What is Qigong?

The history of Qigong is around 5,000 years old and was probably created and developed by shamans as a form of “dancing” for healing and health. Through the long struggle with nature (cold and moisture), people realized that body movements and different ways of breathing can help with certain complaints and illnesses. The Indian priest, Bodhidarma, is seen as the founder of Chan Buddhism (Zen). He left for China and eventually ended up in the Sung Mountains, where the Shaolin Temple was located. According to tradition, he found monks in poor physical condition. They did little but meditate and were therefore not fit. Bodhidarma developed physical exercises (Qigong) and martial art (Kung Fu) to better meet these physical requirements. Later, more different martial arts were developed based on Qigong, such as Tai Chi and Dim Mak

What is Qigong?

Qigong (Chi Kung / Daoyin) is a part of traditional Chinese medicine to get body and mind in balance.

How does Qigong works?

Physical movements

Qigong helps you make your body smoother and stronger. The movements consist of stretching / stretching tendons and muscles and making the joints flexible. The circulation improved. It is important that you do not go beyond your limits, so that injuries may occur. Learning to listen to your body and knowing your physical limits are therefore central to QiGong.

Breathing techniques

Good breathing is deep, even, silent, silent breathing. When breathing in, the body is supplied with oxygen. Carbon dioxide is removed during exhalation. How much do you breathe per minute? An average breathing at rest is 5 to 6 inhalations and exhalations per minute. Most people breathe with their chest causing narrowing in the blood vessels and therefore less oxygen being delivered to the cells. At Qigong we learn to regulate breathing more through the abdomen. This allows the lungs to expand further and thereby absorb more oxygen. & During the lessons a lot of attention is given to realize a deep, long and soft breath and thus to feed the body well with oxygen.

Visualization

Visualization is an invisible force that we can use to achieve a goal. At Qigong we visualize the energy that we cultivate, control and send to different parts of our body.

Meditation

Meditation is a technique that helps you to get your mind relaxed and clear. By meditating regularly, you give your mind the space to relax completely. This is important because we lead a busy life with many tensions and a lot of stress. If you meditate regularly, your mind will become healthier and fitter. This means that you can handle the many tensions in your life better. In the lessons we use different meditation techniques.

What is the meaning of Qigong?

Qi stands for “life energy” and Gong means “art or skill”. So you can translate it “as controlling and working with life energy”

What is meant by life energy?
Life energy is energy that ensures that a person, animal or plant can live. In India people talk about “Prana”. “Chi” in Japan and Qi or Ki in China. Qi flows through our body over energy channels (meridians) that are connected to our organs. Someone who no longer experiences life energy often feels gloomy, tired and depression
Qigong teaches us to take in clean energy, to dispose of polluted energy and to remove any blockages in the energy channels.

There are several streams in Qigong that can be divided into 5 main streams.

Taoist Qigong – objective is to harmonize the mental and physical body. Another characteristic is the pursuit of a long life. It is a mental and physical training.

Buddhist Qigong -objective is to detach all life issues to attain a pure spiritual state. The training is primarily a mental training to increase your fitness, contains a lot of medical qigong.

Medical Qigong – the objective is to combat and treat illnesses and complaints (both mentally and physically), so that people can live a healthy and vital life.

Confucian Qigong – objective is moral behavior. This mental training mainly consists of sitting still and meditation, it gives you more confidence and perseverance.

Wushu Qigong subdivided into soft and hard Qigong

Soft Qigong: to strengthen and increase the inner energy, so that one can use this energy in martial art, for example Kung Fu, Dim Mak and Tai Chi Chuan.

Hard Qigong: to harden the whole body or parts of it in such a way that the physical resilience is increased.

In my lessons I use techniques, methods and styles from different streams.