Qigong exercises come in many different schools and styles. And with a history of around 5000 years, that’s hardly surprising.
To help us categorize the legion of qigong exercises we can separate them into 4 different groups based on the aims and objectives of the practitioner.
Medical qigong exercises – as the name suggests focus on overcoming a specific or general illness or disease. The aim is restore the harmonious flow of energy or qi through the energy channels (meridians) of the body. With harmonious energy flow you have good health. There are many different qigong exercises that focus on overcoming illness and improving health including ‘self manifested qi flow’.
Scholar Qigong Exercises – at a higher level, where good health is established you may wish to improve your ability to think clearly, to find creative solutions to problems or be a great student, in the endeavor of your choice. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the Shen or mind/spirit is responsible for Spirit, consciousness, the ability to articulate thought, memory, intelligence and creativity. Qigong for the scholar focus on the Shen/mind. When Shen is strong you have peace of mind and you can see Shen in a persons eyes. Qigong exercises like Dan Tien breathing and Nourishing Kidneys are beneficial for the Scholar.
Martial Qigong Exercises – the martial artist requires great health, stamina and the ability to make decisions quickly. In the past the martial artists life may depend on these abilities. Qigong for the martial artist focuses on developing these qualities. There are 1000′s of qigong exercises like Zhan Zhuang, iron palm, golden bell, 1 finger shooting Zen that are suitable for these aims.
Monk Qigong Exercises – the highest level. Spiritual cultivation is one of the most rigorous activities an individual can undertake. Qigong exercises can help a person to follow this path safely and effectively.
But remember this grouping is definitely not carved in stone. It’s just to help us in our understanding. For example if we pick one of the most well known qigong exercises – Lifting the Sky. It could easily fit in more than one of the groups mentioned above.
You see, there is no one exercise that is the best of all the qigong exercises. There is something far more important and that is the skill of the practitioner. It’s not how many exercises or forms you know, it’s the skill you have that counts.
Below you will find lots of different posts all to do with qigong exercises. Just click on the title for the full article.
In this post I want to make clear why I believe Qigong and Qigong exercises (yes, even at the form level *shock horror*) have a vital role in helping our aging population stay active. I believe that time is the most precious commodity you can ever have, with time you can improve health, increase wealth [...]
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An Introduction In this post I’d like to look at what it is that makes Qigong/Chi Kung such a powerful tool for overcoming depression, anxiety, worry, fear and for raising self esteem and resistance to stress. I know from my own personal experience of using Qigong to get off anti depressants and You can think [...]
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Introduction: I’m often asked what my Qigong training ‘regime’ looks like and I’ve usually avoided directly answering this question for three main reasons: 1) This is just the way I practice, it’s not the ONLY way to practice, or the BEST way to practice. It’s the best way for me. 2) My practice changes through [...]
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I finished my Qigong practice this morning feeling ridiculously good. It’s no secret that out of all the Qigong exercises I’ve encountered over the years – Look Back To Carry The Moon – is in my top 3 all time favorite qigong exercises. Especially when practiced as ‘Cosmic Shower’. As I walked around my garden [...]
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How To Learn Qigong I can think of 7 ways to learn Qigong, actually I’ve just thought of another one, so make that 8. There are probably more, 7 of these are the most common though. With bonus ‘how to learn Qigong‘ number 8 being a recent development. Let’s take a brief overview of each [...]
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I went to visit a friend last week and he taught me some really cool stuff. You can see the results below. We had a lot of fun creating these images, but as I sat looking at the one of me levitating, I suddenly realised there was a potential problem. As I work in the [...]
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…and how you can succeed by doing the opposite. In no particular order I’d like to present the top 10 ways to fail with your Qigong exercises: 1. Practice Qigong Form Only Forget that Qigong is a composite of Qigong Form, Energy/Breathing and Mind. Just focus on the bit you can see, Qigong form and [...]
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Learn how to handle disturbances when you’re practicing your Qigong exercises. Let’s face it. If it hasn’t done so already, it’s going to happen. You’ll be practicing your Qigong Exercises and: Someone will come up to you whilst you’re in energy flow and ask you if you’re alright. The fire alarm will go off in [...]
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I’m often asked about what visualizations to add with Qigong exercises and most often I reply not to bother with visualizations. The reason being that I have found they usually add a level of complexity to your Qigong practice, but do not offer a fair exchange of value in return. I especially advise you to [...]
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