Qigong
Qigong refers to Chinese mental and physical exercises that cultivate qi (ch'i). Daoist in origin and often associated with healing, longevity, and enlightenment, these practices increase suppleness, develop relaxation, and improve circulation while expanding awareness of body, mind, and environment. A qigong exercise involves controlled breathing, relaxation, and calm and careful focus of attention.
Qigong is a combination of two Chinese characters. The second, the "gong," refers to work or merit. The "qi," however, is more difficult. Qi is understood to be ever changing and ever flowing, a force at work in nature and society as well as in the human body. Tangible expressions of qi in the body include respiration, circulation of the blood, and sexual energy. Less obvious manifestations include the circulation of qi itself along channels independent of the circulatory and nervous systems, called meridians.
While the exercises known today as qigong are ancient, traceable at least to texts found in Han period tombs from 2,000 years ago, the term itself is relatively recent, not seen before the Ming period (1368–1644). Furthermore, before 1900, knowledge and dissemination of such exercises extended to a relative few, who received training through traditional lineage holders. (In educational contexts that emphasize the personal transmission of knowledge from master to disciple, a lineage holder is someone who has received transmission from a recognized master and is sanctioned by that master to impart instruction.) Only in the 1980s was qigong popularized to become the widespread form of exercise it is today.
Qigong is generally practiced to increase martial ability and to improve health. It can be divided between qigong for oneself and for others. Practiced for oneself, qigong can be done at rest or while moving. Taijiquan, a martial art and health exercise, is a dynamic qigong exercise done for oneself. Laying on of hands, massage, and acupuncture are forms of qigong practiced for others.
Qigong stands at the nexus between science and religion in modern societies. Questions about its uses, effects, and reality persist. As the number of qigong practitioners increases worldwide and its principles are incorporated in new contexts, it remains to be seen whether the claims for its salutary effects will be balanced by a body of evidence accepted by a wider scientific community.
Further Reading
Kohn, Livia, ed. (1989) Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, Center for Chinese Studies Publications, 61.
——. (1993) The Taoist Experience: An Anthology. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Maspero, Henri. (1981) Taoism and Chinese Religion. Trans. by Frank A. Kierman Jr. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.
Robinet, Isabelle. (1993) Taoist Meditation: The Mao-shan Tradition of Great Purity. Trans. by Julian F. Pas and Norman J. Girardot. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Schipper, Kristofer. (1993) The Taoist Body. Trans. by Karen C. Duval. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
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