I truly believe that chi kung, practiced as chi kung and not chi kung form, is more powerful and gives better physical, emotional, mental and spiritual results than Yoga, Tai Chi and Reiki – combined! Of course that’s just my opinion based on my personal experience, so there’s no need for us to fall out about it =)
But, I have to admit there are 2 major flaws of chi kung. These flaws are serious and it is my job as your guide to the chi kung world to let you know about them, regardless of whether you are already practicing chi kung, or plan to start practicing chi kung.
Here they are:
Major Chi Kung Flaw #1
It takes time – much of what you see written about chi kung is so sensational. You could easily be forgiven for thinking that chi kung is some kind of 30 day miracle cure. Some of the claims made would lead you to think that there is nothing that chi kung can’t do. Well, most of the claims are true – but it takes daily, preferably twice daily, practice of chi kung (and not chi kung form) over a period of around 4-6 months for you to notice significant improvements in long term, deep rooted illness or disease.
It is true that practiced correctly you will feel relaxed, peaceful, energised and generally all round ‘better’ immediately after you finish a chi kung session – but you must realise that you won’t make massive changes to your health or vitality overnight.
Major Chi Kung Flaw #2
You have to do the work – a teacher can point the way, but you must make the effort yourself. There is a joke that chi kung is for lazy people. And when compared to the discipline and effort involved with learning Tai Chi Chuan and Shaolin Kung Fu this is absolutely true. But practicing chi kung requires the disicipline and commitment to practice every single day.
Reading about chi kung, watching chi kung/qigong dvd s will not benefit you one single iota. As my teacher is fond of saying: we don’t learn chi kung we practice chi kung.
In the west we have become a nation that believes there is a pill for every ill. We are used to handing over the responsibility for our health and well being to ‘experts’. Got a belly ache? Take a tablet. Feeling down? Take a tablet. Or better yet, I’ll go to the doctor and get some hardcore tablets.
The massive pharmaceutical giants want you to believe there is a pill for your every ill because that’s how they make billions of $’s profits every year. But that’s for another post!
In a Nutshell – if you want instant cures and you want someone or something to do the curing for you then please do not waste your precious time with chi kung. You simply will not get the results that you want. But if you are prepared to invest 15-30 minutes a day and want to take back responsibility for your happiness, health and well being – then chi kung has much to offer you.
Bye for now,
Marcus James Santer
