My intention and I use the word advisedly is to facilitate a greater sense of connection between mind and body and a connection with each other and nature. Most of all, I hope to inspire participants into their own embodied enquiries.
Classes are accessible and inviting; playful and warm. They are hard to capture on paper but I hope I have piqued your curiosity enough to have a go.
what kit do you need for qigong?
Wear what you find most comfortable, loose enough to move in but old t-shirts and jogging bottoms are perfect. You definitely don’t need to wear designer gear and you won’t need a mat or any equipment.
What is energy - is it real?
Qi is often described as life energy or the animating force. It is likened to ‘prana’ in yoga. It is thought of as the animating force that is shared by everything living: plants, animals, and including the earth. But what is energy? The writer Nick Paumgarten noticed that he was becoming inexplicably tired during the covid pandemic and he began to research energy. He noticed that although he was not stretching himself and had no diagnosable illness, he was tired. He writes: “Entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, politicians: it can seem that energy, more than talent or luck, results in extraordinary outcomes. Why do some people have it and others not? What does one have to do to get more?” You can read the article in the November 2021 edition of the New Yorker, but Nick Paumgarten discovers that energy is both biochemical and psychophysical: it is our perception of the body metabolising carbohydrates or fat as energy - it is a metabolic mood and our ‘energy’ is dependent on how our metabolic system functions and nourishes mitochondria. So energy in its biological sense is discoverable but what Paumgarten goes on to find is that it is also mysterious. The human body may be a ‘social network’ but Paumgarten concludes that energy is also dependent on our connection with others - other human beings and other living beings.
Over to you…
Qigong is a vast topic and so much more can be said about every aspect of it. I hope that this article has given you an introduction and awoken your curiosity. Let me know, what else you’d like to know. I’m happy to answer your questions, and if enough of you ask the same thing, I’ll write another article about it!
Join me - autumn 2022
You can join me in person or online throughout Autumn 2022 to do Qigong. I’ll be at Fisherman’s Walk, a beautiful park between Boscombe and Southbourne, a few metres from the sea on Wednesday 7 September at 10 am and then every Wednesday throughout October at 10 am. We’ll be moving through the 8 Silk Brocades and 5 Animal Frolics.
On Sunday, 18 September, join me online for the first of monthly workshops exploring the elements and seasons through Qigong and journaling.
Look out for my Introduction to Qigong for Yoga Practitioners online course which I’ll be launching later this autumn. Drop me a line to express your interest and I can let you know when it is available to book.