What Is Qigong?

Written by Sigung Norman Smith
on Thursday, August 26, 2004 9:15:09 PM

Qigong comes from two Chinese words: Qi (chi) means energy and gong (kung) means a skill or a practice. Qigong therefore means a skill or practice of cultivating energy.

There are various kinds of qigong -- broadly categorized as internal and external. Internal qigong is much like meditation, with visualizations in order to guide the energy. External qigong includes movement accompanying the meditation.

Qigong is famous in China for curing chronic disease and promoting good health.

WHY SHOULD I LEARN QIGONG?

Qigong can improve your physical and mental health. It provides all the benefits of meditation (reduced stress, lower blood pressure, better attitude, etc.) with physical exercises. The enhancement of the mind/body connection increases your awareness of where your body needs work - where your body needs changes related to diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle, etc.

This mind/body connection is not a trivial issue. It can influence the course of all manner of chronic diseases. In China, qigong gained its recent fame in the treatment of cancer.