"Using prescription drugs to silence a body's symptoms enables us to ignore personal involvement we may have with the onset of those symptoms. The overuse of prescription drugs provides a vacation from personal responsibility." Bruce Lipton: Biology of Belief
David Anderson, a professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology compares drugs’ effects to a sloppy oil change. If you dump a gallon of oil over your car’s engine, some of it will dribble into the right place, but a lot of it will end up doing more harm than good.
"Qigong is the most profound health practice ever invented by mankind for the prevention of illness, reducing stress, mangaging chronic conditions, increasing longevity, and promoting healthy, active aging." Tom Rogers, President, Qigong Institute.
Click below for Free and Immediate stress relief:
"The most profound medicine is produced in the human body for free."
"American society is based on self reliance -- everywhere except healthcare."
Dr. Roger Jahnke
Cultivating Qi and Activating the Healer Within - This is a compelling article on why Qigong can have such a profound impact on the delivery of health care. Dr. Jahnke’s message is simple, striking, and empowering: The most profound medicine is not at the hospital, pharmacy, or doctor’s office. It is produced within us through the balance and harmony of physiology, mind, and spirit. According to Dr. Jahnke, all of the necessary components of self-healing have been in place within us since the beginning of the human race. Both ancient and contemporary philosophers have pointed to our naturally occurring self-healing capacity and contemporary science has confirmed the spontaneous function of self-repair and self-restoration. View Dr. Jahnke's short demonstration and explanation of sitting Qigong that can be done anytime, anywhere to reduce stress and activate the healer within each one of us. Reducing stress is an extremely important skill, given that the American Institute of Stress lists stress as America's #1 health problem and that 75 - 90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are stress related. Also see Dr. Jahnke's interview in EXPLORE magazine where he explains in more detail the profound health benefits of Qigong and how people can actually heal themselves: A Conspiracy of Miracles: Qi, Spirit-Mind-Body, and the Transformation of Healthcare.
Why Should Anyone Practice Qigong?
Qigong's benefits are the slowing of cellular aging, strengthening of the immune system, and the enhancement of neuromotor skills and cognitive function (More: The Scientific Basis of Qigong and Energy Medicine)
The Mind-Body Health Pyramid
(Reducing stress and maintaining well-being)
Physical exercise and healthy lifestyle (especially proper nutrition) are necessary, but not sufficient, to maintain optimal health. Likewise, mind-body practices without the other two are also not enough for optimal health. Mind-body practices (e.g. Qigong and Tai Chi) sustain and improve the health of the immune system, nervous system, internal organs; and deal with stress, which is the cause of the majority of disease and illness.
Discover Yang Sheng, an e-magazine and community dedicated to practices for ordinary people to cultivate health and harmony through daily activities.
WebMD advocates mind-body practices as a key alternative approach to weight-loss. The foundation of optimal health will always be eating right and exercising. But there is a "third part, the mind-body aspect, you need to make sure you're not missing out on," says Wendy Kohatsu, MD, an integrative medicine specialist and assistant clinical professor of family and clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Although the term "Qigong" was coined in the 20th Century, the origin of the practices that now constitute Qigong predate recorded history. Qigong is self-initiated health and wellness practice consisting of a combination of movement, self-massage, meditation, and breathing. Qigong practice puts the body into the relaxation/regeneration state (the relaxation response) where the autonomic nervous system is predominately in the parasympathetic mode. Qigong can be done anywhere, anytime. It is excellent for stress reduction, prevention of illness, dealing with chronic illness, healthy and active aging, and longevity. Practicing Qigong is as simple as doing the Three Intentful Corrections (adjust the posture, breath, and mind). Click here to do Qigong NOW.
The word Qigong ("chee-gung"), translated roughly as 'energy techniques' or 'energy skills,' refers to the ancient Chinese internal arts used since pre-historic times to promote health, emotional happiness, and spiritual development. These methods combine movement or postures, breath or mantra, and mind-intention to balance and enhance one's vital, life-energy. It has been popularly referred to as Chinese yoga, and it is a new category of exercise called moving meditation. These wellness methods formed the early root of Chinese medicine and are still considered an
integral part of modern Chinese medicine, along with acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal medicine. Today, millions of people practice Qigong around the world to successfully treat a myriad of
diseases, to improve general health, support longevity, and to promote psycho-spiritual growth and happiness. Most notably, Qigong practice can provide profound relief from stress and strongly enhance the body's immune function. Successful aging is related to the optimal functioning of the immune system¹. Current data published by the US Department of Health and Human Services states that some seventy percent of diseases reported in the US today are totally preventable. In a time when healthcare options appear ever more limited, the increased awareness and use of Qigong is great news.
Qigong is a combination of Qi (life-force, energy, creativity, consciousness, breath, function) and gong (cultivation or practice over time).
Tai Chi for Health - Tai Chi is the most well-known and popular moving form of Qigong. For more information on Tai Chi, see .
Introductory articles on Qigong - Guidelines for practice, considerations when starting Qigong and Tai Chi practice, and language used to describe Qigong.
The concept of Qi energy has been an integral component of Eastern philosophy and medicine for thousands of years.
However, there is no single accepted definition of Qi. Some people think that Qi is an electric energy, while others believe
it is magnetic energy, or heat energy. Scientists have long been interested in measuring Qi but it cannot yet be measured by
any medical science or explained via physics. However, there is a lot of science behind Qigong – more so than any other
form of Energy Medicine. ...More.
"The science and art of Qigong may open a window into new thinking about health, medicine, psychology and spirituality. It is a physical, mental and spiritual practice that continuously supports our natural tendency toward homeostasis. Innate abilities have an opportunity to develop; the senses more keen, organ function more consistent and strong, the sympathetic nervous system relaxed, parasympathetic nervous system efficient, the mind relaxed, alert, clear, freely channeling messages in a multitude of new and diverse directions." Dr. Ken Sancier, Founder of the Qigong Institute.
Listen to Lee Holden, author, herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, and regular fixture on Amercian Public Broadcasting discuss Qigong.
A Demonstration of Wuji Swimming Dragon Qigong by Francesco Garripoli, Emmy and Telly award winning Chairman of the Board of the Qigong Institute.
Bioelectricity, Qi, and the Human Body
Qi is the electric energy associated with living organisms. Electricity, defined by Merriam-Webster, is as follows: a fundamental form of energy observable in positive and negative forms that occurs naturally (as in lightning) or is produced (as in a generator) and that is expressed in terms of the movement and interaction of electrons. Generally speaking, when thinking of electricity, we think of it as something external to our human bodies: the naturally occurring lightning and human created technology being two said instances. There is, however, a form of electricity that is prevalent in every living creature: bioelectricity. More.
Medical background information on Qigong and Tai Chi from the Aetna Intellihealth website. Medical Content for this site is created by Natural Standard and the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School.
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Endorses Qigong and Tai Chi
"A program of regular exercise that includes cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor exercise training beyond activities of daily living to improve and maintain physical fitness and health is essential for most adults....Neuromotor exercise training, sometimes called functional fitness training, incorporates motor skills such as balance, coordination, gait, and agility, and proprioceptive training. Multifaceted physical activities such as tai ji (tai chi), qigong, and yoga involve varying combinations of neuromotor exercise, resistance exercise, and flexibility exercise. Neuromotor exercise training is beneficial as part of a comprehensive exercise program for older persons, especially to improve balance, agility, muscle strength, and reduce the risk of falls." American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise.
The What's New Page is constantly updated with new information on qigong. For instance:
2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine Awarded for the Research Explaining How Qigong Slows Aging "Fountain of Youth" discovered: There is a "pill" for anti-aging, and it is called Qigong. Researchers have discovered how the practice of Qigong slows aging at the cellular level! The 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for the discovery of a biological process by which the practice of Qigong reduces stress and slows the aging process.
A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi
Author(s): Roger Jahnke, Linda Larkey, Carol Rogers, Jennifer Etnier, Fang Lin. Publication: American Journal of Health Promotion, July/August 2010, V24, I6, e1-25. This review examined the evidence for achieving outcomes from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Qigong and Tai Chi. RCTs reporting on the results of Qigong or Tai Chi interventions and published in peer-reviewed journals from 1993 to 2007 were identified. Seventy-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The nine outcome category groupings that emerged were: bone density (n = 4), cardiopulmonary effects (n = 19), physical function (n = 16), falls and related risk factors (n = 23), quality of life (n = 17), self-efficacy (n = 8), patient-reported outcomes (n = 13), psychological symptoms (n = 27), and immune function (n = 6). Research has demonstrated consistent, significant results for a number of health benefits in RCTs, evidencing progress toward recognizing the similarity and equivalence of Qigong and Tai Chi. To Purchase the article, visit the American Journal of Health Promotion website. Watch a one minute segment on this research shown on abcNews. Additional information on the authors, the review effort, and results (scroll down to page 15).
Harvard Medical School Endorses Tai Chi (Qigong)
Harvard Medical School's Harvard Health Publications May 2009 issue calls Tai Chi "medication in motion". The article explains how Tai Chi when combined with standard treatment is helpful for a range of conditions including arthritis, low bone density, breast cancer, heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, sleep problems, and stroke.
Positive psychological changes from meditation training linked to cellular health
Positive psychological changes that occur during meditation training are associated with greater telomerase activity, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, San Francisco. The study is the first to link positive well-being to higher telomerase, an enzyme important for the long-term health of cells in the body. The effect appears to be attributable to psychological changes that increase a person's ability to cope with stress and maintain feelings of well-being. Read the article.
Meditation and Health – the Research
The three main principles of Qigong practice are the concentration of body movements, the breath and the mind. Qigong has both a dynamic (Yang) and stillness (Yin) component. Qigong can be referred to as a mindful or meditation practice. The term meditation refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention. Most meditative techniques are rooted in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions and have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings to improve their health and wellness.Researchers have been collecting data on meditation...More
Scientific American - "Meditation Correlated with Structural Changes in the Brain": "The benefits of meditation have received newfound evidence from neuroscience in the last five years, as researchers are finding real physiological changes due to a sort of formally practiced introspection. Recently scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital..." More.
Qigong has been called "Chinese Yoga", just as Yoga has been referred to as "Indian Qigong". Qigong can be considered as a combination of a number of Yoga (the science of self-realization) and Ayuerveda (the science of self-healing) practices. Both Yoga and Qigong are excellent for focused stretching, strengthening, and health maintenance. Unlike Qigong, Yoga has no direct martial art application and it is not part of a particular healing tradition per se. Qigong is the foundation of both Tai Chi and Kung Fu (now referred to as Wushu) as well as being considered both part of and precursor to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Most Yoga involves very little, if any, movement, and breathing practices are key to Qigong from the beginning. Although the founder of Yoga (Patanjali) describes a progression from asanas to pranayama (breath practice), breathing isn’t built-in to a lot of Yoga classes or instruction, or it isn’t taught until some skill with asanas is achieved. This can take years, depending upon the style of Yoga. Yoga also does not have counterparts to Qigong's medical practices that involve energy transmission or self-massage. Although there are these differences, the practices are ultimately quite similar in their physical, mental, and spiritual effects.
Historically, yoga and qigong have had different types of movement and posture. The important "cross over" of practices like yoga and qigong, however, where the practices may be considered functionally equivalent, is the meditative state. The important difference, of course, is how you get there. In yoga, you generally become very still to meditate. The vigorous yoga vinyasa practice is considered the way you "prepare" to meditate -- the way you prepare your body to be and sit still. In qigong, the entire movement (which can also be vigorous), is a meditation. You don't prepare to meditate with your movement as much as you are meditating as you move already and meditating throughout. This is the only way Bruce Lee was able to accomplish his feats -- with focus and power throughout. And it is the secret of qigong that even ordinary movement (like pouring tea) can be imbued with the same conscious principles of movement and stillness. This kind of attentiveness amounts to virtually injury-free practice, and this kind of movement and awareness-imbued qigong practice is already being used to teach people how to rehabilitate from injury or how to prevent falls (and prevent injuries) during movement.
The yoga boom has made mind-body exercise more run of the mill. “Yoga has now become acceptable,” said Judith Hanson Lasater, a yoga teacher since 1971 who now teaches restorative yoga, a form that encourages relaxation. “Qigong is a little further away, but yoga has opened the door.” Because some forms of yoga are downright strenuous, qigong appeals to yogis tired of the mat race. “I went to power-yoga studios and practiced in heated rooms crammed with people’s mats, shoved over each other,” said Kyle Burton, 27, from Los Angeles . “But once I was introduced to qigong and learned the difference between a muscle-based workout versus an energetic-based practice, I switched.”- NY Times, April 5, 2007.Read the entire article.
Yoga can also be too hard for some people, especially seniors, and done wrong, can be harmful. "Often people get hurt because they begin yoga without realizing that their bodies are no longer what they used to be," says Time Magazine. Time, October 4, 2007. Read the entire article. Also see: Yoga bad for your knees, Indian doctor warns. Qigong does not have these drawbacks (although cautions similar to those with yoga must be observed with Tai Chi). The older you get, the more appropriate Tai Chi and Qigong practice become to staying healthy. For more information on how to stay healthy via Qigong and Tai Chi as you age, read about simplified Tai Chi and the National Expert Meeting on Qi Gong and Tai Chi.
Recently, Qigong has started to be incorporated into an increasing number of Yoga practices and teachings. For example, Yin Yoga is based upon Taoist Yoga as practiced in China. Yin Yoga involves the exercising and stretching of connective tissues, such as ligaments, bones, and joints, as opposed to exercising muscles through the application of external heat, lengthening, or contraction. People who discover Yin Yoga realize that there is more to Yoga than their familiar active style of asana practice. For more information: Read Yoga Journal's Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley or visit yinyoga.com.
There are many forms of Taoist Yoga practiced in China. It's principles are beginning to make their way into mainstream yoga practice. Here is an observation from Ellen Pucciarelli from the Energy Arts newsletter:
One Taoist Yoga concept that I see yogis/yoginis struggle with is the 70% rule. A Taoist Water Tradition guideline that states you should only do a Taoist Yoga movement, or any chi technique, to approximately 70% of your capacity. Basically that striving for 100% produces tension and stress in your practice, and therefore should be avoided. As yoga students, we sometimes become so preoccupied with the end result of a posture that we completely tune out what's happening inside ourselves, including our effort levels. Struggling in a posture past 70% may bring more stress and tension into our lives and we definitely don't need more of that. When we overly exert ourselves to get "somewhere" in a posture, where does that really take us? Rarely are we taught to stop and check in with what's occurring on the inside (actually we have been taught, but usually only after something occurs, like pain or worse, an injury). And even more rare is receiving permission to back off from the 100% effort level, but if we are able to incorporate the 70% rule when practicing Taoist Yoga (especially when we're new), we can begin to fully realize the potential of the practice. We can begin to cultivate an internal awareness, and just as importantly, we can bring this awareness into other activities and aspects of our lives.
Yoga has mind/body benefits for teens Mood problems, anxiety and negative emotions stayed the same or improved among yoga students, but grew worse among those taking regular PE. And nearly three out of four said they’d like to keep on doing yoga.
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/health/Yoga-has-mindbody-benefits-for-teens.
According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Lazarou et. al.) which analyzed the incidence of serious and fatal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in hospital patients, in a single year over two million patients had serious ADRs and over 100,000 ADRs were fatal. And this was just in the hospital patient population under study. The Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™ was started in 1994 and holds over 5000 references going back to 1986, covering medical applications, scientific, and experimental studies on Qigong and related energy therapies from around the world. Records in English have been compiled from International Qigong conferences and seminars, scientific journals, magazines, dissertations, MEDLINE, and other databases. One example concerning prescription drug use is from Therapeutic Benefits of Qigong Exercises in Combination with Drugs . J Altern Complement Med. 1999; 5(4):383-389; ISSN: 1341-9226, by Ken Sancier, founder and CEO of the Qigong Institute:
"The therapeutic role of Qigong exercises combined with drugs is reported for three medical conditions that require drug therapy for health maintenance: hypertension, respiratory disease, and cancer. In these studies, drugs were administered to all patients who were divided into two groups, a group that practiced qigong exercises and a control group that did not. Taken together, these studies suggest that practicing Qigong exercises may favorably affect many functions of the body, permit reduction of the dosage of drugs required for health maintenance, and provide greater health benefits than the use of drug therapy alone. For hypertensive patients, combining qigong practice with drug therapy for hypertensive patients resulted in reduced incidence of stroke and mortality and reduced dosage of drugs required for blood pressure maintenance. For asthma patients, the combination therapy permitted reduction in drug dosage, the need for sick leave, duration of hospitalization, and costs of therapy. For cancer patients, the combination therapy reduced the side effects of cancer therapy. Also reported is a study showing that the practice of Qigong helps to rehabilitate drug addicts." Ken Sancier.
Another example is a study on how Qigong prevents bone loss:
This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program in preventing bone loss for middle-aged women. An experimental design was adopted, and subjects were assigned randomly into an experimental group (n = 44) and a control group (n = 43). The experimental group received a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program, whereas the control group did not. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured before and after the intervention. The results showed significant differences in IL-6 (t = -5.19, p < 0.000) and BMD (t = 1.99, p = 0.049) between the groups. Baduanjin reduced IL-6 and maintained BMD in the experimental group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates promising efficacy of Baduanjin in preventing bone loss commonly occurring in middle-aged women. Thus, Baduanjin is valuable for promoting and maintaining the health status of middle-aged women. The full text of this article is available at The Effects of Baduanjin Qigong in the Prevention of Bone Loss for Middle-Aged Women.
"There is the widespread belief in our culture of the technological fix. This extends especially to drugs that are used to address chemical imbalances. In the meantime, prevention, nutrition, exercise, healthy living habits, and self-healing have been de-emphasized or discarded. Just a few of the consequences of this are a dramatically over-weight population and degenerative diseases that have replaced infectious diseases as the most pressing health issues...Adverse drug reaction is a leading cause of diseases and death. Chemical cures are still unpredictable. In spite of their 'precision' dosages, there is insufficient research on what else is going on in other parts of the brain and body when these drugs are administered...Some non-energetic conventional remedies are widely used, and even reimbursed by insurance companies, but have not been proven to be medically or cost effective and have side effects that can be harmful." Tom Rogers, President, Qigong Institute.
A team from Western Oregon University’s Teaching Research Institute and the non-profit Qigong Sensory Training Institute, led by Dr. Louisa Silva, has shown that Qigong Massage is an effective sensory system treatment for children with autism. The method they have developed teaches parents how to give a fifteen minute massage to their child, once a day for at least five months. The program has been shown to help children sleep better, have less aggression, transition more easily, decrease self-injurious behaviors, and improve eye contact, language and social skills. Research papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals include:
As a private, non-profit organization, the mission of the Qigong Sensory Training Institute is:
To make the Qigong Sensory Training Program for young children with autism accessible to parents and professionals; and
To further research in qigong treatments of young children with disabilities.
WORLD CHAMPION RACEWALKER'S TRAINING SECRET: QIGONG
Trying to keep up with the world's fastest racewalking gerontologist, Jack Bray, would be difficult for people just half his age. Jack has developed a winning training strategy that is built upon a foundation of Qigong. To learn more, read Walking With Qi: the Nine Jewels of Qigong Walking
The U. S. prison population is enormous and growing. Stress is a relentless and inevitable element of life in prison. The physical, mental and emotional toll that stress-related illnesses take on the inmates, guards and their families is huge. This toll filters into the rest of society. Some courageous people are addressing this problem by teaching Qigong inside prisons. Strong initial evidence indicates that inmates who practice Qigong are generally healthier and make a better adjustment when they gain their freedom. If this proves to be true, the societal and economic benefits are potentially very large. To read one teacher’s experiences of introducing thousands of inmates in California prisons to Qigong, visit Judy Tretheway's Qigong Prison Ministry . In addition, Bill Douglas, the organizer of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, describes teaching Qigong in Folsom prison in California and Penal and Drug Rehabilitation at the Kansas Correctional Facility for Women.
Psychologist Michael Mayer discusses the effectiveness of Medical Qigong for a range of conditions, especially some chronic illnesses that are not being treated effectively by western medicine. Watch a preview of his talk or read Body Mind Healing Psychotherapy: Ancient Pathways to Modern Healthwhich has received strong endorsements from top leaders in mind-body medicine, and a very positive review from one of the most respected psychology journals, PsycCritiques. To see the contributions the book makes to psychotherapy, behavioral healthcare, energy psychology, and Qigong click on the contributions link or view the Table of Contents.
(Top) Qigong for the Classroom: A study published in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of Chinese Medicine has found that including a particular type of qigong exercise program helped calm and energize the students, as well as improving health and reducing aggression.
Dr. Gaspar Garcia realized that if businessmen had been taught from their childhood simple breathing and relaxation techniques, as well as basic preventive medicine concepts, they would not suffer as adults the devastating effects of stress. The Smart Living Program was born from that realization. This program was implemented in schools in Costa del Sol, Spain, and its objective was to convey these teachings to children and young people so they would be able to benefit from them throughout their lives. For more information, contact Dr. Garcia at Luohan Qigong.
Dr Paul Lam has a very well received program for children called Tai Chi 4 Kidz.
Hiroku incorporates Qigong and Tai Chi fundamentals into martial arts training for youngsters.
The David Lynch Foundation is bringing meditation to schools to help with a silent epidemic among young people: stress.
QIGONG IN PRIMARY / ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Tai Chi for Kids has been adapted for students with special education needs, including those in wheel chairs and who have severe physical and mental disabilities.
Children in Uganda at an elementary school for AIDS orphans love to do Tai Chi. Here they are doing the elephant. Another favorite is the tiger. You should hear the breathing sound of the ferocious tiger as it focuses and charges.
MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS IN THE US ARE PRACTICING TAI CHI
In the past 12 months (as of July 2010) Tai Chi for Kids workshops have been given in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado and Mexico. Schools in Australia and Great Britain love the Tai Chi program. With video conferencing Tai Chi workshops can be held anywhere. As teachers we inspire our students with knowledge, tools for success and a belief in our own success. Tai Chi is helping us realize these goals through flowing movements for relaxation, focus, and concentration.
Michelle Broady, PE teacher at PS 45 in Brooklyn, NY has taught Tai Chi to the whole student body. They have done it simultaneously with the music over the PA system as part of the ACES program. One fifth grade teacher now does Tai Chi Moves every morning with his whole class. Every student in this class is in the top third of all students in this Grade A school. They are so proud. Ms Broady has taught Tai Chi in day care, in the scouting program and finds it particularly beneficial in the Modified Education classes. Not only do the kids love it, but it helps in transition from lunch or between different activities.
Tai Chi Moves (see Tai Chi for Kids) can be used as part of the State mandated minutes of physical activity in the classroom or in PE.
During and after five weeks of tai chi lessons, adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) showed less anxiety, daydreaming, inappropriate emotions and hyperactivity, according to a study by the Touch Research Institute (TRI). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: benefits from Tai Chi. For more research on Qigong and Tai Chi for ADHD, search the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™.
Meditation helps kids pay attention, leading researcher says
About 200 students at four elementary schools have used breathing techniques to hard-wire their brains to improve their ability to focus on their work. "It's so widely popular and successful, the district wants us to scale it up the entire (Madison) school system."
Many colleges and universities offer Qigong instruction and degree programs. They are very often associated with the Physical Education and Kinesiology departments.
(UC Davis, The California Aggie) Maintaining homeostasis in the body is perhaps the single most important factor related to health. Homeostasis is created through focus, calmness and opening of internal circulation through breath, blood, lymph and body heat. As these bodily systems begin to regulate, there is of course nothing wrong with hittin' the treadmill. The heart is just one organ (albeit an important one) that stays in shape through cardiovascular activity. However, there are multiple organs in the body that require upkeep. More.
There are thousands of different types of Qigong. Arguably the most popular type of Qigong for martial arts is zhan zhuang (“jan jong”). This is also known as “stake standing”. The practitioner stands motionless in a particular posture to develop internal strength. A widely practiced form of zhan zhuang is Wuji Qigong. It is very easy to practice yet is said to be difficult to master. Standing Qigong practice develops integrated body/mind awareness and focus, called “sung” in Chinese. Some masters train only using this form of Qigong. Shown is Chen style Tai Chi Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou demonstrating zhan zhaung.
Government of Signapore launches National Qigong Health Program
Singapore's Health Promotion Board (HPB) is the country's main driver for national health promotion and disease prevention programmes. Its goal is to increase the quality and years of healthy life and prevent illness, disability and premature death. HPB implements programmes that reach out to the population, specifically children, adults and the elderly. Getting Started on Qigong Health is a brochure for people starting out with Qigong that includes illustrations of basic Qigong practices. National Health Qigong Programme Launch shows large numbers of citizens practicing Qigong during the launch of the program.
EXERCISES such as brisk-walking and martial art forms qigong and taiji are already popular among the elderly, but a government committee is giving them a further boost to ensure seniors stay active and healthy.
Mr Heng Chee How, Minister of State (Prime Minister's Office), yesterday updated the House on the efforts of the Committee for Seniors for Physical Activity, which he chairs.
Some 500 brisk-walking clubs have been formed with about 90,000 participants. There are also 86 qigong clubs with 7,000 members. And close to 2,000 participants joined in a mass display during a taiji launch.
Mr Heng said the committee, with its partner organisations, has built up a pool of trainers. The Qigong Shi Ba Shi Association trained 170 instructors while the Health Promotion Board (HPB) trained 851 brisk-walking instructors. HPB and the National Parks Board also introduced 10 brisk-walking trails across all community development councils.
Mr Heng said the committee would work closely with the Manpower and Health ministries as well as unions to promote the three exercises in the workplace.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QIGONG AND MINDFULNESS-BASED MEDITATION
Although they define reality using different terms, quantum physics and the two main philosophies (Buddhism and Taoism) that influenced modern Qigong are in agreement on the fundamental nature of reality: It is characterized by impermanence or change, the interconnectedness of all things, and the fundamental equivalence of mass and energy. Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity describes this equivalence as "e=mc2"; the Buddhists refer to form or not form (aka "emptiness"); and the Taoists recognize yin and yang. So form, mass, and yin are describing the same state of being as are not form, energy, and yang. But how can something exist yet not exist at the same time? How does one go about exploring this conundrum beyond the realm of intellect and thought into experience and presence? A wonderful way to start is through the simple yet profound practice of Spontaneous Qigong. Spontaneous Qigong is said to be easy to do but difficult to master. This is no surprise, since one of the fundamentals of any Qigong practice is calming the mind.
Start by practicing Qigong forms (see Getting Started with Qigong for some examples) interpersed with free-form Qigong where your movements are led by your Qi (energy). Just move in whatever way your body tells you. You become a living metaphor for moving in and out of form. You become just like the clouds. They form from seemingly nothing, have substance that our senses can detect (mainly through sight), and then they disappear back into nothing, which is where they came from. Spontaneous Qigong or Qigong Dancing (Spontaneous Qigong to music) is a way to experience this shifting in and out of time and pure awareness. Qigong was originally a healing dance. Shaman would give a Qigong "prescription" for people bent over working in fields all day. For examples of Qigong dancing or Qigong with music, see the Dancing Qigong DVD Trailer . Then forget the dancer (the self or ego) and become the dance (pure energy). As one Qigong teacher explains,
"Qigong is not just a set of movements, not just meditation, mantra recitations, or cultivation of qi. Qigong is a path of life mastery, a path to enlightenment. The movements, mantras, and meditations are tools that are used towards that end. The tools should not limit you. They should help you grow...A Qigong form is meant to assist a person in gaining the health, energy, and sensitivity needed to expore the more spiritual dimensions in life. After the basics of Qigong are learned, proper posture and alignments, etc., the student is ready to explore some of the deeper aspects of the art. What happens to some practitioners of spiritual movement systems such as Qigong ... is that they strive for perfection of the form, that is, perfection of the outer form, their posture and alignment. And they end up ignoring the inner experience... What is most important is what is happening on the inside, the energetic, meditative, and spiritual aspect of the art." Richard.
The entire article appears in the Fall 2003 issue of The Empty Vessel.
Shaking and dancing has been prescribed by Chinese Buddhist medical practitioners for centuries to treat a number of physical and emotional disorders. It is a highly effective method for removing energy stagnation and breaking down hardened thinking patterns. Shaking the wrists alone is considered an effective way to treat depression. Chinese Buddhist Qigong masters consider the shaking as preparation for meditation whereas the dance is the meditation.
David Anderson, a professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology compares drugs’ effects to a sloppy oil change. If you dump a gallon of oil over your car’s engine, some of it will dribble into the right place, but a lot of it will end up doing more harm than good.
Cultivating Qi and Activating the Healer Within
- A complete, scholarly history of Qigong in 20th Century China. 
The concept of Qi energy has been an integral component of Eastern philosophy and medicine for thousands of years.
However, there is no single accepted definition of Qi. Some people think that Qi is an electric energy, while others believe
it is magnetic energy, or heat energy. Scientists have long been interested in measuring Qi but it cannot yet be measured by
any medical science or explained via physics. However, there is a lot of science behind Qigong – more so than any other
form of Energy Medicine. ...
discusses the origin of Qigong and its use as a clinical therapy.
Bioelectricity, Qi, and the Human Body
talks about Qigong. 
by Dr. Mayer. 
