After many years of teaching, I decided to write this article to try to provide a theoretical basis and historical-cultural context for my students and anyone interested in learning about the discipline of Qi Gong. Here is a brief overview of this ancient art, its benefits, and its methods.
If you are interested in trying a class, you can find the course schedules, locations, and details about the practice program at this link. The lessons are also available online.
Qi Gong – 气功 – The origins
Along with other ancient health practices, such as Shamanism and Yoga, Qi Gong also conceals its origins amid historical gaps, bibliographical contradictions, and notions that border on legend.
The genesis of this ancient art of breathing and subtle energy control is unknown, but its origins are lost in the mists of time, given its profound affinities with yoga and the various legends surrounding its birth.
One myth attributes its beginnings to Bodhidharma, the 28th patriarch of Mahayana Buddhism, who in 527 AD reached the Shaolin Temple in China and found the monks unsuitable for practicing this lifestyle. He then retired to meditate for nine years on a mountain, and upon his return, he taught them the basics of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, Qi Gong and Kung Fu (Gong Fu), even though it is unclear why those who professed Buddhist compassion should have learned to fight…
Furthermore, the Qi Gong known today in the West is typically Daoist in nature, having always been incorporated into this philosophical tradition as part of those “gymnastic methods of cultivating life” (Yang Sheng Fa), which form the foundations of self-development, the arts of longevity, and the exploration of consciousness, already present in ancient China (and therefore connected to indigenous shamanic arts, the oldest and most widespread method of healing and “access to knowledge” that has survived to the present day). References to Qi Gong appear in both the “Dao De Jing” and the “Huainanzi” (respectively “The Book of the Way and Virtue” and “The Canon of Dao and Virtue”), classical texts written several centuries before our era, and therefore before the advent of Buddhism in China.
Regardless of its origins or religious influences, this “work on internal energy” has always been integrated with both spiritual and martial disciplines; moreover, since the 19th century, even the Shaolin Temple, of Buddhist tradition, has included practices described in Daoist classics. All this makes it difficult to pinpoint the historical and geographical origins of Qi Gong, which nevertheless managed to ride the wave of the vicissitudes of time and intercultural exchanges, surviving until the 21st century.
Qi Gong today
The Chinese Cultural Revolution, followed by the hunt for rebels, led to the gradual and systematic destruction of all ancient books that were not in line with the moral principles of the new communist government. Anything that offered freedom of thought, “spiritual autonomy,” health, and self-awareness was seen as an enemy of the State and therefore had to be banned or destroyed. Thus, over the last two centuries, the world has helplessly witnessed what has probably sealed the disappearance of much of China’s millennia-old culture, both medical and spiritual/esoteric, with a few rare exceptions consisting of texts that survived in the independent provinces of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
As a result, it is very difficult today to access the original theory on Qi Gong, and it is necessary to rely on the few masters who have inherited the tradition within their families, often secretly, or on scholars and practitioners who are able to interpret the obsolete ideograms underlying the methods of this art, but only after mastering the techniques and ‘feeling’ the flow of Qi – bioelectricity, to simplify – in their own bodies.
In recent decades, China has finally recognized the potential of this practice and, in addition to scientific studies on the effects of Qi Gong, which began in the 1950s, in 2001 experts and scholars selected four forms of Qi Gong for health, choosing from among the countless existing styles:
- The Classic on the Change of Muscles and Tendons (Yi Jin Jing)
- The Five Animals Play
- The Eight Brocades (Ba Duan Jin)
- The Six Syllables Formula
We also hear a lot about the “Xi Sui Jing,” the “Classic on Washing the Marrow and Brain,” but this is not the place to analyze its contents. In addition, two of the aforementioned forms will be explored in depth during my courses: Ba Duan Jin and Yi Jin Jing. While adhering to Daoist theory, some of the practices proposed are part of Shaolin-Buddhist culture, although “hands-on” experience makes it easy to understand the enormous affinity between the two philosophical currents and the need to integrate exercises and knowledge to achieve better results, as we will see in the next paragraph.
Why so many names and styles?
Daoyin, Tuina, Dianxue, Tuna, Xingqi, Zouchan, Jing Gong, Zhan Zhuang… We could go on and on, and we would only scratch the surface of the countless techniques related to the discipline of Qi Gong.
What do all these practices represent? What are they for? How do they help us master Qi Gong?
It is very difficult for us Westerners to enter into the perspective of an “integrated reality”: here, the rule of divide et impera applies, along with the compartmentalization of knowledge and the protocoled and deterministic scientific method… The East, or at least what in the past constituted Eastern wisdom culture, preserves the concept of an integrated universe, where human beings are part of the Cosmos, and everything that concerns them cannot be separated.
天人合一 (tiānrén-héyī): this saying, which can be translated as ‘The unification of Heaven and humanity’, or ‘Human beings are an integral part of Nature’, or even ‘Man is the unity between Earth and Heaven’, is the cornerstone of most Eastern philosophical and esoteric traditions, but also Western ones (think of the alchemical precept of Hermes Trismegistus: “as above, so below”).
And so, delving into the core of this “practical philosophy,” we see that even human beings, before merging with the rest of creation, seek unification between their parts: body, mind, breath, subtle energy, spirit…
For this reason, in the 1980s, the East witnessed a conscientious combination of disciplines such as Qi Gong, psychotherapy, massage, moxibustion, acupressure, acupuncture, and many others.
Each technique/therapy is dedicated to one aspect of the “human machine,” an integrated microcosm of a macrocosm that reflects its connections and functions (a parallelism now recognized even by “local” sciences such as quantum physics and epigenetics).
But this “machine” belongs to us, it is our tool, the vehicle through which the soul experiences life in matter… We therefore need to regain awareness of the body, control of the breath, and calmness of mind, through the coordination of breath and movement, static exercises combined with specific ideomotor training, and slow, harmonious movements. Let’s see how.
What is Qi Gong?
“Qi Gong” (功气, Pinyin: Qì Gōng) means “energy work,” the so-called “qi” of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the “prana” of Ayurvedic science, the “ki” of Japanese martial arts tradition, and so on.
Extrapolating the parts that make up the traditional ideogram for Qi, 氣, we discover that the lower part means “rice,” while the upper part means “steam.” These are the main sources of energy: the air we breathe and the food we eat.
However, there is a significant cultural barrier to differentiating between the types of energy that are then transformed and used in our bodies: on the one hand, oxygen and ATP, and on the other, “bioelectricity.”
The latter is nothing more than the human electromagnetic field. After all, a neuron is a moving electrical charge, which by definition forms an electromagnetic field. It is therefore a question of understanding how to “listen through the body” in order to learn to feel its presence: creating your own vocabulary of sensations capable of assessing the flow of this energy, any blockages, accumulations, deficiencies, etc. (The subject is much broader than this, and it is not so simple to define subtle energy… But it is better not to get lost in certain issues!)
This process leads to the ability to self-manage and rebalance one’s body from a functional/postural and bioenergetic point of view, thanks to the law that underlies the movement of internal energy, expressed by the so-called “three internal harmonies” of traditional martial arts:
心导意意导气气导力 (Pinyin: “xīn dăo yì, yì dăo qì, qì dăo lì”): “the heart guides the mind, the mind guides energy, energy guides strength” (heart as “thinking and pure mind”; mind as intention, will, well-directed desire; strength as physical strength, skill, power). It is precisely the breath that harmonizes the rhythm of the heart, and thus achieves heart coherence, which we will not discuss here.
So, what exactly is Qi Gong?
It consists of integrating all the tools we have at our disposal: various types of breathing, joint exercises, guided visualizations, martial arts techniques for stretching muscles and tendons, bioelectric/energetic stimulation, ideomotor training, meditation, etc. (techniques outlined in the list of Chinese names at the beginning of the previous paragraph!) in order to regain control of the body and breath, calm anxiety, manage emotions and fears, and restore natural physiological biorhythms.
Constant practice allows us to voluntarily direct the Qi present in the fascial connective tissue, organs, meridian system, and on the surface of the body, with the result of strengthening the immune system, loosening muscle stiffness, eliminating stress, and regaining synergy with the changes in the environment around us, of which we are (or were) an integral part.
Internal Elixir and External Elixir
Among the many types of Qi Gong, it is important to know the difference between External Elixir (Wài dān) and Internal Elixir (Nèi dān).
In the first case, we refer to the limbs and skin: by training movement (through dance, martial arts, but also simply by walking or running), Qi fills the limbs through the “pores” of the skin (tsubo in Japanese) and then flows into the 12 ordinary meridians, through which it nourishes the organs and systems. Of course, being aware of one’s body at a proprioceptive level increases the amount of Qi absorbed within the body.
On the contrary, the Internal Elixir concerns everything that directly affects the inside of the body (torso, organs, bones, etc.): specific breathing and visualization exercises guide the energy to accumulate in the lower Dān Tián (丹田), the “elixir field,” located approximately at the height of our center of gravity, a few centimeters below the navel, in the center of the body. From this “biobattery,” the energy is then distributed to the 8 extraordinary vessels, and only after all these steps does it flow into the 12 ordinary meridians.
The Three Adjustments: the foundations of a method
Like any other traditional discipline, Qi Gong also requires “preliminary preparation.” This phase consists of the so-called “three adjustments”:
- Adjusting the body and posture: at the beginning, the practice focuses on postural training (Lian Xing) and the development of movement skills (Shen Fa). Hanging the head, relaxing the shoulders, dropping the elbows, emptying the armpits, pulling back the chest and strengthening the back, extending the waist and lowering the hips… these are just some of the useful tips for regaining correct posture and a stable center of gravity.
- Regulate your breathing: breathe (Hu Xi), inhale and exhale (Tu-Na), refine your Qi (Lian Qi), circulating it internally to enter the “energy working state”. As we will see in the following paragraphs, slow and deep breathing leads to a calm mind and promotes balance and coordination between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and consequently also between the organs connected to them. The various types of breathing (diaphragmatic, reverse diaphragmatic, fetal, “body” breathing, etc.) will be covered during practice, as it is necessary to “experience them directly.”
- Regulating the mind: self-training (Lian Ji) and the so-called “refining the spirit” (Lian Shen) are the guiding elements of the three regulations, since the mind is responsible for the voluntary direction of subtle energy and must be “turned inward.” To do this, three different techniques are used, the details of which we will not analyze here: Yi Shou, “bringing awareness to…” or “focusing the mind on…”; Cun Xiang, “mentally visualizing”; Ru Jing, “entering tranquility.”
The four stages of Daoist Qi Gong
Once the preliminary exercises are complete, we follow the classic Daoist Qi Gong path, namely the Theory of the Internal Elixir, a method which, as we have seen, involves the accumulation and refinement of subtle energy in the extraordinary vessels. In particular, this method uses the Governor vessel and the Conception vessel, which come together in a single circuit of “alchemical refinement” called the Small Heavenly Circulation (or Microcosmic Circulation, one of the main guided visualization and conscious Qi movement exercises covered in the course). It is the first of the four stages of energetic and spiritual evolution, a journey towards health, longevity, and self-awareness.
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STEP 1: Refine the Essence (Jing) to transform it into Vital Energy (Qi);
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STEP 2: Refine Vital Energy (Qi) to transform it into Spiritual Energy (Shen);
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STEP 3: Refine Spiritual Energy to return to Emptiness;
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STEP 4: Refine the Void to reintegrate into the Dao.
Jing, Qi, and Shen are the three forms of energy we possess, each containing a prenatal and a postnatal aspect, divided within the three Dan Tian: lower, middle, and upper. The latter are, “coincidentally,” located at our three main nerve centers, or brains: the enteric brain (intestines – lower Dan Tian – center of gravity and main biobattery of the body), the intracardiac nervous system (heart – middle Dan Tian), and the brain (upper Dan Tian).
Although there is no “dictionary of sensations” to define and distinguish these energies, their attribution to specific places within the body is fictitious: it is a journey, yet another journey of the human being from an unconscious and inert state to a condition of greater energy and awareness. Mental presence, vitality, health, intuitiveness, subtle perception… qualities that will grow hand in hand with the refinement of internal energies, from the coarsest, most animalistic ones to the “divine” ones.
Far from rushing things, we focus on the first phase, a veritable panacea for the individual’s overall well-being, which in turn is characterized by five sub-phases that explain its objectives and achievements:
- Train the Self;
- Mix medicines;
- Produce medicines;
- Collect medicines;
- Refine medicines.
Although these definitions may seem obscure or incomprehensible to our culture, the practice of Qi Gong quickly reveals the practical results of these internal processes, with all-round benefits for the practitioner’s life.
Qi Gong effects
An entire volume would not suffice to list the results of the numerous scientific studies aimed at understanding the benefits of regular and long-term practice of Qi Gong.
In this paragraph, I will briefly list some of the most surprising results, leaving this link for those who wish to learn more about the effects of Qi Gong and meditation on Fibromyalgia, a study I conducted personally for my master’s degree.
First of all, listening to oneself leads to greater awareness, which allows one to identify the physical manifestations of emotions and states of anxiety. Not unlike advanced yogic practices, especially with regard to breathing, static positions, and muscle blocks, this action aims to achieve mental calm, which manifests itself through a transition from Beta brain waves (frequency between 14 and 30 Hz, of intense activity and information processing) to Alpha waves (8-14 Hz, frequency of listening, relaxation, subtle perception, intuition, and regeneration) and Theta waves (4-8 Hz, corresponding to meditative trance, REM sleep, and access to the unconscious).
All this is driven by a slowing of the breath which, as already mentioned, brings the heart into cardiac coherence, a rhythm that helps to coordinate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and reduce the flow of information to the brain, an organ that decreases oxygen consumption by 16%. In addition, the metabolic level of norepinephrine drops by around 60% compared to normal.
This also results in a positive increase in blood circulation: studies conducted at Chinese universities have shown that, for example, after 40 minutes of practicing the static exercise of Zhan Zhuang (the immobile standing pole), red blood cells increase from 21,000 to 5,900,000 per square milliliter, while white blood cells increase from 400 to approximately 400,000; hemoglobin increases from 1.5 to 2.3 grams per square milliliter. The increased oxygen supply to the tissues underlies important and obvious improvements in the immune system.
A few words about my method…
I have named my teaching system “the HASHI Method,” a Japanese word meaning “bridge,” precisely to emphasize the goal of uniting the knowledge of the past with that of the present, spirituality with science, man with Nature, the “scientifically provable” with “mystical Eastern organicism.” In short, to make the “parts” into a “single, harmonious whole,” and then integrate with the environment around us…
These parts are first and foremost those that make up us human beings, and the tools used are derived from an experiential selection between what we know and what is understandable to our culture, and what instead comes from more ancient or profoundly different traditions. Exercises and methods have been combined and integrated as outlined in the following diagram:
Many other disciplines and methodologies contribute to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but there are so many areas of knowledge that it is impossible to acquire everything: discernment and awareness are needed, just enough to distinguish what is right for us and “makes us feel good,” in short, what vibrates on the same frequency as our soul.
Enjoy your practice and… your journey!
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