Read

September/October 2007 Alternative Health
Qi Gong: The Art of the Dance

by Thomas J. Frank

As a child I can remember being hypnotized watching groups practicing slow and mysterious movements in the park. What were they doing?

They were engaging in one of the most beautiful forms of healing ever developed and passed through the generations, Qi Gong. Qi is loosely defined as breath or energy and Gong can be defined as exercise or work. It is a combination of yoga-like stretching, Buddhist meditation methods, regulated breathing, toning and mantra chanting, mudra hand posturing, guided imagery and Shamanic-like voyaging.

Qi Gong was created when the science of yoga was blended with Buddhist meditation methods around 540 BC by the Indian sage Bodhidharma, known as Da Mo in China. While traveling through the Himalayas to China he came across many Buddhist monks who had grown decrepit from the many hours of long sitting meditations. He, along with the Shaolin monks, developed the first recorded form Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing. Its healing intention is stated in its name, which means ease the tendons, cleanse and increase the marrow.

To do Qi Gong one must first enter the Qi Gong state. This is done by becoming as relaxed as possible, using slow long silent breathes, and placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth just behind the teeth. This dries out the tongue and initiates salivation to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system. This state of nervous system function lowers blood pressure, increases blood flow to organs and facilitates healing. Once salivation is established you can know for sure that you have achieved this healing state. Qi Gong is done slowly so that this state can be maintained for long periods while exercising. This, in part, is what makes Qi Gong so effective as a healing practice.

Awareness is then guided to the breath. Deep breathing greatly increases the health of the immune system and aids in the recovery from all disease. Focus on the breath also serves as a mental exercise to anchor the awareness in the present. The mind has a tendency to drift off to past or future thought. The breath is the gift of the moment. Awareness of it guides the mind back to this present moment, where we are now.

Toning and mudra hand posturing are two methods to further guide this focused awareness to different parts of the body. Energy or divine healing lights can be directed through the minor energy vortex of the hands to any region, organ or chakra, and then further energized with a coupled tone. Low tones resonate lower in the body and high tones higher.

The last piece of the Qi Gong puzzle is the use of guided imagery and Shamanic-like voyaging. It is what makes Qi Gong such an amazing practice. For my inner child, it's like being able to go out to recess again. Some visualizations are very simple while others are stories that run through entire forms. My favorite example of this is Turtle Longevity Qi Gong. This practice lowers blood pressure, slows heart rate, creates longevity and increases the subtlety of one's neck (just like a turtle). In this practice we imagine ourselves to be turtles waking up on a beach and walking out into the sand to bath in the morning light. We then casually wade out into the ocean for a swim to a distant island and play on its shore.

Together these pieces create the dance known as Qi Gong. It is a safe and easy form of healing exercise that can be learned by anyone at any age or physical ability. The Northwest offers many fantastic teachers and there are thousands of forms to learn.

Thomas J. Frank, L.Ac., M.A.O.M. is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in the Portland area. He does house calls and offers private and group meditation classes for the home or office. Contact him by phone at 503-734-9341 or by email at tjfrank@hotmail.com.