As we explain in The Well Life, Qi Gong is the art of perceiving, directing, and cultivating qi – universal energy. It’s based on the fundamental idea that everything in the universe is composed of energy (Qi), and quantum physics says essentially the same thing (an idea expressed first through Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2).
As with martial arts, there are many styles of qi gong. Some involve flowing movements similar to tai ji quan (tai chi), others are more forceful, and others involve no outward movement at all. Over time, Qi Gong practitioners tend to experience more energy, improved health, greater mental clarity and peace of mind. One is also likely to gain an awareness of one’s Qi (life energy), the energy around oneself, and the subtle energetic interactions that occur throughout life.
In this video, I introduce a very basic form that anyone can learn, called Qi Gong shaking. Try it to get your energy moving or to let go of something you’ve been holding onto.
I first heard about Qi Gong in an article about the Hua Xia Zhi Neng Qi Gong Center – a “medicineless” hospital in China where terminally ill patients practiced Qi Gong eight hours a day. Practitioners would also direct Qi at ailing patients. The recovery rates were astounding. Luke Chan, a practitioner and teacher of this form of Qi Gong (Chi Lel), interviewed over a hundred patients at the center and wrote about the miracles he witnessed, including many patients’ complete recovery from severe diseases.
While teachers “beamed” Qi at the bladder cancer of one patient, Chan was allowed to watch (and videotape) an ultrasound display of the tumor as it dissolved in under a minute. Because stories like this are so unbelievable to most people, the center went to great lengths to establish itself as a scientific entity, employing twenty-six biomedical doctors, and amassing large volumes of experiment data. The center shut down in 2002 due to pressure from the Chinese government, which seems to perceive the organized practice of Qi Gong as a threat to its control.
When I began school in Chinese medicine, I was delighted to discover that Qi Gong would be part of the curriculum. Qi Gong instruction is important for students of Chinese medicine for several reasons. First, students in rigorous academic programs tend to overwork and become exhausted. Qi Gong helps them replenish their energy and reduce their stress. It also helps them achieve better mental focus. Even after graduation, those in the medical field tend to continue to overwork and to “give away” their Qi to their patients because of a deep (and, I believe, misguided) desire to help them. An ongoing Qi Gong practice helps practitioners keep from depleting themselves. It also teaches them to become aware of the Qi dynamic between themselves and their patients, so they can understand the ideal place and mode of intervention, and also avoid being drained through their interactions.
Qi Gong enhances a practitioner’s diagnostic skills by improving their ability to sense the quality and degree of imbalance in a patient’s Qi. It trains students of acupuncture to perceive what’s happening with a patient’s Qi when they feel the pulse or insert a needle. It heightens their ability to accurately perceive the locations of acupoints. And it establishes a philosophical foundation that I feel is vital for great health care givers, and is why I have such admiration for Chinese medicine. That is, a medical practitioner can only get so good by reading books and doing medicine. One’s energetic development (becoming a clear vessel and having strong Qi) is essential if one wishes to be most effective at helping others.
Fifteen years before I met her, my Qi Gong instructor, Master Hui Xian Chen, was a school teacher in China. She had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer that had spread throughout her body. It was so advanced her doctors felt it was not worth treating her. They sent her home to finish up her life. She heard about Qi Gong from another cancer patient. She had never tried it before, but she decided to give it a try and she practiced diligently. Gradually she felt her health improve. Eventually she returned to the hospital for a checkup and there was no trace of cancer in her body. After this experience, she dedicated herself to teaching Qi Gong. She emigrated to the United States and set a goal of training two hundred teachers, of which, I am grateful to say, I was one.
Although I had read about the miraculous healings at the Hua Xia Zhi Neng Qi Gong Center, I admit I was skeptical. I wanted to believe, but my mind had so many protests. Not least of these was, if it’s so amazing, why isn’t everyone doing it? Now here was this sweet, lucid, honest old woman telling her story with no agenda but to share the techniques that had gotten her well. There was no dogma, no membership, no prestige. No world championship of Qi Gong to strive for.
One of the first exercises Master Chen led us through, apparently to shake up our belief systems, involved standing with our arms at our sides and drawing Qi in through the fingertips of one hand while pouring Qi out through the fingertips of the other hand. We did this for a few minutes and then she had us put our hands together, palm to palm, and inspect our fingers. There were gasps and laughs around the room as most people discovered the fingers of one hand were now measurably longer than the fingers of the other hand. Since that day, I have led many people through the same exercise.
Something opened in me. I had to let go of some of my deepest beliefs about the limitations of human beings. I now believe – because I have seen it myself and have heard many stories from honest people like Chen – that the composition of matter can be changed dramatically through Qi Gong, or what ultimately amounts to intention. You are the consciousness uniting and controlling every cell in your body.
Most of my questions were answered. As for the one about why everyone isn’t doing it, that’s fairly simple: Qi Gong is one of those pesky things that you actually have to do in order to benefit from it. You get out of it what you put into it. That means prioritizing self care – self care, that, unlike the time you spend at the gym, won’t give you a washboard abdomen. And it’s best done while you’re still healthy, to keep you healthy and make you stronger. It’s a vague, and at first, fairly intangible incentive for many people. But I’ve never met a person who tried Qi Gong and felt it wasn’t worthwhile.
There two main kinds of Qi Gong – internal forms (nei gong or nei dan) and external forms (wai gong or wai dan). Internal forms usually involve such practices as working with the mind and the breath to perceive and guide Qi, induce relaxation, build Qi in one’s core, and fortify the internal organs. External forms generally entail movement, physical conditioning, and/or the directing of Qi externally (e.g., at a patient or opponent). Virtually all external forms involve some internal work, because without the internal intention, they would just be physical exercises.
Kung fu is sometimes considered an external form of Qi Gong. Although I think of martial arts as somewhat different from Qi Gong, because their primary purpose is for physical conditioning and fighting, their Qi Gong component is in large part responsible for their power. While it is possible with great speed and strength to be a good martial artist, those who do not practice the internal work miss a significant dimension of the art. Those who do the inner work see a change in more than their muscles and speed – they achieve an inner balance of their mind and their Qi. Even when throwing punches, the aim becomes to send one’s Qi to the point of impact, so it is more than a fist or foot that hits an opponent. Bruce Lee was famous for this – his “one inch punch” is a good example of the use of Qi over muscle. In close combat, with only a few inches of space between his fist and his opponent’s body, he could launch a punch that would send his opponent flying. There was no winding up or momentum, just an explosive release of Qi.
Many forms of Qi Gong (and kung fu) are modeled on the movements of animals. Animals naturally carry themselves in a balanced way. Each species of animal has its own characteristic way of moving about. Sometimes animals even appear to be doing tai ji quan or yoga. Through keen observation and a deep understanding of an animal’s behavior, Qi Gong masters adapted the animal’s movements and character to the human body.
From my own practice with animal forms of Qi Gong, I can say the experience is transcendent. In putting on the persona of this animal, one feels that one steps out of the constraints of human-ness and something of the animal’s physical intelligence is garnered. Moreover, we start to appreciate a grace and ease these animals embody. We experience the profound integration of their actions – a unification of mind, body, and spirit – as we perform the long, graceful steps of a crane; the storage and release of potential energy in the crouch and pounce of a tiger on the hunt; the gentle, yielding ripple of an eagle’s wings in flight; the slow, undulating strokes of a sea turtle moving through water. Martial and Qi Gong forms have been modeled after almost any animal you can think of, including the monkey, bear, crane, hawk, praying mantis, tiger, turtle, leopard, snake, and more.
Although there are now some good books and videos on Qi Gong, I believe it is very difficult, if not impossible, to become accomplished in Qi Gong without a teacher. Historically, Qi Gong was taught by demonstration. If there was any verbal explanation, it was given orally, from master to disciple. When you read a book or watch a video about Qi Gong, there’s a lot of room for misinterpretation and no one there to correct your technique. Therefore, if you are interested in pursuing this art, I strongly encourage you to find a teacher.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten