While flipping through the channels on TV, you notice an infomercial claiming the latest exercise device that will help you lose weight, feel great, and be healthy. Sounds too good to be true, but for only three payments of $19.95, health and vitality can be yours. Is it that simple? If I spend money, can I buy health? Indirectly, yes, you can spend money on someone like me and learn how to be healthier, but one cannot actually buy health directly.
One of the best discoveries in my quest for the answers of the Universe is the healing practice of Qigong. Qi (pronounced “chi”) is the life energy that is within us and all around us. Gong means daily practice. Qigong therefore is the daily practice of cultivating Qi. Have you ever walked into a room and just knew that someone was in a bad mood without any words being exchanged? That feeling is the life energy, or Qi, of that individual at that particular moment. Or what about the person who always seems to put everyone else in a good mood whenever they are around? That individual is sharing their Qi with others. And finally the best example of what is Qi is when you look at someone who is sick, or older, and weak and compare them to a baby or child full of energy. The former is exhibiting low levels of Qi, or vitality, and the latter is in abundance. Basically, our levels of Qi are an indication of how vital and healthy we are. Through daily practice of qigong, one can become healthier. Another important concept is that Qi is not just within us but it is in the sky above us, the earth we live on and is much more vast than that. We are essentially all balls of energy, or Qi, living within a great force field of Qi. Now I do not want to scare you away by getting so profound, but this is just so that you can get a grasp of how powerful qigong practice can be.
According to the book, “The Healing Promise of Qi”, by Roger Jahnke, OMD, there are three promises of Qi. The first promise is that Qi is free. It is everywhere, and everyone has direct access to it through simple methods that are easy to learn and practice. Qi can be cultivated purposefully to resolve any challenge or enhance any function. The second promise of Qi is that every person who uses Qi cultivation methods consistently experiences some form of health improvement and personal access to greater energy and power. And finally, the third promise of Qi is that Qigong, or Qi cultivation, is easy if you let it be.
If you have six or seven of the qualities on the first list, you have ample Qi. If you have three or four or more of the qualities on the second list, you are deficient. It is possible to exhibit ample qi and to be deficient at the same time. This state is an opportunity to improve your health while your vitality is still high. Others may not be so fortunate, exhibiting very little ample Qi and being very deficient. These are the people who need a major overhaul, or change, in their health or they may be at risk for disease. The most fortunate ones are the people who have ample Qi and little, if any, deficiency. These people will practice Qigong geared towards achieving a higher level of personal performance or spiritual clarity.
As stated in the first promise of Qi, Qi is free and can easily be cultivated. You will not have to spend three payments of $19.95. There are several different forms of Qigong and the one that I use on a daily (most of the time) basis is called Chi-lel Qigong. Chi-lel literally means “chi therapy”. It is a version of the popular Zhineng Qigong, which is a popular medical qigong used in China. Eastern medicine actually uses qigong as a form of treatment. I have been practicing Qigong since 2003 and can not praise its virtues enough. It has played a tremendous role in all aspects of my life. I find daily practice helps keep my mind focused, my levels of stress under control, and energizes me to achieve all my life goals. I have also noticed quite a few of my physical therapy patients have benefited from simple, scaled-down versions of qigong. Qigong is really for everybody, only if they let it. Ignorance is probably a sign of Qi stagnation. All one needs is an open mind and an intention to be healthier.
Look out for a future article on how to get started with Qigong.
