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Qigong (pronounced "chee-gung")
is an ancient Chinese exercise system combining meditation and slow,
gentle movements to promote health and relaxation. The qigong student
learns to visualize an invisible energy field known as qi
("life force") and move it through the body to balance
and heal dysfunction.
Mentioned as early as 3,000 years ago in The
Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, qigong, or "energy
work", has been considered one of the main pillars of Chinese medicine
along with acupuncture, herbal treatment, massage and diet.
Over 80 million Chinese practice qigong daily, and
in the West its popularity has steadily increased over the last
decade. Qigong is the forebear of exercises like t'ai chi and dao-in
(chinese yoga).
Qigong is considered an effective therapy for a host
of chronic illnesses that are considered difficult to treat with
Western medicine, including arthritis, asthma, diabetes, hypertension
and chronic pain. For a
list of the many complaints for which qigong practice is prescribed
in China, click
here.
 In
Chinese medicine, all disease stems from an imbalance in the qi
as it moves through twelve "meridians" or channels of the body.
These energy channels cannot be seen with the human eye like the
circulatory system, but they can be detected and manipulated using
acupuncture points along the meridians.
A principle of qigong is that "the mind leads
the qi, and the qi leads the blood". This means that one uses
the mind to guide and enhance the flow of qi through the meridians.
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