Spiritual QiGong -
breathing and meditation
Martial Art QiGong - Taiji Chuan for self-defense
Healing QiGong - Qi energy
used for healing the self or others
The Chinese word
"QiGong" basically translates into English as "Qi"
- life force energy, and "Gong" - to cultivate and
exercise. Thus, QiGong means to cultivate and exercise our life
force energy. Medical QiGong goes one step further in using this
cultivated energy for the purpose of healing ourselves or
someone else. It is a wonderful way to heal naturally,
spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Medical QiGong has
its foundation in Classical Chinese Medicine. In some ways, it
has many similarities to acupuncture, though in other ways it is
drastically different. In China, Medical QiGong is a mainstream
form of treatment available in hospitals. It is often used to
treat disharmonies ranging from simple headaches or appetite
problems to cancerous tumors and Multiple Sclerosis. Of course,
the treatments for each problem would be quite different, and
treatments may also include additions
such as Chinese
Herbs and special meditations.
What happens in a
Medical QiGong session?
In order to
understand the subtleties of what happens in a Medical QiGong
session, here is an example of a basic treatment:
The patient (John)
goes to the Medical QiGong Doctor (MQD) and complains of
being under stress
and working too hard. John has been having problems sleeping and
is tired most of the day. Other than that, however, he seems
healthy.
John lies down on
a table, fully clothed. He relaxes as the MQD prepares herself
with a special meditation that will put her in the proper state
to enter John’s energy field in a safe and open manner. The
MQD energetically cleanses John’s meridians, opening them so
that she can then begin to harmonize them with pure Qi channeled
from Heaven and Earth. The MQD starts at John's feet and slowly
works her way up
his body, joint to joint, first filling an area with Qi and then
circulating it through the correct meridian pathways. Along the
way she will further cleanse and harmonize any energy
stagnations or deficiencies she finds, and press different
acupressure points as needed, sending Qi directly into them
without using needles. At the end, John will be cleared of his
old toxic Qi that wasn’t flowing correctly, and filled with
new pure Qi, balanced and harmonized. The MQD will disconnect
herself from his energy field and allow him to take a few
minutes to settle into this healing state.
Before John
leaves, the MQD will probably give him some special QiGong
exercises specific to his condition, to be done each morning for
the next three weeks. John will go home and sleep like a baby,
wake up the next morning and do his QiGong, then go to work
feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
What does it take
to be a Medical QiGong (MQG) Practitioner?
To embark upon the
path of becoming a MQG practitioner is to take a journey unlike
any other you’ll ever go on. I can’t say that it’s not a
lot of hard work, but from my experience, it is worth every
ounce of effort.
The student will
go through about two years of intense self-cultivation. This
includes lots of meditation for personal insights, emotional
purging, and spiritual growth. During this time, the student
practices various forms of QiGong and Taiji exercises to build
and harmonize their physical and emotional strength and to bring
about their own healing experiences. There are also many
fascinating studies into the theories and philosophies of
Classical Chinese Medicine, including meridians, points, herbs,
and more.
Once the proper
foundation is attained, the student continues by beginning two
or more years of clinical work, gaining hands-on experience with
actual patients. A background or license in Massage Therapy is
very useful at this point (but not required). There is a
national exam in the works that will need to be passed to
qualify as a Doctor of Medical QiGong, recognized by the Chinese
government and the U.S.
