Oriental Medicine and Health Services

Qigong

What is Qigong?

• Ancient Chinese health care system
• Integrates physical postures, breathing techniques, and focused mental intention (yi)
• Literally the cultivation and development of Qi through work (Qi work)

What is Qi?

• Vital energy, so that we may function
• The various functions themselves
• Pre-natal qi / jing (refined qi)
  • Born with certain amount
  • Hereditary constitution
• Post-natal qi / jing
  • Acquired through eating, drinking, and breathing
  • Qigong

Qigong or Ch'i Kung?

• Qigong - pinyin transliteration
  • Sounds like chee gong
• Ch'i Kung - older Wade-Giles transliteration
  • Still sounds like chee gong
  • Apostrophe after consonants makes "hard" sounds
  • No apostrophe after consonants makes "soft" sounds
• Same exact Chinese calligraphy (hanzi)

Types and Styles of Qigong

• 3 main types
  • Martial
  • Spiritual
  • Medical
• Hundreds of styles
• Thousands of exercises
• OMHS focuses on Qigong for health

Qigong vs. T'ai Chi

• Physical aspects of Qigong are more quickly learned
• Mental intention (yi) aspects of Qigong are focused on more immediately
• Qigong and T’ai Chi classes at OMHS are designed to integrate with one another
• Both have similar health goals and benefits