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Over medicated and with little to no purpose; with violence looming and the omnipresent threat of terrorism, World War III or death, it is no wonder a “well-being” movement is sweeping the Western world. Anyone born from the 1980s onwards has grown up in a world of fear, processed foods, dangerous medications, violence and a never ending detachment from what it means to be human and live in a community.
While the ancient Ayurvedic Indian practice of Yoga made a come back during the counter culture revolution of the 1960s, other age-old traditions such as “wellness”, “mindfulness” and “mind, body and soul” are slowly following suit.
Millennial and post millennial youths are searching for something more. Many have ditched alcohol and drugs and traded them in for smashed avocado on toast and a kale smoothie. Bush rave parties are being replaced with silent wellness retreats and long-stay ashram visits. While some may, validly so, argue that such hype for clean living and soul searching is merely a result of Instagram one-up-menship, the fact remains that today’s more youthful generations seem at a genuine disease with the way society sits at the present moment and are focused on not only changing themselves but their “tribe” too.
Clean eating, permaculture, travel, yoga and up-cycling seem to be on everyone’s to-do list these days. One such to-do that is yet to burst onto the scene, but is poised to do so, is China’s ancient healing practice of Qigong.
Most universities and text books refuse to translate the word “Qi” as they feel it encompasses so much more than what the English equivalents can offer.
Qi = life force energy or bioelectricity
Qigong = energy work
Qi is the energy that circulates around the universe, the globe, our outer selves and our inner selves. Qi can be considered an electrical current, which when passed through the body has the ability to wash away stagnant cells, just as an irrigation system does. Harnessing your life force energy can nourish all of your organs, helping replace old cells with fresh new life energy.
Qi is said to be the centre of everything to do with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). From the foods we eat, the thoughts we think and the massage and acupuncture we receive, to the way we warm our bodies in winter tando the medicines we take, everything is all about balancing the bodies’ Ying and Yang through the use of Qi.
The five stages of Chinese medicinal theory are:
1. A practice of Qigong exercise everyday
2. Tuina or Anmo (Chinese deep tissue massage) Guasha (scrapping)
3. Moxibustion (Burning of dried nourishing
Mugwort plant)
4. Acupuncture
5. Chinese herbal medicines
Qigong should be the foundation of one’s daily routine. To master Qigong is to allow practitioners the ability to focus on a particular problem in their body, healing it through the use of Qi.
To help me better understand Qi, I sought out Master Huang Renhao, (Huang Laoshi), a master of Qigong practicing in Nanjing’s downtown district of Gulou. With 20 years of self taught Qigong experience behind him, Huang now teaches a number of students on a daily basis.
“I spent 10 years in the Liaoning PLA Naval Academy. It was during this time I met someone who introduced me to Qigong. Now I enjoy spending my time helping the Chinese people to rediscover the benefits of Qigong”.
Since the 1980s, there has been somewhat of a revival of Qigong in China, after the practice was outlawed, along with many other ancient traditions, during the Cultural Revolution. People are “remembering” that to adjust the flow of Qi and to understand its roots in Chinese medical science is of the utmost importance when it comes to a holistic approach to self care.
“Starting from the Han dynasty onwards, Qigong was used in ancient China for all sorts of things to do with reaching enlightenment, harnessing energy for healing practices or martial arts. These days, it’s used as a preventative for keeping people healthy”, Huang told me.
Qi practitioners believe that if one goes against natural energy cycles, then this is when we become sick. Qi was born from Daoism; Dao = The Natural Way. Qi can be thought of as a natural battery charging its human electromagnetic field. When Qi flows, it irrigates the body, keeping it healthy and strong. If this is not flowing naturally, it affects the way we think feel and love and vice versa.
Huang Laoshi invited me to discuss Qigong with one of his foreign students, Frenchman, Marc Freard. Living in both Nanjing and Zhenjang, Freard is completing his masters of TCM at Nanjing Zhongyao University, and has been studying Qigong with Huang Laoshi for 3 months.
He told The Nanjinger, “What I know from Qigong, it is a way to regulate Qi inside and outside of the body. When you’re practicing, you feel it. Qigong is one of the most important parts of preventative Chinese medicine. We are practicing for ourselves and our patients, whoever wants to be healthy.
“One must focus on the meridian points, this is where the Qi is flowing, one needs to practice on flowing Qi through the specific meridian point that is connected to the organ you wish to heal. What you think impacts a direct influence on the inner organs. This is instrumental in TCM and Qigong. One must be aware of the emotion that is connected to the organ”.
In TCM, it is believed that certain organs have a direct connection with the emotions we feel. For example, the liver is connected to anger; someone who indulges too much in anger could suffer from liver malfunction. The kidneys are connected to fear; and those who fear excessively are likely to suffer from kidney problems.
Freard went on to say, “The effect on the mind could be compared to that of meditation, however, Qigong works closer with breathing and regulating the body through movement, laying or sitting. Qigong needs to be a regular practice, harnessing the mind, breath and body together”.
“There’s a big movement happening all around the world now with regards to a rising interest in Qigong. Westerners should learn Qigong as a health practice, I think a lot of people start to practice too late. What is interesting is that the earlier one can begin practicing the better. It doesn’t mean that you will never fall seriously ill, but it gives one a stronger chance”.
In the world of Daoist Qigong, the body is home to the upper, middle and lower dantians (energy centres). Through Qigong, one utilises their mind and movement to direct the flow of Qi in the correct way. When the body moves in a slow and controlled manner, one can begin to use one’s mind to direct Qi into deeper parts of the body, such as organs; all is done by activating the Dantians, the focal points for the flow of Qi.
Freard finally added, “Since I’ve started practicing everyday, I’m now able to focus on certain parts of my body that need healing. I would say as an Oncology specialist, a mixture of Western and Chinese medicine is the best approach for patients. And I know people who are already practicing Qigong in French hospitals with patients”.
To indulge in a rather overused saying one more time, Qigong has remained a sleeping dragon that is now beginning to open its eyes after a long slumber, stretch its wings and prepare to sweep over the entire world. For to call yourself a holistic healer and not practice Qigong will soon be detriment to both you and all of your Instagram followers.
