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Qi
Gong is an ancient Chinese art which focuses
on developing, circulating and balancing
Chi - the body's internal or vital energy
- for health and well-being. Its fundamental
objective is to promote harmonious energy
flow. Traditionally, Chi is regarded as
the invisible energy flowing along the meridians
of the body. Illness results when the Chi
flow is interrupted or blocked. In Qi Gong,
various breathing techniques and exercises
are used to enhance the flow of Chi within
the body.
The art of Qi Gong dates back four to five
thousand years. Cave drawings depict meditation
postures and 'health dance' movements on
cave walls. A 3000 year old Yellow Emperor's
quotation about proper breathing, said 'Breathe
badly and you live badly, breathe a little
and you live a little, breathe well and
you'll live well'. However, systematic instructions
in breathing techniques and exercise methods
were documented in manuals only after the
arrival of Bhodi Dharma (also known as Damoh
in Chinese) a Buddhist monk from Southern
India who went to the Shaolin Temple in
China. Bhodi Dharma advocated the Body,
Mind and Spirit holistic approach to health,
well-being and spiritual enlightenment.
Zen meditation was the spiritual aspect
of that approach, but it was as essential
as physical health and mental health (the
mind) as far as his teachings were concerned.
Following his teachings, Buddhist monks
began to incorporate physical exercise into
their spiritual practice. The Shaolin Temple
thus became famous, as a centre both for
martial arts and meditation. Qi Gong was
then used for both physical and spiritual
cultivation. After achieving spiritual attainment
by meditating for nine years facing the
wall, Bhodi Dharma became a role model for
most Shaolin monks.
Chinese Qi Gong practitioners held a high
regard for such Taoist meditation practices
as a means of cultivating energy for spiritual
growth. However, the Taoist concept of gaining
spiritual attainment through sexual yoga
is one that is very controversial. Till
today Taoists in China believe that practising
prolonged intercourse without ejaculation
conserves energy, thus enabling them to
transform and draw the energy up the spine
into the head. This supposedly works on
the principle of recycling the essence to
nourish the brain, since it was believed
that the major component of semen is cerebral
spinal fluid. There is no medical or scientific
basis for this belief.
Generally, however, Qi Gong has today evolved
into a discipline with many variations practised
worldwide by millions of ordinary people.
Its principles and practices are no longer
secrets taught only behind Shaolin Temple
walls or preserved solely for Chinese or
Taoists. Qi Gong has become a universal
art form which is helping numerous people
worldwide to energise themselves, improving
their health and healing - without the barriers
of race, religion and culture.
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