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Qi Gong (pronounced Chi Kung) is an ancient Chinese energy (Chi) practice. Qi means energy.
Qigong is based on the concept of Chi, energy which flows through the body. There are 460 movements to learn in the Qigong and related Tai Chi programs. Breathing techniques help the chi flow. It is a self healing practice that can lead to the connection of mind, body and spirit.
The history of Chinese Qigong can be roughly divided into four periods.
About 300 B.C. the Daoist philosopher Zhuang Zi described the relationship between health and the breath in his book NanHua Jing. "The men of old breathed clear down to their heels."
Because many Han emperors were intelligent and wise, the Han dynasty was a glorious and peaceful period. It was during the Eastern Han dynasty (c. 58 A.D.) that Buddhism was imported to China from India. The Han emperor became a sincere Buddhist; Buddhism soon spread and became very popular.
He emerged after nine years of seclusion and wrote two classics: Yi Jin Jing or Yi Gin Ching - Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic and Xi Sui Jing (or Shii Soei Ching - Marrow/Brain Washing Classic.
After the priests practiced the Muscle/Tendon Changing exercises, they found that not only did they improve their health, but they also greatly increased their strength. When this training was integrated into the martial arts forms, it increased the effectiveness of their techniques. In addition to this martial Qigong training, the Shaolin priests also created five animal styles of Gongfu which imitated the way different animals fight. The animals imitated were the tiger, leopard, dragon, snake, and crane.
In 1034 A.D. Dr. Wang used acupuncture to cure the emperor Ren Zong. With the support of the emperor, acupuncture flourished. In order to encourage acupuncture medical research, the emperor built a temple to Bian Que, who wrote the Nan Jing, and worshiped him as the ancestor of acupuncture.
With the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the founding of the Chinese Republic, the nation began changing as never before. Since this time Qigong practice has entered a new era.
Modern methods of communication have opened up Qigong to a much wider audience than ever before, and people now have the opportunity to study and understand many different styles.