What is Qigong?
Qigong comes from two Chinese words: Qi (chi) means energy and gong (kung) means a skill or a practice. Qigong therefore means a skill or practice of cultivating energy.
There are various kinds of qigong -- broadly categorized as internal and external. Internal qigong is much like meditation, with visualizations in order to guide the energy. External qigong includes movement accompanying the meditation.
Qigong is famous in China for curing chronic disease and promoting health.
Is it the same as Chi Kung?
Yes. Qi, chi, ji, chi'h and others are all various transliterations for the Chinese word for energy. It is generally pronounced as the chee in cheese. Kung or gong is the Chinese word for a skill or practice. I pronounce it as gong - the musical instrument.
Chinese is a pictograph language. Over the years, people have tried to convey it through an alphabet. The various translators have changed the spellings due to regional accents and other differences.
In the 1940s, the Chinese came up with an official transliteration called Hanyu Pinyin. In that version, qigong is the official spelling - one or two words is arguable.
Therefore, we use the qigong spelling even though it causes some difficulties with Westerners.
Why should I learn Qigong?
Qigong can improve your physical and mental health. It provides all the benefits of meditation (reduced stress, lower blood pressure, better attitude, etc.) with physical exercises. The enhancement of the mind/body connection increases your awareness of where your body needs work - where your body needs changes related to diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle, etc.
This mind/body connection is not a trivial issue. It can influence the course of all manner of chronic diseases. In China, qigong gained its recent fame in the treatment of cancer.
What is Qi?
That's the question, isn't it?
The standard answer: Qi is energy, life force, pranah, that which flows through all of us and gives us life.
The reality: Qi must be experienced. Words fail.
Is this a religion?
Most definitely not. It is a tool for improving health, enhancing your mind/body connection, and connecting you with the qi or life force. It can enhance your own spirituality. You can use that to enhance your own religious path or not. It is up to you.
Some teachers may use qigong practices as part of a religious teaching. That is fine, but not necessary. Qigong's great beauty is that it can be used by anyone to enhance their spiritual path no matter what that path is.
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